Introduction
"Every man is more than just himself; he also represents the unique, the very special and always significant and remarkable point at which the world's phenomena intersect, only once in this way, and never again. That is why every man's story is important, eternal, sacred; that is why every man, as long as he lives and fulfills the will of nature, is wondrous, and worthy of consideration. In each individual the spirit has become flesh, in each man the creation suffers, within each one a redeemer is nailed to the cross."
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When a trainer receives his or her first Pokédex, their first reaction is not sadness nor is it sorrow. They feel joy, happiness that radiates to all those that surround them. It is a blessing to them, one that marks them as finally old enough to travel the world with a Pokémon at his or her side. There was no greater feeling than journeying across the regions, challenging Gym Leaders or simply filling the Pokédex. No one trainer was the same, and each had their own goals, their own dreams. Some dreams were achieved while others never became more than a mere whisper. There was one dream, perhaps, that shone the brightest. It was a dream of a world where Pokémon and humans could live together in peace, and in harmony. But as with most pure intentions, they did not remain as so.
Team Rocket was an organization that most knew to be vile. They stole trainers' Pokémon, tried to capture legendary Pokémon to do their bidding, however; they were always thwarted. Team Rocket never fulfilled their ambitions to take over the world and create a world where only they held Pokémon. Each time they resurfaced to try again, there was a trainer always waiting for them. Perhaps not always intentionally so, but they were always defeated. Thirty years ago saw the last of Team Rocket's activities. There was no sign of them and people began to forget. Who was this Team Rocket? What did they do, and why were they so important? Eventually, even the other organizations forgot. Why should they remember the group who disbanded after their leader left?
Perhaps, everyone should have remembered?
It happened so fast, their resurgence. Team Rocket was back, however; there was something different about them. They were not the same, simple-minded grunts or executives. Their leader—someone never seen before—held to something precious. Tired of seeing Pokémon mistreated by their trainers, watching as the trainers gave no sympathy to their partners, Team Rocket resurfaced with a new purpose, one that contradicted their previous ploys. They wanted to liberate Pokémon, free them from their trainers, however; one thing remained the same. Team Rocket would oversee the distribution of Pokéballs and Pokémon to qualified trainers.
Many people believed Team Rocket would be stopped, that their plans would never reach fruition, however; their leader proved to be cunning, strong-willed, and without equal when it came to challenges. Their determination—the belief that Pokémon were better off without trainers—flowed so fiercely that even the members of Rocket would not dare challenge their leader. In the span of ten years, Team Rocket achieved what no one thought possible. They achieved their dreams. Pokémon were no longer given as starter Pokémon to just any child. There were a series of tests, ones that tested the will of trainers and the strength of their hearts. If trainers were found unworthy, they would never be able to travel the world with their first Pokémon, nor would they ever be given the chance to dream. But with all ambitions, they must crumble.
There are those who still move to overthrow Team Rocket, to bring the world back to the way it was. They seek to bring hope back to the hopeless, to give dreams a fighting chance. But what do three members of the organization have to do with this usurp of the throne? What does one, innocent woman, have to do with these members? One thing is certain, fate does not intend to be kind to them, nor does she expect to go easy on them. Hearts grow weary, after all, when they are not properly nourished.
Team Rocket was an organization that most knew to be vile. They stole trainers' Pokémon, tried to capture legendary Pokémon to do their bidding, however; they were always thwarted. Team Rocket never fulfilled their ambitions to take over the world and create a world where only they held Pokémon. Each time they resurfaced to try again, there was a trainer always waiting for them. Perhaps not always intentionally so, but they were always defeated. Thirty years ago saw the last of Team Rocket's activities. There was no sign of them and people began to forget. Who was this Team Rocket? What did they do, and why were they so important? Eventually, even the other organizations forgot. Why should they remember the group who disbanded after their leader left?
Perhaps, everyone should have remembered?
It happened so fast, their resurgence. Team Rocket was back, however; there was something different about them. They were not the same, simple-minded grunts or executives. Their leader—someone never seen before—held to something precious. Tired of seeing Pokémon mistreated by their trainers, watching as the trainers gave no sympathy to their partners, Team Rocket resurfaced with a new purpose, one that contradicted their previous ploys. They wanted to liberate Pokémon, free them from their trainers, however; one thing remained the same. Team Rocket would oversee the distribution of Pokéballs and Pokémon to qualified trainers.
Many people believed Team Rocket would be stopped, that their plans would never reach fruition, however; their leader proved to be cunning, strong-willed, and without equal when it came to challenges. Their determination—the belief that Pokémon were better off without trainers—flowed so fiercely that even the members of Rocket would not dare challenge their leader. In the span of ten years, Team Rocket achieved what no one thought possible. They achieved their dreams. Pokémon were no longer given as starter Pokémon to just any child. There were a series of tests, ones that tested the will of trainers and the strength of their hearts. If trainers were found unworthy, they would never be able to travel the world with their first Pokémon, nor would they ever be given the chance to dream. But with all ambitions, they must crumble.
There are those who still move to overthrow Team Rocket, to bring the world back to the way it was. They seek to bring hope back to the hopeless, to give dreams a fighting chance. But what do three members of the organization have to do with this usurp of the throne? What does one, innocent woman, have to do with these members? One thing is certain, fate does not intend to be kind to them, nor does she expect to go easy on them. Hearts grow weary, after all, when they are not properly nourished.
Threads
No threads found.
The Story
The soft thrumming of a small chest was enough to stir Eryk from his slumber. Removing the arm that covered his eyes, he glanced towards the object and frowned slightly. His meowth seemed content where it was, giving no indications of moving or even waking at the moment, and Eryk resigned to sitting up. The meowth mewled in protest as she jumped from her spot, allowing Eryk to finally move his limbs. He glanced at the watch, fastened to his wrist, and allowed the frown on his face to deepen. Three hours had passed and he had a feeling he knew why. Meowth merely sat in her spot and smiled innocently at her owner, her tail twitching in its place.
"Return," were the only words he spoke, watching as the red beam landed on the meowth, and successfully recalled her to her pokéball. Fastening the ball to his belt, Eryk stood up from his concrete bed, righting the white coat over his person before making his way down the roof stairs. His employers had deemed it necessary to rebuild the Pokémon Mansion in order to set up a base. Why they chose Cinnabar Island, Eryk only had a slight guess. But this was his current residence along with two of his coworkers. It was where they were to set up operations and to keep tabs on a certain party member. He didn't understand what their interest was in the girl, but a job was a job, and he was here to do it. With that in mind, he descended down the final flight and stopped momentarily.
"Good afternoon, Ryk," a familiar voice greeted, and a ghost of a smile graced his lips. It disappeared soon after as he turned to fully face Cyrilla. "They want verbal interactions with her," she had stated, and he could hear the faint displeasure in her voice. He pursed his lips together as the information settled. "They want you on it first, though," she continued, causing Eryk to stiffen in his posture. He supposed he didn't have much of a choice in the matter. It's what they wanted, and he had to do it. But what would be a good reason to visit such a place?
"Any specifics?" he questioned, his voice a low kind of tone. Had it been any other person, she might have flinched at the bite it held, but he knew her well enough that she would not take it that way. She, instead, merely shook her head, her white locks spilling over her shoulder before handing him a folder. "Thank you," he spoke, a sort of softness filtering in before he walked away. He glanced at the folder in his hand, glancing at the information it contained. There was nothing specific in the details, and he narrowed his eyes slightly. If they wanted him to gather information on her, he needed to know exactly what they wanted. A frustrated sigh escaped his lips as he placed the folder beneath his arm, and walked towards his room. If he was going to do this, he couldn't show up in the executive uniform, now could he?
Once he was fully dressed, a plain white shirt with a black coat over and a pair of blue jeans, he left the mansion, making his way towards his destination, however; he did not account for his meowth to appear from her ball, and stare up at him with a glint in her eyes he knew too well. It was one his friend, Kasimir, usually wore when he was up to no good, and he narrowed his eyes at the meowth. Before he could get a single word in, the meowth darted off, earning a sigh from the man. He did not have time for this, and pinched the bridge of his nose. He knew he should have given the meowth back to Cyrilla. He allowed his legs to carry him off to his destination, looking for his meowth as he did so. Perhaps the creature was a little more clever than he thought her to be, but she would return to him, eventually.
Had he paid more attention, though, he would have noticed his meowth curling up to the legs of the one he needed to speak with. What he would say to her, though, is something he did not know. Instead, spotting the signature pink locks of the girl, he approached, silent at first, before clearing his throat. He did not, after all, want to startle the girl. His appearance would do that well enough, though he would not blame her. "Pardon, but have you seen a meowth running by?" he spoke, his voice coming out a smidge awkward. He tried to tone it down a bit, knowing full well the effects it had on people sometimes.
The girl in question had a rather unusual look to her, not least of all due to the rose-colored hue of her ample sheets of hair, presently neatly braided around the crown of her head, with the spare foot and a half or so draped easily over her left shoulder. She was quite thin, almost frail-looking, and compared to him, her height was rather unimpressive, though this had more to do with his being tall than any especial shortness on her part. Her face was a rather artistic arrangement of delicate bone structure and fair skin, though the smattering of freckles gave it a distinct sense of youth and a much-needed hint of chaos.
She did not at first seem to realize that she was the one he addressed, starting slightly at the sound of his voice, but pausing for several seconds more before actually looking away from what she was doing, probably because she'd heard no one else answer in the meantime. It would have been quite apparent then that there was no one else he could be talking to, because she was the only other one around.
She had to be young—it was obvious from this angle. Somewhere between eighteen and twenty-two would be a reasonable guess, though there was something to the set of her expression that suggested greater age than that, somehow. It disappeared, though, when she smiled, the gesture only slight, but enough to melt away any hint of premature age. It didn't quite reach her eyes, but it was close, close enough to almost miss.
"Well, sir, I'm not sure,” she replied, and there was something in her tone that wasn't exactly straightforward, almost as though she were teasing him, albeit gently. "Perhaps if you told me what kind of markings she has, or how big she is?” The girl folded her arms behind her back, shifting the way she was standing slightly, though she moved no closer to him. Instead, the shift revealed just a little bit of a feline ear, making it obvious to the observant that the Pokémon in question was, indeed, hiding behind the young woman's legs.
"She is smaller than your average meowth, standing about yea high," he began, trying his best to describe his meowth. It took him a moment to realize that, when she moved, the meowth he was searching for was behind her, peeking ever so lightly from her hiding space. He glanced down at the meowth before lifting his eyes back to the young girl. He simply stared at her for a moment, furrowing his brows slightly before he realized that the young woman knew, and he released a short sigh. Why did they want him, of all people, to interact with her first? Why couldn't they have sent Kasimir or Cyrilla? They were much better at starting casual conversations with people—he was decidedly not. She seemed simple enough, though, and before he could reel his thoughts any further, he turned so that he was just looking at her, and not staring.
"Perhaps it is due a proper introduction," he finally stated, his posture straightening almost to the point he could no longer do so. They had occupied the renovated mansion for over a month now, and he had yet to learn her name. He heard Cyrilla mention it once, but he did not retain it to his memory. "Eryk," he simply stated, though one couldn't exactly say it was a proper introduction. Realizing this, he cleared his throat and corrected himself. "My name is Eryk," he continued, furrowing his brows at himself. To the onlookers, it would look like he was glaring at the girl, as if she'd offended him in some way, however; it was not intentional. For a moment, she appeared to flinch, but her expression smoothed back out quickly.
"I... we just moved here not too long ago. My cousin appears to have made acquaintances here, already," he spoke, and he did not doubt that she would have, being who she was. If he recalled correctly, she had made friends with the Gym Leader, Blake's Grandson, Drake. He did not approve of the man, but they were just friends as far as he knew. "She has mentioned that I need to do the same," he continued, partially telling the truth. Cyrilla had spoken to him about at least meeting people. He motioned for his meowth to return to him, and she did, jumping so that she was now hanging on his shoulders, staring with mirth in her eyes, at the young girl.
There was something a smidge indulgent about the young woman's smile, and her expression conveyed a sense of patience, as though she didn't find this half as awkward as Eryk did. “Well then, I am honored to be your first new acquaintance, Eryk,” she replied with what appeared to be good humor. Her voice was soft, and slightly faint, as though she were not especially accustomed to using it, but she showed none of the discomfort that he did, and indeed stepped slowly forward, making her motions obvious and unsurprising.
She lifted a hand, and held it out sideways, offering it for a shake. “My name is Anastasia. I've only lived on the island for about a year myself, but I think that's long enough for me to be able to welcome you to it. I hope you'll feel at home here.” Her hand was much like the rest of her—thin and fair-skinned, and a trifle delicate-looking, but all the same, there were slight calluses on her fingers, those gained, perhaps from manual labor of some kind, and her fingers were the long, elegant tapers of a musician. It would still quite clearly be dwarfed by his.
He stared at her hand for a long moment, as if contemplating whether or not to take it. Hesitantly, he offered his own hand. It jerked, albeit unnoticeably, before it fully connected with hers, and he took it with a surprisng gentleness he did not know he could possess. Perhaps it was because she looked so fragile compared to most of the people he dealt with. He left his hand connected with hers for a bit longer than was deemed customary, but he released it as slowly as he took it.
"It is longer than we have been here, thank you... for the welcome," he finally spoke, the awkwardness never leaving the tone of his voice. He nodded his head faintly before glancing at the meowth at his shoulder, who seemed to be staring at him with a hint of mischief, but he merely passed it off. "Perhaps I can help you with some of your chores," he spoke, but the way he stated it came off as more of a demand than a question. He meant it as the latter, and could only hope she took it as such. She did not appear to need his help, but it would mean their conversation would last a bit longer. He'd only learned her name thus far, and if he wanted to gain anything else, he would have to remain with her.
"That is, of course, if you desire it. I will not impede your work, Miss Anastasia," he decided to clarify himself.
She glanced down at the items laying next to her, which she had apparently been carrying beforehand. They looked like two enormous bags of Pokémon food, from the labels, and then back up at him, a curious expression coming over her face for a moment, almost as though he were some kind of exotic creature she'd never seen before. “Help… me?” she looked a little perplexed, blinking up at him, but then she nodded slightly. “If you have the time, I could perhaps use a bit of assistance getting these back home.”
Bending down, she picked up one of the bags, teetering dangerously to the side for a moment before she staggered and caught her balance again, hefting the fifty-pound sack onto one of her thin shoulders. It settled there, and looked stable enough, though it was a tough guess as to how she'd ever managed the second one, because she looked a little overwhelmed even with just the one. “I'm a few blocks down this way, if you could get the other one? I had to drop them when your cute little friend came to say hello.” She smiled softly at the meowth on his shoulder.
She started off at a moderate walking pace, her steps oddly graceful and light despite the awkwardness of her burden. Sunlight glimmered in the rosy strands of her plait, and given how fair she was, the brightness of the tropical day almost seemed to dissolve her at the edges. Her voice, however, remained pleasantly solid. “So what brought you to Cinnabar, if I can ask?”
With little effort on his part, Eryk hefted the other bag on his shoulder, but pursed his lips into a fine line when Anastasia took off with the other one on her shoulder. He hadn't missed the way she staggered, considering it was obvious enough, and contemplated whether or not he would help any further. The meowth gave a soft nudge with her head against his free hand, recalling herself into her own ball leaving his other shoulder free. Without as much as a word, in a few quick strides, he was by her side, taking her bag from her arms and placing it on his spare shoulder.
"I don't mind," he spoke as if to excuse himself of what he just did. His voice was barely above a whisper, though, when he spoke, and glanced down from the corner of his eye when she spoke. "Research," was the curt reply he gave. She probably wanted more than that, but he remained silent for a second, trying to think of what they were researching. He couldn't say We're researching you, unless he wanted to come off as some kind of insane person, however; the gears in his mind began to crank as he added to his comment.
"The Old Mansion is a house of lore, and there is a certain pokémon we are investigating," though he wasn't exactly lying about that. There were exactly two reasons why they rebuilt that mansion, and one of them was to study the origins of Mewtwo and Mew. It seemed like a harmless enough explanation since there were others in the world interested in the two. He wasn't exactly a researcher, but she didn't have to know that. "I suspect when we are finished, we will be leaving," though he really couldn't say for sure. If they actually found something, chances were they'd remain on Cinnabar Island for a good time.
Anastasia nodded, seeming to accept the answer, brief as it was, with equanimity. She rolled her shoulders, not appearing upset that her burden had been removed but rather wearing that vaguely-surprised look again, like he was something she didn't quite know what to do about. “I've never been in it, but I've heard some of the local stories,” she replied in the same thread of conversation. “They used to say it was haunted, but I…” she trailed off, pursing her lips slightly. “Well, it seems unlikely to me, anyway.” there was something about the way she said it that gave the impression that it wasn't what she'd originally meant to say there.
Another couple of blocks brought them to a comparatively large property, one with an arch over the gate and a white picket fence enclosing the yard. Two buildings sat on the grounds. One was a modest house, no bigger then the others in the neighborhood but cheerfully painted, meticulously-clean, and obviously well-maintained. It was a soft blue color, with white shutters and a matching door, a small vegetable garden just visible to one side of it. The second building was painted to match, but was much larger, and all on a single level, set on the back of the lot with a wide expanse of grass in between. There was even a little pond, one that burbled with a fountain, which produced a soft, pleasant sound.
The arch read CINNABAR POKÉMON REHABILITATION AND HOSPICE, and indeed, the yard was filled with pokémon, about five in total at the moment. An ekans sunned itself on a large flat stone near the pond, occasionally shooting aggravated glances at the feebas energetically splashing around inside it. A one-legged pidove pecked at a scattering of seed on the ground, along with a pidgeotto who seemed to be missing an eye. A very old-looking stoutland, his coat almost completely grey and white, slept on his back by the gate, his paws in the air at odd angles.
“Well, here's home,” Anastasia said, fishing around in her pockets for a ring of keys before fitting one into the gate. “It's not much, but if you don't mind, I could make you some tea? As thanks, for the help.”
He did not pursue the subject further when she spoke, instead opting to listen to what she had to say. He was, after all, suppose to collect information in any way he could, and if she wanted to speak, he let her. It was easier that way, and he could do what he did best: listen. He had heard those same rumors, the ones speaking of the haunted mansion, but he cared not for the superstitions of others. If it was haunted, he would have known it by now, but it seemed that it was just abandoned. When they approached her place of living, he simply stared at the simplicity of it. He glanced at Anastasia, back to the abode, and back at the pink-haired girl, blinking slowly in the process.
"That won't be," he began, stopping only momentarily as he contemplated her offer. He could use the opportunity to speak with her further, but he didn't want to overstay his welcome. Conversations with him were not the easiest things, and he knew he'd probably intimidate her if he spoke freely. As if on cue, the phone in his pocket vibrated, signaling the arrival of a text. He dropped one of the bags to his side, and fished the phone from its place before reading the message. He frowned slightly, but did nothing further. Slipping the phone back into his pocket, he turned his attention back to Anastasia.
"Perhaps another day? We will be here for a while yet, I assure you this won't be the last encounter we have," he spoke, not at all fazed by what he just said. If he'd known better, he would have known that it sounded a little stalker-like, but he did not. "Where should I leave these?" he finally continued, motioning towards the two bags he was still carrying.
She didn't seem at all upset by the fact that her offer had been turned down, glancing at his phone for a moment and smiling in an understanding sort of way before she was able to push the unlocked gate open. “Well, if you don't mind, you can just put them by the door there.” She indicated the front entrance of the larger building as they stepped inside the gate, the old stoutland rousing himself from sleep immediately and waddling over to Anastasia, who bent to scratch him behind the ears. He wheezed in what sounded like a pleased sort of way and leaned into her hand, which she used to pat his head again before straightening.
“You have my thanks, Eryk. Since you can't stay for tea, please at least accept these.” Her hand dipped into one of the pockets of her apron, and she pulled out a small burlap bag, tied at the top with what looked like a ribbon. “They're pokémon treats. I'm not sure if miss meowth is your only one, but they're popular with my guests here, so I hope yours will like them too.” From the packaging, it wasn't a difficult guess that they were homemade, since the sack was stamped with the same logo as the gate.
He would have refused to take them, however; somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew his team would be upset with him. Sighing inwardly, he took the parcel from her hand and placed it in his pocket, careful as to not damage it. Retrieving the second bag, he hoisted them to their location and left them where she told him, turning to make his leave, after. He paused at the gate, glancing down at the shorter girl from the corner of his eyes before taking a step forward. "You're welcome," he spoke, his voice barely above a whisper as he made his way back to the facility. He'd learned only one thing today, and that was her name.
"Anastasia."
"Return," were the only words he spoke, watching as the red beam landed on the meowth, and successfully recalled her to her pokéball. Fastening the ball to his belt, Eryk stood up from his concrete bed, righting the white coat over his person before making his way down the roof stairs. His employers had deemed it necessary to rebuild the Pokémon Mansion in order to set up a base. Why they chose Cinnabar Island, Eryk only had a slight guess. But this was his current residence along with two of his coworkers. It was where they were to set up operations and to keep tabs on a certain party member. He didn't understand what their interest was in the girl, but a job was a job, and he was here to do it. With that in mind, he descended down the final flight and stopped momentarily.
"Good afternoon, Ryk," a familiar voice greeted, and a ghost of a smile graced his lips. It disappeared soon after as he turned to fully face Cyrilla. "They want verbal interactions with her," she had stated, and he could hear the faint displeasure in her voice. He pursed his lips together as the information settled. "They want you on it first, though," she continued, causing Eryk to stiffen in his posture. He supposed he didn't have much of a choice in the matter. It's what they wanted, and he had to do it. But what would be a good reason to visit such a place?
"Any specifics?" he questioned, his voice a low kind of tone. Had it been any other person, she might have flinched at the bite it held, but he knew her well enough that she would not take it that way. She, instead, merely shook her head, her white locks spilling over her shoulder before handing him a folder. "Thank you," he spoke, a sort of softness filtering in before he walked away. He glanced at the folder in his hand, glancing at the information it contained. There was nothing specific in the details, and he narrowed his eyes slightly. If they wanted him to gather information on her, he needed to know exactly what they wanted. A frustrated sigh escaped his lips as he placed the folder beneath his arm, and walked towards his room. If he was going to do this, he couldn't show up in the executive uniform, now could he?
Once he was fully dressed, a plain white shirt with a black coat over and a pair of blue jeans, he left the mansion, making his way towards his destination, however; he did not account for his meowth to appear from her ball, and stare up at him with a glint in her eyes he knew too well. It was one his friend, Kasimir, usually wore when he was up to no good, and he narrowed his eyes at the meowth. Before he could get a single word in, the meowth darted off, earning a sigh from the man. He did not have time for this, and pinched the bridge of his nose. He knew he should have given the meowth back to Cyrilla. He allowed his legs to carry him off to his destination, looking for his meowth as he did so. Perhaps the creature was a little more clever than he thought her to be, but she would return to him, eventually.
Had he paid more attention, though, he would have noticed his meowth curling up to the legs of the one he needed to speak with. What he would say to her, though, is something he did not know. Instead, spotting the signature pink locks of the girl, he approached, silent at first, before clearing his throat. He did not, after all, want to startle the girl. His appearance would do that well enough, though he would not blame her. "Pardon, but have you seen a meowth running by?" he spoke, his voice coming out a smidge awkward. He tried to tone it down a bit, knowing full well the effects it had on people sometimes.
The girl in question had a rather unusual look to her, not least of all due to the rose-colored hue of her ample sheets of hair, presently neatly braided around the crown of her head, with the spare foot and a half or so draped easily over her left shoulder. She was quite thin, almost frail-looking, and compared to him, her height was rather unimpressive, though this had more to do with his being tall than any especial shortness on her part. Her face was a rather artistic arrangement of delicate bone structure and fair skin, though the smattering of freckles gave it a distinct sense of youth and a much-needed hint of chaos.
She did not at first seem to realize that she was the one he addressed, starting slightly at the sound of his voice, but pausing for several seconds more before actually looking away from what she was doing, probably because she'd heard no one else answer in the meantime. It would have been quite apparent then that there was no one else he could be talking to, because she was the only other one around.
She had to be young—it was obvious from this angle. Somewhere between eighteen and twenty-two would be a reasonable guess, though there was something to the set of her expression that suggested greater age than that, somehow. It disappeared, though, when she smiled, the gesture only slight, but enough to melt away any hint of premature age. It didn't quite reach her eyes, but it was close, close enough to almost miss.
"Well, sir, I'm not sure,” she replied, and there was something in her tone that wasn't exactly straightforward, almost as though she were teasing him, albeit gently. "Perhaps if you told me what kind of markings she has, or how big she is?” The girl folded her arms behind her back, shifting the way she was standing slightly, though she moved no closer to him. Instead, the shift revealed just a little bit of a feline ear, making it obvious to the observant that the Pokémon in question was, indeed, hiding behind the young woman's legs.
"She is smaller than your average meowth, standing about yea high," he began, trying his best to describe his meowth. It took him a moment to realize that, when she moved, the meowth he was searching for was behind her, peeking ever so lightly from her hiding space. He glanced down at the meowth before lifting his eyes back to the young girl. He simply stared at her for a moment, furrowing his brows slightly before he realized that the young woman knew, and he released a short sigh. Why did they want him, of all people, to interact with her first? Why couldn't they have sent Kasimir or Cyrilla? They were much better at starting casual conversations with people—he was decidedly not. She seemed simple enough, though, and before he could reel his thoughts any further, he turned so that he was just looking at her, and not staring.
"Perhaps it is due a proper introduction," he finally stated, his posture straightening almost to the point he could no longer do so. They had occupied the renovated mansion for over a month now, and he had yet to learn her name. He heard Cyrilla mention it once, but he did not retain it to his memory. "Eryk," he simply stated, though one couldn't exactly say it was a proper introduction. Realizing this, he cleared his throat and corrected himself. "My name is Eryk," he continued, furrowing his brows at himself. To the onlookers, it would look like he was glaring at the girl, as if she'd offended him in some way, however; it was not intentional. For a moment, she appeared to flinch, but her expression smoothed back out quickly.
"I... we just moved here not too long ago. My cousin appears to have made acquaintances here, already," he spoke, and he did not doubt that she would have, being who she was. If he recalled correctly, she had made friends with the Gym Leader, Blake's Grandson, Drake. He did not approve of the man, but they were just friends as far as he knew. "She has mentioned that I need to do the same," he continued, partially telling the truth. Cyrilla had spoken to him about at least meeting people. He motioned for his meowth to return to him, and she did, jumping so that she was now hanging on his shoulders, staring with mirth in her eyes, at the young girl.
There was something a smidge indulgent about the young woman's smile, and her expression conveyed a sense of patience, as though she didn't find this half as awkward as Eryk did. “Well then, I am honored to be your first new acquaintance, Eryk,” she replied with what appeared to be good humor. Her voice was soft, and slightly faint, as though she were not especially accustomed to using it, but she showed none of the discomfort that he did, and indeed stepped slowly forward, making her motions obvious and unsurprising.
She lifted a hand, and held it out sideways, offering it for a shake. “My name is Anastasia. I've only lived on the island for about a year myself, but I think that's long enough for me to be able to welcome you to it. I hope you'll feel at home here.” Her hand was much like the rest of her—thin and fair-skinned, and a trifle delicate-looking, but all the same, there were slight calluses on her fingers, those gained, perhaps from manual labor of some kind, and her fingers were the long, elegant tapers of a musician. It would still quite clearly be dwarfed by his.
He stared at her hand for a long moment, as if contemplating whether or not to take it. Hesitantly, he offered his own hand. It jerked, albeit unnoticeably, before it fully connected with hers, and he took it with a surprisng gentleness he did not know he could possess. Perhaps it was because she looked so fragile compared to most of the people he dealt with. He left his hand connected with hers for a bit longer than was deemed customary, but he released it as slowly as he took it.
"It is longer than we have been here, thank you... for the welcome," he finally spoke, the awkwardness never leaving the tone of his voice. He nodded his head faintly before glancing at the meowth at his shoulder, who seemed to be staring at him with a hint of mischief, but he merely passed it off. "Perhaps I can help you with some of your chores," he spoke, but the way he stated it came off as more of a demand than a question. He meant it as the latter, and could only hope she took it as such. She did not appear to need his help, but it would mean their conversation would last a bit longer. He'd only learned her name thus far, and if he wanted to gain anything else, he would have to remain with her.
"That is, of course, if you desire it. I will not impede your work, Miss Anastasia," he decided to clarify himself.
She glanced down at the items laying next to her, which she had apparently been carrying beforehand. They looked like two enormous bags of Pokémon food, from the labels, and then back up at him, a curious expression coming over her face for a moment, almost as though he were some kind of exotic creature she'd never seen before. “Help… me?” she looked a little perplexed, blinking up at him, but then she nodded slightly. “If you have the time, I could perhaps use a bit of assistance getting these back home.”
Bending down, she picked up one of the bags, teetering dangerously to the side for a moment before she staggered and caught her balance again, hefting the fifty-pound sack onto one of her thin shoulders. It settled there, and looked stable enough, though it was a tough guess as to how she'd ever managed the second one, because she looked a little overwhelmed even with just the one. “I'm a few blocks down this way, if you could get the other one? I had to drop them when your cute little friend came to say hello.” She smiled softly at the meowth on his shoulder.
She started off at a moderate walking pace, her steps oddly graceful and light despite the awkwardness of her burden. Sunlight glimmered in the rosy strands of her plait, and given how fair she was, the brightness of the tropical day almost seemed to dissolve her at the edges. Her voice, however, remained pleasantly solid. “So what brought you to Cinnabar, if I can ask?”
With little effort on his part, Eryk hefted the other bag on his shoulder, but pursed his lips into a fine line when Anastasia took off with the other one on her shoulder. He hadn't missed the way she staggered, considering it was obvious enough, and contemplated whether or not he would help any further. The meowth gave a soft nudge with her head against his free hand, recalling herself into her own ball leaving his other shoulder free. Without as much as a word, in a few quick strides, he was by her side, taking her bag from her arms and placing it on his spare shoulder.
"I don't mind," he spoke as if to excuse himself of what he just did. His voice was barely above a whisper, though, when he spoke, and glanced down from the corner of his eye when she spoke. "Research," was the curt reply he gave. She probably wanted more than that, but he remained silent for a second, trying to think of what they were researching. He couldn't say We're researching you, unless he wanted to come off as some kind of insane person, however; the gears in his mind began to crank as he added to his comment.
"The Old Mansion is a house of lore, and there is a certain pokémon we are investigating," though he wasn't exactly lying about that. There were exactly two reasons why they rebuilt that mansion, and one of them was to study the origins of Mewtwo and Mew. It seemed like a harmless enough explanation since there were others in the world interested in the two. He wasn't exactly a researcher, but she didn't have to know that. "I suspect when we are finished, we will be leaving," though he really couldn't say for sure. If they actually found something, chances were they'd remain on Cinnabar Island for a good time.
Anastasia nodded, seeming to accept the answer, brief as it was, with equanimity. She rolled her shoulders, not appearing upset that her burden had been removed but rather wearing that vaguely-surprised look again, like he was something she didn't quite know what to do about. “I've never been in it, but I've heard some of the local stories,” she replied in the same thread of conversation. “They used to say it was haunted, but I…” she trailed off, pursing her lips slightly. “Well, it seems unlikely to me, anyway.” there was something about the way she said it that gave the impression that it wasn't what she'd originally meant to say there.
Another couple of blocks brought them to a comparatively large property, one with an arch over the gate and a white picket fence enclosing the yard. Two buildings sat on the grounds. One was a modest house, no bigger then the others in the neighborhood but cheerfully painted, meticulously-clean, and obviously well-maintained. It was a soft blue color, with white shutters and a matching door, a small vegetable garden just visible to one side of it. The second building was painted to match, but was much larger, and all on a single level, set on the back of the lot with a wide expanse of grass in between. There was even a little pond, one that burbled with a fountain, which produced a soft, pleasant sound.
The arch read CINNABAR POKÉMON REHABILITATION AND HOSPICE, and indeed, the yard was filled with pokémon, about five in total at the moment. An ekans sunned itself on a large flat stone near the pond, occasionally shooting aggravated glances at the feebas energetically splashing around inside it. A one-legged pidove pecked at a scattering of seed on the ground, along with a pidgeotto who seemed to be missing an eye. A very old-looking stoutland, his coat almost completely grey and white, slept on his back by the gate, his paws in the air at odd angles.
“Well, here's home,” Anastasia said, fishing around in her pockets for a ring of keys before fitting one into the gate. “It's not much, but if you don't mind, I could make you some tea? As thanks, for the help.”
He did not pursue the subject further when she spoke, instead opting to listen to what she had to say. He was, after all, suppose to collect information in any way he could, and if she wanted to speak, he let her. It was easier that way, and he could do what he did best: listen. He had heard those same rumors, the ones speaking of the haunted mansion, but he cared not for the superstitions of others. If it was haunted, he would have known it by now, but it seemed that it was just abandoned. When they approached her place of living, he simply stared at the simplicity of it. He glanced at Anastasia, back to the abode, and back at the pink-haired girl, blinking slowly in the process.
"That won't be," he began, stopping only momentarily as he contemplated her offer. He could use the opportunity to speak with her further, but he didn't want to overstay his welcome. Conversations with him were not the easiest things, and he knew he'd probably intimidate her if he spoke freely. As if on cue, the phone in his pocket vibrated, signaling the arrival of a text. He dropped one of the bags to his side, and fished the phone from its place before reading the message. He frowned slightly, but did nothing further. Slipping the phone back into his pocket, he turned his attention back to Anastasia.
"Perhaps another day? We will be here for a while yet, I assure you this won't be the last encounter we have," he spoke, not at all fazed by what he just said. If he'd known better, he would have known that it sounded a little stalker-like, but he did not. "Where should I leave these?" he finally continued, motioning towards the two bags he was still carrying.
She didn't seem at all upset by the fact that her offer had been turned down, glancing at his phone for a moment and smiling in an understanding sort of way before she was able to push the unlocked gate open. “Well, if you don't mind, you can just put them by the door there.” She indicated the front entrance of the larger building as they stepped inside the gate, the old stoutland rousing himself from sleep immediately and waddling over to Anastasia, who bent to scratch him behind the ears. He wheezed in what sounded like a pleased sort of way and leaned into her hand, which she used to pat his head again before straightening.
“You have my thanks, Eryk. Since you can't stay for tea, please at least accept these.” Her hand dipped into one of the pockets of her apron, and she pulled out a small burlap bag, tied at the top with what looked like a ribbon. “They're pokémon treats. I'm not sure if miss meowth is your only one, but they're popular with my guests here, so I hope yours will like them too.” From the packaging, it wasn't a difficult guess that they were homemade, since the sack was stamped with the same logo as the gate.
He would have refused to take them, however; somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew his team would be upset with him. Sighing inwardly, he took the parcel from her hand and placed it in his pocket, careful as to not damage it. Retrieving the second bag, he hoisted them to their location and left them where she told him, turning to make his leave, after. He paused at the gate, glancing down at the shorter girl from the corner of his eyes before taking a step forward. "You're welcome," he spoke, his voice barely above a whisper as he made his way back to the facility. He'd learned only one thing today, and that was her name.
"Anastasia."
It was midmorning on Cinnabar Island, and as usual, there weren’t too many people around the administrative office. For the moment, it was basically three executives running the place by themselves, with a small staff of grunts to take care of any menial work that they deemed necessary, and since it was a Saturday, the chance of any of them showing up was minimal. For the moment, that meant the Three Beasts were left to do any work needed today. More accurately, it meant that while Ryk was doing… whatever the honchos in Saffron had decided needed doing in the field, Cyrilla was handling the paperwork and schedule for the next week, and the third member of the executive team (second in rank technically, but that wasn’t important) was taking a nap on the office sofa.
His long, lanky frame was comically oversized for the furniture, even though the sofa itself wasn’t that small. His legs were hooked at the knee over one arm, his head propped on a cushion that rested against the other. One arm draped over the side and flopped onto the floor, the other wrapped securely around the Pokémon that slept peacefully on his chest, its fluffy white wool occasionally fizzling with a subtle static charge, but harmless to its trainer. Meep the mareep was tucked into a ball, her legs underneath her, her chin resting on her trainer’s shoulder, nose nuzzled comfortably into his hair. The light in the sphere at the end of her tail slowly brightened and faded with her steady breathing, and she made soft, waffling snores in her sleep.
Absently, the dark hand resting atop her fleece moved back and forth, too subtly to be noticed by a casual observer. Kasimir kept his eyes closed while he listened to the sounds of Cyrilla going about her business in the same spacious office area, relishing the peace and quiet that pervaded, and likely would until Ryk got back and started yelling at him to get off his lazy ass and do some of it himself. Cy would never do that, though, and he liked it about her. Honestly, he did feel bad sometimes, but it wasn’t like he actually overburdened the rest of his team by being lazy. His share of the work got done, just not when anyone was watching.
Everything about him was seemingly designed to give the opposite impression, though. He didn’t wear the uniform or even the version of it they’d been given to pass off as researchers—instead he was wearing a loud, blue-and-orange Hawaiian shirt, left open and with an ordinary white t-shirt underneath, and cargo pants. His feet were bare, even in the office, his hair only casually tied back, his tattoos obvious, especially the one on his forearm. Meep shifted slightly on his chest, huffing in her slumber, and his mouth turned up just slightly at the corner, as though he were enjoying a pleasant dream.
The soft scratches of a pen being pushed around, however, could be heard coming to a stop, and a sigh of relief making an exit. The job at hand seemingly finished, Cyrilla stood from her seat, piling the papers together and shuffling off towards another part of the room. Once she was finished setting the papers away, she made her way towards him, remaining as quiet as she was trained to be, before stopping a foot away. She seemed to contemplate something, the thought flashing passively over her eyes before she decided against it. Reaching out slowly, she poked his arm softly, trying to stir him from his slumber.
"There are other places to sleep other than the sofa, places that are perhaps a little more comfortable, no?" she spoke, her voice soft with a hint of teasing laced behind it. She seemed to laugh at herself, however; she retracted her arm and let it fall to her side. A grunt of agreement could be heard across the room, coming from a Growlithe nestled by the desk she once occupied. He stood, stretching his legs before making his way towards the white-haired woman and sat patiently beside her. He was now closer to the sofa if the soft thumps of his tail against it were any indication.
"Even Lithe agrees," she added, a soft chuckle permeating the air. "Or you could always wait for Ryk to come back and have him on your case," she continued, the mirth in her voice never leaving. It remained quiet for a few seconds more before a sigh of defeat escaped her, and she shifted in her stance. "Would you at least like a blanket?" she questioned, the teasing note leaving her voice and replaced by something a little more serious.
Kasimir cracked a golden eye open, fixing it unerringly on Cyrilla, the look in it almost unsettlingly intent for a moment before it passed, returning to his usual glint of mischief. “Mm… depends,” he murmured, opening his other eye and flashing her an easy smile. “If I had a blanket, would you lay in it with me?” he arched an eyebrow suggestively, lifting his free hand up to toy casually with the hem of her shirt, though he avoided lifting it or otherwise doing anything that he knew would make her too uncomfortable.
Cyrilla was undoubtedly fun to tease, but he knew pretty well where her boundaries were, and he made a point of respecting them.
If the color staining her already pale complexion was any indication, the slight tremor in her hand was a dead giveaway to the embarrassment she was experiencing. There was a brief flicker of emotion passing behind her eyes, but it disappeared just as quickly, leaving her to the soft blush upon her cheeks. She placed her finger tips on his hand, though, and gently pushed it away from the hem of her shirt, the smile on her face never leaving its spot. "If it were just Meep, maybe, but three's a crowd," she replied, shaking her head lightly. The growlithe on the floor merely rolled his eyes before shuffling off to another part of the office.
"But it appears that you are awake now, so," she stated, slipping back towards the desk, reaching for a thick folder, and bringing it back towards him. "You get to handle these," she continued, dropping the folder on the part of him that wasn't covered by the Mareep. In this case, it happened to be around his stomach. "Cinnabar is having a festival in about two months time. They want to use this as a stepping stone to further scout out the residents of this island, especially," she paused, and the slight lock of her jaw was made obvious with the recoil of her lips.
"Eryk was charged with talking with her, to gather any information he could, but the two of us are supposed to check on any other potentials this island might have," she spoke with a sort of solemnness to her voice, as if the thought of it upset her in some way. Considering her nature, it probably did, but there was nothing the two of them could do about it. "While you review that, would you care for something to eat? It's a little past lunch time and neither you nor Ryk ate anything. I can make something if you'd like, even if it's just a sandwich," she seemed to offer, changing the subject just slighty.
Kas grumbled softly, picking up the thick packet of papers on his stomach and maneuvering it around the sleeping Meep with a sort of deceptive grace. He managed to make what he was doing look clumsy without ever actually being in danger of losing the papers or jostling his sleeping pokémon. “You don’t have to make me a sandwich, Cy.” A pause. “It would really help if the home office told us what we were actually looking for,” he muttered. So far, they’d been told only that Team Rocket was in need of a civilian of a very special sort for… something. It was all very hush-hush, and considering the fact that they were right below the top in terms of rank, the knowledge that their purpose was being kept from them was quite unsettling.
He, of course, had his own reasons for wanting to know what was going on, quite independent of any desire to do his work well or succeed at the task set before them, but those were things he could not and did not share, not even with the two of them. “Hey Cy,” he started, flipping carelessly through a few of the files until he found the one he wanted. It was a photograph of a young lady with blush-pink hair, their supposed primary target. He’d actually already introduced himself to her, though he hadn’t bothered telling anyone as much. “Why d’you think the bosses wanted Eryk to do this part? I mean, I like the guy, but he’s not who I’d pick for a diplomatic task like this, y’know?” It was actually a little puzzling, and he wondered if there was some deeper motivation for it.
"Because Eryk is less likely to become attached," was the quick response she gave, but even those words seemed to be delivered with a hesitant nature. "Or at least that's what they believe," she continued, setting herself down on the spare loveseat to the side. "You know how Ryk is. Once they tell him to do something, he'll do it without becoming personally involved," because that was who Eryk was. She sighed a little dejectedly before folding her hands in front of her.
She played absentmindedly with her thumbs before stopping altogether, instead, choosing to play with a tuff of the growlithe's fur. "They still don't trust me enough, and they don't believe you'd complete it in a timely manner. Whatever it is they are looking for appears to be time sensitive. It's probably why they want us here for the next few months before moving us somewhere else," she finally concluded, lifting her gaze so that she was staring at him. She seemed to want to say more, but whatever it was, she kept it to herself.
“’Least likely to get attached,’ huh?” Kasimir mused thoughtfully. He could definitely see that being the reasoning the boss used, but he thought it might not be so straightforward as that. Kas had known Eryk for years now—it was true that he was reticent, had few friends, and was one of the most socially-awkward people he’d ever met, but… he also knew that if the boss was wrong, if Eryk did end up feeling some loyalty or friendship for a target for some reason, the results would be nothing short of catastrophic. Ryk wasn’t the kind of guy who could just sever a connection, could just pretend that he didn’t feel loyalty for someone else.
“Eh, I guess we’ll see.” His response was ultimately noncommittal, as though he hadn’t given it much thought at all. He found himself doing that often, concealing his more analytical tendencies. He told himself it was necessary—he really could compartmentalize enough to deceive even his so-called friends. He was despicable that way.
Slowly sitting up, he was forced to disturb Meep, who blinked sleepily at him, but he easily reset her on top of his head, where she seemed happy to sit. Grinning brightly at Cyrilla, he winked, knowing how ridiculous he looked and hoping it would chase that melancholy look off her face. “I’ll make you a deal, Cy. You give me the summary of all this—” he waved the packet around, knowing that she’d probably memorized the contents already and not wanting to bother reading it—“and I’ll make the food, just for you.”
The charade seemed to work, bringing a soft smile to Cyrilla's face as she laughed lightly, the sound itself almost warm. "It's a good thing Meep likes being a hat," she stated, but blinked owlishly as he spoke. "Cook... for me?" she questioned, pointing a finger to herself. She had always done most of the cooking, so it seemed a strange offer to her. She kept her position for a moment, as if contemplating to accept the offer, however; she merely shook her head, and took the packet anyway.
"It's not that I don't trust your cooking, or anything, but," she began, standing from her spot and flipping through the packet. She moved back towards the desk and set the folder down, placing it with another pile neatly tucked into the corner. Once she was finished, she moved back so that she stood in front of him, smiling brightly as she did so. "I think we've done enough for now, no? Besides, Eryk will be getting back soon, and I want to have dinner ready for him. How about you go greet him, hm?" she stated, the smile slowly forming into a grin.
Kas frowned. “You’re mean to me, Cy. He’s probably gonna be grumpy because he had to talk to people and then he’s gonna take out all his crankiness on me.” He pouted slightly, then threw up his hands and sighed theatrically in mock defeat, standing from his spot on the couch, an action which made his height considerably more obvious—he towered over his female coworker.
The expression on his face shifted, a mischievous smile flickering dangerously over his mouth, and he bent down, placing one large hand on her shoulder and speaking into her other ear in a soft voice. “But I’m sure I’ll find some way to get even later.” Abruptly straightening again, he patted the pokémon still on the top of his head and headed out the door, intending to go retrieve his friend.
Cyrilla stood in her spot, her face of a color to match her eyes. "And you call me the mean one."
His long, lanky frame was comically oversized for the furniture, even though the sofa itself wasn’t that small. His legs were hooked at the knee over one arm, his head propped on a cushion that rested against the other. One arm draped over the side and flopped onto the floor, the other wrapped securely around the Pokémon that slept peacefully on his chest, its fluffy white wool occasionally fizzling with a subtle static charge, but harmless to its trainer. Meep the mareep was tucked into a ball, her legs underneath her, her chin resting on her trainer’s shoulder, nose nuzzled comfortably into his hair. The light in the sphere at the end of her tail slowly brightened and faded with her steady breathing, and she made soft, waffling snores in her sleep.
Absently, the dark hand resting atop her fleece moved back and forth, too subtly to be noticed by a casual observer. Kasimir kept his eyes closed while he listened to the sounds of Cyrilla going about her business in the same spacious office area, relishing the peace and quiet that pervaded, and likely would until Ryk got back and started yelling at him to get off his lazy ass and do some of it himself. Cy would never do that, though, and he liked it about her. Honestly, he did feel bad sometimes, but it wasn’t like he actually overburdened the rest of his team by being lazy. His share of the work got done, just not when anyone was watching.
Everything about him was seemingly designed to give the opposite impression, though. He didn’t wear the uniform or even the version of it they’d been given to pass off as researchers—instead he was wearing a loud, blue-and-orange Hawaiian shirt, left open and with an ordinary white t-shirt underneath, and cargo pants. His feet were bare, even in the office, his hair only casually tied back, his tattoos obvious, especially the one on his forearm. Meep shifted slightly on his chest, huffing in her slumber, and his mouth turned up just slightly at the corner, as though he were enjoying a pleasant dream.
The soft scratches of a pen being pushed around, however, could be heard coming to a stop, and a sigh of relief making an exit. The job at hand seemingly finished, Cyrilla stood from her seat, piling the papers together and shuffling off towards another part of the room. Once she was finished setting the papers away, she made her way towards him, remaining as quiet as she was trained to be, before stopping a foot away. She seemed to contemplate something, the thought flashing passively over her eyes before she decided against it. Reaching out slowly, she poked his arm softly, trying to stir him from his slumber.
"There are other places to sleep other than the sofa, places that are perhaps a little more comfortable, no?" she spoke, her voice soft with a hint of teasing laced behind it. She seemed to laugh at herself, however; she retracted her arm and let it fall to her side. A grunt of agreement could be heard across the room, coming from a Growlithe nestled by the desk she once occupied. He stood, stretching his legs before making his way towards the white-haired woman and sat patiently beside her. He was now closer to the sofa if the soft thumps of his tail against it were any indication.
"Even Lithe agrees," she added, a soft chuckle permeating the air. "Or you could always wait for Ryk to come back and have him on your case," she continued, the mirth in her voice never leaving. It remained quiet for a few seconds more before a sigh of defeat escaped her, and she shifted in her stance. "Would you at least like a blanket?" she questioned, the teasing note leaving her voice and replaced by something a little more serious.
Kasimir cracked a golden eye open, fixing it unerringly on Cyrilla, the look in it almost unsettlingly intent for a moment before it passed, returning to his usual glint of mischief. “Mm… depends,” he murmured, opening his other eye and flashing her an easy smile. “If I had a blanket, would you lay in it with me?” he arched an eyebrow suggestively, lifting his free hand up to toy casually with the hem of her shirt, though he avoided lifting it or otherwise doing anything that he knew would make her too uncomfortable.
Cyrilla was undoubtedly fun to tease, but he knew pretty well where her boundaries were, and he made a point of respecting them.
If the color staining her already pale complexion was any indication, the slight tremor in her hand was a dead giveaway to the embarrassment she was experiencing. There was a brief flicker of emotion passing behind her eyes, but it disappeared just as quickly, leaving her to the soft blush upon her cheeks. She placed her finger tips on his hand, though, and gently pushed it away from the hem of her shirt, the smile on her face never leaving its spot. "If it were just Meep, maybe, but three's a crowd," she replied, shaking her head lightly. The growlithe on the floor merely rolled his eyes before shuffling off to another part of the office.
"But it appears that you are awake now, so," she stated, slipping back towards the desk, reaching for a thick folder, and bringing it back towards him. "You get to handle these," she continued, dropping the folder on the part of him that wasn't covered by the Mareep. In this case, it happened to be around his stomach. "Cinnabar is having a festival in about two months time. They want to use this as a stepping stone to further scout out the residents of this island, especially," she paused, and the slight lock of her jaw was made obvious with the recoil of her lips.
"Eryk was charged with talking with her, to gather any information he could, but the two of us are supposed to check on any other potentials this island might have," she spoke with a sort of solemnness to her voice, as if the thought of it upset her in some way. Considering her nature, it probably did, but there was nothing the two of them could do about it. "While you review that, would you care for something to eat? It's a little past lunch time and neither you nor Ryk ate anything. I can make something if you'd like, even if it's just a sandwich," she seemed to offer, changing the subject just slighty.
Kas grumbled softly, picking up the thick packet of papers on his stomach and maneuvering it around the sleeping Meep with a sort of deceptive grace. He managed to make what he was doing look clumsy without ever actually being in danger of losing the papers or jostling his sleeping pokémon. “You don’t have to make me a sandwich, Cy.” A pause. “It would really help if the home office told us what we were actually looking for,” he muttered. So far, they’d been told only that Team Rocket was in need of a civilian of a very special sort for… something. It was all very hush-hush, and considering the fact that they were right below the top in terms of rank, the knowledge that their purpose was being kept from them was quite unsettling.
He, of course, had his own reasons for wanting to know what was going on, quite independent of any desire to do his work well or succeed at the task set before them, but those were things he could not and did not share, not even with the two of them. “Hey Cy,” he started, flipping carelessly through a few of the files until he found the one he wanted. It was a photograph of a young lady with blush-pink hair, their supposed primary target. He’d actually already introduced himself to her, though he hadn’t bothered telling anyone as much. “Why d’you think the bosses wanted Eryk to do this part? I mean, I like the guy, but he’s not who I’d pick for a diplomatic task like this, y’know?” It was actually a little puzzling, and he wondered if there was some deeper motivation for it.
"Because Eryk is less likely to become attached," was the quick response she gave, but even those words seemed to be delivered with a hesitant nature. "Or at least that's what they believe," she continued, setting herself down on the spare loveseat to the side. "You know how Ryk is. Once they tell him to do something, he'll do it without becoming personally involved," because that was who Eryk was. She sighed a little dejectedly before folding her hands in front of her.
She played absentmindedly with her thumbs before stopping altogether, instead, choosing to play with a tuff of the growlithe's fur. "They still don't trust me enough, and they don't believe you'd complete it in a timely manner. Whatever it is they are looking for appears to be time sensitive. It's probably why they want us here for the next few months before moving us somewhere else," she finally concluded, lifting her gaze so that she was staring at him. She seemed to want to say more, but whatever it was, she kept it to herself.
“’Least likely to get attached,’ huh?” Kasimir mused thoughtfully. He could definitely see that being the reasoning the boss used, but he thought it might not be so straightforward as that. Kas had known Eryk for years now—it was true that he was reticent, had few friends, and was one of the most socially-awkward people he’d ever met, but… he also knew that if the boss was wrong, if Eryk did end up feeling some loyalty or friendship for a target for some reason, the results would be nothing short of catastrophic. Ryk wasn’t the kind of guy who could just sever a connection, could just pretend that he didn’t feel loyalty for someone else.
“Eh, I guess we’ll see.” His response was ultimately noncommittal, as though he hadn’t given it much thought at all. He found himself doing that often, concealing his more analytical tendencies. He told himself it was necessary—he really could compartmentalize enough to deceive even his so-called friends. He was despicable that way.
Slowly sitting up, he was forced to disturb Meep, who blinked sleepily at him, but he easily reset her on top of his head, where she seemed happy to sit. Grinning brightly at Cyrilla, he winked, knowing how ridiculous he looked and hoping it would chase that melancholy look off her face. “I’ll make you a deal, Cy. You give me the summary of all this—” he waved the packet around, knowing that she’d probably memorized the contents already and not wanting to bother reading it—“and I’ll make the food, just for you.”
The charade seemed to work, bringing a soft smile to Cyrilla's face as she laughed lightly, the sound itself almost warm. "It's a good thing Meep likes being a hat," she stated, but blinked owlishly as he spoke. "Cook... for me?" she questioned, pointing a finger to herself. She had always done most of the cooking, so it seemed a strange offer to her. She kept her position for a moment, as if contemplating to accept the offer, however; she merely shook her head, and took the packet anyway.
"It's not that I don't trust your cooking, or anything, but," she began, standing from her spot and flipping through the packet. She moved back towards the desk and set the folder down, placing it with another pile neatly tucked into the corner. Once she was finished, she moved back so that she stood in front of him, smiling brightly as she did so. "I think we've done enough for now, no? Besides, Eryk will be getting back soon, and I want to have dinner ready for him. How about you go greet him, hm?" she stated, the smile slowly forming into a grin.
Kas frowned. “You’re mean to me, Cy. He’s probably gonna be grumpy because he had to talk to people and then he’s gonna take out all his crankiness on me.” He pouted slightly, then threw up his hands and sighed theatrically in mock defeat, standing from his spot on the couch, an action which made his height considerably more obvious—he towered over his female coworker.
The expression on his face shifted, a mischievous smile flickering dangerously over his mouth, and he bent down, placing one large hand on her shoulder and speaking into her other ear in a soft voice. “But I’m sure I’ll find some way to get even later.” Abruptly straightening again, he patted the pokémon still on the top of his head and headed out the door, intending to go retrieve his friend.
Cyrilla stood in her spot, her face of a color to match her eyes. "And you call me the mean one."
The first few days he'd spent in Anastasia's company had been awkward, to say the least. He spent a great deal of time just listening to what she had to say, giving very little input, but it hadn't seemed to bother her the slightest. He had not learned as much as he thought he would, and given that he had very little to work with, he didn't know how to properly write the report back to headquarters. All he could tell them was her name, what she did, and that was it. She seemed like an ordinary person living on Cinnabar Island, though a little strange if he were being completely honest with himself. He released a deep sigh, leaning onto his folded hands. The soft purring of his meowth could be heard beneath the table he sat at, and he resisted the urge to lean down and stroke her fur. Most of his other pokémon were scattered across his room except for his Gyarados. The creature would likely destroy something, though not purposefully.
"Blue," he spoke, his voice deep and stern. The Altaria merely lowered glanced down so that he was staring directly at Eryk, and tilted his head in slight confusion. "Off," he continued, watching as Blue gave him a look as if to say Why?. His expression flattened before the Altaria removed itself from the perch it had made on Eryk's head, and instead, took up a majority of the small couch in Eryk's office. He stared at the Altaria for a moment, blinking slowly before removing his gaze. He glanced down at the papers in front of him, and stared at them as if he were trying to understand them. And he was. He was still trying to figure out why the higher ups wanted any information he could give them about one resident in particular. She wasn't a threat, or at least not one that he could immediately detect.
If anything, she was too fragile in her appearance to be of any threat. She didn't even appear to be able to make herself intimidating, not like he did naturally. He glanced at the door, half expecting Cyrilla or Kasimir to make their way through. When the door remained as it was, closed, he released a small sigh. He forgot Cyrilla was out in the town, doing field research, and scoping out some of the other residents. Kasimir was probably doing one of two things: sleeping or slacking off. Eryk pursed his lips together before shaking his head. At least the taller male wasn't bothering him, right?
Actually, sometimes Kasimir actually did work. He just made a point of doing so when no one else was around. This served several purposes, though from the way he made it look, his only aim in being a visible slacker was to annoy his coworkers.
His fingers flew over the keys at his workstation, unerring and swift, and he studied the rapid sequence of images that followed, schematics for his next mission, handed down from on high as usual. Without anyone else around, his expression had dropped into a fierce scowl—Ryk might be naturally intimidating, but Kasimir had a certain kind of intensity, too, one that was hidden more often than not. Sighing through his nose, he copied the data onto a flash drive and switched screens, rapidly entering data into another workstation. He took a moment to proofread before he hit send, forwarding several more pieces of data back to home base, so to speak.
There was a certain risk inherent in electronic communications, but he wasn’t worried about anyone else being able to read what he’d encrypted. He hadn’t earned his post just by being good at battling pokémon, after all. Leaning back in his chair, he logged out of all his systems, added all his paper files to the folder he’d picked up from the general office supply closet earlier, and affixed it with a label in his messy script, legible but only barely. It was difficult to make himself do that, but he never forgot the details. They were far too important.
Deciding he’d had just about enough of work for one day, he decided to go bother Eryk for a while, since he knew Cyrilla was out. Messing with his other friend could be just as fun, with the right ammunition, if in a markedly different way. Exiting his office, he made his way down to Ryk’s, which wasn’t far, and knocked lazily, entering without permission anyway. Taking in the current state of his friend, he cracked a smile. It was difficult not to laugh, actually, but he kept his amusement contained to a soft huff.
“Now there’s a look I never expected to see on your face. You’re thinking about a girl, aren’t you?” It was the same vaguely-frustrated, deeply-confused look a lot of people had in that situation, though he doubted it meant the same thing here. Still, that didn’t mean he couldn’t have some fun teasing Ryk about it.
For a long minute, Eryk stared at Kasimir as he entered his office. He was almost used to the man's abrupt intrusions, but the frown on his face deepened regardless. It took another minute for the words Kas spoke to sink in, and Eryk's face returned to its neutral state. "What of it? She is a civilian of interest to them," and by them, he meant those who were above him. If Kas meant anything else by it, he did not make any note of it. Blue, on the other hand, decided now would be the perfect opportunity to seek shelter on Ryk's shoulder, hanging off as best as he could.
Eryk turned to Blue, and back to his coworker. "Have you made progress?" he questioned, deciding it would perhaps prove more beneficial for him if Kasimir managed to find something. He wasn't too thrilled about the notion of speaking with Anastasia again, only because it was proving to be more difficult than he expected it to be. He'd have to request a change of person if he couldn't find something soon. He really wasn't suited for interactions with another person outside of the company. He was also sure he was intimidating her somehow.
“Does she intimidate you that much?” Kasimir replied lightly, letting himself fall backwards into one of the armchairs in Eryk’s office, and hitching his legs over the armrest to sit sideways. He was on average a little too tall for any piece of furniture he chose to occupy, but then Eryk was too, and so the stuff in his office was more suited for lofty people. He tilted his head to the side, blinking at his friend with cloudy golden eyes.
“This kind of deep-cover approach… it doesn’t get you results in a few days, Eryk. You have to actually build the friendship, a lot of times. People are surprisingly good at picking up on when other people are uncomfortable or not genuine, and it keeps them guarded. You have to actually want to know more about her, be her friend, that kind of thing. Then she’ll open up. And since we don’t really know what we’re looking for, that’s the only way we stand a chance of success.” Presumably, there was something special about Anastasia, something beyond what anyone had been able to observe so far. But if it was the kind of thing that would interest the higher-ups, then it would make sense that she didn’t go broadcasting it to every random stranger in the world.
“Of course, if you wanted that to go faster… people generally give information to their dates much more readily than they give it to their potential friends…” He trailed off, a sly smile on his face. This was true, really, because friendship tended to develop slower, at least the way most people did those things nowadays. It wasn’t the kind of idea Eryk would go for—that kind of angle was much more Kas’s own way of operating. Even if he could see the merit in the idea, Kasimir was pretty sure he lacked the social skills to pull it off, which was why it would be absolutely hilarious to watch.
"No," he replied curtly, narrowing his gaze at Kasimir. He was not intimidated by her, but he couldn't deny that there was something there. She made him cautious. He sighed through his nose, shifting himself so that Blue was now on the floor, curling around the bellossom not too far from Ryk's desk. Dates? He gave Kasimir a skeptical look. "Why would anyone speak to their fruit?" he questioned, until the true meaning appeared behind Kas's statement. Eryk's frown deepened as he stared at his friend, however; if that were the case...
"Cyrilla mentioned that you and her were working on some final details for Cinnabar's Camilla Festival in two months. It would provide us with decent intel on the inhabitants who attend since all of them participate in one way or another. Perhaps I can invite her to that," he spoke, taking Kasimir's words to heart. It was, he'd admit, a good idea, though he wasn't quite sure how he was going to ask. He would have to spend a few more days in her company to reach a certain comfort level before considering asking her to the festival. He sighed deeply, rubbing the bridge of his nose between his fingers.
"Unless you have a better idea," he stated, cracking one eye open as if to plead for the other man to have one.
Kasimir was torn between laughing himself into a rolling heap on Eryk’s floor and trying to strategize as he knew he should be. It was too funny, the way he took everything so damn seriously. The effort of containing his amusement seemed mostly successful, though he did end up coughing for a few seconds, before hitting his own chest with the side of his fist and clearing his throat.
“I don’t know about better ideas, but…” Kasimir went silent for a moment as something struck him, and for a moment, he stared unnervingly quietly at his counterpart, his brows drawing down over his eyes. In the end, though, he simply sighed heavily and leaned back against the chair, his lax demeanor returning. “It’s not like you have to rush this, you know. They won’t be expecting a report for a while. If you really don’t think you can do it, I’ll be happy to take over. Ana’s cute, after all.” He grinned lasciviously.
"The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can move on," he replied, though his head snapped back into Kasimir's general area at his suggestion. He pursed his lips together in a fine line, deepening the scowl in his eyes, however; Kasimir had a point. Kas could deal with it more effectively than he could, but something in him said no, and he shook his head. For now, he would just focus on getting more information from her the way he was doing it now; speaking with her and becoming more acquainted.
"No, I don't want you screwing this up," was the only statement he could make. He knew that if Kasimir did take over, he wouldn't do that, but the bosses wanted him to do it. "For now, just keep looking through other candidates they have selected. She's the primary one, but there should be others just in case this does not produce the results they want," he spoke, standing from his spot. He rolled out his shoulders as he placed the last file down, rearranging the rest of his files so they were neatly stacked.
"Besides, you still have paperwork to do, do you not? I'll make a deal with you," he spoke, a strange idea crossing his mind. "I will do half of your work in return for your guidance," he stated. Kasimir could teach him some things that could make him less awkward. It was a long shot, but it was worth making.
“Deal,” The reply was out of Kasimir’s mouth almost before Eryk had even finished speaking. “Less paperwork, and I get to watch you socialize. You’re a good man, Eryk Nero. The best of men.” And if the look in Kas’s eyes was anything to go by, he was going to have a lot of fun with this new development.
"Blue," he spoke, his voice deep and stern. The Altaria merely lowered glanced down so that he was staring directly at Eryk, and tilted his head in slight confusion. "Off," he continued, watching as Blue gave him a look as if to say Why?. His expression flattened before the Altaria removed itself from the perch it had made on Eryk's head, and instead, took up a majority of the small couch in Eryk's office. He stared at the Altaria for a moment, blinking slowly before removing his gaze. He glanced down at the papers in front of him, and stared at them as if he were trying to understand them. And he was. He was still trying to figure out why the higher ups wanted any information he could give them about one resident in particular. She wasn't a threat, or at least not one that he could immediately detect.
If anything, she was too fragile in her appearance to be of any threat. She didn't even appear to be able to make herself intimidating, not like he did naturally. He glanced at the door, half expecting Cyrilla or Kasimir to make their way through. When the door remained as it was, closed, he released a small sigh. He forgot Cyrilla was out in the town, doing field research, and scoping out some of the other residents. Kasimir was probably doing one of two things: sleeping or slacking off. Eryk pursed his lips together before shaking his head. At least the taller male wasn't bothering him, right?
Actually, sometimes Kasimir actually did work. He just made a point of doing so when no one else was around. This served several purposes, though from the way he made it look, his only aim in being a visible slacker was to annoy his coworkers.
His fingers flew over the keys at his workstation, unerring and swift, and he studied the rapid sequence of images that followed, schematics for his next mission, handed down from on high as usual. Without anyone else around, his expression had dropped into a fierce scowl—Ryk might be naturally intimidating, but Kasimir had a certain kind of intensity, too, one that was hidden more often than not. Sighing through his nose, he copied the data onto a flash drive and switched screens, rapidly entering data into another workstation. He took a moment to proofread before he hit send, forwarding several more pieces of data back to home base, so to speak.
There was a certain risk inherent in electronic communications, but he wasn’t worried about anyone else being able to read what he’d encrypted. He hadn’t earned his post just by being good at battling pokémon, after all. Leaning back in his chair, he logged out of all his systems, added all his paper files to the folder he’d picked up from the general office supply closet earlier, and affixed it with a label in his messy script, legible but only barely. It was difficult to make himself do that, but he never forgot the details. They were far too important.
Deciding he’d had just about enough of work for one day, he decided to go bother Eryk for a while, since he knew Cyrilla was out. Messing with his other friend could be just as fun, with the right ammunition, if in a markedly different way. Exiting his office, he made his way down to Ryk’s, which wasn’t far, and knocked lazily, entering without permission anyway. Taking in the current state of his friend, he cracked a smile. It was difficult not to laugh, actually, but he kept his amusement contained to a soft huff.
“Now there’s a look I never expected to see on your face. You’re thinking about a girl, aren’t you?” It was the same vaguely-frustrated, deeply-confused look a lot of people had in that situation, though he doubted it meant the same thing here. Still, that didn’t mean he couldn’t have some fun teasing Ryk about it.
For a long minute, Eryk stared at Kasimir as he entered his office. He was almost used to the man's abrupt intrusions, but the frown on his face deepened regardless. It took another minute for the words Kas spoke to sink in, and Eryk's face returned to its neutral state. "What of it? She is a civilian of interest to them," and by them, he meant those who were above him. If Kas meant anything else by it, he did not make any note of it. Blue, on the other hand, decided now would be the perfect opportunity to seek shelter on Ryk's shoulder, hanging off as best as he could.
Eryk turned to Blue, and back to his coworker. "Have you made progress?" he questioned, deciding it would perhaps prove more beneficial for him if Kasimir managed to find something. He wasn't too thrilled about the notion of speaking with Anastasia again, only because it was proving to be more difficult than he expected it to be. He'd have to request a change of person if he couldn't find something soon. He really wasn't suited for interactions with another person outside of the company. He was also sure he was intimidating her somehow.
“Does she intimidate you that much?” Kasimir replied lightly, letting himself fall backwards into one of the armchairs in Eryk’s office, and hitching his legs over the armrest to sit sideways. He was on average a little too tall for any piece of furniture he chose to occupy, but then Eryk was too, and so the stuff in his office was more suited for lofty people. He tilted his head to the side, blinking at his friend with cloudy golden eyes.
“This kind of deep-cover approach… it doesn’t get you results in a few days, Eryk. You have to actually build the friendship, a lot of times. People are surprisingly good at picking up on when other people are uncomfortable or not genuine, and it keeps them guarded. You have to actually want to know more about her, be her friend, that kind of thing. Then she’ll open up. And since we don’t really know what we’re looking for, that’s the only way we stand a chance of success.” Presumably, there was something special about Anastasia, something beyond what anyone had been able to observe so far. But if it was the kind of thing that would interest the higher-ups, then it would make sense that she didn’t go broadcasting it to every random stranger in the world.
“Of course, if you wanted that to go faster… people generally give information to their dates much more readily than they give it to their potential friends…” He trailed off, a sly smile on his face. This was true, really, because friendship tended to develop slower, at least the way most people did those things nowadays. It wasn’t the kind of idea Eryk would go for—that kind of angle was much more Kas’s own way of operating. Even if he could see the merit in the idea, Kasimir was pretty sure he lacked the social skills to pull it off, which was why it would be absolutely hilarious to watch.
"No," he replied curtly, narrowing his gaze at Kasimir. He was not intimidated by her, but he couldn't deny that there was something there. She made him cautious. He sighed through his nose, shifting himself so that Blue was now on the floor, curling around the bellossom not too far from Ryk's desk. Dates? He gave Kasimir a skeptical look. "Why would anyone speak to their fruit?" he questioned, until the true meaning appeared behind Kas's statement. Eryk's frown deepened as he stared at his friend, however; if that were the case...
"Cyrilla mentioned that you and her were working on some final details for Cinnabar's Camilla Festival in two months. It would provide us with decent intel on the inhabitants who attend since all of them participate in one way or another. Perhaps I can invite her to that," he spoke, taking Kasimir's words to heart. It was, he'd admit, a good idea, though he wasn't quite sure how he was going to ask. He would have to spend a few more days in her company to reach a certain comfort level before considering asking her to the festival. He sighed deeply, rubbing the bridge of his nose between his fingers.
"Unless you have a better idea," he stated, cracking one eye open as if to plead for the other man to have one.
Kasimir was torn between laughing himself into a rolling heap on Eryk’s floor and trying to strategize as he knew he should be. It was too funny, the way he took everything so damn seriously. The effort of containing his amusement seemed mostly successful, though he did end up coughing for a few seconds, before hitting his own chest with the side of his fist and clearing his throat.
“I don’t know about better ideas, but…” Kasimir went silent for a moment as something struck him, and for a moment, he stared unnervingly quietly at his counterpart, his brows drawing down over his eyes. In the end, though, he simply sighed heavily and leaned back against the chair, his lax demeanor returning. “It’s not like you have to rush this, you know. They won’t be expecting a report for a while. If you really don’t think you can do it, I’ll be happy to take over. Ana’s cute, after all.” He grinned lasciviously.
"The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can move on," he replied, though his head snapped back into Kasimir's general area at his suggestion. He pursed his lips together in a fine line, deepening the scowl in his eyes, however; Kasimir had a point. Kas could deal with it more effectively than he could, but something in him said no, and he shook his head. For now, he would just focus on getting more information from her the way he was doing it now; speaking with her and becoming more acquainted.
"No, I don't want you screwing this up," was the only statement he could make. He knew that if Kasimir did take over, he wouldn't do that, but the bosses wanted him to do it. "For now, just keep looking through other candidates they have selected. She's the primary one, but there should be others just in case this does not produce the results they want," he spoke, standing from his spot. He rolled out his shoulders as he placed the last file down, rearranging the rest of his files so they were neatly stacked.
"Besides, you still have paperwork to do, do you not? I'll make a deal with you," he spoke, a strange idea crossing his mind. "I will do half of your work in return for your guidance," he stated. Kasimir could teach him some things that could make him less awkward. It was a long shot, but it was worth making.
“Deal,” The reply was out of Kasimir’s mouth almost before Eryk had even finished speaking. “Less paperwork, and I get to watch you socialize. You’re a good man, Eryk Nero. The best of men.” And if the look in Kas’s eyes was anything to go by, he was going to have a lot of fun with this new development.
Kenshin yawned, setting a slow pace as he walked. The lucario would glance every so often towards his trainer, watching as the same expression fluttered across her face. It was a thoughtful expression, one that seemed content, and yet, there was something worried. He knew her cousin had been upset this morning, and from what he could read from her, Eryk wasn't in a particular mood. The man had gone on a rampage, it seemed, due to something someone said. To elicit such a reaction, Kenshin had to assume it was from the higher ups. He sighed softly, causing Cyrilla to turn towards him, and offered a small smile.
"What's wrong, Ken?" she questioned, stopping in her steps and placing a hand on his shoulder. The lucario stared at her, contemplating whether or not he should tell her. He could, after all, sense her own emotions, even if she didn't display them at the moment. Their bond was strong in that sense, and he felt it necessary to always be there when she was in one of her moods. He knew she didn't like this lifestyle, that she only chose it for them, however; the only thing he could do was be there for her. He could offer her nothing else.
It's nothing, Cy. he responded, pushing forward to continue their walk. There was no destination in mind, and he'd preferred to keep it that way. That only meant that they didn't need to return soon, and could enjoy the afternoon.
As it happened, they wound up passing by the Pokémon Rehabilitation Center Eryk had been assigned, or rather, the place of residence of Eryk’s target. As usual, there were several pokémon, most of them old or afflicted by some form of disability, outside in the well-kept yard. Actually, there was a human as well, this time, someone Cyrilla could recognize from the photo in the target’s file as Anastasia herself. She was barefoot in the grass, several dishes of food balanced on either arm, wearing a simple knee-length dress and an apron. A small crowd of the more rambunctious pokémon had gathered at her feet, and she was laughing as she picked her way around them to set the dishes down in a clear spot in the shade of the roof overhang of the main building.
Once that had been achieved, she straightened up a bit, wiping her brow with a forearm and tossing her long pink braid back over her shoulder, as it had fallen forward in the process of bending over to set the dishes down. She apparently noticed Cyrilla and Kenshin walking by then, because she raised a hand, waving a greeting. “Good morning,” she intoned with a small smile.
Cyrilla stopped in her footsteps, causing Kenshin to pause in his steps as well, watching as a light frown formed on his trainer's face before it flashed into a quick smile. He knew she wasn't supposed to interact too much with the intended target, the one he recognized and one she seemed to as well as her hand responded with a light wave. He merely stared at the young woman, the one that seemed to hold so much interest from their organization. She seemed fragile, like the slightest of winds could blow her away with ease. But then again, perhaps he gave the wind too much credit. She seemed to be doing well enough, and so, he followed behind his trainer as she walked towards the young woman.
"Good morning," Cyrilla responded, pausing so that she stood outside of the gate, and leaned on it. Kenshin stood beside her, arms folded across his chest. He remained silent, instead, observing the interaction between the young girl and his trainer. What did he have to say, after all, to someone else? "How are things here? Do you need some help?" she continued, though he could hear the slight hesitation in the words. He sighed softly, watching as she waited for a response. Whether the answer was yes or no, he knew it wouldn't make much difference. Cyrilla would help regardless in some form or fashion, and he admired that, he supposed, in his trainer.
Anastasia blinked, apparently somewhat surprised by the sudden offer. Perhaps that made sense; they’d never actually talked as such, though Cyrilla knew a great deal about her from the files Team rocket had compiled about her. Independent for quite a number of years, considering her young age, and not listed as having any nuclear family, though she was known to be related closely to several of Johto’s Nurses Joy. That was hardly a surprise—she looked a great deal like one, in terms of general build and coloration.
“Ah, I appreciate the offer, but there’s really not anything to do at just this moment. Lunch tends to be followed by a nap, for most of them.” She smiled mildly, some amusement obvious in her eyes, then shrugged slightly, glancing down at the pokémon one last time before approaching the fence, which was only about waist-high. When she’d gotten close enough for more proper conversation, she sighed slightly, more with an air of relief than fatigue, and stuck her hand out over the fence. “I’m Anastasia. I don’t believe we’ve met, Miss…?”
Kenshin watched with slightly curious eyes as Anastasia walked over, presenting her hand for a friendly handshake. Cyrilla seemed a little hesitant at first, the slight tensing of her shoulders giving way, before reaching over and taking the other girl's hand. She gave a gentle squeeze and allowed a soft smile to plague her lips. "Cyrilla," she started, pausing only for a moment as if to contemplate saying anything further. Kenshin merely sighed inwardly as he shook his head. It would be a little too late going back now, and she'd already given Anastasia her first name, why stop there?
"Cyrilla Niav," she finished, retracting her hand in the process. "This is Kenshin, my lucario," she added, pointing to himself as he gave a light nod in Ana's direction. "He... doesn't talk much," she stated, laughing nervously as he gave her a flat look. He just didn't feel the need to talk all the time. He spoke when he needed to, and only to those he wanted to. Everyone else could get the silent treatment, and he'd still be happy either way. Anastasia didn't seem to mind in any case, simply nodding with a soft smile.
"Ah, well, if there's nothing I can help with at the moment," she began, leaning away from the fence. Kenshin titled his head slightly, curious as to what she was going to say. She shouldn't be interacting too much with this woman, that much he knew. But he also knew how his trainer was, and she wasn't exactly going to disobey orders, but she wasn't going to follow them to the 't', either. He chuckled softly as the next set of words escaped her lips. "Would you mind showing me around a bit? I haven't quite learned my way around yet," she inquired. Of course, she wasn't entirely lying. Kenshin knew that they scoped the island out, but did nothing more. They were surveying the perfect spot to learn about the residents, but they didn't learn the entire layout of the island, or the small town they were occupying.
Anastasia raised both eyebrows, looking a little surprised, though not in a bad way. “Oh, of course! I’d be happy to.” Her smile inched a little wider, and she turned around to face the pokémon in her yard for a moment. “Sit tight, everyone; I’ll be back again soon.” The news seemed to go over fine, most of the pokémon clearly used to her coming and going from the shelter and able to trust that she would come back. Considering that many of the kinds of pokémon that ended up in places like this were abandonment cases, that was quite the accomplishment.
Opening the gate and stepping outside the complex, Anastasia closed it again behind her, locking it with a small silver key on a ring around her neck. Smoothing her hands apparently reflexively down the front of her dress, she cocked her head to the side. “So where have you been so far?”
They had not been to a lot of places. They were sequestered to the lab most of the time, and the surrounding areas. Kenshin glanced at his trainer, trying to read her feelings as she contemplated Anastasia's statement. "Well, we've been to the Old Mansion," she began softly, slipping her arms to her side and swinging them lightly. She thought a little more on the question, humming softly as she racked her brain. Kenshin sighed gently, releasing his arms from their crossed stature, and placed them to his side as well.
She wants to go to the ocean. She hasn't seen it yet, he spoke towards the young girl, his voice gentle and monotonous. He glanced at his trainer and relayed the message, causing Cyrilla to frown, but smiled regardless.
"The Mansion is surrounded mostly by the forest, and we haven't had the chance to visit the ocean, yet," despite the island being surrounded by water. Kenshin resisted the urge to roll his eyes, but kept it to himself. The sound of her stomach, however, interrupted the peaceful silence, and caused her to laugh nervously. Kenshin merely shook his head, and heaved his shoulders. "But perhaps you know a good place to eat?" she stated. He knew her capable of cooking her own meals, why would she need to... Oh. He rolled his eyes, visibly, this time.
Anastasia blinked slightly, then shrugged her thin shoulders a bit. “We could pretty easily take care of both of those things at once, you know. I have a friend who owns a restaurant down by the beach. It’s only a little one, but the menu changes every day and the view is hard to beat.” She turned them down a path Cyrilla didn’t know, stretching her arms up towards the sky as she walked, and flinching slightly before carefully lowering them back down with a sigh.
“It’s a shame you haven’t seen more yet; the island is wonderful at this time of year.” She smiled, and it was hard to tell if it was for Cyrilla and Kenshin or herself. “Things get a little more hectic in the summer, because then there are all kinds of tourists, but in spring like this, it’s still pretty peaceful.”
Cyrilla seemed to purse her lips in agreement, and smiled. "Sounds great," she replied, picking up her pace to walk beside Anastasia. It didn't take them long to reach the beach, and the soft calls of the Wingull's pulled Kenshin's attention away. He could hear the soft gasps of his trainer, and almost cringed at her excited squeal. He glanced in her direction, watching as the strands of her hair floated behind her. She made a beeline towards the shore, leaving both Anastasia and himself behind. He shook his head, rolled his eyes, and folded his arms together.
And she wonders why they laugh, he spoke more to himself, but allowed his thoughts to float to his trainer and the young woman beside him. Cyrilla just waved at the two of them before she waded into the waters, cringing slightly at the cool touch. Lunch? he spoke, raising a brow as he glanced at the pink haired girl. He'd prefer that to joining his trainer, after all.
Anastasia grinned. “Good idea."
"What's wrong, Ken?" she questioned, stopping in her steps and placing a hand on his shoulder. The lucario stared at her, contemplating whether or not he should tell her. He could, after all, sense her own emotions, even if she didn't display them at the moment. Their bond was strong in that sense, and he felt it necessary to always be there when she was in one of her moods. He knew she didn't like this lifestyle, that she only chose it for them, however; the only thing he could do was be there for her. He could offer her nothing else.
It's nothing, Cy. he responded, pushing forward to continue their walk. There was no destination in mind, and he'd preferred to keep it that way. That only meant that they didn't need to return soon, and could enjoy the afternoon.
As it happened, they wound up passing by the Pokémon Rehabilitation Center Eryk had been assigned, or rather, the place of residence of Eryk’s target. As usual, there were several pokémon, most of them old or afflicted by some form of disability, outside in the well-kept yard. Actually, there was a human as well, this time, someone Cyrilla could recognize from the photo in the target’s file as Anastasia herself. She was barefoot in the grass, several dishes of food balanced on either arm, wearing a simple knee-length dress and an apron. A small crowd of the more rambunctious pokémon had gathered at her feet, and she was laughing as she picked her way around them to set the dishes down in a clear spot in the shade of the roof overhang of the main building.
Once that had been achieved, she straightened up a bit, wiping her brow with a forearm and tossing her long pink braid back over her shoulder, as it had fallen forward in the process of bending over to set the dishes down. She apparently noticed Cyrilla and Kenshin walking by then, because she raised a hand, waving a greeting. “Good morning,” she intoned with a small smile.
Cyrilla stopped in her footsteps, causing Kenshin to pause in his steps as well, watching as a light frown formed on his trainer's face before it flashed into a quick smile. He knew she wasn't supposed to interact too much with the intended target, the one he recognized and one she seemed to as well as her hand responded with a light wave. He merely stared at the young woman, the one that seemed to hold so much interest from their organization. She seemed fragile, like the slightest of winds could blow her away with ease. But then again, perhaps he gave the wind too much credit. She seemed to be doing well enough, and so, he followed behind his trainer as she walked towards the young woman.
"Good morning," Cyrilla responded, pausing so that she stood outside of the gate, and leaned on it. Kenshin stood beside her, arms folded across his chest. He remained silent, instead, observing the interaction between the young girl and his trainer. What did he have to say, after all, to someone else? "How are things here? Do you need some help?" she continued, though he could hear the slight hesitation in the words. He sighed softly, watching as she waited for a response. Whether the answer was yes or no, he knew it wouldn't make much difference. Cyrilla would help regardless in some form or fashion, and he admired that, he supposed, in his trainer.
Anastasia blinked, apparently somewhat surprised by the sudden offer. Perhaps that made sense; they’d never actually talked as such, though Cyrilla knew a great deal about her from the files Team rocket had compiled about her. Independent for quite a number of years, considering her young age, and not listed as having any nuclear family, though she was known to be related closely to several of Johto’s Nurses Joy. That was hardly a surprise—she looked a great deal like one, in terms of general build and coloration.
“Ah, I appreciate the offer, but there’s really not anything to do at just this moment. Lunch tends to be followed by a nap, for most of them.” She smiled mildly, some amusement obvious in her eyes, then shrugged slightly, glancing down at the pokémon one last time before approaching the fence, which was only about waist-high. When she’d gotten close enough for more proper conversation, she sighed slightly, more with an air of relief than fatigue, and stuck her hand out over the fence. “I’m Anastasia. I don’t believe we’ve met, Miss…?”
Kenshin watched with slightly curious eyes as Anastasia walked over, presenting her hand for a friendly handshake. Cyrilla seemed a little hesitant at first, the slight tensing of her shoulders giving way, before reaching over and taking the other girl's hand. She gave a gentle squeeze and allowed a soft smile to plague her lips. "Cyrilla," she started, pausing only for a moment as if to contemplate saying anything further. Kenshin merely sighed inwardly as he shook his head. It would be a little too late going back now, and she'd already given Anastasia her first name, why stop there?
"Cyrilla Niav," she finished, retracting her hand in the process. "This is Kenshin, my lucario," she added, pointing to himself as he gave a light nod in Ana's direction. "He... doesn't talk much," she stated, laughing nervously as he gave her a flat look. He just didn't feel the need to talk all the time. He spoke when he needed to, and only to those he wanted to. Everyone else could get the silent treatment, and he'd still be happy either way. Anastasia didn't seem to mind in any case, simply nodding with a soft smile.
"Ah, well, if there's nothing I can help with at the moment," she began, leaning away from the fence. Kenshin titled his head slightly, curious as to what she was going to say. She shouldn't be interacting too much with this woman, that much he knew. But he also knew how his trainer was, and she wasn't exactly going to disobey orders, but she wasn't going to follow them to the 't', either. He chuckled softly as the next set of words escaped her lips. "Would you mind showing me around a bit? I haven't quite learned my way around yet," she inquired. Of course, she wasn't entirely lying. Kenshin knew that they scoped the island out, but did nothing more. They were surveying the perfect spot to learn about the residents, but they didn't learn the entire layout of the island, or the small town they were occupying.
Anastasia raised both eyebrows, looking a little surprised, though not in a bad way. “Oh, of course! I’d be happy to.” Her smile inched a little wider, and she turned around to face the pokémon in her yard for a moment. “Sit tight, everyone; I’ll be back again soon.” The news seemed to go over fine, most of the pokémon clearly used to her coming and going from the shelter and able to trust that she would come back. Considering that many of the kinds of pokémon that ended up in places like this were abandonment cases, that was quite the accomplishment.
Opening the gate and stepping outside the complex, Anastasia closed it again behind her, locking it with a small silver key on a ring around her neck. Smoothing her hands apparently reflexively down the front of her dress, she cocked her head to the side. “So where have you been so far?”
They had not been to a lot of places. They were sequestered to the lab most of the time, and the surrounding areas. Kenshin glanced at his trainer, trying to read her feelings as she contemplated Anastasia's statement. "Well, we've been to the Old Mansion," she began softly, slipping her arms to her side and swinging them lightly. She thought a little more on the question, humming softly as she racked her brain. Kenshin sighed gently, releasing his arms from their crossed stature, and placed them to his side as well.
She wants to go to the ocean. She hasn't seen it yet, he spoke towards the young girl, his voice gentle and monotonous. He glanced at his trainer and relayed the message, causing Cyrilla to frown, but smiled regardless.
"The Mansion is surrounded mostly by the forest, and we haven't had the chance to visit the ocean, yet," despite the island being surrounded by water. Kenshin resisted the urge to roll his eyes, but kept it to himself. The sound of her stomach, however, interrupted the peaceful silence, and caused her to laugh nervously. Kenshin merely shook his head, and heaved his shoulders. "But perhaps you know a good place to eat?" she stated. He knew her capable of cooking her own meals, why would she need to... Oh. He rolled his eyes, visibly, this time.
Anastasia blinked slightly, then shrugged her thin shoulders a bit. “We could pretty easily take care of both of those things at once, you know. I have a friend who owns a restaurant down by the beach. It’s only a little one, but the menu changes every day and the view is hard to beat.” She turned them down a path Cyrilla didn’t know, stretching her arms up towards the sky as she walked, and flinching slightly before carefully lowering them back down with a sigh.
“It’s a shame you haven’t seen more yet; the island is wonderful at this time of year.” She smiled, and it was hard to tell if it was for Cyrilla and Kenshin or herself. “Things get a little more hectic in the summer, because then there are all kinds of tourists, but in spring like this, it’s still pretty peaceful.”
Cyrilla seemed to purse her lips in agreement, and smiled. "Sounds great," she replied, picking up her pace to walk beside Anastasia. It didn't take them long to reach the beach, and the soft calls of the Wingull's pulled Kenshin's attention away. He could hear the soft gasps of his trainer, and almost cringed at her excited squeal. He glanced in her direction, watching as the strands of her hair floated behind her. She made a beeline towards the shore, leaving both Anastasia and himself behind. He shook his head, rolled his eyes, and folded his arms together.
And she wonders why they laugh, he spoke more to himself, but allowed his thoughts to float to his trainer and the young woman beside him. Cyrilla just waved at the two of them before she waded into the waters, cringing slightly at the cool touch. Lunch? he spoke, raising a brow as he glanced at the pink haired girl. He'd prefer that to joining his trainer, after all.
Anastasia grinned. “Good idea."
Eryk pursed his lips together, and stared at his zoroark curled on the floor. He was sleeping, or at least appeared to be sleeping, causing Eryk to sigh. It'd been almost two weeks since he'd asked for Kasimir's help, and the man had yet to deliver on his end. Eryk had taken a majority of the work for Kasimir, probably more than he originally stated he'd do, and was partly through most of it already. He sighed deeply, stirring his zoroark from his slumber. He supposed if anything was going to happen, he would have to approach Kasimir. Part of him really didn't want to, though. Why did he need to learn this again? A file caught his attention, and his face pulled into a passive scowl. That's right, because of her.
"Cyrilla, where's Kasimir?" he spoke, stirring the white-haired girl from her spot next to him.
"He mentioned something about being outside with Meep because it was too pretty of a day," she replied after giving it some thought. Eryk said nothing further, and closed the file in front of him. He placed it neatly in the corner of his desk and stood, motioning for his zoroark to stay behind. He nodded once to Cyrilla before he left, walking down the hallways to find the place Kasimir could be. It took him a full thirty minutes before he actually found the man.
Kas was on his back on the grass, his mareep held in his arms and lofted over his head. He appeared to be tossing her gently into the air and catching her. It was something she must have enjoyed—she wiggled her stubby legs and let out a cheerful ‘maa’ when she noticed Eryk.
Kasimir had clearly noticed him as well, though he didn’t immediately look in his direction. “Uh-oh, Meep. The bossman’s here. He’s probably going to go tell me to do boring paperwork, don’t you reckon?” He set the little sheep pokémon down on his chest, only to sigh theatrically when she hopped off and nudged at the side of his face with her nose.
"Kas," Eryk called out towards the man. His face was pulled into one of irritation, however; he really wasn't irritated. It was just how he came off. "It's time you kept your end of the bargain."
Rolling over onto his side, Kas propped his head in his hand and tilted it slightly at Eryk. He didn’t seem perturbed by his grumpy expression—he never really was. “Bargain, bargain, bargain…” He furrowed his brows in mock thoughtfulness before his eyes sparked with something that might have been mischief. That usually didn’t bode well for Eryk.
“Why didn’t you say so? I love field trips!” He was on his feet so smoothly it almost looked impossible, dusting off his hands. “You wanna learn how to get along with people, right?”
"I thought that much was obvious," Eryk replied in a deadpan voice. It took most of his restraint not to twitch slightly at the tone of Kasimir's voice. It was almost too happy, and Eryk was immediately distrustful of it. He said nothing about it though, and continued staring at Kas. "This isn't a field trip, Kas," it finally registered to Eryk what Kas had meant, and he scowled slightly. What did he get himself into? Surely nothing good. He was resigned, however, to see it through. If he wanted to get along better with people, Kasimir was logically the best person to ask. Cyrilla was too nice, and she'd probably end up making friends with whomever was subjected to his testings.
"What's the first step?"
Kas snorted, then grinned. “No really, Ryk. It’s a field trip. As in… we have to go out into the field. The wilderness that is populated areas.” He pointed away from the mansion towards town. “You’re not going to learn to interact with people normally unless you practice it. So, that’s what we’re going to do.”
Folding his hands together behind his head, Kas headed off the grounds of the mansion, only pausing once to make sure Eryk was following. The base wasn’t too far from the main part of the village, but it was about a mile’s walk. The two of them ate the distance in long, efficient strides, both used to far more taxing physical activity than this.
They made, probably, for an unusual pair. Eryk was dressed casually, but the colors were much plainer and darker than Kasimir’s: he wore a red, blue, and white Hawaiian shirt over a blue undershirt and cargo shorts. For once, he had shoes though—even if they were only sandals.
They walked along the main street for a moment before Kas drew to a stop outside a small shop labeled MARINA’S FLOWERS. From the window displays, it was obviously a florists’ of some variety.
“Step one,” Kasimir said lightly. “Interacting with people who are paid to be nice to you. I haven’t been here before either, so we’ll be on equal footing. I want you to buy some flowers. Whatever kind you want—that part doesn’t matter.”
"Flowers?" he repeated, as if it offended him. It didn't, but he just didn't see the necessity in buying flowers. Couldn't he just buy something to drink, instead? Apparently not, and Eryk sighed. He didn't even know the names of these flowers. He glared at them for a moment, browsing which ones he would take. There were some that looked the same, just in different colors. There were some other ones, though, that looked vaguely odd, like the wreath of a Bellossom or some other kind of grass type. "These," he stated, just as a middle-aged woman appeared. She was probably in her early forties, but Eryk had always been bad at judging people's ages.
"The red tulips are pretty this time of year, especially if you plan on buying them for a special lady, or gentleman. They symbolize true love," she spoke as Eryk picked up the 'tulips', glancing between him and Kas. He pursed his lips together, though when she spoke, and glared at her. True love? Why did a flower have to symbolize something? It was a plant.
"These aren't for him," he immediately responded, almost snapping at the woman. She looked a little taken back, but muttered a soft apology. "And that is a ridiculous notion. How can a plant symbolize anything other than being a plant?" he continued, slightly irritated about the notion.
Behind him, Kasimir coughed; it sounded suspiciously like he was trying to conceal a laugh. “Don’t mind my friend,” he said in a placating tone. “He’s very new to horticulture; perhaps you could help him find something a little more neutral?” He smiled like it was the easiest thing in the world, and even Eryk could see the shop attendant melt.
"Oh, of course,” she replied, nodding resolutely and turning back to Eryk. "Not everyone is much for hanakotoba—if you’re looking for something that just smells nice, might I recommend these lilies?” she gestured to several colors of what looked like the same flower. They had longish petals; the smell was decent—fresh without being overpowering.
Eryk had to keep from glaring at Kasimir when he smiled at the attendant, but took the woman's suggestion well enough. "Why do I need something that looks nice, though? Shouldn't it be enough to get whatever flower and be done with it? Most of these look half dead," he spoke, glancing at a different set of flowers. These were yellow with a large brown dot. Somehow, they looked like Sunflora, but he couldn't say for sure. The attendant seemed to be almost offended when he spoke, however; he merely kept staring at her.
"I don't even know what I'm looking for. This was his idea," he continued, staring at Kasimir this time before returning his attention towards the woman. "Do you have anything that isn't so bright?" he decided to ask. Most of the flowers were white, red, yellow, and occasionally, there was a purple-like color.
"Right this way," she seemed to have an idea of a flower, but Eryk wasn't too confident about it. "We have what is called a chocolate cosmos. If you're particularly fond of sweets, these smell like vanilla," she spoke, trying her best it seems. Eryk stared at the dark flowers for a moment before deciding against it.
"I'm not," he spoke, referring to the fact that he was not particularly fond of sweets.
She pursed her lips. "Well, if you’d prefer darker colors, there are also these larkspur,” she tried, gesturing to a cluster of deep blue flowers.
Behind him, Kas got close enough to speak in a low voice so the attendant couldn’t hear them. “If you don’t care, stop giving her a hard time,” he advised, though clearly he was at least somewhat entertained by the whole thing. “There’s no right or wrong answer here, so just pick something.”
"Fine, I'll take the larkspur," Eryk snapped. He wasn't really good with this, was he? He sighed, composed himself a little more properly, and stared at the woman. "And I'll take those over there. For Cy," he spoke, pointing to a pot of yellow tulips. She liked flowers, right? He couldn't remember. She could throw them out if she didn't, he couldn't really be bothered to care. "Are we done here?" he questioned, staring at Kasimir with an annoyed expression.
“I’d love one of your orchids, if you sell them individually,” Kasimir added.
The attendant nodded, putting all their orders together and accepting separate payments from the both of them. Kas asked for his to be bagged, and after setting a little vial of water at the end, the attendant handed him the paper bag.
On their way out of the shop, Kasimir sighed. “Okay, so notes. The first thing is, you can’t be that short with people. Even if you’re doing something you find silly or tedious or boring or stupid, it’s rude to show it, and no one likes rude people.” He raised both of his eyebrows. “And if you have to turn someone down, do it politely. Being too direct is also considered rude, at least with strangers.”
Eryk merely pursed his lips together. "How is being direct, rude? I'm not going to be polite about something that isn't true," he responded, still confused about the whole ordeal. He was too short and rude with people? Wasn't that how he always was? Kasimir didn't seem to be bothered by it, and Cyrilla never mentioned anything either. Was she simply used to him that way? Probably, considering that he hadn't changed much in their years together.
"You make it seem too easy," he finally spoke, glancing at Kas. "I think you might have infatuated that woman by smiling at her. You know I don't smile," he wasn't even sure he could. The last time he'd smiled was when he was just a youth. "Besides, most of the flowers were half dead," or was that how they just looked?
Kas visibly rolled his eyes. “It’s rude, in part, because that’s her job, Eryk. It’s her livelihood, and she probably enjoys it. Some people are especially sensitive about things like that. No one enjoys the insinuation that they’re incompetent, even if it’s true. And, for the record, it wasn’t. The flowers looked fine—the heat wilts them a little bit, but they were well-taken care of.”
He scratched absently at his jawline with his left hand. “Cy and I don’t get offended by your mannerisms because we’re used to them. We know that’s just how you are and that you’re not trying to be cruel. But usually, when people say things like that, they’re being mean on purpose, and so… that’s what it seemed like you were doing. Even if you don’t think it makes sense, it’s the way things are, and sadly I can’t make it so the rules don’t apply to only you.” He half-smiled; it was a strangely-patient expression. “It’s not about lying, it’s about knowing when to filter your thoughts a little. If you don’t want to tell white lies, try just… not commenting on things. Honestly, I’m surprised your family didn’t teach you more about infiltrating that way.”
"They weren't too concerned about it," he responded, but said nothing further. He had to learn to filter his thoughts, and be mindful of what he said. "Then from now on, you and Cy will have to point out what I say and tell me if it is acceptable or not," he stated, leaving very little room for discussion about it. If he was going to filter what he said, he at least needed to know what he said so he could avoid saying it like that.
"Is there another spot? Some place that isn't a floral shop," he asked. He'd rather avoid them for now.
Kasimir hummed. “Of course, feel free to be your usual grumpy self around me—I’m not sure what I’d do if you were suddenly nice to me.” He paused a moment to shudder, then grinned. “And as a matter of fact, yes. The florist’s was only so you’d have the right supplies for the next part of this. Today, you’re going to practice wielding one of the most important weapons in the likability arsenal: giving gifts.”
The glint in his eye was almost malicious; it was only then that he drew to a stop, right in front of the rehabilitation center Eryk’s mission target worked at. “You’re going to give your larkspurs to Ana.”
Had he been paying attention to where they were heading, Eryk would have veered off into another direction. Why, of all places, did Kasimir have to bring him here? Wasn't the whole point of learning to be sociable so that he could be sociable with her? He narrowed his eyes at Kas, the annoyance and irritation clearly written on his face. "Kas," he spoke, his voice low as if he were warning Kas about something. He wasn't, but he wasn't exactly pleased, either.
"What the hell are we doing here? I'm not going to give these to Anastasia," he continued, looking at the flowers in his hands. There was nothing exceptional about the flowers, nor was there any rhyme or reason to give them to Anastasia. Even if giving gifts was supposedly a way to become liked, Eryk was decidedly not thrilled to be giving them, especially to her. "You did this on purpose, didn't you," he spoke, narrowing his eyes suspiciously at Kas.
Kas rolled his eyes in response. “Of course I did it on purpose, Ryk. Think about it: this is an excellent excuse to see her a second time. You’re with me, who, by the way, already shows up here at least once a week, so it won’t seem weird. You’ll give her the flowers to brighten up the place, which she’ll accept as a friendly gesture, because Ana’s not the type to read too much into things. It’ll give her a reason to invite us in for tea, and you can practice talking to her while I’m around to make sure you don’t screw it up too badly. It’s like… four pidgeys with one stone.”
He pushed a sigh out through his nose. “So what are you so irritated about? It’s a good plan.”
Whether it was a good plan or not, was not the reason as to why Eryk was irritated. What if Anastasia was allergic to the flowers? He hadn't really considered it much, because he didn't know he was getting flowers for her. If he'd known, he'd at least would have asked beforehand. But now, he wasn't so sure. What if she didn't like them? If she didn't like them, then he'd have to start all over again, wouldn't he? He narrowed his eyes at Kasimir, but said nothing for a moment, still contemplating whether or not he should at least try.
"I'm not doing it, Kas," he finally spoke. He didn't want to take that chance. It was bad enough that he rarely talked to her, and when he did, he tried not to make himself so intimidating. Either he'd done a good job at it, or she was just used to it. That, in itself, perplexed him a bit. He was over thinking this, wasn't he?
Kasimir looked at him like he was being particularly thick, but before he could say anything, the sound of someone approaching from behind reached their ears. The footfalls were light, but not those of someone trained to stealth at all, and so they scuffed softly on the footpath leading up to the house.
“Kasimir? Eryk? Was there something you needed?”
Eryk’s luck must have been pretty abysmal, because the voice belonged to Anastasia herself. Clearly, she was on the way back from another supply run; she had a bag of sawdust over either shoulder, and held them in place by wrapping her thin arms around them. She was dressed for work—cargo pants with lots of pockets, a belt with some basic tools suspended from it, and a red t-shirt with the name of the shelter printed on the front.
Someone somewhere must really have hated Eryk. He surpressed the urge to sigh with an aggravated tone, and instead, focused on Anastasia. She was carrying sawdust this time, and though it probably wasn't too heavy for her, Eryk visibly frowned. She was a reedy looking thing, without much strength to her. Why was she carrying such things? Instead of an aggravated sigh, he just sighed, and shoved the flowers he was holding, towards Kasimir. Once Kas was holding them, or partially he wasn't paying too much attention, he plucked the bags from Anastasia.
"I'll take them," he finally stated, not quite answering her question. Once he situated both bags comfortably, he glanced towards Kasimir, and the flowers he'd chosen: the larkspur. "Kas and I were around, thought that maybe we could come help," he spoke, his eyes narrowing slightly at Kasimir. "We... those flowers, the larkspur, they're for you."
“Eryk picked them,” Kas amended, throwing him under the bus at first opportunity. He extended the flowers to Anastasia, who blinked slowly, an expression akin to confusion crossing her face for a moment.
It was gone quickly, though, and she smiled a bit, accepting them with a tiny nod. “They have such a pretty color,” she said. The words seemed genuine; her smile inched just a fraction wider, though it was still small. She tilted her head at Eryk. “Thank you.”
Apparently not inclined to make him stand around outside with the sawdust for too long, she shifted the flowers into the crook of her arm and opened the front gate with the key on the chain around her neck, pushing it open with a soft creak. As before, there were several pokémon lounging in the front yard; they were mostly content to stay where they were, save for the old stoutland that waddled over.
“Um, here… the sawdust goes in the storage shed.” Anastasia led them around to the back of the property where a small building stood behind the house. There was a pretty extensive garden back here, too—flowers of all different colors bloomed in clusters contained neatly within beds of dark soil. The shed wasn’t locked; Anastasia pushed it open with a bit of effort. The door seemed to stick.
“Second shelf, if you don’t mind. Or you could just set them on the floor. Either way is fine.”
Eryk placed the sawdust on the second shelf as she'd instructed, and glanced down at the old stoutland. He raised a brow at it, but did nothing to it. Instead, he returned his attention to Anastasia, subtly glaring towards Kasimir in the process. He'd get Kasimir back for this, somehow, but now was not the time to be plotting. "Is there anything we can do to help out?" he decided to ask. It felt a little odd, perhaps because Kasimir was here. When he was alone, speaking to her was a little easier, however; with Kasimir around surveying, he wasn't entirely sure how or what to speak of.
"If you'd rather we leave," he began, slightly implying that they might be intruding on her. If they were, then they'd simply leave. Easy as that, right? He glanced at Kasimir, slightly, and sighed. No, it wasn't that easy.
Anastasia shook her head slightly. “It’s fine. You’ve been plenty helpful already.” She paused a moment, pursing her lips. “I did promise you some tea last time, though. Perhaps you would have time to partake today?”
She might have further qualified that, but Kasimir didn’t allow it. “We’d love to,” he said, flashing a grin. “Hard to turn down tea and the company of a pretty girl.”
Anastasia arched an eyebrow slightly, shaking her head. “You’re very strange, Kasimir.”
“Am not,” he countered, unhooking two of the pokéballs from his belt as they exited the shed. When he gave them a casual toss into the air, his mareep and kirlia emerged in the red flash of light. Both of them seemed familiar with their surroundings; Meep immediately started hopping circles around the stoutland.
As if suddenly realizing something, Anastasia turned to Eryk. “If you’d like to give any of your pokémon a chance to run around for a while, feel free. The shelter pokémon are all friendly, and we can take the tea outside if you’d prefer to watch them.” She had to tip her head up quite far to talk to either of them, and shaded her eyes with one of her hands when she did.
Before he could say anything about it, one of his pokéballs popped open, revealing Blue, the altaria. He hummed a soft tune as he perched on Eryk's shoulder, hanging off just slightly. Eryk turned his head to glare at the altaria, however; Blue had other plans. As soon as he saw Kasimir, the blue pokémon immediately left Eryk's shoulder and landed on Kasimir's. Well, at least he didn't have to worry about it too much, right? He contemplated letting out another one, however; he couldn't decide which one. Milotic would just swim in the pool, Gengar would probably try to cause him a headache by doing something he shouldn't, and Zoroark would probably wander off. Meowth was the only one he could.
Meowth it was.
He released the cat pokémon from her confines and watched as she made a beeline for Anastasia. "Outside it is," he simply spoke, though he couldn't exactly understand why Kasimir's mareep was so damn happy. Sometimes he wondered if Kas and the mareep had the same soul.
Anastasia laughed softly when Blue alighted on Kas’s shoulder; the man himself seemed to have expected it, and stroked the bird’s fluffy wings absently. “Well, in that case, I’ll make it and bring it out. Please, feel free to have a seat.” She gestured to a round table set in the garden, a green-and-white striped umbrella shading it and the chairs from the sun. The air smelled like a combination of ocean salt and the flowers nearby.
Since the garden was right behind the house, the window looked in on the kitchen; their hostess set about boiling water as they settled.
“She’s up to date on her permits,” Kas said, quietly enough not to be overheard. People had to register for special permits through Team Rocket to have more than six pokémon; even then, only six were allowed for battling purposes. A shelter like this had about seven different kinds of certification to go through. “I pulled up the records. The place has only been operational for about a year, but there haven’t been any complaints. So that’s not what HQ cares about.”
It was a far cry from knowing why they were interested in her, but it was something.
Eryk furrowed his brows when Kas had spoken. HQ had been a little quiet as to why they were interested in several people on the island. Her more-so than the others, though. If she was up to date on her permits, and that wasn't the reason why they were investigating, it had to do with something else. "There has to be something else. They wouldn't just select a random person for nothing in particular. They're... looking for something," but as to what that something was, not even Eryk knew. It was a 'need-to-know' basis, however; he could slightly guess as to what it was. It wasn't certain, but he couldn't exactly say, either.
"We're expecting an update soon, though, from HQ. We've been sending them everything we have gathered about the other interested parties, but so far, none seem to fit the criteria for what they're looking for. She hasn't exactly shown anything in particular as to why they're so damn interested," he almost grumbled the last part, resting his chin on his hand. His eyes were furrowed, and he knew he was slightly glaring, but it wasn't because he was irritated. He was simply thinking.
Kas smiled sympathetically, but he was prevented from responding by Anastasia’s return. She carried a tray with a teapot on it, as well as three upside-down teacups. All of them shared a blue-and-white wave pattern—not overtly-feminine at all. Setting it down, she took the chair next to Eryk and across from Kasimir.
With practiced gestures, she turned the teacups right-side up. Before she could lift the pot though, her eyes widened, and she turned away from them, bringing a hand to her mouth. A second later, it was obvious why: she began to cough, each one wracking her whole body, it looked like. They sounded wet, like they were pulled from her chest.
They subsided as suddenly as they’d come on, and she quickly returned her hand to her lap, under the tablecloth. “Sorry,” she said, one side of her mouth curling upwards. “I’m a little sick at the moment, but it’s nothing contagious, I promise.”
Either she'd caught him off guard, or it was something else, however; Eryk stared at her, his eyes widened for just a fraction of a second. That cough, whether she was contagious or not, seemed a little intense. He wasn't too sure how he felt about that. As a general rule, Eryk Nero didn't care too much about other things or people. But if she was sick, he couldn't exactly risk her getting worse. So, he pulled in a deep sigh, and stared at Kas for a moment, before turning to her.
"If you are not feeling well," he began, pausing only momentarily to think carefully of how he was going to put this. "I will come by tomorrow to help you out, and any day thereafter until you are feeling well enough. If there are heavier things you need to carry, I will be here to help you with them," he stated, though it was stated in such a way that there was little room to refuse. He'd do it regardless of whether she agreed to it or not.
Kas was regarding him with a sly half-smile—it meant something Eryk couldn’t interpret. Probably nothing good. Anastasia on the other hand, looked at him with wide eyes.
“That’s, um…” she hesitated, as though she were unsure what to say. Her lips thinned for a moment. “It’s really all right if you don’t; I’ve um… dealt with these symptoms before.” She gave him a thin smile.
“C’mon, Ana,” Kas put in, quirking a brow at her. “You know you could use the help. Ryk here is pretty free in the afternoons; he does all his research in the morning. At least let him help you for a little while.”
Her eyes flickered back and forth between them for a moment before settling on Eryk. “Well, I… I suppose he’s right. If you’d like to volunteer for a day or two, I’m sure I’ll be back to normal by then. But please don’t inconvenience yourself.”
He had to stop himself from scoffing. "It won't be inconvenient. It'll be like a small vacation away from him," he spoke, his gaze receding into one of passive neutrality. "I'll be here first thing tomorrow afternoon."
"Cyrilla, where's Kasimir?" he spoke, stirring the white-haired girl from her spot next to him.
"He mentioned something about being outside with Meep because it was too pretty of a day," she replied after giving it some thought. Eryk said nothing further, and closed the file in front of him. He placed it neatly in the corner of his desk and stood, motioning for his zoroark to stay behind. He nodded once to Cyrilla before he left, walking down the hallways to find the place Kasimir could be. It took him a full thirty minutes before he actually found the man.
Kas was on his back on the grass, his mareep held in his arms and lofted over his head. He appeared to be tossing her gently into the air and catching her. It was something she must have enjoyed—she wiggled her stubby legs and let out a cheerful ‘maa’ when she noticed Eryk.
Kasimir had clearly noticed him as well, though he didn’t immediately look in his direction. “Uh-oh, Meep. The bossman’s here. He’s probably going to go tell me to do boring paperwork, don’t you reckon?” He set the little sheep pokémon down on his chest, only to sigh theatrically when she hopped off and nudged at the side of his face with her nose.
"Kas," Eryk called out towards the man. His face was pulled into one of irritation, however; he really wasn't irritated. It was just how he came off. "It's time you kept your end of the bargain."
Rolling over onto his side, Kas propped his head in his hand and tilted it slightly at Eryk. He didn’t seem perturbed by his grumpy expression—he never really was. “Bargain, bargain, bargain…” He furrowed his brows in mock thoughtfulness before his eyes sparked with something that might have been mischief. That usually didn’t bode well for Eryk.
“Why didn’t you say so? I love field trips!” He was on his feet so smoothly it almost looked impossible, dusting off his hands. “You wanna learn how to get along with people, right?”
"I thought that much was obvious," Eryk replied in a deadpan voice. It took most of his restraint not to twitch slightly at the tone of Kasimir's voice. It was almost too happy, and Eryk was immediately distrustful of it. He said nothing about it though, and continued staring at Kas. "This isn't a field trip, Kas," it finally registered to Eryk what Kas had meant, and he scowled slightly. What did he get himself into? Surely nothing good. He was resigned, however, to see it through. If he wanted to get along better with people, Kasimir was logically the best person to ask. Cyrilla was too nice, and she'd probably end up making friends with whomever was subjected to his testings.
"What's the first step?"
Kas snorted, then grinned. “No really, Ryk. It’s a field trip. As in… we have to go out into the field. The wilderness that is populated areas.” He pointed away from the mansion towards town. “You’re not going to learn to interact with people normally unless you practice it. So, that’s what we’re going to do.”
Folding his hands together behind his head, Kas headed off the grounds of the mansion, only pausing once to make sure Eryk was following. The base wasn’t too far from the main part of the village, but it was about a mile’s walk. The two of them ate the distance in long, efficient strides, both used to far more taxing physical activity than this.
They made, probably, for an unusual pair. Eryk was dressed casually, but the colors were much plainer and darker than Kasimir’s: he wore a red, blue, and white Hawaiian shirt over a blue undershirt and cargo shorts. For once, he had shoes though—even if they were only sandals.
They walked along the main street for a moment before Kas drew to a stop outside a small shop labeled MARINA’S FLOWERS. From the window displays, it was obviously a florists’ of some variety.
“Step one,” Kasimir said lightly. “Interacting with people who are paid to be nice to you. I haven’t been here before either, so we’ll be on equal footing. I want you to buy some flowers. Whatever kind you want—that part doesn’t matter.”
"Flowers?" he repeated, as if it offended him. It didn't, but he just didn't see the necessity in buying flowers. Couldn't he just buy something to drink, instead? Apparently not, and Eryk sighed. He didn't even know the names of these flowers. He glared at them for a moment, browsing which ones he would take. There were some that looked the same, just in different colors. There were some other ones, though, that looked vaguely odd, like the wreath of a Bellossom or some other kind of grass type. "These," he stated, just as a middle-aged woman appeared. She was probably in her early forties, but Eryk had always been bad at judging people's ages.
"The red tulips are pretty this time of year, especially if you plan on buying them for a special lady, or gentleman. They symbolize true love," she spoke as Eryk picked up the 'tulips', glancing between him and Kas. He pursed his lips together, though when she spoke, and glared at her. True love? Why did a flower have to symbolize something? It was a plant.
"These aren't for him," he immediately responded, almost snapping at the woman. She looked a little taken back, but muttered a soft apology. "And that is a ridiculous notion. How can a plant symbolize anything other than being a plant?" he continued, slightly irritated about the notion.
Behind him, Kasimir coughed; it sounded suspiciously like he was trying to conceal a laugh. “Don’t mind my friend,” he said in a placating tone. “He’s very new to horticulture; perhaps you could help him find something a little more neutral?” He smiled like it was the easiest thing in the world, and even Eryk could see the shop attendant melt.
"Oh, of course,” she replied, nodding resolutely and turning back to Eryk. "Not everyone is much for hanakotoba—if you’re looking for something that just smells nice, might I recommend these lilies?” she gestured to several colors of what looked like the same flower. They had longish petals; the smell was decent—fresh without being overpowering.
Eryk had to keep from glaring at Kasimir when he smiled at the attendant, but took the woman's suggestion well enough. "Why do I need something that looks nice, though? Shouldn't it be enough to get whatever flower and be done with it? Most of these look half dead," he spoke, glancing at a different set of flowers. These were yellow with a large brown dot. Somehow, they looked like Sunflora, but he couldn't say for sure. The attendant seemed to be almost offended when he spoke, however; he merely kept staring at her.
"I don't even know what I'm looking for. This was his idea," he continued, staring at Kasimir this time before returning his attention towards the woman. "Do you have anything that isn't so bright?" he decided to ask. Most of the flowers were white, red, yellow, and occasionally, there was a purple-like color.
"Right this way," she seemed to have an idea of a flower, but Eryk wasn't too confident about it. "We have what is called a chocolate cosmos. If you're particularly fond of sweets, these smell like vanilla," she spoke, trying her best it seems. Eryk stared at the dark flowers for a moment before deciding against it.
"I'm not," he spoke, referring to the fact that he was not particularly fond of sweets.
She pursed her lips. "Well, if you’d prefer darker colors, there are also these larkspur,” she tried, gesturing to a cluster of deep blue flowers.
Behind him, Kas got close enough to speak in a low voice so the attendant couldn’t hear them. “If you don’t care, stop giving her a hard time,” he advised, though clearly he was at least somewhat entertained by the whole thing. “There’s no right or wrong answer here, so just pick something.”
"Fine, I'll take the larkspur," Eryk snapped. He wasn't really good with this, was he? He sighed, composed himself a little more properly, and stared at the woman. "And I'll take those over there. For Cy," he spoke, pointing to a pot of yellow tulips. She liked flowers, right? He couldn't remember. She could throw them out if she didn't, he couldn't really be bothered to care. "Are we done here?" he questioned, staring at Kasimir with an annoyed expression.
“I’d love one of your orchids, if you sell them individually,” Kasimir added.
The attendant nodded, putting all their orders together and accepting separate payments from the both of them. Kas asked for his to be bagged, and after setting a little vial of water at the end, the attendant handed him the paper bag.
On their way out of the shop, Kasimir sighed. “Okay, so notes. The first thing is, you can’t be that short with people. Even if you’re doing something you find silly or tedious or boring or stupid, it’s rude to show it, and no one likes rude people.” He raised both of his eyebrows. “And if you have to turn someone down, do it politely. Being too direct is also considered rude, at least with strangers.”
Eryk merely pursed his lips together. "How is being direct, rude? I'm not going to be polite about something that isn't true," he responded, still confused about the whole ordeal. He was too short and rude with people? Wasn't that how he always was? Kasimir didn't seem to be bothered by it, and Cyrilla never mentioned anything either. Was she simply used to him that way? Probably, considering that he hadn't changed much in their years together.
"You make it seem too easy," he finally spoke, glancing at Kas. "I think you might have infatuated that woman by smiling at her. You know I don't smile," he wasn't even sure he could. The last time he'd smiled was when he was just a youth. "Besides, most of the flowers were half dead," or was that how they just looked?
Kas visibly rolled his eyes. “It’s rude, in part, because that’s her job, Eryk. It’s her livelihood, and she probably enjoys it. Some people are especially sensitive about things like that. No one enjoys the insinuation that they’re incompetent, even if it’s true. And, for the record, it wasn’t. The flowers looked fine—the heat wilts them a little bit, but they were well-taken care of.”
He scratched absently at his jawline with his left hand. “Cy and I don’t get offended by your mannerisms because we’re used to them. We know that’s just how you are and that you’re not trying to be cruel. But usually, when people say things like that, they’re being mean on purpose, and so… that’s what it seemed like you were doing. Even if you don’t think it makes sense, it’s the way things are, and sadly I can’t make it so the rules don’t apply to only you.” He half-smiled; it was a strangely-patient expression. “It’s not about lying, it’s about knowing when to filter your thoughts a little. If you don’t want to tell white lies, try just… not commenting on things. Honestly, I’m surprised your family didn’t teach you more about infiltrating that way.”
"They weren't too concerned about it," he responded, but said nothing further. He had to learn to filter his thoughts, and be mindful of what he said. "Then from now on, you and Cy will have to point out what I say and tell me if it is acceptable or not," he stated, leaving very little room for discussion about it. If he was going to filter what he said, he at least needed to know what he said so he could avoid saying it like that.
"Is there another spot? Some place that isn't a floral shop," he asked. He'd rather avoid them for now.
Kasimir hummed. “Of course, feel free to be your usual grumpy self around me—I’m not sure what I’d do if you were suddenly nice to me.” He paused a moment to shudder, then grinned. “And as a matter of fact, yes. The florist’s was only so you’d have the right supplies for the next part of this. Today, you’re going to practice wielding one of the most important weapons in the likability arsenal: giving gifts.”
The glint in his eye was almost malicious; it was only then that he drew to a stop, right in front of the rehabilitation center Eryk’s mission target worked at. “You’re going to give your larkspurs to Ana.”
Had he been paying attention to where they were heading, Eryk would have veered off into another direction. Why, of all places, did Kasimir have to bring him here? Wasn't the whole point of learning to be sociable so that he could be sociable with her? He narrowed his eyes at Kas, the annoyance and irritation clearly written on his face. "Kas," he spoke, his voice low as if he were warning Kas about something. He wasn't, but he wasn't exactly pleased, either.
"What the hell are we doing here? I'm not going to give these to Anastasia," he continued, looking at the flowers in his hands. There was nothing exceptional about the flowers, nor was there any rhyme or reason to give them to Anastasia. Even if giving gifts was supposedly a way to become liked, Eryk was decidedly not thrilled to be giving them, especially to her. "You did this on purpose, didn't you," he spoke, narrowing his eyes suspiciously at Kas.
Kas rolled his eyes in response. “Of course I did it on purpose, Ryk. Think about it: this is an excellent excuse to see her a second time. You’re with me, who, by the way, already shows up here at least once a week, so it won’t seem weird. You’ll give her the flowers to brighten up the place, which she’ll accept as a friendly gesture, because Ana’s not the type to read too much into things. It’ll give her a reason to invite us in for tea, and you can practice talking to her while I’m around to make sure you don’t screw it up too badly. It’s like… four pidgeys with one stone.”
He pushed a sigh out through his nose. “So what are you so irritated about? It’s a good plan.”
Whether it was a good plan or not, was not the reason as to why Eryk was irritated. What if Anastasia was allergic to the flowers? He hadn't really considered it much, because he didn't know he was getting flowers for her. If he'd known, he'd at least would have asked beforehand. But now, he wasn't so sure. What if she didn't like them? If she didn't like them, then he'd have to start all over again, wouldn't he? He narrowed his eyes at Kasimir, but said nothing for a moment, still contemplating whether or not he should at least try.
"I'm not doing it, Kas," he finally spoke. He didn't want to take that chance. It was bad enough that he rarely talked to her, and when he did, he tried not to make himself so intimidating. Either he'd done a good job at it, or she was just used to it. That, in itself, perplexed him a bit. He was over thinking this, wasn't he?
Kasimir looked at him like he was being particularly thick, but before he could say anything, the sound of someone approaching from behind reached their ears. The footfalls were light, but not those of someone trained to stealth at all, and so they scuffed softly on the footpath leading up to the house.
“Kasimir? Eryk? Was there something you needed?”
Eryk’s luck must have been pretty abysmal, because the voice belonged to Anastasia herself. Clearly, she was on the way back from another supply run; she had a bag of sawdust over either shoulder, and held them in place by wrapping her thin arms around them. She was dressed for work—cargo pants with lots of pockets, a belt with some basic tools suspended from it, and a red t-shirt with the name of the shelter printed on the front.
Someone somewhere must really have hated Eryk. He surpressed the urge to sigh with an aggravated tone, and instead, focused on Anastasia. She was carrying sawdust this time, and though it probably wasn't too heavy for her, Eryk visibly frowned. She was a reedy looking thing, without much strength to her. Why was she carrying such things? Instead of an aggravated sigh, he just sighed, and shoved the flowers he was holding, towards Kasimir. Once Kas was holding them, or partially he wasn't paying too much attention, he plucked the bags from Anastasia.
"I'll take them," he finally stated, not quite answering her question. Once he situated both bags comfortably, he glanced towards Kasimir, and the flowers he'd chosen: the larkspur. "Kas and I were around, thought that maybe we could come help," he spoke, his eyes narrowing slightly at Kasimir. "We... those flowers, the larkspur, they're for you."
“Eryk picked them,” Kas amended, throwing him under the bus at first opportunity. He extended the flowers to Anastasia, who blinked slowly, an expression akin to confusion crossing her face for a moment.
It was gone quickly, though, and she smiled a bit, accepting them with a tiny nod. “They have such a pretty color,” she said. The words seemed genuine; her smile inched just a fraction wider, though it was still small. She tilted her head at Eryk. “Thank you.”
Apparently not inclined to make him stand around outside with the sawdust for too long, she shifted the flowers into the crook of her arm and opened the front gate with the key on the chain around her neck, pushing it open with a soft creak. As before, there were several pokémon lounging in the front yard; they were mostly content to stay where they were, save for the old stoutland that waddled over.
“Um, here… the sawdust goes in the storage shed.” Anastasia led them around to the back of the property where a small building stood behind the house. There was a pretty extensive garden back here, too—flowers of all different colors bloomed in clusters contained neatly within beds of dark soil. The shed wasn’t locked; Anastasia pushed it open with a bit of effort. The door seemed to stick.
“Second shelf, if you don’t mind. Or you could just set them on the floor. Either way is fine.”
Eryk placed the sawdust on the second shelf as she'd instructed, and glanced down at the old stoutland. He raised a brow at it, but did nothing to it. Instead, he returned his attention to Anastasia, subtly glaring towards Kasimir in the process. He'd get Kasimir back for this, somehow, but now was not the time to be plotting. "Is there anything we can do to help out?" he decided to ask. It felt a little odd, perhaps because Kasimir was here. When he was alone, speaking to her was a little easier, however; with Kasimir around surveying, he wasn't entirely sure how or what to speak of.
"If you'd rather we leave," he began, slightly implying that they might be intruding on her. If they were, then they'd simply leave. Easy as that, right? He glanced at Kasimir, slightly, and sighed. No, it wasn't that easy.
Anastasia shook her head slightly. “It’s fine. You’ve been plenty helpful already.” She paused a moment, pursing her lips. “I did promise you some tea last time, though. Perhaps you would have time to partake today?”
She might have further qualified that, but Kasimir didn’t allow it. “We’d love to,” he said, flashing a grin. “Hard to turn down tea and the company of a pretty girl.”
Anastasia arched an eyebrow slightly, shaking her head. “You’re very strange, Kasimir.”
“Am not,” he countered, unhooking two of the pokéballs from his belt as they exited the shed. When he gave them a casual toss into the air, his mareep and kirlia emerged in the red flash of light. Both of them seemed familiar with their surroundings; Meep immediately started hopping circles around the stoutland.
As if suddenly realizing something, Anastasia turned to Eryk. “If you’d like to give any of your pokémon a chance to run around for a while, feel free. The shelter pokémon are all friendly, and we can take the tea outside if you’d prefer to watch them.” She had to tip her head up quite far to talk to either of them, and shaded her eyes with one of her hands when she did.
Before he could say anything about it, one of his pokéballs popped open, revealing Blue, the altaria. He hummed a soft tune as he perched on Eryk's shoulder, hanging off just slightly. Eryk turned his head to glare at the altaria, however; Blue had other plans. As soon as he saw Kasimir, the blue pokémon immediately left Eryk's shoulder and landed on Kasimir's. Well, at least he didn't have to worry about it too much, right? He contemplated letting out another one, however; he couldn't decide which one. Milotic would just swim in the pool, Gengar would probably try to cause him a headache by doing something he shouldn't, and Zoroark would probably wander off. Meowth was the only one he could.
Meowth it was.
He released the cat pokémon from her confines and watched as she made a beeline for Anastasia. "Outside it is," he simply spoke, though he couldn't exactly understand why Kasimir's mareep was so damn happy. Sometimes he wondered if Kas and the mareep had the same soul.
Anastasia laughed softly when Blue alighted on Kas’s shoulder; the man himself seemed to have expected it, and stroked the bird’s fluffy wings absently. “Well, in that case, I’ll make it and bring it out. Please, feel free to have a seat.” She gestured to a round table set in the garden, a green-and-white striped umbrella shading it and the chairs from the sun. The air smelled like a combination of ocean salt and the flowers nearby.
Since the garden was right behind the house, the window looked in on the kitchen; their hostess set about boiling water as they settled.
“She’s up to date on her permits,” Kas said, quietly enough not to be overheard. People had to register for special permits through Team Rocket to have more than six pokémon; even then, only six were allowed for battling purposes. A shelter like this had about seven different kinds of certification to go through. “I pulled up the records. The place has only been operational for about a year, but there haven’t been any complaints. So that’s not what HQ cares about.”
It was a far cry from knowing why they were interested in her, but it was something.
Eryk furrowed his brows when Kas had spoken. HQ had been a little quiet as to why they were interested in several people on the island. Her more-so than the others, though. If she was up to date on her permits, and that wasn't the reason why they were investigating, it had to do with something else. "There has to be something else. They wouldn't just select a random person for nothing in particular. They're... looking for something," but as to what that something was, not even Eryk knew. It was a 'need-to-know' basis, however; he could slightly guess as to what it was. It wasn't certain, but he couldn't exactly say, either.
"We're expecting an update soon, though, from HQ. We've been sending them everything we have gathered about the other interested parties, but so far, none seem to fit the criteria for what they're looking for. She hasn't exactly shown anything in particular as to why they're so damn interested," he almost grumbled the last part, resting his chin on his hand. His eyes were furrowed, and he knew he was slightly glaring, but it wasn't because he was irritated. He was simply thinking.
Kas smiled sympathetically, but he was prevented from responding by Anastasia’s return. She carried a tray with a teapot on it, as well as three upside-down teacups. All of them shared a blue-and-white wave pattern—not overtly-feminine at all. Setting it down, she took the chair next to Eryk and across from Kasimir.
With practiced gestures, she turned the teacups right-side up. Before she could lift the pot though, her eyes widened, and she turned away from them, bringing a hand to her mouth. A second later, it was obvious why: she began to cough, each one wracking her whole body, it looked like. They sounded wet, like they were pulled from her chest.
They subsided as suddenly as they’d come on, and she quickly returned her hand to her lap, under the tablecloth. “Sorry,” she said, one side of her mouth curling upwards. “I’m a little sick at the moment, but it’s nothing contagious, I promise.”
Either she'd caught him off guard, or it was something else, however; Eryk stared at her, his eyes widened for just a fraction of a second. That cough, whether she was contagious or not, seemed a little intense. He wasn't too sure how he felt about that. As a general rule, Eryk Nero didn't care too much about other things or people. But if she was sick, he couldn't exactly risk her getting worse. So, he pulled in a deep sigh, and stared at Kas for a moment, before turning to her.
"If you are not feeling well," he began, pausing only momentarily to think carefully of how he was going to put this. "I will come by tomorrow to help you out, and any day thereafter until you are feeling well enough. If there are heavier things you need to carry, I will be here to help you with them," he stated, though it was stated in such a way that there was little room to refuse. He'd do it regardless of whether she agreed to it or not.
Kas was regarding him with a sly half-smile—it meant something Eryk couldn’t interpret. Probably nothing good. Anastasia on the other hand, looked at him with wide eyes.
“That’s, um…” she hesitated, as though she were unsure what to say. Her lips thinned for a moment. “It’s really all right if you don’t; I’ve um… dealt with these symptoms before.” She gave him a thin smile.
“C’mon, Ana,” Kas put in, quirking a brow at her. “You know you could use the help. Ryk here is pretty free in the afternoons; he does all his research in the morning. At least let him help you for a little while.”
Her eyes flickered back and forth between them for a moment before settling on Eryk. “Well, I… I suppose he’s right. If you’d like to volunteer for a day or two, I’m sure I’ll be back to normal by then. But please don’t inconvenience yourself.”
He had to stop himself from scoffing. "It won't be inconvenient. It'll be like a small vacation away from him," he spoke, his gaze receding into one of passive neutrality. "I'll be here first thing tomorrow afternoon."
The day after Eryk’s surprisingly-successful first stab at social interaction—successful from the mission standpoint, anyway—Kas was lounging on the extra-long sofa in his own office. He’d actually had to do work today. Apparently Ryk was extra-insistent since he was going to be out of the office for the afternoon and there was literally zero chance Kasimir would ever do anything without direct prodding from his friend.
He sighed heavily. He played his part so damn well it started to feel like this was really his life sometimes. Uncrossing his ankles from the arm of the couch, he sat up slowly, planting his bare feet on the ground. He really didn’t like thinking about this. Time for a distraction—and there were a lot of options, around these parts. Marcia the receptionist, Candace down in the labs, that cute new recruit who blushed every time he walked by… he really did need to stop and talk to her some day, actually learn her name.
But today he wanted not only to be distracting, but also at least somewhat helpful in the process. And the people to whom distractions were most helpful (if least welcome) were workaholics. Standing, Kas reached over his surprisingly-neat desk and snatched up the object he’d placed there the day before. Stepping into his sandals, he locked his office behind him—he was careful about that because he had to be—and padded down the hall, running a hand over his hair to pat down any mussed strands.
He passed Alexandra from HR in the corridor, but paused only long enough to greet her politely, winking in a manner that was anything but, before continuing on his way. He clapped Derek, one of the newer grunts, on the shoulder as he passed by him, earning himself an earnest smile. He was a good kid.
Cy’s office door was partway open; he knocked on the frame a couple times before he pushed it open and ambled in with his usual casual air. As he’d expected, she was hard at work—probably finishing up whatever Eryk hadn’t managed to get done before he left. He sniffed the air, then mock-frowned. “It smells like diligence in here, Cy. Please don’t turn into Ryk—I can’t handle two of you.”
She glanced up from the rim of her glasses, a newly acquired asset apparently, and smiled at him. "Well, these needed to be completed by the end of tomorrow, and Ryk won't be able to do it by then. He's apparently helping out Anastasia," she spoke, pulling the glasses from her face and setting them down. She wrote something on a piece of paper before setting it aside and returned her attention back to him. "Besides, I don't think I could make a good grumpy face like he does. I tried doing it once, and Harold told me to never do it again," she muttered the last part, frowning just slightly.
"Was there something you needed, Kas? Or are you looking for Ryk? Because if you're looking for Ryk, you know where he is," she asked, a little bit of color dusting her face.
He grinned. She was adorable, really—it was too tempting to pass up the opportunity to watch her blush and stammer. Never anything too serious, of course; he wasn’t a monster. But a little bit of teasing never hurt anyone. “On the contrary,” he declared. “I’m here to see you.” He paused, allowing the grin to grow a bit, flashing white teeth.
“I had this feeling you’d be working too hard, and I was right.”
Stepping the rest of the way into the room, he glanced down at her paperwork, finding it all to be mundane. Really—Ryk should have been able to leave this stuff to his secretary, except he was so bad at interaction that no one appointed to the position ever wanted to keep it. They all quit. So the excess got shoved to Cyrilla instead. Go figure.
From behind his back, he produced the orchid he’d bought yesterday with a sleight-of-hand flourish. “Flower for a flower?” he said, laughter in his eyes and mischief in his smile.
"I... wait, what?" she stammered, surprised by the flower and the statement. Her face turned a bit darker, and she tried to compose herself. She pursed her lips together, hesitant to take the flower apparently. "You didn't, you shouldn't have done that, Kas," she mumbled softly, but took the flower anyway. There was a ghost of a smile on her face, though, when she took it, and stood from her spot. She walked towards the only window in her space, and placed it on the shelf directly beside it. Once she was finished, she made her way towards him, and stopped a few feet away.
"Thanks, Kas. I'll try not to kill it," she spoke, smiling fully as she did so. She must have suddenly remembered something as she made her way towards the desk, flipping through the papers as she did so. "Ah, here it is," she spoke and held on to a piece of paper. She set it down on the desk and grabbed a nearby pen before writing on it.
"Sorry, I just remembered this one needed a signature," she apologized sheepishly.
Kasimir sighed heavily. That did it—they were getting out of here. “Maybe,” he replied noncommittally, “but it seems like you need a break. So…” He leaned forward, catching the edge of her desk with his hands and leaning down to be at about a level with her. He’d bought the orchid to match her—white petals like her hair, pinkish streaks like her eyes.
In the language of flowers Eryk thought was absurd, orchids were for beautiful women.
“Either you can play hooky with me for an afternoon, or I can hang out in your office and try really earnestly to distract you. Your choice.” He knew he was being obnoxious about it, but his intentions were genuine; he knew she tended to overwork herself. He didn’t like it when his friends did that.
Her face took on an even darker shade of red when he spoke, and she seemed to be at a loss for words. She was mimicking a magikarp at the moment. "You don't play fair, Kas, you know that," she mumbled, glancing at the pile of papers that she probably had to sort through, still. "I can't just play hooky," she mumbled. She seemed more inclined to the idea of leaving, though, as she worked the pile of papers into a suitable stack. Once she was done, she glanced at him.
"But I suppose I could spend an hour or so for a break. I haven't had one yet," she spoke, though there was still an uneasiness in her tone.
He almost rolled his eyes; really, it wasn’t like Team Rocket didn’t do vacation days. She could just take half of one if she felt so bad about it—the executives like them got eight weeks a year, for crying out loud.
Not that any of them even used them. Not even him, actually.
Well, she said an hour. Kasimir could work with that.
He let himself linger in his spot for just a second longer than was polite, making direct eye contact even though he was maybe half a foot from her face. His eyes narrowed with his mirth, but then he pushed himself up and away abruptly. “Excellent!” he replied, gesturing for her to precede him out the door.
Two executives leaving the building didn’t look at all odd to any of the employees, he knew—they were always out and about, especially him. Cy might be the one who left the office least often, with Eryk’s new field assignment, but even she had things to do outside. He didn’t try to hide the fact that they were leaving, either, cheerfully waving goodbye to the staff in the front office as they exited.
The day outside was bright and warm; a pleasant breeze cooled everything to a nice temperature, ruffling the hair in his ponytail. It had considerably more trouble with her sheets of long hair; he was tempted to reach out and touch it. A rather common temptation of his, one he only seldom indulged. For now, he refrained, falling into step beside her much shorter strides. He didn’t touch her, but he walked close enough to feel the barest brush of her body heat—just slightly too close for most friendships.
“So, what shall we do, Cy? Lunch? The ocean? Browsing the shops in town? It’s your break, after all.” He flashed a smile down at her—Kas was pretty much permanently on a break, so he didn’t mind whatever she decided she wanted to do with their time.
"Well," she began, contemplating the options presented to her. "I'm not too hungry at the moment," she continued, her face pulling into a thoughtful expression. "But I hear there's a nice place to enjoy the ocean's view right by the Gym. Drake mentioned it a few days ago," she spoke, smiling at the thought. Drake was Blaine's grandson, and the current Gym Leader of Cinnabar. She'd made friends, or acquaintances, with him the first few weeks they were on the island.
"But then there's also a shopping strip near the ocean too," she stated, slightly perplexed now at the options. "Ah, I know. We can go to the shopping strip. I want to see if there's anything I can get Ryk to brighten him up a bit," she finally decided. "And because he's a good friend," she added. There was something like fondness laced in her tone when she spoke.
Kas huffed half a laugh. She seemed to be enthused enough about the idea now that it was actually taking place. He nodded with false sagacity when she made her choice, his smile fading to something smaller when she declared her intentions to get something for Eryk. “He’s not really one for things,” he observed, “but I am trying to teach him the value of gift-giving. I’m sure receiving one from you would help make the point.”
Sliding his hands into the pockets of his shorts, Kas wandered down in the direction of the strip mall she’d mentioned. He’d already been a few times—he knew pretty much everywhere in Cinnabar by now. It wasn’t that big an island. It reminded him just a little bit of home, though.
“You two are actually cousins, right? I remember meeting you with the rest of his family a few years ago.” Eryk had a large extended family—he was part of the Koga clan, actually. Kas couldn’t claim any sort of pedigree like that. His old man ran a dojo and his mom had a small restaurant—nothing too special there.
"Sort of," she spoke, glancing up at him slightly. "We're distant cousins, if you'd like," she continued, explaining just slightly what they were. "He's Koga's direct grandson, and from the main branch of Koga's family. My parents weren't so high in the clan, but were still part of it. I think my father was Koga's third cousin, but I don't really remember. We weren't taught too much about where we stood in the family tree," she spoke, shrugging her shoulders softly.
"In all honesty, though," she began, fully staring at him now. "Eryk is more like a brother to me. He's... done a lot for me and I don't know if I'll ever be able to repay him for it," she stated, rubbing absentmindedly at the scar on her cheek. It wasn't too noticeable unless you looked directly at it. Most of her hair covered it.
Kasimir wasn’t oblivious, and he didn’t have any difficulty guessing what she was getting at. He chose not to press, however. If she wanted to tell him, she would: he knew well the difference between a friendly shove forward and uncomfortable pressure, and asking that may well have crossed the line.
Besides, it was better to keep himself at a bit of a distance, when it came to her. At least in the metaphorical sense.
So instead he sighed deeply. “I wish my sisters were half as nice to me as you are to him,” he complained, though there was nothing but humor in it. “The older one is always scolding me, and the little one’s a spoiled brat.”
They arrived at the row of shops, then—really, even calling it a strip mall was a little too optimistic, as far as he was concerned. But at least the selections were more interesting than an endless chain of the same department store with different branding. The island might be a little quaint, but it had character.
"Well, at least your older sister does care about you. If she scolds you, at least," she responded, the light, playfullness returning to her voice. "Though I have to admit, I'm a little envious of you, Kas. Even if I consider Eryk my brother, I wish I had siblings," she stated as a thought. "But then I wouldn't have been able to take care of Eryk or everyone else if I did. I'd be overrun by siblings," she almost chuckled to herself. She glanced at the shops, her eyes lighting up almost instantly. She made her way towards a smaller shop, a jewelry one by the looks of it, and immediately stopped in front of a set. There were three charms sitting in a display, and she seemed to be eyeing them intently. It was apparent as to why.
The set of charms represented the three of them. One was Entei, carved from some kind of red gem, and then there were Raikou and Suicune, both carved from their respective colored gems. "Oh, what do you think Kas? I know he doesn't wear jewelry, or even charm necklaces or anything like that, but they're adorable," she almost spoke in a way one does when they're singing. She seemed to realize this because there was a light red dusting her cheeks again.
Kasimir hummed thoughtfully in the back of his throat. “It does seem a bit… feminine in the current form,” he replied. “But… what if you made a keychain or something with them? Even Ryk carries keys. I’m sure he’d accept them from you in any case.”
"Oh, that's a good idea! I can do that," she stated with obvious excitment. "I can make these into keychains, and then we'd each have one," she continued, picking up the three items. "I can have Kenshin help me, he's good with his hands," she spoke, referring to her lucario and smiling when she did so. She hummed a soft tune as she went to pay for the items.
"It'll be a few days, but I think I can finish all three of them. Oh, um," she continued, but paused. She seemed a little nervous, as if what she wanted to say was a little embarrassing. "Do... is there a particular shape you'd like for yours, Kas?" she asked. Keychains didn't come in very many varieties, but there were a few different ones, regardless.
He blinked. He hadn’t intended to turn her attention from a gift to Eryk to something for all three of them. Guilt stabbed at him for a second, but never made it to his face. Instead, he smiled in his usual foxlike way, shaking his head. “I’d like whatever you wanted to give me, Cy.” And then, because that was more honest than he’d really intended, he added a careless wink.
“Oh, ice cream.” There was a creamery across the street—he pretended like he hadn’t already noticed. “Want some? We can eat while we walk.”
The color still remained on her face, though a little less obvious now, however; she smiled slightly at his suggestion. "Ice cream sounds nice," she spoke, paying for her items before joining him. "You know," she began, glancing down as if the floor was more interesting than he was. "I never thanked you, you know. For Lithe," she spoke finally, glancing up at him from her lashes. He'd given Growlithe to her when she finally made into his and Ryk's ranks as an Executive, becoming the third beast, Suicune.
Kas cleared his throat, for once in his life feeling a little… awkward. Her sincerity was so obvious, and when she looked at him like that…
He banished the thought before it could even fully form. He was pretty good at doing that, by this point. He couldn’t quite stop the way his expression changed, though—his eyes softened and his smile dimmed to something gentler. “Don’t thank me for that,” he replied quietly. “He needed a new start with a good person—and I don’t know any better people than you.”
He shrugged, as if to pass off the statement as inconsequential. “Anyway, ice cream. I’m feeling like chocolate. How about you?”
"Strawberry!" she nearly spoke excitedly. She realized how quickly she spoke it because her face turned a bright red before muttering a soft apology. "Strawberry sounds nice," she spoke this time in a quieter voice. "In a chocolate dipped cone," she continued.
“Ask, and you shall receive."
He sighed heavily. He played his part so damn well it started to feel like this was really his life sometimes. Uncrossing his ankles from the arm of the couch, he sat up slowly, planting his bare feet on the ground. He really didn’t like thinking about this. Time for a distraction—and there were a lot of options, around these parts. Marcia the receptionist, Candace down in the labs, that cute new recruit who blushed every time he walked by… he really did need to stop and talk to her some day, actually learn her name.
But today he wanted not only to be distracting, but also at least somewhat helpful in the process. And the people to whom distractions were most helpful (if least welcome) were workaholics. Standing, Kas reached over his surprisingly-neat desk and snatched up the object he’d placed there the day before. Stepping into his sandals, he locked his office behind him—he was careful about that because he had to be—and padded down the hall, running a hand over his hair to pat down any mussed strands.
He passed Alexandra from HR in the corridor, but paused only long enough to greet her politely, winking in a manner that was anything but, before continuing on his way. He clapped Derek, one of the newer grunts, on the shoulder as he passed by him, earning himself an earnest smile. He was a good kid.
Cy’s office door was partway open; he knocked on the frame a couple times before he pushed it open and ambled in with his usual casual air. As he’d expected, she was hard at work—probably finishing up whatever Eryk hadn’t managed to get done before he left. He sniffed the air, then mock-frowned. “It smells like diligence in here, Cy. Please don’t turn into Ryk—I can’t handle two of you.”
She glanced up from the rim of her glasses, a newly acquired asset apparently, and smiled at him. "Well, these needed to be completed by the end of tomorrow, and Ryk won't be able to do it by then. He's apparently helping out Anastasia," she spoke, pulling the glasses from her face and setting them down. She wrote something on a piece of paper before setting it aside and returned her attention back to him. "Besides, I don't think I could make a good grumpy face like he does. I tried doing it once, and Harold told me to never do it again," she muttered the last part, frowning just slightly.
"Was there something you needed, Kas? Or are you looking for Ryk? Because if you're looking for Ryk, you know where he is," she asked, a little bit of color dusting her face.
He grinned. She was adorable, really—it was too tempting to pass up the opportunity to watch her blush and stammer. Never anything too serious, of course; he wasn’t a monster. But a little bit of teasing never hurt anyone. “On the contrary,” he declared. “I’m here to see you.” He paused, allowing the grin to grow a bit, flashing white teeth.
“I had this feeling you’d be working too hard, and I was right.”
Stepping the rest of the way into the room, he glanced down at her paperwork, finding it all to be mundane. Really—Ryk should have been able to leave this stuff to his secretary, except he was so bad at interaction that no one appointed to the position ever wanted to keep it. They all quit. So the excess got shoved to Cyrilla instead. Go figure.
From behind his back, he produced the orchid he’d bought yesterday with a sleight-of-hand flourish. “Flower for a flower?” he said, laughter in his eyes and mischief in his smile.
"I... wait, what?" she stammered, surprised by the flower and the statement. Her face turned a bit darker, and she tried to compose herself. She pursed her lips together, hesitant to take the flower apparently. "You didn't, you shouldn't have done that, Kas," she mumbled softly, but took the flower anyway. There was a ghost of a smile on her face, though, when she took it, and stood from her spot. She walked towards the only window in her space, and placed it on the shelf directly beside it. Once she was finished, she made her way towards him, and stopped a few feet away.
"Thanks, Kas. I'll try not to kill it," she spoke, smiling fully as she did so. She must have suddenly remembered something as she made her way towards the desk, flipping through the papers as she did so. "Ah, here it is," she spoke and held on to a piece of paper. She set it down on the desk and grabbed a nearby pen before writing on it.
"Sorry, I just remembered this one needed a signature," she apologized sheepishly.
Kasimir sighed heavily. That did it—they were getting out of here. “Maybe,” he replied noncommittally, “but it seems like you need a break. So…” He leaned forward, catching the edge of her desk with his hands and leaning down to be at about a level with her. He’d bought the orchid to match her—white petals like her hair, pinkish streaks like her eyes.
In the language of flowers Eryk thought was absurd, orchids were for beautiful women.
“Either you can play hooky with me for an afternoon, or I can hang out in your office and try really earnestly to distract you. Your choice.” He knew he was being obnoxious about it, but his intentions were genuine; he knew she tended to overwork herself. He didn’t like it when his friends did that.
Her face took on an even darker shade of red when he spoke, and she seemed to be at a loss for words. She was mimicking a magikarp at the moment. "You don't play fair, Kas, you know that," she mumbled, glancing at the pile of papers that she probably had to sort through, still. "I can't just play hooky," she mumbled. She seemed more inclined to the idea of leaving, though, as she worked the pile of papers into a suitable stack. Once she was done, she glanced at him.
"But I suppose I could spend an hour or so for a break. I haven't had one yet," she spoke, though there was still an uneasiness in her tone.
He almost rolled his eyes; really, it wasn’t like Team Rocket didn’t do vacation days. She could just take half of one if she felt so bad about it—the executives like them got eight weeks a year, for crying out loud.
Not that any of them even used them. Not even him, actually.
Well, she said an hour. Kasimir could work with that.
He let himself linger in his spot for just a second longer than was polite, making direct eye contact even though he was maybe half a foot from her face. His eyes narrowed with his mirth, but then he pushed himself up and away abruptly. “Excellent!” he replied, gesturing for her to precede him out the door.
Two executives leaving the building didn’t look at all odd to any of the employees, he knew—they were always out and about, especially him. Cy might be the one who left the office least often, with Eryk’s new field assignment, but even she had things to do outside. He didn’t try to hide the fact that they were leaving, either, cheerfully waving goodbye to the staff in the front office as they exited.
The day outside was bright and warm; a pleasant breeze cooled everything to a nice temperature, ruffling the hair in his ponytail. It had considerably more trouble with her sheets of long hair; he was tempted to reach out and touch it. A rather common temptation of his, one he only seldom indulged. For now, he refrained, falling into step beside her much shorter strides. He didn’t touch her, but he walked close enough to feel the barest brush of her body heat—just slightly too close for most friendships.
“So, what shall we do, Cy? Lunch? The ocean? Browsing the shops in town? It’s your break, after all.” He flashed a smile down at her—Kas was pretty much permanently on a break, so he didn’t mind whatever she decided she wanted to do with their time.
"Well," she began, contemplating the options presented to her. "I'm not too hungry at the moment," she continued, her face pulling into a thoughtful expression. "But I hear there's a nice place to enjoy the ocean's view right by the Gym. Drake mentioned it a few days ago," she spoke, smiling at the thought. Drake was Blaine's grandson, and the current Gym Leader of Cinnabar. She'd made friends, or acquaintances, with him the first few weeks they were on the island.
"But then there's also a shopping strip near the ocean too," she stated, slightly perplexed now at the options. "Ah, I know. We can go to the shopping strip. I want to see if there's anything I can get Ryk to brighten him up a bit," she finally decided. "And because he's a good friend," she added. There was something like fondness laced in her tone when she spoke.
Kas huffed half a laugh. She seemed to be enthused enough about the idea now that it was actually taking place. He nodded with false sagacity when she made her choice, his smile fading to something smaller when she declared her intentions to get something for Eryk. “He’s not really one for things,” he observed, “but I am trying to teach him the value of gift-giving. I’m sure receiving one from you would help make the point.”
Sliding his hands into the pockets of his shorts, Kas wandered down in the direction of the strip mall she’d mentioned. He’d already been a few times—he knew pretty much everywhere in Cinnabar by now. It wasn’t that big an island. It reminded him just a little bit of home, though.
“You two are actually cousins, right? I remember meeting you with the rest of his family a few years ago.” Eryk had a large extended family—he was part of the Koga clan, actually. Kas couldn’t claim any sort of pedigree like that. His old man ran a dojo and his mom had a small restaurant—nothing too special there.
"Sort of," she spoke, glancing up at him slightly. "We're distant cousins, if you'd like," she continued, explaining just slightly what they were. "He's Koga's direct grandson, and from the main branch of Koga's family. My parents weren't so high in the clan, but were still part of it. I think my father was Koga's third cousin, but I don't really remember. We weren't taught too much about where we stood in the family tree," she spoke, shrugging her shoulders softly.
"In all honesty, though," she began, fully staring at him now. "Eryk is more like a brother to me. He's... done a lot for me and I don't know if I'll ever be able to repay him for it," she stated, rubbing absentmindedly at the scar on her cheek. It wasn't too noticeable unless you looked directly at it. Most of her hair covered it.
Kasimir wasn’t oblivious, and he didn’t have any difficulty guessing what she was getting at. He chose not to press, however. If she wanted to tell him, she would: he knew well the difference between a friendly shove forward and uncomfortable pressure, and asking that may well have crossed the line.
Besides, it was better to keep himself at a bit of a distance, when it came to her. At least in the metaphorical sense.
So instead he sighed deeply. “I wish my sisters were half as nice to me as you are to him,” he complained, though there was nothing but humor in it. “The older one is always scolding me, and the little one’s a spoiled brat.”
They arrived at the row of shops, then—really, even calling it a strip mall was a little too optimistic, as far as he was concerned. But at least the selections were more interesting than an endless chain of the same department store with different branding. The island might be a little quaint, but it had character.
"Well, at least your older sister does care about you. If she scolds you, at least," she responded, the light, playfullness returning to her voice. "Though I have to admit, I'm a little envious of you, Kas. Even if I consider Eryk my brother, I wish I had siblings," she stated as a thought. "But then I wouldn't have been able to take care of Eryk or everyone else if I did. I'd be overrun by siblings," she almost chuckled to herself. She glanced at the shops, her eyes lighting up almost instantly. She made her way towards a smaller shop, a jewelry one by the looks of it, and immediately stopped in front of a set. There were three charms sitting in a display, and she seemed to be eyeing them intently. It was apparent as to why.
The set of charms represented the three of them. One was Entei, carved from some kind of red gem, and then there were Raikou and Suicune, both carved from their respective colored gems. "Oh, what do you think Kas? I know he doesn't wear jewelry, or even charm necklaces or anything like that, but they're adorable," she almost spoke in a way one does when they're singing. She seemed to realize this because there was a light red dusting her cheeks again.
Kasimir hummed thoughtfully in the back of his throat. “It does seem a bit… feminine in the current form,” he replied. “But… what if you made a keychain or something with them? Even Ryk carries keys. I’m sure he’d accept them from you in any case.”
"Oh, that's a good idea! I can do that," she stated with obvious excitment. "I can make these into keychains, and then we'd each have one," she continued, picking up the three items. "I can have Kenshin help me, he's good with his hands," she spoke, referring to her lucario and smiling when she did so. She hummed a soft tune as she went to pay for the items.
"It'll be a few days, but I think I can finish all three of them. Oh, um," she continued, but paused. She seemed a little nervous, as if what she wanted to say was a little embarrassing. "Do... is there a particular shape you'd like for yours, Kas?" she asked. Keychains didn't come in very many varieties, but there were a few different ones, regardless.
He blinked. He hadn’t intended to turn her attention from a gift to Eryk to something for all three of them. Guilt stabbed at him for a second, but never made it to his face. Instead, he smiled in his usual foxlike way, shaking his head. “I’d like whatever you wanted to give me, Cy.” And then, because that was more honest than he’d really intended, he added a careless wink.
“Oh, ice cream.” There was a creamery across the street—he pretended like he hadn’t already noticed. “Want some? We can eat while we walk.”
The color still remained on her face, though a little less obvious now, however; she smiled slightly at his suggestion. "Ice cream sounds nice," she spoke, paying for her items before joining him. "You know," she began, glancing down as if the floor was more interesting than he was. "I never thanked you, you know. For Lithe," she spoke finally, glancing up at him from her lashes. He'd given Growlithe to her when she finally made into his and Ryk's ranks as an Executive, becoming the third beast, Suicune.
Kas cleared his throat, for once in his life feeling a little… awkward. Her sincerity was so obvious, and when she looked at him like that…
He banished the thought before it could even fully form. He was pretty good at doing that, by this point. He couldn’t quite stop the way his expression changed, though—his eyes softened and his smile dimmed to something gentler. “Don’t thank me for that,” he replied quietly. “He needed a new start with a good person—and I don’t know any better people than you.”
He shrugged, as if to pass off the statement as inconsequential. “Anyway, ice cream. I’m feeling like chocolate. How about you?”
"Strawberry!" she nearly spoke excitedly. She realized how quickly she spoke it because her face turned a bright red before muttering a soft apology. "Strawberry sounds nice," she spoke this time in a quieter voice. "In a chocolate dipped cone," she continued.
“Ask, and you shall receive."
Eryk sat at his desk, a furrowed expression crossing his face. It had been about three days already, and he was still helping out at Anastasia's. The second day she had seemed a little better, but Eryk didn't want to chance it. If she fell ill again, it would be on him. And if something happened to her, it would be on him. The consequences were irrelevant, however; he didn't exactly want to have to deal with HQ if it came down to it. It wouldn't have been his fault regardless.
"Thinking isn't your strong suit, Ryk," he glanced towards the door frame to spot Cyrilla standing there. She had a smile on her face; she was always smiling. He sighed and pushed himself away from his desk, narrowing his eyes in her direction. She chuckled softly and stepped fully into the office, her hands behind her back as if she were hiding something or just walking.
"Is there something you need, Cyrilla?" he asked, watching as she quirked a brow before shaking her head. "If you're here for Kas," he began, but she shook her head a little wildly. There was a light blush on her face once she recovered. He didn't understand her ridiculous crush on said man. He knew, of course, about it. She'd told him once, but he never said anything about it. It was her decision to do what she wanted, just like it'd been her decision to follow him here. She could have easily gone somewhere else, but she chose to stay with him. He'd never admit it, but he was slightly glad, an emotion that confused him even then.
"Well, the other day Kas and I were at the shopping strip and I wanted to get something for you," she began, shifting on her feet a little uncomfortably. He narrowed his eyes slightly. A gift for him? Why would he need such a thing? He was half tempted to ask if Kasimir had put her up to this, however; he knew her well enough to know that he didn't. She'd do it regardless. She was kind, something he didn't understand himself. With their line of work, she should have been harder. With their family, she should have been colder. But she wasn't, and Eryk almost envied her. He wasn't a good person, he knew that. But at least she was, and that's all that mattered to him.
"You shouldn't have, Cy. You know I don't like gifts," he simply replied. She sighed and nodded her head. "But I should like to know what it was," he continued, watching the solemn expression on her face, brighten. She produced a small charm, and Eryk almost smiled. It wasn't quite their on his face, but he knew his expression softened. "Really, Cy?" he found himself saying, listening to the soft snort of her reply. It was an Entei charm, though from the looks of her hands and the neat silver ring on it, she'd managed to make it into a keychain.
"Kas actually suggested making it into a keychain," she spoke, smiling when she did so. He examined it, and took the charm from her. He frowned slightly though when his hand brushed over hers, covered in bandaids and still slightly fresh. She must have finished it last night if they were still this fresh. He sighed through his nose, closing his eyes before opening them again to stare at the charm.
"Thank you, Cy," was the only response he gave. His eyes settled onto a similar charm on her hip, though, where her keys were, and frowned slightly. There were two of them, actually, and his frown deepened. "Cy," he began, watching as she followed his gaze towards the charms. "You know it won't change anything," he spoke, watching as her eyes dimmed a little. Her hand rested over the charms, but the smile softened somewhat.
"I know," she spoke softly. He could see the light in her eyes fade completely when she said it. He didn't understand her strange infatuation for Kasimir. The man wasn't exactly the best of people to like. She played with the hem of her shirt for a moment, apparently lost in thought. "I've tried, Ryk. I really have," she finally confessed, taking a deep breath as she did so. It was obvious that it bothered her, and it brought her discomfort to talk about it. But she needed to. He sighed and turned his gaze towards the Entei in his hand.
"You know, you could always leave, Cy," he spoke, sitting the keychain down on his desk, and moving his gaze to her. The expression on her face, though, caused him to shift uncomfortably in his chair. It looked like he'd just stabbed her in the back, and it also looked like she couldn't breath for a second. She recovered quickly enough, but there was a slight tremble in her hand.
"You know I can't," she whispered. He almost didn't catch it, but he sighed regardless.
"You can't, or you won't?" he questioned. She lowered her gaze when he asked, and sighed in what sounded like defeat. He knew. He knew, but there wasn't anything that she could do about it. "You know it can be arranged, Cy, if you want to leave," he spoke, folding his hands meticulously in front of him. She smiled knowingly.
"I can't, Eryk. They wouldn't allow it, even if you could, and even if I wanted to" she spoke, and he knew she did. Their family, though, wouldn't allow it. Perhaps he was kidding himself when he said he could arrange it for her, but perhaps in due time, he could. "You know, sometimes I envy you, Ryk," she spoke softly this time, causing him to quirk his brow.
"How so?"
"Because it's easy for you to not care," he visibly flinched this time. "You know what I mean, Ryk," she continued. She sighed softly and pulled a strand of hair over her shoulder, twirling it in the comforting manner she used to as a child. He almost smiled. Those were days long gone, though. He couldn't do much for her now, but he could at least try and make it easier for her. Perhaps this was what Kas meant when he said to be nice.
"Perhaps... you should spend some time with that friend of yours, Drake," he spoke, cringing slightly at his own suggestion. He didn't like the man, though he couldn't exactly say why. He had only seen them interact a few times, but she always seemed a little happier when they did. Maybe because he was one of the only friends she had outside of the organization. Cyrilla, however, smiled softly at him, but shook her head.
"No, it's alright Ryk. If... if it's alright with you, I'd like to stay here, with you for a little while," she spoke, standing from her chair and moving to where she was standing beside him. He glanced at her but said nothing. What could he say? He wasn't exactly pleasant company, and he was far too harsh to be of any use to her. But yet she insisted everytime that she wanted to be in his company. He would never understand her, but there was some familiarity in the shine behind her eyes.
"Just for today," he finally spoke, watching as some light returned to her eyes. She smiled, but it didn't quite reach her face as she crawled into his lap, holding onto him as she had done so many years ago as a child. He released his zoroark, watching as the fox pokémon stared at him for a second. All it took was a look, and Zoroark walked slowly towards the door. He didn't need to tell the pokémon what he wanted; Zoroark knew to guard the door. After all, Eryk couldn't have just anybody walk into his office to see one of their Executives crying softly in the lap of another. He didn't have to feel the wetness of her tears on his shirt to know that was what she was doing. The small tremors in her body were enough.
He knew she hated what she did. She was far too kind to be in a cruel place like this.
And it was cruel.
"Thinking isn't your strong suit, Ryk," he glanced towards the door frame to spot Cyrilla standing there. She had a smile on her face; she was always smiling. He sighed and pushed himself away from his desk, narrowing his eyes in her direction. She chuckled softly and stepped fully into the office, her hands behind her back as if she were hiding something or just walking.
"Is there something you need, Cyrilla?" he asked, watching as she quirked a brow before shaking her head. "If you're here for Kas," he began, but she shook her head a little wildly. There was a light blush on her face once she recovered. He didn't understand her ridiculous crush on said man. He knew, of course, about it. She'd told him once, but he never said anything about it. It was her decision to do what she wanted, just like it'd been her decision to follow him here. She could have easily gone somewhere else, but she chose to stay with him. He'd never admit it, but he was slightly glad, an emotion that confused him even then.
"Well, the other day Kas and I were at the shopping strip and I wanted to get something for you," she began, shifting on her feet a little uncomfortably. He narrowed his eyes slightly. A gift for him? Why would he need such a thing? He was half tempted to ask if Kasimir had put her up to this, however; he knew her well enough to know that he didn't. She'd do it regardless. She was kind, something he didn't understand himself. With their line of work, she should have been harder. With their family, she should have been colder. But she wasn't, and Eryk almost envied her. He wasn't a good person, he knew that. But at least she was, and that's all that mattered to him.
"You shouldn't have, Cy. You know I don't like gifts," he simply replied. She sighed and nodded her head. "But I should like to know what it was," he continued, watching the solemn expression on her face, brighten. She produced a small charm, and Eryk almost smiled. It wasn't quite their on his face, but he knew his expression softened. "Really, Cy?" he found himself saying, listening to the soft snort of her reply. It was an Entei charm, though from the looks of her hands and the neat silver ring on it, she'd managed to make it into a keychain.
"Kas actually suggested making it into a keychain," she spoke, smiling when she did so. He examined it, and took the charm from her. He frowned slightly though when his hand brushed over hers, covered in bandaids and still slightly fresh. She must have finished it last night if they were still this fresh. He sighed through his nose, closing his eyes before opening them again to stare at the charm.
"Thank you, Cy," was the only response he gave. His eyes settled onto a similar charm on her hip, though, where her keys were, and frowned slightly. There were two of them, actually, and his frown deepened. "Cy," he began, watching as she followed his gaze towards the charms. "You know it won't change anything," he spoke, watching as her eyes dimmed a little. Her hand rested over the charms, but the smile softened somewhat.
"I know," she spoke softly. He could see the light in her eyes fade completely when she said it. He didn't understand her strange infatuation for Kasimir. The man wasn't exactly the best of people to like. She played with the hem of her shirt for a moment, apparently lost in thought. "I've tried, Ryk. I really have," she finally confessed, taking a deep breath as she did so. It was obvious that it bothered her, and it brought her discomfort to talk about it. But she needed to. He sighed and turned his gaze towards the Entei in his hand.
"You know, you could always leave, Cy," he spoke, sitting the keychain down on his desk, and moving his gaze to her. The expression on her face, though, caused him to shift uncomfortably in his chair. It looked like he'd just stabbed her in the back, and it also looked like she couldn't breath for a second. She recovered quickly enough, but there was a slight tremble in her hand.
"You know I can't," she whispered. He almost didn't catch it, but he sighed regardless.
"You can't, or you won't?" he questioned. She lowered her gaze when he asked, and sighed in what sounded like defeat. He knew. He knew, but there wasn't anything that she could do about it. "You know it can be arranged, Cy, if you want to leave," he spoke, folding his hands meticulously in front of him. She smiled knowingly.
"I can't, Eryk. They wouldn't allow it, even if you could, and even if I wanted to" she spoke, and he knew she did. Their family, though, wouldn't allow it. Perhaps he was kidding himself when he said he could arrange it for her, but perhaps in due time, he could. "You know, sometimes I envy you, Ryk," she spoke softly this time, causing him to quirk his brow.
"How so?"
"Because it's easy for you to not care," he visibly flinched this time. "You know what I mean, Ryk," she continued. She sighed softly and pulled a strand of hair over her shoulder, twirling it in the comforting manner she used to as a child. He almost smiled. Those were days long gone, though. He couldn't do much for her now, but he could at least try and make it easier for her. Perhaps this was what Kas meant when he said to be nice.
"Perhaps... you should spend some time with that friend of yours, Drake," he spoke, cringing slightly at his own suggestion. He didn't like the man, though he couldn't exactly say why. He had only seen them interact a few times, but she always seemed a little happier when they did. Maybe because he was one of the only friends she had outside of the organization. Cyrilla, however, smiled softly at him, but shook her head.
"No, it's alright Ryk. If... if it's alright with you, I'd like to stay here, with you for a little while," she spoke, standing from her chair and moving to where she was standing beside him. He glanced at her but said nothing. What could he say? He wasn't exactly pleasant company, and he was far too harsh to be of any use to her. But yet she insisted everytime that she wanted to be in his company. He would never understand her, but there was some familiarity in the shine behind her eyes.
"Just for today," he finally spoke, watching as some light returned to her eyes. She smiled, but it didn't quite reach her face as she crawled into his lap, holding onto him as she had done so many years ago as a child. He released his zoroark, watching as the fox pokémon stared at him for a second. All it took was a look, and Zoroark walked slowly towards the door. He didn't need to tell the pokémon what he wanted; Zoroark knew to guard the door. After all, Eryk couldn't have just anybody walk into his office to see one of their Executives crying softly in the lap of another. He didn't have to feel the wetness of her tears on his shirt to know that was what she was doing. The small tremors in her body were enough.
He knew she hated what she did. She was far too kind to be in a cruel place like this.
And it was cruel.
Kasimir’s fingers flew over the keys, bringing up several new windows on the screen to his left. Considering he hadn’t bothered to turn on his office lights, the room was dim; all the light in the place came from the monitors themselves. He pursed his lips, scanning over the new information, shifting slightly in his crouch.
When he was really working, he perched on his office chair rather than sitting in it. Chewing his lip, he brought his hands to his knees, tapping his fingers in a hasty rhythm. He couldn’t risk getting too much deeper into the database, but… the information he was looking for had to be in there somewhere. The boss didn’t trust anything unless it was in the main Rocket server, and also on paper somewhere in the basement of the Saffron HQ. That was a lot more secure than this was—even if he’d wanted to make the trip, he’d have had to sign in to even get access, and then everyone would have known he was looking. Delving for information the boss had decided he didn’t need.
Propping his elbows on his knees, he folded his hands in front of his face, tipping them back so he could lean his chin on them.
He had to know what the hell they wanted with these subjects. That had been the first part—linking together all the people they’d been asked to investigate as part of their present mission. It wasn’t just Ana, but she was the most important one. The best prospect. That might help him, if he knew what she was supposed to be best for or at.
So he’d done a little more digging. The other prospects were as various as you could like. Young, old, male, female, from various regions, ranging in appearance from portly old fair-skinned grandmothers down to a little islander boy with knobby knees. Nothing he pulled up in any of the files linked them—except that they were all prospects for something called Project Nebula.
The weirdest part was, a good chunk of them weren’t even trainers. No pokémon in their lives at all. Previously, that had been the obvious thread in everything Team Rocket had done. They were out to manage the welfare of pokémon and those humans who were closest to them. He’d kind of liked that about them, even—dangerous as the thought was. But he’d suspected the boss wanted to branch into deeper human government matters, and now he knew he had to be right about that much. Why else would the most secret project he’d ever seen cross his desk involve people who had nothing to do with pokémon at all?
Dropping one of his hands, he used his fingers to pick up the coffee cup on his desk by the rim, balancing it on his knee for a second while his eyes moved to the next file over. The unredacted version of Ana’s. So far, he hadn’t been able to find a single thread linking all of the prospects together, but maybe if he just looked again, he’d have something to show for all his attempts.
His real boss wasn’t likely to tolerate radio silence for too much longer. They’d start to wonder if he’d become another Rocket asset for real, instead of just faking it for years. But he couldn’t just give them nothing—which was basically what he had right now. Nothing actionable, anyway.
The full version of Ana’s file included a medical history. He felt like an asshole and a creep reading it—Ana was a nice girl, and didn’t deserve to have people like him prying into her business, however good his intentions were. But he couldn’t dismiss the possibility that something in this part of the file would finally reveal the thread they had in common.
Kas took a sip of his disgustingly-cold coffee and grimaced. He swallowed hard, though, when he reached the second page of her medical records. So many hospitalizations… and was that a sanitarium check-in? Setting the cup down with a soft clink, he leaned closer, scrolling down the screen with an intent look.
Fuck.
There was no way she—but there it was. A quick internet search confirmed his suspicions. Letting out a deep breath, Kasimir speared his fingers through his unruly hair, dragging it back from his face hard enough to feel blunt fingernails scratch over his scalp. Sometimes, he really hated that he was completely alone here.
Because that meant he had to figure out for himself exactly what Team Rocket wanted with a dying girl.
When he was really working, he perched on his office chair rather than sitting in it. Chewing his lip, he brought his hands to his knees, tapping his fingers in a hasty rhythm. He couldn’t risk getting too much deeper into the database, but… the information he was looking for had to be in there somewhere. The boss didn’t trust anything unless it was in the main Rocket server, and also on paper somewhere in the basement of the Saffron HQ. That was a lot more secure than this was—even if he’d wanted to make the trip, he’d have had to sign in to even get access, and then everyone would have known he was looking. Delving for information the boss had decided he didn’t need.
Propping his elbows on his knees, he folded his hands in front of his face, tipping them back so he could lean his chin on them.
He had to know what the hell they wanted with these subjects. That had been the first part—linking together all the people they’d been asked to investigate as part of their present mission. It wasn’t just Ana, but she was the most important one. The best prospect. That might help him, if he knew what she was supposed to be best for or at.
So he’d done a little more digging. The other prospects were as various as you could like. Young, old, male, female, from various regions, ranging in appearance from portly old fair-skinned grandmothers down to a little islander boy with knobby knees. Nothing he pulled up in any of the files linked them—except that they were all prospects for something called Project Nebula.
The weirdest part was, a good chunk of them weren’t even trainers. No pokémon in their lives at all. Previously, that had been the obvious thread in everything Team Rocket had done. They were out to manage the welfare of pokémon and those humans who were closest to them. He’d kind of liked that about them, even—dangerous as the thought was. But he’d suspected the boss wanted to branch into deeper human government matters, and now he knew he had to be right about that much. Why else would the most secret project he’d ever seen cross his desk involve people who had nothing to do with pokémon at all?
Dropping one of his hands, he used his fingers to pick up the coffee cup on his desk by the rim, balancing it on his knee for a second while his eyes moved to the next file over. The unredacted version of Ana’s. So far, he hadn’t been able to find a single thread linking all of the prospects together, but maybe if he just looked again, he’d have something to show for all his attempts.
His real boss wasn’t likely to tolerate radio silence for too much longer. They’d start to wonder if he’d become another Rocket asset for real, instead of just faking it for years. But he couldn’t just give them nothing—which was basically what he had right now. Nothing actionable, anyway.
The full version of Ana’s file included a medical history. He felt like an asshole and a creep reading it—Ana was a nice girl, and didn’t deserve to have people like him prying into her business, however good his intentions were. But he couldn’t dismiss the possibility that something in this part of the file would finally reveal the thread they had in common.
Kas took a sip of his disgustingly-cold coffee and grimaced. He swallowed hard, though, when he reached the second page of her medical records. So many hospitalizations… and was that a sanitarium check-in? Setting the cup down with a soft clink, he leaned closer, scrolling down the screen with an intent look.
Fuck.
There was no way she—but there it was. A quick internet search confirmed his suspicions. Letting out a deep breath, Kasimir speared his fingers through his unruly hair, dragging it back from his face hard enough to feel blunt fingernails scratch over his scalp. Sometimes, he really hated that he was completely alone here.
Because that meant he had to figure out for himself exactly what Team Rocket wanted with a dying girl.
Cyrilla stared at the door knob that led into Kasimir's office. She had knocked on it just a few moments before, but there was no answer. He was probably out doing field work with Eryk if he wasn't here, and Cyrilla furrowed her brows. She glanced at the Raikou key chain in her hand and contemplated what to do with it. She wanted to give it to him personally, but it wouldn't really change anything, would it? Of course it wouldn't. She would still be his co-worker, and if she was lucky, his friend. But anything further than that was not something she could hope for. Kenshin stared at her, having been let loose from his pokeball earlier in the day to stretch his legs. His gaze was soft, she could tell, but she didn't look at him. Instead, she heaved a deeply heavy sigh and placed her hand on the knob.
"I guess... this is goodbye, then," she spoke softly, tying the key chain to his knob. She wanted a new start, to change herself so that this ache in her chest would stop. The only way she could do that, is if she let go. But could she really do that? To pretend what she felt was something like a passing fancy? It seemed so much more than that, but perhaps it was because she always felt some things more intently than those around her. Maybe it was something else? She pushed herself away from his door, refusing to glance at it as she left, Kenshin in tow.
You know you could always just tell him. It might be easier, he spoke to her, and she visibly flinched. She could, but then where would that get her? She knows the kind of person Kas is, and telling him would only end up hurting her, not the other way around. She could hear Kenshin sighing behind her, and she knew he was visibly shaking his head as well.
"You shouldn't concern yourself about it, Ken. Today... today is going to be a new start, a new beginning," she spoke to him, waving goodbye to one of the grunt members when they exited the building. She knew where she was going to go, and she allowed her legs to carry her there. She could at least go and check up on Anastasia. Eryk had been helping her out the last few days, but today was one of the days he couldn't. She could fill in where he could not, and perhaps, Anastasia could help her with something. She pulled a lock of her hair over her shoulder and played with it. She wasn't paying much attention after that, instead, allowing her mind to wander to nothing in particular.
We're here, he brought her out of her thoughts and she glanced up towards the center. A soft smile spread across her lips as she walked up to the fence, hoping to see Anastasia outside. She didn't want to just enter, since there were a few pokémon in the yard.
"Anastasia?" she called out tentatively. Maybe she was inside?
The elderly stoutland was among them, and he gave a single, wheezy bark upon noticing them, wagging his stump of a tail a few times before rolling over onto his back and resuming his nap. Still, he seemed to have effectively alerted Anastasia to the presence of a visitor; not more than a few moments later, she came around from behind the house. The large, floppy sun hat and gloves she wore suggested she’d been working in the garden—the stains at the knees of her pants all but confirmed it.
Upon recognizing Cyrilla, she smiled warmly. “Good afternoon,” she greeted, her voice soft but amiable. “How can I help you, Cyrilla? Or are you just here for a visit?” Though they didn’t know each other all that well yet, she seemed to accept that possibility as normal, perhaps even welcome. Maybe it was because Kas and Eryk came and went so often these days?
“Oh, but… if you were looking for Eryk, he just left about half an hour ago. He said he had something important to do today, so…”
She smiled towards Anastasia, but shook her head. "Actually, I'm here to see if I could fill in for him. I know he had something to do today, and since he and Kas have both been helping, I thought that maybe I could come help, too," she stated. Plus, she really wanted to be away from the base right now. Being away would help her with her thoughts, and it would help her decide what she wanted to do, exactly. Also, it was a pretty day, and she didn't want to be cooped up doing paperwork all day. Eryk had managed to get a new secretary, but Cyrilla could see it already that she was overwhelmed. She had offered to help her out, but the new hire seemeed insistent that she learn it herself.
"Is there anything I can help with, maybe?" she stated, leaning on the gate slightly. She wasn't going to come in just yet. It would be impolite, for one thing, especially since Anastasia hadn't exactly invited her in yet.
Something about that seemed to amuse Anastasia, because her smile grew a little and she shook her head. “All three of you are just like that,” she said softly. “Always asking if you can help. I’ve been running the shelter by myself for a year now, you know. You don’t have to spend any time doing my work for me.” She didn’t seem upset by the fact; rather, she simply stated it as though it were any other observation.
“Oh, but there is something you can do, I think. I made a batch of iced tea—it’s a new recipe, and I was hoping for a second opinion. Would you be my taste-tester?” Anastasia peeled her gloves off and hooked them through her belt, tilting her head to the side.
Cyrilla blinked a little owlishly at the question, and she was fairly sure Kenshin was chuckling at her expression. She chuckled, herself, and nodded her head. "Well, we weren't here a year ago," she retorted, but smiled instead. "Of course I'd like to taste-test the tea, but don't tell that to Eryk. He's a terrible cook and he's always trying to get Kas or myself to taste his creations," she shuddered at the thought. Thankfully, Eryk had given up on cooking a long time ago, but there were a few times where he thought he could try again. She was too nice to tell him that cooking wasn't just in his skill set.
"We'll let Ken try it, too," she stated, patting her lucario on the head. He visibly frowned, and swiped her hand away from his head. She knew he didn't like it when she did that.
Anastasia nodded good-naturedly. “Of course. It’s safe for pokémon, though they’re not usually interested.” She waved Cyrilla and Kenshin inside the gate, then led the way up to the little house that occupied one side of the property. The main door was already open, leaving a screen door to separate the interior from the outside. This, Anastasia pushed open and entered, holding it open for the other two behind her.
The interior of the house was a lot like the exterior—simple, but well-maintained. Most of the furnishings were very gender-neutral, and the colors tended towards peaceful greens, blues, and tans rather than anything especially bright. They entered a small hallway to take their shoes off; ahead of them was a staircase on the left and a continuation of the hall to the right, with a door at the end. To the immediate right was an open archway that led into what must have been the living room—a couch, a chair, and several bookcases tucked around a small fireplace with a light rug on the wooden floor.
The door ahead took them into the kitchen; from the size of it, it took up the entire back half of the first floor. It was light and airy; the countertops were light grey and most everything else was white or stainless steel. The large island had fresh flowers on it: the bright blue could only be larkspur, but they looked a little droopy, like they’d begun to wilt slightly at the edges. Other little touches of color were everywhere, but the kitchenware was industrial rather than particularly cute. It would seem Anastasia took cooking seriously.
The refrigerator was one of those with two doors next to each other; she opened the right half and pulled out a pitcher of what must have been the iced tea. Lemon slices floated near the top. Setting it own on the island, she gestured for Cyrilla and Kenshin to take the stools on the other side and retrieved their glasses, filling each nearly halfway with ice from a dispenser on the left half of the fridge door.
She was setting those down when a pokémon entered the room from the backdoor, siding through a flap on the bottom half of it. It was a vulpix, and unlike most of the pokémon around the shelter, it didn’t look obviously ill or maimed.
“Oh hello, Aithne,” Anastasia said, a smile in her voice if not quite on her lips. “Did you have a nice nap?”
The vulpix trilled softly, pawing at Anastasia’s leg until she reached down and picked her up, settling her on a shoulder. “Cyrilla, Kenshin, this is Aithne. Ai, this is Cyrilla and Kenshin.”
There was a keen intelligence in the pokémon’s eyes as she regarded them steadily for a moment, then bobbed her head in something that looked very much like a nod.
Cyrilla tried to hold back a light squeal, and managed with a slight "Aww, she's so cute!" Kenshin rolled his eyes slightly, but remained quiet. "I have a ninetales, but it's not quite like what your vulpix would evolve into," she spoke, staring at the two. She could feel her hand twitching just slightly. She wanted to pet it. Instead, she kept her hands to her side and glanced towards Kenshin from the corner of her eyes. He was staring at nothing in particular, probably just focused on the vulpix and Anastasia.
"She's from the Alolan region, and was apparently imported about three years ago. I've never been there, but I heard it's really nice," she stated, her eyes focusing out for just a minute before they refocused. "It's nice to meet you, Aithne," she spoke towards the Vulpix, and thanked Anastasia for the cup. She stared at it for a moment before taking a sip. Kenshin did as well, and from the look on his face, he enjoyed it.
"It's really good, Ana. It's not too sweet, but it's not, not sweet," she stated, laughing a bit nervously at her own choice of words.
“Oh good,” Anastasia replied. “I added a little bit more sugar because I was worried about it being too flat.” She nodded slightly, then took a seat across the island from Cyrilla and poured some for herself. Aithne remained perfectly balanced on her shoulder.
“I’ve heard about the Alolan genetic variations,” she mused. “I’ve always thought it would be interesting to take a trip there some day.” She smiled a bit wryly. “When I was a little girl, I always wanted to be a Pokémon Professor, you see.” Taking a sip of the tea, she sighed gently, then tipped her head at Cyrilla.
“Did you always have a position with Team Rocket in mind, or did you want to do something else?”
Cyrilla choked a little bit on her tea when Anastasia asked the question. She glanced at Kenshin, who merely kept sipping his tea like it was completely normal that Anastasia would ask that question. She sighed softly, and folded both of her hands around her cup. "I guess I wasn't as good at hiding it," she mused out loud. Sooner or later, though, Anastasia would have found out. It wasn't like Team Rocket was exactly underground anymore. They were well known throughout the world, now.
"But to answer your question, no, I didn't. It wasn't exactly my first choice, but I didn't exactly have a choice," she continued, nearly whispering the end. "To be honest, I didn't even know what I wanted to do. I just wanted... I wanted to get away," she spoke. If she could, she would have left Team Rocket a long time ago. But it was a family business and everyone in her family had to stay. They didn't get a say in what they wanted to be, or what they wanted to do. Team Rocket was your life, even if you hated it. She sighed softly, though, and forced a smile on her face.
"But it's not all too bad. I have Eryk, at least. He makes things a little easier to accept," and he did. He reminded her that there was still some good left in people, even if he couldn't see it himself. And she wanted him to know that. "So, what gave me away, that I was a Rocket?" she inquired, slightly curious as to know how Anastasia had figured it out.
Anastasia’s expression was sympathetic; she certainly didn’t seem upset or put-out by the information. At the question, though, she smiled a little bit. “It wasn’t you, really,” she said. “It was mostly Eryk. He’s… not very good at hiding things from people, I don’t think. He mentioned doing research at the Cinnabar Mansion—and there’s something about the way he is that, well… I can’t exactly picture him keeping a shop or working in a lab all day.” She shrugged. “A job like that wouldn’t be flexible enough for him to come help me out like he has been. When I heard you were his cousin… I guessed you were probably involved, too.”
She sighed. “If I hadn’t seen him and Kasimir together, I’d never have guessed it was all three of you, though.” She refilled Cyrilla’s glass with apparent ease. “I don’t… I don’t know what exactly led to all of it, or why you do what you do, but I didn’t bring it up to judge you. I don’t think that belonging to Team Rocket makes you an evil person or anything.”
Not an evil person or anything? Cyrilla smiled and shook her head. Of course she was. She took people's pokémon away from them, even if they were good trainers. She'd done things she wasn't exactly proud of, too, like lying and stealing from people. Didn't that mean she was evil? A despicable person who took away another person's happiness? Kenshin shot her a glance from his cup slightly, and narrowed his eyes at her. She shook her head, though, and said nothing, taking a sip of the tea instead.
"I wouldn't blame you even if you did," she finally spoke. "It would certainly be justified," she added. "I... actually have a request from you, Ana," she spoke, finding the small bout of courage to ask her this. She pulled some of her hair over her shoulder, twirling it around her finger as she stared at it. She's always worn her hair long, but today, she wanted to do something different. She wanted to forget the past, and start over new. She wanted to forget her feelings, and start over fresh.
"Would you help me cut it?" she asked, pulling forward slightly with the strands.
If Anastasia was surprised or perplexed by the sudden change of topic, she didn’t show it. Instead she blinked large blue eyes at Cyrilla, then glanced down at her hair for a moment. “Um… are you sure? I’ve cut hair a few times, but I’m not exactly a professional. I can make the ends look neat, but that’s about it…”
"Yes, I am. It's... the one thing I actually have a say in. It doesn't have to be any particular way. I just, I want to cut it," she replied, allowing the small smile on her lips to widen. "Besides, it's just hair. It'll grow back if I miss it too much," she added as an after thought. She would let it grow back, maybe one day. For now, though, she just wanted to cut it.
Seeming to sense the symbolic significance this had for her, Anastasia didn’t protest any further, only nodding. “Okay then. Why don’t you go take a seat in the living room and I’ll get my hair shears from the bathroom, then? How short were you thinking you wanted it?”
She hadn't thought about that. She could chop off an inch or two, but that wouldn't exactly do. "How about," she began, raising her hand towards the middle of her neck, "Here? I think that's short enough." She had stopped so that her hand was resting towards the middle of her neck, and slightly touching her jawline. She could feel Kenshin staring at her, and could almost feel him shaking his head.
"Thank you, Ana, for everything," she stated. Ana was a good friend, even if they hadn't known each other for too long. To even do this much, Cyrilla could only hope that she could be just as good of a friend as Ana has been.
“I think it’ll look cute,” Anastasia replied, a little sheepishly. “And you’re welcome. I probably don’t… there’s probably not a lot in your life I can help you with, Cyrilla, but if there is… I’d like you to know you can always ask. Even if it’s just for something like this.”
Cyrilla smiled at that. "You've helped more than you know."
"I guess... this is goodbye, then," she spoke softly, tying the key chain to his knob. She wanted a new start, to change herself so that this ache in her chest would stop. The only way she could do that, is if she let go. But could she really do that? To pretend what she felt was something like a passing fancy? It seemed so much more than that, but perhaps it was because she always felt some things more intently than those around her. Maybe it was something else? She pushed herself away from his door, refusing to glance at it as she left, Kenshin in tow.
You know you could always just tell him. It might be easier, he spoke to her, and she visibly flinched. She could, but then where would that get her? She knows the kind of person Kas is, and telling him would only end up hurting her, not the other way around. She could hear Kenshin sighing behind her, and she knew he was visibly shaking his head as well.
"You shouldn't concern yourself about it, Ken. Today... today is going to be a new start, a new beginning," she spoke to him, waving goodbye to one of the grunt members when they exited the building. She knew where she was going to go, and she allowed her legs to carry her there. She could at least go and check up on Anastasia. Eryk had been helping her out the last few days, but today was one of the days he couldn't. She could fill in where he could not, and perhaps, Anastasia could help her with something. She pulled a lock of her hair over her shoulder and played with it. She wasn't paying much attention after that, instead, allowing her mind to wander to nothing in particular.
We're here, he brought her out of her thoughts and she glanced up towards the center. A soft smile spread across her lips as she walked up to the fence, hoping to see Anastasia outside. She didn't want to just enter, since there were a few pokémon in the yard.
"Anastasia?" she called out tentatively. Maybe she was inside?
The elderly stoutland was among them, and he gave a single, wheezy bark upon noticing them, wagging his stump of a tail a few times before rolling over onto his back and resuming his nap. Still, he seemed to have effectively alerted Anastasia to the presence of a visitor; not more than a few moments later, she came around from behind the house. The large, floppy sun hat and gloves she wore suggested she’d been working in the garden—the stains at the knees of her pants all but confirmed it.
Upon recognizing Cyrilla, she smiled warmly. “Good afternoon,” she greeted, her voice soft but amiable. “How can I help you, Cyrilla? Or are you just here for a visit?” Though they didn’t know each other all that well yet, she seemed to accept that possibility as normal, perhaps even welcome. Maybe it was because Kas and Eryk came and went so often these days?
“Oh, but… if you were looking for Eryk, he just left about half an hour ago. He said he had something important to do today, so…”
She smiled towards Anastasia, but shook her head. "Actually, I'm here to see if I could fill in for him. I know he had something to do today, and since he and Kas have both been helping, I thought that maybe I could come help, too," she stated. Plus, she really wanted to be away from the base right now. Being away would help her with her thoughts, and it would help her decide what she wanted to do, exactly. Also, it was a pretty day, and she didn't want to be cooped up doing paperwork all day. Eryk had managed to get a new secretary, but Cyrilla could see it already that she was overwhelmed. She had offered to help her out, but the new hire seemeed insistent that she learn it herself.
"Is there anything I can help with, maybe?" she stated, leaning on the gate slightly. She wasn't going to come in just yet. It would be impolite, for one thing, especially since Anastasia hadn't exactly invited her in yet.
Something about that seemed to amuse Anastasia, because her smile grew a little and she shook her head. “All three of you are just like that,” she said softly. “Always asking if you can help. I’ve been running the shelter by myself for a year now, you know. You don’t have to spend any time doing my work for me.” She didn’t seem upset by the fact; rather, she simply stated it as though it were any other observation.
“Oh, but there is something you can do, I think. I made a batch of iced tea—it’s a new recipe, and I was hoping for a second opinion. Would you be my taste-tester?” Anastasia peeled her gloves off and hooked them through her belt, tilting her head to the side.
Cyrilla blinked a little owlishly at the question, and she was fairly sure Kenshin was chuckling at her expression. She chuckled, herself, and nodded her head. "Well, we weren't here a year ago," she retorted, but smiled instead. "Of course I'd like to taste-test the tea, but don't tell that to Eryk. He's a terrible cook and he's always trying to get Kas or myself to taste his creations," she shuddered at the thought. Thankfully, Eryk had given up on cooking a long time ago, but there were a few times where he thought he could try again. She was too nice to tell him that cooking wasn't just in his skill set.
"We'll let Ken try it, too," she stated, patting her lucario on the head. He visibly frowned, and swiped her hand away from his head. She knew he didn't like it when she did that.
Anastasia nodded good-naturedly. “Of course. It’s safe for pokémon, though they’re not usually interested.” She waved Cyrilla and Kenshin inside the gate, then led the way up to the little house that occupied one side of the property. The main door was already open, leaving a screen door to separate the interior from the outside. This, Anastasia pushed open and entered, holding it open for the other two behind her.
The interior of the house was a lot like the exterior—simple, but well-maintained. Most of the furnishings were very gender-neutral, and the colors tended towards peaceful greens, blues, and tans rather than anything especially bright. They entered a small hallway to take their shoes off; ahead of them was a staircase on the left and a continuation of the hall to the right, with a door at the end. To the immediate right was an open archway that led into what must have been the living room—a couch, a chair, and several bookcases tucked around a small fireplace with a light rug on the wooden floor.
The door ahead took them into the kitchen; from the size of it, it took up the entire back half of the first floor. It was light and airy; the countertops were light grey and most everything else was white or stainless steel. The large island had fresh flowers on it: the bright blue could only be larkspur, but they looked a little droopy, like they’d begun to wilt slightly at the edges. Other little touches of color were everywhere, but the kitchenware was industrial rather than particularly cute. It would seem Anastasia took cooking seriously.
The refrigerator was one of those with two doors next to each other; she opened the right half and pulled out a pitcher of what must have been the iced tea. Lemon slices floated near the top. Setting it own on the island, she gestured for Cyrilla and Kenshin to take the stools on the other side and retrieved their glasses, filling each nearly halfway with ice from a dispenser on the left half of the fridge door.
She was setting those down when a pokémon entered the room from the backdoor, siding through a flap on the bottom half of it. It was a vulpix, and unlike most of the pokémon around the shelter, it didn’t look obviously ill or maimed.
“Oh hello, Aithne,” Anastasia said, a smile in her voice if not quite on her lips. “Did you have a nice nap?”
The vulpix trilled softly, pawing at Anastasia’s leg until she reached down and picked her up, settling her on a shoulder. “Cyrilla, Kenshin, this is Aithne. Ai, this is Cyrilla and Kenshin.”
There was a keen intelligence in the pokémon’s eyes as she regarded them steadily for a moment, then bobbed her head in something that looked very much like a nod.
Cyrilla tried to hold back a light squeal, and managed with a slight "Aww, she's so cute!" Kenshin rolled his eyes slightly, but remained quiet. "I have a ninetales, but it's not quite like what your vulpix would evolve into," she spoke, staring at the two. She could feel her hand twitching just slightly. She wanted to pet it. Instead, she kept her hands to her side and glanced towards Kenshin from the corner of her eyes. He was staring at nothing in particular, probably just focused on the vulpix and Anastasia.
"She's from the Alolan region, and was apparently imported about three years ago. I've never been there, but I heard it's really nice," she stated, her eyes focusing out for just a minute before they refocused. "It's nice to meet you, Aithne," she spoke towards the Vulpix, and thanked Anastasia for the cup. She stared at it for a moment before taking a sip. Kenshin did as well, and from the look on his face, he enjoyed it.
"It's really good, Ana. It's not too sweet, but it's not, not sweet," she stated, laughing a bit nervously at her own choice of words.
“Oh good,” Anastasia replied. “I added a little bit more sugar because I was worried about it being too flat.” She nodded slightly, then took a seat across the island from Cyrilla and poured some for herself. Aithne remained perfectly balanced on her shoulder.
“I’ve heard about the Alolan genetic variations,” she mused. “I’ve always thought it would be interesting to take a trip there some day.” She smiled a bit wryly. “When I was a little girl, I always wanted to be a Pokémon Professor, you see.” Taking a sip of the tea, she sighed gently, then tipped her head at Cyrilla.
“Did you always have a position with Team Rocket in mind, or did you want to do something else?”
Cyrilla choked a little bit on her tea when Anastasia asked the question. She glanced at Kenshin, who merely kept sipping his tea like it was completely normal that Anastasia would ask that question. She sighed softly, and folded both of her hands around her cup. "I guess I wasn't as good at hiding it," she mused out loud. Sooner or later, though, Anastasia would have found out. It wasn't like Team Rocket was exactly underground anymore. They were well known throughout the world, now.
"But to answer your question, no, I didn't. It wasn't exactly my first choice, but I didn't exactly have a choice," she continued, nearly whispering the end. "To be honest, I didn't even know what I wanted to do. I just wanted... I wanted to get away," she spoke. If she could, she would have left Team Rocket a long time ago. But it was a family business and everyone in her family had to stay. They didn't get a say in what they wanted to be, or what they wanted to do. Team Rocket was your life, even if you hated it. She sighed softly, though, and forced a smile on her face.
"But it's not all too bad. I have Eryk, at least. He makes things a little easier to accept," and he did. He reminded her that there was still some good left in people, even if he couldn't see it himself. And she wanted him to know that. "So, what gave me away, that I was a Rocket?" she inquired, slightly curious as to know how Anastasia had figured it out.
Anastasia’s expression was sympathetic; she certainly didn’t seem upset or put-out by the information. At the question, though, she smiled a little bit. “It wasn’t you, really,” she said. “It was mostly Eryk. He’s… not very good at hiding things from people, I don’t think. He mentioned doing research at the Cinnabar Mansion—and there’s something about the way he is that, well… I can’t exactly picture him keeping a shop or working in a lab all day.” She shrugged. “A job like that wouldn’t be flexible enough for him to come help me out like he has been. When I heard you were his cousin… I guessed you were probably involved, too.”
She sighed. “If I hadn’t seen him and Kasimir together, I’d never have guessed it was all three of you, though.” She refilled Cyrilla’s glass with apparent ease. “I don’t… I don’t know what exactly led to all of it, or why you do what you do, but I didn’t bring it up to judge you. I don’t think that belonging to Team Rocket makes you an evil person or anything.”
Not an evil person or anything? Cyrilla smiled and shook her head. Of course she was. She took people's pokémon away from them, even if they were good trainers. She'd done things she wasn't exactly proud of, too, like lying and stealing from people. Didn't that mean she was evil? A despicable person who took away another person's happiness? Kenshin shot her a glance from his cup slightly, and narrowed his eyes at her. She shook her head, though, and said nothing, taking a sip of the tea instead.
"I wouldn't blame you even if you did," she finally spoke. "It would certainly be justified," she added. "I... actually have a request from you, Ana," she spoke, finding the small bout of courage to ask her this. She pulled some of her hair over her shoulder, twirling it around her finger as she stared at it. She's always worn her hair long, but today, she wanted to do something different. She wanted to forget the past, and start over new. She wanted to forget her feelings, and start over fresh.
"Would you help me cut it?" she asked, pulling forward slightly with the strands.
If Anastasia was surprised or perplexed by the sudden change of topic, she didn’t show it. Instead she blinked large blue eyes at Cyrilla, then glanced down at her hair for a moment. “Um… are you sure? I’ve cut hair a few times, but I’m not exactly a professional. I can make the ends look neat, but that’s about it…”
"Yes, I am. It's... the one thing I actually have a say in. It doesn't have to be any particular way. I just, I want to cut it," she replied, allowing the small smile on her lips to widen. "Besides, it's just hair. It'll grow back if I miss it too much," she added as an after thought. She would let it grow back, maybe one day. For now, though, she just wanted to cut it.
Seeming to sense the symbolic significance this had for her, Anastasia didn’t protest any further, only nodding. “Okay then. Why don’t you go take a seat in the living room and I’ll get my hair shears from the bathroom, then? How short were you thinking you wanted it?”
She hadn't thought about that. She could chop off an inch or two, but that wouldn't exactly do. "How about," she began, raising her hand towards the middle of her neck, "Here? I think that's short enough." She had stopped so that her hand was resting towards the middle of her neck, and slightly touching her jawline. She could feel Kenshin staring at her, and could almost feel him shaking his head.
"Thank you, Ana, for everything," she stated. Ana was a good friend, even if they hadn't known each other for too long. To even do this much, Cyrilla could only hope that she could be just as good of a friend as Ana has been.
“I think it’ll look cute,” Anastasia replied, a little sheepishly. “And you’re welcome. I probably don’t… there’s probably not a lot in your life I can help you with, Cyrilla, but if there is… I’d like you to know you can always ask. Even if it’s just for something like this.”
Cyrilla smiled at that. "You've helped more than you know."
Anastasia matched the pace of her stride to the much longer one of the man walking beside her—essentially that meant taking two steps for every one of his. Really, Eryk was just so tall. It was hard to comprehend what it must be like to go about life with that much height. Did he ever accidentally hit things with his head? He seemed a bit to graceful for such clumsiness—Kasimir did, too, now that she thought about it. Maybe it was the nature of their work.
She hadn’t yet brought up to him that she knew what he really did for a living. He hadn’t spoken to her about it. By this point, there were several opportunities he could have taken to do so, so she had to conclude that he either didn’t want her to know or simply didn’t think it was her business. She could respect that, so she avoided asking him about his job.
Still… “You really don’t have to keep helping me, you know,” she said quietly. It seemed like a burden, to ask someone to do more when they already had such a demanding career. Kasimir claimed that volunteering his time with her helped him relax; given how he acted, she believed him. But if anything was relaxing to Eryk, manual labor at the hospice wasn’t it—she couldn’t figure out anything about it that might be benefiting him in any way, which made her feel vaguely guilty. Even though she hadn’t asked for his help.
If it was really mere obligation to help a sick person… the last time she’d coughed in front of him had been a whole week ago. She’d been careful about that for precisely this reason. “My health is as good as it’s ever been.” True, but misleading. She couldn’t bring herself to lie, but she deceived when she had to.
He glanced down at her, and furrowed his brows. It was almost like what she said offended him. It didn't, apparently, as he returned his gaze forward. "I don't mind helping," he simply stated. Perhaps he really didn't, but the tone in his voice was hard to read. He didn't sound irritated by it, but he didn't sound exactly happy about it either. "There are things that are too heavy for you to carry yourself. How you've managed this far, I am fairly surprised. You can't lift much as you are. You're too..." he paused suddenly, glancing back towards her. His eyes narrowed just slightly, as if he were watching for some sort of reaction from her.
"If you don't want my help, I will no longer offer my services after today, but," he spoke, sighing momentarily. "It would make me feel more at ease knowing that my services are helpful to you, even if your health is good."
Ana sighed. When he put it like that, she felt terrible either way. Taking a deep breath, she tried to put her thoughts into words as clear as possible. For all that she had trouble really reading him, Eryk was a straightforward person. It was probably best if she was as straightforward and honest as possible, too. “It’s not that I don’t want your help,” she started, smiling slightly to convey that she meant it. “Rather, I’m concerned that coming to help me every day is burdensome to you. It doesn’t seem to be something you enjoy, and I don’t want to keep you from doing things you like more.”
She tilted her head even as they made it into the central few blocks of the island, the small pathway widening out into smoother sidewalk. “I might not look very strong, but I can carry heavy things if I have to, and I don’t want to be the kind of person who needs other people to accomplish my goals for me. The shelter is my responsibility, because I’m the one that started it. I like having your company, and if you also like being there, then by all means, keep stopping by. But please… don’t make this a job you have to do, okay?”
She pushed out the rest of her breath all at once. Being that blunt was… well, kind of exhausting, actually. Ana wasn’t really sure how other people managed it—she felt like she should have apologized more, or something.
He looked a little surprised when she spoke, if the slight widening of his eyes was anything to go by. He seemed to contemplate her words, remaining silent during their walk. It was at least a good five minutes before he spoke again, coming to some conclusion. "I'm not good at showing what I enjoy, and what I don't," he began, stopping for another minute. "Helping you every day isn't a burden on me. It may appear that way to you, but there are others who can carry the work load without me. My job is not as important at the moment," he continued, his face pulling into a slight frown. It almost looked like that wasn't what he was quite trying to say.
"I'm not doing this because I have to, Anastasia," he spoke this time with a little more irritation in his voice. He pinched the bridge of his nose, and sighed heavily. "I'm not a very expressive person. I don't always look like I enjoy things, but I do. This is something that I want to do," and he said nothing further.
“Oh.” That had produced different results than she expected. He really liked coming to the shelter and helping out? She smiled a little. “That’s all right then. Truthfully, I was kind of hoping you did. Rufus seems to like you; I was a little worried about breaking the news to him if you decided not to keep volunteering.” Rufus, of course, was the hospice’s steadfast, wheezy stoutland.
Realizing something abruptly, Ana backpedaled, putting her hands up with the palms facing out. “Um. Not that I’m trying to guilt you. If you ever need or want to not… well. I mean—” she sighed. Only seldom did her solitary childhood ever make her feel like she’d missed out on anything truly important in life. But just right now, she wished she’d had a few more friends her own age, so she’d know how to talk to people better.
“I just mean you should do what you want, is all.” She dropped her hands back to her sides, dusting them along her utilitarian cargo pants.
"And I do," was the only reply he gave.
She snorted softly at that, glad to hear it. Before another minute had passed, they’d come to their destination: the red-roofed Cinnabar Island Pokémon Center. The automatic doors slid open for them, admitting them into the front waiting room of the facility. As usual, the nurse in charge staffed the front desk herself—she’d called Ana earlier this morning with a request.
“Good afternoon, Aunt Joy,” Ana greeted quietly. Her aunt—really more like her third cousin, but in her family things like this were always strange—glanced up at the greeting, flashing a smile.
It faded briefly when her eyes landed on Eryk, but reappeared again almost immediately. “Ana. It’s good to see you. How are things at the hospice?” Joy moved from around the counter and held her arms out. Ana willingly stepped into them, feeling a bit awkward but accepting that such feelings were just the way of things. At least her cousin was rather careful about it.
“Everything’s well, for the most part. Oscar passed a few days ago, as you know, but he was comfortable, and everyone else seems to be coping all right.” Occasionally, she encountered people who thought it was strange that she spoke of the mental lives and emotional states of pokémon as though they were every bit as complex and rich as human ones, but fortunately, this cousin didn’t have that tendency. “I have a lot more help than usual, lately, too—so I’ve been able to get a few things fixed, which is nice.”
She paused a moment to acknowledge Eryk with a brief smile; he was, after all, responsible for quite a bit of that himself. “Oh. Aunt Joy, this is Eryk. He volunteers sometimes. Eryk, this is Joy. She’s actually my… second cousin?” She glanced at Joy for confirmation.
“Once removed,” Joy added. “I checked with mom the other day to make sure.”
“Once removed, then,” Ana amended. There was probably not much need to point out that they were related. People didn’t always see it if she was alone, but standing next to most of her relatives, the family resemblance was clear. Anastasia’s hair was more pink than that of most of her cousins, who had a rose-tinged red, but their noses were practically identical, as well as the lines of their jaws. Ana knew that compared to the near-identical visages of most of her family, she stuck out by the shape and color of her eyes as well as her lack of height, but there was still a lot of similarity.
Eryk simply inclined his head in Joy's direction, a look of slight disbelief crossing his features. "I did not know you were related to the Nurses Joy," he spoke, his words coming out slowly and carefully. His eyes narrowed, as they often did, at the Joy, but there was nothing hostile in the action. It was simply who he was. "It is... nice to meet you," he spoke, as if he were unsure if it actually was nice to meet the Joy.
"I see the resemblance, now," he added, never quite removing his gaze from Joy.
Ana’s cousin didn’t seem precisely comfortable with that, so Ana herself cut in politely. “Auntie, you said you had a couple of new cases for me?” Her tone was deliberately mild. A new case wasn’t exactly cause for celebration; it meant some pokémon was either in need of long-term care the center could not provide, dying and in need of a place to live out its last days in peace, or abused and in need of a place to recover both physically and mentally from the effects. But Ana still enjoyed getting to meet her new tenants, as she usually called them.
“Yes. We took in an Ekans with scale-rot yesterday; I have a case of the medicine to go back with you. The other one… I’m honestly not sure what’s wrong with him. He refuses to enter a pokéball, and not even the Blissey can calm him down. I wasn’t sure who else to call about him. I wouldn’t want… someone who’d just be harsh to him, you know?”
Ana did know. Deserved or not, that was exactly the kind of thing Team Rocket had earned a reputation for—authoritarianism. She wondered if Joy was uneasy around Eryk because she knew he was one of them, or if it was simply his demeanor. Either way, she wasn’t going to lend it any credibility. Team rocket or not, he was his own person, and she’d never seen him be cruel to anyone, pokémon or otherwise.
“Well, if you don’t mind taking me to him, I’ll at least give it a try,” she promised.
Joy nodded, leading them back behind the counter to the treatment rooms. Stopping in front of one, she glanced in the window on the door and frowned. Ana could see why—the room had basically been trashed. The gurney with its small mattress was overturned on its side, and the side table had been broken in two—it looked like a well-placed karate chop attack had done it in.
“Be careful, Ana,” Joy said. “If you can’t do anything for him, I’ll have to call the Rockets, but don’t put yourself in danger, okay?”
Anastasia only nodded, reaching to her belt and pulling off one of the pokéballs there. “I’ll be fine, Auntie. This is what I do for a living, remember?” She gave the ball a little toss; with a brief expulsion of red light, Luna appeared. The espeon trilled softly, her forked pink tail swaying back and forth.
“We’ve got someone who doesn’t like to sit still,” Ana informed the pokémon mildly. “Think you can help me out?”
Of course, Luna replied in her head. I will protect you if you require it.
Thank you.
The silent communication resolved, Ana placed her hand on the door and pushed it inwards. It swung on at least one bent hinge, if the awful noise was anything to go by. She flinched.
The pokémon in question turned out to be a mankey—the blast of aggression that hit her was immediate and powerful. Ana felt it in her mind like a splitting pain; it was almost as if her skull might crack open. But underneath that anger was a fear just as powerful. That was something she could work with.
Using the same connection, she swamped the aggressive feelings with her own: calm, quiet, soothing ones. Soft pillows, warm food, gentle sunshine, kind expressions, soft pats. Pokémon, especially those unused to psychic communication or those who hadn’t or couldn’t master human speech, responded best to feelings with sensations attached, she’d learned over time. Visuals were good, but if she could convey sounds and touches that were also soothing through the connection, she had a better chance of cutting through whatever was causing the problem.
She felt a flicker of curiosity. The mankey stopped its assault on the monitor equipment near the bed and turned towards her. “I’m not going to hurt you,” she said quietly, holding her hands in a surrender gesture in front of her. To reduce the intimidation factor of her size, she crouched. “Everything will be all right, I promise.” She kept up the steady stream of soft feelings.
The pokémon, chest still heaving from his violent exertions, regarded her with a mixture of anger and wariness, but clearly what she was doing had some effect, because he dropped the monitor equipment with a crash and clambered atop the overturned bed, pulling himself up onto the side railing that was now on top. “That’s right. It’s okay. Do you like mangoes? I made some treats with them.” Her tone was more important than her words, and she kept it smooth and gentle, carefully reaching into her pocket.
The mankey screeched and lunged.
Ana felt Luna’s mental question, but ignored it, just finishing her motion. The pokémon had gripped her wrist in a powerful hold with all three fingers; she could feel the pressure as her tiny capillaries broke—they’d swell up as bruises soon. But almost as soon as he’d done it, he was looking directly at the dried mango treat in her hand. Still holding her wrist, the mankey sniffed it with his porcine nose, then grabbed it with his other hand. She relinquished it willingly, sighing when he popped the treat into his mouth and released her wrist at the same time.
He didn’t seem to find anything disagreeable about it, and she kept up the string of thoughts and feelings for as long as it took for him to start circling her, sniffing around and inspecting her pockets for more treats. Turning back slightly, she shot a relieved smile at Joy and Eryk.
“I think we’re going to be okay.”
Eryk seemed more tense than usual. His arms were folded over his chest, but the clear sign of white knuckles was evident that he was trying his best to restrain himself. Perhaps he was concerned about what had happened between her and the mankey? His expression was intense, perhaps a little more intense than it usually was, and he kept his gaze fixated upon the pokémon. There was something else behind the way he stared at it, like a hint of concern. It was hard to tell if it was concern for the mankey, or if it was reserved for Anastasia, herself. It became a little more clear, though, when he approached her.
"Are you alright?" he questioned, his voice unusually soft. He didn't look at her when he said it, but he did sound concerned. Perhaps it wasn't the smartest thing, though, entering the room with her. Either he wasn't too concerned about it, or he really was as concerned as his voice made it out to be. "You shouldn't have come in here alone," was the only other thing he said.
“But I didn’t.” Anastasia stood, slowly so as not to startle the mankey, who was already looking warily at the new intruder. “Luna was here the whole time; she’d have been able to help if I needed her to. Besides…” she tilted her head to the side and smiled.
“You were right outside the door the whole time, weren’t you?” His concern was odd to her—she’d dealt with much more aggressive pokémon in her line of work. She’d been bitten, scratched, and even burned a few times. Mankeys were dangerous if provoked, it was true, but their tempers tended to fizzle if the reason for their anger was taken away. This one, she thought, was some combination of afraid and hungry, and once she’d fixed those problems, he’d calmed right down.
"Still," he spoke, keeping his odd staring contest with the mankey. He glanced at her, though, and seemed to contemplate something. His gaze was intense, even as he stared at her, before he moved it towards the mankey. "I will take him," he stated suddenly, surprising himself it seems. "Mankey are not easy to handle, and I have experience with them," he spoke, almost as if to explain his reasoning. He seemed to realize something as he tore his gaze from the mankey and directed it back to her.
"I will not harm him, if that concerns you," he spoke, relaxing his posture as he did so. The tension seemed to disappear from his person as he did so.
“Of course I’m not worried about that,” she said immediately, shaking her head. “I know you wouldn’t do anything to harm him. But… I would like to keep him with me at the hospice for a week or so. Just to make sure he doesn’t have any actual health issues that are causing any problems. Once he’s adjusted, I’m sure you’ll make a wonderful adoptive trainer.”
And she was—it was clear from the way he was with the pokémon at the shelter as well as his own that he really knew what he was doing as a trainer. And it was unlikely that a mankey in good physical health would do too well at the hospice permanently; life there was a bit too slow-paced. “How does that sound?”
He contemplated her words somewhat before he nodded. "Alright. I shall help with his assimilation so that he may grow used to me as well," he said, his voice still unusually soft. "I've always wanted a mankey," he spoke this softly as if to be unheard.
Anastasia pretended she didn't hear, and smiled.
She hadn’t yet brought up to him that she knew what he really did for a living. He hadn’t spoken to her about it. By this point, there were several opportunities he could have taken to do so, so she had to conclude that he either didn’t want her to know or simply didn’t think it was her business. She could respect that, so she avoided asking him about his job.
Still… “You really don’t have to keep helping me, you know,” she said quietly. It seemed like a burden, to ask someone to do more when they already had such a demanding career. Kasimir claimed that volunteering his time with her helped him relax; given how he acted, she believed him. But if anything was relaxing to Eryk, manual labor at the hospice wasn’t it—she couldn’t figure out anything about it that might be benefiting him in any way, which made her feel vaguely guilty. Even though she hadn’t asked for his help.
If it was really mere obligation to help a sick person… the last time she’d coughed in front of him had been a whole week ago. She’d been careful about that for precisely this reason. “My health is as good as it’s ever been.” True, but misleading. She couldn’t bring herself to lie, but she deceived when she had to.
He glanced down at her, and furrowed his brows. It was almost like what she said offended him. It didn't, apparently, as he returned his gaze forward. "I don't mind helping," he simply stated. Perhaps he really didn't, but the tone in his voice was hard to read. He didn't sound irritated by it, but he didn't sound exactly happy about it either. "There are things that are too heavy for you to carry yourself. How you've managed this far, I am fairly surprised. You can't lift much as you are. You're too..." he paused suddenly, glancing back towards her. His eyes narrowed just slightly, as if he were watching for some sort of reaction from her.
"If you don't want my help, I will no longer offer my services after today, but," he spoke, sighing momentarily. "It would make me feel more at ease knowing that my services are helpful to you, even if your health is good."
Ana sighed. When he put it like that, she felt terrible either way. Taking a deep breath, she tried to put her thoughts into words as clear as possible. For all that she had trouble really reading him, Eryk was a straightforward person. It was probably best if she was as straightforward and honest as possible, too. “It’s not that I don’t want your help,” she started, smiling slightly to convey that she meant it. “Rather, I’m concerned that coming to help me every day is burdensome to you. It doesn’t seem to be something you enjoy, and I don’t want to keep you from doing things you like more.”
She tilted her head even as they made it into the central few blocks of the island, the small pathway widening out into smoother sidewalk. “I might not look very strong, but I can carry heavy things if I have to, and I don’t want to be the kind of person who needs other people to accomplish my goals for me. The shelter is my responsibility, because I’m the one that started it. I like having your company, and if you also like being there, then by all means, keep stopping by. But please… don’t make this a job you have to do, okay?”
She pushed out the rest of her breath all at once. Being that blunt was… well, kind of exhausting, actually. Ana wasn’t really sure how other people managed it—she felt like she should have apologized more, or something.
He looked a little surprised when she spoke, if the slight widening of his eyes was anything to go by. He seemed to contemplate her words, remaining silent during their walk. It was at least a good five minutes before he spoke again, coming to some conclusion. "I'm not good at showing what I enjoy, and what I don't," he began, stopping for another minute. "Helping you every day isn't a burden on me. It may appear that way to you, but there are others who can carry the work load without me. My job is not as important at the moment," he continued, his face pulling into a slight frown. It almost looked like that wasn't what he was quite trying to say.
"I'm not doing this because I have to, Anastasia," he spoke this time with a little more irritation in his voice. He pinched the bridge of his nose, and sighed heavily. "I'm not a very expressive person. I don't always look like I enjoy things, but I do. This is something that I want to do," and he said nothing further.
“Oh.” That had produced different results than she expected. He really liked coming to the shelter and helping out? She smiled a little. “That’s all right then. Truthfully, I was kind of hoping you did. Rufus seems to like you; I was a little worried about breaking the news to him if you decided not to keep volunteering.” Rufus, of course, was the hospice’s steadfast, wheezy stoutland.
Realizing something abruptly, Ana backpedaled, putting her hands up with the palms facing out. “Um. Not that I’m trying to guilt you. If you ever need or want to not… well. I mean—” she sighed. Only seldom did her solitary childhood ever make her feel like she’d missed out on anything truly important in life. But just right now, she wished she’d had a few more friends her own age, so she’d know how to talk to people better.
“I just mean you should do what you want, is all.” She dropped her hands back to her sides, dusting them along her utilitarian cargo pants.
"And I do," was the only reply he gave.
She snorted softly at that, glad to hear it. Before another minute had passed, they’d come to their destination: the red-roofed Cinnabar Island Pokémon Center. The automatic doors slid open for them, admitting them into the front waiting room of the facility. As usual, the nurse in charge staffed the front desk herself—she’d called Ana earlier this morning with a request.
“Good afternoon, Aunt Joy,” Ana greeted quietly. Her aunt—really more like her third cousin, but in her family things like this were always strange—glanced up at the greeting, flashing a smile.
It faded briefly when her eyes landed on Eryk, but reappeared again almost immediately. “Ana. It’s good to see you. How are things at the hospice?” Joy moved from around the counter and held her arms out. Ana willingly stepped into them, feeling a bit awkward but accepting that such feelings were just the way of things. At least her cousin was rather careful about it.
“Everything’s well, for the most part. Oscar passed a few days ago, as you know, but he was comfortable, and everyone else seems to be coping all right.” Occasionally, she encountered people who thought it was strange that she spoke of the mental lives and emotional states of pokémon as though they were every bit as complex and rich as human ones, but fortunately, this cousin didn’t have that tendency. “I have a lot more help than usual, lately, too—so I’ve been able to get a few things fixed, which is nice.”
She paused a moment to acknowledge Eryk with a brief smile; he was, after all, responsible for quite a bit of that himself. “Oh. Aunt Joy, this is Eryk. He volunteers sometimes. Eryk, this is Joy. She’s actually my… second cousin?” She glanced at Joy for confirmation.
“Once removed,” Joy added. “I checked with mom the other day to make sure.”
“Once removed, then,” Ana amended. There was probably not much need to point out that they were related. People didn’t always see it if she was alone, but standing next to most of her relatives, the family resemblance was clear. Anastasia’s hair was more pink than that of most of her cousins, who had a rose-tinged red, but their noses were practically identical, as well as the lines of their jaws. Ana knew that compared to the near-identical visages of most of her family, she stuck out by the shape and color of her eyes as well as her lack of height, but there was still a lot of similarity.
Eryk simply inclined his head in Joy's direction, a look of slight disbelief crossing his features. "I did not know you were related to the Nurses Joy," he spoke, his words coming out slowly and carefully. His eyes narrowed, as they often did, at the Joy, but there was nothing hostile in the action. It was simply who he was. "It is... nice to meet you," he spoke, as if he were unsure if it actually was nice to meet the Joy.
"I see the resemblance, now," he added, never quite removing his gaze from Joy.
Ana’s cousin didn’t seem precisely comfortable with that, so Ana herself cut in politely. “Auntie, you said you had a couple of new cases for me?” Her tone was deliberately mild. A new case wasn’t exactly cause for celebration; it meant some pokémon was either in need of long-term care the center could not provide, dying and in need of a place to live out its last days in peace, or abused and in need of a place to recover both physically and mentally from the effects. But Ana still enjoyed getting to meet her new tenants, as she usually called them.
“Yes. We took in an Ekans with scale-rot yesterday; I have a case of the medicine to go back with you. The other one… I’m honestly not sure what’s wrong with him. He refuses to enter a pokéball, and not even the Blissey can calm him down. I wasn’t sure who else to call about him. I wouldn’t want… someone who’d just be harsh to him, you know?”
Ana did know. Deserved or not, that was exactly the kind of thing Team Rocket had earned a reputation for—authoritarianism. She wondered if Joy was uneasy around Eryk because she knew he was one of them, or if it was simply his demeanor. Either way, she wasn’t going to lend it any credibility. Team rocket or not, he was his own person, and she’d never seen him be cruel to anyone, pokémon or otherwise.
“Well, if you don’t mind taking me to him, I’ll at least give it a try,” she promised.
Joy nodded, leading them back behind the counter to the treatment rooms. Stopping in front of one, she glanced in the window on the door and frowned. Ana could see why—the room had basically been trashed. The gurney with its small mattress was overturned on its side, and the side table had been broken in two—it looked like a well-placed karate chop attack had done it in.
“Be careful, Ana,” Joy said. “If you can’t do anything for him, I’ll have to call the Rockets, but don’t put yourself in danger, okay?”
Anastasia only nodded, reaching to her belt and pulling off one of the pokéballs there. “I’ll be fine, Auntie. This is what I do for a living, remember?” She gave the ball a little toss; with a brief expulsion of red light, Luna appeared. The espeon trilled softly, her forked pink tail swaying back and forth.
“We’ve got someone who doesn’t like to sit still,” Ana informed the pokémon mildly. “Think you can help me out?”
Of course, Luna replied in her head. I will protect you if you require it.
Thank you.
The silent communication resolved, Ana placed her hand on the door and pushed it inwards. It swung on at least one bent hinge, if the awful noise was anything to go by. She flinched.
The pokémon in question turned out to be a mankey—the blast of aggression that hit her was immediate and powerful. Ana felt it in her mind like a splitting pain; it was almost as if her skull might crack open. But underneath that anger was a fear just as powerful. That was something she could work with.
Using the same connection, she swamped the aggressive feelings with her own: calm, quiet, soothing ones. Soft pillows, warm food, gentle sunshine, kind expressions, soft pats. Pokémon, especially those unused to psychic communication or those who hadn’t or couldn’t master human speech, responded best to feelings with sensations attached, she’d learned over time. Visuals were good, but if she could convey sounds and touches that were also soothing through the connection, she had a better chance of cutting through whatever was causing the problem.
She felt a flicker of curiosity. The mankey stopped its assault on the monitor equipment near the bed and turned towards her. “I’m not going to hurt you,” she said quietly, holding her hands in a surrender gesture in front of her. To reduce the intimidation factor of her size, she crouched. “Everything will be all right, I promise.” She kept up the steady stream of soft feelings.
The pokémon, chest still heaving from his violent exertions, regarded her with a mixture of anger and wariness, but clearly what she was doing had some effect, because he dropped the monitor equipment with a crash and clambered atop the overturned bed, pulling himself up onto the side railing that was now on top. “That’s right. It’s okay. Do you like mangoes? I made some treats with them.” Her tone was more important than her words, and she kept it smooth and gentle, carefully reaching into her pocket.
The mankey screeched and lunged.
Ana felt Luna’s mental question, but ignored it, just finishing her motion. The pokémon had gripped her wrist in a powerful hold with all three fingers; she could feel the pressure as her tiny capillaries broke—they’d swell up as bruises soon. But almost as soon as he’d done it, he was looking directly at the dried mango treat in her hand. Still holding her wrist, the mankey sniffed it with his porcine nose, then grabbed it with his other hand. She relinquished it willingly, sighing when he popped the treat into his mouth and released her wrist at the same time.
He didn’t seem to find anything disagreeable about it, and she kept up the string of thoughts and feelings for as long as it took for him to start circling her, sniffing around and inspecting her pockets for more treats. Turning back slightly, she shot a relieved smile at Joy and Eryk.
“I think we’re going to be okay.”
Eryk seemed more tense than usual. His arms were folded over his chest, but the clear sign of white knuckles was evident that he was trying his best to restrain himself. Perhaps he was concerned about what had happened between her and the mankey? His expression was intense, perhaps a little more intense than it usually was, and he kept his gaze fixated upon the pokémon. There was something else behind the way he stared at it, like a hint of concern. It was hard to tell if it was concern for the mankey, or if it was reserved for Anastasia, herself. It became a little more clear, though, when he approached her.
"Are you alright?" he questioned, his voice unusually soft. He didn't look at her when he said it, but he did sound concerned. Perhaps it wasn't the smartest thing, though, entering the room with her. Either he wasn't too concerned about it, or he really was as concerned as his voice made it out to be. "You shouldn't have come in here alone," was the only other thing he said.
“But I didn’t.” Anastasia stood, slowly so as not to startle the mankey, who was already looking warily at the new intruder. “Luna was here the whole time; she’d have been able to help if I needed her to. Besides…” she tilted her head to the side and smiled.
“You were right outside the door the whole time, weren’t you?” His concern was odd to her—she’d dealt with much more aggressive pokémon in her line of work. She’d been bitten, scratched, and even burned a few times. Mankeys were dangerous if provoked, it was true, but their tempers tended to fizzle if the reason for their anger was taken away. This one, she thought, was some combination of afraid and hungry, and once she’d fixed those problems, he’d calmed right down.
"Still," he spoke, keeping his odd staring contest with the mankey. He glanced at her, though, and seemed to contemplate something. His gaze was intense, even as he stared at her, before he moved it towards the mankey. "I will take him," he stated suddenly, surprising himself it seems. "Mankey are not easy to handle, and I have experience with them," he spoke, almost as if to explain his reasoning. He seemed to realize something as he tore his gaze from the mankey and directed it back to her.
"I will not harm him, if that concerns you," he spoke, relaxing his posture as he did so. The tension seemed to disappear from his person as he did so.
“Of course I’m not worried about that,” she said immediately, shaking her head. “I know you wouldn’t do anything to harm him. But… I would like to keep him with me at the hospice for a week or so. Just to make sure he doesn’t have any actual health issues that are causing any problems. Once he’s adjusted, I’m sure you’ll make a wonderful adoptive trainer.”
And she was—it was clear from the way he was with the pokémon at the shelter as well as his own that he really knew what he was doing as a trainer. And it was unlikely that a mankey in good physical health would do too well at the hospice permanently; life there was a bit too slow-paced. “How does that sound?”
He contemplated her words somewhat before he nodded. "Alright. I shall help with his assimilation so that he may grow used to me as well," he said, his voice still unusually soft. "I've always wanted a mankey," he spoke this softly as if to be unheard.
Anastasia pretended she didn't hear, and smiled.
You shouldn't have cut it, Kenshin spoke as Cyrilla played with her hair. She glanced at him, giving him a somewhat melancholic smile. She kept trying to pull the strands over her shoulder like she used to, but her hair was too short now. She couldn't do that anymore. She sighed which, in turn, caused him to sigh, closing his eyes momentarily to heave his shoulders. I will never understand why you did that, he continued, pushing forward as they walked. Cyrilla had left the base again today, though she didn't have a particular destination in mind. She just wanted to explore the island. She had passed by Anastasia's, but Eryk was there, and she had decided against going to speak with the frail girl.
"I told you already not to worry about it, Kenny," she finally spoke, smiling when she did so. He could tell it was forced, because it didn't quite reach her eyes like it used to. It actually made him slightly worried. She always smiled genuinely, and the mirth could always be seen behind her eyes. Perhaps this was taking more of a toll on her than she had originally thought? "Besides, like I told Ana, it'll grow back," she continued, allowing her hands to rest at her sides. What would have been said, however, was disturbed by the sound of her name being called. Both Cyrilla and himself turned towards the source, and he could almost see a small spark of happiness light up in her.
"Good morning Cy, Kenshin," it was hard not to notice who it was. Drake always had that way about him, he supposed. Plus, he stood out like a magmar with his red hair. Kenshin almost snorted at that. "How are you both doing? I almost didn't recognize you with the short hair," he spoke a little sheepishly. Kenshin immediately narrowed his eyes at the man, but chose not to say anything. Cyrilla, however, didn't seem so inclined. Instead, she offered him a small smile.
"Kenny and I were just walking along the roads. Today I have a free moment and I wanted to explore a little more," she answered, her smile turning into something a little more warm. Kenshin couldn't help but do the same, and smiled somewhat unnoticeably. At least she was smiling again, right? "And I only just cut it," she stated, a small blush forming on her face. She was still a little embarrassed about it, it seems. He told her she shouldn't have cut it.
"It looks nice, though," he stated, reaching out to run his hand past it. Kenshin growled lowly at him, something that surprised all three of them, and it caused Drake to drop his hand "Sorry Ken, I should have asked, right?" Kenshin merely rolled his eyes. Cyrilla chuckled softly before it turned into a light laugh.
"A-anyway, were you on your way somewhere?" she asked, causing Kenshin to raise a brow.
"I actually have something to give to Anastasia. It's a card I picked up at the post office. They asked if I could deliver it to her since she was busy today," he stated, pulling the said card from his back pocket. It looked like one of those cards someone sent to another person to wish them well wherever they were. It could have been something else entirely, but Kenshin couldn't quite see it. Cyrilla simply mouthed an 'oh' causing Kenshin to sigh.
"Well, I'll let you go so you can deliver it. Oh, and do be careful. Eryk is with her," she spoke, giving him a fair warning before saying her goodbyes as he left. Kenshin just merely stared at her and shook his head. "What?" she questioned, but before he could reply, there was something wet falling from the sky. He glanced up at the same time his trainer did, and he could feel the first drops of rain on his face. It was going to start raining, and as soon as the thought processed, the sky opened up, drenching both pokémon and his trainer. She didn't seem to mind, though, and only smiled wider.
You would enjoy getting caught in the rain, he simply stated, but smiled as best as he could. At least she was smiling now, right?
A bright flash illuminated the sky for a moment, and then a loud crack split the air, signifying one of Cinnabar’s many impromptu spring thunderstorms. Sure enough, the clouds rolled in quickly, and though it was still obviously daytime outside, it had darkened considerably. The islanders seemed used to it, by and large, many of them carrying large umbrellas or heading inside and taking whatever they were doing with them, but others didn’t seem to let it interrupt them at all.
As Cyrilla continued on her random trek around the island, she came upon a deserted section of beach. The waves, turned grey by the sky they reflected, rolled up harshly against the shore, though none of them were dangerously-big yet, most likely. Surprisingly, someone was on the beach; upon closer inspection, it was obviously Kasimir. He’d shed his shoes and was barefoot on the wet sand. His bright orange and green shirt was folded next to them, a stark patch of color against the darkened brown of the beach’s natural flooring. The sleeveless shirt he still wore made pieces of his tattoos obvious; the most prominent wound around nearly his entire left arm. It looked to be a rayquaza, or maybe a dragonair—the distance made it impossible to tell.
But on the same wrist glinted something very familiar—he’d taken the charm she made and fashioned it into a bracelet with braided red and blue cord, it seemed. He was facing away from them, out towards the incoming waves, and seemed no more inclined to hide from the rain than she was.
He could see Cyrilla tense for a moment, and sensed something that caused him to reach out his paw towards her. She had turned to walk the other direction, away from Kasimir, however; Kenshin wasn't going to have that. You said you were starting over new, but that doesn't mean you get to leave your friends, out. That's not fair, Cy, he spoke, watching as she cringed a bit. She sighed in what seemed like defeat, causing Kenshin to smirk, or at least the best smirk he could pull off with his canid mouth.
They made their way towards Kasimir, and when they were within earshot, Cyrilla cleared her throat. "Hey Kas," she greeted, taking a seat next to him. She turned her head slightly so that she was glancing at him, her smile still on her face. "I see you got my present," she spoke, nodding her head towards the raikou bracelet. Kenshin plopped himself on the opposite side of Kasimir, staring out into the ocean. His trainer and her friends apparently liked being in the rain.
Kasimir didn’t seem surprised by their presence, exactly; he was extremely perceptive for a human. He sat with his feet pulled up and his arms draped over his knees, folding himself over until he didn’t seem quite as tall as he really was. He slouched a fair bit, too, which helped.
But though he wasn’t surprised, he didn’t seem to be his usual effulgent self, exactly. The rain had long since plastered his hair to his head, dripping irregularly from the end of his short ponytail. His eyes seemed a bit darker than usual, though it could have just been the lack of sunlight to illuminate things. His face had been relaxed into a contemplative frown; he immediately banished it as soon as they joined him, pulling his expression into a smile that was more like him.
“I did; thank you,” he said, flashing a bright white smile for just a moment. If he found it strange that she’d just left it for him to find instead of giving it to him herself, he didn’t say so.
"I take it Ryk kicked you out of the base today? Or are you just enjoying the ocean view?" she continued, leaning forward slightly.
“I was contemplating a swim, actually,” he replied. “When the water gets all choppy like this, it’s good for training.” He shrugged broad shoulders—the tattoo did seem to be of rayquaza, but done in a style like one might see in paintings on the walls of old ruins; it had that sense of age to it.
He tilted his head to the side and glanced at Cyrilla. “You changed your hair,” he remarked. It was, of course, quite wet by now, but still noticeably much shorter. “It’s cute.” Though the words were like something he’d typically say, he didn’t lean any closer to her or do anything special to his tone; the observation sounded more like a neutral statement of fact than an attempt at flirtation, and with him, there was a perceptible difference.
“Looking to get a fresh start on something?”
He was certainly more perceptive than he seemed most of the time.
She seemed to contemplate his question, looking a little surprised that he'd asked it. "You could say that," she replied, glancing out towards the sea. Kenshin frowned just slightly at the tone of her voice. It wasn't quite the same cheerful one she used with him, but it was hard to describe. It wasn't sad, nor solemn, but more like she'd come to accept something as truth, and that was it. "Plus, long hair isn't quite suited for the island life. It gets too hot here sometimes," she added, switching her posture so that her legs were tucked under her. Kenshin turned his head so that he was facing both Kasimir and his trainer.
She mostly cut it to get a new start, he chimed in, causing Cyrilla to slightly glare at him. If he could have, he would have smirked at his trainer, but he kept his face as calm as it usually was. He merely shrugged his shoulders, though, and kept his eyes on his trainer and her friend. He wondered, sometimes, about her, but there wasn't much he could do for her in a situation like this. Plus, he could almost feel the way her heart beat was slightly picking up. She might want to start new, but she couldn't quite erase what she felt. He sighed a little too loudly.
"Is it because the current is stronger during storms?" she asked, changing the subject just slightly. Kenshin snorted.
Kasimir seemed willing to let the subject drop, though he obviously wasn’t the kind of person who wouldn’t notice that Cyrilla was uncomfortable with it. Maybe that was why he didn’t try to get a better answer—he wasn’t that easy to read, actually. He nodded slightly in response to her question. “Rougher water requires more strength to navigate, and you have to stay aware of what the water is doing, or you can get dragged down by the undertow. It’s really not a smart idea unless you know what you’re doing.”
He curled his toes into the sand. Rainwater dripped freely from the relaxed ends of his fingers, a counterpoint to the patter of the rain itself. Though he sounded light as ever, it seemed like his thoughts were half-elsewhere, not really entirely on the conversation for some reason. Not to the point of rudeness, just… distraction, maybe.
“Maybe it’s not even a smart idea if you do.” His mouth curled up at one corner; he dropped his chin to rest on one of his hands, elbow to knee. “But I’ve done it since I was a kid, and I’m not dead yet. That counts for something, right?”
She seemed to frown at his last statement. "You should still be careful, Kas," she spoke, the worry evident in her voice. Kenshin could feel the slight shift in her aura that she was slightly disturbed by that, and he could only surmise that it was the fact that she was worried something might happen. She was like that with everyone, though. She worried about them, their health, and their well-being. If one of them was sick, she was there to help make them feel better. If one of the grunts was upset, there she was listening to what their problem was. This seemed to hit her a little harder, though, and Kenshin shook slightly to get the rain out of his coat.
"Besides, I don't like the idea of something happening to you," she muttered the last part, but surprisingly, her face remained the same pale hue. There was no pink dust to cover her face, nor any sign that she was embarrassed by what she had just said. He almost smiled at that. "I would be sad if I couldn't see you or meep again. Especially meep," she added. It seemed like she was trying to lighten the mood just a tad by including the mareep.
You should have given her the mareep instead, he chimed in. She would have probably preferred it to the growlithe, however; he knew she would have enjoyed either one.
He snorted. “Hey. Meep and I are a match made in heaven. I love to nap, she loves to nap. I’m warm, she’s fluffy. It’d be like trying to break up peanut butter and jelly. Apples and caramel. Rice and beans.” He gave them both a trademark grin, then.
“And don’t worry about me, Cy. I might seem like an idiot, but I’m pretty good at looking after myself, I swear. There’s no need to be concerned—you might have grown up a Koga, but I grew up the son of a world champion martial artist. Swimming was part of my training.” He swiped a hand over the back of his neck, muscles shifting under his shirt. He usually wore pretty baggy clothes that made it hard to tell, but he did have the build to substantiate his claim.
Kenshin laughed at that, the sound rather odd for a lucario. If you say so, was the only thing he said. Cyrilla chuckled lightly too, and she sighed with a little more mirth.
"Well, when you put it that way, I guess I don't have to worry too much about you. Besides," she began, shifting slightly in her spot, "I hear they make good caramel apples on the island. How about we go get one of those instead?" she stated. Kenshin actually glanced, this time, at Kasimir. Caramel apples did sound pretty good at the moment.
Say yes, he spoke directly to Kasimir this time.
Kasimir threw one last longing look at the ocean, but then he sighed overdramatically and stood. “All right, all right. Hard to say no to a team like this.” He offered a hand down to Cyrilla to help her to her feet. It was a completely casual gesture—like his compliment earlier, there was nothing overtly flirtatious about it. Was it possible that he knew Cyrilla’s fresh start had more than a little bit to do with him?
"Great, I'm buying!" she spoke while taking his offered hand. Kenshin shook his head, though, at that. Really, his trainer was odd, and so was the man she worked with.
"I told you already not to worry about it, Kenny," she finally spoke, smiling when she did so. He could tell it was forced, because it didn't quite reach her eyes like it used to. It actually made him slightly worried. She always smiled genuinely, and the mirth could always be seen behind her eyes. Perhaps this was taking more of a toll on her than she had originally thought? "Besides, like I told Ana, it'll grow back," she continued, allowing her hands to rest at her sides. What would have been said, however, was disturbed by the sound of her name being called. Both Cyrilla and himself turned towards the source, and he could almost see a small spark of happiness light up in her.
"Good morning Cy, Kenshin," it was hard not to notice who it was. Drake always had that way about him, he supposed. Plus, he stood out like a magmar with his red hair. Kenshin almost snorted at that. "How are you both doing? I almost didn't recognize you with the short hair," he spoke a little sheepishly. Kenshin immediately narrowed his eyes at the man, but chose not to say anything. Cyrilla, however, didn't seem so inclined. Instead, she offered him a small smile.
"Kenny and I were just walking along the roads. Today I have a free moment and I wanted to explore a little more," she answered, her smile turning into something a little more warm. Kenshin couldn't help but do the same, and smiled somewhat unnoticeably. At least she was smiling again, right? "And I only just cut it," she stated, a small blush forming on her face. She was still a little embarrassed about it, it seems. He told her she shouldn't have cut it.
"It looks nice, though," he stated, reaching out to run his hand past it. Kenshin growled lowly at him, something that surprised all three of them, and it caused Drake to drop his hand "Sorry Ken, I should have asked, right?" Kenshin merely rolled his eyes. Cyrilla chuckled softly before it turned into a light laugh.
"A-anyway, were you on your way somewhere?" she asked, causing Kenshin to raise a brow.
"I actually have something to give to Anastasia. It's a card I picked up at the post office. They asked if I could deliver it to her since she was busy today," he stated, pulling the said card from his back pocket. It looked like one of those cards someone sent to another person to wish them well wherever they were. It could have been something else entirely, but Kenshin couldn't quite see it. Cyrilla simply mouthed an 'oh' causing Kenshin to sigh.
"Well, I'll let you go so you can deliver it. Oh, and do be careful. Eryk is with her," she spoke, giving him a fair warning before saying her goodbyes as he left. Kenshin just merely stared at her and shook his head. "What?" she questioned, but before he could reply, there was something wet falling from the sky. He glanced up at the same time his trainer did, and he could feel the first drops of rain on his face. It was going to start raining, and as soon as the thought processed, the sky opened up, drenching both pokémon and his trainer. She didn't seem to mind, though, and only smiled wider.
You would enjoy getting caught in the rain, he simply stated, but smiled as best as he could. At least she was smiling now, right?
A bright flash illuminated the sky for a moment, and then a loud crack split the air, signifying one of Cinnabar’s many impromptu spring thunderstorms. Sure enough, the clouds rolled in quickly, and though it was still obviously daytime outside, it had darkened considerably. The islanders seemed used to it, by and large, many of them carrying large umbrellas or heading inside and taking whatever they were doing with them, but others didn’t seem to let it interrupt them at all.
As Cyrilla continued on her random trek around the island, she came upon a deserted section of beach. The waves, turned grey by the sky they reflected, rolled up harshly against the shore, though none of them were dangerously-big yet, most likely. Surprisingly, someone was on the beach; upon closer inspection, it was obviously Kasimir. He’d shed his shoes and was barefoot on the wet sand. His bright orange and green shirt was folded next to them, a stark patch of color against the darkened brown of the beach’s natural flooring. The sleeveless shirt he still wore made pieces of his tattoos obvious; the most prominent wound around nearly his entire left arm. It looked to be a rayquaza, or maybe a dragonair—the distance made it impossible to tell.
But on the same wrist glinted something very familiar—he’d taken the charm she made and fashioned it into a bracelet with braided red and blue cord, it seemed. He was facing away from them, out towards the incoming waves, and seemed no more inclined to hide from the rain than she was.
He could see Cyrilla tense for a moment, and sensed something that caused him to reach out his paw towards her. She had turned to walk the other direction, away from Kasimir, however; Kenshin wasn't going to have that. You said you were starting over new, but that doesn't mean you get to leave your friends, out. That's not fair, Cy, he spoke, watching as she cringed a bit. She sighed in what seemed like defeat, causing Kenshin to smirk, or at least the best smirk he could pull off with his canid mouth.
They made their way towards Kasimir, and when they were within earshot, Cyrilla cleared her throat. "Hey Kas," she greeted, taking a seat next to him. She turned her head slightly so that she was glancing at him, her smile still on her face. "I see you got my present," she spoke, nodding her head towards the raikou bracelet. Kenshin plopped himself on the opposite side of Kasimir, staring out into the ocean. His trainer and her friends apparently liked being in the rain.
Kasimir didn’t seem surprised by their presence, exactly; he was extremely perceptive for a human. He sat with his feet pulled up and his arms draped over his knees, folding himself over until he didn’t seem quite as tall as he really was. He slouched a fair bit, too, which helped.
But though he wasn’t surprised, he didn’t seem to be his usual effulgent self, exactly. The rain had long since plastered his hair to his head, dripping irregularly from the end of his short ponytail. His eyes seemed a bit darker than usual, though it could have just been the lack of sunlight to illuminate things. His face had been relaxed into a contemplative frown; he immediately banished it as soon as they joined him, pulling his expression into a smile that was more like him.
“I did; thank you,” he said, flashing a bright white smile for just a moment. If he found it strange that she’d just left it for him to find instead of giving it to him herself, he didn’t say so.
"I take it Ryk kicked you out of the base today? Or are you just enjoying the ocean view?" she continued, leaning forward slightly.
“I was contemplating a swim, actually,” he replied. “When the water gets all choppy like this, it’s good for training.” He shrugged broad shoulders—the tattoo did seem to be of rayquaza, but done in a style like one might see in paintings on the walls of old ruins; it had that sense of age to it.
He tilted his head to the side and glanced at Cyrilla. “You changed your hair,” he remarked. It was, of course, quite wet by now, but still noticeably much shorter. “It’s cute.” Though the words were like something he’d typically say, he didn’t lean any closer to her or do anything special to his tone; the observation sounded more like a neutral statement of fact than an attempt at flirtation, and with him, there was a perceptible difference.
“Looking to get a fresh start on something?”
He was certainly more perceptive than he seemed most of the time.
She seemed to contemplate his question, looking a little surprised that he'd asked it. "You could say that," she replied, glancing out towards the sea. Kenshin frowned just slightly at the tone of her voice. It wasn't quite the same cheerful one she used with him, but it was hard to describe. It wasn't sad, nor solemn, but more like she'd come to accept something as truth, and that was it. "Plus, long hair isn't quite suited for the island life. It gets too hot here sometimes," she added, switching her posture so that her legs were tucked under her. Kenshin turned his head so that he was facing both Kasimir and his trainer.
She mostly cut it to get a new start, he chimed in, causing Cyrilla to slightly glare at him. If he could have, he would have smirked at his trainer, but he kept his face as calm as it usually was. He merely shrugged his shoulders, though, and kept his eyes on his trainer and her friend. He wondered, sometimes, about her, but there wasn't much he could do for her in a situation like this. Plus, he could almost feel the way her heart beat was slightly picking up. She might want to start new, but she couldn't quite erase what she felt. He sighed a little too loudly.
"Is it because the current is stronger during storms?" she asked, changing the subject just slightly. Kenshin snorted.
Kasimir seemed willing to let the subject drop, though he obviously wasn’t the kind of person who wouldn’t notice that Cyrilla was uncomfortable with it. Maybe that was why he didn’t try to get a better answer—he wasn’t that easy to read, actually. He nodded slightly in response to her question. “Rougher water requires more strength to navigate, and you have to stay aware of what the water is doing, or you can get dragged down by the undertow. It’s really not a smart idea unless you know what you’re doing.”
He curled his toes into the sand. Rainwater dripped freely from the relaxed ends of his fingers, a counterpoint to the patter of the rain itself. Though he sounded light as ever, it seemed like his thoughts were half-elsewhere, not really entirely on the conversation for some reason. Not to the point of rudeness, just… distraction, maybe.
“Maybe it’s not even a smart idea if you do.” His mouth curled up at one corner; he dropped his chin to rest on one of his hands, elbow to knee. “But I’ve done it since I was a kid, and I’m not dead yet. That counts for something, right?”
She seemed to frown at his last statement. "You should still be careful, Kas," she spoke, the worry evident in her voice. Kenshin could feel the slight shift in her aura that she was slightly disturbed by that, and he could only surmise that it was the fact that she was worried something might happen. She was like that with everyone, though. She worried about them, their health, and their well-being. If one of them was sick, she was there to help make them feel better. If one of the grunts was upset, there she was listening to what their problem was. This seemed to hit her a little harder, though, and Kenshin shook slightly to get the rain out of his coat.
"Besides, I don't like the idea of something happening to you," she muttered the last part, but surprisingly, her face remained the same pale hue. There was no pink dust to cover her face, nor any sign that she was embarrassed by what she had just said. He almost smiled at that. "I would be sad if I couldn't see you or meep again. Especially meep," she added. It seemed like she was trying to lighten the mood just a tad by including the mareep.
You should have given her the mareep instead, he chimed in. She would have probably preferred it to the growlithe, however; he knew she would have enjoyed either one.
He snorted. “Hey. Meep and I are a match made in heaven. I love to nap, she loves to nap. I’m warm, she’s fluffy. It’d be like trying to break up peanut butter and jelly. Apples and caramel. Rice and beans.” He gave them both a trademark grin, then.
“And don’t worry about me, Cy. I might seem like an idiot, but I’m pretty good at looking after myself, I swear. There’s no need to be concerned—you might have grown up a Koga, but I grew up the son of a world champion martial artist. Swimming was part of my training.” He swiped a hand over the back of his neck, muscles shifting under his shirt. He usually wore pretty baggy clothes that made it hard to tell, but he did have the build to substantiate his claim.
Kenshin laughed at that, the sound rather odd for a lucario. If you say so, was the only thing he said. Cyrilla chuckled lightly too, and she sighed with a little more mirth.
"Well, when you put it that way, I guess I don't have to worry too much about you. Besides," she began, shifting slightly in her spot, "I hear they make good caramel apples on the island. How about we go get one of those instead?" she stated. Kenshin actually glanced, this time, at Kasimir. Caramel apples did sound pretty good at the moment.
Say yes, he spoke directly to Kasimir this time.
Kasimir threw one last longing look at the ocean, but then he sighed overdramatically and stood. “All right, all right. Hard to say no to a team like this.” He offered a hand down to Cyrilla to help her to her feet. It was a completely casual gesture—like his compliment earlier, there was nothing overtly flirtatious about it. Was it possible that he knew Cyrilla’s fresh start had more than a little bit to do with him?
"Great, I'm buying!" she spoke while taking his offered hand. Kenshin shook his head, though, at that. Really, his trainer was odd, and so was the man she worked with.
After a week of observation and tests, both medical and behavioral, Anastasia had deemed her newest case ready to be adopted. It was certainly going to be a record turnaround; fortunately it seemed that the mankey her cousin had asked her to take in was not an abuse case. The fear underlying his mentality was still a worry—she suspected it was residual from abandonment. She’d been able to figure out, through her powers and a healthy dose of interpretation, that mankey had been a bit of a handful, and his young trainer had left him on one of Cinnabar’s much smaller outlying islets.
He’d been hungry and afraid when the local control officers had found him, and the fact that they’d put him down with a tranquilizer dart and he woke up somewhere unfamiliar had not helped matters. Now that he understood that he was safe and in no more danger of starving, he was actually proving almost even-tempered. Certainly enough so to be safe for adoption.
Eryk was coming by this afternoon to pick him up; Anastasia wanted to observe them together for a while, just in case, but she didn’t foresee any problems. She hummed to herself while she stirred the pot on the stove; it had been pouring rain all day. She knew the walk here from the mansion wasn’t exactly short; she figured Eryk might appreciate something to warm him back up again after he arrived.
Mankey sat contentedly on her shoulders. He was a little too big to really be anything but awkward in such a position, but his grip on her was gentle this time. He quite seemed to like her hair; even though it was in a ponytail, he kept playing with the strands of it, making soft whuffing noises. She’d communicated to him as well as she could what would be happening; he didn’t seem too happy about it, but he wasn't afraid, either.
The soft opening of Anastasia's door signaled Eryk's arrival. By now, Eryk had been visiting the shelter more than enough times that knocking wasn't needed. At least not with him. He was dry when he approached, stopping just by the doorframe. He seemed to stare at the mankey on her shoulders, and then allowed his gaze to travel towards her. He didn't say anything, instead, placing the black umbrella he was holding up against the wall.
"Ana," he greeted, tilting his head just slightly. "Is everything well?" he asked, perhaps referring to the mankey's health and mentality.
She chose to take it that way, in any case. “Yes,” she said with a smile. “We just got the results of the last of his blood tests back today. Mankey has a clean bill of health, except for the slight malnutrition we’re still working on. But that’s just a matter of time and the right food.” She’d already written out instructions for a recovery diet that should last a few more weeks, after which he would be able to eat like any other of his species.
Tapping the ladle on the edge of the pot to knock off a few extra drops of soup, she placed it on a holder on the counter and went to fetch a couple of bowls. “Would you like some Kalos Onion Soup? It’s a little chilly out there.” She could actually feel the temperature change deep in her lungs; she didn’t do too well with cold weather on average, but especially not when the temperature dropped suddenly. Thankfully, most rainy days on Cinnabar weren’t nearly bad enough to cause her too many problems.
He regarded her for a moment before nodding slowly. "That... sounds nice," he spoke in a slow pace. It was almost as if he were unsure of how to respond, and that he thought carefully of his words. Mankey, settled on Anastasia's shoulders, turned and glared at Eryk. He made a short huffing sound towards Eryk, but the man didn't seem too fazed by it. Instead, they held a sort of glaring contest. But Eryk always looked like he was glaring, even if he wasn't. So perhaps he was just staring at the mankey?
He did, however, raise a brow towards it, but said nothing further. It was as if they were both having a silent battle with each other, however; Eryk wasn't giving up. It was a solid minute before Eryk broke the eye contact with the mankey, and turned his attention back to Anastasia. "I don't think he likes me," he stated, earning a soft snort from the pig monkey pokémon. Mankey remained where he was, though he did climb down from Anastasia's shoulders.
Ana had the feeling that if Eryk were just a little more expressive, he might even have been pouting. It was probably for the best that he wasn’t—she didn’t think she’d have been able to contain her laughter if he was. She smiled sympathetically, ladling soup into both bowls and passing his over the island to him, along with a spoon. She took the opportunity provided by Mankey leaving her shoulders to pull the bread out of the oven; it was a crisp baguette loaf. She was quite pleased with how it had turned out. Since it was only small, she broke it in two and put half on a little plate for each of them, retrieving the butter from the fridge and adding a knife to the tray she put it on.
Once everything was set, and the cheese had been added to the top of the soup, she sat down to her own meal, dipping the bread into the side of the bowl gingerly. “It might take you some time to get used to each other,” she conceded. “I think…” For a moment, Ana hesitated. Explaining how much she knew about Mankey’s history would prompt the obvious question of how she knew. Mankeys weren’t like lucarios or most psychic-types: they couldn’t usually communicate directly with humans.
“I think he was probably abandoned,” she settled on, framing it as a hunch rather than a certainty. In all fairness, that was mostly what it was. Even someone with her powers could only do so much communicating without a real language. “It will probably be difficult to earn his trust, but… I think you can do it.”
He seemed to accept her answer well enough, and went to sit down on the opposite side of Anastasia, however; he didn't quite make it that far. As soon as he made to sit, his entire person was on the floor, blinking mildly surprised towards Ana. A soft huffing noise, something like a laugh, was coming from the mankey. Eryk simply remained where he was before finally standing. He dusted off his pants, moved the chair back into position, and took a seat. He remained silent, his expression unreadable.
"Abandonment issues are tougher to deal with when mankey are concerned. Trust is hard to build unless they bond with you from the very beginning," he simply stated. He took a bite from the baguette before touching the soup. "This is fairly good," he started, continuing to eat his food.
Ana pursed her lips, exerting considerable effort not to smile. It was a little bit amusing; moreso because of the way Eryk handled it. The truth was, she didn’t worry too much about them eventually working things out. If a mankey’s trainer could learn to respond with even half as much patience as Eryk had just shown, then the adjustment should go fine.
“Then I fairly thank you,” she replied to the half-compliment. It didn’t bother her—he was, she’d learned quickly, the kind of person who assessed things exactly as he saw them, without flattery or cruelty. Ana was just fine with that. Besides, she wasn’t a world-class chef or anything. Her food was simple and made to her taste, and that was good enough for her. She spent a lot more time refining her pokémon treat recipes, actually.
Swallowing a spoonful of soup, she hooked her feet over the bottom bar of the stool, leaning forward comfortably. She wasn’t naturally inclined towards speaking, but he was even less so, she thought. Ana could at least be a little more comfortable around people she knew. “Can I ask about your other pokémon?” she enquired, choosing a topic she knew both of them would be comfortable with. “I’ve met Meowth and Blue, and of course Mankey now, too. Are you a trainer?”
"You could say that," he replied, taking another spoonful before placing it down. "I have milotic, zoroark, and gengar. I've had them all since they were in their first stages," he continued shifting slightly in his spot. "Meowth was the newest addition before mankey," he stated, nodding his head towards said pokémon. "Cyrilla gave her to me, though I don't recall as to why. They have all been with me for a considerable amount of years, otherwise."
It was, perhaps, the most he'd ever said in one go. He didn't seem to hesitate about it, either. He must have been comfortable enough to share even that much. "Though I would warn against gengar. He... likes to hypnotize people," he added, as though it weren't entirely true. Maybe it was only certain people?
Ana elected not to mention that she didn’t have to worry about things of that nature. It was an amusing thought, in any case. She let her smile show through for a moment. “That seems like quite the team,” she said honestly. Presumably all or most of them were trained for battle; she supposed they must be quite formidable.
Realizing then that she’d forgotten to get drinks, she stood and pulled the glasses down from the cabinet. “Sorry, I completely forgot about beverages. I have lemonade, iced tea, soda, milk, and water. Is there anything in particular you want?”
Before he could respond, there was an abrupt knock on the door. Someone called out Anastasia's name, and when the person identified themself, Eryk visibly twitched. "Hey, Ana are you home!? It's Drake!" Apparently the current Gym Leader of Cinnabar Island was here, and Eryk wasn't too happy about it. "I've got a package for you," he continued, as if he knew that she was home. It wasn't long before Drake was inside, standing just outside the frame of the door. He'd been here plenty of times before, so it wasn't entirely uncommon that he entered in the same fashion as Eryk had. "Hey Eryk. Cy told me you'd be here too."
Eryk either didn't have anything to say to Drake, or didn't want to say anything to him. He seemed to do so, anyway. "Drake," was the only proper greeting he gave. Mankey seemed to pick up on whatever Eryk was currently feeling, and made his way towards Drake. He sniffed the man's outstretched hand before climbing onto him, resting gently on his shoulders. Eryk glared.
Ana picked up on the awkwardness immediately, though she was pretty sure it was one-sided. “Good afternoon, Drake,” she greeted amiably, hoping to smooth things over as well as possible. The best way to do that was probably to make sure they didn’t have to interact much, right? “You really didn’t have to come all this way to deliver it—especially not in the rain.”
Nevertheless, she approached, intending to receive whatever the content of this delivery was.
"Hey little guy," he spoke, scratching the mankey slightly under the chin. Mankey hummed a soft content tune before Drake turned his attention towards Ana. "Oh don't worry about it. I was making rounds around the island and since I was passing this way, I figured I could drop this off to you," he simply replied, reaching into his back pocket and pulling out what looked like a greeting card. Eryk was visibly uncomfortable, though it was hard to tell if he noticed he was. Drake seemed pretty much used to Eryk's glaring since the bright grin on his face was still there.
"Plus I figured I might be able to help you put the tarps up around the open areas for the outside pokémon," he added.
"That's why I'm here. Your services are not required, Drake," Eryk spoke this time. Drake glanced at him, and then back at Anastasia.
"Well, if that's the case I guess I'll see you both around. Sorry little guy, but I have to go now," he stated, removing the mankey from his shoulders. Mankey seemed to be upset a little bit, and held onto Drake's arm just slightly. "Aw, can I take him?" Drake almost pleaded, glancing towards Ana.
"He's mine."
"Oh." was the only response he gave before saying his goodbyes to Anastasia. Eryk still seemed slightly disturbed that Drake had been here at all, and that mankey had taken such a shine to him.
“Sorry Drake,” Ana added, trying to soften the blow a little. “But you should come by again soon; I think Fletchinder is nearly over her molting problem—and we both know how well you two get along.” She tipped her head to the side and saw him to the door. Once they’d exchanged farewells, she headed back to the kitchen.
“I didn’t know the two of you had… met,” she said to Eryk, setting her envelope down next to her bowl and returning to the beverages she’d retrieved from the refrigerator. “Lemonade?”
"You could say that," he said, though what he meant by that was a little vague. "Lemonade sounds nice," he responded. Mankey seemed to be a little upset at Drake's depature, but simply made his way back to Anastasia's side. It was going to be a while before mankey warmed up to Eryk, wasn't it?
She nodded and poured a glass, sliding it carefully across the island before filling a second for herself and sitting back down. The soup was still warm, thankfully. She decided to resume their former conversation rather than pushing for details about whatever strange hostility he bore Drake. Presumably, if he’d wanted to say more about that, he would have. He was very honest that way—moreso than she’d ever been, as much as she might wish to be otherwise.
But she could return that honesty with at least a bit of her own. “I have special permits for the hospice,” she said, “but I also have a registered team of six myself. Mostly they’re all very young still—I didn’t start putting a team together until much later than most people do.” She hadn’t exactly been in any condition to travel around the world at the age of eleven.
“Aithne, my vulpix, was my first. Then there’s Luna, who you’ve met, and Nova, who’s an umbreon. Oh, and Delilah, the swablu—she’s not quite as sociable as Blue, but she had her moments.” Most of her original pokémon had been rescues of one kind or another as well, really. “And then more recently I picked up Sparks the pichu and Iris the dratini. They’re the reason I got the idea to start this place at all, you know?”
"You started this place to save pokémon?" he questioned, a slight hint of curiosity in his voice. "Was there anything else you wanted to do? Before this?" he continued questioning. He seemed genuinely interested in what she had to say, since he'd stopped eating the rest of his food. That, and his bowl was empty.
She wasn’t quite sure what to do with the sudden interest—it was actually a little uncomfortable. But she’d opened the door to the question by rambling like she had in the first place. Ana smiled sheepishly. “Well… I did want to be a pokémon professor. I always loved learning about them; my aunt wanted me to be a nurse like she is, but I don’t know. I’ve never been too comfortable in hospitals.” She sighed softly. She’d had to give up her aspirations to professorship, though—the schooling took too long. She wouldn’t be finished until she was twenty-five, even if she started now. “Some dreams have to die, though. It's just how things are." She shrugged. She could be happy with what she had; it was an ability of hers. Maybe the most important one.
“What… what about you?” Given what little Cyrilla had said, Ana understood she might be treading sensitive ground here. She approached it carefully.
Eryk pursed his lips, though it was a bit difficult to tell in what kind of manner. He didn't seem angry that she said that, but some part of it looked a little disappointed. "I've been as I've always been. This path that was laid out before me was chosen for me the moment I was born," he replied a little too casually. "There wasn't much of a choice of deciding something else for myself, though," he paused momentarily, and glanced at the mankey.
"There was a time when I was a small boy that I wanted to be a trainer. One that got to travel the world and challenge Gym Leaders for badges," the way he spoke it was a little odd. It had more feeling behind it than his usual words, and it could only be taken for the truth. "But as you said, some dreams should be allowed to die. That was one of them," he spoke, releasing a deep sigh. He leaned back in his chair slightly, and glanced back at Ana.
"I think," he began his eyes locking with hers for a brief moment of intensity, "for what it's worth, you would have made a good professor." He removed his gaze after that.
She regretted saying the words, when he turned them around on her like that. It made her want to explain—to say that she didn’t think his dreams had to die. Because there were reasons that she had to give hers up that had nothing to do with willpower or choice. But then… that could be just as true of him. Perhaps he had no more say than she did, in the end. She didn’t know the circumstances to be able to judge that.
Her eyes fell to the counter for a moment; she laid her spoon down in her bowl with care. The way he said it, the feeling he put into his description of the life he’d wanted… it broke her heart. Because she could be happy with the way her life was now. But she wasn’t entirely sure he was or could be happy with his.
“It’s worth a lot,” she said softly. “So thank you. I think… I think you would have made a really great trainer, too—just watching you with the pokémon here is enough to tell me that. You have a real way with them.” They didn’t always respect or like the volunteers—that was natural given what they’d been through. But though a few of the more skittish ones were a bit afraid of him, most of them trusted him, by this point. That said a lot about his character, in her estimation.
Ana smiled sadly. “I’m sorry that dream died,” she said in a low tone, almost too soft to hear. “I hope… I hope you find another that you like even more, and get to keep it alive.”
"I am not sorry," he replied almost immediately, and that seemed as much of a surprise to himself than anything. "But I thank you. I do not have that luxury, though. What I do now, is what I will continue to do until I am replaced or I grow too old to do it," he added. He didn't seem inclined to state anything further, after that.
“I understand.” She felt like the statement was true, though which part of his words exactly she was responding to wasn’t obvious, even to her. “Anyway… let me get you Mankey’s papers, and then we can talk about his diet and when to bring him by for a checkup.” It seemed better to let the former thread of discussion drop, for now; Ana wasn’t sure about Eryk, but too much further into all of that and she wasn’t going to be able to hold her tongue about certain things she really ought not to discuss.
Not even with a friend, new as he was to the position.
He’d been hungry and afraid when the local control officers had found him, and the fact that they’d put him down with a tranquilizer dart and he woke up somewhere unfamiliar had not helped matters. Now that he understood that he was safe and in no more danger of starving, he was actually proving almost even-tempered. Certainly enough so to be safe for adoption.
Eryk was coming by this afternoon to pick him up; Anastasia wanted to observe them together for a while, just in case, but she didn’t foresee any problems. She hummed to herself while she stirred the pot on the stove; it had been pouring rain all day. She knew the walk here from the mansion wasn’t exactly short; she figured Eryk might appreciate something to warm him back up again after he arrived.
Mankey sat contentedly on her shoulders. He was a little too big to really be anything but awkward in such a position, but his grip on her was gentle this time. He quite seemed to like her hair; even though it was in a ponytail, he kept playing with the strands of it, making soft whuffing noises. She’d communicated to him as well as she could what would be happening; he didn’t seem too happy about it, but he wasn't afraid, either.
The soft opening of Anastasia's door signaled Eryk's arrival. By now, Eryk had been visiting the shelter more than enough times that knocking wasn't needed. At least not with him. He was dry when he approached, stopping just by the doorframe. He seemed to stare at the mankey on her shoulders, and then allowed his gaze to travel towards her. He didn't say anything, instead, placing the black umbrella he was holding up against the wall.
"Ana," he greeted, tilting his head just slightly. "Is everything well?" he asked, perhaps referring to the mankey's health and mentality.
She chose to take it that way, in any case. “Yes,” she said with a smile. “We just got the results of the last of his blood tests back today. Mankey has a clean bill of health, except for the slight malnutrition we’re still working on. But that’s just a matter of time and the right food.” She’d already written out instructions for a recovery diet that should last a few more weeks, after which he would be able to eat like any other of his species.
Tapping the ladle on the edge of the pot to knock off a few extra drops of soup, she placed it on a holder on the counter and went to fetch a couple of bowls. “Would you like some Kalos Onion Soup? It’s a little chilly out there.” She could actually feel the temperature change deep in her lungs; she didn’t do too well with cold weather on average, but especially not when the temperature dropped suddenly. Thankfully, most rainy days on Cinnabar weren’t nearly bad enough to cause her too many problems.
He regarded her for a moment before nodding slowly. "That... sounds nice," he spoke in a slow pace. It was almost as if he were unsure of how to respond, and that he thought carefully of his words. Mankey, settled on Anastasia's shoulders, turned and glared at Eryk. He made a short huffing sound towards Eryk, but the man didn't seem too fazed by it. Instead, they held a sort of glaring contest. But Eryk always looked like he was glaring, even if he wasn't. So perhaps he was just staring at the mankey?
He did, however, raise a brow towards it, but said nothing further. It was as if they were both having a silent battle with each other, however; Eryk wasn't giving up. It was a solid minute before Eryk broke the eye contact with the mankey, and turned his attention back to Anastasia. "I don't think he likes me," he stated, earning a soft snort from the pig monkey pokémon. Mankey remained where he was, though he did climb down from Anastasia's shoulders.
Ana had the feeling that if Eryk were just a little more expressive, he might even have been pouting. It was probably for the best that he wasn’t—she didn’t think she’d have been able to contain her laughter if he was. She smiled sympathetically, ladling soup into both bowls and passing his over the island to him, along with a spoon. She took the opportunity provided by Mankey leaving her shoulders to pull the bread out of the oven; it was a crisp baguette loaf. She was quite pleased with how it had turned out. Since it was only small, she broke it in two and put half on a little plate for each of them, retrieving the butter from the fridge and adding a knife to the tray she put it on.
Once everything was set, and the cheese had been added to the top of the soup, she sat down to her own meal, dipping the bread into the side of the bowl gingerly. “It might take you some time to get used to each other,” she conceded. “I think…” For a moment, Ana hesitated. Explaining how much she knew about Mankey’s history would prompt the obvious question of how she knew. Mankeys weren’t like lucarios or most psychic-types: they couldn’t usually communicate directly with humans.
“I think he was probably abandoned,” she settled on, framing it as a hunch rather than a certainty. In all fairness, that was mostly what it was. Even someone with her powers could only do so much communicating without a real language. “It will probably be difficult to earn his trust, but… I think you can do it.”
He seemed to accept her answer well enough, and went to sit down on the opposite side of Anastasia, however; he didn't quite make it that far. As soon as he made to sit, his entire person was on the floor, blinking mildly surprised towards Ana. A soft huffing noise, something like a laugh, was coming from the mankey. Eryk simply remained where he was before finally standing. He dusted off his pants, moved the chair back into position, and took a seat. He remained silent, his expression unreadable.
"Abandonment issues are tougher to deal with when mankey are concerned. Trust is hard to build unless they bond with you from the very beginning," he simply stated. He took a bite from the baguette before touching the soup. "This is fairly good," he started, continuing to eat his food.
Ana pursed her lips, exerting considerable effort not to smile. It was a little bit amusing; moreso because of the way Eryk handled it. The truth was, she didn’t worry too much about them eventually working things out. If a mankey’s trainer could learn to respond with even half as much patience as Eryk had just shown, then the adjustment should go fine.
“Then I fairly thank you,” she replied to the half-compliment. It didn’t bother her—he was, she’d learned quickly, the kind of person who assessed things exactly as he saw them, without flattery or cruelty. Ana was just fine with that. Besides, she wasn’t a world-class chef or anything. Her food was simple and made to her taste, and that was good enough for her. She spent a lot more time refining her pokémon treat recipes, actually.
Swallowing a spoonful of soup, she hooked her feet over the bottom bar of the stool, leaning forward comfortably. She wasn’t naturally inclined towards speaking, but he was even less so, she thought. Ana could at least be a little more comfortable around people she knew. “Can I ask about your other pokémon?” she enquired, choosing a topic she knew both of them would be comfortable with. “I’ve met Meowth and Blue, and of course Mankey now, too. Are you a trainer?”
"You could say that," he replied, taking another spoonful before placing it down. "I have milotic, zoroark, and gengar. I've had them all since they were in their first stages," he continued shifting slightly in his spot. "Meowth was the newest addition before mankey," he stated, nodding his head towards said pokémon. "Cyrilla gave her to me, though I don't recall as to why. They have all been with me for a considerable amount of years, otherwise."
It was, perhaps, the most he'd ever said in one go. He didn't seem to hesitate about it, either. He must have been comfortable enough to share even that much. "Though I would warn against gengar. He... likes to hypnotize people," he added, as though it weren't entirely true. Maybe it was only certain people?
Ana elected not to mention that she didn’t have to worry about things of that nature. It was an amusing thought, in any case. She let her smile show through for a moment. “That seems like quite the team,” she said honestly. Presumably all or most of them were trained for battle; she supposed they must be quite formidable.
Realizing then that she’d forgotten to get drinks, she stood and pulled the glasses down from the cabinet. “Sorry, I completely forgot about beverages. I have lemonade, iced tea, soda, milk, and water. Is there anything in particular you want?”
Before he could respond, there was an abrupt knock on the door. Someone called out Anastasia's name, and when the person identified themself, Eryk visibly twitched. "Hey, Ana are you home!? It's Drake!" Apparently the current Gym Leader of Cinnabar Island was here, and Eryk wasn't too happy about it. "I've got a package for you," he continued, as if he knew that she was home. It wasn't long before Drake was inside, standing just outside the frame of the door. He'd been here plenty of times before, so it wasn't entirely uncommon that he entered in the same fashion as Eryk had. "Hey Eryk. Cy told me you'd be here too."
Eryk either didn't have anything to say to Drake, or didn't want to say anything to him. He seemed to do so, anyway. "Drake," was the only proper greeting he gave. Mankey seemed to pick up on whatever Eryk was currently feeling, and made his way towards Drake. He sniffed the man's outstretched hand before climbing onto him, resting gently on his shoulders. Eryk glared.
Ana picked up on the awkwardness immediately, though she was pretty sure it was one-sided. “Good afternoon, Drake,” she greeted amiably, hoping to smooth things over as well as possible. The best way to do that was probably to make sure they didn’t have to interact much, right? “You really didn’t have to come all this way to deliver it—especially not in the rain.”
Nevertheless, she approached, intending to receive whatever the content of this delivery was.
"Hey little guy," he spoke, scratching the mankey slightly under the chin. Mankey hummed a soft content tune before Drake turned his attention towards Ana. "Oh don't worry about it. I was making rounds around the island and since I was passing this way, I figured I could drop this off to you," he simply replied, reaching into his back pocket and pulling out what looked like a greeting card. Eryk was visibly uncomfortable, though it was hard to tell if he noticed he was. Drake seemed pretty much used to Eryk's glaring since the bright grin on his face was still there.
"Plus I figured I might be able to help you put the tarps up around the open areas for the outside pokémon," he added.
"That's why I'm here. Your services are not required, Drake," Eryk spoke this time. Drake glanced at him, and then back at Anastasia.
"Well, if that's the case I guess I'll see you both around. Sorry little guy, but I have to go now," he stated, removing the mankey from his shoulders. Mankey seemed to be upset a little bit, and held onto Drake's arm just slightly. "Aw, can I take him?" Drake almost pleaded, glancing towards Ana.
"He's mine."
"Oh." was the only response he gave before saying his goodbyes to Anastasia. Eryk still seemed slightly disturbed that Drake had been here at all, and that mankey had taken such a shine to him.
“Sorry Drake,” Ana added, trying to soften the blow a little. “But you should come by again soon; I think Fletchinder is nearly over her molting problem—and we both know how well you two get along.” She tipped her head to the side and saw him to the door. Once they’d exchanged farewells, she headed back to the kitchen.
“I didn’t know the two of you had… met,” she said to Eryk, setting her envelope down next to her bowl and returning to the beverages she’d retrieved from the refrigerator. “Lemonade?”
"You could say that," he said, though what he meant by that was a little vague. "Lemonade sounds nice," he responded. Mankey seemed to be a little upset at Drake's depature, but simply made his way back to Anastasia's side. It was going to be a while before mankey warmed up to Eryk, wasn't it?
She nodded and poured a glass, sliding it carefully across the island before filling a second for herself and sitting back down. The soup was still warm, thankfully. She decided to resume their former conversation rather than pushing for details about whatever strange hostility he bore Drake. Presumably, if he’d wanted to say more about that, he would have. He was very honest that way—moreso than she’d ever been, as much as she might wish to be otherwise.
But she could return that honesty with at least a bit of her own. “I have special permits for the hospice,” she said, “but I also have a registered team of six myself. Mostly they’re all very young still—I didn’t start putting a team together until much later than most people do.” She hadn’t exactly been in any condition to travel around the world at the age of eleven.
“Aithne, my vulpix, was my first. Then there’s Luna, who you’ve met, and Nova, who’s an umbreon. Oh, and Delilah, the swablu—she’s not quite as sociable as Blue, but she had her moments.” Most of her original pokémon had been rescues of one kind or another as well, really. “And then more recently I picked up Sparks the pichu and Iris the dratini. They’re the reason I got the idea to start this place at all, you know?”
"You started this place to save pokémon?" he questioned, a slight hint of curiosity in his voice. "Was there anything else you wanted to do? Before this?" he continued questioning. He seemed genuinely interested in what she had to say, since he'd stopped eating the rest of his food. That, and his bowl was empty.
She wasn’t quite sure what to do with the sudden interest—it was actually a little uncomfortable. But she’d opened the door to the question by rambling like she had in the first place. Ana smiled sheepishly. “Well… I did want to be a pokémon professor. I always loved learning about them; my aunt wanted me to be a nurse like she is, but I don’t know. I’ve never been too comfortable in hospitals.” She sighed softly. She’d had to give up her aspirations to professorship, though—the schooling took too long. She wouldn’t be finished until she was twenty-five, even if she started now. “Some dreams have to die, though. It's just how things are." She shrugged. She could be happy with what she had; it was an ability of hers. Maybe the most important one.
“What… what about you?” Given what little Cyrilla had said, Ana understood she might be treading sensitive ground here. She approached it carefully.
Eryk pursed his lips, though it was a bit difficult to tell in what kind of manner. He didn't seem angry that she said that, but some part of it looked a little disappointed. "I've been as I've always been. This path that was laid out before me was chosen for me the moment I was born," he replied a little too casually. "There wasn't much of a choice of deciding something else for myself, though," he paused momentarily, and glanced at the mankey.
"There was a time when I was a small boy that I wanted to be a trainer. One that got to travel the world and challenge Gym Leaders for badges," the way he spoke it was a little odd. It had more feeling behind it than his usual words, and it could only be taken for the truth. "But as you said, some dreams should be allowed to die. That was one of them," he spoke, releasing a deep sigh. He leaned back in his chair slightly, and glanced back at Ana.
"I think," he began his eyes locking with hers for a brief moment of intensity, "for what it's worth, you would have made a good professor." He removed his gaze after that.
She regretted saying the words, when he turned them around on her like that. It made her want to explain—to say that she didn’t think his dreams had to die. Because there were reasons that she had to give hers up that had nothing to do with willpower or choice. But then… that could be just as true of him. Perhaps he had no more say than she did, in the end. She didn’t know the circumstances to be able to judge that.
Her eyes fell to the counter for a moment; she laid her spoon down in her bowl with care. The way he said it, the feeling he put into his description of the life he’d wanted… it broke her heart. Because she could be happy with the way her life was now. But she wasn’t entirely sure he was or could be happy with his.
“It’s worth a lot,” she said softly. “So thank you. I think… I think you would have made a really great trainer, too—just watching you with the pokémon here is enough to tell me that. You have a real way with them.” They didn’t always respect or like the volunteers—that was natural given what they’d been through. But though a few of the more skittish ones were a bit afraid of him, most of them trusted him, by this point. That said a lot about his character, in her estimation.
Ana smiled sadly. “I’m sorry that dream died,” she said in a low tone, almost too soft to hear. “I hope… I hope you find another that you like even more, and get to keep it alive.”
"I am not sorry," he replied almost immediately, and that seemed as much of a surprise to himself than anything. "But I thank you. I do not have that luxury, though. What I do now, is what I will continue to do until I am replaced or I grow too old to do it," he added. He didn't seem inclined to state anything further, after that.
“I understand.” She felt like the statement was true, though which part of his words exactly she was responding to wasn’t obvious, even to her. “Anyway… let me get you Mankey’s papers, and then we can talk about his diet and when to bring him by for a checkup.” It seemed better to let the former thread of discussion drop, for now; Ana wasn’t sure about Eryk, but too much further into all of that and she wasn’t going to be able to hold her tongue about certain things she really ought not to discuss.
Not even with a friend, new as he was to the position.
Eryk sighed, leaning his head on the flat of his hand. He stared at the papers in front of him, a glare on his face. He could tell he was glaring; he could feel the pulls of his eyes and the way his mouth tilted just slightly. The upper echleons of HQ were becoming impatient, now. They wanted results, and he wasn't producing them. It's been almost a month and a half, but there were no new developments with any of the potential candidates. He doubted that learning she was a Joy would prove useful to them, but he wasn't entirely sure if he should send the information anyway. Would it change anything?
It didn't matter. If he didn't find something out soon, one of them would come down to Cinnabar. Eryk wasn't so inclined to let that happen. Depending on who they sent, they wouldn't be as gentle. He frowned at that thought. Why did that seem to bother him? If he'd stop being so careful perhaps he could have found out whatever it is they are looking for? He sighed deeply through his nose, glancing up in time to see his friend standing in the door way. He hadn't bothered to close it this time.
"Kas," he greeted, straightening out his posture a bit so that he wasn't leaning his head on his hands. His arms, however, remained on the desk, crossed. "Did you know she was a Joy?" he decided to ask. If Kasimir had any kind of reaction to it, it would help him decide whether or not to submit it to HQ.
Kas hmm’d, inviting himself into Eryk’s office and sprawling into one of the chairs in front of the desk. He threw a leg over the armrest and leaned sideways, his other foot planted on the floor. With a shake of his head, he offered a shrug. “No, though I had wondered. You don’t see hair that color too often, even if it’s a little off-shade.” He pressed his lips together for a moment. “It’s not in the file we got, and her last name is totally different from any of the Pokémon Center Joys, so you might want to make a note of it, I guess.”
He didn’t exactly sound sure either, though. Kas pushed a breath out of his nose and dragged a hand through his hair. “You think HQ’s gonna send one of those three if you don’t get them something soon, or what?”
Eryk turned the paper he was holding towards Kasimir, showing him that, indeed, one of those three would be sent if results did not start showing up. Those three, were the original three beasts, but they had been under different aliases. Moltres, Articuno, and Zapdos. They were, essentially, the opposite of what Kas, himself, and Cy were. But they were also much stronger and more lethal than they were. He didn't really want one of them to come down here and fuck things up for him, however; it didn't seem like they were going to have much of a choice.
"If I had to guess who, they'd probably send Katia," he spoke. Out of the three of the originals, she was the most lethal and was as cold as the beast she represented: Articuno. This he knew from experience because she was part of his clan as well. His cousin, if he remembered correctly. She was his aunt's daughter, Janine. But she was much older than he was, too. She was in her mid to late thirties, and she looked like an exact replica of his aunt. But most of all, she scared him. That was something in itself, and the mere thought of her coming down sent a visible shiver down his spine.
"There must be something more to it than just her connection to the Joys. It would be a little more helpful if they would at least tell us why these people were of such interest to them. Perhaps there is another connection that we are missing," he continued, pressing a deep sigh through his mouth. This was getting irritating.
Kasimir made a face at the mention of the former Three Beasts. “Man… those guys are no fun. I think Katia hates me,” he whined. Sighing through his nose, Kas kicked his other leg over the arm of the chair as well, sinking deeper into the cushions. His mouth dropped into a frown. “I’ve been digging,” he said, rubbing a hand on his cheek. He looked like he needed a shave.
“Looking for anything they might have in common. But there’s nothing, Ryk—nothing I can find. And you know how good I am with that kind of thing.” He was by far the information expert on the team, and he’d pulled data seemingly out of the ether before. “These people go from fourteen to seventy-four, men and women, kids, no kids, pokémon, no pokémon, from any region… I can’t pick out any common factors at all.”
Eryk breathed out softly this time, but Kas was right. There really wasn't anything that connected them all. Their families couldn't have been connected; it was too large even when one considered the Jennys or the Joys. Even his family was large, but there was no way that they could have all been related one way or another. "I don't think she hates you, Kas," he decided to state. "I think she's just a little obsessive, is all," he spoke, shuddering slightly. His cousin really did scare him, but he didn't really know what her problem was with Kas. She never seemed to like him, even when they first met.
"There has to be something, otherwise we're just wasting our time here," he continued. He didn't doubt Kas when he said he'd been looking. And he doubted he could. "Maybe, in a few weeks, something will show up. The Camilla festival will be here, and by then Ana," he spoke, swallowing a little too hard at that, "will have enough trust in me to say something," but he didn't quite like that thought. He leaned back in his chair, resting his arms comfortably on the arms of it.
"If we don't produce something after the festival, she'll be down here," he spoke softly. "I don't want her down here, you don't want her down here. Let's try and see if we can find something, Kas. We'll have to work a little harder, pry a little deeper. I don't like it any more than you do, but we have to," and he really didn't want to pry any harder than he already was.
Kas grimaced, but he didn’t look any more comfortable with the situation than Eryk was. “Leaves a sour taste in my mouth, trying to bother that girl,” he said quietly, shaking his head. But like he always did, Kas swallowed the unease and plastered a smile on his face. “I do have an idea, though. Ask her to the festival with you. It’ll be a chance to observe her outside of her usual environment, and if there’s something she’s keeping from us, it’s more likely to surface by accident in a situation like that than one where she’s completely comfortable.”
He paused for a moment. “Cy and I can go with you. If it’s a group thing, she’s probably more likely to agree.”
"I... actually planned on asking her," he mumbled just slightly, turning his head so that he was glancing towards the side. He had planned on it, but Cy had told him earlier that Drake was going to ask her. He didn't necessarily want Drake to take her, but there was a slight possibility that Ana would probably prefer spending it with someone who was a little more vibrant than himself. After all, what kind of company could he offer her? He didn't particularly like festivals, though he wouldn't mind enjoying the food.
"Perhaps I shall ask her anyway," he concluded. "Thanks... Kas," he spoke, a little surprised at himself. Maybe Ana and Cy were finally starting to rub off on him.
Surprise flashed briefly over Kasimir’s face, but then he grinned broadly. “You’re welcome, Ryk.”
It didn't matter. If he didn't find something out soon, one of them would come down to Cinnabar. Eryk wasn't so inclined to let that happen. Depending on who they sent, they wouldn't be as gentle. He frowned at that thought. Why did that seem to bother him? If he'd stop being so careful perhaps he could have found out whatever it is they are looking for? He sighed deeply through his nose, glancing up in time to see his friend standing in the door way. He hadn't bothered to close it this time.
"Kas," he greeted, straightening out his posture a bit so that he wasn't leaning his head on his hands. His arms, however, remained on the desk, crossed. "Did you know she was a Joy?" he decided to ask. If Kasimir had any kind of reaction to it, it would help him decide whether or not to submit it to HQ.
Kas hmm’d, inviting himself into Eryk’s office and sprawling into one of the chairs in front of the desk. He threw a leg over the armrest and leaned sideways, his other foot planted on the floor. With a shake of his head, he offered a shrug. “No, though I had wondered. You don’t see hair that color too often, even if it’s a little off-shade.” He pressed his lips together for a moment. “It’s not in the file we got, and her last name is totally different from any of the Pokémon Center Joys, so you might want to make a note of it, I guess.”
He didn’t exactly sound sure either, though. Kas pushed a breath out of his nose and dragged a hand through his hair. “You think HQ’s gonna send one of those three if you don’t get them something soon, or what?”
Eryk turned the paper he was holding towards Kasimir, showing him that, indeed, one of those three would be sent if results did not start showing up. Those three, were the original three beasts, but they had been under different aliases. Moltres, Articuno, and Zapdos. They were, essentially, the opposite of what Kas, himself, and Cy were. But they were also much stronger and more lethal than they were. He didn't really want one of them to come down here and fuck things up for him, however; it didn't seem like they were going to have much of a choice.
"If I had to guess who, they'd probably send Katia," he spoke. Out of the three of the originals, she was the most lethal and was as cold as the beast she represented: Articuno. This he knew from experience because she was part of his clan as well. His cousin, if he remembered correctly. She was his aunt's daughter, Janine. But she was much older than he was, too. She was in her mid to late thirties, and she looked like an exact replica of his aunt. But most of all, she scared him. That was something in itself, and the mere thought of her coming down sent a visible shiver down his spine.
"There must be something more to it than just her connection to the Joys. It would be a little more helpful if they would at least tell us why these people were of such interest to them. Perhaps there is another connection that we are missing," he continued, pressing a deep sigh through his mouth. This was getting irritating.
Kasimir made a face at the mention of the former Three Beasts. “Man… those guys are no fun. I think Katia hates me,” he whined. Sighing through his nose, Kas kicked his other leg over the arm of the chair as well, sinking deeper into the cushions. His mouth dropped into a frown. “I’ve been digging,” he said, rubbing a hand on his cheek. He looked like he needed a shave.
“Looking for anything they might have in common. But there’s nothing, Ryk—nothing I can find. And you know how good I am with that kind of thing.” He was by far the information expert on the team, and he’d pulled data seemingly out of the ether before. “These people go from fourteen to seventy-four, men and women, kids, no kids, pokémon, no pokémon, from any region… I can’t pick out any common factors at all.”
Eryk breathed out softly this time, but Kas was right. There really wasn't anything that connected them all. Their families couldn't have been connected; it was too large even when one considered the Jennys or the Joys. Even his family was large, but there was no way that they could have all been related one way or another. "I don't think she hates you, Kas," he decided to state. "I think she's just a little obsessive, is all," he spoke, shuddering slightly. His cousin really did scare him, but he didn't really know what her problem was with Kas. She never seemed to like him, even when they first met.
"There has to be something, otherwise we're just wasting our time here," he continued. He didn't doubt Kas when he said he'd been looking. And he doubted he could. "Maybe, in a few weeks, something will show up. The Camilla festival will be here, and by then Ana," he spoke, swallowing a little too hard at that, "will have enough trust in me to say something," but he didn't quite like that thought. He leaned back in his chair, resting his arms comfortably on the arms of it.
"If we don't produce something after the festival, she'll be down here," he spoke softly. "I don't want her down here, you don't want her down here. Let's try and see if we can find something, Kas. We'll have to work a little harder, pry a little deeper. I don't like it any more than you do, but we have to," and he really didn't want to pry any harder than he already was.
Kas grimaced, but he didn’t look any more comfortable with the situation than Eryk was. “Leaves a sour taste in my mouth, trying to bother that girl,” he said quietly, shaking his head. But like he always did, Kas swallowed the unease and plastered a smile on his face. “I do have an idea, though. Ask her to the festival with you. It’ll be a chance to observe her outside of her usual environment, and if there’s something she’s keeping from us, it’s more likely to surface by accident in a situation like that than one where she’s completely comfortable.”
He paused for a moment. “Cy and I can go with you. If it’s a group thing, she’s probably more likely to agree.”
"I... actually planned on asking her," he mumbled just slightly, turning his head so that he was glancing towards the side. He had planned on it, but Cy had told him earlier that Drake was going to ask her. He didn't necessarily want Drake to take her, but there was a slight possibility that Ana would probably prefer spending it with someone who was a little more vibrant than himself. After all, what kind of company could he offer her? He didn't particularly like festivals, though he wouldn't mind enjoying the food.
"Perhaps I shall ask her anyway," he concluded. "Thanks... Kas," he spoke, a little surprised at himself. Maybe Ana and Cy were finally starting to rub off on him.
Surprise flashed briefly over Kasimir’s face, but then he grinned broadly. “You’re welcome, Ryk.”
The Three Beasts, as they were officially titled, were all actually in the same room at the same time, for once. Specifically, they were in Eryk’s room, which was not the same thing as his office. Kasimir was up-side down, his knees hooked over the back of an old armchair and his head hanging off the seat. It was, he thought, the appropriate position for this situation—what could be more upside-down than Ryk basically asking for dating advice?
Okay, so it wasn’t really dating advice, but it was basically the same thing. The plan was still for him to get Ana to come with them to the Camilla Festival, the annual start of summer and tourist season on Cinnabar Island. It was pretty similar to an event on the Orange Islands called the Palm Festival. He was pretty sure it would involve most of the same kind of stuff—people got dressed up in colorful clothes and spent the evening walking around the island, shopping, eating, spending time together, and then lighting paper lanterns and sending them out on the ocean as a gesture for good luck and to welcome the season.
The important point here was that Eryk needed to ask Anastasia to it, and for whatever reason, he decided that was something he had to do. Even if he asked with no intent of making it anything like a real date—and Kas wasn’t so sure about that—it was going to look like he was asking her out. Which meant she might think he was. Which meant he had to do it in such a way as to convince her to accept.
Which meant he needed to be a little less like Eryk and a little more like hypothetical-Eryk-who-has-manners-and-maybe-even-charm. That was a pretty tall order. Apparently, teaching Eryk how to be hypothetical-Eryk was a job for both Kas and Cy. Honestly, he was happy to have reinforcements on this one; they were still having trouble with store clerks, and it had been weeks. Nearly eight of them in total.
“So… what exactly was it that you wanted to know, Ryk? You pretty much just ask her if she wants to go with you. Maybe lead into it by asking if she has plans for it or not. It’s not complicated.” He’d been considering asking Fiona from accounting to go with him, but since it was a mission now, that plan was firmly quashed. No skin off his teeth. She’d be fine just meeting up at some point later in the week—it wasn’t like they really dated or anything.
Kas didn't really do that, though he knew how it worked. Apparently, that made him the expert here. His coworkers really needed lives.
Eryk pursed his lips together, as if he still didn't quite understand what Kas was saying. "But if I ask her straight up, she might take it wrong, and you know how I am with other people. I might end up just scaring her off instead. I'm not good at this kind of thing, Kas, you know this. Both of you," he spoke, eyeing both Kas on the chair, and Cyrilla who'd taken to sitting cross-legged on Eryk's bed. She didn't say anything, though, and just glanced in Kas' direction.
"I need to know how to ask without upsetting her or giving her the wrong impression. You know how delicate this matter is," though from the way he said it, it almost sounded like he cared.
The tone sent up a little red flag in Kasimir’s mind—something about this was very dangerous, and he knew exactly what it was. But… for all the danger, it might also be a good thing. Resisting the urge to bring it up, Kas instead turned his attention to the actual issue at hand. It was far too soon to be trying to decide what to do about whatever it was that produced that sound in Eryk’s voice.
Crossing his arms, Kas sighed. “Fortunately, we’re talking about Ana. She’s not likely to misinterpret you if you’re clear. Also fortunately, she doesn’t seem to get offended when you’re really blunt about things. So… tell her that we are inviting her to come to the festival with us—that way it’s clear that it’s an outing we’re all participating in as friends.” His mouth pulled to the side. “Or let me do it. Whichever.”
"As friends? What else would it be?" he questioned, though he turned in the direction of Cyrilla, who snorted softly into her hand. "I still want to be careful about it. Even if she doesn't take it the wrong way, even if I do ask her as bluntly as possible, there is still a small chance that I could offend her somehow. I could say the wrong thing, mention the wrong subject, or just say something she might not like," he continued, sighing a bit heavily. He pulled his hand up to his face, pinching the bridge of his nose as he leaned against the wall for slight support.
"But she won't, Ryk. If she hasn't said anything by now, and if she enjoys your company, then there really isn't anything to worry about. Just ask her; it's that simple. If you don't do it soon, Drake is going to sweep in and take away that opportunity. Do you really want him to do that?" Cyrilla chimed in, though there was a visible tick in Eryk's jaw. He didn't seem to like that idea too much.
"It's easier said than done, Cy. What if you were to ask Luke if he wanted to go, but he wanted to go with someone else?" he shot back, causing Cy to flinch just slightly. "I didn't mean it that way, Cy," he stated, sighing a bit too heavily.
Luke? Why was he suddenly in this conversation? Kasimir didn’t think he’d missed anything that important by way of social developments. He’d been a little more careful with Cy recently, as she seemed especially sensitive lately. Particularly in regards to him. He hated that he was inadvertently making her life worse, and so he tried to give her as much space as he could for that fresh start she wanted. Difficult when they had to work so closely together, but he tried. Had he really missed…?
No, the look on her face was wrong for that. Kasimir breathed an internal sigh of relief—then he paused. He shouldn’t be relieved about that. It would be good if she were able to transfer her misplaced affection elsewhere. Her crush on him wasn’t going to amount to anything. He had no intention of letting it.
Pulling his thoughts away from that mess, he refocused it on Eryk’s more manageable predicament. “Ryk, I hate to break this to you, man,” he said, pulling himself up so he could sit a little more normally in the chair. “But… that’s a risk in literally any social interaction with literally anyone. You just have to use what you already know. Surely you’ve talked to her plenty of times by now. If there’s anything she’s avoided talking about, or any time she’s seemed distressed, don’t go back to whatever subject that was. I really don’t think she’s going to get offended if you ask her to come with us to the Camilla Festival. Give her a little more credit than that—she’s not made of glass, and even if you’re the conversational equivalent of a sledgehammer, she seems to like you well enough.”
In any other situation, he’d probably have been laughing his ass off at how concerned Ryk was about Ana’s feelings. Imagine—his friend who didn’t even get why manners were necessary, worried about offending someone. But there was more to it than that; this was a mission. The concern might not be personal at all, but only related to the success of their aim. Or, as Kas privately suspected, it could be some blend of the two that Eryk didn’t really understand himself yet.
A soft murmur escaped Eryk, however; it was hard to tell if it was a groan or something else. "I suppose you're right. There isn't any other solution," he finally seemed to concede to the idea, and glanced towards Kas. "I'll ask her today, before the day is over," he stated, pushing himself off of the wall. "I suspect the two of you will be joining us as well, that way it won't be..." he seemed at a loss for what he was trying to say.
"Awkward?" Cy spoke, completing his sentence. She tilted a brow in his direction, but there was a sort of mischievous smile on her face. "Sure, I'll tag along. Why not? We can't let Ryk feel awkward in these kinds of situations, can we, Kas?" she spoke, glancing towards Kas.
And though he was trying to be good, trying to give her her space, he couldn't resist joking back. “I don’t know if that will make things better, or just make it look like a double-date,” he observed, shooting her a bright grin. “But I’m not complaining either way. I’m only human, after all.”
Wasn’t he ever.
"True, it would look that way, wouldn't it?" she replied, laughing softly though there was a bit of pink dusting her cheeks. Eryk didn't look too happy about it though. "Oh come on, Ryk, it'll be fun. It's just between friends, right? There's no harm in that, and if she sees all three of us, she'll be more likely inclined to say yes. It's a win-win situation for you," she spoke.
"Sometimes, I have this distinct feeling that you are both conspiring against me," was the only thing he said.
“Of course we are,” Kas replied immediately. “You’d never have any fun, otherwise.”
Okay, so it wasn’t really dating advice, but it was basically the same thing. The plan was still for him to get Ana to come with them to the Camilla Festival, the annual start of summer and tourist season on Cinnabar Island. It was pretty similar to an event on the Orange Islands called the Palm Festival. He was pretty sure it would involve most of the same kind of stuff—people got dressed up in colorful clothes and spent the evening walking around the island, shopping, eating, spending time together, and then lighting paper lanterns and sending them out on the ocean as a gesture for good luck and to welcome the season.
The important point here was that Eryk needed to ask Anastasia to it, and for whatever reason, he decided that was something he had to do. Even if he asked with no intent of making it anything like a real date—and Kas wasn’t so sure about that—it was going to look like he was asking her out. Which meant she might think he was. Which meant he had to do it in such a way as to convince her to accept.
Which meant he needed to be a little less like Eryk and a little more like hypothetical-Eryk-who-has-manners-and-maybe-even-charm. That was a pretty tall order. Apparently, teaching Eryk how to be hypothetical-Eryk was a job for both Kas and Cy. Honestly, he was happy to have reinforcements on this one; they were still having trouble with store clerks, and it had been weeks. Nearly eight of them in total.
“So… what exactly was it that you wanted to know, Ryk? You pretty much just ask her if she wants to go with you. Maybe lead into it by asking if she has plans for it or not. It’s not complicated.” He’d been considering asking Fiona from accounting to go with him, but since it was a mission now, that plan was firmly quashed. No skin off his teeth. She’d be fine just meeting up at some point later in the week—it wasn’t like they really dated or anything.
Kas didn't really do that, though he knew how it worked. Apparently, that made him the expert here. His coworkers really needed lives.
Eryk pursed his lips together, as if he still didn't quite understand what Kas was saying. "But if I ask her straight up, she might take it wrong, and you know how I am with other people. I might end up just scaring her off instead. I'm not good at this kind of thing, Kas, you know this. Both of you," he spoke, eyeing both Kas on the chair, and Cyrilla who'd taken to sitting cross-legged on Eryk's bed. She didn't say anything, though, and just glanced in Kas' direction.
"I need to know how to ask without upsetting her or giving her the wrong impression. You know how delicate this matter is," though from the way he said it, it almost sounded like he cared.
The tone sent up a little red flag in Kasimir’s mind—something about this was very dangerous, and he knew exactly what it was. But… for all the danger, it might also be a good thing. Resisting the urge to bring it up, Kas instead turned his attention to the actual issue at hand. It was far too soon to be trying to decide what to do about whatever it was that produced that sound in Eryk’s voice.
Crossing his arms, Kas sighed. “Fortunately, we’re talking about Ana. She’s not likely to misinterpret you if you’re clear. Also fortunately, she doesn’t seem to get offended when you’re really blunt about things. So… tell her that we are inviting her to come to the festival with us—that way it’s clear that it’s an outing we’re all participating in as friends.” His mouth pulled to the side. “Or let me do it. Whichever.”
"As friends? What else would it be?" he questioned, though he turned in the direction of Cyrilla, who snorted softly into her hand. "I still want to be careful about it. Even if she doesn't take it the wrong way, even if I do ask her as bluntly as possible, there is still a small chance that I could offend her somehow. I could say the wrong thing, mention the wrong subject, or just say something she might not like," he continued, sighing a bit heavily. He pulled his hand up to his face, pinching the bridge of his nose as he leaned against the wall for slight support.
"But she won't, Ryk. If she hasn't said anything by now, and if she enjoys your company, then there really isn't anything to worry about. Just ask her; it's that simple. If you don't do it soon, Drake is going to sweep in and take away that opportunity. Do you really want him to do that?" Cyrilla chimed in, though there was a visible tick in Eryk's jaw. He didn't seem to like that idea too much.
"It's easier said than done, Cy. What if you were to ask Luke if he wanted to go, but he wanted to go with someone else?" he shot back, causing Cy to flinch just slightly. "I didn't mean it that way, Cy," he stated, sighing a bit too heavily.
Luke? Why was he suddenly in this conversation? Kasimir didn’t think he’d missed anything that important by way of social developments. He’d been a little more careful with Cy recently, as she seemed especially sensitive lately. Particularly in regards to him. He hated that he was inadvertently making her life worse, and so he tried to give her as much space as he could for that fresh start she wanted. Difficult when they had to work so closely together, but he tried. Had he really missed…?
No, the look on her face was wrong for that. Kasimir breathed an internal sigh of relief—then he paused. He shouldn’t be relieved about that. It would be good if she were able to transfer her misplaced affection elsewhere. Her crush on him wasn’t going to amount to anything. He had no intention of letting it.
Pulling his thoughts away from that mess, he refocused it on Eryk’s more manageable predicament. “Ryk, I hate to break this to you, man,” he said, pulling himself up so he could sit a little more normally in the chair. “But… that’s a risk in literally any social interaction with literally anyone. You just have to use what you already know. Surely you’ve talked to her plenty of times by now. If there’s anything she’s avoided talking about, or any time she’s seemed distressed, don’t go back to whatever subject that was. I really don’t think she’s going to get offended if you ask her to come with us to the Camilla Festival. Give her a little more credit than that—she’s not made of glass, and even if you’re the conversational equivalent of a sledgehammer, she seems to like you well enough.”
In any other situation, he’d probably have been laughing his ass off at how concerned Ryk was about Ana’s feelings. Imagine—his friend who didn’t even get why manners were necessary, worried about offending someone. But there was more to it than that; this was a mission. The concern might not be personal at all, but only related to the success of their aim. Or, as Kas privately suspected, it could be some blend of the two that Eryk didn’t really understand himself yet.
A soft murmur escaped Eryk, however; it was hard to tell if it was a groan or something else. "I suppose you're right. There isn't any other solution," he finally seemed to concede to the idea, and glanced towards Kas. "I'll ask her today, before the day is over," he stated, pushing himself off of the wall. "I suspect the two of you will be joining us as well, that way it won't be..." he seemed at a loss for what he was trying to say.
"Awkward?" Cy spoke, completing his sentence. She tilted a brow in his direction, but there was a sort of mischievous smile on her face. "Sure, I'll tag along. Why not? We can't let Ryk feel awkward in these kinds of situations, can we, Kas?" she spoke, glancing towards Kas.
And though he was trying to be good, trying to give her her space, he couldn't resist joking back. “I don’t know if that will make things better, or just make it look like a double-date,” he observed, shooting her a bright grin. “But I’m not complaining either way. I’m only human, after all.”
Wasn’t he ever.
"True, it would look that way, wouldn't it?" she replied, laughing softly though there was a bit of pink dusting her cheeks. Eryk didn't look too happy about it though. "Oh come on, Ryk, it'll be fun. It's just between friends, right? There's no harm in that, and if she sees all three of us, she'll be more likely inclined to say yes. It's a win-win situation for you," she spoke.
"Sometimes, I have this distinct feeling that you are both conspiring against me," was the only thing he said.
“Of course we are,” Kas replied immediately. “You’d never have any fun, otherwise.”
Eryk sighed, spearing a hand through his hair and running it down his face. The sun was a little harsh today, and he could feel the rays beating against his skin. Luckily, he wasn't sweating quite yet, and he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to be sweating. It'd only give him a reason to turn back. He didn't want to look like he'd just run a few miles when he showed up to her place. And he didn't need that. He was going to do this. It was odd though, the feeling that seemed to settle in his stomach. What if Drake had already beaten him to it, and asked Ana to the festival? What if she already said yes, and didn't want to go with him?
He certainly wouldn't fault her for it. Drake was a much better person than he was, and perhaps this was what caused the hostility towards the Gym Leader. There were noticeable differences between himself and Drake, things that Eryk couldn't help but ponder about. He was scarred; Drake was not. Drake was a Gym Leader; he was Team Rocket. Did she even know he was with Team Rocket? What if he told her that and she turned him away? What if she didn't want anything more to do with him if he told her he was part of Team Rocket? That would mean he fucked up the mission, and they'd probably send all three of the Birds.
"Fuck," he stated out loud, pausing momentarily in his stride. He needed to clear his mind. All of these what ifs were really fucking with his mind. He needed to his head to be clear so that he wouldn't mess this up. He couldn't afford to mess this up. He resumed his pace, his mind less at ease but more controlled. It didn't take him too long after that episode, to reach Ana's place. He stood outside her gate, still contemplating whether or not he should even be here. It was odd, though. There was something missing. Rufus wasn't at the gate as usual, and Eryk furrowed his brows. He was probably on the other side of the center, and that thought brightened up his mood a bit. He'd grown a bit fond of the stoutland.
He pushed forward, opening the gate, however; he paused at the door. He shouldn't just barge in like he usually did. He needed to be a little more subtle about this. And so he knocked on the door.
A series of wheezy woofs gave away that Rufus was inside the house. It wasn’t more than another couple of seconds before Eryk could hear soft footsteps heading towards the door; one of the floorboards in the entrance hallway was squeaky, and she stepped on it on her way to get the door. Sure enough, it opened right after; Ana stood on the other side.
Her expression, which had been neutral, morphed into a moment of mild surprise, followed by a slow-blooming smile. She opened the screen door immediately, gesturing him inside. “Hello Eryk,” Anastasia greeted him with warmth in her tone, tilting her head slightly. Her ponytail fell over one shoulder. “I wasn’t expecting you today. You really don’t have to knock, though—my door’s always unlocked in the middle of the day like this.”
"I know," he replied almost immediately after. He'd been coming here for almost a month and a half now, and he always just walked in. This, however, was a little more delicate. He couldn't just barge in, ask if she'd accompany him to the festival, and then be on his way. No, it wasn't that easy for Eryk Nero. "I just... knocking seemed more appropriate," he added, stepping inside the home. He reached down towards Rufus, rubbed the stoutland's head in a gentle manner, before standing up in a proper posture.
"There was... something I'd like to ask of you," he spoke, tilting his head just slightly. He wasn't entirely sure how he wanted to phrase this. "Would," fuck this was harder than it should be. He sighed softly, softly so as to not concern her or anything. He pursed his lips together, furrowing his brows rather deeply. This was easier when he was talking to Kas and Cy, but now that he was actually trying to ask her, it was proving to be difficult.
"The Camilla Festival, it's in a week," he started again, this time referring to the festival itself. That would be a little easier, bring the subject in first. "Kas, Cy, and myself were going. I was... would you like to attend with me, us?" he spoke, correcting himself towards the end of that statement. If he said that, at least it wouldn't be as awkward, right? He was slightly thankful at that moment that his skin was a little darker. Not quite like Kas, but more tanned. He could feel a strange sensation crossing his face.
Ana blinked at him for a few seconds. “Oh, that’s right,” she said quietly. “I hadn’t realized it was so soon. Um…” The word trailed off into a hum. “Saturday, Saturday… no, I don’t have anything I have to do then.” Her smile returned. “I’d be happy to go with you. I missed it when I moved here last year because I was so busy setting things up. It would be really nice to have some friends to go with this time.”
Thankfully, she didn’t seem to have misinterpreted at all. “Do you have to be off, or would you like to stay for a little while? We could do Mankey’s last checkup if you have a little while. If not, that’s okay; the appointment’s still there for tomorrow.”
Eryk was a little relieved. He really wasn't expecting it to be that easy. He was expecting something completely different, something like rejection. There, softly, he could feel it. A small something spreading across his face. It wasn't noticeable, but he knew it was there. He coughed in his hand to banish it, though, and focused back on Anastasia. He was off now, so he could probably stay and get Mankey's last check up. He was a little hesitant, though, to release said pokemon. Mankey was proving to be a little more difficult than he'd initially suspected. It appeared that Mankey wasn't too fond of Eryk.
He liked everyone else, especially Ana and Cyrilla. Hell, Mankey even liked Kas, and that really bugged him. He frowned slightly at that. "I have time," he replied, reaching for Mankey's ball, and tugging it forward. "He is proving... difficult," he spoke softly, but he wasn't entirely upset about it. He took Mankey with the purpose of helping him out, but he didn't quite think it would be this difficult.
Ana nodded sympathetically. “To be honest… I kind of expected that. But I think that might be a sign that when the two of you do overcome this initial stage, you’ll work really well together. With some pokémon, the respect you earn is much deeper than the kind that’s given out for free.” She paused, pulling her lower lip between her teeth for a moment.
“I guess some people are like that too, come to think of it.”
She led him back out of the house and around to the building on the far side of the lot. It was an indoor enclosure for the shelter’s pokémon on one side—so they could relax and be safe from the weather without the need for pokéballs, which she’d told him some of them didn’t like. The other side was a small medial set-up, with an examination table, a cabinet filled with supplies, and a wide array of diagnostic tools hanging neatly from hooks on the walls. Even if she’d never wanted to be a nurse, she was clearly qualified to have the job.
“If you don’t mind releasing him, we can get started.” Anastasia scrubbed her hands with soap in the sink, tying a white nurse’s apron on over her clothes and looping a stethoscope over her neck.
Eryk nodded, and pushed the button on Mankey's ball. It expanded, and he gave it a toss, watching as the stream of red light gave way to Mankey. Immediately, Mankey was on Eryk's shoulders, all six of his fingers working on Eryk's face. He could feel Mankey pulling at his cheeks, and his lips, and it was taking a lot of patience to not just throw the Mankey off. He'd come close a few times to actually fighting with Mankey, however; Kas or Cy always managed to walk in at that exact moment, and Mankey would calm down and hop over to them.
"This is a daily occurrence," he tried to say, however; Mankey's hands were still on his face, as if he were trying to mold Eryk's face into something else.
Ana actually laughed—a light sound, and subtle as far as laughter went. It obviously wasn’t a mocking sort of thing; just genuine amusement. “Your patience is admirable,” she told him, sounding sincere despite the residual smile on her face. “Mankey, why don’t you come here? It’s been a few days since I’ve seen you.” She held her arms out, as if asking for a hug.
Mankey was off of Eryk's shoulder in a heartbeat, leaping into Ana's outstretched arms and nuzzling against her. Eryk just frowned. "You and the others make it look easy," he simply stated. He really didn't like that, but there wasn't much he could really do about it. As if sensing his unease, Mankey turned towards Eryk, and seemed to give him a bit of a mischievous smirk. At least the way his eyes were glimmering made it seem that way. Eryk simply narrowed his eyes further. Mankey, obviously immune to Eryk's glare, continued nuzzling against Ana, causing Eryk to scoff.
"I'm not sure if it's actually patience, or if somehow Kas and Cy have turned me into a masochist," he stated honestly. "Mankey just has a personal vendetta against me. I'm convinced of it," he continued, narrowing his eyes slightly at said pokemon.
Running her fingers through Mankey’s fur, Ana shook her head. “There’s a difference between friends and trainers, right Mankey?” She dropped her head, pressing her lips just briefly to the pokémon’s brow before she drew back. “All right then. We’ll start with your heart rate today, okay?” Though mankeys were not among the few pokémon species that had full command over human speech, she spoke to him as though she expected he’d understand. Some of them could recognize general ideas, at least. Or maybe she was just a little weird.
She warmed the stethoscope between her hands for a few seconds before she pressed it to Mankey’s chest; her eyes flicked up to the ceiling as she listened and counted heartbeats. Then she swapped it to his back, bobbing her head just slightly in time with what she heard. She didn’t seem to realize she was doing it. Ana ran a few other simple tests of the same kind: one with a small light for the eyes, a blood pressure test, and an inspection of Mankey’s teeth and tongue.
Throwing the tongue depresser in the trash can nearby, she snapped off her gloves. “Everything looks to be in perfect working order,” she announced. “Even his gum infection has disappeared. And I’m not seeing any signs of malnutrition, either, so you can put him on an ordinary diet now. Should be simpler for you.” She rubbed Mankey’s head affectionately. “Thank you, for taking such good care of him.”
If mankeys could purr, Eryk was certain his was. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes, and simply focused them on Ana. He'd followed her directions down to the letter, he supposed that might have a lot to do with Mankey's recovering. He simply nodded his head in her direction, though. "You're welcome," he finally spoke, deciding it was better to look anywhere else but at her. She was too kind, and perhaps it would be best if she didn't attend with him. He gave the thought too much time, and decided to banish it. She'd already agreed, and he'd probably be an asshole for rescinding it.
"If you'd be so kind," he began, pausing momentarily. It would be easier if he kept getting the food from her. At least he'd still have a reason to come see her if she decided she didn't need his help anymore. "Would it be too much to ask if you could provide his feed? I would compensate you for it," he questioned. He would, if she'd keep supplying Mankey's feed.
"You don't have to, but it would be much appreciated," he added. Plus, he'd have to figure out exactly what Mankey liked, otherwise he probably wouldn't eat just any feed given to him. At least with Ana's feed, Mankey would eat it.
“I can do that,” she agreed easily. “I always a get a little extra in my weekly shipments anyway, so it’s no trouble. But you don’t need to pay me for it. Consider it compensation for all the work you do around here, if you like.” She smiled slightly.
“By the way… the Camilla Festival is usually celebrated in yukata, as I understand it. I don’t know if Cyrilla has any, but I have a few that should fit her if she needs to borrow one. Would you mind telling her, just so she knows?”
He didn't like that idea. Just because he helped her out around the center didn't mean he should receive payment by food. He wanted to compensate her for it, however; something in the back of his mind told him she would refuse if he tried. Sighing, he nodded his head and decided not to say anything on that matter. He, however, nodded to her next statement. It was typically celebrated in that fashion, but he was also certain Cy didn't have any to wear. She'd always worn the Executive outfit, and wore something more simple when she went out.
"I shall inform her when I return. She will be... happy for it, I think," he decided to say. If she would be happy, he wasn't entirely sure. Maybe she would be; maybe she wouldn't be. He would still tell her when he returned. Perhaps he should do that now?
"If you need anything, or are in need of any further assistance today," he began, but chose not to continue elaborating. Hopefully, she would understand what he was getting at.
Apparently she did, because she shook her head immediately. “I’m mostly done with my chores for the day, actually. If you don’t mind coming back tomorrow, the shed door is starting to stick again—I think the rain last week might have warped it a little bit. I’d sand it myself, but I’m not sure how well that would work. Maybe you can take a look and tell me if I just need to get a new one?”
He pursed his lips for a moment, contemplating whether or not he should look at it now. He decided against it. He had a reason to come back tomorrow. He wasn't sure why he was a little happy about that, though. "I will be here first thing tomorrow morning. It will also be a good opportunity to teach Mankey about some things," he added. It would, actually, be a way to see how far Mankey was willing to listen to him. Surely, he'd be a little more tame with Ana around? He shouldn't be so hopeful in that.
"Until then," he spoke, saying a quick farewell, and excusing himself out. He was, oddly, looking forward to tomorrow.
He certainly wouldn't fault her for it. Drake was a much better person than he was, and perhaps this was what caused the hostility towards the Gym Leader. There were noticeable differences between himself and Drake, things that Eryk couldn't help but ponder about. He was scarred; Drake was not. Drake was a Gym Leader; he was Team Rocket. Did she even know he was with Team Rocket? What if he told her that and she turned him away? What if she didn't want anything more to do with him if he told her he was part of Team Rocket? That would mean he fucked up the mission, and they'd probably send all three of the Birds.
"Fuck," he stated out loud, pausing momentarily in his stride. He needed to clear his mind. All of these what ifs were really fucking with his mind. He needed to his head to be clear so that he wouldn't mess this up. He couldn't afford to mess this up. He resumed his pace, his mind less at ease but more controlled. It didn't take him too long after that episode, to reach Ana's place. He stood outside her gate, still contemplating whether or not he should even be here. It was odd, though. There was something missing. Rufus wasn't at the gate as usual, and Eryk furrowed his brows. He was probably on the other side of the center, and that thought brightened up his mood a bit. He'd grown a bit fond of the stoutland.
He pushed forward, opening the gate, however; he paused at the door. He shouldn't just barge in like he usually did. He needed to be a little more subtle about this. And so he knocked on the door.
A series of wheezy woofs gave away that Rufus was inside the house. It wasn’t more than another couple of seconds before Eryk could hear soft footsteps heading towards the door; one of the floorboards in the entrance hallway was squeaky, and she stepped on it on her way to get the door. Sure enough, it opened right after; Ana stood on the other side.
Her expression, which had been neutral, morphed into a moment of mild surprise, followed by a slow-blooming smile. She opened the screen door immediately, gesturing him inside. “Hello Eryk,” Anastasia greeted him with warmth in her tone, tilting her head slightly. Her ponytail fell over one shoulder. “I wasn’t expecting you today. You really don’t have to knock, though—my door’s always unlocked in the middle of the day like this.”
"I know," he replied almost immediately after. He'd been coming here for almost a month and a half now, and he always just walked in. This, however, was a little more delicate. He couldn't just barge in, ask if she'd accompany him to the festival, and then be on his way. No, it wasn't that easy for Eryk Nero. "I just... knocking seemed more appropriate," he added, stepping inside the home. He reached down towards Rufus, rubbed the stoutland's head in a gentle manner, before standing up in a proper posture.
"There was... something I'd like to ask of you," he spoke, tilting his head just slightly. He wasn't entirely sure how he wanted to phrase this. "Would," fuck this was harder than it should be. He sighed softly, softly so as to not concern her or anything. He pursed his lips together, furrowing his brows rather deeply. This was easier when he was talking to Kas and Cy, but now that he was actually trying to ask her, it was proving to be difficult.
"The Camilla Festival, it's in a week," he started again, this time referring to the festival itself. That would be a little easier, bring the subject in first. "Kas, Cy, and myself were going. I was... would you like to attend with me, us?" he spoke, correcting himself towards the end of that statement. If he said that, at least it wouldn't be as awkward, right? He was slightly thankful at that moment that his skin was a little darker. Not quite like Kas, but more tanned. He could feel a strange sensation crossing his face.
Ana blinked at him for a few seconds. “Oh, that’s right,” she said quietly. “I hadn’t realized it was so soon. Um…” The word trailed off into a hum. “Saturday, Saturday… no, I don’t have anything I have to do then.” Her smile returned. “I’d be happy to go with you. I missed it when I moved here last year because I was so busy setting things up. It would be really nice to have some friends to go with this time.”
Thankfully, she didn’t seem to have misinterpreted at all. “Do you have to be off, or would you like to stay for a little while? We could do Mankey’s last checkup if you have a little while. If not, that’s okay; the appointment’s still there for tomorrow.”
Eryk was a little relieved. He really wasn't expecting it to be that easy. He was expecting something completely different, something like rejection. There, softly, he could feel it. A small something spreading across his face. It wasn't noticeable, but he knew it was there. He coughed in his hand to banish it, though, and focused back on Anastasia. He was off now, so he could probably stay and get Mankey's last check up. He was a little hesitant, though, to release said pokemon. Mankey was proving to be a little more difficult than he'd initially suspected. It appeared that Mankey wasn't too fond of Eryk.
He liked everyone else, especially Ana and Cyrilla. Hell, Mankey even liked Kas, and that really bugged him. He frowned slightly at that. "I have time," he replied, reaching for Mankey's ball, and tugging it forward. "He is proving... difficult," he spoke softly, but he wasn't entirely upset about it. He took Mankey with the purpose of helping him out, but he didn't quite think it would be this difficult.
Ana nodded sympathetically. “To be honest… I kind of expected that. But I think that might be a sign that when the two of you do overcome this initial stage, you’ll work really well together. With some pokémon, the respect you earn is much deeper than the kind that’s given out for free.” She paused, pulling her lower lip between her teeth for a moment.
“I guess some people are like that too, come to think of it.”
She led him back out of the house and around to the building on the far side of the lot. It was an indoor enclosure for the shelter’s pokémon on one side—so they could relax and be safe from the weather without the need for pokéballs, which she’d told him some of them didn’t like. The other side was a small medial set-up, with an examination table, a cabinet filled with supplies, and a wide array of diagnostic tools hanging neatly from hooks on the walls. Even if she’d never wanted to be a nurse, she was clearly qualified to have the job.
“If you don’t mind releasing him, we can get started.” Anastasia scrubbed her hands with soap in the sink, tying a white nurse’s apron on over her clothes and looping a stethoscope over her neck.
Eryk nodded, and pushed the button on Mankey's ball. It expanded, and he gave it a toss, watching as the stream of red light gave way to Mankey. Immediately, Mankey was on Eryk's shoulders, all six of his fingers working on Eryk's face. He could feel Mankey pulling at his cheeks, and his lips, and it was taking a lot of patience to not just throw the Mankey off. He'd come close a few times to actually fighting with Mankey, however; Kas or Cy always managed to walk in at that exact moment, and Mankey would calm down and hop over to them.
"This is a daily occurrence," he tried to say, however; Mankey's hands were still on his face, as if he were trying to mold Eryk's face into something else.
Ana actually laughed—a light sound, and subtle as far as laughter went. It obviously wasn’t a mocking sort of thing; just genuine amusement. “Your patience is admirable,” she told him, sounding sincere despite the residual smile on her face. “Mankey, why don’t you come here? It’s been a few days since I’ve seen you.” She held her arms out, as if asking for a hug.
Mankey was off of Eryk's shoulder in a heartbeat, leaping into Ana's outstretched arms and nuzzling against her. Eryk just frowned. "You and the others make it look easy," he simply stated. He really didn't like that, but there wasn't much he could really do about it. As if sensing his unease, Mankey turned towards Eryk, and seemed to give him a bit of a mischievous smirk. At least the way his eyes were glimmering made it seem that way. Eryk simply narrowed his eyes further. Mankey, obviously immune to Eryk's glare, continued nuzzling against Ana, causing Eryk to scoff.
"I'm not sure if it's actually patience, or if somehow Kas and Cy have turned me into a masochist," he stated honestly. "Mankey just has a personal vendetta against me. I'm convinced of it," he continued, narrowing his eyes slightly at said pokemon.
Running her fingers through Mankey’s fur, Ana shook her head. “There’s a difference between friends and trainers, right Mankey?” She dropped her head, pressing her lips just briefly to the pokémon’s brow before she drew back. “All right then. We’ll start with your heart rate today, okay?” Though mankeys were not among the few pokémon species that had full command over human speech, she spoke to him as though she expected he’d understand. Some of them could recognize general ideas, at least. Or maybe she was just a little weird.
She warmed the stethoscope between her hands for a few seconds before she pressed it to Mankey’s chest; her eyes flicked up to the ceiling as she listened and counted heartbeats. Then she swapped it to his back, bobbing her head just slightly in time with what she heard. She didn’t seem to realize she was doing it. Ana ran a few other simple tests of the same kind: one with a small light for the eyes, a blood pressure test, and an inspection of Mankey’s teeth and tongue.
Throwing the tongue depresser in the trash can nearby, she snapped off her gloves. “Everything looks to be in perfect working order,” she announced. “Even his gum infection has disappeared. And I’m not seeing any signs of malnutrition, either, so you can put him on an ordinary diet now. Should be simpler for you.” She rubbed Mankey’s head affectionately. “Thank you, for taking such good care of him.”
If mankeys could purr, Eryk was certain his was. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes, and simply focused them on Ana. He'd followed her directions down to the letter, he supposed that might have a lot to do with Mankey's recovering. He simply nodded his head in her direction, though. "You're welcome," he finally spoke, deciding it was better to look anywhere else but at her. She was too kind, and perhaps it would be best if she didn't attend with him. He gave the thought too much time, and decided to banish it. She'd already agreed, and he'd probably be an asshole for rescinding it.
"If you'd be so kind," he began, pausing momentarily. It would be easier if he kept getting the food from her. At least he'd still have a reason to come see her if she decided she didn't need his help anymore. "Would it be too much to ask if you could provide his feed? I would compensate you for it," he questioned. He would, if she'd keep supplying Mankey's feed.
"You don't have to, but it would be much appreciated," he added. Plus, he'd have to figure out exactly what Mankey liked, otherwise he probably wouldn't eat just any feed given to him. At least with Ana's feed, Mankey would eat it.
“I can do that,” she agreed easily. “I always a get a little extra in my weekly shipments anyway, so it’s no trouble. But you don’t need to pay me for it. Consider it compensation for all the work you do around here, if you like.” She smiled slightly.
“By the way… the Camilla Festival is usually celebrated in yukata, as I understand it. I don’t know if Cyrilla has any, but I have a few that should fit her if she needs to borrow one. Would you mind telling her, just so she knows?”
He didn't like that idea. Just because he helped her out around the center didn't mean he should receive payment by food. He wanted to compensate her for it, however; something in the back of his mind told him she would refuse if he tried. Sighing, he nodded his head and decided not to say anything on that matter. He, however, nodded to her next statement. It was typically celebrated in that fashion, but he was also certain Cy didn't have any to wear. She'd always worn the Executive outfit, and wore something more simple when she went out.
"I shall inform her when I return. She will be... happy for it, I think," he decided to say. If she would be happy, he wasn't entirely sure. Maybe she would be; maybe she wouldn't be. He would still tell her when he returned. Perhaps he should do that now?
"If you need anything, or are in need of any further assistance today," he began, but chose not to continue elaborating. Hopefully, she would understand what he was getting at.
Apparently she did, because she shook her head immediately. “I’m mostly done with my chores for the day, actually. If you don’t mind coming back tomorrow, the shed door is starting to stick again—I think the rain last week might have warped it a little bit. I’d sand it myself, but I’m not sure how well that would work. Maybe you can take a look and tell me if I just need to get a new one?”
He pursed his lips for a moment, contemplating whether or not he should look at it now. He decided against it. He had a reason to come back tomorrow. He wasn't sure why he was a little happy about that, though. "I will be here first thing tomorrow morning. It will also be a good opportunity to teach Mankey about some things," he added. It would, actually, be a way to see how far Mankey was willing to listen to him. Surely, he'd be a little more tame with Ana around? He shouldn't be so hopeful in that.
"Until then," he spoke, saying a quick farewell, and excusing himself out. He was, oddly, looking forward to tomorrow.
“So… what’s your favorite color, Cyrilla? I get a lot of hand-me-downs from relatives; I have one of about every color of yukata you could think of.” To prove it, Ana pulled open her closet, where she’d moved all of them to the front. She didn’t really ask for or even want all the clothes that tended to get passed to her, but… it made her relatives feel nice to give them to her, and she couldn’t bring herself to get rid of gifts. At least not the nice ones like this.
Maybe if she dressed a little more nicely, her aunts and cousins wouldn’t think she needed quite so much help with her wardrobe? Something to consider later, maybe. The two of them were in Anastasia’s bedroom. It wasn’t anything fancy—just a bed and a dresser, with a single end table on the side not against the wall and a homemade blue quilt, plus a reading chair.
Cyrilla seemed to contemplate the question as a soft 'hmm' escaped her. She pursed her lips together, her brows furrowing in thought. She was really thinking about the question. "Well, I've always liked red," she began, however; she seemed a little hesitant about the color. "But I'm not entirely sure if I should wear red. It's... I think I might kind of drown in the color," she continued, laughing nervously. She sighed a little dejectedly, though, and chewed on her lip slightly.
"But red is still such a pretty color," she stated, sounding a little torn. Something seemed to click for her though, since her face lit up somewhat. "Oh, do you have one in red with gold trimmings?" she asked, seeming a little excited about it.
Ana was of half a mind to point out that it didn’t really matter whether she would ‘drown’ in the color as long as she wanted to wear it, but the second question precluded that. Humming slightly, she turned towards the closet, carefully moving various yukata aside until she reached the section for reds and pinks. There were a couple ones that were mostly red and white, but it looked like she only had one that included gold.
Yukata were very simple compared to other types of traditional Kanto garb, and the patterns tended to be a bit simpler or bolder—more fun. This one was mostly red, but patterned on the sleeves with golden-yellow outlines of diamonds, and the lower hem had more of the same, stacked together in a simple, but nice visual effect. The obi that went with it was gold and purple, with a white tie.
“How about this one? If that’s too plain, there was a red and white one with a swanna pattern…” She grabbed that one too and held both up in front of her. She thought both of them would probably fit; her aunts and cousins ran a gamut of sizes, and Ana only bothered to alter the things they sent her if she was actually going to use them.
"They're both so pretty, I couldn't just choose one," she spoke, glancing at the two yukata that Ana held. "But... I think I like this one a little more," she spoke, reaching for the red one with the gold diamonds. She pulled it a ways from Ana, though she didn't fully remove it from her hold. Instead, she seemed to trace the fabric and the patterns on the bottom, before a bright smile bloomed on her face.
"This one it is!" she seemed sure on it, and released her hold on it. "What about you, Ana, what are you going to wear?" she spoke, slightly curious, it seemed, as to which one Ana was choosing.
“I’m not very good with this sort of thing,” Ana admitted. Most of the time, these and the other nice clothes she had sat in the back of her closet. Occasionally she’d wear a sundress or something—those were easy and most of them were in plain colors that she thought looked… fine? She really didn’t have any sense for clothes though—when she wasn’t wearing heavy cargo pants and work shirts, she was wandering around her house in gym shorts and overlarge t-shirts that used to be Edgar’s.
She frowned at the array of colors and patterns on display, putting her hands on her hips and trying to figure out if there was any difference between wearing a green one and wearing a yellow one, or whatever other color. “Maybe you can help me pick one? I can tie an obi, but… probably not even on myself.” She’d never actually done this before, come to think of it. Gone to a festival in a yukata. Or with friends. It seemed more important to do it right this time, perhaps.
The smile that had been on her face seemed to morph a bit, turning into something more mischievous, like a meowth's. Or maybe a zorua's. "Well, if you don't mind me shifting through your closet, you need something that will compliment with Ryk's. You two should match, at least," she spoke, making her way towards the closet. She almost seemed to disappear in it, moving one yukata over to another. "Ah ha!" she spoke, a little enthusiastically, as she pulled out a yukata.
It was a deep purple, almost black in color, however; there were pale pink peony outlines scattered on it. The tie and obi were almost an identical color to the one that went with Cyrilla's yukata, however; the purple was a little more plum in color. "Eryk is going to wear something similar to these colors, and I think it'll look nice," she finally spoke, the smile never quite leaving her face. "Plus, the darker colors will help you stand out a bit. Your pink hair will contrast nicely with this, and it'll help brighten your eyes. Who says dark colors have to be so gloomy!?" she stated a little too excitedly.
Ana blinked several times, not sure she quite caught all of that. “Um… okay? But, if I can ask, why do I have to match Eryk?” She paused, realized how that might sound, and backpedaled. “N-not that I care either way, and I do like the one you picked, I’m just not sure of the reason?” It came out more like a question than a statement like she’d meant it to be, but that was probably all right.
"Because in a way, we'll all be matching," was the only reason she gave, though she seemed a little unsure of that one.
The purple was nice, though, and the peonies reminded her of the ones out in the garden, so there was something to be said for that. “Oh.” Suddenly remembering something, Ana ducked into her closet and bent over, sorting through a few of the boxes on the floor before emerging with a wooden one. It was very old and worn; the flowers painted into the top had faded with time. Sliding the lid off, she set the whole thing down on her bed.
Inside were a wide variety of jewelry pieces, from bangles to hair ornaments to earrings. “Most of these belonged to my aunt. Erm… the one who raised me, in Lavender Town.” It wasn’t like “my aunt” was very specific in her case, and calling her “Aunt Joy” helped even less. “I’ve never really had any use for them, but there might be something in here to match either yukata?”
"Oh, you're right, we can't leave those out. Oh wow," she stated, glancing into the box of ornaments and jewelry. She seemed thoroughly impressed by the assortment, and stared a little intently into the box. "Well," she began, her smile softening just a fraction as she pulled her fingers through her hair. "My hair might be a little short, now, for such things. But yours, yours is still long to do something with," she continued, glancing towards Ana.
"I think," she started again, rumaging through the box before pulling out a pin, "this will do just fine," she continued. It was a deep blue comb rather than a pin, and it seemed to match the yukata. It was a peony as well. "If we can pull your hair up in some ways, this will be really pretty."
Ana hummed thoughtfully and tugged the tie out of her ponytail. Her hair fell unimpeded to the backs of her thighs. She usually didn’t bother to do anything with it; the reason she kept it long was sentimental rather than aesthetic. “If you can figure out what to do with this, I should be able to work something out for yours,” she assured Cyrilla, already picking carefully through the box for a few specific things she remembered.
“There’s a brush in the first drawer in the bathroom if that helps.” She tugged on part of her own hair with a sheepish smile; she did tend to pick up a few tangles with the daily work of running the shelter.
Cyrilla went to find the brush, and immediately, was back by Ana's side. "Trust me, I can find something to do with it. Remember? Mine was as long as yours not too long ago. How do you think I managed?" she stated with a light grin on her face. She made her way back towards Ana, and began brushing her hair. It was soft strokes at first, and then she began tugging and pulling at Ana's hair. It wasn't harsh or anything, but the way it was being pulled signaled that Cyrilla was already styling it.
It was so strange, being actually touched by another person. Though she occasionally got a hug from her aunt in Cinnabar, and touched pokémon quite regularly, there was something about honest human touch that was so unusual to her now. Not having it didn’t bother her exactly—Ana had been fragile-looking enough that even her own parents were hesitant to treat her like any other child, and then… well, they’d been gone and she’d been among strangers. Rare as it was, she found that she enjoyed it; just something simple and ordinary that friends might do. She patiently kept herself still while the other woman worked her hair into something passable.
It was at least twenty minutes before Cyrilla hummed to herself in satisfaction. "There, how does that look?" she asked, moving a mirror in front of Ana. Cyrilla had left her bangs alone, leaving them pulled forward instead, and a single braid could be seen on the right side of Ana's head. It was woven into a bun and held in place by the comb. There were a few strands, however, that fell loose from the bun, and were slightly curled. She'd managed to pull most of it up so that the loose strands were still resting against Ana's back, but were not quite so long to her knees.
“Oh,” Ana replied softly, smiling slightly into the mirror. “I didn’t know my hair could do something like this. Thank you, Cyrilla; it’s really nice.” Nicer even than the result was the fact that someone had been willing to do it for her—Ana resolved to repay the favor, holding her hand out for the brush and swapping places with Cyrilla.
Her Aunt had always had short hair; Ana had seen her do lots of different nice things with it. She wasn’t sure she could do anything too complicated, but she could try anyway. “Your hair’s so soft,” she said, brushing her fingers through it to separate it into pieces. “And the color’s just… well, it’s really pretty.” White hair was something Ana had only heard of until she met Cyrilla. She wondered if it ran anywhere in her family or if it was simply one of those strange things that happened with genes.
A funny thought occurred to her. “You’re like the human version of a shiny pokémon,” she said, smiling a little more brightly.
"A... human version of a shiny pokémon?" she almost questioned it, however; a soft snort escaped Cyrilla before she started laughing. She was trying to stay in place, or so it seemed, because her shoulders were shaking just lightly. "That's the first time someone's ever said that to me," she spoke once she managed to get her laughter under control. She sighed once she caught her breath and returned to her previous position on the chair.
"Well, I suppose that would be partially true. It's all in the genes," she managed to say. She sighed softly, though, the sound a little content. "I guess you could say I'm the black mareep of the family. Everyone in my family has, or had, dark hair. I was the only one born with this color so you could imagine a bit of disappointment to my parents. We, my family is known for being renowned for being stealthy and a child with hair as white as mine wouldn't be able to pull that off," she spoke, the smile disappearing from her voice. It wasn't as melancholic as she made it sound, though. It was more that she was just stating a fact, and that she was okay with it.
"I proved them wrong, though. I... learned how to use my shame to my advantage, so I've never regretted having this shade. Plus," she paused momentarily before shaking her head. "Plus I like it, and Ryk says he liked it. I only need my approval, and his, right?" she stated, a small nod to go with it. "Though, I wish I had inherited my mom's hair color. It was such a pretty dark green," she spoke with a hint of admiration.
“I can understand being the black mareep,” Ana agreed with a sigh. Having separated Cyrilla’s hair like she wanted it, she started to weave the strands together against her head. “But I also inherited my family’s traits. It can be sort of… disconcerting, to be one of a bunch of people that all look really alike. I used to wish I didn’t; people would assume a lot of things about me just because I looked like all the other Joys. Maybe my parents knew I’d feel like that and that’s why they made Joy my middle name instead of the first… I don’t really know.”
She fitted a tie onto the end of Cyrilla’s new Kalosian braid and mirrored it on the other side. In the end, what she had were two braids against her head that trailed into very short, low pigtails. Ana had debated putting ribbons on them, but it wouldn’t really go with the Yukata. Instead, she drew out one of her aunt’s nicer hair ornaments—a pin with a cluster of delicate metal flowers on the end. They were gold, just like the diamond shapes on the yukata, so that probably matched, right?
Ana pinned it just behind Cy’s left ear, threading it into the braid for extra security. “There you go—your hair is short, but it can still be pretty, right?” She held up the mirror for Cy to take a look. Ana had left her bangs were they were, but the rest was nearly pulled into the braids. The ends of the pigtails didn’t quite reach her shoulders, but that effect was cute, she thought.
Cyrilla smiled a little too brightly as she glanced at work Ana did. "I like it, I really do," she stated, standing up from her spot and turning around. She stared at Ana for a second, a moment of hesitation and reluctance flashing across her face. She then closed the small distance between them, and hugged Ana. "Thank you, Ana," she spoke, keeping her face burried in Ana's shoulder. Even though they were roughly the same height, she had lowered her head there.
"You really are a good friend."
It took Ana a couple of seconds to get over her initial surprise at the gesture, but once she did, she looped her arms around Cyrilla’s back, returning the hug. It was nice, she decided, to be able to do little things like this. “You’re welcome, Cy, and thank you, too.” She squeezed briefly before releasing Cyrilla and stepping back.
“Should we see if we can get these yukata figured out?”
Maybe if she dressed a little more nicely, her aunts and cousins wouldn’t think she needed quite so much help with her wardrobe? Something to consider later, maybe. The two of them were in Anastasia’s bedroom. It wasn’t anything fancy—just a bed and a dresser, with a single end table on the side not against the wall and a homemade blue quilt, plus a reading chair.
Cyrilla seemed to contemplate the question as a soft 'hmm' escaped her. She pursed her lips together, her brows furrowing in thought. She was really thinking about the question. "Well, I've always liked red," she began, however; she seemed a little hesitant about the color. "But I'm not entirely sure if I should wear red. It's... I think I might kind of drown in the color," she continued, laughing nervously. She sighed a little dejectedly, though, and chewed on her lip slightly.
"But red is still such a pretty color," she stated, sounding a little torn. Something seemed to click for her though, since her face lit up somewhat. "Oh, do you have one in red with gold trimmings?" she asked, seeming a little excited about it.
Ana was of half a mind to point out that it didn’t really matter whether she would ‘drown’ in the color as long as she wanted to wear it, but the second question precluded that. Humming slightly, she turned towards the closet, carefully moving various yukata aside until she reached the section for reds and pinks. There were a couple ones that were mostly red and white, but it looked like she only had one that included gold.
Yukata were very simple compared to other types of traditional Kanto garb, and the patterns tended to be a bit simpler or bolder—more fun. This one was mostly red, but patterned on the sleeves with golden-yellow outlines of diamonds, and the lower hem had more of the same, stacked together in a simple, but nice visual effect. The obi that went with it was gold and purple, with a white tie.
“How about this one? If that’s too plain, there was a red and white one with a swanna pattern…” She grabbed that one too and held both up in front of her. She thought both of them would probably fit; her aunts and cousins ran a gamut of sizes, and Ana only bothered to alter the things they sent her if she was actually going to use them.
"They're both so pretty, I couldn't just choose one," she spoke, glancing at the two yukata that Ana held. "But... I think I like this one a little more," she spoke, reaching for the red one with the gold diamonds. She pulled it a ways from Ana, though she didn't fully remove it from her hold. Instead, she seemed to trace the fabric and the patterns on the bottom, before a bright smile bloomed on her face.
"This one it is!" she seemed sure on it, and released her hold on it. "What about you, Ana, what are you going to wear?" she spoke, slightly curious, it seemed, as to which one Ana was choosing.
“I’m not very good with this sort of thing,” Ana admitted. Most of the time, these and the other nice clothes she had sat in the back of her closet. Occasionally she’d wear a sundress or something—those were easy and most of them were in plain colors that she thought looked… fine? She really didn’t have any sense for clothes though—when she wasn’t wearing heavy cargo pants and work shirts, she was wandering around her house in gym shorts and overlarge t-shirts that used to be Edgar’s.
She frowned at the array of colors and patterns on display, putting her hands on her hips and trying to figure out if there was any difference between wearing a green one and wearing a yellow one, or whatever other color. “Maybe you can help me pick one? I can tie an obi, but… probably not even on myself.” She’d never actually done this before, come to think of it. Gone to a festival in a yukata. Or with friends. It seemed more important to do it right this time, perhaps.
The smile that had been on her face seemed to morph a bit, turning into something more mischievous, like a meowth's. Or maybe a zorua's. "Well, if you don't mind me shifting through your closet, you need something that will compliment with Ryk's. You two should match, at least," she spoke, making her way towards the closet. She almost seemed to disappear in it, moving one yukata over to another. "Ah ha!" she spoke, a little enthusiastically, as she pulled out a yukata.
It was a deep purple, almost black in color, however; there were pale pink peony outlines scattered on it. The tie and obi were almost an identical color to the one that went with Cyrilla's yukata, however; the purple was a little more plum in color. "Eryk is going to wear something similar to these colors, and I think it'll look nice," she finally spoke, the smile never quite leaving her face. "Plus, the darker colors will help you stand out a bit. Your pink hair will contrast nicely with this, and it'll help brighten your eyes. Who says dark colors have to be so gloomy!?" she stated a little too excitedly.
Ana blinked several times, not sure she quite caught all of that. “Um… okay? But, if I can ask, why do I have to match Eryk?” She paused, realized how that might sound, and backpedaled. “N-not that I care either way, and I do like the one you picked, I’m just not sure of the reason?” It came out more like a question than a statement like she’d meant it to be, but that was probably all right.
"Because in a way, we'll all be matching," was the only reason she gave, though she seemed a little unsure of that one.
The purple was nice, though, and the peonies reminded her of the ones out in the garden, so there was something to be said for that. “Oh.” Suddenly remembering something, Ana ducked into her closet and bent over, sorting through a few of the boxes on the floor before emerging with a wooden one. It was very old and worn; the flowers painted into the top had faded with time. Sliding the lid off, she set the whole thing down on her bed.
Inside were a wide variety of jewelry pieces, from bangles to hair ornaments to earrings. “Most of these belonged to my aunt. Erm… the one who raised me, in Lavender Town.” It wasn’t like “my aunt” was very specific in her case, and calling her “Aunt Joy” helped even less. “I’ve never really had any use for them, but there might be something in here to match either yukata?”
"Oh, you're right, we can't leave those out. Oh wow," she stated, glancing into the box of ornaments and jewelry. She seemed thoroughly impressed by the assortment, and stared a little intently into the box. "Well," she began, her smile softening just a fraction as she pulled her fingers through her hair. "My hair might be a little short, now, for such things. But yours, yours is still long to do something with," she continued, glancing towards Ana.
"I think," she started again, rumaging through the box before pulling out a pin, "this will do just fine," she continued. It was a deep blue comb rather than a pin, and it seemed to match the yukata. It was a peony as well. "If we can pull your hair up in some ways, this will be really pretty."
Ana hummed thoughtfully and tugged the tie out of her ponytail. Her hair fell unimpeded to the backs of her thighs. She usually didn’t bother to do anything with it; the reason she kept it long was sentimental rather than aesthetic. “If you can figure out what to do with this, I should be able to work something out for yours,” she assured Cyrilla, already picking carefully through the box for a few specific things she remembered.
“There’s a brush in the first drawer in the bathroom if that helps.” She tugged on part of her own hair with a sheepish smile; she did tend to pick up a few tangles with the daily work of running the shelter.
Cyrilla went to find the brush, and immediately, was back by Ana's side. "Trust me, I can find something to do with it. Remember? Mine was as long as yours not too long ago. How do you think I managed?" she stated with a light grin on her face. She made her way back towards Ana, and began brushing her hair. It was soft strokes at first, and then she began tugging and pulling at Ana's hair. It wasn't harsh or anything, but the way it was being pulled signaled that Cyrilla was already styling it.
It was so strange, being actually touched by another person. Though she occasionally got a hug from her aunt in Cinnabar, and touched pokémon quite regularly, there was something about honest human touch that was so unusual to her now. Not having it didn’t bother her exactly—Ana had been fragile-looking enough that even her own parents were hesitant to treat her like any other child, and then… well, they’d been gone and she’d been among strangers. Rare as it was, she found that she enjoyed it; just something simple and ordinary that friends might do. She patiently kept herself still while the other woman worked her hair into something passable.
It was at least twenty minutes before Cyrilla hummed to herself in satisfaction. "There, how does that look?" she asked, moving a mirror in front of Ana. Cyrilla had left her bangs alone, leaving them pulled forward instead, and a single braid could be seen on the right side of Ana's head. It was woven into a bun and held in place by the comb. There were a few strands, however, that fell loose from the bun, and were slightly curled. She'd managed to pull most of it up so that the loose strands were still resting against Ana's back, but were not quite so long to her knees.
“Oh,” Ana replied softly, smiling slightly into the mirror. “I didn’t know my hair could do something like this. Thank you, Cyrilla; it’s really nice.” Nicer even than the result was the fact that someone had been willing to do it for her—Ana resolved to repay the favor, holding her hand out for the brush and swapping places with Cyrilla.
Her Aunt had always had short hair; Ana had seen her do lots of different nice things with it. She wasn’t sure she could do anything too complicated, but she could try anyway. “Your hair’s so soft,” she said, brushing her fingers through it to separate it into pieces. “And the color’s just… well, it’s really pretty.” White hair was something Ana had only heard of until she met Cyrilla. She wondered if it ran anywhere in her family or if it was simply one of those strange things that happened with genes.
A funny thought occurred to her. “You’re like the human version of a shiny pokémon,” she said, smiling a little more brightly.
"A... human version of a shiny pokémon?" she almost questioned it, however; a soft snort escaped Cyrilla before she started laughing. She was trying to stay in place, or so it seemed, because her shoulders were shaking just lightly. "That's the first time someone's ever said that to me," she spoke once she managed to get her laughter under control. She sighed once she caught her breath and returned to her previous position on the chair.
"Well, I suppose that would be partially true. It's all in the genes," she managed to say. She sighed softly, though, the sound a little content. "I guess you could say I'm the black mareep of the family. Everyone in my family has, or had, dark hair. I was the only one born with this color so you could imagine a bit of disappointment to my parents. We, my family is known for being renowned for being stealthy and a child with hair as white as mine wouldn't be able to pull that off," she spoke, the smile disappearing from her voice. It wasn't as melancholic as she made it sound, though. It was more that she was just stating a fact, and that she was okay with it.
"I proved them wrong, though. I... learned how to use my shame to my advantage, so I've never regretted having this shade. Plus," she paused momentarily before shaking her head. "Plus I like it, and Ryk says he liked it. I only need my approval, and his, right?" she stated, a small nod to go with it. "Though, I wish I had inherited my mom's hair color. It was such a pretty dark green," she spoke with a hint of admiration.
“I can understand being the black mareep,” Ana agreed with a sigh. Having separated Cyrilla’s hair like she wanted it, she started to weave the strands together against her head. “But I also inherited my family’s traits. It can be sort of… disconcerting, to be one of a bunch of people that all look really alike. I used to wish I didn’t; people would assume a lot of things about me just because I looked like all the other Joys. Maybe my parents knew I’d feel like that and that’s why they made Joy my middle name instead of the first… I don’t really know.”
She fitted a tie onto the end of Cyrilla’s new Kalosian braid and mirrored it on the other side. In the end, what she had were two braids against her head that trailed into very short, low pigtails. Ana had debated putting ribbons on them, but it wouldn’t really go with the Yukata. Instead, she drew out one of her aunt’s nicer hair ornaments—a pin with a cluster of delicate metal flowers on the end. They were gold, just like the diamond shapes on the yukata, so that probably matched, right?
Ana pinned it just behind Cy’s left ear, threading it into the braid for extra security. “There you go—your hair is short, but it can still be pretty, right?” She held up the mirror for Cy to take a look. Ana had left her bangs were they were, but the rest was nearly pulled into the braids. The ends of the pigtails didn’t quite reach her shoulders, but that effect was cute, she thought.
Cyrilla smiled a little too brightly as she glanced at work Ana did. "I like it, I really do," she stated, standing up from her spot and turning around. She stared at Ana for a second, a moment of hesitation and reluctance flashing across her face. She then closed the small distance between them, and hugged Ana. "Thank you, Ana," she spoke, keeping her face burried in Ana's shoulder. Even though they were roughly the same height, she had lowered her head there.
"You really are a good friend."
It took Ana a couple of seconds to get over her initial surprise at the gesture, but once she did, she looped her arms around Cyrilla’s back, returning the hug. It was nice, she decided, to be able to do little things like this. “You’re welcome, Cy, and thank you, too.” She squeezed briefly before releasing Cyrilla and stepping back.
“Should we see if we can get these yukata figured out?”
Eryk frowned deeply. He didn't understand Kasimir's logic. At all. He needed a new yukata? What was wrong with the grey one in his closet? Why couldn't he wear that? Apparently it had something to do with it being too dull, or some other reason. He stopped listening after a moment, and instead, fixed his attention towards the said article of clothing. He really didn't want to go shopping, especially not with Kas. He'd probably make another field trip out of the whole ordeal, and Eryk just wanted to get it over and done with. He was doing his job, wasn't he? Speaking of which, he needed to go remind the next handful of grunts to go take the Gym Challenge. He should probably go do that, instead. It was more important than a new yukata that he'd only wear once, anyway.
"Couldn't you just go get it for me? I have other things to attend to," he spoke, hoping that Kasimir would agree to it. Some part of him, though, knew that it wouldn't be that easy.
Kas, leaning against the wall, looked unimpressed by his line of reasoning. “More important than preparing for a vital step in the mission we got directly from the boss?” He arched an eyebrow, crossing his arms over his chest. “And what could possibly qualify as that? Eryk, your yukata has holes in it. Did you let a rattata chew on it, or what?” He pointed to the hem of the garment, which did indeed look somewhat more ragged than the last time Eryk had worn it.
Eryk grunted softly at that. His yukata was just fine, and really, he could just wash it and it'd be fine. But it seemed that Kas wasn't going to let up, exactly, either. "Yes, and no," he finally answered. Yes, it was more important than preparing, but no it wasn't exactly that important since it was the boss who asked. He sighed in a defeated manner. "Fine, we'll go. But I need to go send the next set of grunts out to Drake's Gym," was the only thing he said. It wasn't like he couldn't do that either, since they were heading out. He might as well get that covered for today. Then he needed to assign the next group for tomorrow. He couldn't remember that one grunt's name, the one who just showed up as a new hire. Didn't matter.
"Still don't know why you couldn't go get it. It's not like it has to be of any significant value or color," he spoke, a little irritated that he had to go. He wasn't even sure if there was a place that provided yukata. It was Cinnabar Island, and it wasn't exactly yukata friendly. With the volcano and the year-round heat, this wasn't exactly ideal for such a shop. But then again, he didn't exactly know the business or fashion world. Yukata could be popular all year, and he wouldn't even know.
"Do you know a place where they sell them, because I don't," and he really didn't.
Kas looked like he wanted to ask some kind of question about the Gym thing—it definitely wasn’t on any of the official mission paperwork for the team members in Cinnabar. Then again, it wasn’t totally clear that Kas read the paperwork, so he may or may not know that. In any case, he didn’t press. Apparently, getting Eryk to come with him on this venture was more important, for whatever reason.
“As a matter of fact, yukata are relatively popular in places with long summers, because of the thinner fabric they’re made of. Making them the primary business of any traditional tailors. And trust me when I say that islanders tend to be proud of their traditions. There’s a little place downtown, next to the creamery. Mrs. Kanda runs it. You’ll like her—she’s a grumpy little old lady just like you.”
"Are calling me a grumpy old lady? I assure you, I'm not old, and I'm not a lady," he shot back, a little disturbed at the comparison. He wasn't that old, not yet at least. And the last time he checked, he wasn't a lady. He pushed the thought to the back of his mind, though, and decided to think nothing further on it. He knew where the creamery was, so he could find his way there easily. The shop itself, though, was something he hadn't seen, so he assumed Kas would lead the way once they were there.
"Are you getting one, too?" he asked. He wasn't sure if Kas had anything outside of that ridiculous wardrobe of his that mostly consisted of gaudy colored shirts and some shorts. Actually, he couldn't remember the last time Kas was in an Executive uniform. Was Cy the only other one who wore them? Probably. He sighed irritably at that.
Kas shrugged, putting his hands into his pockets and falling into step beside Eryk. “I’ve got a few already,” he said, waving to the grunts in the office on the lower level as they passed it. “But if I see anything I like, I might get another.” Come to think of it, Kas was from the Orange Islands. Maybe the cultures were similar?
Eryk snorted at that. He paused momentarily as they passed the grunts though, doubling back to send off the grunts before making his way back to Kas. Once they were outside, it wasn't much longer after that they reached the area by the creamery. "Why'd you leave the Orange Islands?" he found himself asking. It surprised him a bit, because that wasn't exactly what he wanted to ask. He wanted to ask about the culture, and to see if it was similar, however; the question popped out of his mouth too fast.
"I can't imagine Kanto is any more exciting," he shrugged it off instead. It's not like he was too interested in the answer. Or maybe he was, he couldn't exactly make up his mind.
Kas gave him a sidelong glance. “Didn’t have much of a choice,” he replied casually. “When mom and pops divorced, I went with him, and Crystal went with mom. That was the custody agreement. I got to visit her in the summers, though; that was kinda nice.” He shrugged.
“If what you really mean to ask is why I’m not there now, well… this is where the work is, right? Boss says jump, we ask how high, or something like that.”
He supposed that was true. It wasn't like he was going to question the Boss or the orders he gave, however; sometimes he wondered about them. He pushed a sigh through his nose, and stayed quiet for a moment. "Not particularly, but I suppose you have a point," he finally spoke. It was another few moments of silence before they reached the shop the grumpy old lady ran. He could see the inside from the windows, and some of the kimono and yukata looked fairly expensive. Some of them even appeared to be rather elegant, and Eryk narrowed his eyes slightly. Was this really necessary?
"Let's go choose one and get this over with," he stated. The sooner he picked one out, the sooner he could get back to the base. He didn't want to be out right now, and would prefer it if he wasn't. But he couldn't exactly afford that luxury. A strange thought struck him. "Are... yukata supposed to match another person's?" because if that were the case, he wasn't entirely sure if his would match hers.
Amusement flashed across Kas’s face for a moment. “You really worry about a lot of things, don’t you, Ryk?” He grinned, but then relented and shook his head. “Not necessarily. Couples or groups will sometimes coordinate colors, but not always. If you wanted to, though, you could text Cy and ask her what color Ana’s wearing. Or just tell her which color you’ll wear. It’s not that big a deal.”
At that point, the proprietor of the shop approached them. She probably wasn’t much more than five feet tall, and lines of age did indeed crease her face, but her demeanor was more gruff than grumpy when she addressed them. “Kasimir, you feckless boy, it does matter. And only couples should match—it’s tradition.”
Kas gave Eryk a look that said something kind of like I told you so, but turned quickly to placate the tailor, smiling broadly.
“Of course, Mrs. Kanda. But you know how the kids are these days—always trying to change things around.”
She grumbled something that sounded mostly dissatisfied, but she did pat his elbow. “So it is. No respect for traditions or elders or anything. The parents are to blame, truly. You’re lucky, to have had a mother who raised you right.”
“I am,” Kas replied; it was impossible to tell whether he was being genuine or not—his tone sounded sincere, but he was an excellent actor when he wanted to be. Eryk knew him well enough to know that. “But my friend here’s not an islander. We were hoping to get him something for the Camilla Festival—do you have anything already made?”
“I wouldn’t have, if you weren’t around,” she said, shaking her head. “Honestly, what do they feed you nowadays? Giants, the both of you. But I do have a few that should work. Here.” She led them towards the left side of the store. Slightly towards the back was a small collection of well-made yukata; there was a mix of colors, some plain and some with subtle stripes or other patterning.
Eryk was half inclined to answer that question, but decided it was better if he didn't. The old woman was a little strange, and almost reminded him of his own mother, however; he shook that thought. Instead, he followed Mrs. Kanda to the room, shooting Cy a quick message. If it was tradition, he supposed he could at least follow that much. But they were friends, not a couple. So, he shouldn't match Ana? He was a little confused by that. Thankfully, the slight bing of his phone alerted him to Cy's message. It read dark purple, and nothing more.
"If it is tradition, perhaps we should stick to it. There are no couples in this group, only friends," he spoke, a little unsure if that was how he should address it. "The person I am attending with is going to be wearing a dark purple yukata. Should the one I get contrast it?" he asked, straight to the point. He was never one for dragging something out, after all.
“Maybe go for something in the black-red range then,” Kas said. “You don’t want to look stupid standing next to anyone, so complimentary colors are the best idea.” Mrs. Kanda seemed to agree, pulling several red, black, or dark blue garments from the rack and hooking them on special wooden display hooks in the wall.
“Any of them should fit. They were made with Kasimir’s general dimensions in mind, but they aren’t tailored for him; I can have them adjusted to you within a couple of hours.”
“They never had anything like this in Fuchsia or Saffron,” Kas noted while Eryk considered his choices. “Have you ever been to a summer festival of any kind before?”
"No," was the reply he gave to Kas. He'd never gone to a festival of any kind before. Well, that wasn't true. There was that one he went to when he was still a boy, but that had been years ago. And he didn't quite remember most of it mainly because his parents had dragged him away from it. Festivals and things like that weren't exactly a priority in his family. Their main concern was being raised to join and support Team Rocket, and to be the best in that business. His great-grandfather, Koga, had been one of Giovanni's trusted members, and would have replaced him had he not retired early.
He glanced at the yukata laid out before him, and pondered them for a moment. If he was going to contrast against Ana's, then perhaps he should go with the red? Or maybe a black, or both? It would be safer with both. There was one that caught his eye, one that was simple and plain. It was a deep red, kind of like the color of his eyes, if he was being honest about it. He drew his eyes away from it, and they landed on another one. This one was a dark blue, void of any patterns on it. He could probably do this one.
"There were festivals in Fuchsia, but we never went to any. It served no purpose to go, so we never did. But I think this one will do," he spoke, pointing to the dark blue one. "It's simple enough, and doesn't need anything more," he added. Plus, he kind of actually liked the color and the style.
“I’ve got the measurements right here,” Kas added, handing Mrs. Kanda a piece of paper with several numbers on it. She nodded and pocketed the paper, hanging up all the ones Eryk had decided against and folding his selection over her arm.
“Anything for you, Kasimir?”
Kas shook his head. “No, thank you Mrs. Kanda. I think I’ll just wear the nice green one I got here the other week. I haven’t had a good reason to use it yet.” She seemed satisfied by that.
“All right, then. Come back in two hours; I’ll have it ready for you by then.” She headed for the back of the shop, leaving the two of them alone.
“Before you ask, I stole those numbers from your personnel file. They had to size you for the executive uniform change this year, right?” He grinned. “And for the record, your family’s totally wrong. Nearly every kind of life experience is useful for a job like this. If you didn’t have me around, you wouldn’t even know what to do in this situation, right?” His tone was light, but there might have been a little seriousness under there.
He was going to ask Kas how he knew his measurements, but now he was slightly disturbed by that. Useful for a job like this? He didn't really see how, but maybe there was some point to Kas' logic. "For the record, my family is wrong about a lot of things. But... you may have a point in that," he admitted slightly. It wasn't like he needed socialization. He got by just fine without it, and most of his job requirements were to either oversee the new grunts, or to do the field work as he was currently doing now. With Ana. There were other important aspects to it, but they weren't necessarily important to him. Maybe that was why Katia didn't like the idea of him becoming Entei? Well, too bad for her.
"I wouldn't have this headache, either, if it weren't for you," he shot back, slightly surprised by that. It almost sounded like he was amused, and that was a little startling.
Kas laughed. “That’s what friends are for, Ryk. Watching your back and being a pain in the neck.”
"Couldn't you just go get it for me? I have other things to attend to," he spoke, hoping that Kasimir would agree to it. Some part of him, though, knew that it wouldn't be that easy.
Kas, leaning against the wall, looked unimpressed by his line of reasoning. “More important than preparing for a vital step in the mission we got directly from the boss?” He arched an eyebrow, crossing his arms over his chest. “And what could possibly qualify as that? Eryk, your yukata has holes in it. Did you let a rattata chew on it, or what?” He pointed to the hem of the garment, which did indeed look somewhat more ragged than the last time Eryk had worn it.
Eryk grunted softly at that. His yukata was just fine, and really, he could just wash it and it'd be fine. But it seemed that Kas wasn't going to let up, exactly, either. "Yes, and no," he finally answered. Yes, it was more important than preparing, but no it wasn't exactly that important since it was the boss who asked. He sighed in a defeated manner. "Fine, we'll go. But I need to go send the next set of grunts out to Drake's Gym," was the only thing he said. It wasn't like he couldn't do that either, since they were heading out. He might as well get that covered for today. Then he needed to assign the next group for tomorrow. He couldn't remember that one grunt's name, the one who just showed up as a new hire. Didn't matter.
"Still don't know why you couldn't go get it. It's not like it has to be of any significant value or color," he spoke, a little irritated that he had to go. He wasn't even sure if there was a place that provided yukata. It was Cinnabar Island, and it wasn't exactly yukata friendly. With the volcano and the year-round heat, this wasn't exactly ideal for such a shop. But then again, he didn't exactly know the business or fashion world. Yukata could be popular all year, and he wouldn't even know.
"Do you know a place where they sell them, because I don't," and he really didn't.
Kas looked like he wanted to ask some kind of question about the Gym thing—it definitely wasn’t on any of the official mission paperwork for the team members in Cinnabar. Then again, it wasn’t totally clear that Kas read the paperwork, so he may or may not know that. In any case, he didn’t press. Apparently, getting Eryk to come with him on this venture was more important, for whatever reason.
“As a matter of fact, yukata are relatively popular in places with long summers, because of the thinner fabric they’re made of. Making them the primary business of any traditional tailors. And trust me when I say that islanders tend to be proud of their traditions. There’s a little place downtown, next to the creamery. Mrs. Kanda runs it. You’ll like her—she’s a grumpy little old lady just like you.”
"Are calling me a grumpy old lady? I assure you, I'm not old, and I'm not a lady," he shot back, a little disturbed at the comparison. He wasn't that old, not yet at least. And the last time he checked, he wasn't a lady. He pushed the thought to the back of his mind, though, and decided to think nothing further on it. He knew where the creamery was, so he could find his way there easily. The shop itself, though, was something he hadn't seen, so he assumed Kas would lead the way once they were there.
"Are you getting one, too?" he asked. He wasn't sure if Kas had anything outside of that ridiculous wardrobe of his that mostly consisted of gaudy colored shirts and some shorts. Actually, he couldn't remember the last time Kas was in an Executive uniform. Was Cy the only other one who wore them? Probably. He sighed irritably at that.
Kas shrugged, putting his hands into his pockets and falling into step beside Eryk. “I’ve got a few already,” he said, waving to the grunts in the office on the lower level as they passed it. “But if I see anything I like, I might get another.” Come to think of it, Kas was from the Orange Islands. Maybe the cultures were similar?
Eryk snorted at that. He paused momentarily as they passed the grunts though, doubling back to send off the grunts before making his way back to Kas. Once they were outside, it wasn't much longer after that they reached the area by the creamery. "Why'd you leave the Orange Islands?" he found himself asking. It surprised him a bit, because that wasn't exactly what he wanted to ask. He wanted to ask about the culture, and to see if it was similar, however; the question popped out of his mouth too fast.
"I can't imagine Kanto is any more exciting," he shrugged it off instead. It's not like he was too interested in the answer. Or maybe he was, he couldn't exactly make up his mind.
Kas gave him a sidelong glance. “Didn’t have much of a choice,” he replied casually. “When mom and pops divorced, I went with him, and Crystal went with mom. That was the custody agreement. I got to visit her in the summers, though; that was kinda nice.” He shrugged.
“If what you really mean to ask is why I’m not there now, well… this is where the work is, right? Boss says jump, we ask how high, or something like that.”
He supposed that was true. It wasn't like he was going to question the Boss or the orders he gave, however; sometimes he wondered about them. He pushed a sigh through his nose, and stayed quiet for a moment. "Not particularly, but I suppose you have a point," he finally spoke. It was another few moments of silence before they reached the shop the grumpy old lady ran. He could see the inside from the windows, and some of the kimono and yukata looked fairly expensive. Some of them even appeared to be rather elegant, and Eryk narrowed his eyes slightly. Was this really necessary?
"Let's go choose one and get this over with," he stated. The sooner he picked one out, the sooner he could get back to the base. He didn't want to be out right now, and would prefer it if he wasn't. But he couldn't exactly afford that luxury. A strange thought struck him. "Are... yukata supposed to match another person's?" because if that were the case, he wasn't entirely sure if his would match hers.
Amusement flashed across Kas’s face for a moment. “You really worry about a lot of things, don’t you, Ryk?” He grinned, but then relented and shook his head. “Not necessarily. Couples or groups will sometimes coordinate colors, but not always. If you wanted to, though, you could text Cy and ask her what color Ana’s wearing. Or just tell her which color you’ll wear. It’s not that big a deal.”
At that point, the proprietor of the shop approached them. She probably wasn’t much more than five feet tall, and lines of age did indeed crease her face, but her demeanor was more gruff than grumpy when she addressed them. “Kasimir, you feckless boy, it does matter. And only couples should match—it’s tradition.”
Kas gave Eryk a look that said something kind of like I told you so, but turned quickly to placate the tailor, smiling broadly.
“Of course, Mrs. Kanda. But you know how the kids are these days—always trying to change things around.”
She grumbled something that sounded mostly dissatisfied, but she did pat his elbow. “So it is. No respect for traditions or elders or anything. The parents are to blame, truly. You’re lucky, to have had a mother who raised you right.”
“I am,” Kas replied; it was impossible to tell whether he was being genuine or not—his tone sounded sincere, but he was an excellent actor when he wanted to be. Eryk knew him well enough to know that. “But my friend here’s not an islander. We were hoping to get him something for the Camilla Festival—do you have anything already made?”
“I wouldn’t have, if you weren’t around,” she said, shaking her head. “Honestly, what do they feed you nowadays? Giants, the both of you. But I do have a few that should work. Here.” She led them towards the left side of the store. Slightly towards the back was a small collection of well-made yukata; there was a mix of colors, some plain and some with subtle stripes or other patterning.
Eryk was half inclined to answer that question, but decided it was better if he didn't. The old woman was a little strange, and almost reminded him of his own mother, however; he shook that thought. Instead, he followed Mrs. Kanda to the room, shooting Cy a quick message. If it was tradition, he supposed he could at least follow that much. But they were friends, not a couple. So, he shouldn't match Ana? He was a little confused by that. Thankfully, the slight bing of his phone alerted him to Cy's message. It read dark purple, and nothing more.
"If it is tradition, perhaps we should stick to it. There are no couples in this group, only friends," he spoke, a little unsure if that was how he should address it. "The person I am attending with is going to be wearing a dark purple yukata. Should the one I get contrast it?" he asked, straight to the point. He was never one for dragging something out, after all.
“Maybe go for something in the black-red range then,” Kas said. “You don’t want to look stupid standing next to anyone, so complimentary colors are the best idea.” Mrs. Kanda seemed to agree, pulling several red, black, or dark blue garments from the rack and hooking them on special wooden display hooks in the wall.
“Any of them should fit. They were made with Kasimir’s general dimensions in mind, but they aren’t tailored for him; I can have them adjusted to you within a couple of hours.”
“They never had anything like this in Fuchsia or Saffron,” Kas noted while Eryk considered his choices. “Have you ever been to a summer festival of any kind before?”
"No," was the reply he gave to Kas. He'd never gone to a festival of any kind before. Well, that wasn't true. There was that one he went to when he was still a boy, but that had been years ago. And he didn't quite remember most of it mainly because his parents had dragged him away from it. Festivals and things like that weren't exactly a priority in his family. Their main concern was being raised to join and support Team Rocket, and to be the best in that business. His great-grandfather, Koga, had been one of Giovanni's trusted members, and would have replaced him had he not retired early.
He glanced at the yukata laid out before him, and pondered them for a moment. If he was going to contrast against Ana's, then perhaps he should go with the red? Or maybe a black, or both? It would be safer with both. There was one that caught his eye, one that was simple and plain. It was a deep red, kind of like the color of his eyes, if he was being honest about it. He drew his eyes away from it, and they landed on another one. This one was a dark blue, void of any patterns on it. He could probably do this one.
"There were festivals in Fuchsia, but we never went to any. It served no purpose to go, so we never did. But I think this one will do," he spoke, pointing to the dark blue one. "It's simple enough, and doesn't need anything more," he added. Plus, he kind of actually liked the color and the style.
“I’ve got the measurements right here,” Kas added, handing Mrs. Kanda a piece of paper with several numbers on it. She nodded and pocketed the paper, hanging up all the ones Eryk had decided against and folding his selection over her arm.
“Anything for you, Kasimir?”
Kas shook his head. “No, thank you Mrs. Kanda. I think I’ll just wear the nice green one I got here the other week. I haven’t had a good reason to use it yet.” She seemed satisfied by that.
“All right, then. Come back in two hours; I’ll have it ready for you by then.” She headed for the back of the shop, leaving the two of them alone.
“Before you ask, I stole those numbers from your personnel file. They had to size you for the executive uniform change this year, right?” He grinned. “And for the record, your family’s totally wrong. Nearly every kind of life experience is useful for a job like this. If you didn’t have me around, you wouldn’t even know what to do in this situation, right?” His tone was light, but there might have been a little seriousness under there.
He was going to ask Kas how he knew his measurements, but now he was slightly disturbed by that. Useful for a job like this? He didn't really see how, but maybe there was some point to Kas' logic. "For the record, my family is wrong about a lot of things. But... you may have a point in that," he admitted slightly. It wasn't like he needed socialization. He got by just fine without it, and most of his job requirements were to either oversee the new grunts, or to do the field work as he was currently doing now. With Ana. There were other important aspects to it, but they weren't necessarily important to him. Maybe that was why Katia didn't like the idea of him becoming Entei? Well, too bad for her.
"I wouldn't have this headache, either, if it weren't for you," he shot back, slightly surprised by that. It almost sounded like he was amused, and that was a little startling.
Kas laughed. “That’s what friends are for, Ryk. Watching your back and being a pain in the neck.”
Kasimir smoothed out the front of his yukata, tightening the thin obi a bit to keep everything in place. It still gaped open slightly at his chest, of course—they tended to do that. The green was very dark, but there were hints of gold in it; subtle embroidery here and there that hinted at chrysanthemums. He wasn’t so concerned with how he was perceived that he couldn’t wear flowers—hell, most of his everyday shirts had flowers or fruit or something tropical on them. Just visible in the gap of the fabric was the head belonging to the rayquaza tattoo he’d had since he was a teenager.
He tucked his wallet and xtranceiver up his sleeve, pulling on his short ponytail to tighten it, then stepped out into the hallway. He knocked on the door two down from his own, then snorted. “Don’t tell me you don’t know how to tie an obi, Ryk. ‘Cause I’ll do it for you, but I’ll tell everyone. And don’t forget to pretend like you care enough to brush your hair.”
Eryk opened the door to his room, glaring at Kas as he did. It wasn't a soft glare, either; this one was a little more heated. Apparently, he didn't know how to tie an obi because it was hanging rather loosely from his person. "Yukata are articles of clothing we do not wear," he spoke. His hair wasn't even brushed, and it looked like he'd just rolled out of bed. Really, he looked like he was ready to go to sleep, and the yukata was just extra clothes to sleep in. He sighed, though, and opened the door a little wider.
"If you're going to be such an ass about it, I'll just have Cy do it," he stated, apparently still in a sour mood. His voice was grumpy, and even his posture was a little tense.
Had Kas been a more polite or considerate person, he probably would have tried and likely failed to constrain his mirth into a smile or something. But he wasn’t that polite or considerate, especially not when there was an opportunity to laugh at Eryk—which was exactly what he did. Leaning on the doorframe for support, he cackled for several seconds straight, pulling in a breath and wiping a laughter-induced tear from one eye with his index finger.
"Ass."
“Okay, uh… well you can’t ask Cy because she’s still with Ana, remember? Let’s get back inside before some poor grunt wanders down the hallway, okay?” He almost laughed again thinking about all the rumors seeing this situation from the outside might start, but he figured they’d piss Ryk off rather than entertaining him. Kas had the ability to take nearly anything in stride. But if he was water or air, Eryk was a rock or a stubborn flame. Flowing wasn’t really in his nature.
Closing the door behind him, he motioned for Eryk to turn around. “We actually have it much easier than women do, when it comes to these,” he said, taking the ends in his hands and making sure it was snug enough to hold everything in place. “Their obi are pretty complicated, even just the ones for yukata.” It was a matter of a few seconds to tie it, and he stepped back once he’d done so.
“See? Nothing to it.”
Eryk still looked a bit pissed at the whole situation, but it smoothed out once Kas was finished tying the obi. "Easy or not, I won't be wearing this stupid thing again. There's no reason for me to learn," he spoke, as if this was the first and last time he'd be attending a festival. "Besides, I already told you, I've never been to a festival, so I don't know how these things work," he continued, rolling his eyes as he did so.
Kas resisted the urge to sigh. He was really dense sometimes. Hadn’t he just agreed that his family was wrong about life experiences like this being useless? Honestly, sometimes Kas wanted to find whichever relatives had raised his friend and throttle them. It was clear that there was some damage left from all of it, and in that observation, Kasimir was completely serious. He took Eryk’s eccentricities in stride just like everything else, but the fact was, he shouldn’t have to teach a grown man how to interact with other human beings without hurting their feelings or offending them. And Eryk shouldn’t have been denied the opportunity to learn all of that stuff.
His best friend was functional, but Kas, even knowing as little as he did, wouldn’t hesitate to class his family life as abusive. It pissed him off, so he tried not to think about it.
He walked away from Kas for a moment, and turned around. He seemed to pat his hair down a little bit, and tried smoothing it out with his fingers. It didn't really work since his hair still looked a little wild and untamed. Apparently he didn't care, either. "How does it look?"
“Like you combed it with your fingers after rolling out of bed,” Kas deadpanned, “so… like it usually does. I doubt she’ll care, though I can’t help but notice that you do, enough to ask. That’s new.” All of this… advice-seeking about his appearance was very new for Eryk. There was a point to which it was necessary to the mission’s chances of success, maybe, but the old Eryk wouldn’t have even noticed that. Kas would have had to explain it to him.
And now here he was asking how his hair looked. It would have been hilarious if it wasn’t so depressing.
He seemed to accept the answer, though, and said nothing else about it. Eryk's face did, however, pull slightly into a frown, as if he were just realizing it himself. "I don't want to fuck this up," he answered, but he didn't seem too convinced about it. Maybe he wasn't. His eyes narrowed slighty before his shoulders slumped, a strange sight since he rarely allowed his posture to fall unless he was sitting.
"Will... you help me fix it?" he spoke, surprise flashing very briefly over his face. This seemed a little too important for him. Ana might not care, but it looked like Eryk really did.
Miracle of miracles. Kas blinked at him, honestly surprised he hadn’t been outright contradicted. Even if Eryk did care about this for some reason, Kasimir had expected him to vehemently deny it, as he’d always denied caring about irrelevant things in the past. This mission was really doing a number on his personality, it seemed.
Kas raised a hand to scratch at the nape of his neck. “Hang on; I’ll be right back.” He ducked back into his own room and headed to the attached bathroom, grabbing a couple of things. He didn’t bother knocking on the way back in, tossing Eryk a wooden bristle brush with a nice handle. “Get the tangles out first.” The bottle, he set down on Ryk’s end table. “Then put like… a quarter-sized amount of this on your hands and work it through. It’ll make it lay nicer and soften the texture.”
He’d still look like the shaggy pokémon he was named after—but that was a function of the length of his hair, not the neatness. He was beginning to get the sense that Ryk was the kind of guy who shaved with water and really cheap razors. Kas resisted the urge to shudder at the thought.
Eryk just blinked at Kas for a moment before doing what he was told. He managed to run the brush through his hair a total of four times, and grabbed the bottle. He narrowed his eyes slightly, as if he'd squeezed out too much of the product before setting it down. He ran it through his hair at a surprisingly slow motion, as if he were trying to take care not to mess it up any further than it was. Once he was done, he reached down to wipe his hands on his yukata, but stopped. Instead, he disappeared for a moment inside his bathroom, the running water the only indication that he was washing his hands. Once he stepped out, he stared at Kas.
"Better?" he questioned. His hair was slightly less disheveled, but it looked a little better than it did a few moments ago.
“Better,” Kas agreed. It was obviously not an expert job, but considering the fact that Eryk had clearly never been taught how to take care of his skin or hair, it didn’t look bad at all. And Kas knew for a fact that Ana really wouldn’t care, so he offered no more critique. “But we should go pick those two up; we’re already running a bit late.”
Eryk nodded. Before they left, though, Eryk paused momentarily, staring rather awkwardly at Kas. It almost looked like he wanted to say something, but wasn't entirely sure how. "Thanks," he seemed to decide on that. He'd been thanking Kas a lot, lately, it seems.
“I’ve got your back,” he replied. It took him half a second to remember that it wasn’t true—not really. He immediately hated himself for saying it that way, but there was no pulling the words back inside his mouth now. So Kas plastered a grin on his face and led the way out of the building. Most everyone had left the first floor offices by this point in the evening; though Team Rocket hadn’t given anyone the full day off, they hadn’t scheduled anyone to man the building that evening. It was, after all, a local holiday.
Fortunately, Ana’s house was on the way; by now both of them knew the route without having to think about it. It had become natural for Kas at least to seek the place out after he’d had a particularly trying day. Maintaining the façade constantly was no easy task; with Ana at least there was one layer fewer to worry about.
The front gate was open, allowing them to head up to the house without difficulty. Kas swore he could hear laughter from inside the building. He paused a moment to pat Rufus, who wagged his whole body upon sight of both of them, stopping to sniff and get attention from each before trundling off, presumably to take a nap. That pokémon had it good.
Stepping up to the door, Kas knocked a few times. “Sorry to interrupt your fun, ladies,” he called, “but I do believe the festival is in full swing.”
Eryk scoffed slightly to Kas' side, but said nothing. The door opened to reveal both Cy and Ana, the former smiling brightly at Kas and Eryk. She seemed excited, and her eyes landed on Eryk. "I didn't think you'd find something to match," she spoke, the expression on her face pulling somewhat into a smirk. It wasn't quite there, but it did relax back into a smile. "You look really nice, Eryk," she stated.
"You as well, Cy," he muttered. His head turned slightly in the direction of Ana, and something in his gaze softened. It would have been hard to tell with the lighting, but he was close enough to Kas that he noticed that much. "Ana, you look... nice as well," he spoke, though it was unsure if that was the right word he wanted to say.
“Thank you,” Ana replied, smiling slightly. “You look nice too, Eryk.”
“And I must be chopped liver,” Kas teased, highly amused by the whole exchange. It was so utterly innocent he couldn’t help but enjoy it; things like this in life were rare.
“Not at all!” Ana said, looking afraid that she might have offended him. “I really like the color of your yukata, Kas. Green suits you.”
He chuckled, waving off her concern. “I was only joking, Ana. Now that we’ve established that we all look fantastic, shall we get going? Ryk here has never been to a festival before—we all need to make sure he stuffs his face with all the fried food we can get our hands on.” He rubbed his hands together in an exaggerated fashion as they started walking away from the house.
As he’d hoped, Ana giggled and nodded. “I haven’t been either, actually. But I probably shouldn’t eat too much food. Maybe we can share, so we’ll both get to try lots of different things. What about you, Cy?”
Kas, who had been very deliberately not looking at Cyrilla any more than he had to, had to now, out of politeness if nothing else. He had a strange difficulty swallowing.
"Oh, that sounds like a good idea. I don't have a bottomless pit like Eryk does, so sharing would be good," she'd pointed out, grinning at the idea. Eryk narrowed his eyes just barely, but scoffed in response. "It's not a bad thing, Ryk. Besides, I've only been to one festival, and that was in Saffron," she stated with mild amusement. Eryk visibly rolled his eyes, and tucked his arms into his yukata sleeves. He was a little grumpy about the sudden turn on him, but it didn't seem to bother him too much.
"You make it sound like it is," he grumbled slightly. "At least I'm not the only one who hasn't been to a festival," he spoke, casting a side glance in Kas' direction. Cyrilla managed to snort at that, but covered her face as she did so, like it had been an accident. "Can we please just go?" he stated, sounding just a tad bit... embarrassed?
"Don't be like that Ryk. Anyway, what are you looking forward to the most, Ana? The food, the games, or the fireworks?" she chided Eryk, but turned the questioning on Ana.
Ana contemplated that as she walked; ultimately she shrugged a little and smiled slightly wider. “I honestly don’t know what to expect, so… maybe games? I like to eat too, though, so it might be a toss-up. Oh, but fireworks are pretty—I haven’t actually seen a display for…” she paused, clearly doing some mental math. “Eight years or so.”
“So… everything, then,” Kas said, raising an eyebrow at her.
Her expression became rueful. “Seems like it,” she agreed sheepishly. “I guess that wasn’t a very good answer to the question.”
"So everything it is!" Cyrilla chimed in, linking her arm with Ana's. Eryk, apparently, didn't seem too happy about it, but he seemed to realize it himself since a flash of confusion crossed his face. He shook his head, though. "We'll just have to make sure we stop at all the stalls, try all the food, play all the games, and then find a good spot for the fireworks! I think... they have a lantern lighting thing at the end. I don't really remember everything Drake said the festival had," she spoke, smiling a tad bit sheepishly. It seemed that even the mentioning of Drake's name caused Eryk to tense.
"Wouldn't it be a little difficult to do that? There are four of us," he spoke, almost as if he were trying to suggest something else. "And I don't think splitting up is a wise idea," he spoke, probably because being with Ana by himself would be awkward for him. "We're supposed to be here as a group," he stated. Cyrilla chuckled slightly in her spot.
"Four people occupying one stall won't be that difficult, Ryk. Festivals are made to house large numbers of people, so they're made specifically for just these kinds of things," she tried to explain, but it didn't seem like it completely reached him.
“You’ll see when we get there,” Kas added. Ryk was a ‘seeing is believing’ kind of guy anyway.
He tucked his wallet and xtranceiver up his sleeve, pulling on his short ponytail to tighten it, then stepped out into the hallway. He knocked on the door two down from his own, then snorted. “Don’t tell me you don’t know how to tie an obi, Ryk. ‘Cause I’ll do it for you, but I’ll tell everyone. And don’t forget to pretend like you care enough to brush your hair.”
Eryk opened the door to his room, glaring at Kas as he did. It wasn't a soft glare, either; this one was a little more heated. Apparently, he didn't know how to tie an obi because it was hanging rather loosely from his person. "Yukata are articles of clothing we do not wear," he spoke. His hair wasn't even brushed, and it looked like he'd just rolled out of bed. Really, he looked like he was ready to go to sleep, and the yukata was just extra clothes to sleep in. He sighed, though, and opened the door a little wider.
"If you're going to be such an ass about it, I'll just have Cy do it," he stated, apparently still in a sour mood. His voice was grumpy, and even his posture was a little tense.
Had Kas been a more polite or considerate person, he probably would have tried and likely failed to constrain his mirth into a smile or something. But he wasn’t that polite or considerate, especially not when there was an opportunity to laugh at Eryk—which was exactly what he did. Leaning on the doorframe for support, he cackled for several seconds straight, pulling in a breath and wiping a laughter-induced tear from one eye with his index finger.
"Ass."
“Okay, uh… well you can’t ask Cy because she’s still with Ana, remember? Let’s get back inside before some poor grunt wanders down the hallway, okay?” He almost laughed again thinking about all the rumors seeing this situation from the outside might start, but he figured they’d piss Ryk off rather than entertaining him. Kas had the ability to take nearly anything in stride. But if he was water or air, Eryk was a rock or a stubborn flame. Flowing wasn’t really in his nature.
Closing the door behind him, he motioned for Eryk to turn around. “We actually have it much easier than women do, when it comes to these,” he said, taking the ends in his hands and making sure it was snug enough to hold everything in place. “Their obi are pretty complicated, even just the ones for yukata.” It was a matter of a few seconds to tie it, and he stepped back once he’d done so.
“See? Nothing to it.”
Eryk still looked a bit pissed at the whole situation, but it smoothed out once Kas was finished tying the obi. "Easy or not, I won't be wearing this stupid thing again. There's no reason for me to learn," he spoke, as if this was the first and last time he'd be attending a festival. "Besides, I already told you, I've never been to a festival, so I don't know how these things work," he continued, rolling his eyes as he did so.
Kas resisted the urge to sigh. He was really dense sometimes. Hadn’t he just agreed that his family was wrong about life experiences like this being useless? Honestly, sometimes Kas wanted to find whichever relatives had raised his friend and throttle them. It was clear that there was some damage left from all of it, and in that observation, Kasimir was completely serious. He took Eryk’s eccentricities in stride just like everything else, but the fact was, he shouldn’t have to teach a grown man how to interact with other human beings without hurting their feelings or offending them. And Eryk shouldn’t have been denied the opportunity to learn all of that stuff.
His best friend was functional, but Kas, even knowing as little as he did, wouldn’t hesitate to class his family life as abusive. It pissed him off, so he tried not to think about it.
He walked away from Kas for a moment, and turned around. He seemed to pat his hair down a little bit, and tried smoothing it out with his fingers. It didn't really work since his hair still looked a little wild and untamed. Apparently he didn't care, either. "How does it look?"
“Like you combed it with your fingers after rolling out of bed,” Kas deadpanned, “so… like it usually does. I doubt she’ll care, though I can’t help but notice that you do, enough to ask. That’s new.” All of this… advice-seeking about his appearance was very new for Eryk. There was a point to which it was necessary to the mission’s chances of success, maybe, but the old Eryk wouldn’t have even noticed that. Kas would have had to explain it to him.
And now here he was asking how his hair looked. It would have been hilarious if it wasn’t so depressing.
He seemed to accept the answer, though, and said nothing else about it. Eryk's face did, however, pull slightly into a frown, as if he were just realizing it himself. "I don't want to fuck this up," he answered, but he didn't seem too convinced about it. Maybe he wasn't. His eyes narrowed slighty before his shoulders slumped, a strange sight since he rarely allowed his posture to fall unless he was sitting.
"Will... you help me fix it?" he spoke, surprise flashing very briefly over his face. This seemed a little too important for him. Ana might not care, but it looked like Eryk really did.
Miracle of miracles. Kas blinked at him, honestly surprised he hadn’t been outright contradicted. Even if Eryk did care about this for some reason, Kasimir had expected him to vehemently deny it, as he’d always denied caring about irrelevant things in the past. This mission was really doing a number on his personality, it seemed.
Kas raised a hand to scratch at the nape of his neck. “Hang on; I’ll be right back.” He ducked back into his own room and headed to the attached bathroom, grabbing a couple of things. He didn’t bother knocking on the way back in, tossing Eryk a wooden bristle brush with a nice handle. “Get the tangles out first.” The bottle, he set down on Ryk’s end table. “Then put like… a quarter-sized amount of this on your hands and work it through. It’ll make it lay nicer and soften the texture.”
He’d still look like the shaggy pokémon he was named after—but that was a function of the length of his hair, not the neatness. He was beginning to get the sense that Ryk was the kind of guy who shaved with water and really cheap razors. Kas resisted the urge to shudder at the thought.
Eryk just blinked at Kas for a moment before doing what he was told. He managed to run the brush through his hair a total of four times, and grabbed the bottle. He narrowed his eyes slightly, as if he'd squeezed out too much of the product before setting it down. He ran it through his hair at a surprisingly slow motion, as if he were trying to take care not to mess it up any further than it was. Once he was done, he reached down to wipe his hands on his yukata, but stopped. Instead, he disappeared for a moment inside his bathroom, the running water the only indication that he was washing his hands. Once he stepped out, he stared at Kas.
"Better?" he questioned. His hair was slightly less disheveled, but it looked a little better than it did a few moments ago.
“Better,” Kas agreed. It was obviously not an expert job, but considering the fact that Eryk had clearly never been taught how to take care of his skin or hair, it didn’t look bad at all. And Kas knew for a fact that Ana really wouldn’t care, so he offered no more critique. “But we should go pick those two up; we’re already running a bit late.”
Eryk nodded. Before they left, though, Eryk paused momentarily, staring rather awkwardly at Kas. It almost looked like he wanted to say something, but wasn't entirely sure how. "Thanks," he seemed to decide on that. He'd been thanking Kas a lot, lately, it seems.
“I’ve got your back,” he replied. It took him half a second to remember that it wasn’t true—not really. He immediately hated himself for saying it that way, but there was no pulling the words back inside his mouth now. So Kas plastered a grin on his face and led the way out of the building. Most everyone had left the first floor offices by this point in the evening; though Team Rocket hadn’t given anyone the full day off, they hadn’t scheduled anyone to man the building that evening. It was, after all, a local holiday.
Fortunately, Ana’s house was on the way; by now both of them knew the route without having to think about it. It had become natural for Kas at least to seek the place out after he’d had a particularly trying day. Maintaining the façade constantly was no easy task; with Ana at least there was one layer fewer to worry about.
The front gate was open, allowing them to head up to the house without difficulty. Kas swore he could hear laughter from inside the building. He paused a moment to pat Rufus, who wagged his whole body upon sight of both of them, stopping to sniff and get attention from each before trundling off, presumably to take a nap. That pokémon had it good.
Stepping up to the door, Kas knocked a few times. “Sorry to interrupt your fun, ladies,” he called, “but I do believe the festival is in full swing.”
Eryk scoffed slightly to Kas' side, but said nothing. The door opened to reveal both Cy and Ana, the former smiling brightly at Kas and Eryk. She seemed excited, and her eyes landed on Eryk. "I didn't think you'd find something to match," she spoke, the expression on her face pulling somewhat into a smirk. It wasn't quite there, but it did relax back into a smile. "You look really nice, Eryk," she stated.
"You as well, Cy," he muttered. His head turned slightly in the direction of Ana, and something in his gaze softened. It would have been hard to tell with the lighting, but he was close enough to Kas that he noticed that much. "Ana, you look... nice as well," he spoke, though it was unsure if that was the right word he wanted to say.
“Thank you,” Ana replied, smiling slightly. “You look nice too, Eryk.”
“And I must be chopped liver,” Kas teased, highly amused by the whole exchange. It was so utterly innocent he couldn’t help but enjoy it; things like this in life were rare.
“Not at all!” Ana said, looking afraid that she might have offended him. “I really like the color of your yukata, Kas. Green suits you.”
He chuckled, waving off her concern. “I was only joking, Ana. Now that we’ve established that we all look fantastic, shall we get going? Ryk here has never been to a festival before—we all need to make sure he stuffs his face with all the fried food we can get our hands on.” He rubbed his hands together in an exaggerated fashion as they started walking away from the house.
As he’d hoped, Ana giggled and nodded. “I haven’t been either, actually. But I probably shouldn’t eat too much food. Maybe we can share, so we’ll both get to try lots of different things. What about you, Cy?”
Kas, who had been very deliberately not looking at Cyrilla any more than he had to, had to now, out of politeness if nothing else. He had a strange difficulty swallowing.
"Oh, that sounds like a good idea. I don't have a bottomless pit like Eryk does, so sharing would be good," she'd pointed out, grinning at the idea. Eryk narrowed his eyes just barely, but scoffed in response. "It's not a bad thing, Ryk. Besides, I've only been to one festival, and that was in Saffron," she stated with mild amusement. Eryk visibly rolled his eyes, and tucked his arms into his yukata sleeves. He was a little grumpy about the sudden turn on him, but it didn't seem to bother him too much.
"You make it sound like it is," he grumbled slightly. "At least I'm not the only one who hasn't been to a festival," he spoke, casting a side glance in Kas' direction. Cyrilla managed to snort at that, but covered her face as she did so, like it had been an accident. "Can we please just go?" he stated, sounding just a tad bit... embarrassed?
"Don't be like that Ryk. Anyway, what are you looking forward to the most, Ana? The food, the games, or the fireworks?" she chided Eryk, but turned the questioning on Ana.
Ana contemplated that as she walked; ultimately she shrugged a little and smiled slightly wider. “I honestly don’t know what to expect, so… maybe games? I like to eat too, though, so it might be a toss-up. Oh, but fireworks are pretty—I haven’t actually seen a display for…” she paused, clearly doing some mental math. “Eight years or so.”
“So… everything, then,” Kas said, raising an eyebrow at her.
Her expression became rueful. “Seems like it,” she agreed sheepishly. “I guess that wasn’t a very good answer to the question.”
"So everything it is!" Cyrilla chimed in, linking her arm with Ana's. Eryk, apparently, didn't seem too happy about it, but he seemed to realize it himself since a flash of confusion crossed his face. He shook his head, though. "We'll just have to make sure we stop at all the stalls, try all the food, play all the games, and then find a good spot for the fireworks! I think... they have a lantern lighting thing at the end. I don't really remember everything Drake said the festival had," she spoke, smiling a tad bit sheepishly. It seemed that even the mentioning of Drake's name caused Eryk to tense.
"Wouldn't it be a little difficult to do that? There are four of us," he spoke, almost as if he were trying to suggest something else. "And I don't think splitting up is a wise idea," he spoke, probably because being with Ana by himself would be awkward for him. "We're supposed to be here as a group," he stated. Cyrilla chuckled slightly in her spot.
"Four people occupying one stall won't be that difficult, Ryk. Festivals are made to house large numbers of people, so they're made specifically for just these kinds of things," she tried to explain, but it didn't seem like it completely reached him.
“You’ll see when we get there,” Kas added. Ryk was a ‘seeing is believing’ kind of guy anyway.
Really, this was all uncomfortable for him. There were a lot of people around, more-so than he was used to, and that alone sort of bothered him. Eryk wasn't a people person. Everyone knew that, and yet here he was, in the middle of a festival with two of his coworkers, and the subject of interest, Ana. She'd never been to a festival, either, but she seemed more inclined to go to one, than he was. He couldn't quite understand why, though. It was strange, and foreign, and he was probably thinking way too much on the subject. He'd managed, so far, to be civil, but he could feel eyes glancing at them every now and then. He wasn't a shallow-minded person, and he highly doubted they were looking at him. It didn't mean he didn't like it any less.
He tried to focus on something else, though, and he managed to allow his gaze to fall onto Cyrilla and Ana. They were still linked at the arms, but he did notice the lack of glancing. Cyrilla always had a habit of at least staring at Kas for a second, even if she wasn't talking to him. He'd noticed that almost immediately. That, and she hadn't directly talked to him. He wondered why that was, but he didn't want to dwell on that. He had other things to worry about. Like attending this arceus-forsaken festival. He pushed a light sigh from his lips, and shifted in his yukata. It was rather comfortable, perhaps he should wear them more often? Immediately the thought was banished. He didn't want to turn out like Kas.
"If we are attending all of the events, perhaps we should choose one to do first?" he finally spoke, allowing his gaze to shift to the other three. Cyrilla seemed to contemplate his suggestion, and shrugged her shoulders lightly.
"It's a bit hard to pick which one to do first. But if we eat first, we might be too tired to do anything else. Maybe we should check out the games?" she suggested, turning towards Kas and Ana for their input. She had a bit of a point, but as she'd mentioned earlier, Eryk had a bottomless pit. He didn't have to worry about food slowing him down.
Kas seemed content to let the others decide what to do; that made some sense if he’d been to these things in the past. It wasn’t a new experience for him. Ana, on the other hand, looked thoughtful. “I wouldn’t mind trying out some games,” she said with a glance towards the line of stalls coming into view as they approached downtown. All the shops had been closed down and these stalls built over the course of the day. Most of them were festooned with lanterns and steamers—that sort of thing. It had a slightly chaotic, very joyous atmosphere to it.
“How about that one?” she pointed to one of the closest; the object of the game seemed to be to toss plastic rings over the necks of bottles, which were placed in staggered formation with different-colored glass for each tier.
Eryk blinked at her choice. It seemed easy enough, but that was partly because he was raised as a Koga. Koga's clan were shinobi, and they were used to throwing things to hit their mark. He glanced at Cy to gauge her reaction, but she seemed just as excited. Perhaps he could play without actually trying to win. That wouldn't be so bad, right? "Alright," he spoke, walking towards the stall. The man who occupied it, seemed a little hesitant to give Eryk the plastic rings, perhaps because Eryk was slightly glaring at him. He felt an elbow in his side, soft though, and glanced towards the source.
"You can't glare at people, Ryk. It's not nice," Cyrilla whispered as she smiled up at him. She paid for her rings, and smiled at the man. Eryk could almost see his demeanor change and relax when she did that. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes, though, and watched as she paid for another set. "Here you go, Ana, first one is on me! You should try it first," she stated, handing Ana the second set of rings. Eryk pursed his lips together. Why didn't he think of that?
Ana smiled brightly at Cyrilla. “Okay,” she said counting her rings and eyeing the setup. “Thanks, Cy.” She pursed her lips and approached the counter, where the man running the game had stepped aside to give them room to throw the rings. She twirled one on on her index finger, tilting her head to the side.
When she tossed, the ring flew steadily straight forward, but fell just short, pinging off the body of one of the bottles instead of landing over the neck. “Oops.”
“If you have any pointers to give, I suggest asking if she wants one,” Kas said from beside Eryk, carefully enough that only he could hear. “But don’t just tell her what to do without asking—that’s called mansplaining, and it’s rude.” He grinned and gave Eryk’s shoulder a light shove, as if urging him forward.
Unfortunately, the shove caught Eryk off guard, and he almost tipped forward. He shot Kas a glare, but it softened just slightly. He did have a point, but Eryk wasn't exactly good at explaining things without actually doing it himself. Still, he supposed he ought to try. "Do you need assistance?" he asked, cringing just slightly at the way he said it. It almost sounded like he was asking if she needed help in something other than the ring toss. He sighed, and cleared his throat.
"What... I meant was if you wanted assistance on how to toss properly," he corrected himself. Somewhere behind him, he could almost hear Cyrilla saying something like it's adorable. He could feel his eye wanting to twitch.
Ana actually looked relieved. “I’d really appreciate it,” she said with a soft smile. “The only thing I’ve ever really had to throw in my life is a pokéball, and I’ve only done that once or twice, really. Um… maybe you could demonstrate with one of yours?” She glanced down at the rings in his hand. “I don’t mind taking turns, and yours are a different color, so there shouldn’t be any problem with the score.”
He glanced at her for a moment longer before stepping in front of her. If she didn't mind, then there was no harm in at least showing her with his rings. "There... isn't much difference between the two. It's more about weights and distance," he began, lifting one of the rings in his hands and showing it to her. He laid it so that it was flat against his palm, and gently lifted it up and down. "You should get a feel for the weight, first, and then try and gauge the distance between you and the neck you want it on," he continued, moving the ring so that he grasped it gently between his thumb and forefinger.
"You don't want to toss it like a pokéball, though. Throwing it that way will only end badly," he stated. And to demonstrate, he tossed the ring in the way one would toss a pokéball. It clinked off of the neck of the bottle, and fell in between the rest of them. "You want to toss it with enough force to make it to the bottles, but gently enough so that it doesn't spin," he continued, giving another ring a careless toss. It wobbled in the air, and managed to catch the tip of the neck, but bounced off of it.
"This might be a better way," he stated, this time, glancing at the bottle neck he wanted to hit. He gave the ring a toss, watching as it flew and landed almost dead center. The neck slipped through the hole rather easily, and the only sound it gave was the sound of the ring landing without twirling.
Ana’s eyes stayed glued to his hands throughout the explanation, only flicking away when he tossed one of the rings. She looked like she was seriously attempting to take his advice, and after the last toss, she palmed one of the rings just as he’d done, weighing it in her hand and glancing down to the bottle display. Her mouth pulled into a frown of concentration, and she adjusted the way she was standing to mimic his posture as well.
Her first toss had a little too much spin on it, and though it landed in the right place, it skittered off the neck of the bottle. Her third one, though, had almost no spin at all; she lobbed it through the air with a bit more force to make up the difference and wound up overbalancing, letting out a small ‘eep’ as she lurched forward. She caught herself on the edge of the counter, pulling herself up immediately to look for the ring. When she saw that it had landed right over the neck of a bottle, she beamed at him.
“I did it!”
"Way to go, Ana!" Cyrilla chimed in, and Eryk could hear her hands clasping together. Not quite in a clap, though. His expression softened for just a fraction when she beamed at him. A soft breath of pride escaped Eryk, and he blinked a little confusedly. Where did that come from? So, he shook his head from the strange thought, and instead, offered Ana the rest of his rings. He could hear Cy snickering behind him.
"If you'd like to try again, or practice," he explained. It wasn't like he needed to practice, anyway. He'd make them all on there, and he was fairly certain Cy would too. "If you'd rather not," he continued, still leaving his hand out that held the rings. If she didn't want to, she didn't have to. It wasn't like she needed his rings. He should probably get her more, instead.
She looked for a second like she was halfway through deciding to refuse, but then her eyes caught his and her expression changed. It was hard to pin down exactly what changed about it—it was almost like she’d figured something out, or learned something new, but neither of those really applied to a situation like this, did they? Her smile dimmed but did not disappear, and Ana reached forward to take the rings he offered.
Their fingers brushed together for just a moment. “Sorry,” she murmured, stepping back again once she’d taken them. “I guess I’m buying both you and Cyrilla something to eat, now. What do they have that’s good, Kas?”
“Tons of stuff,” Kas replied. Even though he couldn’t see it, Eryk could easily detect the smile in his voice. “Looks like the closest snack stand has grilled pineapple. You should definitely all try that.”
Ana nodded. “Grilled pineapple then. But first…” She realigned herself with the throwing area and tossed all the remaining rings. Her throws got a lot smoother as she went, and by the end she was landing almost all of them. She won herself a decent amount of tickets, which she then divided, offering about a third of them to Eryk.
“For the lesson,” she said.
Eryk was a little confused by the gesture. She didn't need to give him a share of tickets just because he helped her. He narrowed his eyes just slightly, but not out of anything in particular. He was just contemplating what he was going to do. Instead, he pushed her hand, gently, back towards her. "Keep them. I have no use for them, and there might be something you'll see that you might want," he spoke, feeling just a bit awkward by the whole thing. Somewhere behind him, he could hear Cyrilla snickering softly, and knew she was shaking her head at him.
"It's okay, Ana. He'll probably win his own tickets later on. Besides, there might be something you want that you might not have enough tickets for," Cyrilla spoke, but there was something teasing about the way she said it. He sighed. She had a point though. Even if there were other games, Eryk could probably win them all, and that would help out just slightly if she was, indeed, short any tickets.
"I could help with that. But first, we should go try those grilled pineapples," he spoke, still feeling slightly awkward.
Ana nodded a bit reluctantly and tucked all the tickets away inside her obi. The four of them headed away from the ring-toss game to a stall with a grill set into it. The smell of cooking food wafted over the area, though some of it had an unexpectedly-sweet tinge to it. She approached the vendor, who was apparently someone she knew, from the way he grinned at her.
“Well hey there, Miss Ana. Good to see you could make it this year.” The man must have been in his late thirties or so, from the grey just coming in at his temples and the creases around his eyes.
“Hello, Mr. Scheffler. How are Maria and Toby?” she replied, tipping her head to the side and fishing around in her sleeve for something.
He flipped a skewer around on the grill, producing a hissing sizzle. “Good, good,” he replied. “Toby starts third grade this year, but all he can talk about is how excited he is for his journey next summer. He was going on about how he wanted to make friends with one of yours, and start with them.” The man shook his head, flipping several more. “I told him I’d have to talk to you about that; I know a lot of yours aren’t really in the right kind of shape to be battling, you know?”
Ana smiled softly. “I appreciate that. It’s true that most of them aren’t really suited for a life of travel and battle, but Toby’s got a good heart. Once he gets his license, feel free to bring him by. I’m sure one of the healthier ones will take a shine to him. And it’s very good of him to want to start with one of them.” She finally found what she was looking for, pulling a small purse from the sleeve of her yukata. “Could I get a few orders of grilled pineapple, please?”
“Of course!” The man—Scheffler—threw several large pineapple rings on the grill. “Not to take business away from myself, but you’ve really got to try Ms. Julie’s funnel cake—she’s about half a mile down the street, I think.” He glanced up and smiled at the group at large. “Nice to see you’ve come with friends! I’ve already met Kasimir there—how are you?”
“I’m fantastic, thank you, Mr. Scheffler.”
The man’s eyes sparked with amusement. “Really, the both of you can just call me Robert. So can your friends, actually. I don’t think we’ve met, though; Robert Scheffler. I run the Pokémart on the corner.” Still minding his grill, he tipped his head down the street, where indeed there was a blue-roofed store with the distinctive logo.
Eryk stared at Robert for a moment before tipping his head just slightly in acknowledgement. "Eryk," he simply spoke, stating nothing else. It wasn't like this man would remember him, anyway. Or at least that was Eryk's assumption. That, and Eryk wasn't too sure he wanted to get to know the man any more than this. He ran the mart, that was it.
"Nice to meet you, Robert! I'm Cyrilla Niav," she introduced herself. Of course, she didn't have as much reserve as Eryk did, but he supposed that was because she didn't have the same problem he did. She made friends with just about everyone she met, and Eryk... well he either intimidated them or scared them off. People didn't just stick around, though Kas and Ana were an exception. He blinked softly at that realization.
"Cyrilla and I both work with Kas," he finally stated, trying to be as polite as possible. He was still new to this, despite the past weeks Kas had tried to teach him otherwise. He also wasn't too sure how much Mr. Scheffler knew about who they worked for. Team Rocket was known, but they were still not well-liked. Add to that that Mr. Scheffler's son would be applying for a license soon. Team Rocket issued those out now, and ultimately, they decided who received one or not. Perhaps... he could put in a good word for this Toby.
If Robert was at all put-off by Eryk’s demeanor, he certainly didn’t show it. “Nice to meet you two. Any friend of Miss Ana’s is a friend of mine.” He dipped his chin in an amiable nod, turning the pineapple over on the grill to sear the other side for just a few seconds before placing each thick slice in a small paper dish. Setting them on the counter at the edge of the stall, he waved his hand dismissively when Anastasia started to count out payment for it.
“No need to worry yourself, Miss Ana. It’s on the house.”
“I couldn’t,” she insisted. At least it wasn’t only something she did with Eryk.
But Robert was insistent. “I don’t work the festival for the money, m’dear, and a few slices of pineapple isn’t going to put me out. I hope you and your friends enjoy it, and don’t forget what I said about that funnel cake.” He smiled and nudged the food a little closer.
“Thank you, then,” Ana replied, picking up the paper dishes. She handed one to Eryk, one to Kas, and the last to Cyrilla. “I think we can split this in half?”
"Yes!" Cyrilla stated cheerfully. Eryk resisted the temptation to roll his eyes, however; he managed not to. He simply stared at his grilled pineapple, unsure of what to do with it until he watched the others take a bite out of theirs. Hesitantly, he took a slow bite out of his, chewing it a little too thoughtfully. He wasn't too sure what to expect. It was a pineapple that had been grilled. Maybe he was expecting a smokey flavor to it, or something to that nature, however; what met his taste buds wasn't quite either. It was good.
"These, are good," he stated out loud, blinking a bit surprised. He hadn't meant to say it out loud, and if Cyrilla's light laugh was anything to go by, his face was probably showing the same reaction. Almost immediately, he frowned slightly, furrowing his brows.
"There's nothing wrong with saying something is good if you find it so, Ryk. Really, now," she stated, smiling at him all the same. He scoffed and took another bite from his pineapple. "It's a compliment, really," she spoke towards Robert. "Should we go try Ms. Julie's funnel cake next?" she asked. Eryk swore he could see a small twinkle behind her eyes. She liked sweets, that much he knew. But how much she actually liked them wasn't something he knew. He, personally, didn't like sweets, but maybe Kas and Ana did.
"Do you?" he asked, glancing towards the two others.
“Well, it’s a ways down the road,” Ana said. “But we can certainly head in that direction and see what we find, right?” Kas agreed, and the four of them headed further down the way.
At this time of night, lots of people were around, but by far the majority of the people were there as families, most of them with children between the ages of four and fourteen in tow. It was a little noisy for that reason alone, with people calling out to each other or fighting over what to eat or which games to play, but for all the yelling, everything seemed mostly… happy. It was chaos, but not the angry kind. Most people were colorfully-dressed, too; they would have stood out a lot if they weren’t in yukata.
As it was, they still tended to attract attention, mostly just people calling out to say hello to Ana or Kas, or occasionally even Cy. There were a few more introductions, though no one kept them for long. They passed by a few more games, some other food stalls selling substantial dinner-type foods; Kas insisted on trying at least most of them; before long they had a lot more to carry than they really had space for.
“Should we find somewhere to sit down for a while?” Ana asked, trying to juggle takoyaki, a veggie skewer, several types of tempura and a fruit smoothie. And that was only half of the food she and Cy were trying to get through together. “I know they have benches and things around, or we could sit on that fountain over there?”
Eryk probably had the most food, though. He was juggling at least four or five different plates. When Ana spoke, though, he agreed. Sitting down would probably be best, that way they could sort through all the items they had. And they could probably start working on some of the food. It all smelled so good. It wasn't quite the smell Cy's food had, whenever she cooked for him, but it still smelled good all the same. He managed to find a small table, and made for it before one of the other families could take it. It was large enough for a family, but that didn't seem to matter to Eryk.
"This will do," he stated, setting his plates down and helping Ana and Cy with theirs. Once everything was set, he took a seat. "We should rest for a moment, and try to free up space," he stated. Cy laughed.
"I think what he means to say is, 'Let's eat this food so we can go get more things,'" she stated, trying to immitate his voice. It sounded... gruff. Did he really talk like that? "I will agree on that, though. I don't know if we could keep carrying any more things without making some room," she added.
Kas took the seat next to Cy, leaving Ana to fold herself into the bench beside Eryk. The angle made her relative lack of height all the more obvious—the top of her head barely reached halfway up his bicep—but she didn’t seem uncomfortable in the slightest. Since she was across from Cy, she arranged their shared food in between them, picking out a bit of tempura with one of the plastic forks they’d been given.
“What’d I tell you? Festival food is great,” Kas said, working his way through his own pile, which was nearly the size of Eryk’s.
“Is there a Camilla Festival on the Orange Islands?” Ana asked between bites, tilting her head at him.
Kas chewed for several more seconds, then swallowed, shaking his head and chasing his bite with what looked like a bright purple soda or something. “Not exactly. Ours is called the Palm Festival—it’s got a lot of the same features, but there’s also a bit more… I dunno, I guess you’d call it spiritualism. The old folks on the island spend the whole first half the day meditating, and the ceremony at the end is a bigger deal. Here, lots of people will skip the lantern-lighting, which is supposed to be the main event. You don’t skip the palm-boat release where I’m from, unless you’re a tourist.”
Ana nodded. “That’s really interesting, though. What does the Palm Festival celebrate? The Camilla Festival is supposed to be for the beginning of summer, and I heard it used to be a way of guiding the spirits of that year’s dead or lost to the next world—that’s what the lanterns are for.”
He nodded. “Summer on the islands is kind of a mixed thing. It’s peak tourist season, so we all do pretty well for ourselves in that industry. But it’s also kind of the time when we have to worry most about storms—so we send the palm boats out to sea to placate the pokémon that controls the ocean.” He shrugged. “Most people don’t believe it helps anymore; they do it because it’s something the whole community does together.”
It seemed that most of it was still the same, at least to Eryk. Why did they sound so interesting, though? Maybe because he'd never really been to one, and didn't know the first thing about festivals. Different festivals, different meanings, but they still seemed to hold the same sentimentality for everyone around. Tradition or not, it was important to some people. He paused momentarily, chewing on a piece of meat before he swallowed. He wasn't entirely sure what to say. He didn't have any knowledge to offer about festivals, and he didn't quite know what to ask. He was, for once, at a loss.
"That sounds nice, doing something like that as a whole rather than individually," Cyrilla spoke, saving him from his own thoughts. He could hear it, though, the slight solemn tone to her voice. He could understand just slightly. Their community wasn't quite the same. Growing up in such a large family, training for just one purpose, he supposed he could understand that solemnness. He sighed softly, pushing the thoughts from his mind. He didn't need them, not now at least.
"Do you want to attend the lantern-lighting?" he asked, the question directed towards Ana. "Since... you and I have never been to a festival," he added, unsure as to why, though. He'd never been to a festival, and neither had she. Perhaps she wanted to see that part through, too. He wouldn't admit it out loud, but it would be nice to see the festival through to the end. It would give him a new insight to the islanders, how they did things, and most of all, it would hopefully give a little more insight to her.
For the sake of the mission... or at least that was what he was telling himself.
She smiled. “I think… that would be really nice.”
He tried to focus on something else, though, and he managed to allow his gaze to fall onto Cyrilla and Ana. They were still linked at the arms, but he did notice the lack of glancing. Cyrilla always had a habit of at least staring at Kas for a second, even if she wasn't talking to him. He'd noticed that almost immediately. That, and she hadn't directly talked to him. He wondered why that was, but he didn't want to dwell on that. He had other things to worry about. Like attending this arceus-forsaken festival. He pushed a light sigh from his lips, and shifted in his yukata. It was rather comfortable, perhaps he should wear them more often? Immediately the thought was banished. He didn't want to turn out like Kas.
"If we are attending all of the events, perhaps we should choose one to do first?" he finally spoke, allowing his gaze to shift to the other three. Cyrilla seemed to contemplate his suggestion, and shrugged her shoulders lightly.
"It's a bit hard to pick which one to do first. But if we eat first, we might be too tired to do anything else. Maybe we should check out the games?" she suggested, turning towards Kas and Ana for their input. She had a bit of a point, but as she'd mentioned earlier, Eryk had a bottomless pit. He didn't have to worry about food slowing him down.
Kas seemed content to let the others decide what to do; that made some sense if he’d been to these things in the past. It wasn’t a new experience for him. Ana, on the other hand, looked thoughtful. “I wouldn’t mind trying out some games,” she said with a glance towards the line of stalls coming into view as they approached downtown. All the shops had been closed down and these stalls built over the course of the day. Most of them were festooned with lanterns and steamers—that sort of thing. It had a slightly chaotic, very joyous atmosphere to it.
“How about that one?” she pointed to one of the closest; the object of the game seemed to be to toss plastic rings over the necks of bottles, which were placed in staggered formation with different-colored glass for each tier.
Eryk blinked at her choice. It seemed easy enough, but that was partly because he was raised as a Koga. Koga's clan were shinobi, and they were used to throwing things to hit their mark. He glanced at Cy to gauge her reaction, but she seemed just as excited. Perhaps he could play without actually trying to win. That wouldn't be so bad, right? "Alright," he spoke, walking towards the stall. The man who occupied it, seemed a little hesitant to give Eryk the plastic rings, perhaps because Eryk was slightly glaring at him. He felt an elbow in his side, soft though, and glanced towards the source.
"You can't glare at people, Ryk. It's not nice," Cyrilla whispered as she smiled up at him. She paid for her rings, and smiled at the man. Eryk could almost see his demeanor change and relax when she did that. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes, though, and watched as she paid for another set. "Here you go, Ana, first one is on me! You should try it first," she stated, handing Ana the second set of rings. Eryk pursed his lips together. Why didn't he think of that?
Ana smiled brightly at Cyrilla. “Okay,” she said counting her rings and eyeing the setup. “Thanks, Cy.” She pursed her lips and approached the counter, where the man running the game had stepped aside to give them room to throw the rings. She twirled one on on her index finger, tilting her head to the side.
When she tossed, the ring flew steadily straight forward, but fell just short, pinging off the body of one of the bottles instead of landing over the neck. “Oops.”
“If you have any pointers to give, I suggest asking if she wants one,” Kas said from beside Eryk, carefully enough that only he could hear. “But don’t just tell her what to do without asking—that’s called mansplaining, and it’s rude.” He grinned and gave Eryk’s shoulder a light shove, as if urging him forward.
Unfortunately, the shove caught Eryk off guard, and he almost tipped forward. He shot Kas a glare, but it softened just slightly. He did have a point, but Eryk wasn't exactly good at explaining things without actually doing it himself. Still, he supposed he ought to try. "Do you need assistance?" he asked, cringing just slightly at the way he said it. It almost sounded like he was asking if she needed help in something other than the ring toss. He sighed, and cleared his throat.
"What... I meant was if you wanted assistance on how to toss properly," he corrected himself. Somewhere behind him, he could almost hear Cyrilla saying something like it's adorable. He could feel his eye wanting to twitch.
Ana actually looked relieved. “I’d really appreciate it,” she said with a soft smile. “The only thing I’ve ever really had to throw in my life is a pokéball, and I’ve only done that once or twice, really. Um… maybe you could demonstrate with one of yours?” She glanced down at the rings in his hand. “I don’t mind taking turns, and yours are a different color, so there shouldn’t be any problem with the score.”
He glanced at her for a moment longer before stepping in front of her. If she didn't mind, then there was no harm in at least showing her with his rings. "There... isn't much difference between the two. It's more about weights and distance," he began, lifting one of the rings in his hands and showing it to her. He laid it so that it was flat against his palm, and gently lifted it up and down. "You should get a feel for the weight, first, and then try and gauge the distance between you and the neck you want it on," he continued, moving the ring so that he grasped it gently between his thumb and forefinger.
"You don't want to toss it like a pokéball, though. Throwing it that way will only end badly," he stated. And to demonstrate, he tossed the ring in the way one would toss a pokéball. It clinked off of the neck of the bottle, and fell in between the rest of them. "You want to toss it with enough force to make it to the bottles, but gently enough so that it doesn't spin," he continued, giving another ring a careless toss. It wobbled in the air, and managed to catch the tip of the neck, but bounced off of it.
"This might be a better way," he stated, this time, glancing at the bottle neck he wanted to hit. He gave the ring a toss, watching as it flew and landed almost dead center. The neck slipped through the hole rather easily, and the only sound it gave was the sound of the ring landing without twirling.
Ana’s eyes stayed glued to his hands throughout the explanation, only flicking away when he tossed one of the rings. She looked like she was seriously attempting to take his advice, and after the last toss, she palmed one of the rings just as he’d done, weighing it in her hand and glancing down to the bottle display. Her mouth pulled into a frown of concentration, and she adjusted the way she was standing to mimic his posture as well.
Her first toss had a little too much spin on it, and though it landed in the right place, it skittered off the neck of the bottle. Her third one, though, had almost no spin at all; she lobbed it through the air with a bit more force to make up the difference and wound up overbalancing, letting out a small ‘eep’ as she lurched forward. She caught herself on the edge of the counter, pulling herself up immediately to look for the ring. When she saw that it had landed right over the neck of a bottle, she beamed at him.
“I did it!”
"Way to go, Ana!" Cyrilla chimed in, and Eryk could hear her hands clasping together. Not quite in a clap, though. His expression softened for just a fraction when she beamed at him. A soft breath of pride escaped Eryk, and he blinked a little confusedly. Where did that come from? So, he shook his head from the strange thought, and instead, offered Ana the rest of his rings. He could hear Cy snickering behind him.
"If you'd like to try again, or practice," he explained. It wasn't like he needed to practice, anyway. He'd make them all on there, and he was fairly certain Cy would too. "If you'd rather not," he continued, still leaving his hand out that held the rings. If she didn't want to, she didn't have to. It wasn't like she needed his rings. He should probably get her more, instead.
She looked for a second like she was halfway through deciding to refuse, but then her eyes caught his and her expression changed. It was hard to pin down exactly what changed about it—it was almost like she’d figured something out, or learned something new, but neither of those really applied to a situation like this, did they? Her smile dimmed but did not disappear, and Ana reached forward to take the rings he offered.
Their fingers brushed together for just a moment. “Sorry,” she murmured, stepping back again once she’d taken them. “I guess I’m buying both you and Cyrilla something to eat, now. What do they have that’s good, Kas?”
“Tons of stuff,” Kas replied. Even though he couldn’t see it, Eryk could easily detect the smile in his voice. “Looks like the closest snack stand has grilled pineapple. You should definitely all try that.”
Ana nodded. “Grilled pineapple then. But first…” She realigned herself with the throwing area and tossed all the remaining rings. Her throws got a lot smoother as she went, and by the end she was landing almost all of them. She won herself a decent amount of tickets, which she then divided, offering about a third of them to Eryk.
“For the lesson,” she said.
Eryk was a little confused by the gesture. She didn't need to give him a share of tickets just because he helped her. He narrowed his eyes just slightly, but not out of anything in particular. He was just contemplating what he was going to do. Instead, he pushed her hand, gently, back towards her. "Keep them. I have no use for them, and there might be something you'll see that you might want," he spoke, feeling just a bit awkward by the whole thing. Somewhere behind him, he could hear Cyrilla snickering softly, and knew she was shaking her head at him.
"It's okay, Ana. He'll probably win his own tickets later on. Besides, there might be something you want that you might not have enough tickets for," Cyrilla spoke, but there was something teasing about the way she said it. He sighed. She had a point though. Even if there were other games, Eryk could probably win them all, and that would help out just slightly if she was, indeed, short any tickets.
"I could help with that. But first, we should go try those grilled pineapples," he spoke, still feeling slightly awkward.
Ana nodded a bit reluctantly and tucked all the tickets away inside her obi. The four of them headed away from the ring-toss game to a stall with a grill set into it. The smell of cooking food wafted over the area, though some of it had an unexpectedly-sweet tinge to it. She approached the vendor, who was apparently someone she knew, from the way he grinned at her.
“Well hey there, Miss Ana. Good to see you could make it this year.” The man must have been in his late thirties or so, from the grey just coming in at his temples and the creases around his eyes.
“Hello, Mr. Scheffler. How are Maria and Toby?” she replied, tipping her head to the side and fishing around in her sleeve for something.
He flipped a skewer around on the grill, producing a hissing sizzle. “Good, good,” he replied. “Toby starts third grade this year, but all he can talk about is how excited he is for his journey next summer. He was going on about how he wanted to make friends with one of yours, and start with them.” The man shook his head, flipping several more. “I told him I’d have to talk to you about that; I know a lot of yours aren’t really in the right kind of shape to be battling, you know?”
Ana smiled softly. “I appreciate that. It’s true that most of them aren’t really suited for a life of travel and battle, but Toby’s got a good heart. Once he gets his license, feel free to bring him by. I’m sure one of the healthier ones will take a shine to him. And it’s very good of him to want to start with one of them.” She finally found what she was looking for, pulling a small purse from the sleeve of her yukata. “Could I get a few orders of grilled pineapple, please?”
“Of course!” The man—Scheffler—threw several large pineapple rings on the grill. “Not to take business away from myself, but you’ve really got to try Ms. Julie’s funnel cake—she’s about half a mile down the street, I think.” He glanced up and smiled at the group at large. “Nice to see you’ve come with friends! I’ve already met Kasimir there—how are you?”
“I’m fantastic, thank you, Mr. Scheffler.”
The man’s eyes sparked with amusement. “Really, the both of you can just call me Robert. So can your friends, actually. I don’t think we’ve met, though; Robert Scheffler. I run the Pokémart on the corner.” Still minding his grill, he tipped his head down the street, where indeed there was a blue-roofed store with the distinctive logo.
Eryk stared at Robert for a moment before tipping his head just slightly in acknowledgement. "Eryk," he simply spoke, stating nothing else. It wasn't like this man would remember him, anyway. Or at least that was Eryk's assumption. That, and Eryk wasn't too sure he wanted to get to know the man any more than this. He ran the mart, that was it.
"Nice to meet you, Robert! I'm Cyrilla Niav," she introduced herself. Of course, she didn't have as much reserve as Eryk did, but he supposed that was because she didn't have the same problem he did. She made friends with just about everyone she met, and Eryk... well he either intimidated them or scared them off. People didn't just stick around, though Kas and Ana were an exception. He blinked softly at that realization.
"Cyrilla and I both work with Kas," he finally stated, trying to be as polite as possible. He was still new to this, despite the past weeks Kas had tried to teach him otherwise. He also wasn't too sure how much Mr. Scheffler knew about who they worked for. Team Rocket was known, but they were still not well-liked. Add to that that Mr. Scheffler's son would be applying for a license soon. Team Rocket issued those out now, and ultimately, they decided who received one or not. Perhaps... he could put in a good word for this Toby.
If Robert was at all put-off by Eryk’s demeanor, he certainly didn’t show it. “Nice to meet you two. Any friend of Miss Ana’s is a friend of mine.” He dipped his chin in an amiable nod, turning the pineapple over on the grill to sear the other side for just a few seconds before placing each thick slice in a small paper dish. Setting them on the counter at the edge of the stall, he waved his hand dismissively when Anastasia started to count out payment for it.
“No need to worry yourself, Miss Ana. It’s on the house.”
“I couldn’t,” she insisted. At least it wasn’t only something she did with Eryk.
But Robert was insistent. “I don’t work the festival for the money, m’dear, and a few slices of pineapple isn’t going to put me out. I hope you and your friends enjoy it, and don’t forget what I said about that funnel cake.” He smiled and nudged the food a little closer.
“Thank you, then,” Ana replied, picking up the paper dishes. She handed one to Eryk, one to Kas, and the last to Cyrilla. “I think we can split this in half?”
"Yes!" Cyrilla stated cheerfully. Eryk resisted the temptation to roll his eyes, however; he managed not to. He simply stared at his grilled pineapple, unsure of what to do with it until he watched the others take a bite out of theirs. Hesitantly, he took a slow bite out of his, chewing it a little too thoughtfully. He wasn't too sure what to expect. It was a pineapple that had been grilled. Maybe he was expecting a smokey flavor to it, or something to that nature, however; what met his taste buds wasn't quite either. It was good.
"These, are good," he stated out loud, blinking a bit surprised. He hadn't meant to say it out loud, and if Cyrilla's light laugh was anything to go by, his face was probably showing the same reaction. Almost immediately, he frowned slightly, furrowing his brows.
"There's nothing wrong with saying something is good if you find it so, Ryk. Really, now," she stated, smiling at him all the same. He scoffed and took another bite from his pineapple. "It's a compliment, really," she spoke towards Robert. "Should we go try Ms. Julie's funnel cake next?" she asked. Eryk swore he could see a small twinkle behind her eyes. She liked sweets, that much he knew. But how much she actually liked them wasn't something he knew. He, personally, didn't like sweets, but maybe Kas and Ana did.
"Do you?" he asked, glancing towards the two others.
“Well, it’s a ways down the road,” Ana said. “But we can certainly head in that direction and see what we find, right?” Kas agreed, and the four of them headed further down the way.
At this time of night, lots of people were around, but by far the majority of the people were there as families, most of them with children between the ages of four and fourteen in tow. It was a little noisy for that reason alone, with people calling out to each other or fighting over what to eat or which games to play, but for all the yelling, everything seemed mostly… happy. It was chaos, but not the angry kind. Most people were colorfully-dressed, too; they would have stood out a lot if they weren’t in yukata.
As it was, they still tended to attract attention, mostly just people calling out to say hello to Ana or Kas, or occasionally even Cy. There were a few more introductions, though no one kept them for long. They passed by a few more games, some other food stalls selling substantial dinner-type foods; Kas insisted on trying at least most of them; before long they had a lot more to carry than they really had space for.
“Should we find somewhere to sit down for a while?” Ana asked, trying to juggle takoyaki, a veggie skewer, several types of tempura and a fruit smoothie. And that was only half of the food she and Cy were trying to get through together. “I know they have benches and things around, or we could sit on that fountain over there?”
Eryk probably had the most food, though. He was juggling at least four or five different plates. When Ana spoke, though, he agreed. Sitting down would probably be best, that way they could sort through all the items they had. And they could probably start working on some of the food. It all smelled so good. It wasn't quite the smell Cy's food had, whenever she cooked for him, but it still smelled good all the same. He managed to find a small table, and made for it before one of the other families could take it. It was large enough for a family, but that didn't seem to matter to Eryk.
"This will do," he stated, setting his plates down and helping Ana and Cy with theirs. Once everything was set, he took a seat. "We should rest for a moment, and try to free up space," he stated. Cy laughed.
"I think what he means to say is, 'Let's eat this food so we can go get more things,'" she stated, trying to immitate his voice. It sounded... gruff. Did he really talk like that? "I will agree on that, though. I don't know if we could keep carrying any more things without making some room," she added.
Kas took the seat next to Cy, leaving Ana to fold herself into the bench beside Eryk. The angle made her relative lack of height all the more obvious—the top of her head barely reached halfway up his bicep—but she didn’t seem uncomfortable in the slightest. Since she was across from Cy, she arranged their shared food in between them, picking out a bit of tempura with one of the plastic forks they’d been given.
“What’d I tell you? Festival food is great,” Kas said, working his way through his own pile, which was nearly the size of Eryk’s.
“Is there a Camilla Festival on the Orange Islands?” Ana asked between bites, tilting her head at him.
Kas chewed for several more seconds, then swallowed, shaking his head and chasing his bite with what looked like a bright purple soda or something. “Not exactly. Ours is called the Palm Festival—it’s got a lot of the same features, but there’s also a bit more… I dunno, I guess you’d call it spiritualism. The old folks on the island spend the whole first half the day meditating, and the ceremony at the end is a bigger deal. Here, lots of people will skip the lantern-lighting, which is supposed to be the main event. You don’t skip the palm-boat release where I’m from, unless you’re a tourist.”
Ana nodded. “That’s really interesting, though. What does the Palm Festival celebrate? The Camilla Festival is supposed to be for the beginning of summer, and I heard it used to be a way of guiding the spirits of that year’s dead or lost to the next world—that’s what the lanterns are for.”
He nodded. “Summer on the islands is kind of a mixed thing. It’s peak tourist season, so we all do pretty well for ourselves in that industry. But it’s also kind of the time when we have to worry most about storms—so we send the palm boats out to sea to placate the pokémon that controls the ocean.” He shrugged. “Most people don’t believe it helps anymore; they do it because it’s something the whole community does together.”
It seemed that most of it was still the same, at least to Eryk. Why did they sound so interesting, though? Maybe because he'd never really been to one, and didn't know the first thing about festivals. Different festivals, different meanings, but they still seemed to hold the same sentimentality for everyone around. Tradition or not, it was important to some people. He paused momentarily, chewing on a piece of meat before he swallowed. He wasn't entirely sure what to say. He didn't have any knowledge to offer about festivals, and he didn't quite know what to ask. He was, for once, at a loss.
"That sounds nice, doing something like that as a whole rather than individually," Cyrilla spoke, saving him from his own thoughts. He could hear it, though, the slight solemn tone to her voice. He could understand just slightly. Their community wasn't quite the same. Growing up in such a large family, training for just one purpose, he supposed he could understand that solemnness. He sighed softly, pushing the thoughts from his mind. He didn't need them, not now at least.
"Do you want to attend the lantern-lighting?" he asked, the question directed towards Ana. "Since... you and I have never been to a festival," he added, unsure as to why, though. He'd never been to a festival, and neither had she. Perhaps she wanted to see that part through, too. He wouldn't admit it out loud, but it would be nice to see the festival through to the end. It would give him a new insight to the islanders, how they did things, and most of all, it would hopefully give a little more insight to her.
For the sake of the mission... or at least that was what he was telling himself.
She smiled. “I think… that would be really nice.”
Kas glanced between Ryk and Ana, suppressing the smile that threatened. Really, this was just too ridiculous. In the good way, of course. He knew very well that Ryk had never had a friend who wasn’t involved in Team Rocket—never had any friends besides himself and Cyrilla, period. And who they were, the way their lives had gone… they had a lot in common with him, deep down. Ana was different. Different from all of them, but Eryk most of all.
He wasn’t sure he’d have predicted them getting along this well, if he’d been asked three months ago. On the surface, they should have had no reason to interact. Eryk should have scared someone like Ana half to death, and she in turn should have wanted nothing to do with him or any of them, given their jobs. And Eryk certainly shouldn’t have taken to her the way he clearly had, with her optimistic—bordering on naïve—worldview.
But she was stronger than she seemed, and not as naïve; he was both kinder and more patient than the first impression he gave. He’d just had those qualities nearly stomped out of him by his family and his life. Ana let them grow again, or at least convinced him that it was okay for him to do so. It was the kind of friendship that made both of the people in it better. Or it would be, if allowed to continue. If Ryk didn’t quash it himself for the sake of the mission. And if Ana didn’t die.
Suddenly, it was harder to watch them than it should have been. Kas swallowed the last of his tempura, then glanced at all three. Ana was definitely still working through her food—but maybe that was for the best. “I think I’m gonna go find us some of that funnel cake and bring it back. Anyone want to come with?” He asked to be polite; he didn’t expect that anyone would.
"I'll come! Ryk, you stay and keep an eye on Ana!" Cyrilla volunteered. She seemed a little too enthusiastic about it, and the look on Ryk's face almost seemed to suggest he wanted to be the one to go. "It'll be a few minutes, Ryk. You'll be okay without us," she added, earning a light scowl from Eryk. It looked like he really didn't want to be left alone, at least not with Ana in a place like this. "How many do you want?" she asked, waiting for Eryk to reply.
"One," was the short reply he gave.
"Two it is!" she spoke, pushing herself from her spot so that she was standing. "Robert said it was half a mile down the road, and we aren't too far down," she contemplated slightly. She hummed slightly to herself before she smiled again. "Alright Kas, let's go find Ms. Julie's funnel cake shop," she stated, starting down the road just slightly in a head start.
Well… he supposed that was one way to give Eryk an opportunity to ask Ana the relevant questions. That actually hadn’t been Kasimir’s intention, but it would do just fine for the purpose. He trailed after Cy, folding his hands into his sleeves since he lacked pockets. He didn’t bother to pay too much attention to where he was going, only glancing up occasionally to make sure that the head of snowy-white hair was still in sight. It would never be difficult to find Cyrilla, not even in a crowd this big.
It was starting to thin out, actually, as families took their kids home. On the other hand, the amount of teenagers and young adults around seemed to increase; along with the elderly, they now made up the bulk of the festival-goers. That was pretty normal, as far as he knew—at least, it always went the same way back home.
This was more nostalgic than he expected, really. Maybe he was already of a mind to think of home. Crystal had called earlier in the week to tell him that she was engaged; she’d be marrying her longtime boyfriend Andre next spring. Kas had been expecting that eventually, but of course it was hard to tell her he wasn’t sure whether or not he’d be able to make it for the wedding. The job was demanding; it was important that he keep track of any important developments in the organization. If he missed something because he’d taken a whole two weeks off like he wanted to…
For a guy who tried to do as little as possible, he figured he might be a workaholic. It was just that his work wasn’t what everyone thought it was.
The festival made him think of home, and then home made him think of Crystal and her wedding, and he wondered if everything would still be like this by next spring. Almost a year—he didn’t need to be a psychic to know that he’d be a different person by then. Maybe all of them would; it felt like something was coming. The same way he’d been able to sense impending storms since he was a kid, he sensed something coming now. Something that might change too much.
It was really too bad that he had no idea what the something was.
Pulling in a deep breath, he realized he wasn’t smiling, and had indeed been rather intensely staring straight ahead for a while now. That wouldn’t do—he’d start scaring people if he kept that up. Shaking himself out of it, he forced his face into a natural-looking smile. “Uhh… Cy? Where exactly are we?” This didn’t look like the main road anymore.
She laughed nervously. "I... don't know, honestly. I just kept walking hoping I'd see a sign for Ms. Julie's," she began, glancing towards the side to stare at another stall, it seemed. "I didn't see anything like that, so I kept walking. I didn't want to bother you since you kind of looked like you were in your own thoughts. Ryk does that sometimes, so I'm used to it," she continued, giving a light shrug of her shoulders. It looked like most of the festival's games were in this area, and there was probably one or two stalls with food to offer.
"I think... we might have passed it," she muttered, looking a bit embarrassed by that fact. "I should go ask someone, actually, unless you know where we are?" she questioned him. Or at least it sounded like she was questioning him.
“Well, we seem to be on Sunflower,” he said, naming the street. “But I don't know exactly where this stand is supposed to be. If we take our next left, that should put us back on Main eventually, at least.” He shrugged, offering half a smile. “But it might take a while. I’m actually kind of impressed that you managed to get us this lost."
"Hey now, I wouldn't have gotten us this lost if you'd been paying attention, too," she shot back, though it was light in the way she said it. She sighed, though, and slumped slightly before straightening back out. "Let's see, Mr. Scheffler's pineapple stand was on Main, wasn't it? The shop should still be on the same street. I would assume that since he didn't exactly give a name. But then again," she trailed off into thought. She started walking again, though, taking the left he'd suggested. Sure enough, it led them back onto Main, and she paused momentarily.
"Give me a second," she stated, disappearing in a small crowd. She must have been asking someone for directions because she was smiling when she came back. "It's on Lavender, and it should be about a ten minute walk that," she paused momentarily, pointing west, "way," she finished, turning to glance at him. Something seemed to pass by, an expression of sorts, but it disappeared just as fast. She began walking again, a bit slower this time.
"I think it's adorable," she spoke suddenly. "Especially the way he almost smiles with her. It's cute," she continued, probably referring to Eryk.
Kas chuckled. “It is, honestly. I think it’s good for him, too. It’s not like he really has anyone besides us, and I think sometimes you have to have friends who aren’t part of your work, you know?” She had Drake, of course; he imagined that was a similar situation. Except… there was a subtle difference. Maybe nothing would come of it, but maybe something would. In either case, he’d resolved to keep his mouth shut about it for now, because if Eryk found out too soon, there might be problems.
Letting his hands fall apart, he raised them both to put behind his head as they walked. Cy was a lot shorter than he was, but that wasn’t a major issue for him—after Kas had hit puberty, pretty much everyone had become shorter than him. He was used to angling himself slightly downwards for all sorts of tasks, from using counters to talking to people.
“I think sometimes we can forget what life is really like for other people, outside of our Rocket bubble, I guess you'd call it. I dunno about you, but I like to be reminded every now and then.”
She nodded her head slightly. "I think it's good for him, too," she replied, but she seemed a little hesitant in the way she said it. "I just... I hope," she continued, pausing as if to readjust her words, "I hope it doesn't hurt him, or her, in the end. They're both good people, even if Ryk doesn't acknowledge it," she paused again. She shook her head slightly, and allowed a smile to replace the light frown on her face.
"Maybe, all the interest will leave her, and everyone else, and we can actually be her friend," she spoke, but cringed slightly at her own words. "Not that we aren't friends, but just," she seemed to backpedal. "I don't want to keep lying to her. She's been so nice to us," she whispered the last part.
If she had admitted that to the wrong person, she might have been in serious danger of demotion. The whole point of being Executives wasn’t just about paperwork and being a strong battler. It was about being able to take the kinds of missions that demanded things like this: lying, misleading, and ultimately hurting people. Ostensibly for the greater good. He’d always wondered how someone like Cyrilla had ever managed to reach the rank, considering how unsuited she was for doing things like that to people. When he’d dug around… it seemed mostly like her family connections and relation to Eryk had done the work. She was a good trainer, and she did have most of her family’s skills… but her temperament was completely wrong.
Kas supposed his seemed the worst of the three, given his laziness. But really, of the three of them, he was by far the best liar, and he knew it. The fact that they were his friends at all was proof of that. “Yeah,” he said quietly. “I know, believe me. But if it isn’t us, then it’ll be the Birds. And you know how that would go.” At least Eryk and Cyrilla had hearts, as she put it.
He was pretty sure those three had buried theirs a long time ago. Like he tried to bury his.
She flinched slightly at that. "I suppose you're right. They..." she didn't want to say anything further on that, and instead, remained silent. They walked for another minute before she smiled again. "Well, if anyone can get Ryk to almost smile, I'm glad it's Ana. Besides, he's like an Ursaring. He looks all grumpy, but really, he's a big softy," she grinned this time, nodding to herself as if to agree.
"You, on the other hand, are like a Snorlax," she started, chuckling somewhat. She glanced up at him this time. "All you do is eat and then sleep," she grinned, though that wasn't completely true. "But I suppose that's what it takes. A snorlax is the only one who could be good friends with an ursaring," she seemed slightly amused by the comparison.
Kas grinned. It was probably better to steer away from the depressing topics, anyway. He had enough of that on his own time. “I used to look a bit like one, too,” he admitted, rolling his eyes at himself. “I was a pretty round kid, before I hit thirteen or so. I ate about as much as I do now, but my metabolism hadn’t kicked in yet. My dad made me start training to take over the dojo, and puberty happened, and suddenly I was really tall and stuff.”
He’d… actually never admitted that to anyone before. That part of his childhood hadn’t exactly been great. It wasn’t a huge secret, but there’d been no reason to talk about it. “So I’m pretty much a snorlax on the inside, I guess.”
"Oh, but I bet you were adorable!" she stated, and seemed to realize she said that out loud because she blushed rather darkly. "I mean, not that you aren't now... I mean," she began, waving a hand in front of her face. She laughed nervously, and tried to grin. It didn't quite happen that way, instead, coming out as some mixture of a smile and pout.
"What I meant was that I probably wouldn't have helped. I would have just kept feeding you," she stated, still laughing a little nervously. "And you really are tall, and stuff," she continued, reaching a hand up. "I can barely reach your shoulder!" she smiled this time in mirth.
He couldn’t help but laugh at her. Perhaps that was unkind, but there was something rather funny about watching her try and recover from what she clearly saw as a slip of the tongue. It faded to a grin, though, when she reached up to touch his shoulder; Kas’s eyes lit with a familiar mischief. “You are quite short, aren’t you? No need to worry, though; we can fix that no problem.”
So saying, he bent down and swept her up, hooking one of his arms under her knees and the other around her shoulders. They only remained that way for a moment, though—Kas lifted her easily and settled her in a sitting position on his right shoulder. The yukata prevented a more traditional shoulder-carry, but she was light enough that he could take all the weight on one side without issue. He held the outside of her right knee with his right hand to help her keep steady, but other than that, he wasn’t really touching her.
“How’s the view from up there, beanstalk?” he teased, glancing up at her face with a smile.
She let out a small shriek of surprise when he lifted her, immediately wrapping her arms around his neck as secure as she could. "I don't like heights," she managed to mutter before she was situated properly. She let go of his neck, though, and managed to sit up straight. She glanced around, apparently taking in the scenery before she blinked down at him and smiled. "I can see the funnel cake stall!" she stated, pointing forward.
"Oh wow," she stated lightly narrowing her eyes just slightly. "Is this what you get to see? The tops of everyone's heads?" she asked, grinning just lightly. Her face was still slightly red, but it was slowly fading.
“And sometimes down their shirts,” he admitted. “Though that’s really accidental.” He might be a flirt, but he wasn’t an asshole. Well… not for that reason, anyway. “But at least I can always reach the top shelf, right?”
Carefully, so as to give her plenty of time to adjust, he started forward in the direction she pointed, still holding on to her leg for the sake of balance. She had a lot of natural ability in that area herself, but his shoulders sloped a little, and it was probably smarter not to take any chances. Even if he probably wouldn’t have too much difficulty catching her.
“If you want me to put you down, just… let me know.” He hadn’t exactly asked her permission in the first place. He probably should have—Kas figured she wasn’t actually that uncomfortable, but he was being a bit of a jerk for just assuming.
"Why would I want you to do that!? I get to be as tall as you are, and I can see everything!" she spoke, glancing out forward. She seemed really excited for some reason or another. "Besides, this way we won't get lost again, and I get a free pass at walking," she added, glancing back down at him with a sly grin. She returned her gaze back forward, smiling as if she really enjoyed where she was at. She probably did. Something must have caught her eye, though, as the smile on her face grew wider.
"Oh, I can see Luke! Aw, it looks like he invited Hayley," she spoke, a sort of warm note to her voice. "That's adorable. Oh hey, look we're here!" she stated, pointing to her left. "You can put me down now, Kas!" she stated, glancing down in the process.
“All right. I’m just going to adjust my hold here,” he warned, shifting them until he had a hand on either side of her obi. His hands were big enough—and her waist small enough—that there were only a few inches between his fingers. He lowered her down carefully, making sure she was steady on her feet before he let go.
Or maybe he just wanted an excuse to be within arms’ length of her for as long as possible.
Either way, he stepped back, dropping his hands to his sides, and offered a half-smile. “Okay. Now that we’re finally here, how about that funnel cake, hm?”
"Alright, sounds good to me. Make sure we get at least two for Ryk. I know he said he only wanted one, but funnel cakes aren't exactly the kind of sweet that he doesn't like. He might actually enjoy it," she spoke, smoothing out her yukata. "Ana and I can share one, though I think I might want one for myself. Hm, maybe I'll just take Ryk's if he doesn't want the other one," she added before walking up to the stall to place her order.
Kas snorted to himself, but followed behind her anyway. Once she’d placed the order, he paid for it before she could even retrieve her purse, smirking all the while. “Don’t think you’ll be able to avoid walking this time, since we have so many to carry. So let’s try not to get lost, okay?”
He wasn’t sure he’d have predicted them getting along this well, if he’d been asked three months ago. On the surface, they should have had no reason to interact. Eryk should have scared someone like Ana half to death, and she in turn should have wanted nothing to do with him or any of them, given their jobs. And Eryk certainly shouldn’t have taken to her the way he clearly had, with her optimistic—bordering on naïve—worldview.
But she was stronger than she seemed, and not as naïve; he was both kinder and more patient than the first impression he gave. He’d just had those qualities nearly stomped out of him by his family and his life. Ana let them grow again, or at least convinced him that it was okay for him to do so. It was the kind of friendship that made both of the people in it better. Or it would be, if allowed to continue. If Ryk didn’t quash it himself for the sake of the mission. And if Ana didn’t die.
Suddenly, it was harder to watch them than it should have been. Kas swallowed the last of his tempura, then glanced at all three. Ana was definitely still working through her food—but maybe that was for the best. “I think I’m gonna go find us some of that funnel cake and bring it back. Anyone want to come with?” He asked to be polite; he didn’t expect that anyone would.
"I'll come! Ryk, you stay and keep an eye on Ana!" Cyrilla volunteered. She seemed a little too enthusiastic about it, and the look on Ryk's face almost seemed to suggest he wanted to be the one to go. "It'll be a few minutes, Ryk. You'll be okay without us," she added, earning a light scowl from Eryk. It looked like he really didn't want to be left alone, at least not with Ana in a place like this. "How many do you want?" she asked, waiting for Eryk to reply.
"One," was the short reply he gave.
"Two it is!" she spoke, pushing herself from her spot so that she was standing. "Robert said it was half a mile down the road, and we aren't too far down," she contemplated slightly. She hummed slightly to herself before she smiled again. "Alright Kas, let's go find Ms. Julie's funnel cake shop," she stated, starting down the road just slightly in a head start.
Well… he supposed that was one way to give Eryk an opportunity to ask Ana the relevant questions. That actually hadn’t been Kasimir’s intention, but it would do just fine for the purpose. He trailed after Cy, folding his hands into his sleeves since he lacked pockets. He didn’t bother to pay too much attention to where he was going, only glancing up occasionally to make sure that the head of snowy-white hair was still in sight. It would never be difficult to find Cyrilla, not even in a crowd this big.
It was starting to thin out, actually, as families took their kids home. On the other hand, the amount of teenagers and young adults around seemed to increase; along with the elderly, they now made up the bulk of the festival-goers. That was pretty normal, as far as he knew—at least, it always went the same way back home.
This was more nostalgic than he expected, really. Maybe he was already of a mind to think of home. Crystal had called earlier in the week to tell him that she was engaged; she’d be marrying her longtime boyfriend Andre next spring. Kas had been expecting that eventually, but of course it was hard to tell her he wasn’t sure whether or not he’d be able to make it for the wedding. The job was demanding; it was important that he keep track of any important developments in the organization. If he missed something because he’d taken a whole two weeks off like he wanted to…
For a guy who tried to do as little as possible, he figured he might be a workaholic. It was just that his work wasn’t what everyone thought it was.
The festival made him think of home, and then home made him think of Crystal and her wedding, and he wondered if everything would still be like this by next spring. Almost a year—he didn’t need to be a psychic to know that he’d be a different person by then. Maybe all of them would; it felt like something was coming. The same way he’d been able to sense impending storms since he was a kid, he sensed something coming now. Something that might change too much.
It was really too bad that he had no idea what the something was.
Pulling in a deep breath, he realized he wasn’t smiling, and had indeed been rather intensely staring straight ahead for a while now. That wouldn’t do—he’d start scaring people if he kept that up. Shaking himself out of it, he forced his face into a natural-looking smile. “Uhh… Cy? Where exactly are we?” This didn’t look like the main road anymore.
She laughed nervously. "I... don't know, honestly. I just kept walking hoping I'd see a sign for Ms. Julie's," she began, glancing towards the side to stare at another stall, it seemed. "I didn't see anything like that, so I kept walking. I didn't want to bother you since you kind of looked like you were in your own thoughts. Ryk does that sometimes, so I'm used to it," she continued, giving a light shrug of her shoulders. It looked like most of the festival's games were in this area, and there was probably one or two stalls with food to offer.
"I think... we might have passed it," she muttered, looking a bit embarrassed by that fact. "I should go ask someone, actually, unless you know where we are?" she questioned him. Or at least it sounded like she was questioning him.
“Well, we seem to be on Sunflower,” he said, naming the street. “But I don't know exactly where this stand is supposed to be. If we take our next left, that should put us back on Main eventually, at least.” He shrugged, offering half a smile. “But it might take a while. I’m actually kind of impressed that you managed to get us this lost."
"Hey now, I wouldn't have gotten us this lost if you'd been paying attention, too," she shot back, though it was light in the way she said it. She sighed, though, and slumped slightly before straightening back out. "Let's see, Mr. Scheffler's pineapple stand was on Main, wasn't it? The shop should still be on the same street. I would assume that since he didn't exactly give a name. But then again," she trailed off into thought. She started walking again, though, taking the left he'd suggested. Sure enough, it led them back onto Main, and she paused momentarily.
"Give me a second," she stated, disappearing in a small crowd. She must have been asking someone for directions because she was smiling when she came back. "It's on Lavender, and it should be about a ten minute walk that," she paused momentarily, pointing west, "way," she finished, turning to glance at him. Something seemed to pass by, an expression of sorts, but it disappeared just as fast. She began walking again, a bit slower this time.
"I think it's adorable," she spoke suddenly. "Especially the way he almost smiles with her. It's cute," she continued, probably referring to Eryk.
Kas chuckled. “It is, honestly. I think it’s good for him, too. It’s not like he really has anyone besides us, and I think sometimes you have to have friends who aren’t part of your work, you know?” She had Drake, of course; he imagined that was a similar situation. Except… there was a subtle difference. Maybe nothing would come of it, but maybe something would. In either case, he’d resolved to keep his mouth shut about it for now, because if Eryk found out too soon, there might be problems.
Letting his hands fall apart, he raised them both to put behind his head as they walked. Cy was a lot shorter than he was, but that wasn’t a major issue for him—after Kas had hit puberty, pretty much everyone had become shorter than him. He was used to angling himself slightly downwards for all sorts of tasks, from using counters to talking to people.
“I think sometimes we can forget what life is really like for other people, outside of our Rocket bubble, I guess you'd call it. I dunno about you, but I like to be reminded every now and then.”
She nodded her head slightly. "I think it's good for him, too," she replied, but she seemed a little hesitant in the way she said it. "I just... I hope," she continued, pausing as if to readjust her words, "I hope it doesn't hurt him, or her, in the end. They're both good people, even if Ryk doesn't acknowledge it," she paused again. She shook her head slightly, and allowed a smile to replace the light frown on her face.
"Maybe, all the interest will leave her, and everyone else, and we can actually be her friend," she spoke, but cringed slightly at her own words. "Not that we aren't friends, but just," she seemed to backpedal. "I don't want to keep lying to her. She's been so nice to us," she whispered the last part.
If she had admitted that to the wrong person, she might have been in serious danger of demotion. The whole point of being Executives wasn’t just about paperwork and being a strong battler. It was about being able to take the kinds of missions that demanded things like this: lying, misleading, and ultimately hurting people. Ostensibly for the greater good. He’d always wondered how someone like Cyrilla had ever managed to reach the rank, considering how unsuited she was for doing things like that to people. When he’d dug around… it seemed mostly like her family connections and relation to Eryk had done the work. She was a good trainer, and she did have most of her family’s skills… but her temperament was completely wrong.
Kas supposed his seemed the worst of the three, given his laziness. But really, of the three of them, he was by far the best liar, and he knew it. The fact that they were his friends at all was proof of that. “Yeah,” he said quietly. “I know, believe me. But if it isn’t us, then it’ll be the Birds. And you know how that would go.” At least Eryk and Cyrilla had hearts, as she put it.
He was pretty sure those three had buried theirs a long time ago. Like he tried to bury his.
She flinched slightly at that. "I suppose you're right. They..." she didn't want to say anything further on that, and instead, remained silent. They walked for another minute before she smiled again. "Well, if anyone can get Ryk to almost smile, I'm glad it's Ana. Besides, he's like an Ursaring. He looks all grumpy, but really, he's a big softy," she grinned this time, nodding to herself as if to agree.
"You, on the other hand, are like a Snorlax," she started, chuckling somewhat. She glanced up at him this time. "All you do is eat and then sleep," she grinned, though that wasn't completely true. "But I suppose that's what it takes. A snorlax is the only one who could be good friends with an ursaring," she seemed slightly amused by the comparison.
Kas grinned. It was probably better to steer away from the depressing topics, anyway. He had enough of that on his own time. “I used to look a bit like one, too,” he admitted, rolling his eyes at himself. “I was a pretty round kid, before I hit thirteen or so. I ate about as much as I do now, but my metabolism hadn’t kicked in yet. My dad made me start training to take over the dojo, and puberty happened, and suddenly I was really tall and stuff.”
He’d… actually never admitted that to anyone before. That part of his childhood hadn’t exactly been great. It wasn’t a huge secret, but there’d been no reason to talk about it. “So I’m pretty much a snorlax on the inside, I guess.”
"Oh, but I bet you were adorable!" she stated, and seemed to realize she said that out loud because she blushed rather darkly. "I mean, not that you aren't now... I mean," she began, waving a hand in front of her face. She laughed nervously, and tried to grin. It didn't quite happen that way, instead, coming out as some mixture of a smile and pout.
"What I meant was that I probably wouldn't have helped. I would have just kept feeding you," she stated, still laughing a little nervously. "And you really are tall, and stuff," she continued, reaching a hand up. "I can barely reach your shoulder!" she smiled this time in mirth.
He couldn’t help but laugh at her. Perhaps that was unkind, but there was something rather funny about watching her try and recover from what she clearly saw as a slip of the tongue. It faded to a grin, though, when she reached up to touch his shoulder; Kas’s eyes lit with a familiar mischief. “You are quite short, aren’t you? No need to worry, though; we can fix that no problem.”
So saying, he bent down and swept her up, hooking one of his arms under her knees and the other around her shoulders. They only remained that way for a moment, though—Kas lifted her easily and settled her in a sitting position on his right shoulder. The yukata prevented a more traditional shoulder-carry, but she was light enough that he could take all the weight on one side without issue. He held the outside of her right knee with his right hand to help her keep steady, but other than that, he wasn’t really touching her.
“How’s the view from up there, beanstalk?” he teased, glancing up at her face with a smile.
She let out a small shriek of surprise when he lifted her, immediately wrapping her arms around his neck as secure as she could. "I don't like heights," she managed to mutter before she was situated properly. She let go of his neck, though, and managed to sit up straight. She glanced around, apparently taking in the scenery before she blinked down at him and smiled. "I can see the funnel cake stall!" she stated, pointing forward.
"Oh wow," she stated lightly narrowing her eyes just slightly. "Is this what you get to see? The tops of everyone's heads?" she asked, grinning just lightly. Her face was still slightly red, but it was slowly fading.
“And sometimes down their shirts,” he admitted. “Though that’s really accidental.” He might be a flirt, but he wasn’t an asshole. Well… not for that reason, anyway. “But at least I can always reach the top shelf, right?”
Carefully, so as to give her plenty of time to adjust, he started forward in the direction she pointed, still holding on to her leg for the sake of balance. She had a lot of natural ability in that area herself, but his shoulders sloped a little, and it was probably smarter not to take any chances. Even if he probably wouldn’t have too much difficulty catching her.
“If you want me to put you down, just… let me know.” He hadn’t exactly asked her permission in the first place. He probably should have—Kas figured she wasn’t actually that uncomfortable, but he was being a bit of a jerk for just assuming.
"Why would I want you to do that!? I get to be as tall as you are, and I can see everything!" she spoke, glancing out forward. She seemed really excited for some reason or another. "Besides, this way we won't get lost again, and I get a free pass at walking," she added, glancing back down at him with a sly grin. She returned her gaze back forward, smiling as if she really enjoyed where she was at. She probably did. Something must have caught her eye, though, as the smile on her face grew wider.
"Oh, I can see Luke! Aw, it looks like he invited Hayley," she spoke, a sort of warm note to her voice. "That's adorable. Oh hey, look we're here!" she stated, pointing to her left. "You can put me down now, Kas!" she stated, glancing down in the process.
“All right. I’m just going to adjust my hold here,” he warned, shifting them until he had a hand on either side of her obi. His hands were big enough—and her waist small enough—that there were only a few inches between his fingers. He lowered her down carefully, making sure she was steady on her feet before he let go.
Or maybe he just wanted an excuse to be within arms’ length of her for as long as possible.
Either way, he stepped back, dropping his hands to his sides, and offered a half-smile. “Okay. Now that we’re finally here, how about that funnel cake, hm?”
"Alright, sounds good to me. Make sure we get at least two for Ryk. I know he said he only wanted one, but funnel cakes aren't exactly the kind of sweet that he doesn't like. He might actually enjoy it," she spoke, smoothing out her yukata. "Ana and I can share one, though I think I might want one for myself. Hm, maybe I'll just take Ryk's if he doesn't want the other one," she added before walking up to the stall to place her order.
Kas snorted to himself, but followed behind her anyway. Once she’d placed the order, he paid for it before she could even retrieve her purse, smirking all the while. “Don’t think you’ll be able to avoid walking this time, since we have so many to carry. So let’s try not to get lost, okay?”
He really didn't want to be left by himself, especially in an area populated with people. It wasn't that he was shy; Eryk Nero was not a shy person. He just felt... uncomfortable. He knew, or at least he thought he knew, the reason both Cy and Kas left him alone with Ana was to ask her any questions that might prove beneficial to their purpose. But looking at her, she seemed genuinely happy. Far be it from him to deny her that short lived happiness. And that thought right there confused him. He wasn't entirely sure why he cared if she was happy or not. He wasn't here for her happiness. He was here for something else.
"Do you have other relatives, other than the Joys?" he finally found himself asking. It probably wasn't the best question to ask, but he figured he might as well start somewhere. Maybe, if she told him a bit of her family, he might be able to get Kas to dig up information on them. Perhaps there was something they missed in her profile about her family. Sure, she was a Joy, but maybe there was something on her father's side, or whoever wasn't the Joy. He released a short sigh through his nose as he did so, taking a slow bite of the food he still had on his plate.
She looked up at him then. The expression on her face was hard to characterize. It was a smile, if a small one, but there didn’t seem to be anything really happy about it. But it wasn’t sad, either—not precisely. Ana lowered her eyes back to the table, and it faded. “I do,” she said. “Actually, my father is the one from that side of the family. My mother wasn’t—she’s the one who insisted on naming me something other than Joy.”
Ana focused intently on her tempura, picking it apart into little bites with her white plastic fork. Even an ordinary thing like that looked delicate when she did it, somehow. “I have a brother, too. I think… I think they’re living in Celadon now, though it might be Cerulean.”
"So... your father's the Joy?" he spoke more to himself, processing the information. She had a sibling, too. That... wasn't entirely helpful. He sighed softly, and glanced at the plate in front of him. He wasn't entirely hungry, now, and instead, pushed at it with his plastic fork. So far, the only things he knew about her was that she was related to the Joys, she owned the center he helped out at, and she had wanted to be a pokémon professor. He pondered that for a moment. She had never elaborated as to why she didn't want to pursue it. But perhaps that was only fair. She had asked him almost the same question, and he only remained silent.
"Do you... keep in touch with them? Your family?" he asked, flinching inwardly just slightly at how his voice sounded. It was almost as if he weren't too interested in knowing anything about her. But he really was.
She was still looking at the table in front of them, but from his angle, he could see her bite her lip. Ana sighed, almost too softly to hear; she might not have even been aware of it. She lifted a tiny piece of tempura to her mouth and chewed it before she responded. “Not… really. I mean, we send holiday cards, and they call me on my birthday, but… I think they’re a little uncomfortable with anything else, and I wouldn’t want to impose.”
Her eyes found his again, and she shrugged. “I was… after my brother was born, my parents couldn’t take care of me anymore. My father’s sister adopted me. So… I don’t really know them very well, is all.” She didn’t seem to have any bitterness about this—her tone was slightly awkward rather than upset.
It still made him feel awkward, and a bit upset. After her brother was born, her parents couldn't take care of her? That didn't make too much sense to him. Was her family too poor to handle two children? Or was there some other factor to it? He didn't want to sound like an asshole, and he didn't want to press any further than he had to, however; his mission was at stake. But so was the chance of her shutting him out completely, and he wouldn't learn anything further. She could choose to remain silent. They weren't such great friends that she'd open up to him. Perhaps... he could tell her something a little personal about himself? Maybe then she'll be a little more inclined to say something she hasn't.
"My family... they are not kind," he began, pausing only slightly to gather his thoughts. He continued pushing his food around on his plate, trying to think of what exactly he could tell her. Subconsciously, his free hand reached up to rub at his face. He winced. It was a delicate subject, and he really didn't want to focus on it, however; he could say just a few things about it. He swallowed thickly before meeting her gaze. "They are the ones who gave these to me," he finally found his voice, pointing to the most noteable scar on his face.
"They... were meant for someone else, however; I took the punishment," he spoke, dropping his gaze. He didn't say who exactly they were meant for, but that was because he knew the subject was just as delicate to her as it was to him. He wouldn't do that to Cyrilla unless she said it was okay. But he opened that door, and he supposed he would answer her questions if she had any.
“They… your scars?” Her lips parted, her eyes rounding in what must have been surprise. A series of expressions flashed across her face; shock, disbelief, back to shock, and then… anger? It was hard to tell—it wasn’t a natural expression on her, whatever it was. But for a moment, her brows pulled down and her eyes narrowed, the corners of her mouth pulling into a distinct frown.
In the end, though, the expression that settled there was one of obvious sadness; the frown remained, but softer, and the crease above her nose disappeared. Her throat worked—she seemed to swallow thickly. “I’m… I’m so sorry. Here I was, starting to feel sorry for myself, and you—” Ana shook her head slowly. “I can’t even imagine… your own child. Any child. Anyone.”
She visibly struggled with her reaction; one of her hands clenched just in front of where the two sides of her yukata met, just over her sternum. The other gripped the table tightly enough that her knuckles turned white. “That’s not… that’s not just unkind, Eryk. That’s… that’s a crime. It’s unspeakably cruel and—and I’m sorry it happened to you.”
He blinked slowly, genuinely surprised at her reaction. It wasn't his intention to upset her, nor to make her angry. He just wanted to say something to her, to make her feel more at ease with himself. He sighed, though. "If not me, then someone else would have been burdened with these scars. My family, there is a strict code that we must all follow. If we stray from it, we are severely punished for it. Do not be sorry for something you have no control over," he spoke, his voice unusually soft at the end. She shouldn't apologize for it, because it wasn't her fault, and she didn't know.
His family worked differently than others did, and with the way things were now, something like the scars on his face was accepted. Perhaps other people would have the same reaction as she did, but there wasn't much they could do about it. The Koga family was harsh, but it was a life he accepted long ago. "It is not a crime to be punished for committing a crime," though at the time he thought it was justified. If someone didn't want to be in the family, they shouldn't have been forced into it. They should have let her go.
"I did not mean to upset you, though, and I apologize for bringing it up," he spoke, tilting his head just slightly. Perhaps he should have chosen a different topic to discuss. How was he going to inquire about her, now that he managed to screw this up?
“It’s still wrong, what they did. People go to prison for treating pokémon like that, and rightfully so.” It was easy to imagine that she knew a lot about that, given that those pokémon often ended up in her care. “They should face consequences for treating other humans that way just the same—especially their children.”
Her eyes closed; it seemed that she consciously made herself relax. Her grip on the table eased, and the line of her shoulders went a little slack. Apparently, she was actually physically shaking. Not a lot, but enough that he could see it if he paid attention. “I’m sorry. I can’t imagine it’s something you want to argue about. We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to. Um…” She opened her eyes again, smiling tremulously.
“Anyway, I… I suppose I shouldn’t leave what I said without explanation. You might think my parents are bad people. They aren’t, really—it’s just… I needed a lot more than most children do. I was born with something called Everett’s Disease. It was… well, a lot of work to manage, especially when I really couldn’t do much of it myself. So they chose to give me to someone who would be able to look after me, is all.”
Well, that explained why her parents couldn't afford to care for her. He didn't, however, have much knowledge of the disease she spoke of. He wasn't well versed in things like that. Poisons, espionage, subterfuge, those were things he was familiar with. Anything outside of that were just details. He'd have to research it when he returned to the base tonight, or tomorrow morning. He learned something he supposed. Perhaps he should divert the subject slightly. He hummed a slight thoughtful note to himself.
"Perhaps it was their way of showing they cared for you," he spoke, but remained silent after. He wasn't too sure he knew what it felt like to have someone care for him. His parents surely didn't, and the only person he was close to was Cyrilla, and Kas. But Cyrilla cared about everyone, so he wasn't entirely sure about that one, and Kas... Kas was a new development in his life. He'd never really had a good friend before. Pulling himself from his thoughts, he glanced back at Ana.
"How are the pokémon at the center?" he decided to ask, changing the subject just slightly. He'd ask her something else after the tension in the air cleared. Odd, he didn't even notice it before. Was he doing that?
She seemed to accept the change in subject with a mix of relief and mild surprise. “They’re mostly well,” she replied. “The Ekans with scale rot is recovering nicely, and he hasn’t bitten me yet, which I suppose is a very good thing.” Her smile was a little warmer this time. “I managed to adopt out a couple of the younger ones last week, too—it’s always sad to see them go, but I’m glad they can leave because it means they don’t need me anymore. They’re strong enough on their own, you know?”
He huffed slightly. "Because you care for them immensely. They are lucky to have you," he spoke, taking a drink of his lemonade. "It is easy to see that they love and care for you, too. You have been good to them," he added once he'd downed his drink. He couldn't say the same about some of the members of his own organization. Though Team Rocket had changed over the years, there were still some within the organization that treated their pokémon poorly. He had to talk to a few of his own members not that long ago, and had to threaten them somewhat. It was odd, having to do that. He would have assumed they would have had the same ideals.
Take care of pokémon and make sure they weren't poorly treated. "I may know someone who would be willing to take the ekans once he's well enough," he suggested. He would have taken the Ekans, having raised one a long time ago, but he didn't have room for any more pokémon. Plus, he wasn't entirely sure he wanted one. The Ekans he had, had passed. He hadn't known the cause then, but he was slightly suspicious that Katia had something to do with it.
Her face had been doing a progressively-better impression of a razz berry for a while by the time he finished speaking. It would seem he’d said something embarrassing. At the mention of a possible adopter for the ekans, though, it gradually faded back to its normal color. “When the time comes, then, I’ll be sure to ask you,” she replied. “Thank you. How is Mankey doing? It’s been about a week since I saw him last.”
"He's doing... well," though well wouldn't be the exact word he'd use. Mankey was a handful. He released Mankey from his ball the other night, and it took about four hours before Eryk could straighten up the mess he had created. The only reason Mankey had stopped his rampage was because Kas had entered the room, and immediately, the mankey made a dash towards the man.
"He gets a long well with Zoroark, and Blue," he continued, pausing only to take another sip of his drink. "And just about everyone else but me," he said solemnly. He had a sneaking suspicion that Mankey did it on purpose, that he wasn't entirely thrilled to belong to Eryk, however; he supposed it was natural. But he would never give him back. Eryk had meant it when he said he wanted a mankey. This one, though difficult it was proving, would be his, and his alone.
"But I suppose he will come around eventually."
“He will,” Ana said—she seemed very confident in the statement. For a moment, she lifted her hand, and looked almost like she was going to touch his arm, but she let it drop back to her lap without doing so. “Maybe he just needs an outlet? You could try a few practice battles with him, maybe. Sometimes that helps them work off their extra energy.”
He was going to tell her that he did practice battling with him, but he was slightly hesitant about that. It wasn't like he battled other pokémon with Mankey, though. He fought with the pokémon, but perhaps it was because he always won that upset Mankey. Maybe he should lose and see where that got him. "I shall take that into consideration. He works off most of his energy destroying things in my office or room," he stated, a slight puff signaling he wasn't being entirely serious. It was still foreign to him, being able to do things like that with her. Even with Kas, he'd noticed a slight change in himself, but he supposed it had a lot to do with where he was standing.
"Perhaps I'll bring him by when we visit the center again. He might enjoy seeing you," he said a little too forwardly. It almost surprised him, the way he said it. He didn't say it like they were going to go help out, but to simply visit, like one does with friends. He frowned.
“Feel free; I’d enjoy seeing him.” She paused for a moment, clearing her throat a little. “And you, too.”
He choked on his drink when she said that, and he turned to stare at her as if she'd just insulted him. She hadn't, of course, but that was entirely new to him. No one enjoyed his company, at least not enough to enjoy seeing him again. He was fairly sure people were always excited when he left. Slowly, unaware of it himself, a soft smile spread across his lips. He found he lost his voice for a moment, choosing not to say anything. He hadn't been aware he was staring too intently at her, and dropped his gaze.
"Then I shall bring him by tomorrow," was the only thing he found himself capable of saying.
Ana smiled back, nodding her head once. “I’ll leave the gate unlocked, then.”
"Do you have other relatives, other than the Joys?" he finally found himself asking. It probably wasn't the best question to ask, but he figured he might as well start somewhere. Maybe, if she told him a bit of her family, he might be able to get Kas to dig up information on them. Perhaps there was something they missed in her profile about her family. Sure, she was a Joy, but maybe there was something on her father's side, or whoever wasn't the Joy. He released a short sigh through his nose as he did so, taking a slow bite of the food he still had on his plate.
She looked up at him then. The expression on her face was hard to characterize. It was a smile, if a small one, but there didn’t seem to be anything really happy about it. But it wasn’t sad, either—not precisely. Ana lowered her eyes back to the table, and it faded. “I do,” she said. “Actually, my father is the one from that side of the family. My mother wasn’t—she’s the one who insisted on naming me something other than Joy.”
Ana focused intently on her tempura, picking it apart into little bites with her white plastic fork. Even an ordinary thing like that looked delicate when she did it, somehow. “I have a brother, too. I think… I think they’re living in Celadon now, though it might be Cerulean.”
"So... your father's the Joy?" he spoke more to himself, processing the information. She had a sibling, too. That... wasn't entirely helpful. He sighed softly, and glanced at the plate in front of him. He wasn't entirely hungry, now, and instead, pushed at it with his plastic fork. So far, the only things he knew about her was that she was related to the Joys, she owned the center he helped out at, and she had wanted to be a pokémon professor. He pondered that for a moment. She had never elaborated as to why she didn't want to pursue it. But perhaps that was only fair. She had asked him almost the same question, and he only remained silent.
"Do you... keep in touch with them? Your family?" he asked, flinching inwardly just slightly at how his voice sounded. It was almost as if he weren't too interested in knowing anything about her. But he really was.
She was still looking at the table in front of them, but from his angle, he could see her bite her lip. Ana sighed, almost too softly to hear; she might not have even been aware of it. She lifted a tiny piece of tempura to her mouth and chewed it before she responded. “Not… really. I mean, we send holiday cards, and they call me on my birthday, but… I think they’re a little uncomfortable with anything else, and I wouldn’t want to impose.”
Her eyes found his again, and she shrugged. “I was… after my brother was born, my parents couldn’t take care of me anymore. My father’s sister adopted me. So… I don’t really know them very well, is all.” She didn’t seem to have any bitterness about this—her tone was slightly awkward rather than upset.
It still made him feel awkward, and a bit upset. After her brother was born, her parents couldn't take care of her? That didn't make too much sense to him. Was her family too poor to handle two children? Or was there some other factor to it? He didn't want to sound like an asshole, and he didn't want to press any further than he had to, however; his mission was at stake. But so was the chance of her shutting him out completely, and he wouldn't learn anything further. She could choose to remain silent. They weren't such great friends that she'd open up to him. Perhaps... he could tell her something a little personal about himself? Maybe then she'll be a little more inclined to say something she hasn't.
"My family... they are not kind," he began, pausing only slightly to gather his thoughts. He continued pushing his food around on his plate, trying to think of what exactly he could tell her. Subconsciously, his free hand reached up to rub at his face. He winced. It was a delicate subject, and he really didn't want to focus on it, however; he could say just a few things about it. He swallowed thickly before meeting her gaze. "They are the ones who gave these to me," he finally found his voice, pointing to the most noteable scar on his face.
"They... were meant for someone else, however; I took the punishment," he spoke, dropping his gaze. He didn't say who exactly they were meant for, but that was because he knew the subject was just as delicate to her as it was to him. He wouldn't do that to Cyrilla unless she said it was okay. But he opened that door, and he supposed he would answer her questions if she had any.
“They… your scars?” Her lips parted, her eyes rounding in what must have been surprise. A series of expressions flashed across her face; shock, disbelief, back to shock, and then… anger? It was hard to tell—it wasn’t a natural expression on her, whatever it was. But for a moment, her brows pulled down and her eyes narrowed, the corners of her mouth pulling into a distinct frown.
In the end, though, the expression that settled there was one of obvious sadness; the frown remained, but softer, and the crease above her nose disappeared. Her throat worked—she seemed to swallow thickly. “I’m… I’m so sorry. Here I was, starting to feel sorry for myself, and you—” Ana shook her head slowly. “I can’t even imagine… your own child. Any child. Anyone.”
She visibly struggled with her reaction; one of her hands clenched just in front of where the two sides of her yukata met, just over her sternum. The other gripped the table tightly enough that her knuckles turned white. “That’s not… that’s not just unkind, Eryk. That’s… that’s a crime. It’s unspeakably cruel and—and I’m sorry it happened to you.”
He blinked slowly, genuinely surprised at her reaction. It wasn't his intention to upset her, nor to make her angry. He just wanted to say something to her, to make her feel more at ease with himself. He sighed, though. "If not me, then someone else would have been burdened with these scars. My family, there is a strict code that we must all follow. If we stray from it, we are severely punished for it. Do not be sorry for something you have no control over," he spoke, his voice unusually soft at the end. She shouldn't apologize for it, because it wasn't her fault, and she didn't know.
His family worked differently than others did, and with the way things were now, something like the scars on his face was accepted. Perhaps other people would have the same reaction as she did, but there wasn't much they could do about it. The Koga family was harsh, but it was a life he accepted long ago. "It is not a crime to be punished for committing a crime," though at the time he thought it was justified. If someone didn't want to be in the family, they shouldn't have been forced into it. They should have let her go.
"I did not mean to upset you, though, and I apologize for bringing it up," he spoke, tilting his head just slightly. Perhaps he should have chosen a different topic to discuss. How was he going to inquire about her, now that he managed to screw this up?
“It’s still wrong, what they did. People go to prison for treating pokémon like that, and rightfully so.” It was easy to imagine that she knew a lot about that, given that those pokémon often ended up in her care. “They should face consequences for treating other humans that way just the same—especially their children.”
Her eyes closed; it seemed that she consciously made herself relax. Her grip on the table eased, and the line of her shoulders went a little slack. Apparently, she was actually physically shaking. Not a lot, but enough that he could see it if he paid attention. “I’m sorry. I can’t imagine it’s something you want to argue about. We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to. Um…” She opened her eyes again, smiling tremulously.
“Anyway, I… I suppose I shouldn’t leave what I said without explanation. You might think my parents are bad people. They aren’t, really—it’s just… I needed a lot more than most children do. I was born with something called Everett’s Disease. It was… well, a lot of work to manage, especially when I really couldn’t do much of it myself. So they chose to give me to someone who would be able to look after me, is all.”
Well, that explained why her parents couldn't afford to care for her. He didn't, however, have much knowledge of the disease she spoke of. He wasn't well versed in things like that. Poisons, espionage, subterfuge, those were things he was familiar with. Anything outside of that were just details. He'd have to research it when he returned to the base tonight, or tomorrow morning. He learned something he supposed. Perhaps he should divert the subject slightly. He hummed a slight thoughtful note to himself.
"Perhaps it was their way of showing they cared for you," he spoke, but remained silent after. He wasn't too sure he knew what it felt like to have someone care for him. His parents surely didn't, and the only person he was close to was Cyrilla, and Kas. But Cyrilla cared about everyone, so he wasn't entirely sure about that one, and Kas... Kas was a new development in his life. He'd never really had a good friend before. Pulling himself from his thoughts, he glanced back at Ana.
"How are the pokémon at the center?" he decided to ask, changing the subject just slightly. He'd ask her something else after the tension in the air cleared. Odd, he didn't even notice it before. Was he doing that?
She seemed to accept the change in subject with a mix of relief and mild surprise. “They’re mostly well,” she replied. “The Ekans with scale rot is recovering nicely, and he hasn’t bitten me yet, which I suppose is a very good thing.” Her smile was a little warmer this time. “I managed to adopt out a couple of the younger ones last week, too—it’s always sad to see them go, but I’m glad they can leave because it means they don’t need me anymore. They’re strong enough on their own, you know?”
He huffed slightly. "Because you care for them immensely. They are lucky to have you," he spoke, taking a drink of his lemonade. "It is easy to see that they love and care for you, too. You have been good to them," he added once he'd downed his drink. He couldn't say the same about some of the members of his own organization. Though Team Rocket had changed over the years, there were still some within the organization that treated their pokémon poorly. He had to talk to a few of his own members not that long ago, and had to threaten them somewhat. It was odd, having to do that. He would have assumed they would have had the same ideals.
Take care of pokémon and make sure they weren't poorly treated. "I may know someone who would be willing to take the ekans once he's well enough," he suggested. He would have taken the Ekans, having raised one a long time ago, but he didn't have room for any more pokémon. Plus, he wasn't entirely sure he wanted one. The Ekans he had, had passed. He hadn't known the cause then, but he was slightly suspicious that Katia had something to do with it.
Her face had been doing a progressively-better impression of a razz berry for a while by the time he finished speaking. It would seem he’d said something embarrassing. At the mention of a possible adopter for the ekans, though, it gradually faded back to its normal color. “When the time comes, then, I’ll be sure to ask you,” she replied. “Thank you. How is Mankey doing? It’s been about a week since I saw him last.”
"He's doing... well," though well wouldn't be the exact word he'd use. Mankey was a handful. He released Mankey from his ball the other night, and it took about four hours before Eryk could straighten up the mess he had created. The only reason Mankey had stopped his rampage was because Kas had entered the room, and immediately, the mankey made a dash towards the man.
"He gets a long well with Zoroark, and Blue," he continued, pausing only to take another sip of his drink. "And just about everyone else but me," he said solemnly. He had a sneaking suspicion that Mankey did it on purpose, that he wasn't entirely thrilled to belong to Eryk, however; he supposed it was natural. But he would never give him back. Eryk had meant it when he said he wanted a mankey. This one, though difficult it was proving, would be his, and his alone.
"But I suppose he will come around eventually."
“He will,” Ana said—she seemed very confident in the statement. For a moment, she lifted her hand, and looked almost like she was going to touch his arm, but she let it drop back to her lap without doing so. “Maybe he just needs an outlet? You could try a few practice battles with him, maybe. Sometimes that helps them work off their extra energy.”
He was going to tell her that he did practice battling with him, but he was slightly hesitant about that. It wasn't like he battled other pokémon with Mankey, though. He fought with the pokémon, but perhaps it was because he always won that upset Mankey. Maybe he should lose and see where that got him. "I shall take that into consideration. He works off most of his energy destroying things in my office or room," he stated, a slight puff signaling he wasn't being entirely serious. It was still foreign to him, being able to do things like that with her. Even with Kas, he'd noticed a slight change in himself, but he supposed it had a lot to do with where he was standing.
"Perhaps I'll bring him by when we visit the center again. He might enjoy seeing you," he said a little too forwardly. It almost surprised him, the way he said it. He didn't say it like they were going to go help out, but to simply visit, like one does with friends. He frowned.
“Feel free; I’d enjoy seeing him.” She paused for a moment, clearing her throat a little. “And you, too.”
He choked on his drink when she said that, and he turned to stare at her as if she'd just insulted him. She hadn't, of course, but that was entirely new to him. No one enjoyed his company, at least not enough to enjoy seeing him again. He was fairly sure people were always excited when he left. Slowly, unaware of it himself, a soft smile spread across his lips. He found he lost his voice for a moment, choosing not to say anything. He hadn't been aware he was staring too intently at her, and dropped his gaze.
"Then I shall bring him by tomorrow," was the only thing he found himself capable of saying.
Ana smiled back, nodding her head once. “I’ll leave the gate unlocked, then.”
Anastasia stood at the edge of the ocean. She’d shed her shoes on a patch of grass just in front of the beach and walked the rest of the way out barefooted. In one hand, she held a little matchbook with enough matched for herself and the others; her other had a little balsa-wood boat with a paper lantern fixed on top. Inside of the lantern was a little candle nub.
All around them, other people from town had gathered on the beach, standing just at the fringe of the incoming waves. It was generally accepted that the boats were supposed to be sent off all at once, at midnight; the fireworks display followed. Or at least that’s what she’d been told. It seemed to be the case—the people here wore expressions from fond smiles to solemn frowns. Perhaps that was appropriate, considering that the original purpose of this portion of the festival was to honor the dead.
“Is there anyone you’ll be seeing off?” she asked the others next to her. It was a roundabout way of asking if they’d lost anyone important, but she didn’t want to be so blunt about it, or force them to answer.
Kasimir replied first. “Guess mine’ll be for Nana,” he said with a shrug. “My grandmother. Mom’s mom. She died a few years back.”
“My condolences,” Ana murmured, and he laid a hand on her head, not ruffling Cy’s work but leaving it there for a couple seconds before putting it back at his side again.
Eryk wore a contemplative expression. He hadn't exactly mentioned much of his family, and neither had Cy. It was hard to tell if he did have someone to see off. "No one in my family has passed yet," he finally spoke, but his expression softened just slightly. "But... since I've never fully sent off my ekans," he said, trailing off towards the end. It was about honoring the dead, right? And not just the human aspect of it.
"I guess mine will be for..." Cyrilla spoke next, though she paused in her statement. "I guess it'll be for Markus, our cousin," she ended, but it didn't sound like that was quite what she wanted to say. Eryk turned towards her with a slightly confused look. She only smiled solemnly at him. "Mom sent a letter a couple of weeks ago. He... died during one of his missions," she spoke, glancing down.
"I didn't know," Eryk stated, his face pulling into a slight frown.
Ana didn’t really think she could imagine what it was like, to have a family that had missions, in that sense. Most of her family ran pokémon centers. There was perhaps a certain element of risk involved, being that they did occasionally end up with aggressive pokémon under their care, but… it wasn’t the kind of profession where you really ricked dying.
“I’m sorry,” she said. She didn’t know if either of them had been close with their cousin, but it was at least a loss, if Cyrilla was bringing it up at all. She paused a moment, looking down at her little boat with its red lantern. “I’m lighting mine for Edgar. He was like my grandfather, when I was living in Lavender Town. But that was a long time ago now.” At least by her standards.
Shifting the boat to the crook of her elbow, she used her hands to open the matchbox, drawing out one for each of them and passing them out. Kas struck his first, sliding it against the side of the box in her hand and carefully moving the little flame to the inside of his lantern. She could tell when it lit—the brightly-colored paper took on a warm glow from inside. Ana held the box out to Cyrilla, so she could light hers next. Around them, other festival-goers were doing the same.
"Thanks," she spoke softly, taking a match from the box. She lit hers, and glanced towards Eryk. He seemed a little hesitant to light his, though. It was like he was unsure of what to do, exactly, and perhaps that was only fair. He seemed to figure it out since he lit his, and held the boat in his hands, turning to stare at Ana.
"What are we supposed to do now?" he asked, glancing between them.
"I think we're supposed to wait for the signal. We're supposed to release them all at once," Cyrilla explained, and it seemed to smooth out the expression on his face.
Ana lit hers last, then tucked the matchbox away in her obi. Moving the boat so that she held it steady in both hands, she pulled in a deep breath. Even so long after everything, thinking about Edgar threatened to bring tears to her eyes. He’d been such a big part of her life—perhaps the closest thing to a father she’d had, considering how infrequently she heard from her blood father. But he’d been so much older than her—ancient even when she was just a little girl.
Her aunt had told her he held on as long as he did for her sake, probably. Ana wasn’t sure whether that made things better or worse. But she wouldn’t be the person she was without him. He’d taught her so much about life—and about herself and her powers. If Aunt Joy had been one half of her tiny immediate family unit, Edgar had been the other half.
A small smile overtook her face. It was funny; she couldn’t help but smile when she thought about him, even if she started to cry, too. She tried not to, right now—it would be embarrassing and burdensome to cry in front of the others. She’d definitely troubled them enough; especially when she told Eryk about her illness earlier. Ana had been surprised when he’d moved on from the topic so readily. The few other people she’d ever told had asked so many questions. She was grateful that he hadn’t, though she might not have minded a few at least. It was a bit much to drop on a person, but it had just come out. She didn’t want him thinking the wrong things about her parents, after all.
The signal to put the boats in the water was a low bamboo flute whistle. Everyone walked forward; Ana shifted her grip so she could pull her yukata up to her knees with one hand and wade in. Most people seemed to be doing that—it was probably a more reliable way to make sure the boats actually left the beach.
Setting it down gently in the water, Ana gave it a little push outwards, watching it drift. It looked like it might return on a wave for a moment, but it crested the disturbance and continued out to sea. Ana let her eyes flutter closed, saying a quiet goodbye to her friend.
She wondered if next year, someone would send a boat out for her. Maybe the year after? Maybe… maybe her three new friends would. That was kind of a nice thought.
Cyrilla stood next to Ana, releasing her own boat shortly after. She'd closed her eyes, and pulled her hands together in front of her as if she were giving a light prayer. It was hard to tell, but the light from the lanterns highlighted something glistening by her eyes. They were tears. She opened her eyes then, confirming that she was, indeed, crying. But she was smiling an almost melancholic smile. She then turned to face Ana, the smile growing just slightly by an inch.
"It's so pretty," she spoke softly, nodding her head out in the direction of the other lanterns floating away. Eryk remained partially silent, glancing out into the ocean rather than at anyone or anything in particular. His face remained as passive as it always was, but there was something new to it. Something a little more soft. "I'm glad we were all here, together," Cyrilla spoke, glancing at all three of them.
"Me, too," he finally spoke, though his gaze landed on Ana, and for a split second, it looked like he smiled. Not the soft smiles he'd been wearing lately, a genuine smile. It was gone too quick to tell, though.
Ana nodded; from the corner of her eye, she could see Kas doing the same. As far as first festivals went, it had been a lot of fun. Games, food, and most importantly, people to share it with. That was something she’d never thought she’d be able to experience.
They all watched the boats drift out to sea until they were beyond sight.
“Thank you,” she said, turning in the water to face the others. “For inviting me to come with you. I hope…” she wondered if it might not be too forward of her to say. “I hope we’ll be able to go next year, too. All of us together.”
To anyone else, saying so might not have meant a lot; she was sure there were plenty of people who went in the same company every year. But… it wasn’t the same, not for them. Their jobs could take them anywhere in that time, and she… she might not last so long as a whole calendar year—it was just impossible to say.
"I hope so as well," Eryk replied, looking just the slightest bit surprised. Cyrilla nodded her head in agreement, keeping her gaze out towards the sea. "It was pleasant to be in your company. This festival, perhaps it'll be the first of many," he continued, though it was hard to tell what he meant by that.
"The first of many events together," Cyrilla seemed to clarify that statement. "We should probably go pick out a good spot to see the fireworks. Oh!" she stated a little too excitedly. She glanced up towards Kasimir, smiling just a bit sheepishly. "Can I sit on your shoulders again?" she asked.
"Perhaps it would be better if we found one of the taller hills, Cy," Eryk spoke, looking a bit amused by that statement.
“Why not both?” Kasimir replied. Ana had noticed a flicker of surprise pass over his face for a second there, but it was gone so quickly she might have imagined it. He reached down and scooped Cyrilla up, setting her on his shoulder with apparently little effort at all.
Ana huffed a soft laugh, which drew his attention to her. “I have another shoulder, you know,” she said, grinning at her.
She shook her head. “I think I’ll keep my feet on the ground, thank you.” She wasn’t afraid of heights, but at the same time, she also wasn’t the sturdiest person—she trusted him, but if there was some kind of accident, she might end up breaking something, and she didn’t want him to feel guilty about that if it happened.
He shrugged his shoulders, but the grip he had on Cy’s leg kept her in place. “Suit yourself. See any good spots from up there, o lofty one?” He turned his head so as to look up at Cyrilla, and for just a moment, Ana saw Kas’s expression change. It was gone again before she could understand what it was.
Cyrilla snorted softly at Kas, but she glanced around. One of her hands was laid on Kas's free shoulder, while the other one shielded her eyes, like a visor. "Oh, there's a spot right over there!" she stated excitedly, pointing towards the west side. Eryk merely raised a brow, turning his head in the direction she'd pointed towards, and released a soft breath. "Oh, but we have to hurry! There's another group heading that way!" she stated suddenly, wobbling just slightly before catching herself.
"There will be other places if it gets taken, Cy," Eryk spoke, his expression smoothing out to something more passive. "But shall we?" he stated, waiting for them to lead the way.
As it turned out, the spot wasn't taken, and they were situated atop one of the hills. Cyrilla stayed where she was at, on Kas' shoulders, while Eryk merely stood on the other side of Ana. He was gazing upwards, as if trying to contemplate whether or not the view was, indeed, better where they were at. He decided on something, it seemed, since he turned his gaze towards her.
"Thank you, Ana," he spoke barely above a whisper, "for coming with... us," he seemed a little hesitant when he said that, as if he meant to say something else.
“Don’t thank me; it was my pleasure,” she said honestly.
Anything more was precluded by the fireworks themselves, however; the first one whistled and popped in the sky, breaking into a burst of red-and-orange lights over the ocean. Ana smiled, and was content.
All around them, other people from town had gathered on the beach, standing just at the fringe of the incoming waves. It was generally accepted that the boats were supposed to be sent off all at once, at midnight; the fireworks display followed. Or at least that’s what she’d been told. It seemed to be the case—the people here wore expressions from fond smiles to solemn frowns. Perhaps that was appropriate, considering that the original purpose of this portion of the festival was to honor the dead.
“Is there anyone you’ll be seeing off?” she asked the others next to her. It was a roundabout way of asking if they’d lost anyone important, but she didn’t want to be so blunt about it, or force them to answer.
Kasimir replied first. “Guess mine’ll be for Nana,” he said with a shrug. “My grandmother. Mom’s mom. She died a few years back.”
“My condolences,” Ana murmured, and he laid a hand on her head, not ruffling Cy’s work but leaving it there for a couple seconds before putting it back at his side again.
Eryk wore a contemplative expression. He hadn't exactly mentioned much of his family, and neither had Cy. It was hard to tell if he did have someone to see off. "No one in my family has passed yet," he finally spoke, but his expression softened just slightly. "But... since I've never fully sent off my ekans," he said, trailing off towards the end. It was about honoring the dead, right? And not just the human aspect of it.
"I guess mine will be for..." Cyrilla spoke next, though she paused in her statement. "I guess it'll be for Markus, our cousin," she ended, but it didn't sound like that was quite what she wanted to say. Eryk turned towards her with a slightly confused look. She only smiled solemnly at him. "Mom sent a letter a couple of weeks ago. He... died during one of his missions," she spoke, glancing down.
"I didn't know," Eryk stated, his face pulling into a slight frown.
Ana didn’t really think she could imagine what it was like, to have a family that had missions, in that sense. Most of her family ran pokémon centers. There was perhaps a certain element of risk involved, being that they did occasionally end up with aggressive pokémon under their care, but… it wasn’t the kind of profession where you really ricked dying.
“I’m sorry,” she said. She didn’t know if either of them had been close with their cousin, but it was at least a loss, if Cyrilla was bringing it up at all. She paused a moment, looking down at her little boat with its red lantern. “I’m lighting mine for Edgar. He was like my grandfather, when I was living in Lavender Town. But that was a long time ago now.” At least by her standards.
Shifting the boat to the crook of her elbow, she used her hands to open the matchbox, drawing out one for each of them and passing them out. Kas struck his first, sliding it against the side of the box in her hand and carefully moving the little flame to the inside of his lantern. She could tell when it lit—the brightly-colored paper took on a warm glow from inside. Ana held the box out to Cyrilla, so she could light hers next. Around them, other festival-goers were doing the same.
"Thanks," she spoke softly, taking a match from the box. She lit hers, and glanced towards Eryk. He seemed a little hesitant to light his, though. It was like he was unsure of what to do, exactly, and perhaps that was only fair. He seemed to figure it out since he lit his, and held the boat in his hands, turning to stare at Ana.
"What are we supposed to do now?" he asked, glancing between them.
"I think we're supposed to wait for the signal. We're supposed to release them all at once," Cyrilla explained, and it seemed to smooth out the expression on his face.
Ana lit hers last, then tucked the matchbox away in her obi. Moving the boat so that she held it steady in both hands, she pulled in a deep breath. Even so long after everything, thinking about Edgar threatened to bring tears to her eyes. He’d been such a big part of her life—perhaps the closest thing to a father she’d had, considering how infrequently she heard from her blood father. But he’d been so much older than her—ancient even when she was just a little girl.
Her aunt had told her he held on as long as he did for her sake, probably. Ana wasn’t sure whether that made things better or worse. But she wouldn’t be the person she was without him. He’d taught her so much about life—and about herself and her powers. If Aunt Joy had been one half of her tiny immediate family unit, Edgar had been the other half.
A small smile overtook her face. It was funny; she couldn’t help but smile when she thought about him, even if she started to cry, too. She tried not to, right now—it would be embarrassing and burdensome to cry in front of the others. She’d definitely troubled them enough; especially when she told Eryk about her illness earlier. Ana had been surprised when he’d moved on from the topic so readily. The few other people she’d ever told had asked so many questions. She was grateful that he hadn’t, though she might not have minded a few at least. It was a bit much to drop on a person, but it had just come out. She didn’t want him thinking the wrong things about her parents, after all.
The signal to put the boats in the water was a low bamboo flute whistle. Everyone walked forward; Ana shifted her grip so she could pull her yukata up to her knees with one hand and wade in. Most people seemed to be doing that—it was probably a more reliable way to make sure the boats actually left the beach.
Setting it down gently in the water, Ana gave it a little push outwards, watching it drift. It looked like it might return on a wave for a moment, but it crested the disturbance and continued out to sea. Ana let her eyes flutter closed, saying a quiet goodbye to her friend.
She wondered if next year, someone would send a boat out for her. Maybe the year after? Maybe… maybe her three new friends would. That was kind of a nice thought.
Cyrilla stood next to Ana, releasing her own boat shortly after. She'd closed her eyes, and pulled her hands together in front of her as if she were giving a light prayer. It was hard to tell, but the light from the lanterns highlighted something glistening by her eyes. They were tears. She opened her eyes then, confirming that she was, indeed, crying. But she was smiling an almost melancholic smile. She then turned to face Ana, the smile growing just slightly by an inch.
"It's so pretty," she spoke softly, nodding her head out in the direction of the other lanterns floating away. Eryk remained partially silent, glancing out into the ocean rather than at anyone or anything in particular. His face remained as passive as it always was, but there was something new to it. Something a little more soft. "I'm glad we were all here, together," Cyrilla spoke, glancing at all three of them.
"Me, too," he finally spoke, though his gaze landed on Ana, and for a split second, it looked like he smiled. Not the soft smiles he'd been wearing lately, a genuine smile. It was gone too quick to tell, though.
Ana nodded; from the corner of her eye, she could see Kas doing the same. As far as first festivals went, it had been a lot of fun. Games, food, and most importantly, people to share it with. That was something she’d never thought she’d be able to experience.
They all watched the boats drift out to sea until they were beyond sight.
“Thank you,” she said, turning in the water to face the others. “For inviting me to come with you. I hope…” she wondered if it might not be too forward of her to say. “I hope we’ll be able to go next year, too. All of us together.”
To anyone else, saying so might not have meant a lot; she was sure there were plenty of people who went in the same company every year. But… it wasn’t the same, not for them. Their jobs could take them anywhere in that time, and she… she might not last so long as a whole calendar year—it was just impossible to say.
"I hope so as well," Eryk replied, looking just the slightest bit surprised. Cyrilla nodded her head in agreement, keeping her gaze out towards the sea. "It was pleasant to be in your company. This festival, perhaps it'll be the first of many," he continued, though it was hard to tell what he meant by that.
"The first of many events together," Cyrilla seemed to clarify that statement. "We should probably go pick out a good spot to see the fireworks. Oh!" she stated a little too excitedly. She glanced up towards Kasimir, smiling just a bit sheepishly. "Can I sit on your shoulders again?" she asked.
"Perhaps it would be better if we found one of the taller hills, Cy," Eryk spoke, looking a bit amused by that statement.
“Why not both?” Kasimir replied. Ana had noticed a flicker of surprise pass over his face for a second there, but it was gone so quickly she might have imagined it. He reached down and scooped Cyrilla up, setting her on his shoulder with apparently little effort at all.
Ana huffed a soft laugh, which drew his attention to her. “I have another shoulder, you know,” she said, grinning at her.
She shook her head. “I think I’ll keep my feet on the ground, thank you.” She wasn’t afraid of heights, but at the same time, she also wasn’t the sturdiest person—she trusted him, but if there was some kind of accident, she might end up breaking something, and she didn’t want him to feel guilty about that if it happened.
He shrugged his shoulders, but the grip he had on Cy’s leg kept her in place. “Suit yourself. See any good spots from up there, o lofty one?” He turned his head so as to look up at Cyrilla, and for just a moment, Ana saw Kas’s expression change. It was gone again before she could understand what it was.
Cyrilla snorted softly at Kas, but she glanced around. One of her hands was laid on Kas's free shoulder, while the other one shielded her eyes, like a visor. "Oh, there's a spot right over there!" she stated excitedly, pointing towards the west side. Eryk merely raised a brow, turning his head in the direction she'd pointed towards, and released a soft breath. "Oh, but we have to hurry! There's another group heading that way!" she stated suddenly, wobbling just slightly before catching herself.
"There will be other places if it gets taken, Cy," Eryk spoke, his expression smoothing out to something more passive. "But shall we?" he stated, waiting for them to lead the way.
As it turned out, the spot wasn't taken, and they were situated atop one of the hills. Cyrilla stayed where she was at, on Kas' shoulders, while Eryk merely stood on the other side of Ana. He was gazing upwards, as if trying to contemplate whether or not the view was, indeed, better where they were at. He decided on something, it seemed, since he turned his gaze towards her.
"Thank you, Ana," he spoke barely above a whisper, "for coming with... us," he seemed a little hesitant when he said that, as if he meant to say something else.
“Don’t thank me; it was my pleasure,” she said honestly.
Anything more was precluded by the fireworks themselves, however; the first one whistled and popped in the sky, breaking into a burst of red-and-orange lights over the ocean. Ana smiled, and was content.
Eryk pursed his lips together, running a hand down his face as he did so. He'd called the other two into his office the day after the Festival. He'd only learned one thing, at least of immediate importance, about Ana. She had Everett's Disease, whatever that meant. Eryk wasn't versed in diseases and things like that, however; he needed to give them an update. Cyrilla was the first to arrive, Kenshin in tow behind her. He'd been spending a lot more time outside of his pokéball, though Eryk didn't really care as to why. He watched as she offered him a short smile before taking a seat in one of the empty chairs by his desk.
He folded his hands in front of him, waiting for Kas to arrive. It wasn't too long after that he did. He waited for Kas to be seated too, and simply stared at them for a moment. He wasn't entirely sure how they would react to it, or if they even knew about it. He hadn't looked it up yet, instead, waiting to tell them. If either of them knew what it was, it would at least save him some time. He wasn't quite sure if he should add that as an update to the file. He didn't recall seeing it in there before. If he had, he would have researched it a long time ago.
"She has Everett's," he finally spoke, watching as a flash of confusion crossed Cyrilla's face. He sighed softly. "She has Everett's Disease. I am not entirely familiar with it, though," he explained, glancing at the two of them. "It might be something to research to have some sort of knowledge on it, unless either of you are familiar with it," and he kind of doubted it. He knew Cyrilla well enough to know she wasn't versed in diseases, either, but Kas... he wasn't too sure about Kas. Maybe he did, maybe he didn't.
Kas sighed heavily, leaning forward in his chair and putting his elbows on his knees. “It’s an autoimmune disease,” he replied. “That basically means that her own immune system misidentifies her cells as foreign and attacks them. There are tons of different kinds, from arthritis to lupus, but a lot of them are hereditary. Everett’s was only discovered in the last twenty years or so.” He paused, tilting his head to the side. “She outright told you she had Everett’s?”
He flinched slightly, though not because of how Kas said it. He supposed he should have mentioned that first. "Yes. She mentioned it the night of the festival when you and Cy went to get funnel cake," he responded. She'd told him other things, like about her family, but that was one of the major highlights of the night. He pushed another sigh through his nose. He didn't think it was as serious as what Kas had spoken, however; just how serious was Everett's? He glanced towards Kas.
"What exactly is it?" he asked. Cyrilla had remained silent, appearing to digest the information that was being given. "I am not entirely up to speed on autoimmune diseases, but some are fatal are they not?" he continued, furrowing his brows just slightly. Some part of him hoped hers wasn't.
“Some of them, yeah,” Kas said. It wasn’t too hard to see where he was going, from the gravity of his tone. He usually wasn’t serious about anything, so the fact that he was was a huge red flag. He clasped his hands together and licked his lips. “Everett’s… it deteriorates the person’s bones, and weakens their immune system so that they’re more susceptible to other diseases. If you have it, even something like a cold or the flu becomes seriously dangerous during a flare-up. Remission periods aren’t so bad, but… about eighty percent of people who have it die before twenty-five or so. About ten percent can go into permanent remission, but…” he shrugged. It was still only ten percent.
For a moment, he just allowed the information to sink in. There was a chance she could die. Something didn't sit right with him. He didn't like the unsettling feeling in his stomach, and he certainly didn't like the way his fist clenched just slightly. They were investigating a young woman who could potentially die within a year or so. He visibly frowned.
"But... there's still a chance she could live?" Cyrilla spoke this time, something flashing behind her eyes. He could almost see the guilt that he felt across them, and it was both strange and foreign. Why did he feel so guilty about doing what he was doing? This was part of the mission, was it not? She was subject to surveillance by the higher ups, and they still hadn't figured out why she was of interest to them. Some strange part of him wanted to write to HQ and say she was not of importance, so that they could leave her be. Maybe, they could actually be her friend, and not just pretend to be. But even that seemed a little wrong. Somewhere along the way, she became their friend. He swallowed thickly.
"Perhaps. But... I do not believe that is relevant to the mission. Her having Everett's might not be the connection they are looking for," he stated, inwardly flinching at how cold it sounded. "It... should not change anything, though," he added, his eyes narrowing just slightly. He could hear a dejected sigh from Cyrilla, and glanced up to see her staring at her hands. They were folded in her lap. He really didn't like the thought that they were investigating someone so fragile. She had been nothing but kind to the three of them, and for the first time in his life, Eryk felt like shit.
“It’s a really rare disease,” Kas said quietly. “There’s almost no chance the other people of interest have it. I think… I think it’s probably just coincidence.” He grimaced. “Not that that makes things any better, but…” He pushed a breath out through his nose. “You might as well report it to the higher-ups. Maybe… maybe they’ll lose some interest, you know? Damn, I feel like an ass for saying that.” He ran his hands down his face.
"You aren't the only one," Eryk replied, though the words would have surprised him, he just couldn't bring himself to care. "Maybe... if they know of her condition they might drop it. I doubt they want a subject who isn't completely healthy," though that was a lie in itself. He knew they wouldn't stop just because she was sick. They would still want some kind of tab kept on her. She would still be a subject of interest for as long as they were interested.
"But... it is our job, no matter how it makes us feel. Our personal feelings cannot affect the mission," and he had to distance himself now because of it. If he allowed himself to get closer to her, if he allowed himself to feel this strange friendship with her, there was a strong possibility that he would do something he would regret. And he couldn't take that chance.
"I think it will be best if we put some distance between us. We are becoming too close," he spoke in a hushed voice, and he could almost see the distress in Cyrilla's face. She wasn't quite like Kas or himself, and it would be difficult. But it was necessary?
Kas dragged a hand through his hair. “The only problem is… if we all do that now, we’ll never be able to actually finish this mission… whatever it is.” He flopped back against the chair, glancing from Cyrilla’s distressed expression to Eryk and pursing his lips. “Look… why don’t you guys let me handle this? I can make your excuses for you, and I’m honestly better with infiltration than either of you are anyway.”
It was true that they all had particular talents, and also true that Kas was better with people than either himself or Cyrilla. From a logical standpoint, the suggestion made sense.
"He has a point, Ryk. If we pulled out now, we wouldn't get to the point of why HQ is interested in Ana," Cyrilla spoke, and Eryk almost wanted to agree with them. He really did. "But... I can do that on my own, Kas. It'll be difficult in the end, but at least... at least she'll trust me," she added. Eryk sighed, knowing full well that when the time came, it would hurt her more than if she were to pull out now. But he also knew she didn't like leaving things that way.
"Besides, Ken and I promised we would go visit her tomorrow. She was making a new batch of tea and wanted us to try it," she stated, as if she were trying to convince herself of something. He sighed softly and pushed himself a bit from his desk. It was going to prove more difficult than he expected. Even he couldn't bring himself to quite commit to his own suggestion: he knew that.
"Very well. Kas... could you?" he spoke, hoping he would get the implication. Perhaps it was best if he distanced himself. He may not know exactly what was going on with his own feelings, but he knew enough that if he were to try and become Ana's friend, he'd do something really stupid. And he just couldn't allow himself to do that.
“Sure,” Kasimir replied, offering half a smile that he clearly didn’t really feel. “I’ll just… tell her work’s got you tied up, and eventually it’ll stop being an issue. Friendships fade in life; it’s just how things go sometimes.” He stood, brushing imaginary dust off his shirt and rolling his shoulders. “For now, just… make it look like that’s true, I guess. It’s kind of a moot point if you go anywhere else.”
"Sure," but why did it sound like he wasn't?
He folded his hands in front of him, waiting for Kas to arrive. It wasn't too long after that he did. He waited for Kas to be seated too, and simply stared at them for a moment. He wasn't entirely sure how they would react to it, or if they even knew about it. He hadn't looked it up yet, instead, waiting to tell them. If either of them knew what it was, it would at least save him some time. He wasn't quite sure if he should add that as an update to the file. He didn't recall seeing it in there before. If he had, he would have researched it a long time ago.
"She has Everett's," he finally spoke, watching as a flash of confusion crossed Cyrilla's face. He sighed softly. "She has Everett's Disease. I am not entirely familiar with it, though," he explained, glancing at the two of them. "It might be something to research to have some sort of knowledge on it, unless either of you are familiar with it," and he kind of doubted it. He knew Cyrilla well enough to know she wasn't versed in diseases, either, but Kas... he wasn't too sure about Kas. Maybe he did, maybe he didn't.
Kas sighed heavily, leaning forward in his chair and putting his elbows on his knees. “It’s an autoimmune disease,” he replied. “That basically means that her own immune system misidentifies her cells as foreign and attacks them. There are tons of different kinds, from arthritis to lupus, but a lot of them are hereditary. Everett’s was only discovered in the last twenty years or so.” He paused, tilting his head to the side. “She outright told you she had Everett’s?”
He flinched slightly, though not because of how Kas said it. He supposed he should have mentioned that first. "Yes. She mentioned it the night of the festival when you and Cy went to get funnel cake," he responded. She'd told him other things, like about her family, but that was one of the major highlights of the night. He pushed another sigh through his nose. He didn't think it was as serious as what Kas had spoken, however; just how serious was Everett's? He glanced towards Kas.
"What exactly is it?" he asked. Cyrilla had remained silent, appearing to digest the information that was being given. "I am not entirely up to speed on autoimmune diseases, but some are fatal are they not?" he continued, furrowing his brows just slightly. Some part of him hoped hers wasn't.
“Some of them, yeah,” Kas said. It wasn’t too hard to see where he was going, from the gravity of his tone. He usually wasn’t serious about anything, so the fact that he was was a huge red flag. He clasped his hands together and licked his lips. “Everett’s… it deteriorates the person’s bones, and weakens their immune system so that they’re more susceptible to other diseases. If you have it, even something like a cold or the flu becomes seriously dangerous during a flare-up. Remission periods aren’t so bad, but… about eighty percent of people who have it die before twenty-five or so. About ten percent can go into permanent remission, but…” he shrugged. It was still only ten percent.
For a moment, he just allowed the information to sink in. There was a chance she could die. Something didn't sit right with him. He didn't like the unsettling feeling in his stomach, and he certainly didn't like the way his fist clenched just slightly. They were investigating a young woman who could potentially die within a year or so. He visibly frowned.
"But... there's still a chance she could live?" Cyrilla spoke this time, something flashing behind her eyes. He could almost see the guilt that he felt across them, and it was both strange and foreign. Why did he feel so guilty about doing what he was doing? This was part of the mission, was it not? She was subject to surveillance by the higher ups, and they still hadn't figured out why she was of interest to them. Some strange part of him wanted to write to HQ and say she was not of importance, so that they could leave her be. Maybe, they could actually be her friend, and not just pretend to be. But even that seemed a little wrong. Somewhere along the way, she became their friend. He swallowed thickly.
"Perhaps. But... I do not believe that is relevant to the mission. Her having Everett's might not be the connection they are looking for," he stated, inwardly flinching at how cold it sounded. "It... should not change anything, though," he added, his eyes narrowing just slightly. He could hear a dejected sigh from Cyrilla, and glanced up to see her staring at her hands. They were folded in her lap. He really didn't like the thought that they were investigating someone so fragile. She had been nothing but kind to the three of them, and for the first time in his life, Eryk felt like shit.
“It’s a really rare disease,” Kas said quietly. “There’s almost no chance the other people of interest have it. I think… I think it’s probably just coincidence.” He grimaced. “Not that that makes things any better, but…” He pushed a breath out through his nose. “You might as well report it to the higher-ups. Maybe… maybe they’ll lose some interest, you know? Damn, I feel like an ass for saying that.” He ran his hands down his face.
"You aren't the only one," Eryk replied, though the words would have surprised him, he just couldn't bring himself to care. "Maybe... if they know of her condition they might drop it. I doubt they want a subject who isn't completely healthy," though that was a lie in itself. He knew they wouldn't stop just because she was sick. They would still want some kind of tab kept on her. She would still be a subject of interest for as long as they were interested.
"But... it is our job, no matter how it makes us feel. Our personal feelings cannot affect the mission," and he had to distance himself now because of it. If he allowed himself to get closer to her, if he allowed himself to feel this strange friendship with her, there was a strong possibility that he would do something he would regret. And he couldn't take that chance.
"I think it will be best if we put some distance between us. We are becoming too close," he spoke in a hushed voice, and he could almost see the distress in Cyrilla's face. She wasn't quite like Kas or himself, and it would be difficult. But it was necessary?
Kas dragged a hand through his hair. “The only problem is… if we all do that now, we’ll never be able to actually finish this mission… whatever it is.” He flopped back against the chair, glancing from Cyrilla’s distressed expression to Eryk and pursing his lips. “Look… why don’t you guys let me handle this? I can make your excuses for you, and I’m honestly better with infiltration than either of you are anyway.”
It was true that they all had particular talents, and also true that Kas was better with people than either himself or Cyrilla. From a logical standpoint, the suggestion made sense.
"He has a point, Ryk. If we pulled out now, we wouldn't get to the point of why HQ is interested in Ana," Cyrilla spoke, and Eryk almost wanted to agree with them. He really did. "But... I can do that on my own, Kas. It'll be difficult in the end, but at least... at least she'll trust me," she added. Eryk sighed, knowing full well that when the time came, it would hurt her more than if she were to pull out now. But he also knew she didn't like leaving things that way.
"Besides, Ken and I promised we would go visit her tomorrow. She was making a new batch of tea and wanted us to try it," she stated, as if she were trying to convince herself of something. He sighed softly and pushed himself a bit from his desk. It was going to prove more difficult than he expected. Even he couldn't bring himself to quite commit to his own suggestion: he knew that.
"Very well. Kas... could you?" he spoke, hoping he would get the implication. Perhaps it was best if he distanced himself. He may not know exactly what was going on with his own feelings, but he knew enough that if he were to try and become Ana's friend, he'd do something really stupid. And he just couldn't allow himself to do that.
“Sure,” Kasimir replied, offering half a smile that he clearly didn’t really feel. “I’ll just… tell her work’s got you tied up, and eventually it’ll stop being an issue. Friendships fade in life; it’s just how things go sometimes.” He stood, brushing imaginary dust off his shirt and rolling his shoulders. “For now, just… make it look like that’s true, I guess. It’s kind of a moot point if you go anywhere else.”
"Sure," but why did it sound like he wasn't?
Ana sighed. Her house felt… strangely empty. Perhaps it was because the visits from other people that had become so central to her life were suddenly less frequent?
The day after the Camilla Festival, Eryk hadn’t come over, though he’d said he’d bring Mankey by for a visit. Ana had thought it strange, but chalked it up to the demands of his work—something that was confirmed when Kas and Cy visited the next day. They told her he’d been caught up in a new assignment, and she’d understood. They must have been caught up in it, too; though she occasionally saw one of them or the other, it hadn't been more than three times between them in the last month, and Eryk hadn’t made it at all.
She didn’t want to believe it was true, but she had to consider the possibility that they were ending their friendship with her. It was quite the coincidence, otherwise—that they should all stop coming over right after she told them she was sick. She couldn’t blame them; this wasn’t the first almost-friendship that had been forestalled by the information. There hadn’t been many, but maybe one or two. People got less comfortable around her when they knew—less sure how they should act or what they should say. More careful, like she was suddenly more breakable than she’d been before.
So it wasn’t really unexpected. Maybe a little disappointing and sad, but those feelings would fade. She still had the shelter, after all, and her pokémon, and her cordial relationships with people in town, who weren’t so close they had to know about her Everett’s. She’d gotten by with just her work before—this was still more than that.
Even if her chest ached to think about it.
You should get out of the house for a while, Ana. Luna advised her of as much, twisting one of her large pink ears. Beside her, Nova blinked red eyes. He didn’t even have to agree—she knew he did already. And she knew they were both right.
“Yeah,” she said softly, toying with the hem of her shirt. Summer was fully upon them now—it had been a month since the Camilla festival. Two weeks since she’d last seen Cy or Kas. But maybe… maybe they were just busy. Maybe they still wanted to be her friends. “But what if someone comes to see me and I’m not here?”
Then they can leave a message or find you later, Nova said firmly. The yellow rings on his body flared temporarily. If they are truly friends of yours, one simple inconvenience will not stop them. In the meantime, you have a life to live—you cannot wait forever for those who may not be on their way at all.
The words hit her like a slap in the face, but they were true. Ana flinched; her fingers clenched in the soft white fabric of her loose shirt. Here she was, reassuring herself that she still had a life, and she was refusing to live it. “You’re right,” she said. “I think…” she contemplated it for a moment. “I’ve heard Drake’s dealing with a lot of challengers these days. Waiting around outside the gym in this heat can’t be good. Maybe I’ll bring them some things to help them stay cool.” And it would be a chance to see Drake, who was himself a very nice person that she liked.
Her course decided, Ana set about making preparations: she made three pitchers of lemonade, three of iced tea, and chilled a lot of water. Figuring out how to transport it would have been a logistical nightmare, but fortunately she did own a small vehicle—just a small motorcycle, but it had a sidecar with it, so she could put everything in that.
Once she’d left Luna and Nova to look after the shelter, she packed everything away in the sidecar, then detached a pokéball from her belt. Aithne loved riding in the sidecar; Ana figured she might enjoy helping to make the deliveries as well.
“Ready to go, Ai?” she asked.
The vulpix trilled, hopping up into the sidecar with the ease of familiarity. Tucking her hair up into a helmet, Ana started the bike up and nudged the kickstand up with her foot before swinging her leg over. They were off after that—the bike handled all kinds of roads quite well, which was the reason she’d bought it. Used, of course, and she took it to the shop for regular checkups, even though she rode it only perhaps once a month at most.
It was maybe a bit… bold of a choice for someone like her, but she didn’t really think of it as being part of a lifestyle or subculture for her—it was just the best method of transport for her purposes. Her Aunt had nearly fainted when she’d purchased it with her savings, but it had done her a lot of service in her travels. And it wasn’t really any less safe than anything else.
The breeze was nice on her skin, and it seemed like all too soon, she and Aithne were pulling up in front of the Gym. There were indeed a lot of people queuing outside, all of them dressed in the durable clothes of trainers the world over. Ana took off her helmet, stowing it in the sidecar, and approached the back of the line.
“Um… excuse me. I don’t mean to intrude, but it’s awfully hot out here, and I thought you might like something to drink? I’ve got water, lemonade, and iced tea.”
It didn’t take long for the idea to catch on, and in short order, Ana was filling paper cups with various drinks and passing them out. It seemed to be especially hot around here, perhaps because the Gym itself had so many fire pokémon in it? It occurred to her that Drake must be especially overheated if that was the case. Frowning, she returned to the sidecar, withdrawing the closed pitcher of water and tucking a wrapped package of cookies she’d made the other day under one of her arms.
The Gym attendants knew her, and let her past without the usual fuss. It seemed she’d caught him on a break.
“Drake? Is everything okay? You’ve got quite the line of challengers today…” At her feet, Aithne hummed an agreement.
"Hey Ana!" he greeted, suddenly in a happier mood. "Yeah, everything is fine. Honestly, though, the line seems to have exploded with these last couple of weeks," he spoke, rubbing the back of his neck as he did so. He puffed out a slight gust of air as he sighed, laying his arms over his knees. He glanced up at her, though, and just seemed to smile.
"But I suppose it's because we're in the summer season. I've always received a lot of trainers during summers," though it was slightly true, how true was unknown. "How's everything with the center? Everything alright? I haven't seen Kas, Cyrilla, or Eryk in a while," he spoke. He knew they helped out Ana, or at least Kas and Eryk did. Cyrilla he knew was Ana's friend, so perhaps it was natural that he noticed their absence.
Ana smiled a bit thinly, bobbing her head for a moment. “I think they’ve been busy, too,” she said. “It seems it must be like that for everyone but me at the moment.” The shelter didn’t really have any particularly busy or relaxed times of year—it all depended on when new pokémon came in for her to look after, that was all.
She proffered a glass of water. “I was thinking that with all the challengers in and out and all the fire pokémon you have, you might be getting thirsty. I know your work is important, but be careful not to dehydrate.” She paused, using her other hand to hold the bundle in front of him. “Also, I made chocolate chip cookies. I seem to remember you liking them the last time you had them, so…” She trailed off into a shrug. Truthfully, there wasn’t a lot she could do, either for Drake or all his waiting challengers. But this was something, and it felt better than moping around the shelter for the afternoon.
"Ah, thanks Ana, you're the best! I do like these," he stated, his face instantly lighting up as he took one of the glasses of water and reached for a cookie. He hummed a soft content sound in the back of his throat when he bit into one, and offered Ana a grin. "You don't have to worry about me too much. Gramps raised me in the volcano so I'm used to hot temperatures. I can't say the same for these challengers though," he stated, the grin smoothing out to just a simple smile.
"What's strange, though, is that some of these challengers are members of Team Rocket. Actually, I think all of them are. Maybe it's because they're holed up in that Old Mansion and they need something to do. I mean, don't get me wrong, I like a good challenge, but," he trailed off, turning his neck sideways before a slight 'pop' caused him to sigh. "These challenges everyday are becoming a bit ridiculous. I have a suspicion that someone is doing it on purpose, though," he added. He was a good-hearted person, but sometimes even a person like him could get worn out.
"I can't prove it, but it's the only other explanation I can get," he stated, giving a light shrug to his shoulders. He finished off his cookie before downing the rest of his drink, setting the cup to his side. He glanced towards her, and it looked like he wanted to say something, but he didn't. Instead, he just huffed a short sigh and glanced behind her towards the line of waiting challengers.
"Maybe... tomorrow I'll hang up a Closed sign to get at least a break," he chuckled lightly, raising a hand to set it on Ana's crown. It was light, and only remained there for a second before he removed it. "And you shouldn't be so upset about it, though. I'm sure they'll come and visit you soon. They're your friends, Ana. They aren't the type to just end a friendship because work suddenly got in the way. They're good people, even if they happen to work for the Rockets. Just watch," he spoke suddenly, while offering her a lopsided smile.
“I know they are,” she agreed, nodding a little more firmly this time. “I’ll just have to be patient and wait until they have a little more time. But I’m glad I got to see you today, anyhow.” She smiled and took the empty glass back. “I’ll go make sure all your challengers get more water so they don’t faint, but you should definitely consider taking that day off tomorrow. I can make lunch or something, if you want.”
"That sounds great. Lunch sounds like a date! I mean, not a date, as in a date 'date' but," he chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck as he did so. "I'd like that, actually, the lunch and taking a break," he seemed to correct himself, grinning all the wider. "I suppose I should get back to the challenges, then!" he stated, standing up as he did so.
Ana stood too, smiling as Aithne moved back to her heels. “All right,” she said with a nod. “Good luck, Drake.” She waved as he headed back to his spot, and exited the Gym.
It was nice to check in on him, even if he was overwhelmed. Actually, now that she thought about it…
Hm.
The day after the Camilla Festival, Eryk hadn’t come over, though he’d said he’d bring Mankey by for a visit. Ana had thought it strange, but chalked it up to the demands of his work—something that was confirmed when Kas and Cy visited the next day. They told her he’d been caught up in a new assignment, and she’d understood. They must have been caught up in it, too; though she occasionally saw one of them or the other, it hadn't been more than three times between them in the last month, and Eryk hadn’t made it at all.
She didn’t want to believe it was true, but she had to consider the possibility that they were ending their friendship with her. It was quite the coincidence, otherwise—that they should all stop coming over right after she told them she was sick. She couldn’t blame them; this wasn’t the first almost-friendship that had been forestalled by the information. There hadn’t been many, but maybe one or two. People got less comfortable around her when they knew—less sure how they should act or what they should say. More careful, like she was suddenly more breakable than she’d been before.
So it wasn’t really unexpected. Maybe a little disappointing and sad, but those feelings would fade. She still had the shelter, after all, and her pokémon, and her cordial relationships with people in town, who weren’t so close they had to know about her Everett’s. She’d gotten by with just her work before—this was still more than that.
Even if her chest ached to think about it.
You should get out of the house for a while, Ana. Luna advised her of as much, twisting one of her large pink ears. Beside her, Nova blinked red eyes. He didn’t even have to agree—she knew he did already. And she knew they were both right.
“Yeah,” she said softly, toying with the hem of her shirt. Summer was fully upon them now—it had been a month since the Camilla festival. Two weeks since she’d last seen Cy or Kas. But maybe… maybe they were just busy. Maybe they still wanted to be her friends. “But what if someone comes to see me and I’m not here?”
Then they can leave a message or find you later, Nova said firmly. The yellow rings on his body flared temporarily. If they are truly friends of yours, one simple inconvenience will not stop them. In the meantime, you have a life to live—you cannot wait forever for those who may not be on their way at all.
The words hit her like a slap in the face, but they were true. Ana flinched; her fingers clenched in the soft white fabric of her loose shirt. Here she was, reassuring herself that she still had a life, and she was refusing to live it. “You’re right,” she said. “I think…” she contemplated it for a moment. “I’ve heard Drake’s dealing with a lot of challengers these days. Waiting around outside the gym in this heat can’t be good. Maybe I’ll bring them some things to help them stay cool.” And it would be a chance to see Drake, who was himself a very nice person that she liked.
Her course decided, Ana set about making preparations: she made three pitchers of lemonade, three of iced tea, and chilled a lot of water. Figuring out how to transport it would have been a logistical nightmare, but fortunately she did own a small vehicle—just a small motorcycle, but it had a sidecar with it, so she could put everything in that.
Once she’d left Luna and Nova to look after the shelter, she packed everything away in the sidecar, then detached a pokéball from her belt. Aithne loved riding in the sidecar; Ana figured she might enjoy helping to make the deliveries as well.
“Ready to go, Ai?” she asked.
The vulpix trilled, hopping up into the sidecar with the ease of familiarity. Tucking her hair up into a helmet, Ana started the bike up and nudged the kickstand up with her foot before swinging her leg over. They were off after that—the bike handled all kinds of roads quite well, which was the reason she’d bought it. Used, of course, and she took it to the shop for regular checkups, even though she rode it only perhaps once a month at most.
It was maybe a bit… bold of a choice for someone like her, but she didn’t really think of it as being part of a lifestyle or subculture for her—it was just the best method of transport for her purposes. Her Aunt had nearly fainted when she’d purchased it with her savings, but it had done her a lot of service in her travels. And it wasn’t really any less safe than anything else.
The breeze was nice on her skin, and it seemed like all too soon, she and Aithne were pulling up in front of the Gym. There were indeed a lot of people queuing outside, all of them dressed in the durable clothes of trainers the world over. Ana took off her helmet, stowing it in the sidecar, and approached the back of the line.
“Um… excuse me. I don’t mean to intrude, but it’s awfully hot out here, and I thought you might like something to drink? I’ve got water, lemonade, and iced tea.”
It didn’t take long for the idea to catch on, and in short order, Ana was filling paper cups with various drinks and passing them out. It seemed to be especially hot around here, perhaps because the Gym itself had so many fire pokémon in it? It occurred to her that Drake must be especially overheated if that was the case. Frowning, she returned to the sidecar, withdrawing the closed pitcher of water and tucking a wrapped package of cookies she’d made the other day under one of her arms.
The Gym attendants knew her, and let her past without the usual fuss. It seemed she’d caught him on a break.
“Drake? Is everything okay? You’ve got quite the line of challengers today…” At her feet, Aithne hummed an agreement.
"Hey Ana!" he greeted, suddenly in a happier mood. "Yeah, everything is fine. Honestly, though, the line seems to have exploded with these last couple of weeks," he spoke, rubbing the back of his neck as he did so. He puffed out a slight gust of air as he sighed, laying his arms over his knees. He glanced up at her, though, and just seemed to smile.
"But I suppose it's because we're in the summer season. I've always received a lot of trainers during summers," though it was slightly true, how true was unknown. "How's everything with the center? Everything alright? I haven't seen Kas, Cyrilla, or Eryk in a while," he spoke. He knew they helped out Ana, or at least Kas and Eryk did. Cyrilla he knew was Ana's friend, so perhaps it was natural that he noticed their absence.
Ana smiled a bit thinly, bobbing her head for a moment. “I think they’ve been busy, too,” she said. “It seems it must be like that for everyone but me at the moment.” The shelter didn’t really have any particularly busy or relaxed times of year—it all depended on when new pokémon came in for her to look after, that was all.
She proffered a glass of water. “I was thinking that with all the challengers in and out and all the fire pokémon you have, you might be getting thirsty. I know your work is important, but be careful not to dehydrate.” She paused, using her other hand to hold the bundle in front of him. “Also, I made chocolate chip cookies. I seem to remember you liking them the last time you had them, so…” She trailed off into a shrug. Truthfully, there wasn’t a lot she could do, either for Drake or all his waiting challengers. But this was something, and it felt better than moping around the shelter for the afternoon.
"Ah, thanks Ana, you're the best! I do like these," he stated, his face instantly lighting up as he took one of the glasses of water and reached for a cookie. He hummed a soft content sound in the back of his throat when he bit into one, and offered Ana a grin. "You don't have to worry about me too much. Gramps raised me in the volcano so I'm used to hot temperatures. I can't say the same for these challengers though," he stated, the grin smoothing out to just a simple smile.
"What's strange, though, is that some of these challengers are members of Team Rocket. Actually, I think all of them are. Maybe it's because they're holed up in that Old Mansion and they need something to do. I mean, don't get me wrong, I like a good challenge, but," he trailed off, turning his neck sideways before a slight 'pop' caused him to sigh. "These challenges everyday are becoming a bit ridiculous. I have a suspicion that someone is doing it on purpose, though," he added. He was a good-hearted person, but sometimes even a person like him could get worn out.
"I can't prove it, but it's the only other explanation I can get," he stated, giving a light shrug to his shoulders. He finished off his cookie before downing the rest of his drink, setting the cup to his side. He glanced towards her, and it looked like he wanted to say something, but he didn't. Instead, he just huffed a short sigh and glanced behind her towards the line of waiting challengers.
"Maybe... tomorrow I'll hang up a Closed sign to get at least a break," he chuckled lightly, raising a hand to set it on Ana's crown. It was light, and only remained there for a second before he removed it. "And you shouldn't be so upset about it, though. I'm sure they'll come and visit you soon. They're your friends, Ana. They aren't the type to just end a friendship because work suddenly got in the way. They're good people, even if they happen to work for the Rockets. Just watch," he spoke suddenly, while offering her a lopsided smile.
“I know they are,” she agreed, nodding a little more firmly this time. “I’ll just have to be patient and wait until they have a little more time. But I’m glad I got to see you today, anyhow.” She smiled and took the empty glass back. “I’ll go make sure all your challengers get more water so they don’t faint, but you should definitely consider taking that day off tomorrow. I can make lunch or something, if you want.”
"That sounds great. Lunch sounds like a date! I mean, not a date, as in a date 'date' but," he chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck as he did so. "I'd like that, actually, the lunch and taking a break," he seemed to correct himself, grinning all the wider. "I suppose I should get back to the challenges, then!" he stated, standing up as he did so.
Ana stood too, smiling as Aithne moved back to her heels. “All right,” she said with a nod. “Good luck, Drake.” She waved as he headed back to his spot, and exited the Gym.
It was nice to check in on him, even if he was overwhelmed. Actually, now that she thought about it…
Hm.
Eryk pushed a deep sigh through his nose, running a hand down his face before spearing it through his hair. The last few weeks, he actually had been busy. It wasn't that he was pretending to be busy, however; after the submission of what they knew, HQ came down hard on them. They were supposed to compile a list of everyone's health history, and that had not been an easy task. It had taken him at least a week just to sort everyone out, and then another week before he could have Kas help him locate their medical files. Part of it, he supposed, was so that they had more intel on what was going on with the others. Maybe because whatever they had planned, they could take precautions on who was chosen, and who wasn't. It was confusing all the same, and he could feel his face twist just slightly into something uncomfortable.
"It's been almost a month, Ryk. You should at least go visit her with Mankey like you said you were going to do. That was a promise you shouldn't have broken," Cyrilla's voice pulled him out of his thoughts, and he glanced up to see her leaning in the doorway. Kenshin was with her, holding a bowl of berries, it seemed, and was munching on them casually. He didn't seem too bothered by anything, and just kept a steady gaze with Eryk. Mankey, however, was sitting on Cyrilla's shoulders, just glancing at Eryk. "I think... she was really looking forward to it," she added pushing herself from the door frame and walking into his office. He sighed softly before pushing the last paper on his desk, to the side.
"It's not that easy, Cy. I can't just go to her place and pretend that everything is okay," he finally replied, putting the pen down and leaned back into his chair. He knew that wouldn't be right, and he had made the decision to take a step out of her life. He wasn't a good person; he'd never been a good person and causing any more problems for a dying... he paused in his thoughts.
"Then at least go apologize for not keeping your promise. Take Mankey with you and make things right, Ryk. I know it's hard, and I know you don't want to, but you can't just do that to someone, especially when..." she paused in the middle of her sentence, and he could see her jaw lock up. She sighed a little dejectedly, and ran a hand through Mankey's fur. "Just go visit her, Ryk. It'll do you some good," she spoke, removing Mankey from her shoulders so that he could make his way towards Eryk.
"Fine," he spoke, pushing himself away from the desk and standing. He reached out his arm to Mankey, watching as the pokémon climbed upon his shoulder. It was odd how strangely compliant he had been. Perhaps he missed Ana, too. He glanced one last time towards Cyrilla and Kenshin, watching a strange glint pass behind the Lucario's eyes before he walked out of his office, and out of the mansion. It didn't take him too long to reach his destination, and for a moment, he simply stared at Ana's gate. He shouldn't be here.
There was no going back.
He walked up to her door and gave a gentle knock, refusing to just walk in like he had done so many weeks before.
The door opened immediately, as though she’d been standing right behind it when he knocked. She looked like she was just about to leave—there was a basket wrapped with some kind of cloth braced against one hip, and she wore a leather riding jacket with her pants, like motorcyclists used for protection.
When she noticed who it was on the other side of the door, Ana’s eyes went wide. Clearly, he was not expected. For a moment, there was nothing but awkward silence. Finally, she cleared her throat with a soft cough. “Eryk? What’re you—I mean, um.” She shook her head. “I’d heard you were busy.” That didn’t seem quite like what she wanted to say, if the way she frowned was any indication, but she didn’t correct herself again, either.
He wasn't entirely sure what to do with that. "I... thought it would be okay to visit. Work hasn't... it's been," he spoke, but found he couldn't exactly get the words out right. "I was able to manage a break, is all, and I owed you a visit. But perhaps I should come back another time. You look... busy?" he continued. Clearly it looked like she was on her way somewhere, and he would not stop her if she was.
“No!” She looked startled, perhaps at herself, then shook her head—her face was a bit pink, though not as dark as her hair. “Um, what I mean is… I was actually on my way to visit you. At your, um, office. I was going to bring bread. And berry jam. I thought cookies, at first, but I remembered that you don’t like things that are too sweet, so.” She cleared her throat again, taking a few steps backwards.
“But since you’re here anyway, I guess I’m not going anywhere. Would you… like to come inside?”
If she looked startled, Eryk was pretty sure he was. He had taken a visible step backwards and glanced at her. He was confused. She was coming to visit him? He was sure he was staring at her a little longer than what was considered polite, however; he couldn't seem to wrap his mind around the concept. He blinked a few times when he felt Mankey's tail glide across his face. He forgot Mankey was on his shoulder. Shaking his head, he took a step forward, regaining his composure. He could feel his face soften for just a second, but he did not smile.
"I like oatmeal cookies," he found himself saying. They weren't too sweet, so he actually preferred those instead. "But that... I would like that," he stated, making his way inside. "How have you been?"
Ana seemed to recover from her earlier difficulty speaking, and smiled at him as usual. “Oh, I’m doing pretty well. The shelter hasn’t had to take on anyone new in a while, so there’s less work to do. I’ve been keeping myself busy by trying a few new things in the garden. I put in some new berry plants, actually.” She led them into the living room, which was really just a couch and a chair settled around a coffee table and a fireplace. The rest of it was bookshelves.
At this time of year, of course, there was no fire going—all the windows were open, a breeze occasionally stirring the curtains. Ana set the basket down on the coffee table and untied the fabric on top. There were indeed two loaves of bread in there, and several different kinds of jam, with butter knives and even a clear thermos filled with what looked suspiciously like the iced tea he liked. “Help yourself,” she invited, unzipping her jacket and sliding it off. She hung it on a hook on the wall and sank into the chair, stretching her arms out and clicking her tongue to get Mankey’s attention.
Mankey was all too thrilled to leave Eryk's shoulder, making his way towards Ana. Eryk, however, was glad for the extra weight not pulling him down. Not that Mankey was heavy, however; the pokémon hadn't been entirely still. Her words managed to echo in his ears as he glanced up at the items she'd laid out for them. He was slightly glad that she didn't have too much work to do. That meant that, while he was gone, she wasn't entirely in danger of over exerting herself or anything of the sort. He had been slightly worried about that aspect. Since he wasn't going to be around as much, who would help her? Even without the knowledge of her disease, he had been somewhat worried.
He knew she didn't need help since she ran her center just fine without them before, but some part of him just couldn't shake the feeling. He took one of the loaves, and broke a piece off. He glanced at the assortment of jams, and found himself reaching towards one that looked like it was made from kelpsey berries. They were slightly sweet and sour, so the combination would work in his favor.
"I am sorry," he finally found his voice, placing the piece he had grabbed, down. He glanced in her direction, trying to maintain eye contact with her, however; it was surprisingly difficult. "For not coming the day I said I was," he continued, hoping to clarify the situation up. He supposed he should apologize now, get it over with so that it didn't hang around and haunt him. "I... did not intend for that to happen," though that wasn't entirely the truth.
“That’s okay,” she said, apparently with ease. She frowned after that, though, and sighed. “I admit… I was a little concerned. That you might be working too hard, but also that… you hadn’t sent me a note or called or anything, so I worried that maybe something I’d said had…” Ana shook her head, pursing her lips and making direct eye contact.
“I thought maybe I’d chased you away, by mentioning that I was sick. It’s… it’s happened a couple of times before. I can understand—it’s not easy being friends with someone who might not… be there soon, you know? I didn’t want to think that was it, but I couldn’t blame you if it were.” She petted Mankey, scratching him behind both ears at once. Her eyes drifted away from his and to one of the bookshelves, though she didn’t seem to be focusing on anything in particular.
Well, she wasn't entirely wrong about that. Part of the reason he didn't want to see her was because of her sickness. But it wasn't for the reason she thought it was. He would have let her be, allowed her to live out the rest of her days without people like himself, however; he couldn't, and he disliked that about himself. He sighed inwardly, but dropped his gaze from her.
"No, it was nothing that you said," he spoke, feeling a little awkward now. He couldn't tell her the exact reason as to why he'd stopped visiting her, but he couldn't quite bring himself not to. Remaining silent thereafter was his only choice, and he did. He took a bite from the bread and chewed thoughtfully. It was good, but he supposed everything she made, was good. He hadn't been disappointed yet.
"I will endeavor to notify you if I plan on spending more than a week away," he spoke suddenly, surprising himself just slightly. Hadn't he agreed that it would be best if he didn't interact with her too much? He sighed softly. He was contradicting himself, and he knew it. He glanced back up at her anyway.
"I promise," and for some reason, he knew he would keep it.
Ana dropped her chin to prop it on Mankey’s head, winding her arms around the pokémon and smiling a little. “Okay,” she said softly. “Thank you. I’ve never really… had very many friends before, so… I’m glad.”
Neither did he. Kasimir, Cyrilla, they were his friends. Anyone else outside of those two, though, he couldn't say. But to know that someone thought of him as a friend, that felt strange, and he could almost feel his heart skip a beat. Now that was strange. He coughed into his hand awkwardly and decided against staring at her. She was smiling, small as it was, and somehow, he'd grown to appreciate it. No one smiled in his presence except for his friends, and that thought managed to pull a small one of his own from his lips.
"As am I," he stated, feeling somewhat less awkward now.
"It's been almost a month, Ryk. You should at least go visit her with Mankey like you said you were going to do. That was a promise you shouldn't have broken," Cyrilla's voice pulled him out of his thoughts, and he glanced up to see her leaning in the doorway. Kenshin was with her, holding a bowl of berries, it seemed, and was munching on them casually. He didn't seem too bothered by anything, and just kept a steady gaze with Eryk. Mankey, however, was sitting on Cyrilla's shoulders, just glancing at Eryk. "I think... she was really looking forward to it," she added pushing herself from the door frame and walking into his office. He sighed softly before pushing the last paper on his desk, to the side.
"It's not that easy, Cy. I can't just go to her place and pretend that everything is okay," he finally replied, putting the pen down and leaned back into his chair. He knew that wouldn't be right, and he had made the decision to take a step out of her life. He wasn't a good person; he'd never been a good person and causing any more problems for a dying... he paused in his thoughts.
"Then at least go apologize for not keeping your promise. Take Mankey with you and make things right, Ryk. I know it's hard, and I know you don't want to, but you can't just do that to someone, especially when..." she paused in the middle of her sentence, and he could see her jaw lock up. She sighed a little dejectedly, and ran a hand through Mankey's fur. "Just go visit her, Ryk. It'll do you some good," she spoke, removing Mankey from her shoulders so that he could make his way towards Eryk.
"Fine," he spoke, pushing himself away from the desk and standing. He reached out his arm to Mankey, watching as the pokémon climbed upon his shoulder. It was odd how strangely compliant he had been. Perhaps he missed Ana, too. He glanced one last time towards Cyrilla and Kenshin, watching a strange glint pass behind the Lucario's eyes before he walked out of his office, and out of the mansion. It didn't take him too long to reach his destination, and for a moment, he simply stared at Ana's gate. He shouldn't be here.
There was no going back.
He walked up to her door and gave a gentle knock, refusing to just walk in like he had done so many weeks before.
The door opened immediately, as though she’d been standing right behind it when he knocked. She looked like she was just about to leave—there was a basket wrapped with some kind of cloth braced against one hip, and she wore a leather riding jacket with her pants, like motorcyclists used for protection.
When she noticed who it was on the other side of the door, Ana’s eyes went wide. Clearly, he was not expected. For a moment, there was nothing but awkward silence. Finally, she cleared her throat with a soft cough. “Eryk? What’re you—I mean, um.” She shook her head. “I’d heard you were busy.” That didn’t seem quite like what she wanted to say, if the way she frowned was any indication, but she didn’t correct herself again, either.
He wasn't entirely sure what to do with that. "I... thought it would be okay to visit. Work hasn't... it's been," he spoke, but found he couldn't exactly get the words out right. "I was able to manage a break, is all, and I owed you a visit. But perhaps I should come back another time. You look... busy?" he continued. Clearly it looked like she was on her way somewhere, and he would not stop her if she was.
“No!” She looked startled, perhaps at herself, then shook her head—her face was a bit pink, though not as dark as her hair. “Um, what I mean is… I was actually on my way to visit you. At your, um, office. I was going to bring bread. And berry jam. I thought cookies, at first, but I remembered that you don’t like things that are too sweet, so.” She cleared her throat again, taking a few steps backwards.
“But since you’re here anyway, I guess I’m not going anywhere. Would you… like to come inside?”
If she looked startled, Eryk was pretty sure he was. He had taken a visible step backwards and glanced at her. He was confused. She was coming to visit him? He was sure he was staring at her a little longer than what was considered polite, however; he couldn't seem to wrap his mind around the concept. He blinked a few times when he felt Mankey's tail glide across his face. He forgot Mankey was on his shoulder. Shaking his head, he took a step forward, regaining his composure. He could feel his face soften for just a second, but he did not smile.
"I like oatmeal cookies," he found himself saying. They weren't too sweet, so he actually preferred those instead. "But that... I would like that," he stated, making his way inside. "How have you been?"
Ana seemed to recover from her earlier difficulty speaking, and smiled at him as usual. “Oh, I’m doing pretty well. The shelter hasn’t had to take on anyone new in a while, so there’s less work to do. I’ve been keeping myself busy by trying a few new things in the garden. I put in some new berry plants, actually.” She led them into the living room, which was really just a couch and a chair settled around a coffee table and a fireplace. The rest of it was bookshelves.
At this time of year, of course, there was no fire going—all the windows were open, a breeze occasionally stirring the curtains. Ana set the basket down on the coffee table and untied the fabric on top. There were indeed two loaves of bread in there, and several different kinds of jam, with butter knives and even a clear thermos filled with what looked suspiciously like the iced tea he liked. “Help yourself,” she invited, unzipping her jacket and sliding it off. She hung it on a hook on the wall and sank into the chair, stretching her arms out and clicking her tongue to get Mankey’s attention.
Mankey was all too thrilled to leave Eryk's shoulder, making his way towards Ana. Eryk, however, was glad for the extra weight not pulling him down. Not that Mankey was heavy, however; the pokémon hadn't been entirely still. Her words managed to echo in his ears as he glanced up at the items she'd laid out for them. He was slightly glad that she didn't have too much work to do. That meant that, while he was gone, she wasn't entirely in danger of over exerting herself or anything of the sort. He had been slightly worried about that aspect. Since he wasn't going to be around as much, who would help her? Even without the knowledge of her disease, he had been somewhat worried.
He knew she didn't need help since she ran her center just fine without them before, but some part of him just couldn't shake the feeling. He took one of the loaves, and broke a piece off. He glanced at the assortment of jams, and found himself reaching towards one that looked like it was made from kelpsey berries. They were slightly sweet and sour, so the combination would work in his favor.
"I am sorry," he finally found his voice, placing the piece he had grabbed, down. He glanced in her direction, trying to maintain eye contact with her, however; it was surprisingly difficult. "For not coming the day I said I was," he continued, hoping to clarify the situation up. He supposed he should apologize now, get it over with so that it didn't hang around and haunt him. "I... did not intend for that to happen," though that wasn't entirely the truth.
“That’s okay,” she said, apparently with ease. She frowned after that, though, and sighed. “I admit… I was a little concerned. That you might be working too hard, but also that… you hadn’t sent me a note or called or anything, so I worried that maybe something I’d said had…” Ana shook her head, pursing her lips and making direct eye contact.
“I thought maybe I’d chased you away, by mentioning that I was sick. It’s… it’s happened a couple of times before. I can understand—it’s not easy being friends with someone who might not… be there soon, you know? I didn’t want to think that was it, but I couldn’t blame you if it were.” She petted Mankey, scratching him behind both ears at once. Her eyes drifted away from his and to one of the bookshelves, though she didn’t seem to be focusing on anything in particular.
Well, she wasn't entirely wrong about that. Part of the reason he didn't want to see her was because of her sickness. But it wasn't for the reason she thought it was. He would have let her be, allowed her to live out the rest of her days without people like himself, however; he couldn't, and he disliked that about himself. He sighed inwardly, but dropped his gaze from her.
"No, it was nothing that you said," he spoke, feeling a little awkward now. He couldn't tell her the exact reason as to why he'd stopped visiting her, but he couldn't quite bring himself not to. Remaining silent thereafter was his only choice, and he did. He took a bite from the bread and chewed thoughtfully. It was good, but he supposed everything she made, was good. He hadn't been disappointed yet.
"I will endeavor to notify you if I plan on spending more than a week away," he spoke suddenly, surprising himself just slightly. Hadn't he agreed that it would be best if he didn't interact with her too much? He sighed softly. He was contradicting himself, and he knew it. He glanced back up at her anyway.
"I promise," and for some reason, he knew he would keep it.
Ana dropped her chin to prop it on Mankey’s head, winding her arms around the pokémon and smiling a little. “Okay,” she said softly. “Thank you. I’ve never really… had very many friends before, so… I’m glad.”
Neither did he. Kasimir, Cyrilla, they were his friends. Anyone else outside of those two, though, he couldn't say. But to know that someone thought of him as a friend, that felt strange, and he could almost feel his heart skip a beat. Now that was strange. He coughed into his hand awkwardly and decided against staring at her. She was smiling, small as it was, and somehow, he'd grown to appreciate it. No one smiled in his presence except for his friends, and that thought managed to pull a small one of his own from his lips.
"As am I," he stated, feeling somewhat less awkward now.
The end of summer was a time in the year when most residents of Cinnabar Island kept their windows open; the fresh air outside was just beginning to cool down for the autumn, and most of the houses were built for it. It was in such a home that Kasimir woke up, slightly before the sun did.
The barely-familiar mattress underneath him was thankfully free of creaks or other particular noises, allowing him to soundlessly throw the sheets off himself and put his feet to the floor below. The rug was soft, a tasteful light blue on the pale wood of the rest of the floor. There was enough light coming in from nautical dawn that he could make out where his clothes had fallen the night before; he set about picking them up and throwing them all over his arm. He’d have to get back to his own place for a new set before he went into work, but that was an old routine by now.
Stepping into his shorts, he buckled his belt and was about to throw on his shirt when the sheets stirred, their occupant turning over onto her stomach and propping her chin on a hand. “No breakfast?” she teased, staring at him without an ounce of shame or embarrassment.
He didn’t really have any to spare, either. Shrugging, Kas gave her a cheeky smile. “I don’t like to dine and dash, Viv. And I do have to dash. Workday and all.”
She only chuckled at him, low and sweet, waving her other hand dismissively. She wasn’t the type to insist on pretending that they were dating—Vivian knew what she wanted and when, and a boyfriend wasn’t anywhere on the list. He was grateful for that; sometimes it got complicated after a few months.
“All right, all right. Go save the world, or whatever it is you do.” She also didn’t feel the need to ask about his job, for which he was likewise grateful. Really, she was basically perfect for him in every respect—which of course meant that he was growing less and less content with their arrangement, or any of the half-dozen others he maintained at the moment.
But that wasn’t her fault. “Sure thing,” he replied. “And you get some more sleep. The Coast Guard doesn’t need you for another three hours, right?”
She hummed something noncommittal, and Kas left before it became an actual conversation. He was very good at that—leaving.
He got his morning training in at the beach, swimming with those of his pokémon that were capable and then running with the others. As usual, about halfway through his four miles, he had to pick Meep up and carry her, but that just upped the challenge, which he was grateful for. After a shower and a change at his own place, he headed downstairs to the office, to all appearances having rolled out of his own bed just in time for shift. He made himself and Eryk some coffee, adding a bit of cream to his and leaving Ryk’s black, then stirred about three spoonfuls of sugar into Cyrilla’s tea. He’d probably never understand why she took it so sweet, but oh well.
After dropping Ryk’s off at his desk, he padded barefoot to Cy’s office and knocked on the door before letting himself in.
“Morning, sunshine,” he said, using his usual lazy drawl.
She glanced up from her desk, smiling when he approached. "Good morning, Kas," she replied, setting her pen down and pushing herself somewhat from her desk. "What brings you here?" she questioned. The orchid he had given her was still present, and looked to be in the stages of re-blooming. Orchids, when properly cared for, tended to live a fairly long time. She was taking meticulous care of hers if it was still alive after a few months.
“Tea,” he replied simply, setting the cup and saucer down on her desk. “Sugar, and a little bit of honey.” he turned the cup so that the handle was in the right spot, and grinned slightly. “I see your plant’s doing well—I shouldn’t be surprised that you’re good at that.”
"Oh, thank you," she replied, taking the cup of tea. She blinked and glanced at her orchid before turning back towards him. "Of course it's doing well. It was a gift from you, and I take care of my gifts. Look at Lithe," she stated, moving just slightly so that the Growlithe could poke his head up from underneath the desk. He wagged his tail as he came around, sitting by Kas's feet and staring up at him. He gave him a greeting bark, but did nothing further.
"Besides, orchids require a lot of work. If I let it die," she trailed off towards the end, as if she were upset by the notion of it even possibly dying. "I would be sad if that happened. Besides, Kenshin likes it too, though, I'm a bit worried he might try to steal it. Don't know where he'd keep it, though," she chuckled lightly.
“Interior decoration for his pokéball?” Kas suggested lightly. He crouched so that he could reach down to Lithe and rub a hand over the growlithe’s back. The nickname had been Cy’s choice rather than his own; Kas tended to name his pokémon rather silly things, though he usually had some version of them that actually worked as a name. The canine pokémon’s fur was warm under his fingers—but that was a sign of good health for the species.
“Summer’s about to end, I guess,” he mused. “Things are… not quite how I expected them to be at this point.” He stood, regaining his considerable height over where she sat, and took an extra step back so that he wasn’t accidentally crowding her. He’d been… careful about that, lately. He went out of his way not to get in her space after the festival, and so far, he’d succeeded in his aim.
She hummed in agreement. "I'm not even sure how they were supposed to be. Ryk's back to visiting Ana on a more daily basis, which I think is good for him, but also a little dangerous. He's... I think he's getting attached," she spoke softly, folding her hands and resting her chin on them. She seemed to be lost in thought, her eyes not quite as vibrant as they used to be. Lithe huffed in appreciation when Kas had rubbed his fur, and made his way back towards Cy. He nudged her and she complied with a swift pat to the head.
"It's going to be more difficult for him to break that friendship when or if the time comes," she added, though she whispered something beneath her breath that sounded suspiciously like 'I should know.'
“But not just for him, right?” Kas, sensing a longer discussion might be at hand, sank into one of her office chairs, throwing a leg over the arm and laying his own arm over the back. His other still held his coffee, and he took a sip. “Because you’re getting attached too, aren’t you?” He cocked an eyebrow at her, tilting his head as if inviting her to agree.
The truth was… even he liked Ana more than he should. She was a genuinely good person, and fun to be around. She made him feel better about what he was doing—even though he couldn’t talk to her about it, she helped him forget it for a while at a time. But for Kas… this was one deception in a series. It’d hurt like hell to let this Project Nebula—whatever it was—move forward. Maybe more than anything he’d ever had to do for a mission. But… maybe not even as much as the alternative.
She sighed reluctantly. "Yes," she agreed, reaching over to grab her cup of tea and held it in both hands. "At least... I can deal with it when the time comes. Heartbreak is something I've..." she paused, glancing at him before gazing back at her cup. "Eryk's never had friends before, or people he cares about. To lose them, it would break Eryk in a way that I don't think anyone could repair him. Beneath everything that he is, Eryk is a kind person. He's just not allowed to show it," she continued, sighing before she took a drink of her tea.
"You and Eryk have been friends for awhile, but I grew up with him. I knew him before all of this," she began a little hesitantly, as if she were unsure she should say anything at all. "He would do just about anything for anyone he cares about, even putting himself in very real danger. This," she paused, pointing to the scar on her chin, "was something that was my fault, but the punishment was supposed to be more severe. The scars that Eryk has," again she paused, swallowing rather thickly and glancing up towards Kas.
"They were supposed to be mine," she spoke so softly that it almost didn't register as a whisper. "I'm worried that... if he doesn't distance himself soon, he might do something like that again," she added, her eyes dropping from his.
Kas knew this was dangerous territory. Obviously, as a fellow member of Team Rocket, he should want Eryk not to get too attached here. As a friend… well, he was a little more conflicted. On the one hand, he figured Cy was right—if this went south, it could damage his friend in a serious way, one he might not rebound from. What Kas himself would eventually do wasn’t going to help, either. On the other…
“But no one can live a life without human connection, Cy. Even when… even when you don’t want it, even when you tell yourself you shouldn’t get attached, shouldn't care—sometimes, you just… do. And maybe that’s not… always a bad thing.” He sighed into his coffee cup, taking another sip. He’d been in a weird mood all morning, probably because he’d started it by thinking about how his own life—where those connections were few, but important—didn’t feel right anymore. And part of the reason was that he wanted more of them. He wanted things that were fake to be real. Or maybe… he wanted what was real to be permanent.
“I mean, you have to have seen how much happier he is. I’ve never seen anyone else who can make him smile just by being around. If it doesn’t… last, then… would it be so bad to have at least known what it’s like?” He frowned, glancing up at her. Everything about this was unfair on all of them; he figured he was the only one who really knew just how much that was true.
"I know that, but Eryk isn't your typical person. He... isn't like either you or myself. He feels things on a deeper level, and it almost hurts to see it in him. He is so much happier now that he has someone who isn't a part of this," she began, waving a hand as to gesture to their establishment. "Now that he actually has a friend who... who actually makes him feel human, he's going to fight to preserve that. They could..." she sucked in a deep breath, as if the very thought of what could happen frightened her.
"I just don't want him to get hurt, is all. I don't want either of them to get hurt. They... both mean too much to me," she stated, taking in a deep breath. She finally glanced up at him, and just held his gaze. "You know, maybe caring isn't always a bad thing, and you can't help who you get attached to, but," she contined, dropping her gaze again, "sometimes I wish I didn't."
It was hard to tell what she meant by that. "Sometimes I wish I could be more like Eryk, or even you, but... I can't. I just," she didn't seem capable of finishing that sentence. "I'm sorry, Kas. I shouldn't say that. Both you and Eryk are good people. I just... I don't want them to get hurt over something that they have no control over," she didn't seem inclined to say anything after that. Her gaze had faltered, and her eyes seemed to darken slightly.
Fuck. What was he supposed to say to that? She had a point, he supposed, though he thought she might be underestimating his depth a little—as well as her own. Still, he’d intentionally done that; he’d chosen to give the impression of a shallow person, and for a very specific reason. For several moments, he was frozen, unsure exactly what to do. He wanted to offer some form of reassurance, but some part of him—his cold, logical lizard brain—reminded him that it wasn’t a good idea. For all the same reasons it always did.
Unfortunately, he had a heart, too. Standing, Kas set his coffee cup softly on her desk and crossed behind it, kneeling in front of her chair. Gingerly, he took her hands in his. The difference in size between them was almost comical, except that nothing about this was funny. “Hey,” he said softly. “Look at me, Cy.” He ducked his head a little to find her eyes and hold them with his own.
“The fact that you care, the fact that this is as hard for you as it is—that’s not a weakness, Cy. It’s…” he pulled in a breath, and decided for once in his life to be honest. “It’s incredible. I hate seeing it eat you up like this, but at the same time… I’m glad you care this much. Because it reminds me that—that people can. You’re so—” He squeezed her hands gently.
“You’re good, Cy. You’re really good. And you should never wish you weren’t.”
Her eyes were starting to water slightly at what he said, and slowly, she removed her hands from his. She didn't say anything; she just stared at him. Without much warning, she threw her arms around his neck and almost slammed her head into his shoulder. And she just cried.
He let her, silencing the voice in his head that said he shouldn’t and putting his left hand on her upper back. The right one, he placed carefully against the back of her head, stroking down her hair in repetitive, soothing motions. “It’s okay,” he murmured, unsure if it was true but saying it anyway. “You’re gonna be okay, Cy. We all will—you’ll see.” He rocked slightly back and forth in his crouch, making circles on her back with his hand and wishing—in that moment more than he wished for anything—that he could make good on that statement.
That he could make it okay.
But that was impossible.
Lithe rubbed against Kas, making a soft huffing noise as Cy seemed to calm down a bit. Slowly, her arms relinquished their hold on his neck, but her face remained in his shoulder. She didn't seem inclined to move quite yet, but eventually, she did. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, putting a bit of distance between herself and him, reaching down to grab Lithe and held him in her lap. She sniffed for a second more before she burried part of her face in Lithe's fur.
"No, it won't," she spoke softly. "But we'll make it okay, because we have to," she continued, taking in a slow breath, trying to steady her voice. "I'm sorry you had to see that," she finally stated, some lightness returning to her voice. "Please don't tell anyone," she stated, glancing up at him with pleading eyes.
Kas shook his head. “Of course not.” Did she really think he’d go blabbing to anyone else about it? Probably she specifically didn’t want Eryk to know, but Kas had no plans to inform him, either.
He sighed, standing back up and laying a hand on her head for just a moment. “You don’t owe me any apologies, Cy. You’re allowed to be human—and there’s nothing wrong with it.”
"Thanks, Kas," she spoke, her gaze softening for just a second. "You really are a good friend."
He gave her half a smile, pausing at the doorframe to glance back. “Yeah,” he said, fully feeling the irony of the statement. “Sometimes.”
The barely-familiar mattress underneath him was thankfully free of creaks or other particular noises, allowing him to soundlessly throw the sheets off himself and put his feet to the floor below. The rug was soft, a tasteful light blue on the pale wood of the rest of the floor. There was enough light coming in from nautical dawn that he could make out where his clothes had fallen the night before; he set about picking them up and throwing them all over his arm. He’d have to get back to his own place for a new set before he went into work, but that was an old routine by now.
Stepping into his shorts, he buckled his belt and was about to throw on his shirt when the sheets stirred, their occupant turning over onto her stomach and propping her chin on a hand. “No breakfast?” she teased, staring at him without an ounce of shame or embarrassment.
He didn’t really have any to spare, either. Shrugging, Kas gave her a cheeky smile. “I don’t like to dine and dash, Viv. And I do have to dash. Workday and all.”
She only chuckled at him, low and sweet, waving her other hand dismissively. She wasn’t the type to insist on pretending that they were dating—Vivian knew what she wanted and when, and a boyfriend wasn’t anywhere on the list. He was grateful for that; sometimes it got complicated after a few months.
“All right, all right. Go save the world, or whatever it is you do.” She also didn’t feel the need to ask about his job, for which he was likewise grateful. Really, she was basically perfect for him in every respect—which of course meant that he was growing less and less content with their arrangement, or any of the half-dozen others he maintained at the moment.
But that wasn’t her fault. “Sure thing,” he replied. “And you get some more sleep. The Coast Guard doesn’t need you for another three hours, right?”
She hummed something noncommittal, and Kas left before it became an actual conversation. He was very good at that—leaving.
He got his morning training in at the beach, swimming with those of his pokémon that were capable and then running with the others. As usual, about halfway through his four miles, he had to pick Meep up and carry her, but that just upped the challenge, which he was grateful for. After a shower and a change at his own place, he headed downstairs to the office, to all appearances having rolled out of his own bed just in time for shift. He made himself and Eryk some coffee, adding a bit of cream to his and leaving Ryk’s black, then stirred about three spoonfuls of sugar into Cyrilla’s tea. He’d probably never understand why she took it so sweet, but oh well.
After dropping Ryk’s off at his desk, he padded barefoot to Cy’s office and knocked on the door before letting himself in.
“Morning, sunshine,” he said, using his usual lazy drawl.
She glanced up from her desk, smiling when he approached. "Good morning, Kas," she replied, setting her pen down and pushing herself somewhat from her desk. "What brings you here?" she questioned. The orchid he had given her was still present, and looked to be in the stages of re-blooming. Orchids, when properly cared for, tended to live a fairly long time. She was taking meticulous care of hers if it was still alive after a few months.
“Tea,” he replied simply, setting the cup and saucer down on her desk. “Sugar, and a little bit of honey.” he turned the cup so that the handle was in the right spot, and grinned slightly. “I see your plant’s doing well—I shouldn’t be surprised that you’re good at that.”
"Oh, thank you," she replied, taking the cup of tea. She blinked and glanced at her orchid before turning back towards him. "Of course it's doing well. It was a gift from you, and I take care of my gifts. Look at Lithe," she stated, moving just slightly so that the Growlithe could poke his head up from underneath the desk. He wagged his tail as he came around, sitting by Kas's feet and staring up at him. He gave him a greeting bark, but did nothing further.
"Besides, orchids require a lot of work. If I let it die," she trailed off towards the end, as if she were upset by the notion of it even possibly dying. "I would be sad if that happened. Besides, Kenshin likes it too, though, I'm a bit worried he might try to steal it. Don't know where he'd keep it, though," she chuckled lightly.
“Interior decoration for his pokéball?” Kas suggested lightly. He crouched so that he could reach down to Lithe and rub a hand over the growlithe’s back. The nickname had been Cy’s choice rather than his own; Kas tended to name his pokémon rather silly things, though he usually had some version of them that actually worked as a name. The canine pokémon’s fur was warm under his fingers—but that was a sign of good health for the species.
“Summer’s about to end, I guess,” he mused. “Things are… not quite how I expected them to be at this point.” He stood, regaining his considerable height over where she sat, and took an extra step back so that he wasn’t accidentally crowding her. He’d been… careful about that, lately. He went out of his way not to get in her space after the festival, and so far, he’d succeeded in his aim.
She hummed in agreement. "I'm not even sure how they were supposed to be. Ryk's back to visiting Ana on a more daily basis, which I think is good for him, but also a little dangerous. He's... I think he's getting attached," she spoke softly, folding her hands and resting her chin on them. She seemed to be lost in thought, her eyes not quite as vibrant as they used to be. Lithe huffed in appreciation when Kas had rubbed his fur, and made his way back towards Cy. He nudged her and she complied with a swift pat to the head.
"It's going to be more difficult for him to break that friendship when or if the time comes," she added, though she whispered something beneath her breath that sounded suspiciously like 'I should know.'
“But not just for him, right?” Kas, sensing a longer discussion might be at hand, sank into one of her office chairs, throwing a leg over the arm and laying his own arm over the back. His other still held his coffee, and he took a sip. “Because you’re getting attached too, aren’t you?” He cocked an eyebrow at her, tilting his head as if inviting her to agree.
The truth was… even he liked Ana more than he should. She was a genuinely good person, and fun to be around. She made him feel better about what he was doing—even though he couldn’t talk to her about it, she helped him forget it for a while at a time. But for Kas… this was one deception in a series. It’d hurt like hell to let this Project Nebula—whatever it was—move forward. Maybe more than anything he’d ever had to do for a mission. But… maybe not even as much as the alternative.
She sighed reluctantly. "Yes," she agreed, reaching over to grab her cup of tea and held it in both hands. "At least... I can deal with it when the time comes. Heartbreak is something I've..." she paused, glancing at him before gazing back at her cup. "Eryk's never had friends before, or people he cares about. To lose them, it would break Eryk in a way that I don't think anyone could repair him. Beneath everything that he is, Eryk is a kind person. He's just not allowed to show it," she continued, sighing before she took a drink of her tea.
"You and Eryk have been friends for awhile, but I grew up with him. I knew him before all of this," she began a little hesitantly, as if she were unsure she should say anything at all. "He would do just about anything for anyone he cares about, even putting himself in very real danger. This," she paused, pointing to the scar on her chin, "was something that was my fault, but the punishment was supposed to be more severe. The scars that Eryk has," again she paused, swallowing rather thickly and glancing up towards Kas.
"They were supposed to be mine," she spoke so softly that it almost didn't register as a whisper. "I'm worried that... if he doesn't distance himself soon, he might do something like that again," she added, her eyes dropping from his.
Kas knew this was dangerous territory. Obviously, as a fellow member of Team Rocket, he should want Eryk not to get too attached here. As a friend… well, he was a little more conflicted. On the one hand, he figured Cy was right—if this went south, it could damage his friend in a serious way, one he might not rebound from. What Kas himself would eventually do wasn’t going to help, either. On the other…
“But no one can live a life without human connection, Cy. Even when… even when you don’t want it, even when you tell yourself you shouldn’t get attached, shouldn't care—sometimes, you just… do. And maybe that’s not… always a bad thing.” He sighed into his coffee cup, taking another sip. He’d been in a weird mood all morning, probably because he’d started it by thinking about how his own life—where those connections were few, but important—didn’t feel right anymore. And part of the reason was that he wanted more of them. He wanted things that were fake to be real. Or maybe… he wanted what was real to be permanent.
“I mean, you have to have seen how much happier he is. I’ve never seen anyone else who can make him smile just by being around. If it doesn’t… last, then… would it be so bad to have at least known what it’s like?” He frowned, glancing up at her. Everything about this was unfair on all of them; he figured he was the only one who really knew just how much that was true.
"I know that, but Eryk isn't your typical person. He... isn't like either you or myself. He feels things on a deeper level, and it almost hurts to see it in him. He is so much happier now that he has someone who isn't a part of this," she began, waving a hand as to gesture to their establishment. "Now that he actually has a friend who... who actually makes him feel human, he's going to fight to preserve that. They could..." she sucked in a deep breath, as if the very thought of what could happen frightened her.
"I just don't want him to get hurt, is all. I don't want either of them to get hurt. They... both mean too much to me," she stated, taking in a deep breath. She finally glanced up at him, and just held his gaze. "You know, maybe caring isn't always a bad thing, and you can't help who you get attached to, but," she contined, dropping her gaze again, "sometimes I wish I didn't."
It was hard to tell what she meant by that. "Sometimes I wish I could be more like Eryk, or even you, but... I can't. I just," she didn't seem capable of finishing that sentence. "I'm sorry, Kas. I shouldn't say that. Both you and Eryk are good people. I just... I don't want them to get hurt over something that they have no control over," she didn't seem inclined to say anything after that. Her gaze had faltered, and her eyes seemed to darken slightly.
Fuck. What was he supposed to say to that? She had a point, he supposed, though he thought she might be underestimating his depth a little—as well as her own. Still, he’d intentionally done that; he’d chosen to give the impression of a shallow person, and for a very specific reason. For several moments, he was frozen, unsure exactly what to do. He wanted to offer some form of reassurance, but some part of him—his cold, logical lizard brain—reminded him that it wasn’t a good idea. For all the same reasons it always did.
Unfortunately, he had a heart, too. Standing, Kas set his coffee cup softly on her desk and crossed behind it, kneeling in front of her chair. Gingerly, he took her hands in his. The difference in size between them was almost comical, except that nothing about this was funny. “Hey,” he said softly. “Look at me, Cy.” He ducked his head a little to find her eyes and hold them with his own.
“The fact that you care, the fact that this is as hard for you as it is—that’s not a weakness, Cy. It’s…” he pulled in a breath, and decided for once in his life to be honest. “It’s incredible. I hate seeing it eat you up like this, but at the same time… I’m glad you care this much. Because it reminds me that—that people can. You’re so—” He squeezed her hands gently.
“You’re good, Cy. You’re really good. And you should never wish you weren’t.”
Her eyes were starting to water slightly at what he said, and slowly, she removed her hands from his. She didn't say anything; she just stared at him. Without much warning, she threw her arms around his neck and almost slammed her head into his shoulder. And she just cried.
He let her, silencing the voice in his head that said he shouldn’t and putting his left hand on her upper back. The right one, he placed carefully against the back of her head, stroking down her hair in repetitive, soothing motions. “It’s okay,” he murmured, unsure if it was true but saying it anyway. “You’re gonna be okay, Cy. We all will—you’ll see.” He rocked slightly back and forth in his crouch, making circles on her back with his hand and wishing—in that moment more than he wished for anything—that he could make good on that statement.
That he could make it okay.
But that was impossible.
Lithe rubbed against Kas, making a soft huffing noise as Cy seemed to calm down a bit. Slowly, her arms relinquished their hold on his neck, but her face remained in his shoulder. She didn't seem inclined to move quite yet, but eventually, she did. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, putting a bit of distance between herself and him, reaching down to grab Lithe and held him in her lap. She sniffed for a second more before she burried part of her face in Lithe's fur.
"No, it won't," she spoke softly. "But we'll make it okay, because we have to," she continued, taking in a slow breath, trying to steady her voice. "I'm sorry you had to see that," she finally stated, some lightness returning to her voice. "Please don't tell anyone," she stated, glancing up at him with pleading eyes.
Kas shook his head. “Of course not.” Did she really think he’d go blabbing to anyone else about it? Probably she specifically didn’t want Eryk to know, but Kas had no plans to inform him, either.
He sighed, standing back up and laying a hand on her head for just a moment. “You don’t owe me any apologies, Cy. You’re allowed to be human—and there’s nothing wrong with it.”
"Thanks, Kas," she spoke, her gaze softening for just a second. "You really are a good friend."
He gave her half a smile, pausing at the doorframe to glance back. “Yeah,” he said, fully feeling the irony of the statement. “Sometimes.”
Cyrilla sighed, releasing it through her mouth. She sat on one of the swings in the park, staring down at the sand as she swung her feet back and forth. When Kas had left her office, she had to close the door. She'd leaned against it and cried again because he was wrong. She wasn't a good person, even if he'd told her a thousand times over. She hated herself for crying in front of him, too. The only person she ever cried in front of, was Eryk. He was the only one allowed to see that part of her. But now, Kas had seen it too, and she wasn't entirely sure on what to do with that. She still couldn't bring herself to distance herself from him, and every day she was near him, her chest hurt more than it should have.
"This... really sucks, Kenny," she spoke, glancing to her side to see Kenshin casually swinging in his set.
"What sucks?" the voice, the only one that could belong to Drake, nearly caused her to pitch forward from her seat. He'd startled her.
"Hi, Drake. You scared me," she spoke, recovering her balance in her seat. "But just... this," she stated, pointing to her chest where her heart lay. Drake gave her a sympathetic look, and took the swing that was empty, next to her. "How do you deal with it?" she questioned, glancing towards him. He took in a deep breath and sighed.
"It's not easy, I can tell you that much," he began, rubbing the back of his neck as he did so. "I guess, because we can't necessarily help what we become attracted to. For some people, it's instantaneous, and it's mostly because of how a person looks. For others, like you and I, it's deeper than that. We become attracted to a person by their personality, and how good their hearts are. Even if that other person might not be good for us, we still just can't help it," he continued, pausing only briefly for a breath. She supposed he was talking about her side, and not his own. Ana was a good person, and would be good for just about anyone.
She was good for Ryk.
"I suppose you're right on that, but still," she replied softly, and glanced away. She could hear him snort slightly as the creaks gave way to his swings. "Why couldn't I have liked you, instead," she spoke jokingly, glancing at him in time to see him nearly fall out of his swing.
"Hey, I'd be honored if you did, but I know you wouldn't. Besides, the heart wants what the heart wants, Cy. Sometimes, it's best if you just tell them. That way, you'll hurt, but you'll also be able to recover. Maybe then, it'll be easier," he stated, giving a light shrug of his shoulders. "Well, I think that's about as much sagely advice as you'll get from me. I've got a new throng of challengers to get through today. I'll see you and Ana tomorrow?" he stated, a small spark of hope in his eyes. She nodded her head and watched him leave.
Speaking of Ana, you should go visit her today. I hear she's trying out a recipe for caramel apples, Kenshin interjected her thoughts, and she laughed at him. He really did like those caramel apples, didn't he? Yes I do, thanks for noticing, she snorted at that.
It didn't take her long to reach Ana's center. The park was only about two miles away to begin with, and she walked towards the door and gave a gentle knock. "Ana, are you home?" she called out. Maybe she was out with Ryk?
There was a thud of something falling over inside, accompanied by footsteps heavier than Ana’s usually were. “Ah, Sparks, no don’t do that—!” A series of cracking pops followed, followed by a whiff of smoke.
The door opened at that point; Ana blinked at Cyrilla, then sighed slightly. “Hi Cy,” she said, a small smile forming on her mouth. “Come on in. I’ll be one second, though.” There was a pokéball in her hand; she gave it a short toss and out popped a dratini.
“Can you put that out, Iris?” Ana asked, pointing to a smoking hole in the hallway rug. The dratini trilled, forming a lash of water at its tail and throwing it over the fire. That seemed to do the trick.
“Pi-chu!” The obvious culprit sat on the stairs in the same room, watching the proceedings with a sort of mischievous glee.
Ana frowned at the pokémon. “Sparks, no. We don’t use battle moves in the house.” She puffed out her cheeks for a moment and put her hands on her hips, staring down the pichu until it looked contrite, then turned back to Cyrilla. “Sorry—it’s been an interesting morning.”
It took a lot of restraint to keep herself from laughing at Ana's current predicament, and she mostly succeeded. Kenshin visibly rolled his eyes towards the pichu, Sparks as Ana had called him, and stared at him. "Oh it's quite alright. I've had an interesting morning too," though she wouldn't put it quite that way. It had been interesting in a sense that she'd cried, Kas had seen it, and then she just felt awkward after the whole ordeal. She'd almost told him a few things that she wasn't quite ready to say, and she was surprised she'd told him anything of hers and Ryk's scars.
"I see Eryk must have just left, then. Or was he here today?" she inquired. He wasn't at the base when she left, so she had assummed he'd left to Ana's house, or perhaps he went somewhere with Kas? She shrugged the thought away. She needed to focus on something else. She was getting distracted by the smallest things now.
“He was,” Ana confirmed. “He should be back in a little while actually. He insisted on going to pick up the new medicine order from the Pokémon Center by himself because I coughed this morning.” She sighed, shaking her head. “I’m grateful, but he’s not… he didn’t give me much of a choice.”
Ana glanced down at the mess on the floor, then stooped down to roll up the rug. “I didn’t like this one much anyway, I suppose,” she murmured. Tucking it under her arm, she stood back up. “I was actually going to make lunch. I heard you cook; would you like to do it together? Then we can eat when Eryk gets back.”
Cyrilla smiled at her comment. It was just like Eryk to do that for Ana. She could feel a slight pull at her chest, though, and sighed softly. This was harder than it was supposed to be. It was never meant to be easy, Cy. You know that, Kenshin spoke directly to her, and she offered a short smile. The melancholy she might be feeling didn't make it to her face, though, and she was grateful for that.
"I love cooking, yes. It's one of the things that I've learned I'm good at without..." she trailed off slightly, frowing. She didn't know how to quite end that sentence. "But I'd like to help out anyway. What were planning on? If you're cooking for Ryk, he tends to like things with leeks and onions. He... has a weird appetite," she stated.
“And now I have a mental image of him as a Farfetch’d,” Ana said, smiling playfully. “Though I suppose that does explain why he seemed to like the Kalos onion soup I made that one time.” Reaching up through the bars of the staircase, she picked up the troublesome little pichu, tucking it into one elbow. It snuggled against her side without protest—its size made it easy to tell how young it was.
“I have a recipe for tempeh, leek and mushroom casserole. It has a fair bit of cheese, too. How does that sound?”
"I'm not going to be able to look at him without seeing Farfetch'd now, I hope you know that," she responded, laughing just slightly at the mental image she received. Kenshin snorted softly at that, too, and it caused her to chuckle. "But now that you mention it, I've never tried making that before. It sounds delicious. What do you say, Ken? You want to help?" she stated, glancing at the lucario. He gave her a deadpanned look, something that only Eryk could rival. Sometimes she wondered just how much alike these two were.
I'd rather not, he replied, keeping his gaze steady with hers. I'm going outside. I don't want to be around if something blows up again," he continued, making his way outside. Cyrilla laughed anyway, and turned her attention towards Ana.
"Some help he was," she stated before moving into the kitchen with Ana. "So, is there anything you want me to start on?" she questioned once they were more comfortable.
Ana set Sparks down on a stool next to the island, pausing to dispose of the former hall rug and then wash her hands at the sink before she pulled ingredients from her pantry and refrigerator. “If you don’t mind chopping the leeks and mushrooms, there’s a cutting board to your left. Knives are in the block to the right. And um… if I can ask, what was interesting about your morning?”
She set the leeks and mushrooms down on the counter near Cyrilla, then retrieved a large, oval dish from one of her cabinets, as well as a block of cheese and a different knife. Ana moved around her kitchen with the ease and efficiency of a lot of practice; the oven was already preheating and the tempeh warming to room temperature on the counter beside her.
"I can do that, then," she stated, walking over to grab one of the chopping knives and grabbed the items she needed. She began working on them, and when Ana asked the question, she almost slipped and sliced her hand. She winced slightly, but didn't make a spectacle about it. Instead, she calmly grabbed one of the paper towels on the counter, and placed it on her hand. She frowned softly. She didn't exactly know how to put this into words, or at least in a way that wouldn't give Ana any insight as to what they were really talking about.
"Oh, well I had a talk with Kas this morning. Did you know his hands are really big? I mean, he's tall so it kind of comes with the territory," she chuckled lightly. She'd only barely registered he was holding her hands, but there were other things floating through her mind when that happened. "And I saw Drake this morning. We had a heart to heart chat about... hearts?" she stated, laughing a little nervously as she did so. She began working on the leeks again, this time, taking her time.
The look Ana gave her suggested that she understood more of the subtext to that than Cyrilla probably wanted her to. But she was gracious enough not to mention it, and changed the topic quickly enough that she had to have at least picked up on Cy’s discomfort. The sound of her knife moving through tempeh and thudding against the wooden cutting board was regular and rhythmic.
“The tourists seem to be mostly leaving for the year,” she observed neutrally. “The town does tend to feel a little emptier without them. Though I guess having Team Rocket here now might mitigate that a bit this year.” Ana dropped some olive oil onto a frying pan and started up the burner underneath it. “I suppose you probably can’t say much about what you do, can you? It must be tough, not to be able to talk about it with anyone who doesn’t already know.”
Cyrilla dropped her gaze somewhat. "I can't, no. I'd be putting the organization at risk if I said anything out of context, but, I suppose the silver lining to that is..." she paused. Was there a silver lining to working with Team Rocket? To not being able to say what they did, what they were investigating? No, she supposed not. But perhaps she could try and see it in a different way.
"I get to meet new people this way, even if they'll hate me in the end," because they always did. In some way or another, everyone she's met has hated her because of what she had to do, or because of who she worked for. She didn't blame them, of course. She could never blame them. She'd hate herself, too. She actually did sometimes. But ther wasn't much she could do about it. She was stuck with the organization for the rest of her life, if she were even that lucky.
"But I also get to travel to new places, too," she stated, trying to sound a little more cheerful. It was getting harder these days, it seemed. Having to deal with her own feelings, and what will eventually happen to her friend. She tried not to think about it. She said goodbye to her heart during the Camilla Festival, and still, it aches because of what she has to do, and what she has to feel. She sighed softly, shifting her attention towards the onion and smiled.
"Is there anything you have planned for the fall, or the winter? I think... we'll likely be here throughout the entire year so maybe we can spend Thanksgiving or Christmas here with you," she spoke, trying, and succeeding, in sounding more cheerful about the thought.
Ana hummed. “I don’t really make plans too far in advance,” she confessed, turning to glance at Cyrilla with a small smile. “For the obvious reason. But… well, I think my Aunt might be coming to see me for a little while around the Thanksgiving holiday, which will be nice. She’s a pretty amazing cook, and we usually make a big dinner… actually, why don’t you and Kas and Eryk and Drake come, too? Unless you have family visiting or something—I don’t want to intrude, but anyone you’d want to bring is welcome also.”
She scraped the tempeh off the cutting board and into the frying pan, gesturing for Cyrilla to hand her the chopped leeks so she could do the same with those.
"I'm not entirely sure Eryk will agree if Drake comes, but," she stated, chuckling sort of darkly. "What he doesn't know won't kill him, right?" she continued, grinning at Ana in the process. She knew Eryk didn't like Drake, though the reason was slightly hilarious. Eryk didn't know it himself, but she knew. And that's all she needed to know. She handed the leeks to Ana and finished the onion as well.
"We usually don't have family who visit us. They're usually in one of the other regions, and the only time we really hear from them is if something has changed, or a family member has passed," she said softly. It wasn't that it bothered her anymore. Her family didn't keep in touch, and perhaps it was for the best. "But I suppose we can say we have family on the island, now. You're... strangely a part of our family now, Ana. And so is Drake whether Eryk likes it or not," she stated, nodding her head as if to agree with herself.
Ana smiled. “Are you sure you want to adopt me?” she said lightly. “You’re getting a lot of Joys for the price of one if you do that.” Her eyes narrowed with the force of her smile. “Though I guess I’m the black mareep, so maybe not really. My aunt will really like all of you, though, I’m sure.” The veggies on the frying pan started to sizzle; Ana stirred them with a wooden spoon at a steady pace until they’d reduced, then brought the oval-shaped dish towards her and started to layer things. The cheese went on top.
“Now we just bake it for about half an hour, and eat it with some bread,” she declared, putting it into the oven and closing the door. “While that bakes, though… there’s something I’d like you to see, if you don’t mind?
"Well that makes two of us, remember?" she actually laughed this time. "And yes, I'd adopt you. You're too adorable not to adopt. I think Eryk would agree with me on that, or at least Kas would," she spoke, snickering to herself. She could almost hear Kenshin rolling his eyes at her from outside. What he was doing, though, she wasn't entirely sure. Maybe he was with Rufus? She blinked questioningly at Ana, though when she spoke.
"Oh? Sure, hold on," she agreed, however; she walked over to the sink to wash her hands. Once they were dry, she glanced towards Ana. "What is it that you'd like me to see?" she stated happily. Honestly, she was curious.
As it turned out, Ana led her upstairs, to the second floor of the house. There wasn’t much up here, just a couple of bedrooms and what might have been bathrooms, though for the moment all Cy could say for sure was that they were closed doors. This time, Ana stepped into the guest bedroom. Currently, what looked like an incubator sat on the bedside table—inside rested a green-and-white spotted egg.
“Mr. Scheffler and Toby found it a few days ago—they were out on a walk and there it was. I have enough supplies to look after it, but… I thought maybe it would do better in the care of someone who could keep it with them all day. And since you’re a trainer, I figured you might like to?”
She didn't know what to say. She was at a loss for words as she stared at the egg, and then towards Ana before she stared back at the egg. Ana trusted her that much, to give her something so precious? She could feel a light sting in the back of her eyes, but she managed to keep anything further from happening. Instead, she smiled brightly at Ana and nodded her head.
"I mean, are you sure? It's... an egg. I'm a trainer, yes, and I would love to have it, but, are you really sure it's okay for me to have it?" not that she was second guessing Ana's decision, but she was having a hard time wrapping her mind around the fact that Ana was giving her an egg with a precious pokémon inside. She wondered what was inside of it. Shaking her head softly, she sighed.
"As long as you're okay with it, I'd love to take it, Ana. Thank you," she stated, turning around so that she could give Ana a quick hug.
Ana hugged back, surprisingly warm for someone so small. “Of course I’m okay with it, silly,” she replied. “I’ll want to see it for checkups and things, of course, but I’m sure you’ll do fine. I’ve even written out some care instructions, based on what I’ve been able to tell about the pokémon inside.”
She pulled away slightly, setting her hands on Cy’s shoulders. “I’m relying on you to take good care of it. But I know you will.”
"And I promise I will! Kenshin, he'll help too along with Lithe and Snow, maybe not Gyarados," she chuckled at that. "I'm not going to ask what's inside it. I want to be surprised!" and she really did. As curious as she was to know, she would rather be surprised when the time came. She needed to get Ana something really special, too. Something... that would be okay to give her. She'll think about it later. In the mean time, she was enjoying a nice, home-cooked meal with her friend, and with Eryk.
"Oh, I think he'll be back soon, right? Let's go finish!" she stated a little too happily. She was careful to drag Ana behind her.
"This... really sucks, Kenny," she spoke, glancing to her side to see Kenshin casually swinging in his set.
"What sucks?" the voice, the only one that could belong to Drake, nearly caused her to pitch forward from her seat. He'd startled her.
"Hi, Drake. You scared me," she spoke, recovering her balance in her seat. "But just... this," she stated, pointing to her chest where her heart lay. Drake gave her a sympathetic look, and took the swing that was empty, next to her. "How do you deal with it?" she questioned, glancing towards him. He took in a deep breath and sighed.
"It's not easy, I can tell you that much," he began, rubbing the back of his neck as he did so. "I guess, because we can't necessarily help what we become attracted to. For some people, it's instantaneous, and it's mostly because of how a person looks. For others, like you and I, it's deeper than that. We become attracted to a person by their personality, and how good their hearts are. Even if that other person might not be good for us, we still just can't help it," he continued, pausing only briefly for a breath. She supposed he was talking about her side, and not his own. Ana was a good person, and would be good for just about anyone.
She was good for Ryk.
"I suppose you're right on that, but still," she replied softly, and glanced away. She could hear him snort slightly as the creaks gave way to his swings. "Why couldn't I have liked you, instead," she spoke jokingly, glancing at him in time to see him nearly fall out of his swing.
"Hey, I'd be honored if you did, but I know you wouldn't. Besides, the heart wants what the heart wants, Cy. Sometimes, it's best if you just tell them. That way, you'll hurt, but you'll also be able to recover. Maybe then, it'll be easier," he stated, giving a light shrug of his shoulders. "Well, I think that's about as much sagely advice as you'll get from me. I've got a new throng of challengers to get through today. I'll see you and Ana tomorrow?" he stated, a small spark of hope in his eyes. She nodded her head and watched him leave.
Speaking of Ana, you should go visit her today. I hear she's trying out a recipe for caramel apples, Kenshin interjected her thoughts, and she laughed at him. He really did like those caramel apples, didn't he? Yes I do, thanks for noticing, she snorted at that.
It didn't take her long to reach Ana's center. The park was only about two miles away to begin with, and she walked towards the door and gave a gentle knock. "Ana, are you home?" she called out. Maybe she was out with Ryk?
There was a thud of something falling over inside, accompanied by footsteps heavier than Ana’s usually were. “Ah, Sparks, no don’t do that—!” A series of cracking pops followed, followed by a whiff of smoke.
The door opened at that point; Ana blinked at Cyrilla, then sighed slightly. “Hi Cy,” she said, a small smile forming on her mouth. “Come on in. I’ll be one second, though.” There was a pokéball in her hand; she gave it a short toss and out popped a dratini.
“Can you put that out, Iris?” Ana asked, pointing to a smoking hole in the hallway rug. The dratini trilled, forming a lash of water at its tail and throwing it over the fire. That seemed to do the trick.
“Pi-chu!” The obvious culprit sat on the stairs in the same room, watching the proceedings with a sort of mischievous glee.
Ana frowned at the pokémon. “Sparks, no. We don’t use battle moves in the house.” She puffed out her cheeks for a moment and put her hands on her hips, staring down the pichu until it looked contrite, then turned back to Cyrilla. “Sorry—it’s been an interesting morning.”
It took a lot of restraint to keep herself from laughing at Ana's current predicament, and she mostly succeeded. Kenshin visibly rolled his eyes towards the pichu, Sparks as Ana had called him, and stared at him. "Oh it's quite alright. I've had an interesting morning too," though she wouldn't put it quite that way. It had been interesting in a sense that she'd cried, Kas had seen it, and then she just felt awkward after the whole ordeal. She'd almost told him a few things that she wasn't quite ready to say, and she was surprised she'd told him anything of hers and Ryk's scars.
"I see Eryk must have just left, then. Or was he here today?" she inquired. He wasn't at the base when she left, so she had assummed he'd left to Ana's house, or perhaps he went somewhere with Kas? She shrugged the thought away. She needed to focus on something else. She was getting distracted by the smallest things now.
“He was,” Ana confirmed. “He should be back in a little while actually. He insisted on going to pick up the new medicine order from the Pokémon Center by himself because I coughed this morning.” She sighed, shaking her head. “I’m grateful, but he’s not… he didn’t give me much of a choice.”
Ana glanced down at the mess on the floor, then stooped down to roll up the rug. “I didn’t like this one much anyway, I suppose,” she murmured. Tucking it under her arm, she stood back up. “I was actually going to make lunch. I heard you cook; would you like to do it together? Then we can eat when Eryk gets back.”
Cyrilla smiled at her comment. It was just like Eryk to do that for Ana. She could feel a slight pull at her chest, though, and sighed softly. This was harder than it was supposed to be. It was never meant to be easy, Cy. You know that, Kenshin spoke directly to her, and she offered a short smile. The melancholy she might be feeling didn't make it to her face, though, and she was grateful for that.
"I love cooking, yes. It's one of the things that I've learned I'm good at without..." she trailed off slightly, frowing. She didn't know how to quite end that sentence. "But I'd like to help out anyway. What were planning on? If you're cooking for Ryk, he tends to like things with leeks and onions. He... has a weird appetite," she stated.
“And now I have a mental image of him as a Farfetch’d,” Ana said, smiling playfully. “Though I suppose that does explain why he seemed to like the Kalos onion soup I made that one time.” Reaching up through the bars of the staircase, she picked up the troublesome little pichu, tucking it into one elbow. It snuggled against her side without protest—its size made it easy to tell how young it was.
“I have a recipe for tempeh, leek and mushroom casserole. It has a fair bit of cheese, too. How does that sound?”
"I'm not going to be able to look at him without seeing Farfetch'd now, I hope you know that," she responded, laughing just slightly at the mental image she received. Kenshin snorted softly at that, too, and it caused her to chuckle. "But now that you mention it, I've never tried making that before. It sounds delicious. What do you say, Ken? You want to help?" she stated, glancing at the lucario. He gave her a deadpanned look, something that only Eryk could rival. Sometimes she wondered just how much alike these two were.
I'd rather not, he replied, keeping his gaze steady with hers. I'm going outside. I don't want to be around if something blows up again," he continued, making his way outside. Cyrilla laughed anyway, and turned her attention towards Ana.
"Some help he was," she stated before moving into the kitchen with Ana. "So, is there anything you want me to start on?" she questioned once they were more comfortable.
Ana set Sparks down on a stool next to the island, pausing to dispose of the former hall rug and then wash her hands at the sink before she pulled ingredients from her pantry and refrigerator. “If you don’t mind chopping the leeks and mushrooms, there’s a cutting board to your left. Knives are in the block to the right. And um… if I can ask, what was interesting about your morning?”
She set the leeks and mushrooms down on the counter near Cyrilla, then retrieved a large, oval dish from one of her cabinets, as well as a block of cheese and a different knife. Ana moved around her kitchen with the ease and efficiency of a lot of practice; the oven was already preheating and the tempeh warming to room temperature on the counter beside her.
"I can do that, then," she stated, walking over to grab one of the chopping knives and grabbed the items she needed. She began working on them, and when Ana asked the question, she almost slipped and sliced her hand. She winced slightly, but didn't make a spectacle about it. Instead, she calmly grabbed one of the paper towels on the counter, and placed it on her hand. She frowned softly. She didn't exactly know how to put this into words, or at least in a way that wouldn't give Ana any insight as to what they were really talking about.
"Oh, well I had a talk with Kas this morning. Did you know his hands are really big? I mean, he's tall so it kind of comes with the territory," she chuckled lightly. She'd only barely registered he was holding her hands, but there were other things floating through her mind when that happened. "And I saw Drake this morning. We had a heart to heart chat about... hearts?" she stated, laughing a little nervously as she did so. She began working on the leeks again, this time, taking her time.
The look Ana gave her suggested that she understood more of the subtext to that than Cyrilla probably wanted her to. But she was gracious enough not to mention it, and changed the topic quickly enough that she had to have at least picked up on Cy’s discomfort. The sound of her knife moving through tempeh and thudding against the wooden cutting board was regular and rhythmic.
“The tourists seem to be mostly leaving for the year,” she observed neutrally. “The town does tend to feel a little emptier without them. Though I guess having Team Rocket here now might mitigate that a bit this year.” Ana dropped some olive oil onto a frying pan and started up the burner underneath it. “I suppose you probably can’t say much about what you do, can you? It must be tough, not to be able to talk about it with anyone who doesn’t already know.”
Cyrilla dropped her gaze somewhat. "I can't, no. I'd be putting the organization at risk if I said anything out of context, but, I suppose the silver lining to that is..." she paused. Was there a silver lining to working with Team Rocket? To not being able to say what they did, what they were investigating? No, she supposed not. But perhaps she could try and see it in a different way.
"I get to meet new people this way, even if they'll hate me in the end," because they always did. In some way or another, everyone she's met has hated her because of what she had to do, or because of who she worked for. She didn't blame them, of course. She could never blame them. She'd hate herself, too. She actually did sometimes. But ther wasn't much she could do about it. She was stuck with the organization for the rest of her life, if she were even that lucky.
"But I also get to travel to new places, too," she stated, trying to sound a little more cheerful. It was getting harder these days, it seemed. Having to deal with her own feelings, and what will eventually happen to her friend. She tried not to think about it. She said goodbye to her heart during the Camilla Festival, and still, it aches because of what she has to do, and what she has to feel. She sighed softly, shifting her attention towards the onion and smiled.
"Is there anything you have planned for the fall, or the winter? I think... we'll likely be here throughout the entire year so maybe we can spend Thanksgiving or Christmas here with you," she spoke, trying, and succeeding, in sounding more cheerful about the thought.
Ana hummed. “I don’t really make plans too far in advance,” she confessed, turning to glance at Cyrilla with a small smile. “For the obvious reason. But… well, I think my Aunt might be coming to see me for a little while around the Thanksgiving holiday, which will be nice. She’s a pretty amazing cook, and we usually make a big dinner… actually, why don’t you and Kas and Eryk and Drake come, too? Unless you have family visiting or something—I don’t want to intrude, but anyone you’d want to bring is welcome also.”
She scraped the tempeh off the cutting board and into the frying pan, gesturing for Cyrilla to hand her the chopped leeks so she could do the same with those.
"I'm not entirely sure Eryk will agree if Drake comes, but," she stated, chuckling sort of darkly. "What he doesn't know won't kill him, right?" she continued, grinning at Ana in the process. She knew Eryk didn't like Drake, though the reason was slightly hilarious. Eryk didn't know it himself, but she knew. And that's all she needed to know. She handed the leeks to Ana and finished the onion as well.
"We usually don't have family who visit us. They're usually in one of the other regions, and the only time we really hear from them is if something has changed, or a family member has passed," she said softly. It wasn't that it bothered her anymore. Her family didn't keep in touch, and perhaps it was for the best. "But I suppose we can say we have family on the island, now. You're... strangely a part of our family now, Ana. And so is Drake whether Eryk likes it or not," she stated, nodding her head as if to agree with herself.
Ana smiled. “Are you sure you want to adopt me?” she said lightly. “You’re getting a lot of Joys for the price of one if you do that.” Her eyes narrowed with the force of her smile. “Though I guess I’m the black mareep, so maybe not really. My aunt will really like all of you, though, I’m sure.” The veggies on the frying pan started to sizzle; Ana stirred them with a wooden spoon at a steady pace until they’d reduced, then brought the oval-shaped dish towards her and started to layer things. The cheese went on top.
“Now we just bake it for about half an hour, and eat it with some bread,” she declared, putting it into the oven and closing the door. “While that bakes, though… there’s something I’d like you to see, if you don’t mind?
"Well that makes two of us, remember?" she actually laughed this time. "And yes, I'd adopt you. You're too adorable not to adopt. I think Eryk would agree with me on that, or at least Kas would," she spoke, snickering to herself. She could almost hear Kenshin rolling his eyes at her from outside. What he was doing, though, she wasn't entirely sure. Maybe he was with Rufus? She blinked questioningly at Ana, though when she spoke.
"Oh? Sure, hold on," she agreed, however; she walked over to the sink to wash her hands. Once they were dry, she glanced towards Ana. "What is it that you'd like me to see?" she stated happily. Honestly, she was curious.
As it turned out, Ana led her upstairs, to the second floor of the house. There wasn’t much up here, just a couple of bedrooms and what might have been bathrooms, though for the moment all Cy could say for sure was that they were closed doors. This time, Ana stepped into the guest bedroom. Currently, what looked like an incubator sat on the bedside table—inside rested a green-and-white spotted egg.
“Mr. Scheffler and Toby found it a few days ago—they were out on a walk and there it was. I have enough supplies to look after it, but… I thought maybe it would do better in the care of someone who could keep it with them all day. And since you’re a trainer, I figured you might like to?”
She didn't know what to say. She was at a loss for words as she stared at the egg, and then towards Ana before she stared back at the egg. Ana trusted her that much, to give her something so precious? She could feel a light sting in the back of her eyes, but she managed to keep anything further from happening. Instead, she smiled brightly at Ana and nodded her head.
"I mean, are you sure? It's... an egg. I'm a trainer, yes, and I would love to have it, but, are you really sure it's okay for me to have it?" not that she was second guessing Ana's decision, but she was having a hard time wrapping her mind around the fact that Ana was giving her an egg with a precious pokémon inside. She wondered what was inside of it. Shaking her head softly, she sighed.
"As long as you're okay with it, I'd love to take it, Ana. Thank you," she stated, turning around so that she could give Ana a quick hug.
Ana hugged back, surprisingly warm for someone so small. “Of course I’m okay with it, silly,” she replied. “I’ll want to see it for checkups and things, of course, but I’m sure you’ll do fine. I’ve even written out some care instructions, based on what I’ve been able to tell about the pokémon inside.”
She pulled away slightly, setting her hands on Cy’s shoulders. “I’m relying on you to take good care of it. But I know you will.”
"And I promise I will! Kenshin, he'll help too along with Lithe and Snow, maybe not Gyarados," she chuckled at that. "I'm not going to ask what's inside it. I want to be surprised!" and she really did. As curious as she was to know, she would rather be surprised when the time came. She needed to get Ana something really special, too. Something... that would be okay to give her. She'll think about it later. In the mean time, she was enjoying a nice, home-cooked meal with her friend, and with Eryk.
"Oh, I think he'll be back soon, right? Let's go finish!" she stated a little too happily. She was careful to drag Ana behind her.
Fuck.
Kasimir didn’t swear often—he generally thought those words were best reserved for particular situations. All the power they could have would be lost otherwise. But this was undoubtedly one of those situations. He stared at the memo on his desk for a second, then leaped out of his chair, snatching it up on his way past.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
This could ruin everything. Well, not everything, but a good chunk of the things he gave a shit about. Like maybe, possibly un-Rocket-brainwashing his best friend, or whatever he thought he was trying to do by getting Eryk to open up to people. It would certainly ruin his next week or so, without a doubt.
“Ryk! Cy! We have a problem!” He banged several times on Cy’s office door as he passed it, not bothering to knock at Eryk’s before he entered. Crossing the room in four long strides, he lobbed the memo so it landed smack in front of his friend. As soon as Cy had entered the room as well, he elaborated for her benefit.
“We’re getting inspected next week. By the Birds.”
It took a moment for anything to register on Eryk's face, however; his eyes seemed to scan the memo, and a deep frown pulled at his lips. "This isn't good. They weren't supposed to come down, yet," he stated, though there was something else under his tone. It was hard to pinpoint exactly what it was, but it sounded a little like fear. Cyrilla's face seemed to reflect that tone a bit, her eyes widening just slightly.
"We need... to do something," he spoke, his voice slightly rougher than it usually was. "Make sure the grunts know their stations, everything needs to be in order for when they arrive. I don't want to give Katia, or the others, a reason to linger any longer than necessary."
Kas dragged both his hands down his face. He wasn’t afraid of any of the Birds—but that didn’t mean he wanted them around, either. “I figured someone would be inspecting the place eventually—we’ve been here for about half a year now. But why the hell he’d send the Birds is anyone’s guess. I’ll tell HR to send out a memo about it…and we really need to find someone who can pretend to be an executive secretary for a week. Because if they find out that they keep quitting, we’re in for some problems.”
Team Rocket had rules for damn near everything, and even Kas was careful with which ones he actually broke.
"We were going to get inspected, yes, but that wasn't supposed to happen until the end of the first year. It's how they did things," Eryk spoke, sighing heavily. He looked disturbed by the fact that they were coming down, perhaps because it meant Katia was coming. He never spoke fondly of her, if at all.
"I can ask Hayley if she'll do it. She... kind of owes me one," Cy spoke. "As long as you're cordial with her, Ryk, she'll be your secretary for the time the Birds are here," she stated, glancing towards Eryk who merely stared at her.
"I'll try," he spoke as if trying to convince himself. "That also means we can't be in her vicinity for too long. They'll... grow suspicious," he continued. He could only be referring to Ana. "They had wanted verbal interactions with her, but nothing about helping her out at the shelter or spending time with her. We don't need them going to interrogate her," he added.
“That’s probably for the best,” Kas agreed. Still, he didn’t want it to be last month all over again. “But we’ve got to tell her something this time. ‘Busy’ isn’t going to cut it—she was miserable when she thought we were ditching her on purpose, and I don’t wanna do that again.” He figured that she’d probably be understanding if they gave her advance warning this time—even saying that they were being inspected for a week would probably be sufficient. As long as it wasn’t at the last minute and suspiciously-timed like the last incident had been.
"I agree. I don't want to do that to her again," Cyrilla spoke, dipping her head just slightly before picking it back up. Eryk merely nodded his agreement, but said nothing further. He seemed to be thinking about something. It must have been decided not a second later since he huffed out a rather heavy sigh.
"It says they'll be here Monday. Today is Thursday so we have just a few days until they come. I was supposed to go help her out today, so I will tell her. Cy, you should come as well to tell her too. It would be easier if we all told her the same thing," he spoke, looking a little uneasy about something. Cyrilla merely nodded her head. "The sooner we get this done, the easier it'll be. Actually, we should all probably go today," he seemed to think that out loud.
“That’s fine,” Kas said, crossing his arms over his chest. “Wasn’t like I was planning to do any work anyhow. You guys just do your normal stuff until then; I’ll get the grunts prepped to inspection standards.” He paused a minute, frowning.
“Uh… by the way. Has anyone seen my uniform? I’m pretty sure it’s not in my closet.”
"Really, Kas," Eryk stated, giving him a rather blank stare. "I have a spare one if you need it, but you'll have to get it... fixed. You're a few inches taller than I am," he said, raising a brow just slightly. "You can keep it for emergencies like these, but," he continued, pausing just momentarily to glance back at the paper in his hand. "You better not lose it. I don't have any other ones."
"And I doubt the Birds want to see you in one of my skirts," Cyrilla cut in, looking just the slightest bit amused.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Kas fired back. “I have great legs.” He managed to say it with a straight face, but snorted right afterwards and then broke into easy laughter.
Clearing his throat to return to the matter at hand, he nodded. “Sure. I can have Mrs. Kanda fix it up for me. And I’m usually pretty okay at not losing other people’s things.” He grinned facetiously, but it was true. He tended to ‘lose track’ of his own possessions from time to time, but that was only because he didn’t try very hard to remember what he did with them. If he was focused or cared enough, he’d recall. It was a useful ability of his.
“Anyway, I’ll go wrangle the team for a while, then fish that uniform out of your closet and take it in. I should be back by the time you guys leave for Ana’s.” With a lazy two-finger salute, Kas took his leave of Ryk’s office, heading back to his own and digging around in his filing cabinet until he had the exact information he wanted. It didn’t take too long to draft it up into memo form, but of course he didn't want it to be in the server that he was only sending this out now, with an inspection right around the corner.
Instead, he shot off an email about a departmental meeting for early that afternoon, attendance mandatory. That should do the trick. He could just cover all the points verbally and give them undated handouts on the stuff they really needed to remember.
It wasn’t that he anticipated the inspection going badly, he supposed. Hitting send, he rolled his chair backwards and grabbed the coffee cup from the windowsill. He should clean that—and the three others at various places in his office. Rather… it was just that the three of them ran a ship that was… looser, in various ways, than official protocol mandated. As long as everyone got their work done and their reports handed in on time, up to snuff, no one here really cared whether the uniform was up to regulation or people took afternoons off once in a while or extended their lunchbreaks to spend time in the town.
Personally, he considered all of those things good. The grunts and staff should have a work-life balance, not be workaholics who couldn’t enjoy the sunshine and community outside. If he’d really wanted Team Rocket to succeed, he’d have encouraged it more officially—if they got out more and spent more time helping the communities like they were supposed to want to, they’d likely be much more popular. Fortunately, that was the kind of thing that would never really occur to Eryk or Cy, and so there was no worry of the team becoming an integral part of the community. At least not on that level.
In advance of the meeting, he misdirected the internal data-gathering of the server and sent another email, this one encrypted, to his actual boss, updating her on the situation at hand and noting the unusual nature of this inspection. It could mean a lot of things. Kas suspected it was an indication that what they were pursuing here—namely, Ana—was in some way a major priority for Team Rocket. Which in turn meant that he had to learn everything he could about Project Nebula, and fast.
Part of the reason he wanted to be the one to brief all the grunts and scientists here was for the chance to see their reactions. If anyone stood out, there was a chance he could start there.
For now, though… what was the uniform code again?
Kasimir didn’t swear often—he generally thought those words were best reserved for particular situations. All the power they could have would be lost otherwise. But this was undoubtedly one of those situations. He stared at the memo on his desk for a second, then leaped out of his chair, snatching it up on his way past.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
This could ruin everything. Well, not everything, but a good chunk of the things he gave a shit about. Like maybe, possibly un-Rocket-brainwashing his best friend, or whatever he thought he was trying to do by getting Eryk to open up to people. It would certainly ruin his next week or so, without a doubt.
“Ryk! Cy! We have a problem!” He banged several times on Cy’s office door as he passed it, not bothering to knock at Eryk’s before he entered. Crossing the room in four long strides, he lobbed the memo so it landed smack in front of his friend. As soon as Cy had entered the room as well, he elaborated for her benefit.
“We’re getting inspected next week. By the Birds.”
It took a moment for anything to register on Eryk's face, however; his eyes seemed to scan the memo, and a deep frown pulled at his lips. "This isn't good. They weren't supposed to come down, yet," he stated, though there was something else under his tone. It was hard to pinpoint exactly what it was, but it sounded a little like fear. Cyrilla's face seemed to reflect that tone a bit, her eyes widening just slightly.
"We need... to do something," he spoke, his voice slightly rougher than it usually was. "Make sure the grunts know their stations, everything needs to be in order for when they arrive. I don't want to give Katia, or the others, a reason to linger any longer than necessary."
Kas dragged both his hands down his face. He wasn’t afraid of any of the Birds—but that didn’t mean he wanted them around, either. “I figured someone would be inspecting the place eventually—we’ve been here for about half a year now. But why the hell he’d send the Birds is anyone’s guess. I’ll tell HR to send out a memo about it…and we really need to find someone who can pretend to be an executive secretary for a week. Because if they find out that they keep quitting, we’re in for some problems.”
Team Rocket had rules for damn near everything, and even Kas was careful with which ones he actually broke.
"We were going to get inspected, yes, but that wasn't supposed to happen until the end of the first year. It's how they did things," Eryk spoke, sighing heavily. He looked disturbed by the fact that they were coming down, perhaps because it meant Katia was coming. He never spoke fondly of her, if at all.
"I can ask Hayley if she'll do it. She... kind of owes me one," Cy spoke. "As long as you're cordial with her, Ryk, she'll be your secretary for the time the Birds are here," she stated, glancing towards Eryk who merely stared at her.
"I'll try," he spoke as if trying to convince himself. "That also means we can't be in her vicinity for too long. They'll... grow suspicious," he continued. He could only be referring to Ana. "They had wanted verbal interactions with her, but nothing about helping her out at the shelter or spending time with her. We don't need them going to interrogate her," he added.
“That’s probably for the best,” Kas agreed. Still, he didn’t want it to be last month all over again. “But we’ve got to tell her something this time. ‘Busy’ isn’t going to cut it—she was miserable when she thought we were ditching her on purpose, and I don’t wanna do that again.” He figured that she’d probably be understanding if they gave her advance warning this time—even saying that they were being inspected for a week would probably be sufficient. As long as it wasn’t at the last minute and suspiciously-timed like the last incident had been.
"I agree. I don't want to do that to her again," Cyrilla spoke, dipping her head just slightly before picking it back up. Eryk merely nodded his agreement, but said nothing further. He seemed to be thinking about something. It must have been decided not a second later since he huffed out a rather heavy sigh.
"It says they'll be here Monday. Today is Thursday so we have just a few days until they come. I was supposed to go help her out today, so I will tell her. Cy, you should come as well to tell her too. It would be easier if we all told her the same thing," he spoke, looking a little uneasy about something. Cyrilla merely nodded her head. "The sooner we get this done, the easier it'll be. Actually, we should all probably go today," he seemed to think that out loud.
“That’s fine,” Kas said, crossing his arms over his chest. “Wasn’t like I was planning to do any work anyhow. You guys just do your normal stuff until then; I’ll get the grunts prepped to inspection standards.” He paused a minute, frowning.
“Uh… by the way. Has anyone seen my uniform? I’m pretty sure it’s not in my closet.”
"Really, Kas," Eryk stated, giving him a rather blank stare. "I have a spare one if you need it, but you'll have to get it... fixed. You're a few inches taller than I am," he said, raising a brow just slightly. "You can keep it for emergencies like these, but," he continued, pausing just momentarily to glance back at the paper in his hand. "You better not lose it. I don't have any other ones."
"And I doubt the Birds want to see you in one of my skirts," Cyrilla cut in, looking just the slightest bit amused.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Kas fired back. “I have great legs.” He managed to say it with a straight face, but snorted right afterwards and then broke into easy laughter.
Clearing his throat to return to the matter at hand, he nodded. “Sure. I can have Mrs. Kanda fix it up for me. And I’m usually pretty okay at not losing other people’s things.” He grinned facetiously, but it was true. He tended to ‘lose track’ of his own possessions from time to time, but that was only because he didn’t try very hard to remember what he did with them. If he was focused or cared enough, he’d recall. It was a useful ability of his.
“Anyway, I’ll go wrangle the team for a while, then fish that uniform out of your closet and take it in. I should be back by the time you guys leave for Ana’s.” With a lazy two-finger salute, Kas took his leave of Ryk’s office, heading back to his own and digging around in his filing cabinet until he had the exact information he wanted. It didn’t take too long to draft it up into memo form, but of course he didn't want it to be in the server that he was only sending this out now, with an inspection right around the corner.
Instead, he shot off an email about a departmental meeting for early that afternoon, attendance mandatory. That should do the trick. He could just cover all the points verbally and give them undated handouts on the stuff they really needed to remember.
It wasn’t that he anticipated the inspection going badly, he supposed. Hitting send, he rolled his chair backwards and grabbed the coffee cup from the windowsill. He should clean that—and the three others at various places in his office. Rather… it was just that the three of them ran a ship that was… looser, in various ways, than official protocol mandated. As long as everyone got their work done and their reports handed in on time, up to snuff, no one here really cared whether the uniform was up to regulation or people took afternoons off once in a while or extended their lunchbreaks to spend time in the town.
Personally, he considered all of those things good. The grunts and staff should have a work-life balance, not be workaholics who couldn’t enjoy the sunshine and community outside. If he’d really wanted Team Rocket to succeed, he’d have encouraged it more officially—if they got out more and spent more time helping the communities like they were supposed to want to, they’d likely be much more popular. Fortunately, that was the kind of thing that would never really occur to Eryk or Cy, and so there was no worry of the team becoming an integral part of the community. At least not on that level.
In advance of the meeting, he misdirected the internal data-gathering of the server and sent another email, this one encrypted, to his actual boss, updating her on the situation at hand and noting the unusual nature of this inspection. It could mean a lot of things. Kas suspected it was an indication that what they were pursuing here—namely, Ana—was in some way a major priority for Team Rocket. Which in turn meant that he had to learn everything he could about Project Nebula, and fast.
Part of the reason he wanted to be the one to brief all the grunts and scientists here was for the chance to see their reactions. If anyone stood out, there was a chance he could start there.
For now, though… what was the uniform code again?
Eryk sighed just softly, fixing the shirt he was wearing, to be a little more presentable. He didn't, couldn't, understand the reason why he cared so much about his appearance lately. He always dressed the way he wanted to, and always said and did what he wanted to. Nothing changed, or at least nothing changed drastically. It was a curious thing to know that he'd only recently started thinking about these things when he'd befriended Ana. He frowned as one of the buttons to his shirt wouldn't close properly.
"Need a hand?" Cyrilla asked, glancing at him from the side of her eyes. He nodded only slightly before she smiled. "Alright, give me a second," she spoke, removing herself from his side and disappearing into his closet. He could hear her rummaging around for a few minutes before she emerged, holding three articles of clothing. One was a plain button down shirt, and another was a black jacket. She held a pair of dark blue jeans for him, and shoved them into his direction.
"Go put this on, and you'll be okay, I promise," she stated, causing him to furrow his brows. He wasn't going to second guess her choices, but he wasn't entirely sure if it would be okay. He did as she instructed, and went to his bathroom, changing into the clothes she'd given him. Once he emerged again, she was grinning brightly. "All we need to do now is fix your hair. You can't look like your namesake, Eryk," she spoke, amusement laced in her voice.
"What is wrong with the way I have my hair now?" he stated, running a hand through his hair as he did so. She raised a brow at him, and only shook her head. "Do as you wish," he spoke, watching as she went to his drawer and reached for the only comb he owned. He sat down on the chair as to make it easier for him, and it didn't take her long at all to brush through his hair and shake it a bit.
"Nothing is wrong with your hair, but you can't go out looking like you just woke up, either," she stated once she was finished. He merely rolled his eyes at her. "Ready to go?" she asked, watching him a little too intently for a moment.
"We'll meet Kas in the lobby, and we'll go from there," he stated, shaking his head softly.
When they got to the lobby, Kas was indeed already there, hands in his pockets, sunglasses perched on top of his head. He never seemed to have any difficulty with his wardrobe—though his shirts were generally pretty loud and everything else quite casual, he never looked shoddily-put-together. Not even when he’d actually just woken up from a nap. If his assistance with the Camilla Festival was any indication, though, the effortlessness was illusory. He certainly seemed to know a lot about clothes and hair that Eryk didn’t.
He squinted in an exaggerated way at Eryk, then snorted. “I thought something was off—you’ve actually combed your hair. Miracles do happen.” He grinned easily, though, indicating that it was a joke. “You guys ready?”
"Cy combed it," he replied, narrowing his gaze towards Kas. "Let's get going before it gets too late," he stated, though he could hear Cyrilla lightly chuckling behind him. Was he really that bad at dressing himself or looking presentable? Perhaps, but he was slightly grateful that he had Cyrilla and Kas. Though it was easier for Cy to dress, than it was for him. She was in a pair of black capris with a plain red blouse. It looked like she was going to help someone with their garden, perhaps, but he shrugged the thoughts away.
The walk was a little quiet despite that the three of them were together, and he found it rather pleasant. Cyrilla was walking ahead of him, kicking at the random rocks in the road as if to shove them away. But she looked like she was having a bit of fun doing it. He would never understand her, and he wasn't sure if that was such a bad thing. Kas, on the other hand, he glanced towards. The other man was strolling along, hands laced behind his head, apparently preoccupied with the sky. He said nothing, and removed his gaze, keeping it straight until they reached their destination. It looked like Ana was already outside.
"Good afternoon, Ana!" Cyrilla greeted, making her way through the gate as she approached the Joy. "Ryk thought it was a good idea to bring us all with him today! Right, Ryk," she stated, glancing towards him. He could feel the frown coming.
"Ana," he spoke, instead, greeting Ana in his usual way.
Their voices drew her attention immediately; she turned towards the three of them. Upon noticing who had come to visit her, her face lit up in a bright smile, and she waved. It seemed that most, if not all, of the pokémon that lived with her were outside today; her pichu was poking at Rufus, several others lounged in the pool, including Ana’s dratini and a couple of magikarp. One of them had a prosthetic fin, it looked like. Half a dozen more lounged on the lawn or in one of the trees.
When they were close enough that even her very quiet tone could be heard, she spoke. “Hello, everyone. I wasn’t expecting all of you, but please come in. And feel free to let your pokémon out—it’s a nice enough day that we should take advantage, I think.”
“Don’t mind if I do,” replied Kas, unhooking all six of the pokéballs from his belt and tossing five of them out. Unusually for an administrator, most of his pokémon weren’t fully-evolved: in addition to Meep, he had a gible, a metang, a kirlia, and an absol. He contemplated the last ball for a moment before sighing and giving it a lop as well. “She’s scary-looking, but mostly harmless,” he promised. “Come on, princess.”
He only ever called his charizard that; she emerged from her pokéball with an indignant huff. Perhaps more imposing than the average charizard due to her size and color—she was mostly black—she nevertheless surveyed the situation before immediately descending on her trainer, resting her chin on his head and chuffing. A line of smoke curled out from between her teeth.
He reached up to rub her head; she made a low rumbling sound that suspiciously resembled purring.
Ana only giggled. “She’s adorable,” she said. The charizard cracked an eye open, seeming to accept this compliment with approval.
Eryk nodded his head and grabbed his pokéballs from his belt. He tossed five of them, watching as his milotic, zoroark, meowth, mankey, and Blue, appeared from them. He contemplated tossing Gengar's pokéball. If he did, there was a good chance Gengar would try using Hypnosis on the first person he saw. Mostly, that was just Eryk, though. And he didn't want to entirely be asleep at the moment. He sighed. It wouldn't be fair if he let the others out, and not Gengar. And so he released the pokémon from his belt.
Cyrilla did the same. Rapidash immediately pawed the ground and neighed in content, nudging her head against Cyrilla's while Kenshin looked unamused by the action. He seemed to take in the area, and went towards Pichu and Rufus, sitting down next to the old stoutland. Snow, on the other hand, her Alolan ninetales, seemed to sit where she was and glanced at the group before her. She didn't want to be too near the fire types, perhaps because she was an ice type.
Lithe seemed too excited to be released, and immediately began running around the yard, occasionally stopping to bother Kenshin or the Pichu. Gyarados was the last to be released, and Cyrilla seemed a little hesitant at that. He, however, seemed to be happy, and chose to bother Milotic. Eryk never understood why he did that, but Milotic just seemed to ignore him most of the time. Mankey, however, seemed all too grateful. He immediately ran towards the nearest tree, and decided to climb into it, disappearing just slightly in the foilage.
Blue, as he always did, relaxed on Eryk's head, earning a short giggle from Cyrilla. Meowth, however, decided to join Blue on Eryk's shoulder, making herself comfortable before relaxing. Eryk, however, frowned. Why did most of his pokémon want to be near him? He was slightly grateful, though, that Gengar had taken a slight interest in Ana, and was simply just staring at her. He couldn't see the Gengar's face, but he knew he was smiling.
"Don't mind him, he's... like that," he spoke, trying to explain Gengar's actions. "How are things?" he decided to ask. He couldn't just come out and say 'we'll be gone again, but only for a week'. That didn't seem to sit right with him. Cyrilla took this moment to back away just slowly enough so that she was just slightly out of sight, a sort of smile on her face.
Kas was considerably less secretive about leaving; he just wandered over to the pool, sitting down at the edge and dipping his feet into it. The magikarp swum over, inspecting the new element to their home; his charizard made herself comfortable just behind him, allowing him to lean back against her. His absol joined Cyrilla’s ninetales; the rest dispersed.
Ana smiled, though whether it was at the altaria on his head or just at him was hard to say, exactly. “They’re good,” she said, sparing a curious glance at Gengar before she returned her eyes to his face. “I’m preparing to get a couple of new arrivals; there’s a shelter in Cerulean that’s a little over capacity, so I’ve been making room around here. We’re taking a break now, though.”
She was interrupted by Kas’s metang, who nudged up behind her. She fell backwards into a sitting position on top of its flat head; this seemed to have been its goal, because it floated contentedly there, levitating slightly higher so that Ana’s height was almost even with Eryk’s. She snickered and rubbed part of the pokémon’s steely surface affectionately.
“I think Sledge wants me to feel taller,” she said. Apparently they were already acquainted.
He glanced down at the metang, and tilted his head just slightly. "Why would..." he paused in his sentence and just shook his head. If the metang wanted her to be taller, then it was welcome to do as it pleased. Eryk wasn't going to say anything about it. "I... Gengar don't do that," he started, but had to reprimand his Gengar. He could see the beginnings of Gengar getting ready to use Hypnosis on him. He'd been put under too many times to not notice. Gengar, however, merely shrugged and disappeared only to reappear behind Ana. He just seemed to hover there for a moment. He sighed heavily.
"Is there anything in particular..." he caught himself, pausing momentarily. He couldn't offer his services right now. He would be busy for the next week, and if he offered it now, he would be breaking that agreement. "We'll be gone for a week," he finally stated. "We are being inspected tomorrow by some people, and we won't be able to visit next week starting Monday," he finally stated, running a hand through Blue's fur. He felt... bad? That didn't seem right.
"We are here to let you know so that you... don't think we left you again," he was brutally honest to a fault, and he winced inwardly at that. It wasn't exactly how he wanted to say it, but it needed to be said one way or another. "Is there anything we can help you with before?" because that he could do.
“An inspection?” she repeated, tilting her head. She seemed to mull over this for a moment, but then she nodded. “I can understand that. I get so nervous every time this place gets inspected. I usually spend the whole week before just worrying that something will go terribly wrong.” Ana smiled ruefully. “Actually, I’ll probably be due for another one soon, come to think of it.”
She sighed, tapping her fingers rhythmically on Sledge’s carapace. “But, um… thank you, for telling me. I hope your inspection goes well. I can’t really think of anything that needs to get done—I did most of the preparing for the new arrivals earlier today, so that’s fine. Otherwise, it’s just normal daily stuff.” It was clear that she wasn't completely sure why an inspection would keep them away for a whole week, but apparently she chose to believe him when he said it would.
"You're welcome. I did not want to leave on bad terms, again, is all," though it really wasn't bad or anything. Or perhaps it was? He chose not to dwell on it instead. "Then I suppose since you are on break, the others and myself can help out while you rest," he stated, however; he wasn't entirely paying too much attention, most of it was on Ana, that he could almost feel someone smirking.
"Damn it.... Gengar," were the only words he managed to get out before his eyes closed, the sound of cackling echoing into darkness.
"Need a hand?" Cyrilla asked, glancing at him from the side of her eyes. He nodded only slightly before she smiled. "Alright, give me a second," she spoke, removing herself from his side and disappearing into his closet. He could hear her rummaging around for a few minutes before she emerged, holding three articles of clothing. One was a plain button down shirt, and another was a black jacket. She held a pair of dark blue jeans for him, and shoved them into his direction.
"Go put this on, and you'll be okay, I promise," she stated, causing him to furrow his brows. He wasn't going to second guess her choices, but he wasn't entirely sure if it would be okay. He did as she instructed, and went to his bathroom, changing into the clothes she'd given him. Once he emerged again, she was grinning brightly. "All we need to do now is fix your hair. You can't look like your namesake, Eryk," she spoke, amusement laced in her voice.
"What is wrong with the way I have my hair now?" he stated, running a hand through his hair as he did so. She raised a brow at him, and only shook her head. "Do as you wish," he spoke, watching as she went to his drawer and reached for the only comb he owned. He sat down on the chair as to make it easier for him, and it didn't take her long at all to brush through his hair and shake it a bit.
"Nothing is wrong with your hair, but you can't go out looking like you just woke up, either," she stated once she was finished. He merely rolled his eyes at her. "Ready to go?" she asked, watching him a little too intently for a moment.
"We'll meet Kas in the lobby, and we'll go from there," he stated, shaking his head softly.
When they got to the lobby, Kas was indeed already there, hands in his pockets, sunglasses perched on top of his head. He never seemed to have any difficulty with his wardrobe—though his shirts were generally pretty loud and everything else quite casual, he never looked shoddily-put-together. Not even when he’d actually just woken up from a nap. If his assistance with the Camilla Festival was any indication, though, the effortlessness was illusory. He certainly seemed to know a lot about clothes and hair that Eryk didn’t.
He squinted in an exaggerated way at Eryk, then snorted. “I thought something was off—you’ve actually combed your hair. Miracles do happen.” He grinned easily, though, indicating that it was a joke. “You guys ready?”
"Cy combed it," he replied, narrowing his gaze towards Kas. "Let's get going before it gets too late," he stated, though he could hear Cyrilla lightly chuckling behind him. Was he really that bad at dressing himself or looking presentable? Perhaps, but he was slightly grateful that he had Cyrilla and Kas. Though it was easier for Cy to dress, than it was for him. She was in a pair of black capris with a plain red blouse. It looked like she was going to help someone with their garden, perhaps, but he shrugged the thoughts away.
The walk was a little quiet despite that the three of them were together, and he found it rather pleasant. Cyrilla was walking ahead of him, kicking at the random rocks in the road as if to shove them away. But she looked like she was having a bit of fun doing it. He would never understand her, and he wasn't sure if that was such a bad thing. Kas, on the other hand, he glanced towards. The other man was strolling along, hands laced behind his head, apparently preoccupied with the sky. He said nothing, and removed his gaze, keeping it straight until they reached their destination. It looked like Ana was already outside.
"Good afternoon, Ana!" Cyrilla greeted, making her way through the gate as she approached the Joy. "Ryk thought it was a good idea to bring us all with him today! Right, Ryk," she stated, glancing towards him. He could feel the frown coming.
"Ana," he spoke, instead, greeting Ana in his usual way.
Their voices drew her attention immediately; she turned towards the three of them. Upon noticing who had come to visit her, her face lit up in a bright smile, and she waved. It seemed that most, if not all, of the pokémon that lived with her were outside today; her pichu was poking at Rufus, several others lounged in the pool, including Ana’s dratini and a couple of magikarp. One of them had a prosthetic fin, it looked like. Half a dozen more lounged on the lawn or in one of the trees.
When they were close enough that even her very quiet tone could be heard, she spoke. “Hello, everyone. I wasn’t expecting all of you, but please come in. And feel free to let your pokémon out—it’s a nice enough day that we should take advantage, I think.”
“Don’t mind if I do,” replied Kas, unhooking all six of the pokéballs from his belt and tossing five of them out. Unusually for an administrator, most of his pokémon weren’t fully-evolved: in addition to Meep, he had a gible, a metang, a kirlia, and an absol. He contemplated the last ball for a moment before sighing and giving it a lop as well. “She’s scary-looking, but mostly harmless,” he promised. “Come on, princess.”
He only ever called his charizard that; she emerged from her pokéball with an indignant huff. Perhaps more imposing than the average charizard due to her size and color—she was mostly black—she nevertheless surveyed the situation before immediately descending on her trainer, resting her chin on his head and chuffing. A line of smoke curled out from between her teeth.
He reached up to rub her head; she made a low rumbling sound that suspiciously resembled purring.
Ana only giggled. “She’s adorable,” she said. The charizard cracked an eye open, seeming to accept this compliment with approval.
Eryk nodded his head and grabbed his pokéballs from his belt. He tossed five of them, watching as his milotic, zoroark, meowth, mankey, and Blue, appeared from them. He contemplated tossing Gengar's pokéball. If he did, there was a good chance Gengar would try using Hypnosis on the first person he saw. Mostly, that was just Eryk, though. And he didn't want to entirely be asleep at the moment. He sighed. It wouldn't be fair if he let the others out, and not Gengar. And so he released the pokémon from his belt.
Cyrilla did the same. Rapidash immediately pawed the ground and neighed in content, nudging her head against Cyrilla's while Kenshin looked unamused by the action. He seemed to take in the area, and went towards Pichu and Rufus, sitting down next to the old stoutland. Snow, on the other hand, her Alolan ninetales, seemed to sit where she was and glanced at the group before her. She didn't want to be too near the fire types, perhaps because she was an ice type.
Lithe seemed too excited to be released, and immediately began running around the yard, occasionally stopping to bother Kenshin or the Pichu. Gyarados was the last to be released, and Cyrilla seemed a little hesitant at that. He, however, seemed to be happy, and chose to bother Milotic. Eryk never understood why he did that, but Milotic just seemed to ignore him most of the time. Mankey, however, seemed all too grateful. He immediately ran towards the nearest tree, and decided to climb into it, disappearing just slightly in the foilage.
Blue, as he always did, relaxed on Eryk's head, earning a short giggle from Cyrilla. Meowth, however, decided to join Blue on Eryk's shoulder, making herself comfortable before relaxing. Eryk, however, frowned. Why did most of his pokémon want to be near him? He was slightly grateful, though, that Gengar had taken a slight interest in Ana, and was simply just staring at her. He couldn't see the Gengar's face, but he knew he was smiling.
"Don't mind him, he's... like that," he spoke, trying to explain Gengar's actions. "How are things?" he decided to ask. He couldn't just come out and say 'we'll be gone again, but only for a week'. That didn't seem to sit right with him. Cyrilla took this moment to back away just slowly enough so that she was just slightly out of sight, a sort of smile on her face.
Kas was considerably less secretive about leaving; he just wandered over to the pool, sitting down at the edge and dipping his feet into it. The magikarp swum over, inspecting the new element to their home; his charizard made herself comfortable just behind him, allowing him to lean back against her. His absol joined Cyrilla’s ninetales; the rest dispersed.
Ana smiled, though whether it was at the altaria on his head or just at him was hard to say, exactly. “They’re good,” she said, sparing a curious glance at Gengar before she returned her eyes to his face. “I’m preparing to get a couple of new arrivals; there’s a shelter in Cerulean that’s a little over capacity, so I’ve been making room around here. We’re taking a break now, though.”
She was interrupted by Kas’s metang, who nudged up behind her. She fell backwards into a sitting position on top of its flat head; this seemed to have been its goal, because it floated contentedly there, levitating slightly higher so that Ana’s height was almost even with Eryk’s. She snickered and rubbed part of the pokémon’s steely surface affectionately.
“I think Sledge wants me to feel taller,” she said. Apparently they were already acquainted.
He glanced down at the metang, and tilted his head just slightly. "Why would..." he paused in his sentence and just shook his head. If the metang wanted her to be taller, then it was welcome to do as it pleased. Eryk wasn't going to say anything about it. "I... Gengar don't do that," he started, but had to reprimand his Gengar. He could see the beginnings of Gengar getting ready to use Hypnosis on him. He'd been put under too many times to not notice. Gengar, however, merely shrugged and disappeared only to reappear behind Ana. He just seemed to hover there for a moment. He sighed heavily.
"Is there anything in particular..." he caught himself, pausing momentarily. He couldn't offer his services right now. He would be busy for the next week, and if he offered it now, he would be breaking that agreement. "We'll be gone for a week," he finally stated. "We are being inspected tomorrow by some people, and we won't be able to visit next week starting Monday," he finally stated, running a hand through Blue's fur. He felt... bad? That didn't seem right.
"We are here to let you know so that you... don't think we left you again," he was brutally honest to a fault, and he winced inwardly at that. It wasn't exactly how he wanted to say it, but it needed to be said one way or another. "Is there anything we can help you with before?" because that he could do.
“An inspection?” she repeated, tilting her head. She seemed to mull over this for a moment, but then she nodded. “I can understand that. I get so nervous every time this place gets inspected. I usually spend the whole week before just worrying that something will go terribly wrong.” Ana smiled ruefully. “Actually, I’ll probably be due for another one soon, come to think of it.”
She sighed, tapping her fingers rhythmically on Sledge’s carapace. “But, um… thank you, for telling me. I hope your inspection goes well. I can’t really think of anything that needs to get done—I did most of the preparing for the new arrivals earlier today, so that’s fine. Otherwise, it’s just normal daily stuff.” It was clear that she wasn't completely sure why an inspection would keep them away for a whole week, but apparently she chose to believe him when he said it would.
"You're welcome. I did not want to leave on bad terms, again, is all," though it really wasn't bad or anything. Or perhaps it was? He chose not to dwell on it instead. "Then I suppose since you are on break, the others and myself can help out while you rest," he stated, however; he wasn't entirely paying too much attention, most of it was on Ana, that he could almost feel someone smirking.
"Damn it.... Gengar," were the only words he managed to get out before his eyes closed, the sound of cackling echoing into darkness.
Kas hated the Rocket uniform with a passion.
Part of it was just the idea of a uniform, in general. He’d resisted those since his days in the academy; working undercover was something he preferred in large part because he didn’t have to look or act like a stiff all the time. But part of the problem was also that it was this uniform specifically. They’d been redesigned since the old days; they now had sort of an almost military feel to them; at least the jacket had a similar style. His was, appropriately, very decorated: various ribbons and medals and bars everywhere, representing his service in covert operations, his acknowledged certification as a master battler, another for his certification as a physical combatant and with weapons.
It seemed like a terrible way to look at what was supposed to be an organization designated to protect something—pokémon and trainers, in Team Rocket’s case. But he had to wear it for the inspection, and if they didn’t pass, he’d have the Birds breathing down his neck for more than a week, something he definitely didn’t need.
He straightened the black jacket, folding the red collar of the shirt underneath under the lapel instead of over, as uniform code mandated. The pants were straight-legged and fit neatly into shined boots—the whole thing was stupidly-impractical for an island. At least after today, they’d be able to wear the slightly more casual uniform, and not this formal one. He slid the short white gloves onto his hands and double-checked that his hair was all above the nape of his neck; he’d had to tie it up and slick it back from his face to guarantee that. He’d loaned Eryk some gel for the same purpose.
At least he didn’t have to wear the hat, since they were indoors. The medals pinned to his chest clinked together slightly as he leaned over to pick it up, tucking it under his arm. Locking his bedroom door behind him for once, he padded down the hall to Ryk’s room. Cy was probably already helping him with the fussier things like the buttons at his wrists, but it’d look better if they all went in together, anyway.
Just before he knocked, Kas double-checked that his one uniform violation was well-hidden beneath his sleeve—he’d kept the bracelet he’d made out of the raikou charm Cy got him. He wasn’t taking that off just for some stupid inspection. If they noticed, well, screw it. Raising his hand, Kas knocked.
“You guys ready?”
"Just a moment Kas," Cyrilla's voice echoed from behind the door. "No, Ryk. Sit still! I can't fix it if you keep moving," her voice could be heard, and the soft shuffling could only be Eryk moving about. It was only a minute more before the door opened, and Eryk stood in front of the door first. His uniform was just as pristine, if not more immaculate, than Kas's, and his hair was slightly still the same. There was some noticeable smoothing out, no doubt Cyrilla's work, but it was still slightly rugged. Cyrilla's uniform was probably the same way, however, her hands could bee seen peeking out from behind Eryk's arms, fumbling with his cuff links before they were fixed.
"Thank you," he muttered a quick thanks to Cyrilla before his attention was back on Kas. "Let's get this over with," he spoke. It sounded like he really didn't want to do this, but then again, neither of them seemed to think differently. He took a step outside of his room, allowing Cyrilla to pass him, and closed the door. Unlike Kas, Eryk didn't lock his door. He never did.
"We were to meet them in the lobby, and go from there," Eryk spoke, leading the way towards their destination.
"I just hope Katia hasn't scared any of the grunts on that level," Cyrilla spoke. That seemed to be the only concern she had. If she had others, she wasn't showing it.
Kas didn’t understand why the skirt on the women’s uniform was that short, despite the jacket being mostly the same. Tradition? The boss was a pervert? Who knew. Either way, he felt pretty sorry for Cy, though she could have chosen the option with pants—that was possible for the women, too. Weird as it was, he could understand the choice in this heat; at least she’d be able to not suffocate and die when they went outside. Even the autumn was warm in the tropics like this.
“It’s probably wisest to assume she has,” he said dryly. “It’s practically her hobby.” Katia was a weird lady that way. Remi, he understood—Remi was just a sociopath who liked to flirt. He could relate—on his worse days, he figured they were really similar. Aiden was just like Eryk with a worse temper and slightly better social skills otherwise. Kas could deal with that. But Katia… eh. No use worrying now.
They headed down the stairs to the lobby. Kas opened the door for his fellow executives to precede him, then closed it behind him.
The three people assembled also wore the uniform, with the comfort and ease of people who wore it every day, more or less. Each had a small pin on their shoulder that indicated their unique rank in the organization. Aiden, leader of the Birds, wore a Moltres-patterned badge there. He had the red hair to match, spiked above his collar, and wore a bored expression. He was well-known to be the right hand of the boss himself—Kas knew enough to be wary. Aiden had once also been Pokémon Champion of Kanto, and word had it he’d only improved since then.
Katia was the second of the three, wearing an Articuno-patterned badge. Her hair was pulled into a tight, meticulous bun, but the glasses on her face made her seem more librarian. She was wearing the same expression as Aiden was, however; when her eyes landed on Eryk and Cy, it shifted. It wasn't a secret that she detested her cousin, though as to why was never known. What she had against, Cy, though, was also a mystery. Remi, however, was grinning from ear to ear, her dark hair left loose to hang around her. She was the third and last Bird, wearing the Zapdos-patterned badge in her hair, like an ornament. She was probably the only one who could do that.
She didn't care about things like that, or so the rumor went.
Eryk seemed to hold Katia's gaze the longest, like a silent war was being waged between the two, however; he seemed to concede and dropped it. Cy, on the other hand, wasn't looking at Katia at all, instead, focusing on either Aiden or Remi. "Oh look, it's handsome and his group," Remi was the first to speak, and shifted so that her weight seemed to be put on one leg while her hip popped out. She had her arms crossed over her chest. The uniform shirt she wore was a little too open. Either she didn't want to finish buttoning it up, or she did it on purpose. Katia visibly rolled her eyes, though.
"Katia, Aiden, Remi," it was Eryk who spoke, his usual greeting to the Birds. He'd never addressed them any other way. Katia didn't bother to answer him, but Remi seemed to just smile wider, if that was possible.
How did that saying go? The tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Internally, Kas sighed. Somehow it always fell to him to make these things as smooth as possible, probably because of the history between Katia and her cousins. He didn’t know the full story there, but it wasn’t too hard to guess. He took the opportunity presented by Remi’s light opener to smile hospitably.
“I’d say thank you, but I’m not actually sure you mean me. Much as it hurts my pride to admit, Ryk may actually wear a uniform better than I do.” He flashed white teeth at all three of them.
Aiden rolled his eyes, but there was a very, very slight smile just touching his lips. He didn’t seem like much of a uniform guy, either, really. Corporate regulations—they bothered all kinds of people. “Anyway, pleasant as it is to see you all, I’m sure you have things you’d like to see, employees you want to talk to, and all that.” He really hoped they didn’t go for employee interviews; he’d prepped everyone for those just in case, but he didn’t want to subject any of the grunts here to that kind of… intensity.
“Anything you’d care to start with?”
"There was an increase in complaints about the secretary job that goes for Eryk. Sources say that he has failed to keep one," curt and to the point. Of course she'd attack Eryk first. If Eryk flinched, he didn't show it too much. Cyrilla, however, clenched her knuckles a little tightly, and looked like she wanted to say something. Katia must have picked up on it because her eyes went straight for her. "If you have something to say, Niav, say it. Otherwise stop looking so pathetic. You're an Executive, act like it," her words were just as sharp when she spoke them to Cyrilla.
"Oh don't be like that, Katy," Remi spoke, sauntering towards the three of them. She placed herself between Cyrilla and Eryk, resting one arm agains the other. Remi was a tall person, so it was easy for her to reach Eryk's shoulders without too much difficulty. "Leave the little cutey and her friends alone. I want to play with them later," she stated, lowering her head just slightly so that she was eye level with Cy. Cy, however, looked a little uncomfortable.
"You know I don't like it when you call me that, Dodds. Shut up and get back over here," Katia spoke, earning a slight playful pout from Remi. Katia just rolled her eyes. "We could also start with interviewing the three of you. You all need an update for your psych evaluations," there might have been a hint of something sadistic in the glint of her eyes when she said that.
“And I’m sure we’ll be happy to do that, if you happen to have a certified psychologist around somewhere,” Kas cut in smoothly. “But unless one of you got an extra degree since I last checked, that will have to wait.” He turned the wattage of his smile on Katia, knowing that it wasn’t likely to spare them anything. Fortunately, he’d learned the regulations back to front, in part as an attempt to learn which ones he could loophole. None of these three were qualified to conduct actual psychological evaluations, though they were permitted to do interviews if there was some reason for them.
“Since Miss Katia indicated some interest in the status of our department administration and organizational staff, we’ll start with them. This way, please.” He led the way back into the main block of offices, indicating a small cluster of cubicles in the north corner, next to a bank of windows. “Those three are our staff; Sandy is in charge, if you’d care to speak to her about her duties. Eryk’s assistant Hayley is set up in the front part of his individual office, which is down the hall this way.”
Katia looked livid for a moment, however; the expression was quick to fade. Her eyes were set in a fixed narrow on Kas, though, but seemed to comply with his suggestion. She held a clipboard in her hands, probably a list of things that needed to be checked off as they were being led around. Remi just looked like she could give two shits about this place, and was, instead, wedged between Cyrilla and Eryk, the latter clearly not comfortable with it but he was managing.
"How long has Hayley occupied the position?" Katia spoke when Kas mentioned the assistant.
"Three weeks," was Eryk's reply. She didn't seem too thrilled about his answer, but she didn't say anything about it. She simply noted it down on her board, and continued walking. Either she had an extreme eye for detail, or Katia was glancing around for nothing in particular. It was probably the former, seeing as she kept writing things down.
"What about the license department? Have you kept tabs on all the applicants who have applied for a license for pokémon? The data shows your establishment has the lowest statistics of issuing licenses for trainers," she spoke, apparently with a hint of boredom.
“It’s a small island,” Kas replied. “So we don’t get that many applications to begin with. We’ve issued five new trainer’s licenses since we opened the facility—they were handling them through HQ in Saffron previously. We also have a licensed Pokémon Center, Pokémart, and Pokémon Rehabilitation Facility, in addition to the Gym, but that’s it. There aren’t any contest halls or anything of that nature here, which cuts down on the paperwork.”
They reached Eryk’s office; Kas glanced towards his friend. At least it was an excuse to get away from Remi, he supposed. Kas wouldn’t have minded—Remi was easy to get along with if you didn’t mind that she cared literally not at all for anyone or anything besides her teammates. But Eryk was a different kind of person, and clearly not enjoying the situation.
"Are their permits up to date?" she asked when Kas listed off the places. Eryk's jaw clenched for a split second, but no one else seemed to notice. "And what about the Rehabilitation Facility, does she have all the required permits and licenses to operate a Facility to that degree?" she continued, though they all knew who she was when Katia spoke.
"She does," Eryk spoke, his voice a little more calm and even.
"Aw, look Katia. He's not nervous anymore. I think you struck a nerve," Remi chimed in, reaching over to touch Ryk's face. Her hand, however, was snatched fairly delicately. Cyrilla stared at Remi, and though she was just as nervous as before, there was something odd behind her eyes.
"Please don't do that," she spoke, her voice as soft and gentle as she could make it. It seemed to surprise Eryk just as much, if the slight confused look on his face was anything to go by. Katia just scoffed.
"Oh how sweet," Remi spoke, her expression changing just slightly to something a little more dark and interested. "I didn't know you cared about him that way. Isn't that against your clan, or something? He is, after all, related to you only distantly," Remi continued, and it seemed to be making Cyrilla a little more nervous.
"Remi," it was Katia who spoke this time. Her voice was low and borderlined on something dangerous. "Don't talk ill of my clan. Say whatever you want about them, but not my clan," she continued, causing Remi to back off just slightly.
"You're no fun, Katia, you know that. I was only teasing," Remi said as she removed herself from the small group. She made her way so that she was standing next to Aiden, now.
"If you have any further business, we can conclude it here in the office. After that, we can break off into groups for better coverage if it's suitable," Eryk spoke, trying it seems, to change the subject.
“Yes, let’s… go inside.” Kas was conscious of the fact that they were drawing some attention. He certainly didn’t want Katia to go off on the grunts for staring or anything; moving the meeting out of sight was probably for the best. Even though it wasn’t his office, he ushered them inside and closed the door behind him.
“We’ve been told to battle-test you guys and your grunts,” Aiden put in, speaking for the first time in the whole meeting. He was technically the leader, but he wasn’t the kind of person who got involved in squabbles the way the other two did. “So we’re going to need a day and a place to do that. We’re also going to inspect all these licensed facilities; the boss said this can stand in as their yearly renewal inspection.”
Kas frowned. That as very not good for one reason in particular—was this just a thinly-veiled attempt to put the Birds in contact with Ana, or was the boss serious about this inspection thing? “We’re supposed to notify a week in advance for that,” he pointed out.
Aiden nodded. “The notices went out late yesterday. Outlying inspections will be the last things we do here.”
"We can arrange a test battle at the Gym. Give me a day, and we can arrange it for the day after tomorrow," Cyrilla spoke. She could arrange it because Drake wouldn't necessarily say no. He would also be slightly grateful for the break, probably. "You can also inspect it while you're there," she added. Katia seemed to huff at the statement, but didn't seem to disagree.
"Then make it so," was the only thing she said. She glanced at her clipboard and the paper on it, surveying it for something. "In the mean time, we will be inspecting this facility as well to make sure it is up to date. That includes the computers and data servers. We'll be looking for anything out of the ordinary on the servers and we'll be going through all the accounts," she spoke casually, marking something down on her board.
"We can't be too careful these days," she muttered, keeping her gaze on the clipboard.
"Well, we could, but then where's the fun in all of that? We wouldn't be able to interrogate anyone and then we wouldn't know about the spies and their silly little plans. Plus, I like interrogating people, and I know you love it, Katia," Remi spoke, and oddly enough, a small smirk pulled at Katia's lips. It disappeared soon after.
"Perhaps the tests should go first and then you can go through the servers," Eryk chose to speak this time. It wasn't like he had anything to hide, and it was widely known that Eryk hardly ever used his computer. Just for emails or the occasional memo.
Kas was confident that his skill with fooling the servers was much better than anything they would be able to do to uncover it—that was the reason he’d lasted where previous moles had failed. Well, not the only reason, but definitely a big one.
“Well… feel free to inspect the facilities. I can take you wherever you need to go, and then we can make a trip to the server room?”
Aiden shook his head slightly. “We might as well split the work. I’ll go through your personnel rosters and draw up a battle schedule. Katia, go with Kasimir to the server room and check through everything you need to there. Remi, you and the other two deal with the facility check.” He shoved his hands in his pockets, but the way he spoke left absolutely no room for disagreement.
Kas suppressed a sigh. Ryk and Cy owed him all the beers he wanted for dealing with this shit. Neither of them could tour-guide to save their lives, apparently, but they’d have to figure out how. Should be easier without Katia around. No, she was going to be his problem for today.
Fantastic.
"Oh, I get stuck with the lovelies, then," Remi spoke, but didn't seem to mind at all. Katia, on the other hand, was glaring rather intently at Kas. The feeling was probably mutual, that she did not want to be with him. "Shall we get to it, then?" Eryk merely sighed and nodded his head.
They owed him all the beer.
Part of it was just the idea of a uniform, in general. He’d resisted those since his days in the academy; working undercover was something he preferred in large part because he didn’t have to look or act like a stiff all the time. But part of the problem was also that it was this uniform specifically. They’d been redesigned since the old days; they now had sort of an almost military feel to them; at least the jacket had a similar style. His was, appropriately, very decorated: various ribbons and medals and bars everywhere, representing his service in covert operations, his acknowledged certification as a master battler, another for his certification as a physical combatant and with weapons.
It seemed like a terrible way to look at what was supposed to be an organization designated to protect something—pokémon and trainers, in Team Rocket’s case. But he had to wear it for the inspection, and if they didn’t pass, he’d have the Birds breathing down his neck for more than a week, something he definitely didn’t need.
He straightened the black jacket, folding the red collar of the shirt underneath under the lapel instead of over, as uniform code mandated. The pants were straight-legged and fit neatly into shined boots—the whole thing was stupidly-impractical for an island. At least after today, they’d be able to wear the slightly more casual uniform, and not this formal one. He slid the short white gloves onto his hands and double-checked that his hair was all above the nape of his neck; he’d had to tie it up and slick it back from his face to guarantee that. He’d loaned Eryk some gel for the same purpose.
At least he didn’t have to wear the hat, since they were indoors. The medals pinned to his chest clinked together slightly as he leaned over to pick it up, tucking it under his arm. Locking his bedroom door behind him for once, he padded down the hall to Ryk’s room. Cy was probably already helping him with the fussier things like the buttons at his wrists, but it’d look better if they all went in together, anyway.
Just before he knocked, Kas double-checked that his one uniform violation was well-hidden beneath his sleeve—he’d kept the bracelet he’d made out of the raikou charm Cy got him. He wasn’t taking that off just for some stupid inspection. If they noticed, well, screw it. Raising his hand, Kas knocked.
“You guys ready?”
"Just a moment Kas," Cyrilla's voice echoed from behind the door. "No, Ryk. Sit still! I can't fix it if you keep moving," her voice could be heard, and the soft shuffling could only be Eryk moving about. It was only a minute more before the door opened, and Eryk stood in front of the door first. His uniform was just as pristine, if not more immaculate, than Kas's, and his hair was slightly still the same. There was some noticeable smoothing out, no doubt Cyrilla's work, but it was still slightly rugged. Cyrilla's uniform was probably the same way, however, her hands could bee seen peeking out from behind Eryk's arms, fumbling with his cuff links before they were fixed.
"Thank you," he muttered a quick thanks to Cyrilla before his attention was back on Kas. "Let's get this over with," he spoke. It sounded like he really didn't want to do this, but then again, neither of them seemed to think differently. He took a step outside of his room, allowing Cyrilla to pass him, and closed the door. Unlike Kas, Eryk didn't lock his door. He never did.
"We were to meet them in the lobby, and go from there," Eryk spoke, leading the way towards their destination.
"I just hope Katia hasn't scared any of the grunts on that level," Cyrilla spoke. That seemed to be the only concern she had. If she had others, she wasn't showing it.
Kas didn’t understand why the skirt on the women’s uniform was that short, despite the jacket being mostly the same. Tradition? The boss was a pervert? Who knew. Either way, he felt pretty sorry for Cy, though she could have chosen the option with pants—that was possible for the women, too. Weird as it was, he could understand the choice in this heat; at least she’d be able to not suffocate and die when they went outside. Even the autumn was warm in the tropics like this.
“It’s probably wisest to assume she has,” he said dryly. “It’s practically her hobby.” Katia was a weird lady that way. Remi, he understood—Remi was just a sociopath who liked to flirt. He could relate—on his worse days, he figured they were really similar. Aiden was just like Eryk with a worse temper and slightly better social skills otherwise. Kas could deal with that. But Katia… eh. No use worrying now.
They headed down the stairs to the lobby. Kas opened the door for his fellow executives to precede him, then closed it behind him.
The three people assembled also wore the uniform, with the comfort and ease of people who wore it every day, more or less. Each had a small pin on their shoulder that indicated their unique rank in the organization. Aiden, leader of the Birds, wore a Moltres-patterned badge there. He had the red hair to match, spiked above his collar, and wore a bored expression. He was well-known to be the right hand of the boss himself—Kas knew enough to be wary. Aiden had once also been Pokémon Champion of Kanto, and word had it he’d only improved since then.
Katia was the second of the three, wearing an Articuno-patterned badge. Her hair was pulled into a tight, meticulous bun, but the glasses on her face made her seem more librarian. She was wearing the same expression as Aiden was, however; when her eyes landed on Eryk and Cy, it shifted. It wasn't a secret that she detested her cousin, though as to why was never known. What she had against, Cy, though, was also a mystery. Remi, however, was grinning from ear to ear, her dark hair left loose to hang around her. She was the third and last Bird, wearing the Zapdos-patterned badge in her hair, like an ornament. She was probably the only one who could do that.
She didn't care about things like that, or so the rumor went.
Eryk seemed to hold Katia's gaze the longest, like a silent war was being waged between the two, however; he seemed to concede and dropped it. Cy, on the other hand, wasn't looking at Katia at all, instead, focusing on either Aiden or Remi. "Oh look, it's handsome and his group," Remi was the first to speak, and shifted so that her weight seemed to be put on one leg while her hip popped out. She had her arms crossed over her chest. The uniform shirt she wore was a little too open. Either she didn't want to finish buttoning it up, or she did it on purpose. Katia visibly rolled her eyes, though.
"Katia, Aiden, Remi," it was Eryk who spoke, his usual greeting to the Birds. He'd never addressed them any other way. Katia didn't bother to answer him, but Remi seemed to just smile wider, if that was possible.
How did that saying go? The tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Internally, Kas sighed. Somehow it always fell to him to make these things as smooth as possible, probably because of the history between Katia and her cousins. He didn’t know the full story there, but it wasn’t too hard to guess. He took the opportunity presented by Remi’s light opener to smile hospitably.
“I’d say thank you, but I’m not actually sure you mean me. Much as it hurts my pride to admit, Ryk may actually wear a uniform better than I do.” He flashed white teeth at all three of them.
Aiden rolled his eyes, but there was a very, very slight smile just touching his lips. He didn’t seem like much of a uniform guy, either, really. Corporate regulations—they bothered all kinds of people. “Anyway, pleasant as it is to see you all, I’m sure you have things you’d like to see, employees you want to talk to, and all that.” He really hoped they didn’t go for employee interviews; he’d prepped everyone for those just in case, but he didn’t want to subject any of the grunts here to that kind of… intensity.
“Anything you’d care to start with?”
"There was an increase in complaints about the secretary job that goes for Eryk. Sources say that he has failed to keep one," curt and to the point. Of course she'd attack Eryk first. If Eryk flinched, he didn't show it too much. Cyrilla, however, clenched her knuckles a little tightly, and looked like she wanted to say something. Katia must have picked up on it because her eyes went straight for her. "If you have something to say, Niav, say it. Otherwise stop looking so pathetic. You're an Executive, act like it," her words were just as sharp when she spoke them to Cyrilla.
"Oh don't be like that, Katy," Remi spoke, sauntering towards the three of them. She placed herself between Cyrilla and Eryk, resting one arm agains the other. Remi was a tall person, so it was easy for her to reach Eryk's shoulders without too much difficulty. "Leave the little cutey and her friends alone. I want to play with them later," she stated, lowering her head just slightly so that she was eye level with Cy. Cy, however, looked a little uncomfortable.
"You know I don't like it when you call me that, Dodds. Shut up and get back over here," Katia spoke, earning a slight playful pout from Remi. Katia just rolled her eyes. "We could also start with interviewing the three of you. You all need an update for your psych evaluations," there might have been a hint of something sadistic in the glint of her eyes when she said that.
“And I’m sure we’ll be happy to do that, if you happen to have a certified psychologist around somewhere,” Kas cut in smoothly. “But unless one of you got an extra degree since I last checked, that will have to wait.” He turned the wattage of his smile on Katia, knowing that it wasn’t likely to spare them anything. Fortunately, he’d learned the regulations back to front, in part as an attempt to learn which ones he could loophole. None of these three were qualified to conduct actual psychological evaluations, though they were permitted to do interviews if there was some reason for them.
“Since Miss Katia indicated some interest in the status of our department administration and organizational staff, we’ll start with them. This way, please.” He led the way back into the main block of offices, indicating a small cluster of cubicles in the north corner, next to a bank of windows. “Those three are our staff; Sandy is in charge, if you’d care to speak to her about her duties. Eryk’s assistant Hayley is set up in the front part of his individual office, which is down the hall this way.”
Katia looked livid for a moment, however; the expression was quick to fade. Her eyes were set in a fixed narrow on Kas, though, but seemed to comply with his suggestion. She held a clipboard in her hands, probably a list of things that needed to be checked off as they were being led around. Remi just looked like she could give two shits about this place, and was, instead, wedged between Cyrilla and Eryk, the latter clearly not comfortable with it but he was managing.
"How long has Hayley occupied the position?" Katia spoke when Kas mentioned the assistant.
"Three weeks," was Eryk's reply. She didn't seem too thrilled about his answer, but she didn't say anything about it. She simply noted it down on her board, and continued walking. Either she had an extreme eye for detail, or Katia was glancing around for nothing in particular. It was probably the former, seeing as she kept writing things down.
"What about the license department? Have you kept tabs on all the applicants who have applied for a license for pokémon? The data shows your establishment has the lowest statistics of issuing licenses for trainers," she spoke, apparently with a hint of boredom.
“It’s a small island,” Kas replied. “So we don’t get that many applications to begin with. We’ve issued five new trainer’s licenses since we opened the facility—they were handling them through HQ in Saffron previously. We also have a licensed Pokémon Center, Pokémart, and Pokémon Rehabilitation Facility, in addition to the Gym, but that’s it. There aren’t any contest halls or anything of that nature here, which cuts down on the paperwork.”
They reached Eryk’s office; Kas glanced towards his friend. At least it was an excuse to get away from Remi, he supposed. Kas wouldn’t have minded—Remi was easy to get along with if you didn’t mind that she cared literally not at all for anyone or anything besides her teammates. But Eryk was a different kind of person, and clearly not enjoying the situation.
"Are their permits up to date?" she asked when Kas listed off the places. Eryk's jaw clenched for a split second, but no one else seemed to notice. "And what about the Rehabilitation Facility, does she have all the required permits and licenses to operate a Facility to that degree?" she continued, though they all knew who she was when Katia spoke.
"She does," Eryk spoke, his voice a little more calm and even.
"Aw, look Katia. He's not nervous anymore. I think you struck a nerve," Remi chimed in, reaching over to touch Ryk's face. Her hand, however, was snatched fairly delicately. Cyrilla stared at Remi, and though she was just as nervous as before, there was something odd behind her eyes.
"Please don't do that," she spoke, her voice as soft and gentle as she could make it. It seemed to surprise Eryk just as much, if the slight confused look on his face was anything to go by. Katia just scoffed.
"Oh how sweet," Remi spoke, her expression changing just slightly to something a little more dark and interested. "I didn't know you cared about him that way. Isn't that against your clan, or something? He is, after all, related to you only distantly," Remi continued, and it seemed to be making Cyrilla a little more nervous.
"Remi," it was Katia who spoke this time. Her voice was low and borderlined on something dangerous. "Don't talk ill of my clan. Say whatever you want about them, but not my clan," she continued, causing Remi to back off just slightly.
"You're no fun, Katia, you know that. I was only teasing," Remi said as she removed herself from the small group. She made her way so that she was standing next to Aiden, now.
"If you have any further business, we can conclude it here in the office. After that, we can break off into groups for better coverage if it's suitable," Eryk spoke, trying it seems, to change the subject.
“Yes, let’s… go inside.” Kas was conscious of the fact that they were drawing some attention. He certainly didn’t want Katia to go off on the grunts for staring or anything; moving the meeting out of sight was probably for the best. Even though it wasn’t his office, he ushered them inside and closed the door behind him.
“We’ve been told to battle-test you guys and your grunts,” Aiden put in, speaking for the first time in the whole meeting. He was technically the leader, but he wasn’t the kind of person who got involved in squabbles the way the other two did. “So we’re going to need a day and a place to do that. We’re also going to inspect all these licensed facilities; the boss said this can stand in as their yearly renewal inspection.”
Kas frowned. That as very not good for one reason in particular—was this just a thinly-veiled attempt to put the Birds in contact with Ana, or was the boss serious about this inspection thing? “We’re supposed to notify a week in advance for that,” he pointed out.
Aiden nodded. “The notices went out late yesterday. Outlying inspections will be the last things we do here.”
"We can arrange a test battle at the Gym. Give me a day, and we can arrange it for the day after tomorrow," Cyrilla spoke. She could arrange it because Drake wouldn't necessarily say no. He would also be slightly grateful for the break, probably. "You can also inspect it while you're there," she added. Katia seemed to huff at the statement, but didn't seem to disagree.
"Then make it so," was the only thing she said. She glanced at her clipboard and the paper on it, surveying it for something. "In the mean time, we will be inspecting this facility as well to make sure it is up to date. That includes the computers and data servers. We'll be looking for anything out of the ordinary on the servers and we'll be going through all the accounts," she spoke casually, marking something down on her board.
"We can't be too careful these days," she muttered, keeping her gaze on the clipboard.
"Well, we could, but then where's the fun in all of that? We wouldn't be able to interrogate anyone and then we wouldn't know about the spies and their silly little plans. Plus, I like interrogating people, and I know you love it, Katia," Remi spoke, and oddly enough, a small smirk pulled at Katia's lips. It disappeared soon after.
"Perhaps the tests should go first and then you can go through the servers," Eryk chose to speak this time. It wasn't like he had anything to hide, and it was widely known that Eryk hardly ever used his computer. Just for emails or the occasional memo.
Kas was confident that his skill with fooling the servers was much better than anything they would be able to do to uncover it—that was the reason he’d lasted where previous moles had failed. Well, not the only reason, but definitely a big one.
“Well… feel free to inspect the facilities. I can take you wherever you need to go, and then we can make a trip to the server room?”
Aiden shook his head slightly. “We might as well split the work. I’ll go through your personnel rosters and draw up a battle schedule. Katia, go with Kasimir to the server room and check through everything you need to there. Remi, you and the other two deal with the facility check.” He shoved his hands in his pockets, but the way he spoke left absolutely no room for disagreement.
Kas suppressed a sigh. Ryk and Cy owed him all the beers he wanted for dealing with this shit. Neither of them could tour-guide to save their lives, apparently, but they’d have to figure out how. Should be easier without Katia around. No, she was going to be his problem for today.
Fantastic.
"Oh, I get stuck with the lovelies, then," Remi spoke, but didn't seem to mind at all. Katia, on the other hand, was glaring rather intently at Kas. The feeling was probably mutual, that she did not want to be with him. "Shall we get to it, then?" Eryk merely sighed and nodded his head.
They owed him all the beer.
How she managed to convince Drake to use the Gym, was something of a mystery to Eryk. He had the slightest bit of doubt that Drake would say no, and he couldn't really fault him for that. He was, after all, the one responsible for the influx of challenges to the Gym. Not that Drake knew that, of course, but it was, without a doubt, a fact. He sighed, though, and made his way across the Gym. The bleachers were filled with only Cy, Kas, Aiden, and Remi. For some reason or another, Katia had wanted to challenge him. He had a feeling he knew why, but he couldn't understand the why. It wasn't his fault that their great-grandfather decided to choose Eryk as an heir, and liked him best. He hated that, but apparently it had rubbed Katia the wrong way.
Was she jealous?
"Hurry up, Eryk," her voice cut him out of his thoughts, and he simply stared at her. She was glaring at him, as usual. He was pretty sure he was glaring at her too. He didn't like her anymore than she liked him. She grabbed a pokéball from her side and gave it a careless toss. The red light faded to give way to her Glaceon, causing Eryk to frown slightly. Glaceon or not, he knew enough to not underestimate his cousin. She wasn't in the top of the organization for nothing, after all. He carefully shifted through his pokéballs. There were only five on his belt. He had six, but there was one he left back at the base on purpose. He couldn't risk hurting Mankey.
He chose one and pulled it from his belt, tossing it carefully onto the platform. Zoroark appeared, looking none to thrilled to be facing the opponent. He glanced back towards Eryk who merely nodded his head. Shaking his coat, Zoroark turned to face the glaceon whose gaze seemed to match her trainer's. This was not going to end well, he could feel it.
"Before we start, there are some ground rules to lay out. Each trainer is to use the maximum allowed pokémon. In this case, it will be five against five," Katia spoke, pulling out one of her pokéballs and tossing it towards Remi who seemed to catch it with a lazy raise of her hand. "Second, this is a test to see your progress and skill. These battles are not meant to be pleasant. Your pokémon will hurt and if it is deemed that you are unfit, you will be demoted," she spoke. He glanced towards the stand and could see Cyrilla flinch just slightly. This wouldn't be easy for her, but she had to do it. She knew the protocol when she became part of the Three. "Does anyone have anything to say or add?" Katia spoke, glancing towards the stand.
“Uh… can we just use three each? We might be here all day, otherwise.” Kas actually raised his hand to ask the question, like a student in a classroom or something. “If the point is just to assess our ability to battle, you’ll surely know how we’re doing by then, right?”
Aidan sighed. “I don’t fuckin’ care. We’ll say the number is picked by the people in the match, okay? Arceus, you talk too much.” He leaned back on the bleacher behind him with his elbows.
“It’s part of my charm,” Kas replied. Really, it was doubtful anyone else would be able to get away with backtalking the Birds, so maybe there was something true in the words.
"Whatever. We'll use three," Katia seemed reluctant to agree with it, but did so anyway. "It won't make any difference," she spoke, confidence laced in her voice. It probably wouldn't, but Eryk wasn't going to go down without giving her a good fight. She hated him; he hated her. He was going to make her work for her victory, if she won. "If you don't have anything else to say, let's get started," she stated, focusing back on Eryk. Without so much as a word, Glaceon was off.
It took a moment for Eryk to realize that the battle had, indeed, begun. "Zoroark, use Dig," he commanded, slightly grateful for the fact that Drake's Gym wasn't a typical Gym with hardwood floors. Zoroark obeyed, digging his way underground in time to miss Glaceon's Iron Tail. Katia didn't seem to worried about it, and instead, remained quiet. Her Glaceon did the same thing, her tail swaying from side to side. He narrowed his eyes just slightly before a soft nod gave way to Zoroark's reappearance.
"Hyper Beam," was the only command she gave before Glaceon released her attack. It hit, sending Zoroark flying into the Gym's wall. Eryk snapped his head in the direction of his Zoroark, and watched as he struggled to get to his feet. He narrowed his eyes slightly at Katia, who merely smirked at him. "Glaceon, go. Use Signal Beam," she spoke, her smirk widening just slightly. Eryk muttered a curse beneath his breath as he turned towards Zoroark.
"Counter with Flamethrower," he stated, watching as Zoroark struggled to use the attack. The collision of both attacks caused a small explosion, creating a cloud of dust.
"Quick Attack, then Ice Beam," he barely had time to register the attack when Glaceon appeared, head colliding with Zoroark's stomach, lurching him forward. Before he knew it, Zoroark was frozen, unable to move so much as a muscle. Something twisted in Eryk's gut as he glanced at his Zoroark. "That was too quick, Eryk. You've been slipping," she spoke, causing Eryk to turn and glare at her. She was right, about it being quick, though. For the first battle, that was too quick. She recalled her Glaceon as Eryk recalled his Zoroark, staring at the ball for a moment.
"Gengar," he spoke, tossing Gengar's ball out into the ring. Katia smirked as she pulled another ball and tossed it, revealing an Alakazam. "Shadow Ball," he wasn't going to give her the benefit of attacking first.
It seemed a little too surreal to Eryk.
He lost.
The battle between Gengar and Alakazam had almost ended in a draw, however; Alakazam managed to pull one final attack, and knocked Gengar out. Milotic didn't stand much of a chance against Katia's Nidoqueen. He'd lost his battle. Katia, however, didn't seem all too surprised, and merely stared at him. "That wasn't much of a challenge, Eryk," Katia spoke, a tone of disappointment in her voice. "But you lasted longer than I thought you would," she continued, earning a slight snicker from Remi.
"Consider yourself lucky," she ended and walked off the platform, signaling for the next challengers to take the stage. He didn't feel so lucky. He stayed where he was at for a moment before a hand rested on his arm. Cyrilla stared up at him, mustering a small smile as she led him off the floor. He'd lost his battle. To Katia. "Aidan, you're up next," Katia spoke as she situated herself far from Remi, but not too far.
“Great,” Aidan replied, obviously unenthusiastic. Still… he was a former pokémon champion, and clearly not someone to be messed with.
“Wish me luck!” Kas said brightly, hopping off his seat on the bleachers and straightening his less-formal uniform. It didn’t suit him any more than the formal one did; something about the stark black-and-white clashed with the warm hues of the rest of him, maybe.
He and Aidan took their spots at opposite sides of the gym. Aidan didn’t appear to care whether he picked his pokémon first or second, tossing out a pokéball almost immediately. Out popped a Manectric, electricity sparking off its sharply-pointed coat.
To meet the challenge, Kas summoned his gible. The small, landshark-like pokémon blinked blankly at his opponent, rolling back onto his tail. Like his trainer, he seemed to have no sense of urgency at all.
“It’s not like I care, but are you even taking this slightly seriously?” Aidan asked, frowning slightly at the scene in front of him.
“Sorry,” Kas replied with a shrug. “I’m just not a great trainer, I’m afraid. And I don’t take anything seriously. You can just ask Eryk about that.”
“Whatever. Quick Attack.” the manectric darted forward, zig-zagging its trajectory and getting in close.
“Double team, Jaws,” Kas called, like one might speak to a particularly slow child. There was a temporary delay, but then the gible appeared to concentrate very hard, and an illusory double appeared to either side of it. They scattered just before the quick attack hit, scrambling round in a chaotic mess that made it hard to keep track of which was which.
“Ice Fang—the middle one.”
“Ooh, that’s not very nice,” Kas remarked. “Picking on my little baby dragon-type with a nasty ice move like that. How about… Dragon Breath. You can do that, right Jaws?”
Manectric’s mouth closed over the gible in the middle, but it was the one on the left that expelled the breath attack, revealing itself as the real one all along. The electric pokémon was quick on the uptake, darting away and only barely being scored by the breath. Still, the first proper hit went to the innocently-smiling Kas.
“I told you I wasn’t very good,” he said with a shrug. “Half the time, I don’t even remember who has what moves. Really, it's a miracle they promoted me, isn’t it?”
“Are you trying to wind me up, you dumbass? ‘Cause it’s working,” Aidan growled. “Again, Manectric.”
There was only the one target this time, so Manectric closed swiftly and decisively.
“I swear he knows this one. It’s such a good move, but I always forget.” He thought about it for a split second. “Say Jaws?” Kas leaned over, his smile getting even bigger. “Earthquake.”
With enthusiasm, the little gible jumped high into the air. When he landed back on the ground, a shockwave spread from the point of his impact, shaking the entire gym and causing the ground to buckle and heave. One of the new fissures caught the manectric on its way to attack the gible, and threw it high in the air.
“Fuck it. Headbutt!” Aidan’s notoriously-short fuse had apparently lit. Manectric, heavily injured but still conscious, twisted in midair and landed, jumping immediately into an incredibly-fast charge. Jaws tried to get out of the way, but he was nowhere near fast enough, and the headbutt sent him flying into the same wall Zoroark had hit, and just as hard, from the look of it. “Now Ice Fang!”
This time, the attack connected—ice spread up the dazed gible’s body, and he fell over. Kas recalled him before he could so much as try to stand up again after that. He wasn’t smiling anymore; he wore a contemplative expression instead.
“We’re doing this league-style. You choose first this time,” Aidan snarled.
Kas blinked, but nodded. It only seemed to piss Aidan off even more when the pokémon he chose was Meep. “You can’t be fucking serious with this. Venusaur!” Aidan hurled the corresponding ball, and from it emerged a simply massive specimen of the species.
Meep proved to be surprisingly tenacious for a pokémon that Eryk only really saw napping with Kas or hopping around in the grass. At one point, it almost looked like the venusaur might do itself in after a particularly well-placed Confuse Ray, but it recovered in enough time to throw Meep around with its vines, and the match ended when Kas withdrew her before she lost consciousness from strangling. He was still smiling faintly, but there was a kind of menace behind it that Eryk had never seen. It disappeared quickly, though.
Aidan threw his last ball. The pokémon inside was a scizor, much larger than typical of its kind. The pincers on the ends of its forelimbs rasped together menacingly with a sound like grating steel.
Kasimir tilted his head, then pinched a pokéball off his belt and threw it. His charizard emerged, dark under the overhead lights. Smoke curled from between her teeth. “Time to play a game, Princess,” Kas said, smiling like it really was one. She blew smoke out of her nostrils in response. “It’s called ‘barbeque.’”
A low snarl rumbled out of her belly, and with it came more smoke. If Kas had been playing around before, he was clearly not doing so now.
“Finally,” Aidan grumbled. “Takes a lot of Arceusdamn hard work to make you stop fucking around, huh?”
Kas’s smile tightened. “Flamethrower.”
The charizard exhaled them at once—they looked almost blue near the center of the gout. Scizor only barely got out of the way in time; one of his wings was still scorched heavily, and continued to smoke as he flew forward. “Night Slash!”
The technique was impressively swift. Princess Cinders—what a ridiculous name for a pokémon—simply tanked the blow. Why became clear soon enough. “Dragon Tail.”
Her tail glowed for a moment before she swung it—and the bright flame on it—towards Scizor, who was too close to escape it entirely. “Pin him.” Her tail slammed down from above, crushing the scizor to the ground. “Flamethrower. With feeling, this time.”
That ended it. The final count was 2-1, in Aidan’s favor, but neither of them walked away looking quite as satisfied as Katia had. Kas fished in his pocket, though, and tossed an object at Aidan, who caught it in midair.
“Burn Heal,” he explained. “Should take care of the worst of it, until you can get him to the center.” Aidan looked surprised for a moment, but nodded.
“Remi, you’re up.”
"Come on, darlin', I don't have all day now," Remi spoke, a little too excited for their battle, and stood. Cyrilla glanced back one last time towards Eryk, and gave his shoulder a soft squeeze. He was slightly worried, now. Both he and Kas lost. Cyrilla was going to lose, too. She must've known that, even as she smiled at him. She made her way towards the arena, pulling one of the pokéballs from her waist, and summoned Rapidash. "Aw, look how cute it is," Remi spoke, pulling a ball from her waist as well. She tossed it to reveal a Dewgong.
"Come on, give me a bit of a challenge, will ya?" Remi stated, throwing her arm out a little dramatically. Cyrilla merely frowned, and glanced towards her Rapidash. "Dewdrop, use Aqua Tail," she commanded, watching as a ring of water surrounded Dewgong's tail and lashed it towards Rapidash.
"Double Team, Rapidash!" Cyrilla commanded, watching as Rapidash ran around, making almost copies of itself. It didn't seem to work, though, as the Dewgong's attack hit, causing Rapidash to skid backwards a bit. "Are you okay?" she called out, as the pokémon nodded her head. "Use Solar Beam!" she commanded, watching as Rapidash charged for the attack.
It didn't take long for Remi and Cyrilla to get down to their last pokémon. Cyrilla had chosen Kenshin after Snow fell to Remi's Zebstrika, and Remi had chosen a Tyrantrum. Both pokémon seemed to stare each other down, waiting for their trainer's orders. Remi seemed too confident, as if she had the upper hand. She probably did considering she'd won two out of three battles so far. "Sorry sweet heart, but here's where we end this. Runt, use Aerial Ace, then use Head Smash," she commanded. It moved too fast for its size. It caught Kenshin off guard, and he was hit directly with Runt's Head Smash. He managed, however, to use his arms to absorb most of the impact.
"Kenshin, get away from it and use Aura Sphere," Cyrilla was trying her best to keep Kenshin from getting too close to Runt. Remi seemed ready for it, though, and countered with a Crunch. "Kenshin!" she shouted as Kenshin let out a cry of pain. He managed to pry the jaws off of his shoulder as he put a bit of distance between himself and Runt. "Kenshin are you alright?" she was worried about him now. Kenshin, however, merely nodded in response.
"Well isn't he the trooper?" Remi cut in, a wicked smile crossing her face. "Too bad, though. Runt, Aerial Ace and use Stomp!" she commanded. Kenshin was too injured to dodge that attack, and the large pokémon managed to land both attacks. Runt, however, kept repeating Stomp, pushing Kenshin further into the ground as a result. Eryk could see Cyrilla's eyes widen in fear. Remi's grin, however, turned into something morbid. Something that didn't seem quite human.
"Remi, stop! You're killing him!" Cyrilla shouted, evident concern lacing in her voice. She was pleading with Remi to call off her Tyrantrum, who kept his foot on Kenshin. Remi shot Cyrilla a feral grin, though. "Remi, stop!" she was pleading this time, causing Remi's grin to just widen further. She didn't seem to want to stop, and merely allowed Tyrantrum to continue using Stomp on Kenshin. The lucario appeared to be having difficulty fending off the Tyrantrum's foot, however; Remi finally sighed. There were visible tears in Cyrilla's eyes.
"Runt, knock it off will ya?" she finally spoke, watching as Tyrantrum backed off. Kenshin lay on the floor, the evidence of the harsh battle coating his fur. There were darker splotches laced in his fur that could only be blood. Remi was just as ruthless as Katia was, if a little more. Cyrilla ran out towards Kenshin, though, the battle already lost. She cradled him softly, and stroked his fur, trying her best to soothe him, it seemed. Kenshin merely raised one of his paws and wiped beneath her eyes, causing her to mutter something to him and shake her head. His paw dropped, though, and she called him back to his ball. Kenshin would need to get immediate care. There was a possibility that he could have broken ribs, or worse, a punctured lung.
“Remi.” Aidan didn’t sound particularly pleased with her. “That was fuckin’ unnecessary. We’re here to assess how they battle, not fuckin’ kill any pokémon. Team Rocket doesn’t do that shit—and we haven’t since before you joined.”
"Oh relax, Aidan. Runt wasn't going to kill him," Remi replied, seeming unfazed by his tone. Eryk, however, wasn't exactly happy about what transpired. She'd nearly had her Tyrantrum kill Kenshin. Kenshin had, at one time, belonged to him. And he did not like it. For once, though, he didn't do something stupid, like try to beat the living hell out of Remi. Instead, he walked calmly over towards Cyrilla, and laid a hand on her shoulder. She glanced up at him through tear-filled eyes. She said it softly, but he could hear his name on her lips, and she seemed deathly afraid.
"Come on Cy, let's take Kenshin to the center and have Joy look over him," he spoke softly as he offered her his hand. She took it and he helped her to his feet, watching as she tried to wipe the rest of her tears away. He turned a gaze towards Remi, though, and just glared at her. "Unless you have anything further, we're going to the Pokémon Center," he spoke, not giving them much time to reply. Whether Kas followed after them or not, Eryk didn't quite care at the moment.
Was she jealous?
"Hurry up, Eryk," her voice cut him out of his thoughts, and he simply stared at her. She was glaring at him, as usual. He was pretty sure he was glaring at her too. He didn't like her anymore than she liked him. She grabbed a pokéball from her side and gave it a careless toss. The red light faded to give way to her Glaceon, causing Eryk to frown slightly. Glaceon or not, he knew enough to not underestimate his cousin. She wasn't in the top of the organization for nothing, after all. He carefully shifted through his pokéballs. There were only five on his belt. He had six, but there was one he left back at the base on purpose. He couldn't risk hurting Mankey.
He chose one and pulled it from his belt, tossing it carefully onto the platform. Zoroark appeared, looking none to thrilled to be facing the opponent. He glanced back towards Eryk who merely nodded his head. Shaking his coat, Zoroark turned to face the glaceon whose gaze seemed to match her trainer's. This was not going to end well, he could feel it.
"Before we start, there are some ground rules to lay out. Each trainer is to use the maximum allowed pokémon. In this case, it will be five against five," Katia spoke, pulling out one of her pokéballs and tossing it towards Remi who seemed to catch it with a lazy raise of her hand. "Second, this is a test to see your progress and skill. These battles are not meant to be pleasant. Your pokémon will hurt and if it is deemed that you are unfit, you will be demoted," she spoke. He glanced towards the stand and could see Cyrilla flinch just slightly. This wouldn't be easy for her, but she had to do it. She knew the protocol when she became part of the Three. "Does anyone have anything to say or add?" Katia spoke, glancing towards the stand.
“Uh… can we just use three each? We might be here all day, otherwise.” Kas actually raised his hand to ask the question, like a student in a classroom or something. “If the point is just to assess our ability to battle, you’ll surely know how we’re doing by then, right?”
Aidan sighed. “I don’t fuckin’ care. We’ll say the number is picked by the people in the match, okay? Arceus, you talk too much.” He leaned back on the bleacher behind him with his elbows.
“It’s part of my charm,” Kas replied. Really, it was doubtful anyone else would be able to get away with backtalking the Birds, so maybe there was something true in the words.
"Whatever. We'll use three," Katia seemed reluctant to agree with it, but did so anyway. "It won't make any difference," she spoke, confidence laced in her voice. It probably wouldn't, but Eryk wasn't going to go down without giving her a good fight. She hated him; he hated her. He was going to make her work for her victory, if she won. "If you don't have anything else to say, let's get started," she stated, focusing back on Eryk. Without so much as a word, Glaceon was off.
It took a moment for Eryk to realize that the battle had, indeed, begun. "Zoroark, use Dig," he commanded, slightly grateful for the fact that Drake's Gym wasn't a typical Gym with hardwood floors. Zoroark obeyed, digging his way underground in time to miss Glaceon's Iron Tail. Katia didn't seem to worried about it, and instead, remained quiet. Her Glaceon did the same thing, her tail swaying from side to side. He narrowed his eyes just slightly before a soft nod gave way to Zoroark's reappearance.
"Hyper Beam," was the only command she gave before Glaceon released her attack. It hit, sending Zoroark flying into the Gym's wall. Eryk snapped his head in the direction of his Zoroark, and watched as he struggled to get to his feet. He narrowed his eyes slightly at Katia, who merely smirked at him. "Glaceon, go. Use Signal Beam," she spoke, her smirk widening just slightly. Eryk muttered a curse beneath his breath as he turned towards Zoroark.
"Counter with Flamethrower," he stated, watching as Zoroark struggled to use the attack. The collision of both attacks caused a small explosion, creating a cloud of dust.
"Quick Attack, then Ice Beam," he barely had time to register the attack when Glaceon appeared, head colliding with Zoroark's stomach, lurching him forward. Before he knew it, Zoroark was frozen, unable to move so much as a muscle. Something twisted in Eryk's gut as he glanced at his Zoroark. "That was too quick, Eryk. You've been slipping," she spoke, causing Eryk to turn and glare at her. She was right, about it being quick, though. For the first battle, that was too quick. She recalled her Glaceon as Eryk recalled his Zoroark, staring at the ball for a moment.
"Gengar," he spoke, tossing Gengar's ball out into the ring. Katia smirked as she pulled another ball and tossed it, revealing an Alakazam. "Shadow Ball," he wasn't going to give her the benefit of attacking first.
It seemed a little too surreal to Eryk.
He lost.
The battle between Gengar and Alakazam had almost ended in a draw, however; Alakazam managed to pull one final attack, and knocked Gengar out. Milotic didn't stand much of a chance against Katia's Nidoqueen. He'd lost his battle. Katia, however, didn't seem all too surprised, and merely stared at him. "That wasn't much of a challenge, Eryk," Katia spoke, a tone of disappointment in her voice. "But you lasted longer than I thought you would," she continued, earning a slight snicker from Remi.
"Consider yourself lucky," she ended and walked off the platform, signaling for the next challengers to take the stage. He didn't feel so lucky. He stayed where he was at for a moment before a hand rested on his arm. Cyrilla stared up at him, mustering a small smile as she led him off the floor. He'd lost his battle. To Katia. "Aidan, you're up next," Katia spoke as she situated herself far from Remi, but not too far.
“Great,” Aidan replied, obviously unenthusiastic. Still… he was a former pokémon champion, and clearly not someone to be messed with.
“Wish me luck!” Kas said brightly, hopping off his seat on the bleachers and straightening his less-formal uniform. It didn’t suit him any more than the formal one did; something about the stark black-and-white clashed with the warm hues of the rest of him, maybe.
He and Aidan took their spots at opposite sides of the gym. Aidan didn’t appear to care whether he picked his pokémon first or second, tossing out a pokéball almost immediately. Out popped a Manectric, electricity sparking off its sharply-pointed coat.
To meet the challenge, Kas summoned his gible. The small, landshark-like pokémon blinked blankly at his opponent, rolling back onto his tail. Like his trainer, he seemed to have no sense of urgency at all.
“It’s not like I care, but are you even taking this slightly seriously?” Aidan asked, frowning slightly at the scene in front of him.
“Sorry,” Kas replied with a shrug. “I’m just not a great trainer, I’m afraid. And I don’t take anything seriously. You can just ask Eryk about that.”
“Whatever. Quick Attack.” the manectric darted forward, zig-zagging its trajectory and getting in close.
“Double team, Jaws,” Kas called, like one might speak to a particularly slow child. There was a temporary delay, but then the gible appeared to concentrate very hard, and an illusory double appeared to either side of it. They scattered just before the quick attack hit, scrambling round in a chaotic mess that made it hard to keep track of which was which.
“Ice Fang—the middle one.”
“Ooh, that’s not very nice,” Kas remarked. “Picking on my little baby dragon-type with a nasty ice move like that. How about… Dragon Breath. You can do that, right Jaws?”
Manectric’s mouth closed over the gible in the middle, but it was the one on the left that expelled the breath attack, revealing itself as the real one all along. The electric pokémon was quick on the uptake, darting away and only barely being scored by the breath. Still, the first proper hit went to the innocently-smiling Kas.
“I told you I wasn’t very good,” he said with a shrug. “Half the time, I don’t even remember who has what moves. Really, it's a miracle they promoted me, isn’t it?”
“Are you trying to wind me up, you dumbass? ‘Cause it’s working,” Aidan growled. “Again, Manectric.”
There was only the one target this time, so Manectric closed swiftly and decisively.
“I swear he knows this one. It’s such a good move, but I always forget.” He thought about it for a split second. “Say Jaws?” Kas leaned over, his smile getting even bigger. “Earthquake.”
With enthusiasm, the little gible jumped high into the air. When he landed back on the ground, a shockwave spread from the point of his impact, shaking the entire gym and causing the ground to buckle and heave. One of the new fissures caught the manectric on its way to attack the gible, and threw it high in the air.
“Fuck it. Headbutt!” Aidan’s notoriously-short fuse had apparently lit. Manectric, heavily injured but still conscious, twisted in midair and landed, jumping immediately into an incredibly-fast charge. Jaws tried to get out of the way, but he was nowhere near fast enough, and the headbutt sent him flying into the same wall Zoroark had hit, and just as hard, from the look of it. “Now Ice Fang!”
This time, the attack connected—ice spread up the dazed gible’s body, and he fell over. Kas recalled him before he could so much as try to stand up again after that. He wasn’t smiling anymore; he wore a contemplative expression instead.
“We’re doing this league-style. You choose first this time,” Aidan snarled.
Kas blinked, but nodded. It only seemed to piss Aidan off even more when the pokémon he chose was Meep. “You can’t be fucking serious with this. Venusaur!” Aidan hurled the corresponding ball, and from it emerged a simply massive specimen of the species.
Meep proved to be surprisingly tenacious for a pokémon that Eryk only really saw napping with Kas or hopping around in the grass. At one point, it almost looked like the venusaur might do itself in after a particularly well-placed Confuse Ray, but it recovered in enough time to throw Meep around with its vines, and the match ended when Kas withdrew her before she lost consciousness from strangling. He was still smiling faintly, but there was a kind of menace behind it that Eryk had never seen. It disappeared quickly, though.
Aidan threw his last ball. The pokémon inside was a scizor, much larger than typical of its kind. The pincers on the ends of its forelimbs rasped together menacingly with a sound like grating steel.
Kasimir tilted his head, then pinched a pokéball off his belt and threw it. His charizard emerged, dark under the overhead lights. Smoke curled from between her teeth. “Time to play a game, Princess,” Kas said, smiling like it really was one. She blew smoke out of her nostrils in response. “It’s called ‘barbeque.’”
A low snarl rumbled out of her belly, and with it came more smoke. If Kas had been playing around before, he was clearly not doing so now.
“Finally,” Aidan grumbled. “Takes a lot of Arceusdamn hard work to make you stop fucking around, huh?”
Kas’s smile tightened. “Flamethrower.”
The charizard exhaled them at once—they looked almost blue near the center of the gout. Scizor only barely got out of the way in time; one of his wings was still scorched heavily, and continued to smoke as he flew forward. “Night Slash!”
The technique was impressively swift. Princess Cinders—what a ridiculous name for a pokémon—simply tanked the blow. Why became clear soon enough. “Dragon Tail.”
Her tail glowed for a moment before she swung it—and the bright flame on it—towards Scizor, who was too close to escape it entirely. “Pin him.” Her tail slammed down from above, crushing the scizor to the ground. “Flamethrower. With feeling, this time.”
That ended it. The final count was 2-1, in Aidan’s favor, but neither of them walked away looking quite as satisfied as Katia had. Kas fished in his pocket, though, and tossed an object at Aidan, who caught it in midair.
“Burn Heal,” he explained. “Should take care of the worst of it, until you can get him to the center.” Aidan looked surprised for a moment, but nodded.
“Remi, you’re up.”
"Come on, darlin', I don't have all day now," Remi spoke, a little too excited for their battle, and stood. Cyrilla glanced back one last time towards Eryk, and gave his shoulder a soft squeeze. He was slightly worried, now. Both he and Kas lost. Cyrilla was going to lose, too. She must've known that, even as she smiled at him. She made her way towards the arena, pulling one of the pokéballs from her waist, and summoned Rapidash. "Aw, look how cute it is," Remi spoke, pulling a ball from her waist as well. She tossed it to reveal a Dewgong.
"Come on, give me a bit of a challenge, will ya?" Remi stated, throwing her arm out a little dramatically. Cyrilla merely frowned, and glanced towards her Rapidash. "Dewdrop, use Aqua Tail," she commanded, watching as a ring of water surrounded Dewgong's tail and lashed it towards Rapidash.
"Double Team, Rapidash!" Cyrilla commanded, watching as Rapidash ran around, making almost copies of itself. It didn't seem to work, though, as the Dewgong's attack hit, causing Rapidash to skid backwards a bit. "Are you okay?" she called out, as the pokémon nodded her head. "Use Solar Beam!" she commanded, watching as Rapidash charged for the attack.
It didn't take long for Remi and Cyrilla to get down to their last pokémon. Cyrilla had chosen Kenshin after Snow fell to Remi's Zebstrika, and Remi had chosen a Tyrantrum. Both pokémon seemed to stare each other down, waiting for their trainer's orders. Remi seemed too confident, as if she had the upper hand. She probably did considering she'd won two out of three battles so far. "Sorry sweet heart, but here's where we end this. Runt, use Aerial Ace, then use Head Smash," she commanded. It moved too fast for its size. It caught Kenshin off guard, and he was hit directly with Runt's Head Smash. He managed, however, to use his arms to absorb most of the impact.
"Kenshin, get away from it and use Aura Sphere," Cyrilla was trying her best to keep Kenshin from getting too close to Runt. Remi seemed ready for it, though, and countered with a Crunch. "Kenshin!" she shouted as Kenshin let out a cry of pain. He managed to pry the jaws off of his shoulder as he put a bit of distance between himself and Runt. "Kenshin are you alright?" she was worried about him now. Kenshin, however, merely nodded in response.
"Well isn't he the trooper?" Remi cut in, a wicked smile crossing her face. "Too bad, though. Runt, Aerial Ace and use Stomp!" she commanded. Kenshin was too injured to dodge that attack, and the large pokémon managed to land both attacks. Runt, however, kept repeating Stomp, pushing Kenshin further into the ground as a result. Eryk could see Cyrilla's eyes widen in fear. Remi's grin, however, turned into something morbid. Something that didn't seem quite human.
"Remi, stop! You're killing him!" Cyrilla shouted, evident concern lacing in her voice. She was pleading with Remi to call off her Tyrantrum, who kept his foot on Kenshin. Remi shot Cyrilla a feral grin, though. "Remi, stop!" she was pleading this time, causing Remi's grin to just widen further. She didn't seem to want to stop, and merely allowed Tyrantrum to continue using Stomp on Kenshin. The lucario appeared to be having difficulty fending off the Tyrantrum's foot, however; Remi finally sighed. There were visible tears in Cyrilla's eyes.
"Runt, knock it off will ya?" she finally spoke, watching as Tyrantrum backed off. Kenshin lay on the floor, the evidence of the harsh battle coating his fur. There were darker splotches laced in his fur that could only be blood. Remi was just as ruthless as Katia was, if a little more. Cyrilla ran out towards Kenshin, though, the battle already lost. She cradled him softly, and stroked his fur, trying her best to soothe him, it seemed. Kenshin merely raised one of his paws and wiped beneath her eyes, causing her to mutter something to him and shake her head. His paw dropped, though, and she called him back to his ball. Kenshin would need to get immediate care. There was a possibility that he could have broken ribs, or worse, a punctured lung.
“Remi.” Aidan didn’t sound particularly pleased with her. “That was fuckin’ unnecessary. We’re here to assess how they battle, not fuckin’ kill any pokémon. Team Rocket doesn’t do that shit—and we haven’t since before you joined.”
"Oh relax, Aidan. Runt wasn't going to kill him," Remi replied, seeming unfazed by his tone. Eryk, however, wasn't exactly happy about what transpired. She'd nearly had her Tyrantrum kill Kenshin. Kenshin had, at one time, belonged to him. And he did not like it. For once, though, he didn't do something stupid, like try to beat the living hell out of Remi. Instead, he walked calmly over towards Cyrilla, and laid a hand on her shoulder. She glanced up at him through tear-filled eyes. She said it softly, but he could hear his name on her lips, and she seemed deathly afraid.
"Come on Cy, let's take Kenshin to the center and have Joy look over him," he spoke softly as he offered her his hand. She took it and he helped her to his feet, watching as she tried to wipe the rest of her tears away. He turned a gaze towards Remi, though, and just glared at her. "Unless you have anything further, we're going to the Pokémon Center," he spoke, not giving them much time to reply. Whether Kas followed after them or not, Eryk didn't quite care at the moment.
“Aunt Joy, where do you want these?” Ana dipped her chin towards the boxes in her arms. The new shipment of medicine had just come in, and the Center was currently closed to non-emergencies, so they were taking the opportunity to take inventory and stock the shelves.
“Third shelf in the back,” her aunt replied, tagging another bundle of clean syringes and sorting them into a clear plastic storage container. Their individual wrappings kept them sanitary; keeping them together and out of easy reach prevented any other sorts of accidents.
Ana nodded, heading back to the storage room and pushing the door open with her hip. The shelf was a little high for her to reach on her own, so she imagined the boxes floating out of her arms and into their places. She felt the pressure on her arms ease as they did just that, temporarily encased with the pale blue of her telekinetic talent. She generally tried to get by in life without it, because exercise helped keep her strong and healthy, but there were times when it was admittedly very useful.
She was humming to herself and rearranging some of the things on an adjacent shelf when her aunt’s voiced reached her, much more urgently this time. “Anastasia! We’ve got an emergency in the lobby. Get them to room three as soon as possible please.”
Ana’s eyes went wide; emergency cases were rare—even as a result of gym battles. She ran out to the waiting room, making sure the hallway was clear and grabbing a gurney on the way, in case it was necessary. When she pushed it through the doors into the front, she nearly stopped dead at what she saw. “You guys,” she breathed. It was Cyrilla, Eryk, and Kas; she might have been happy to see them, half a week early, but it was quite ruined by the looks on their faces. “Um… please release whoever needs treatment. We’ll take care of things. My aunt’s here, so it’s not just me—don’t worry.”
Both Eryk and Cyrilla looked a little surprised to see her, however; it was evident that Cyrilla had been crying, and Eryk looked angry. Whatever the reason, the expressions softened somewhat, at least on Eryk's side as he shook his head. Cyrilla, however, looked like she was trying her best to keep herself from spilling forward. "It's Kenshin, Ana. He's... he's hurt," she spoke, though it didn't sound like her. Her voice was cracked just lightly, and seemed too soft. She pulled out the pokéball that held Kenshin in it and held it out to Ana. "Please help him," she pleaded, her hands shaking just slightly as she tried to give Ana the pokéball. It was Eryk's hand that managed to steady her own, and he simply glanced up at Ana.
"He was crushed by a Tyrantrum," he tried to explain the situation. "He is bleeding, we know that much, but we don't know if he has internal bleeding or any fractured ribs. Tyrantrum was not... kind, in the battle," he spoke, but even that didn't seem right to him. It was like he tried to say something else, but it wouldn't come out right. Cyrilla looked as if she couldn't speak any further than she already had.
Their words, and the fact that even Kas looked visibly disturbed, clued her in to the severity of the issue, and Ana took the pokéball immediately, cradling it to herself. “We’ll do everything we can, Cyrilla, I promise,” she swore, pursing her lips and not even trying to smile. “We don’t… you can come back if you like, but please stay behind the glass; we need to be able to move around as necessary to get to everything.”
She didn’t wait for an answer—Cy would follow if she wanted, and remain there if she decided that was better. More important right now was getting Kenshin to the emergency room. Ana pushed open the door to room three, where her aunt was already scrubbing down. Ana quickly released the pokéball onto the surgery table, then scrubbed up herself, snapping her aunt’s gloves on, then washing her hands again and doing the same for herself.
“What happened?” Aunt Joy’s tone was crisp and professional, but she couldn’t keep the edge from her voice—she was clearly appalled by the lucario’s condition.
Frankly, Ana was, too—but it was worse, because this was a pokémon she knew personally, and one who was partnered with a close friend. “The injuries are blunt-force trauma,” she said, keeping her voice level and calm. That was what was needed to help Kenshin now. “His bones are broken in several places, and I think… I think he’s bleeding internally. Her talents had useful diagnostic applications, and she didn’t hesitate to use them here.
Aunt Joy nodded. “Then we’ll need to open him up and get everything sorted out inside first. Scalpel.”
Ana nodded smartly and retrieved the implement, placing it into her aunt’s waiting hand. She immediately switched on the anesthetic machine they had, applying the mask to Kenshin’s face and adjusting the dose to keep him sedated through the surgery. Unfortunately, there wasn’t time to hook him up to all the right monitors before they got started—she’d have to do that as they went along.
She spared a glance up at the glass pane separating the operating theater from the observation room. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea for Cyrilla to see this…
Cyrilla had followed, and so did Eryk and Kas, however; she didn't tear her eyes away from the scene. She looked worried about Kenshin, and if that was what was keeping her here, then she wouldn't leave even if she shouldn't see it. Kenshin was as important to her as anything else, just as the center was important to Ana. Her hand was gripped tightly in Eryk's though, and he merely stared through the window, back at Ana. He might not appear to be so, but he looked genuinely worried too. It looked for a moment, though, that Cyrilla tried to give Ana a reassuring smile, but it didn't quite reach her face.
"Whatever you have to do," Cyrilla seemed to mouth as she waited behind the glass. There wasn't much Cyrilla could do, but it looked like she was putting everything on Ana and her Aunt.
Ana nodded—anything else would have been precluded by the surgical mask she wore anyway. She didn’t take special care to block view of the worst; Cyrilla probably wouldn’t want that. Besides, Ana would have hated it if someone tried to do that to her.
“Ana, I’m going to hold this clamp here. Your hands are smaller than mine; I need you to go in and pick out the bone fragments lodged in the lungs.”
She swallowed. “O-okay.” She’d learned how to do parts of this, like everyone in her family did, but she’d never expected that she’d need the knowledge. Her aunt coached her through the process with calm words, and slowly, they managed to get everything in Kenshin rearranged the way it should be, setting his bones back in place and siphoning extra blood away before the stitched his organs closed. Ana did that bit, too—some of the damage was difficult to reach, and having the extra help of being able to move the needle with her mind helped, if only a little.
Her aunt sutured the surgical wounds closed, though, and nodded at Ana. She took all of Kenshin’s readings again, then administered a hyper potion by injection, which should speed along the process of his bones fusing together. The internal stitches were designed to dissolve when they were no longer needed. In all, the surgery took nearly three hours. None of them left.
“Go give your friends the prognosis,” Aunt Joy said. “I can take care of the rest here.”
Ana snapped her gloves off, disposing of them in one of the biohazard waste bins, washing her hands before she took off her hair net and dropped her mask down around her neck. Still in her greenish surgical scrubs, she headed out into the hallway. “Um… he’s going to be okay,” she said, knowing that was the news they’d want first. “The internal damage was… well, it was really bad. It will probably take him several weeks to recover fully, and regular checkups with my aunt. And… depending on how his recovery goes, he may or may not be… well, it might turn out that he shouldn’t battle anymore. But we won’t know that for sure until he’s started to recover. He’ll otherwise make a full recovery, though; I’m sure of it.”
Cyrilla released her hold on Eryk's hand, apparently reluctant to remove it the three hours Kenshin was in surgery. She looked relieved, but there was still worry in her eyes. "I shouldn't have battled," she spoke softly. "I should have just let them demote me. Kenshin... he's hurt because," she started, but Eryk squeezed her shoulder softly.
"He wouldn't have let you, Cy, you know that," he spoke as she tried to regain her composure by wiping her tears away. She simply nodded, and muttered something beneath her breath. It sounded like 'you're right,' but it was too low to register. "He's going to be okay, Cy," Eryk continued. She seemed to accept it now, since she was no longer trembling.
"I'm... going to have to find the best caramel apple recipe to make it up to him," she finally spoke, a small smile crossing her lips. "Can... Can I stay the night, with him?" she glanced up towards Ana. Likely, he'd be kept overnight just to be monitored before he could be discharged. Cyrilla didn't seem to want to leave his side quite yet.
"If you stay, I'll go back to the base and... have a few choice words with Remi," he spoke, causing Cyrilla to winch just slightly. "Ana, will you stay with her?" he asked. It looked like he wanted to stay too, but whoever Remi was, seemed more important.
Ana wasn’t sure exactly what was going on. Was this somehow related to the inspection they were supposed to be having all week? In the end, she decided it didn’t matter. “Of course I will. We can get set up in Kenshin’s room as soon as we move him to a recovery space instead of here,” she said, smiling softly at Cyrilla. She moved her eyes briefly to Kasimir. “Would you want to stay as well?”
He hesitated a moment, looking more obviously unsure than she’d ever seen him. “I… no, thank you. I think I’ll just go with Eryk. A little backup might be good, for what he’s going to do.” He tried to half-smile, but it didn’t fool Ana.
She nodded anyway. “Okay, well… let me go help Aunt Joy get him to one of the recovery rooms then. Cy, if you want to meet us there, it’ll be room nine.” She paused, then looked at the other two. “And… whatever you’re going to do… be careful, please. I don’t know what’s going on, but it seems serious, and I really don’t want anyone else getting hurt, okay?” She wasn’t equipped to do surgery on people, and she really didn’t want to see her friends in the hospital.
"I'll be careful," he spoke, seemingly to reassure her more than himself. His face was still oddly pulled into a passive glance, but there was some heat to it. What transpired really seemed to set him off. "We'll be back in the morning, Cy, Ana," he spoke, turning to leave but paused. "Take care of them both," he spoke, glancing directly at Ana. Even though she said she would, he seemed to need a sort of reassurance. He was gone thereafter. Kas offered a smile, then loped after Eryk.
"I'll meet you in room nine, then," Cyrilla spoke, leaving the surgery room as well to make her way towards the room Kenshin would be moved to.
Ana sighed. She wished she knew what was going on. Being in the dark like this made her feel next to useless. Still... for now, she had a patient to take care of and a friend to comfort. Hopefully, she could at least do that much.
“Third shelf in the back,” her aunt replied, tagging another bundle of clean syringes and sorting them into a clear plastic storage container. Their individual wrappings kept them sanitary; keeping them together and out of easy reach prevented any other sorts of accidents.
Ana nodded, heading back to the storage room and pushing the door open with her hip. The shelf was a little high for her to reach on her own, so she imagined the boxes floating out of her arms and into their places. She felt the pressure on her arms ease as they did just that, temporarily encased with the pale blue of her telekinetic talent. She generally tried to get by in life without it, because exercise helped keep her strong and healthy, but there were times when it was admittedly very useful.
She was humming to herself and rearranging some of the things on an adjacent shelf when her aunt’s voiced reached her, much more urgently this time. “Anastasia! We’ve got an emergency in the lobby. Get them to room three as soon as possible please.”
Ana’s eyes went wide; emergency cases were rare—even as a result of gym battles. She ran out to the waiting room, making sure the hallway was clear and grabbing a gurney on the way, in case it was necessary. When she pushed it through the doors into the front, she nearly stopped dead at what she saw. “You guys,” she breathed. It was Cyrilla, Eryk, and Kas; she might have been happy to see them, half a week early, but it was quite ruined by the looks on their faces. “Um… please release whoever needs treatment. We’ll take care of things. My aunt’s here, so it’s not just me—don’t worry.”
Both Eryk and Cyrilla looked a little surprised to see her, however; it was evident that Cyrilla had been crying, and Eryk looked angry. Whatever the reason, the expressions softened somewhat, at least on Eryk's side as he shook his head. Cyrilla, however, looked like she was trying her best to keep herself from spilling forward. "It's Kenshin, Ana. He's... he's hurt," she spoke, though it didn't sound like her. Her voice was cracked just lightly, and seemed too soft. She pulled out the pokéball that held Kenshin in it and held it out to Ana. "Please help him," she pleaded, her hands shaking just slightly as she tried to give Ana the pokéball. It was Eryk's hand that managed to steady her own, and he simply glanced up at Ana.
"He was crushed by a Tyrantrum," he tried to explain the situation. "He is bleeding, we know that much, but we don't know if he has internal bleeding or any fractured ribs. Tyrantrum was not... kind, in the battle," he spoke, but even that didn't seem right to him. It was like he tried to say something else, but it wouldn't come out right. Cyrilla looked as if she couldn't speak any further than she already had.
Their words, and the fact that even Kas looked visibly disturbed, clued her in to the severity of the issue, and Ana took the pokéball immediately, cradling it to herself. “We’ll do everything we can, Cyrilla, I promise,” she swore, pursing her lips and not even trying to smile. “We don’t… you can come back if you like, but please stay behind the glass; we need to be able to move around as necessary to get to everything.”
She didn’t wait for an answer—Cy would follow if she wanted, and remain there if she decided that was better. More important right now was getting Kenshin to the emergency room. Ana pushed open the door to room three, where her aunt was already scrubbing down. Ana quickly released the pokéball onto the surgery table, then scrubbed up herself, snapping her aunt’s gloves on, then washing her hands again and doing the same for herself.
“What happened?” Aunt Joy’s tone was crisp and professional, but she couldn’t keep the edge from her voice—she was clearly appalled by the lucario’s condition.
Frankly, Ana was, too—but it was worse, because this was a pokémon she knew personally, and one who was partnered with a close friend. “The injuries are blunt-force trauma,” she said, keeping her voice level and calm. That was what was needed to help Kenshin now. “His bones are broken in several places, and I think… I think he’s bleeding internally. Her talents had useful diagnostic applications, and she didn’t hesitate to use them here.
Aunt Joy nodded. “Then we’ll need to open him up and get everything sorted out inside first. Scalpel.”
Ana nodded smartly and retrieved the implement, placing it into her aunt’s waiting hand. She immediately switched on the anesthetic machine they had, applying the mask to Kenshin’s face and adjusting the dose to keep him sedated through the surgery. Unfortunately, there wasn’t time to hook him up to all the right monitors before they got started—she’d have to do that as they went along.
She spared a glance up at the glass pane separating the operating theater from the observation room. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea for Cyrilla to see this…
Cyrilla had followed, and so did Eryk and Kas, however; she didn't tear her eyes away from the scene. She looked worried about Kenshin, and if that was what was keeping her here, then she wouldn't leave even if she shouldn't see it. Kenshin was as important to her as anything else, just as the center was important to Ana. Her hand was gripped tightly in Eryk's though, and he merely stared through the window, back at Ana. He might not appear to be so, but he looked genuinely worried too. It looked for a moment, though, that Cyrilla tried to give Ana a reassuring smile, but it didn't quite reach her face.
"Whatever you have to do," Cyrilla seemed to mouth as she waited behind the glass. There wasn't much Cyrilla could do, but it looked like she was putting everything on Ana and her Aunt.
Ana nodded—anything else would have been precluded by the surgical mask she wore anyway. She didn’t take special care to block view of the worst; Cyrilla probably wouldn’t want that. Besides, Ana would have hated it if someone tried to do that to her.
“Ana, I’m going to hold this clamp here. Your hands are smaller than mine; I need you to go in and pick out the bone fragments lodged in the lungs.”
She swallowed. “O-okay.” She’d learned how to do parts of this, like everyone in her family did, but she’d never expected that she’d need the knowledge. Her aunt coached her through the process with calm words, and slowly, they managed to get everything in Kenshin rearranged the way it should be, setting his bones back in place and siphoning extra blood away before the stitched his organs closed. Ana did that bit, too—some of the damage was difficult to reach, and having the extra help of being able to move the needle with her mind helped, if only a little.
Her aunt sutured the surgical wounds closed, though, and nodded at Ana. She took all of Kenshin’s readings again, then administered a hyper potion by injection, which should speed along the process of his bones fusing together. The internal stitches were designed to dissolve when they were no longer needed. In all, the surgery took nearly three hours. None of them left.
“Go give your friends the prognosis,” Aunt Joy said. “I can take care of the rest here.”
Ana snapped her gloves off, disposing of them in one of the biohazard waste bins, washing her hands before she took off her hair net and dropped her mask down around her neck. Still in her greenish surgical scrubs, she headed out into the hallway. “Um… he’s going to be okay,” she said, knowing that was the news they’d want first. “The internal damage was… well, it was really bad. It will probably take him several weeks to recover fully, and regular checkups with my aunt. And… depending on how his recovery goes, he may or may not be… well, it might turn out that he shouldn’t battle anymore. But we won’t know that for sure until he’s started to recover. He’ll otherwise make a full recovery, though; I’m sure of it.”
Cyrilla released her hold on Eryk's hand, apparently reluctant to remove it the three hours Kenshin was in surgery. She looked relieved, but there was still worry in her eyes. "I shouldn't have battled," she spoke softly. "I should have just let them demote me. Kenshin... he's hurt because," she started, but Eryk squeezed her shoulder softly.
"He wouldn't have let you, Cy, you know that," he spoke as she tried to regain her composure by wiping her tears away. She simply nodded, and muttered something beneath her breath. It sounded like 'you're right,' but it was too low to register. "He's going to be okay, Cy," Eryk continued. She seemed to accept it now, since she was no longer trembling.
"I'm... going to have to find the best caramel apple recipe to make it up to him," she finally spoke, a small smile crossing her lips. "Can... Can I stay the night, with him?" she glanced up towards Ana. Likely, he'd be kept overnight just to be monitored before he could be discharged. Cyrilla didn't seem to want to leave his side quite yet.
"If you stay, I'll go back to the base and... have a few choice words with Remi," he spoke, causing Cyrilla to winch just slightly. "Ana, will you stay with her?" he asked. It looked like he wanted to stay too, but whoever Remi was, seemed more important.
Ana wasn’t sure exactly what was going on. Was this somehow related to the inspection they were supposed to be having all week? In the end, she decided it didn’t matter. “Of course I will. We can get set up in Kenshin’s room as soon as we move him to a recovery space instead of here,” she said, smiling softly at Cyrilla. She moved her eyes briefly to Kasimir. “Would you want to stay as well?”
He hesitated a moment, looking more obviously unsure than she’d ever seen him. “I… no, thank you. I think I’ll just go with Eryk. A little backup might be good, for what he’s going to do.” He tried to half-smile, but it didn’t fool Ana.
She nodded anyway. “Okay, well… let me go help Aunt Joy get him to one of the recovery rooms then. Cy, if you want to meet us there, it’ll be room nine.” She paused, then looked at the other two. “And… whatever you’re going to do… be careful, please. I don’t know what’s going on, but it seems serious, and I really don’t want anyone else getting hurt, okay?” She wasn’t equipped to do surgery on people, and she really didn’t want to see her friends in the hospital.
"I'll be careful," he spoke, seemingly to reassure her more than himself. His face was still oddly pulled into a passive glance, but there was some heat to it. What transpired really seemed to set him off. "We'll be back in the morning, Cy, Ana," he spoke, turning to leave but paused. "Take care of them both," he spoke, glancing directly at Ana. Even though she said she would, he seemed to need a sort of reassurance. He was gone thereafter. Kas offered a smile, then loped after Eryk.
"I'll meet you in room nine, then," Cyrilla spoke, leaving the surgery room as well to make her way towards the room Kenshin would be moved to.
Ana sighed. She wished she knew what was going on. Being in the dark like this made her feel next to useless. Still... for now, she had a patient to take care of and a friend to comfort. Hopefully, she could at least do that much.
Cyrilla stroked Kenshin's fur, staring at him as he slept. It took all the strength she could muster to not break down, to cry when she so desperately wanted to. She'd almost lost him. Remi could have stopped her Tyrantrum, but she didn't. It was as if she wanted Tyrantrum to finish the job, and that thought scared Cyrilla. What kind of person would take pleasure in killing someone else's pokémon? She sighed softly, lifting her hand from Kenshin's fur and slipping it into his paw. He was warm, perhaps more-so than usually, however; she put it down as to the surgery and a slight fever he might be running. They had given him medicine, so that would help him in the long run.
"I'm sorry, Kenshin. I didn't think she would do that," she whispered to him, leaning over to place a soft kiss on his forehead. He still hadn't stirred, and was likely to be out until tomorrow. There was also a possibility that he would be out for a few days after if he didn't wake. He was already passed out by the time they got him to the center, so depending on his recovery... it was a thought she had to push from her mind. He was going to get better; she just had to wait. Hand still in his, Cyrilla turned to spot Anastasia walking in, carrying two cups of something warm. She offered her a soft smile.
"Thank you, Ana, for helping him," she spoke. If Ana or her aunt weren't here, there was a big chance she would have lost Kenshin. If it weren't for them, she would have lost him. She shuddered at the thought. He was her first pokémon, the one she began her journey with. He was just a Riolu, then, but he was special to her. He was special because Eryk had given him to her. She smiled at the thought. "He's my first," she began, trying to take her mind elsewhere.
"I've had him since he was just a Riolu, and I was ten years old. Eryk... actually gave him to me after an incident at home. I... had tried to run away, but they sent him after me. Instead of... instead of punishing me like they told him to, he gave me Kenshin. He's been with me ever since," she began, turning her gaze back to Kenshin. "But she... she tried, I know she did," and that was the scariest part about it. If Remi had succeeded in killing Kenshin, Cyrilla wasn't too sure how she would have reacted. It wouldn't have been good, either way.
"It was supposed to be a simple inspection. Sometimes, those inspections require us to test our skills as a trainer, to see if we are fit for our ranks. Kas, Ryk, and I... we're Executives," she spoke, glancing back at Ana. She probably shouldn't be telling her too much, but she felt like Ana deserved to know something. She already knew they worked for Team Rocket, what harm could there be for letting their ranks be known? Cyrilla sighed softly.
Ana frowned thoughtfully, hooking her fingers through the handle of her mug. Both of them seemed to contain a thick hot chocolate or something—it smelled faintly of cinnamon and nutmeg. Quietly, she moved to stand beside Cyrilla, slipping her free hand in hers and guiding her gently to the chairs. They’d been placed right by Kenshin’s bedside. They sat, and Ana pulled her legs up underneath her and leaned slightly to the side, so that she was pressed shoulder-to-shoulder with Cy.
“I kind of thought you might be,” she said simply. There didn’t seem to be any disappointment or anger in her tone—it was almost as though she really meant what she’d said, back then. That she didn’t think any less of any of them for being part of Team Rocket. Taking a sip of her hot chocolate, Ana sighed softly through her nose. “I have to assume… that inspections don’t normally go like this, even the ones where you have to battle.”
Cyrilla took a sip of her hot chocolate, and leaned a little further so that she could rest her head on Ana's shoulder. Strange that she'd find a bit of comfort in doing that, since Ana was a target, but she found she didn't particularly care at the moment. "Battle inspections are supposed to determine whether or not we are fit for our ranks, or how well we've been taking care of our pokémon. If we fail them, either we are demoted, or our pokémon are taken away if they show signs of obvious mistreatment. But this one, this battle... it wasn't right," she spoke, finding her voice just mildly soft.
"I didn't expect it to go that way. They never have," she confessed just lightly. She gripped her cup a little tightly before she relaxed her hand. "I think... I really think she was trying to kill him. And she looked like she was enjoying it," she continued, glancing in Kenshin's direction. She could see the soft rising of his chest, but it still looked a little hard.
"I'm sorry to have to put this all on you, Ana," she spoke, lifting her head from Ana's shoulder. She didn't want to dump all of her problems on Ana, even though it was difficult not to. She was sure the young woman had other problems to deal with, and listening to her problems wasn't something that she needed.
Ana shook her head, only slightly. “It’s like I told you, Cy,” she said, turning a bit so as to make eye contact. “There’s not… I don’t think there’s much I can do to help with the root problem here. But… I’m happy to do what I can do. I want to help. That’s what friends do, and I… well, I’m your friend.” The corner of her mouth pulled upwards, if only for a moment.
She dropped her eyes, then, staring down into her mug as though searching very hard for some answer inside it. “I can’t… I don’t understand why anyone would do something like that. So I can’t explain why it happened, or give any reason. But what I do know is… some people just… they don’t care enough. They like causing pain—maybe because it makes them feel powerful, maybe for some other reason.” Her eyes closed for a moment, the expression on her face tightening to something like pain.
“I’ve seen… lots of the results of that, because pokémon are often safer targets than people. It’s easy to say that it was just an accident of battle, or an overzealous training session. But… I can tell, when something happened because someone wanted to cause pain. It’s never easy to see, and I can’t ever explain it. Is… is there anyone you can report it to? Something like that should be against Team Rocket’s rules, right?”
"It is against our rules, but... she's... she's at a higher rank than all of us. They might just put it down as my incompetence as a trainer, or that I should have expected one of my pokémon to get hurt. Plus, it would be hard to prove that she was, actually, enjoying it. I think... there might be one person who could report it, but I don't think he would. He... did get mad at her, though, so," she spoke. Aidan was, perhaps, the only other person who could report it, but it's likely that he wouldn't. Even so, she wouldn't be able to just tell him something like that. She wasn't afraid of him like she was Katia, mainly because Aidan was almost similar to Ryk. She could handle his personality. She couldn't really explain it, though.
"Thanks Ana, for listening, though. I'll... figure something out," and she would. Maybe she would report it, or at least attempt to.
Ana hummed. “It’s no problem. I’d advise you to at least put it on the record, though. You can’t know what the evidence will mean to other people, so it makes sense to have it there just in case. Plus… it feels at least a little better to do something in situations like this, at least for me. I file paperwork with Team Rocket for every pokémon that comes through my door, even if I can’t prove abuse or don’t know who the trainer is. There’s always a chance more information will show up later.”
She fell silent after that, though; her eyes wandered to Kenshin’s various monitors. It was easy to tell that she was reading them, but since she didn’t move to get up, it seemed that everything was still okay—or at least… not worse.
"Yeah," she replied, though she didn't say anything else. It would probably be best to have something on file. Maybe she'll talk with Aidan, or if worse comes to it, Katia. Maybe... maybe one of them could do something about it, eventually. "I hope Eryk and Kas are doing alright," she muttered quietly. She knew they were, but she was slightly worried. Eryk wasn't exactly in a good mood when he left. She just hoped he didn't do something he'll regret later.
"I'm sorry, Kenshin. I didn't think she would do that," she whispered to him, leaning over to place a soft kiss on his forehead. He still hadn't stirred, and was likely to be out until tomorrow. There was also a possibility that he would be out for a few days after if he didn't wake. He was already passed out by the time they got him to the center, so depending on his recovery... it was a thought she had to push from her mind. He was going to get better; she just had to wait. Hand still in his, Cyrilla turned to spot Anastasia walking in, carrying two cups of something warm. She offered her a soft smile.
"Thank you, Ana, for helping him," she spoke. If Ana or her aunt weren't here, there was a big chance she would have lost Kenshin. If it weren't for them, she would have lost him. She shuddered at the thought. He was her first pokémon, the one she began her journey with. He was just a Riolu, then, but he was special to her. He was special because Eryk had given him to her. She smiled at the thought. "He's my first," she began, trying to take her mind elsewhere.
"I've had him since he was just a Riolu, and I was ten years old. Eryk... actually gave him to me after an incident at home. I... had tried to run away, but they sent him after me. Instead of... instead of punishing me like they told him to, he gave me Kenshin. He's been with me ever since," she began, turning her gaze back to Kenshin. "But she... she tried, I know she did," and that was the scariest part about it. If Remi had succeeded in killing Kenshin, Cyrilla wasn't too sure how she would have reacted. It wouldn't have been good, either way.
"It was supposed to be a simple inspection. Sometimes, those inspections require us to test our skills as a trainer, to see if we are fit for our ranks. Kas, Ryk, and I... we're Executives," she spoke, glancing back at Ana. She probably shouldn't be telling her too much, but she felt like Ana deserved to know something. She already knew they worked for Team Rocket, what harm could there be for letting their ranks be known? Cyrilla sighed softly.
Ana frowned thoughtfully, hooking her fingers through the handle of her mug. Both of them seemed to contain a thick hot chocolate or something—it smelled faintly of cinnamon and nutmeg. Quietly, she moved to stand beside Cyrilla, slipping her free hand in hers and guiding her gently to the chairs. They’d been placed right by Kenshin’s bedside. They sat, and Ana pulled her legs up underneath her and leaned slightly to the side, so that she was pressed shoulder-to-shoulder with Cy.
“I kind of thought you might be,” she said simply. There didn’t seem to be any disappointment or anger in her tone—it was almost as though she really meant what she’d said, back then. That she didn’t think any less of any of them for being part of Team Rocket. Taking a sip of her hot chocolate, Ana sighed softly through her nose. “I have to assume… that inspections don’t normally go like this, even the ones where you have to battle.”
Cyrilla took a sip of her hot chocolate, and leaned a little further so that she could rest her head on Ana's shoulder. Strange that she'd find a bit of comfort in doing that, since Ana was a target, but she found she didn't particularly care at the moment. "Battle inspections are supposed to determine whether or not we are fit for our ranks, or how well we've been taking care of our pokémon. If we fail them, either we are demoted, or our pokémon are taken away if they show signs of obvious mistreatment. But this one, this battle... it wasn't right," she spoke, finding her voice just mildly soft.
"I didn't expect it to go that way. They never have," she confessed just lightly. She gripped her cup a little tightly before she relaxed her hand. "I think... I really think she was trying to kill him. And she looked like she was enjoying it," she continued, glancing in Kenshin's direction. She could see the soft rising of his chest, but it still looked a little hard.
"I'm sorry to have to put this all on you, Ana," she spoke, lifting her head from Ana's shoulder. She didn't want to dump all of her problems on Ana, even though it was difficult not to. She was sure the young woman had other problems to deal with, and listening to her problems wasn't something that she needed.
Ana shook her head, only slightly. “It’s like I told you, Cy,” she said, turning a bit so as to make eye contact. “There’s not… I don’t think there’s much I can do to help with the root problem here. But… I’m happy to do what I can do. I want to help. That’s what friends do, and I… well, I’m your friend.” The corner of her mouth pulled upwards, if only for a moment.
She dropped her eyes, then, staring down into her mug as though searching very hard for some answer inside it. “I can’t… I don’t understand why anyone would do something like that. So I can’t explain why it happened, or give any reason. But what I do know is… some people just… they don’t care enough. They like causing pain—maybe because it makes them feel powerful, maybe for some other reason.” Her eyes closed for a moment, the expression on her face tightening to something like pain.
“I’ve seen… lots of the results of that, because pokémon are often safer targets than people. It’s easy to say that it was just an accident of battle, or an overzealous training session. But… I can tell, when something happened because someone wanted to cause pain. It’s never easy to see, and I can’t ever explain it. Is… is there anyone you can report it to? Something like that should be against Team Rocket’s rules, right?”
"It is against our rules, but... she's... she's at a higher rank than all of us. They might just put it down as my incompetence as a trainer, or that I should have expected one of my pokémon to get hurt. Plus, it would be hard to prove that she was, actually, enjoying it. I think... there might be one person who could report it, but I don't think he would. He... did get mad at her, though, so," she spoke. Aidan was, perhaps, the only other person who could report it, but it's likely that he wouldn't. Even so, she wouldn't be able to just tell him something like that. She wasn't afraid of him like she was Katia, mainly because Aidan was almost similar to Ryk. She could handle his personality. She couldn't really explain it, though.
"Thanks Ana, for listening, though. I'll... figure something out," and she would. Maybe she would report it, or at least attempt to.
Ana hummed. “It’s no problem. I’d advise you to at least put it on the record, though. You can’t know what the evidence will mean to other people, so it makes sense to have it there just in case. Plus… it feels at least a little better to do something in situations like this, at least for me. I file paperwork with Team Rocket for every pokémon that comes through my door, even if I can’t prove abuse or don’t know who the trainer is. There’s always a chance more information will show up later.”
She fell silent after that, though; her eyes wandered to Kenshin’s various monitors. It was easy to tell that she was reading them, but since she didn’t move to get up, it seemed that everything was still okay—or at least… not worse.
"Yeah," she replied, though she didn't say anything else. It would probably be best to have something on file. Maybe she'll talk with Aidan, or if worse comes to it, Katia. Maybe... maybe one of them could do something about it, eventually. "I hope Eryk and Kas are doing alright," she muttered quietly. She knew they were, but she was slightly worried. Eryk wasn't exactly in a good mood when he left. She just hoped he didn't do something he'll regret later.
Anastasia hung up the phone, watching the video screen go dark. Apparently, Kenshin’s recovery was still proceeding as planned. She’d have liked to be there for Cyrilla right now, but unfortunately her inspection was today. She hadn’t connected the events at the time, but it seemed likely that the same people who were ‘inspecting’ the Team Rocket facility would be the ones conducting the checkup on the shelter. Knowing that at least one of them was the kind of person who could do something like that to poor Kenshin… her nerves had certainly seen better days.
It was beginning to make her feel somewhat sick to her stomach. Ana knew she was up to code; she’d worked hard for that when she first applied for all her permits. She’d double-checked everything. All her paperwork, signed and notarized by the proper authorities, was in a manila folder under her arm, ready to present on command. She’d cleaned everything top to bottom yesterday, including her own house, though there shouldn’t be any reason anyone needed to go in there. Everything was in place and spotless, she’d checked everyone just as a precaution that morning and found their health exactly the same as it had been the day before.
And still—she was nervous. Because all it would take to shut down her shelter, the one thing she’d ever built for herself in life, was one bad report. And all that needed to happen for one bad report was one malicious inspector. Something which was suddenly a very prominent possibility. She shifted unconsciously, smoothing down nonexistent wrinkles in her shirt, tucked neatly into her pants. Throwing her apron over her head, she tied it in the back, made sure her hair wasn’t too askew, and then headed out the front door to wait at the gate.
It didn’t take too long before she saw a group of four coming down the road. The tallest, she recognized immediately—she could have cried in relief to know that there’d be at least one friendly face. Though perhaps there was a certain kind of irony in describing Eryk that way. The other three people—two women and a man—she didn’t know. All of them were wearing the Team Rocket uniform, plain as day. Ana swallowed. If the display was intended to intimidate, it was working, though they needn’t have tried so hard.
She unlocked the gate when they reached it. “Hello,” she greeted, offering a smile in an attempt at her usual relaxed demeanor.
“Anastasia Asher?” That was the man in the front; he had very bright red hair and honey-colored eyes.
“Yes, sir,” she replied automatically.
Something flickered in his expression at that, though she had no idea what it meant. “You run this… Cinnabar Pokémon Rehabilitation and Hospice?” He read the name off the sign overhead.
She nodded. “Yes, sir. For about a year and a half now.”
He made a vague sound of understanding, shoving his hands into his pockets. Ana, unsure if she should make any indication that she knew Eryk or not, chose not to acknowledge him in particular. If one of these people had hurt Kenshin, she probably shouldn’t trust them any more than she had to. It was a strange thing for her to think—she liked to believe she could trust nearly anyone. But…
“Right, well… we’re here to inspect, as I’m sure you’ve guessed.” The man arched an eyebrow.
Ana stepped aside from the gate to admit them. “Of course. Please come in.” A few of the pokémon were in the yard as usual; most of them napping or basking or swimming as they preferred. Rufus, as usual, waddled up to Eryk, sniffing at his pant leg as though making his own inspection of the unfamiliar uniform.
Eryk remained passive, standing as far from the woman with long black hair as possible. The other one, the one with dark purple hair, almost resembled Eryk. Their facial structure was almost the same, and though their hair color was different, it wasn't too hard to tell that they were related somehow. It wasn't so obvious between him and Cyrilla, but with this woman, it was. Eryk's hand twitched just barely when Rufus approached. It was hard to tell if he was restraining from petting the pokémon out of some unknown feeling, or if he was simply trying to make this easier. For who, it was hard to tell.
"Oh, look at all the adorable little pokémon," the black haired woman spoke, leaning over the fence just slightly. She hadn't entered quite yet, her attention fixed on the pokémon instead.
"Remi, you're not here for them," Eryk spoke, though his voice was a bit darker than it usually was. It was apparent that he was upset with her, though upset was probably an understatement from the way he said it. "You're here for the inspection, not to mess with them," he sounded almost defensive. The purple haired woman merely glanced at him, a strange spark in her eye as if she'd figured something out.
"We're here to assess them too, Eryk, not just the facility," she spoke, and Eryk seemed to cast her a side glare. She turned her attention towards Ana, though, and gave her a flat look. "Are your papers up to date? Your licenses, permits, and deeds?" she asked, getting straight to it.
Ana had a feeling she knew which one of these three had hurt Kenshin now—it had to be the one Eryk seemed especially cold to. Taking note of that, Ana smiled slightly at the purple-haired woman’s question. She must be some relative of Eryk’s, but now was clearly not the time to ask. “I do, ma’am,” she said, taking the manila envelope from where it was underneath her arm and handing it over. “The deeds for the buildings and the land on which they’re built, the permits for the pokémon housing and the pool, and the licenses for the medical equipment, as well as the whole facility. I’ve also included my certifications in pokémon medicine, hospice care, emergency medical care, and long-term inpatient treatment and the license to run an adoption facility out of the same buildings.”
She resisted the urge to sigh at the end of the long list of things. While the woman sorted through all the paperwork, the redheaded man had walked to the edge of the pool, tilting his head down at the magikarp swimming around inside. “Hospice care, a shelter, and long-term medical treatment? Those are all distinct operations. You run this all by yourself?”
It was difficult to read his tone—he could have been anywhere from impressed to disbelieving. Ana chose not to interpret the words any particular way, and answered neutrally. “Yes, sir. I’ve found that it’s helpful for all of the pokémon to have other sorts around. Those who are here permanently help the newer ones settle in, and in turn, the ones who are only around temporarily keep the place lively. It’s good for their health, I think.”
He hummed, crouching and dipping a couple of fingers in this pool. “What do you keep the temperature at?”
“It’s set to sixty-five degrees Fahrenheit,” she replied promptly.
He frowned, his eyebrows knitting together. “Standard is seventy-five,” he pointed out.
Ana was surprised he knew that, if he was really some important executive of Team Rocket, but then… maybe that was part of how he’d gotten there—knowing lots of things. “Yes,” she conceded. “But it’s outdoors, and the climate on the island is such that if I set it to seventy-five at this time of year, the sun would warm it past eighty. Since the magikarp are accustomed to a wide variety of temperate, rather than tropical, waters, I thought it best to err on the side of caution.”
He nodded, evidently satisfied by that reasoning.
Eryk seemed to frown deeply when Aidan spoke, but his face reset to neutral afterwards. The woman who'd taken Ana's manila seemed satisfied with it, and handed it back to Ana. She passed Ana, walking to the other side. She glanced inside the pen where a few Rattata where. One of them was missing part of its ear, and another one's tail looked like it was cleaved in half. She pursed her lips together, taking a note of something, before turning towards Ana.
"I can't imagine your health is year round good. Who helps you care for them when you are sick?" she asked. Eryk's jaw clenched tightly. It looked uncomfortably so, but he said nothing. Something flashed behind his eyes, something like worry, however; it dropped almost immediately.
"I volunteer here, on occasion," Eryk seemed to interject, causing Katia to turn her attention on him. She raised a brow in slight confusion.
"You volunteer here?" she spoke, clearly not satisfied with the answer. "You don't have the clearance to do field work like this. That isn't part of what you're here for, Eryk," she spoke, causing Eryk to narrow his eyes dangerously so.
"I do it on the free time that I am allowed, Katia. My work hasn't faltered nor suffered because of it," he replied just as coldly. "I have that right," he added, causing Katia's jaw to lock. She seemed to accept it just slightly, but made another note.
"Who else?" she asked, directing it towards Ana, this time.
“There are a number of volunteers who help me out,” Ana said. “Robert Scheffler, who manages the Pokémart, and his wife Kim and son Toby are by at least a few times a month. My aunt Joy helps with any medical procedures I might need assistance with. A few of the town’s teenagers help me once a week or so after school, and lately, yes—I’ve had Eryk’s help, and Cyrilla’s and Kasimir’s as well. They’ve been very good to me; I’m grateful for their assistance.”
She wasn’t entirely sure she should have mentioned Kas and Cy, given the reaction to Eryk pointing out that he was here in his free time, but without really understanding what the politics of the situation were, the best she could do was tell the truth.
“Are your volunteers certified?” the man asked, glancing at the ekans sunning itself on a stone. His scale rot was doing much better, lately.
“The ones from town are certified through a training program,” Ana confirmed. “The others are members of Team Rocket, so…” She realized she actually didn’t know if they were. Kas was—he’d mentioned that once. But Eryk and Cy—Ana realized she’d never asked. She moved her eyes to Eryk, hoping he had the right answer here.
"Eryk's not," Katia cut in, something of a slow smile crossing her lips. It looked almost malicious. "There is a program all Rockets go through to have certification for things like this, but he never completed it. Cyrilla, though, has," she began. Eryk was visibly upset, now. His hands clenched at his sides, and his glare seemed to intensify. Katia didn't seem to fazed by it, though.
"Don't you dare, Katia. You have no right," he spoke, his voice unusually calm and cold.
"Oh, but dear cousin, I do. Every. Right," she retorted, marking something else on her paper. She glanced at Remi and Aidan and nodded her head. "This could have been avoided if you'd completed the damn program like everyone else, but thanks to you, this facility is now closed," she stated, turning towards Ana.
"You've violated one of your permits by soliciting help from uncertified personel. Because of that, we are going to have to shut down your center. All of your pokémon will be moved to another facility until further action can be taken, however," she paused momentarily, glancing towards Eryk this time. "If Eryk agrees to complete his proper training programs within the next month or so, we will consider reinstating your permits and allow you to open back up," she spoke.
"You're a fucking bitch, you know that, Katia," Eryk was not happy. That was obvious enough. Katia, however, just smiled at him.
"I do. Now, if you'll excuse me, the three of us have pokémon to gather, and arrangements to make," and she said nothing further.
“Please,” Ana blurted, swallowing thickly. “Please don’t. Some of them… they can’t be moved safely. It’ll… they’ve just started to feel at home, and some of them won’t take the move well. Please, I’ll…” Ana pulled in a deep breath, feeling it shudder into her lungs. She was not going to cry. She wasn’t. This wasn’t the end for the shelter.
It couldn’t be.
“If you need to remove me from my post here, I understand. But please—please move someone else who is qualified in here. They can have my house and everything for as long as they need it, but… but some of these pokémon might not survive the stress of a move.”
“You’re asking us to kick you out of your house so your pokémon don't have to move?” The man was staring at her like she was some species he’d never seen before.
“Yes,” she whispered. “The facility is up to code—you can inspect everything else you like. There’s no reason for them not to be here. Please.” She wasn’t too proud to beg; not when it came to this. Ana clenched her hands in front of her, trying to stop the shaking she could feel in them. She could stay… somewhere. Maybe her aunt had a spare room. Or she could get some other job and rent an apartment or something. But it wasn’t fair to move the pokémon for a mistake she’d made.
Eryk looked like he wanted to say something, but he didn't. Probably because he didn't know what to do. His gaze faltered and he didn't look at her. Katia, however, seemed rather pleased by the sudden situation, and Remi, who'd been staring oddly at the penned up pokémon, seemed to be as well.
"Oh, come now, Katia. Maybe we could make an arrangement of sorts," Remi finally spoke, causing Katia to roll her eyes. "We can have someone come down, take over the facility for a minute until dear ol' Ricky, here, gets certified. And I'm sure he'll be more compliant if he does," she continued, giving Eryk a rather large grin. Eryk looked like he wanted to snap something, but he remained quiet.
"I'll get it done. Just... don't evict her. Regulations state you have to give her twenty days to turn over her facility. I will be certified before then," he spoke, though it was hard to tell what he was feeling. His voice was just calm. His eyes were narrowed, but there was something else behind them. An emotion that didn't quite have a word for it.
"Twenty days. You have twenty days to either get certified, or she loses facility and pokémon. They will be moved if you do not," she seemed reluctant to agree to his terms.
“Then that’s what we’ll do. Since we will be gone by then, we’ll expect the paperwork in Saffron by then. In the meantime, we should see the rest of the facility, just to make sure that everything else is fine aside from the one issue.”
Ana, now more off-balance than ever, straightened her spine and moved her shoulders back, trying to project more calm than she actually felt. “Um, yes… okay. So, that would make the main shelter building next…” Pursing her lips, she turned away from them to lead the way.
Hopefully… hopefully everything would work out okay. She had to believe it would, or else…
It was beginning to make her feel somewhat sick to her stomach. Ana knew she was up to code; she’d worked hard for that when she first applied for all her permits. She’d double-checked everything. All her paperwork, signed and notarized by the proper authorities, was in a manila folder under her arm, ready to present on command. She’d cleaned everything top to bottom yesterday, including her own house, though there shouldn’t be any reason anyone needed to go in there. Everything was in place and spotless, she’d checked everyone just as a precaution that morning and found their health exactly the same as it had been the day before.
And still—she was nervous. Because all it would take to shut down her shelter, the one thing she’d ever built for herself in life, was one bad report. And all that needed to happen for one bad report was one malicious inspector. Something which was suddenly a very prominent possibility. She shifted unconsciously, smoothing down nonexistent wrinkles in her shirt, tucked neatly into her pants. Throwing her apron over her head, she tied it in the back, made sure her hair wasn’t too askew, and then headed out the front door to wait at the gate.
It didn’t take too long before she saw a group of four coming down the road. The tallest, she recognized immediately—she could have cried in relief to know that there’d be at least one friendly face. Though perhaps there was a certain kind of irony in describing Eryk that way. The other three people—two women and a man—she didn’t know. All of them were wearing the Team Rocket uniform, plain as day. Ana swallowed. If the display was intended to intimidate, it was working, though they needn’t have tried so hard.
She unlocked the gate when they reached it. “Hello,” she greeted, offering a smile in an attempt at her usual relaxed demeanor.
“Anastasia Asher?” That was the man in the front; he had very bright red hair and honey-colored eyes.
“Yes, sir,” she replied automatically.
Something flickered in his expression at that, though she had no idea what it meant. “You run this… Cinnabar Pokémon Rehabilitation and Hospice?” He read the name off the sign overhead.
She nodded. “Yes, sir. For about a year and a half now.”
He made a vague sound of understanding, shoving his hands into his pockets. Ana, unsure if she should make any indication that she knew Eryk or not, chose not to acknowledge him in particular. If one of these people had hurt Kenshin, she probably shouldn’t trust them any more than she had to. It was a strange thing for her to think—she liked to believe she could trust nearly anyone. But…
“Right, well… we’re here to inspect, as I’m sure you’ve guessed.” The man arched an eyebrow.
Ana stepped aside from the gate to admit them. “Of course. Please come in.” A few of the pokémon were in the yard as usual; most of them napping or basking or swimming as they preferred. Rufus, as usual, waddled up to Eryk, sniffing at his pant leg as though making his own inspection of the unfamiliar uniform.
Eryk remained passive, standing as far from the woman with long black hair as possible. The other one, the one with dark purple hair, almost resembled Eryk. Their facial structure was almost the same, and though their hair color was different, it wasn't too hard to tell that they were related somehow. It wasn't so obvious between him and Cyrilla, but with this woman, it was. Eryk's hand twitched just barely when Rufus approached. It was hard to tell if he was restraining from petting the pokémon out of some unknown feeling, or if he was simply trying to make this easier. For who, it was hard to tell.
"Oh, look at all the adorable little pokémon," the black haired woman spoke, leaning over the fence just slightly. She hadn't entered quite yet, her attention fixed on the pokémon instead.
"Remi, you're not here for them," Eryk spoke, though his voice was a bit darker than it usually was. It was apparent that he was upset with her, though upset was probably an understatement from the way he said it. "You're here for the inspection, not to mess with them," he sounded almost defensive. The purple haired woman merely glanced at him, a strange spark in her eye as if she'd figured something out.
"We're here to assess them too, Eryk, not just the facility," she spoke, and Eryk seemed to cast her a side glare. She turned her attention towards Ana, though, and gave her a flat look. "Are your papers up to date? Your licenses, permits, and deeds?" she asked, getting straight to it.
Ana had a feeling she knew which one of these three had hurt Kenshin now—it had to be the one Eryk seemed especially cold to. Taking note of that, Ana smiled slightly at the purple-haired woman’s question. She must be some relative of Eryk’s, but now was clearly not the time to ask. “I do, ma’am,” she said, taking the manila envelope from where it was underneath her arm and handing it over. “The deeds for the buildings and the land on which they’re built, the permits for the pokémon housing and the pool, and the licenses for the medical equipment, as well as the whole facility. I’ve also included my certifications in pokémon medicine, hospice care, emergency medical care, and long-term inpatient treatment and the license to run an adoption facility out of the same buildings.”
She resisted the urge to sigh at the end of the long list of things. While the woman sorted through all the paperwork, the redheaded man had walked to the edge of the pool, tilting his head down at the magikarp swimming around inside. “Hospice care, a shelter, and long-term medical treatment? Those are all distinct operations. You run this all by yourself?”
It was difficult to read his tone—he could have been anywhere from impressed to disbelieving. Ana chose not to interpret the words any particular way, and answered neutrally. “Yes, sir. I’ve found that it’s helpful for all of the pokémon to have other sorts around. Those who are here permanently help the newer ones settle in, and in turn, the ones who are only around temporarily keep the place lively. It’s good for their health, I think.”
He hummed, crouching and dipping a couple of fingers in this pool. “What do you keep the temperature at?”
“It’s set to sixty-five degrees Fahrenheit,” she replied promptly.
He frowned, his eyebrows knitting together. “Standard is seventy-five,” he pointed out.
Ana was surprised he knew that, if he was really some important executive of Team Rocket, but then… maybe that was part of how he’d gotten there—knowing lots of things. “Yes,” she conceded. “But it’s outdoors, and the climate on the island is such that if I set it to seventy-five at this time of year, the sun would warm it past eighty. Since the magikarp are accustomed to a wide variety of temperate, rather than tropical, waters, I thought it best to err on the side of caution.”
He nodded, evidently satisfied by that reasoning.
Eryk seemed to frown deeply when Aidan spoke, but his face reset to neutral afterwards. The woman who'd taken Ana's manila seemed satisfied with it, and handed it back to Ana. She passed Ana, walking to the other side. She glanced inside the pen where a few Rattata where. One of them was missing part of its ear, and another one's tail looked like it was cleaved in half. She pursed her lips together, taking a note of something, before turning towards Ana.
"I can't imagine your health is year round good. Who helps you care for them when you are sick?" she asked. Eryk's jaw clenched tightly. It looked uncomfortably so, but he said nothing. Something flashed behind his eyes, something like worry, however; it dropped almost immediately.
"I volunteer here, on occasion," Eryk seemed to interject, causing Katia to turn her attention on him. She raised a brow in slight confusion.
"You volunteer here?" she spoke, clearly not satisfied with the answer. "You don't have the clearance to do field work like this. That isn't part of what you're here for, Eryk," she spoke, causing Eryk to narrow his eyes dangerously so.
"I do it on the free time that I am allowed, Katia. My work hasn't faltered nor suffered because of it," he replied just as coldly. "I have that right," he added, causing Katia's jaw to lock. She seemed to accept it just slightly, but made another note.
"Who else?" she asked, directing it towards Ana, this time.
“There are a number of volunteers who help me out,” Ana said. “Robert Scheffler, who manages the Pokémart, and his wife Kim and son Toby are by at least a few times a month. My aunt Joy helps with any medical procedures I might need assistance with. A few of the town’s teenagers help me once a week or so after school, and lately, yes—I’ve had Eryk’s help, and Cyrilla’s and Kasimir’s as well. They’ve been very good to me; I’m grateful for their assistance.”
She wasn’t entirely sure she should have mentioned Kas and Cy, given the reaction to Eryk pointing out that he was here in his free time, but without really understanding what the politics of the situation were, the best she could do was tell the truth.
“Are your volunteers certified?” the man asked, glancing at the ekans sunning itself on a stone. His scale rot was doing much better, lately.
“The ones from town are certified through a training program,” Ana confirmed. “The others are members of Team Rocket, so…” She realized she actually didn’t know if they were. Kas was—he’d mentioned that once. But Eryk and Cy—Ana realized she’d never asked. She moved her eyes to Eryk, hoping he had the right answer here.
"Eryk's not," Katia cut in, something of a slow smile crossing her lips. It looked almost malicious. "There is a program all Rockets go through to have certification for things like this, but he never completed it. Cyrilla, though, has," she began. Eryk was visibly upset, now. His hands clenched at his sides, and his glare seemed to intensify. Katia didn't seem to fazed by it, though.
"Don't you dare, Katia. You have no right," he spoke, his voice unusually calm and cold.
"Oh, but dear cousin, I do. Every. Right," she retorted, marking something else on her paper. She glanced at Remi and Aidan and nodded her head. "This could have been avoided if you'd completed the damn program like everyone else, but thanks to you, this facility is now closed," she stated, turning towards Ana.
"You've violated one of your permits by soliciting help from uncertified personel. Because of that, we are going to have to shut down your center. All of your pokémon will be moved to another facility until further action can be taken, however," she paused momentarily, glancing towards Eryk this time. "If Eryk agrees to complete his proper training programs within the next month or so, we will consider reinstating your permits and allow you to open back up," she spoke.
"You're a fucking bitch, you know that, Katia," Eryk was not happy. That was obvious enough. Katia, however, just smiled at him.
"I do. Now, if you'll excuse me, the three of us have pokémon to gather, and arrangements to make," and she said nothing further.
“Please,” Ana blurted, swallowing thickly. “Please don’t. Some of them… they can’t be moved safely. It’ll… they’ve just started to feel at home, and some of them won’t take the move well. Please, I’ll…” Ana pulled in a deep breath, feeling it shudder into her lungs. She was not going to cry. She wasn’t. This wasn’t the end for the shelter.
It couldn’t be.
“If you need to remove me from my post here, I understand. But please—please move someone else who is qualified in here. They can have my house and everything for as long as they need it, but… but some of these pokémon might not survive the stress of a move.”
“You’re asking us to kick you out of your house so your pokémon don't have to move?” The man was staring at her like she was some species he’d never seen before.
“Yes,” she whispered. “The facility is up to code—you can inspect everything else you like. There’s no reason for them not to be here. Please.” She wasn’t too proud to beg; not when it came to this. Ana clenched her hands in front of her, trying to stop the shaking she could feel in them. She could stay… somewhere. Maybe her aunt had a spare room. Or she could get some other job and rent an apartment or something. But it wasn’t fair to move the pokémon for a mistake she’d made.
Eryk looked like he wanted to say something, but he didn't. Probably because he didn't know what to do. His gaze faltered and he didn't look at her. Katia, however, seemed rather pleased by the sudden situation, and Remi, who'd been staring oddly at the penned up pokémon, seemed to be as well.
"Oh, come now, Katia. Maybe we could make an arrangement of sorts," Remi finally spoke, causing Katia to roll her eyes. "We can have someone come down, take over the facility for a minute until dear ol' Ricky, here, gets certified. And I'm sure he'll be more compliant if he does," she continued, giving Eryk a rather large grin. Eryk looked like he wanted to snap something, but he remained quiet.
"I'll get it done. Just... don't evict her. Regulations state you have to give her twenty days to turn over her facility. I will be certified before then," he spoke, though it was hard to tell what he was feeling. His voice was just calm. His eyes were narrowed, but there was something else behind them. An emotion that didn't quite have a word for it.
"Twenty days. You have twenty days to either get certified, or she loses facility and pokémon. They will be moved if you do not," she seemed reluctant to agree to his terms.
“Then that’s what we’ll do. Since we will be gone by then, we’ll expect the paperwork in Saffron by then. In the meantime, we should see the rest of the facility, just to make sure that everything else is fine aside from the one issue.”
Ana, now more off-balance than ever, straightened her spine and moved her shoulders back, trying to project more calm than she actually felt. “Um, yes… okay. So, that would make the main shelter building next…” Pursing her lips, she turned away from them to lead the way.
Hopefully… hopefully everything would work out okay. She had to believe it would, or else…
Fuck.
He'd nearly cost Ana her shelter. How was he supposed to make up for that? He had twenty days to get certified, otherwise she was going to lose her home. He ran a hand down his face a little too harshly that he could feel his skin being pulled with it. No doubt Cyrilla and Kasimir heard about it, considering that they were his subordinates. Cyrilla, however, was still with Kenshin who hadn't woken up yet, so there was a possiblity she hadn't heard yet. Unless she was with Ana and Ana broke the news to her.
Fuck.
"Mr. Nero," someone called out, and Eryk glanced up, glaring at the man. Apparently he hadn't noticed because the grunt seemed to shrink beneath it. He smoothed out his expression just slightly, though as he motioned for the man to come in. If he remembered correctly, this was Jacoby. Or was it Jacob? He couldn't remember his name. "Here... here are the papers for the certification you requested," he spoke, handing Eryk the papers before making his exit. Eryk sighed.
He needed to get this finished, and perhaps anything else he might have forgotten. He couldn't risk another chance of them shutting Ana down because of something he did. He still didn't know how he was supposed to apologize for something like that. He couldn't just say sorry. This was her livelihood, and he'd almost ruined it. He sighed heavily. "I need a drink," he stated, slightly surprised at his own words. He didn't drink, but for some odd reason, he felt a need for it. He should probably go for a walk, instead. His head hurt and he needed to clear it. He stood from his desk, arranging the papers on his desk neatly.
He still had twenty days, right?
“I heard that.” It was of course at precisely that moment that Kas poked his head into Eryk’s office. Though the Birds had left the day before, he didn’t look like he’d slept much. It was harder to tell on his dark complexion than it was with most people, but those were some serious zigzagoon eyes he was sporting. For once, he didn’t have the air of being effortlessly put-together, but there wasn’t really any indication as to why. Of all of them, he’d seemed to get off the easiest as far as the inspection was concerned—not even Katia had been able to find anything wrong with the computer systems and other stuff he was in charge of.
Kas sighed. “Frankly… I could use one, too. I know a place—little hole in the wall bar. I was gonna save it for a celebration once the damn inspection was over but…” he trailed off and shrugged. What he was implying was obvious, even to Eryk: there was nothing to celebrate. “You wanna go have a few?”
Eryk stared at Kas for a moment, before he nodded his head. "Sure," he spoke. He really hadn't intended to get one, but perhaps this was one of those reasons people talked about so damn much. He followed Kas outside of the base, keeping an easy pace with him. It wasn't too hard considering they were almost the same height. His thoughts, however, were still on the inspection. First Kenshin, then Ana's center. He was partly glad that nothing else happened after that. He wasn't entirely sure what would have become of him if something else happened. The day of the battles, he'd nearly ripped into Remi. If Kas hadn't been there, he was sure he would have gotten into some physical altercation with her.
"I take it you read the report?" he finally questioned, keeping his gaze forward. He wasn't sure if Kas did, but if it turned he had, then it would be a little easier to talk about it.
“Yeah,” Kas said soberly, stuffing his hands into his pockets. One day after inspection, and he was back to loud patterned shirts and shorts with too many pockets. He was actually wearing sandals, though—he was just as often barefoot in the office. “That was a shitty thing for them to do, but I guess we probably should have expected that. Sorry I didn’t notice that ahead of time—I should have checked you certs before I suggested contact with Ana.” He shook his head.
“I was at the Center with Cy when I read it—she knows, too, so you don’t have to tell her. I felt bad leaving her, but… inspection wasn’t easy on the grunts, either; I figured I should at least be in the office today for the sake of morale.” He frowned considerably.
He wasn't sure if he should be glad or not that Cy knew. She was stressed, too, and that might have just added to it. Still, Kas was right about one thing. The inspection hadn't been easy for any of the grunts. One of them actually managed to piss Katia off so bad, that she took their license and pokémon from them. They had been devastated. There wasn't anything he could do for them, though. At least for Ana, he could get certified, and she'd be reinstated for her center.
"I should have remembered myself," he finally spoke. But it wasn't like Eryk had the intention of every helping anyone. Ana, though, had been a friend, and before he knew of her sickness, he had wanted to help. "I just didn't think Katia would use it against me. I didn't even think to check myself, either. I've been helping her out, but I should have remembered something like that," he continued. "I'll have to be careful moving forward," because he didn't want Ana to lose her center. It could affect her health, and not in a good way. That thought alone tugged at him, and he frowned.
“We all dropped the ball on that one,” Kas conceded grimly. They arrived in front of a building on one of the island’s secondary streets, and Kas pushed the door open with a jangle—there was a bell attached to it.
Their entrance drew the attention of the bar’s owner, a middle-aged woman with a prominent grey streak at her left temple. She was dressed simply, as most of the islanders tended to prefer, but there was nevertheless a sense of neatness and precision about her, from her movements to her expressions. She appeared to recognize Kas, giving him a smile that quickly faded when she saw the state they were in.
“I’ll get the stuff on the top shelf,” she said immediately. “You two have a seat at the bar.”
“Thanks, Marna.” Kas led the way to a corner of the bar, passing a few other patrons, either alone or talking quietly in pairs or small groups. No one seemed to pay them much mind.
Hopping up onto a stool, Kas waited until Eryk was settled as well before he continued speaking. “You’ve got all the cert paperwork, though, right? There’s a secondary form you have to fill out just to get put in the register of Rocket employees who’ve completed the program—and you should turn it in with the rest of the stuff. That’s the only potentially tricky part.”
"I do," he replied, but furrowed his brows. More paperwork ontop of other paperwork? Team Rocket seemed to love their paperwork, didn't they? Everything had to be neat, meticulous, on paper, otherwise it didn't exist. "I had one of the grunts bring it up today. I have to fill that out, attend one of the classes, but there is a problem with that. We're still relatively new on the island, and we don't have a facility for that. The class is going to be held in Viridian, where the first building is," he spoke solemnly.
That would mean he'd be gone for a few days. If not a week at most. He'd have to fly to Viridian first, but he didn't have a flying-type of his own. That meant he'd have to take one of the planes, and that meant detours. A straight flight from Cinnabar to Viridian wasn't something that could be done. It would take him at least a day to reach Viridian from here. But he had to take the class to be certified. If he didn't... he didn't want to think of what would happen. And it would be his fault.
"While I'm gone, will you look after them? The grunts, too?" he asked. He had to do this. Otherwise, he'd fail his mission. Odd how he wasn't even thinking about it now. It was slowly slipping from him, and he wasn't entirely sure how to take that. He knew what his mission was, but as of late, he just didn't seem to care. He sighed heavily at that thought. If he could trust Kas to at least take care of things while he was gone, then he'd at least have time to clear his mind of everything else while he was getting certified.
“Of course I will,” Kas replied. “You don’t even have to ask, you know that. I’ll check in on both of them, and the grunts as well.” He half-smiled, but at that point the bartender, Marna, reappeared. She set a glass down in front of Kas that was partway full of some amber liquid, then turned her grey eyes on Eryk.
“What can I get for ya?”
"Whatever he's having," he replied to the woman. Once she left, he fixed his attention on Kas. "Thanks. I'll, be leaving in a few days, but I will say my piece before I go," he spoke. He wanted Ana to at least know that he was taking this seriously, and he didn't want her to think he'd left because of her. He wouldn't do that, not again. He just needed to take care of this before too much time passed. The sooner it was fixed, the sooner Ana could relax and breathe.
"Sorry for fucking it up," he stated, taking the cup once Marna returned with it, and downed it. His face twisted just slightly as the liquid went down. "Tastes like shit," he commented, but his tone was light and not at all insulting. He could do that much, at least.
“Look at you, learning to socialize.” It was unclear exactly what part of what Eryk had said the words applied to. It could have just been a reference to the fact that Marna smiled and snorted at the comment about the whiskey, or… well, Kas wasn’t exactly a straightforward person. It could have also been the other bit.
He took a swallow of his own drink, setting the glass down with an odd sort of care. “It fucking sucks now, but it’ll get better. Kenshin will recover, you’ll get certified, and life will go on, you know? It always does.”
Eryk scoffed slightly. Maybe, but he didn't comment on it. Instead, he took another drink of the whiskey.
"After this week, it better."
He'd nearly cost Ana her shelter. How was he supposed to make up for that? He had twenty days to get certified, otherwise she was going to lose her home. He ran a hand down his face a little too harshly that he could feel his skin being pulled with it. No doubt Cyrilla and Kasimir heard about it, considering that they were his subordinates. Cyrilla, however, was still with Kenshin who hadn't woken up yet, so there was a possiblity she hadn't heard yet. Unless she was with Ana and Ana broke the news to her.
Fuck.
"Mr. Nero," someone called out, and Eryk glanced up, glaring at the man. Apparently he hadn't noticed because the grunt seemed to shrink beneath it. He smoothed out his expression just slightly, though as he motioned for the man to come in. If he remembered correctly, this was Jacoby. Or was it Jacob? He couldn't remember his name. "Here... here are the papers for the certification you requested," he spoke, handing Eryk the papers before making his exit. Eryk sighed.
He needed to get this finished, and perhaps anything else he might have forgotten. He couldn't risk another chance of them shutting Ana down because of something he did. He still didn't know how he was supposed to apologize for something like that. He couldn't just say sorry. This was her livelihood, and he'd almost ruined it. He sighed heavily. "I need a drink," he stated, slightly surprised at his own words. He didn't drink, but for some odd reason, he felt a need for it. He should probably go for a walk, instead. His head hurt and he needed to clear it. He stood from his desk, arranging the papers on his desk neatly.
He still had twenty days, right?
“I heard that.” It was of course at precisely that moment that Kas poked his head into Eryk’s office. Though the Birds had left the day before, he didn’t look like he’d slept much. It was harder to tell on his dark complexion than it was with most people, but those were some serious zigzagoon eyes he was sporting. For once, he didn’t have the air of being effortlessly put-together, but there wasn’t really any indication as to why. Of all of them, he’d seemed to get off the easiest as far as the inspection was concerned—not even Katia had been able to find anything wrong with the computer systems and other stuff he was in charge of.
Kas sighed. “Frankly… I could use one, too. I know a place—little hole in the wall bar. I was gonna save it for a celebration once the damn inspection was over but…” he trailed off and shrugged. What he was implying was obvious, even to Eryk: there was nothing to celebrate. “You wanna go have a few?”
Eryk stared at Kas for a moment, before he nodded his head. "Sure," he spoke. He really hadn't intended to get one, but perhaps this was one of those reasons people talked about so damn much. He followed Kas outside of the base, keeping an easy pace with him. It wasn't too hard considering they were almost the same height. His thoughts, however, were still on the inspection. First Kenshin, then Ana's center. He was partly glad that nothing else happened after that. He wasn't entirely sure what would have become of him if something else happened. The day of the battles, he'd nearly ripped into Remi. If Kas hadn't been there, he was sure he would have gotten into some physical altercation with her.
"I take it you read the report?" he finally questioned, keeping his gaze forward. He wasn't sure if Kas did, but if it turned he had, then it would be a little easier to talk about it.
“Yeah,” Kas said soberly, stuffing his hands into his pockets. One day after inspection, and he was back to loud patterned shirts and shorts with too many pockets. He was actually wearing sandals, though—he was just as often barefoot in the office. “That was a shitty thing for them to do, but I guess we probably should have expected that. Sorry I didn’t notice that ahead of time—I should have checked you certs before I suggested contact with Ana.” He shook his head.
“I was at the Center with Cy when I read it—she knows, too, so you don’t have to tell her. I felt bad leaving her, but… inspection wasn’t easy on the grunts, either; I figured I should at least be in the office today for the sake of morale.” He frowned considerably.
He wasn't sure if he should be glad or not that Cy knew. She was stressed, too, and that might have just added to it. Still, Kas was right about one thing. The inspection hadn't been easy for any of the grunts. One of them actually managed to piss Katia off so bad, that she took their license and pokémon from them. They had been devastated. There wasn't anything he could do for them, though. At least for Ana, he could get certified, and she'd be reinstated for her center.
"I should have remembered myself," he finally spoke. But it wasn't like Eryk had the intention of every helping anyone. Ana, though, had been a friend, and before he knew of her sickness, he had wanted to help. "I just didn't think Katia would use it against me. I didn't even think to check myself, either. I've been helping her out, but I should have remembered something like that," he continued. "I'll have to be careful moving forward," because he didn't want Ana to lose her center. It could affect her health, and not in a good way. That thought alone tugged at him, and he frowned.
“We all dropped the ball on that one,” Kas conceded grimly. They arrived in front of a building on one of the island’s secondary streets, and Kas pushed the door open with a jangle—there was a bell attached to it.
Their entrance drew the attention of the bar’s owner, a middle-aged woman with a prominent grey streak at her left temple. She was dressed simply, as most of the islanders tended to prefer, but there was nevertheless a sense of neatness and precision about her, from her movements to her expressions. She appeared to recognize Kas, giving him a smile that quickly faded when she saw the state they were in.
“I’ll get the stuff on the top shelf,” she said immediately. “You two have a seat at the bar.”
“Thanks, Marna.” Kas led the way to a corner of the bar, passing a few other patrons, either alone or talking quietly in pairs or small groups. No one seemed to pay them much mind.
Hopping up onto a stool, Kas waited until Eryk was settled as well before he continued speaking. “You’ve got all the cert paperwork, though, right? There’s a secondary form you have to fill out just to get put in the register of Rocket employees who’ve completed the program—and you should turn it in with the rest of the stuff. That’s the only potentially tricky part.”
"I do," he replied, but furrowed his brows. More paperwork ontop of other paperwork? Team Rocket seemed to love their paperwork, didn't they? Everything had to be neat, meticulous, on paper, otherwise it didn't exist. "I had one of the grunts bring it up today. I have to fill that out, attend one of the classes, but there is a problem with that. We're still relatively new on the island, and we don't have a facility for that. The class is going to be held in Viridian, where the first building is," he spoke solemnly.
That would mean he'd be gone for a few days. If not a week at most. He'd have to fly to Viridian first, but he didn't have a flying-type of his own. That meant he'd have to take one of the planes, and that meant detours. A straight flight from Cinnabar to Viridian wasn't something that could be done. It would take him at least a day to reach Viridian from here. But he had to take the class to be certified. If he didn't... he didn't want to think of what would happen. And it would be his fault.
"While I'm gone, will you look after them? The grunts, too?" he asked. He had to do this. Otherwise, he'd fail his mission. Odd how he wasn't even thinking about it now. It was slowly slipping from him, and he wasn't entirely sure how to take that. He knew what his mission was, but as of late, he just didn't seem to care. He sighed heavily at that thought. If he could trust Kas to at least take care of things while he was gone, then he'd at least have time to clear his mind of everything else while he was getting certified.
“Of course I will,” Kas replied. “You don’t even have to ask, you know that. I’ll check in on both of them, and the grunts as well.” He half-smiled, but at that point the bartender, Marna, reappeared. She set a glass down in front of Kas that was partway full of some amber liquid, then turned her grey eyes on Eryk.
“What can I get for ya?”
"Whatever he's having," he replied to the woman. Once she left, he fixed his attention on Kas. "Thanks. I'll, be leaving in a few days, but I will say my piece before I go," he spoke. He wanted Ana to at least know that he was taking this seriously, and he didn't want her to think he'd left because of her. He wouldn't do that, not again. He just needed to take care of this before too much time passed. The sooner it was fixed, the sooner Ana could relax and breathe.
"Sorry for fucking it up," he stated, taking the cup once Marna returned with it, and downed it. His face twisted just slightly as the liquid went down. "Tastes like shit," he commented, but his tone was light and not at all insulting. He could do that much, at least.
“Look at you, learning to socialize.” It was unclear exactly what part of what Eryk had said the words applied to. It could have just been a reference to the fact that Marna smiled and snorted at the comment about the whiskey, or… well, Kas wasn’t exactly a straightforward person. It could have also been the other bit.
He took a swallow of his own drink, setting the glass down with an odd sort of care. “It fucking sucks now, but it’ll get better. Kenshin will recover, you’ll get certified, and life will go on, you know? It always does.”
Eryk scoffed slightly. Maybe, but he didn't comment on it. Instead, he took another drink of the whiskey.
"After this week, it better."
Kas supposed that, in a way, he’d been hit least hard by the inspection. His longstanding ruse had not been discovered, nothing bad had happened to his pokémon—outside of a few battle injuries—and he hadn’t been written up for anything. In fact, the inspection reports that had come in this morning were fairly complimentary of him. Aidan had noted that he was a talented, if “unconventional” battler, and apparently the employee interviews had made him look really good—it seemed that the staff and grunts working at the branch liked him.
That wasn’t exactly unexpected—it was what he was going for. It was really too bad that everything else had gone to shit. Accessing the reports on the internal server in Saffron wasn’t too hard—he wasn’t supposed to see them, of course; they were for the boss. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t access them, and for the sake of his friends, he did. Eryk’s didn’t look great. He’d been officially written up for both not completing his basic pokémon handling certs and for “borderline insubordination.” The report called it unprovoked when it was clearly the opposite, but there was enough truth to it that even Aidan—the fairest of the three Birds—would probably back it up if the boss asked. That was bad.
Cyrilla’s report was worse. Eryk’s battle assessment wasn’t great. Cy’s was abysmal. Apparently there was universal agreement that her pokémon training techniques were not up to par, and at least one of them had included a note that she should probably be considered for demotion, by the looks of it. She was also recommended for psychological evaluation—someone didn’t think she had the necessary grit and dedication to hold her post. Eryk and he were both up for psych eval as well—but in their case it was just noted that they hadn’t had one in a while. No doubt some shrink would be showing up within the next month to talk to all of them.
Kas clicked away from the assessments, unable to read more in one go for fear of getting angry. He didn’t like the person he was under sway of that particular emotion, and tried to avoid it whenever possible. He was already irritated, which was perhaps why he gritted his teeth when his phone rang, raising it to his ear without checking the caller ID.
“What?” He asked brusquely. A little too much so, based on the response he got.
“Um… Kas?” Shit. It was Ana. Now he felt like an asshole.
Forcing his tone to gentle, he tried not to sigh. “Yeah, it’s me. Sorry, Ana. Is there something you need?” Eryk wasn’t due to leave for another day, but he’d be spending most of today prepping for the trip, organizing duties and paperwork so Kas could play his role for a few days. Which meant if she needed some task done, he was probably the best option.
Well… and the one with the certs.
“It’s not me, it’s Cyrilla. I’m… I’m a little worried about her, Kas. She hasn’t left Kenshin’s hospital room, not even to go outside. She showers in the nurses’ locker room, but she doesn’t even have a change of clothes, and she won’t leave the room to eat. I’ve been bringing her things, but… I’m a little tied up right now with work, and it’s been a while since I’ve been able to get down there. I’d ask my aunt, but she’s really busy running the Center, so…”
Shit. Kas pinched the bridge of his nose. “Don’t worry Ana—I’ll take care of her. I’ll be there in like half an hour, so don’t worry.”
“Okay, thanks Kas. I’d have asked Eryk, but… I’m not sure. I think she might need something a little different right now.” She sounded unsure of her decision; he supposed he could understand that. Cy and Ryk were very close—he was kind of the odd one out in a sense.
“It’s fine. If nothing else, I’ll bring her some clothes and some food, and anyone can do that, right?”
“I suppose so,” she replied softly. “Anyway… good luck. I have to go now; ekans needs his medication.” There was no missing the touch of melancholy in her voice. It was the sound of someone who was unsure if they’d be able to keep doing what they loved, he supposed.
He tried to suppress the twinge in his chest. “Sure thing, Ana. I’ll see you later, okay?”
After they’d ended the conversation and Kas had commissioned Hayley to help him gather the things Cyrilla needed, he headed down to the communal kitchen they had and made lunch, packing it away in neat boxes before storing everything inside a backpack and throwing it over his shoulders. The walk to the center wasn’t long; Nurse Joy nodded to him on his way in, but made no attempt to stop him.
Kas knocked on the frame of the door to Kenshin’s room, which was partway ajar. “Cy? It’s me. I’ve brought you some stuff you might want.”
She'd apparently been sleeping, since her head was still partly on Kenshin's bedside, and she glanced up at him with weary eyes. She offered him a soft smile, but it wasn't quite the same as it used to be. Hesitantly, she regained her composure and blinked slowly at him. Her eyes were slightly still red, as if she'd been crying still. She probably was, but she looked just as Ana had described. Her eyes were dark, her hair was slightly mashed to one side of her face, and her skin wasn't as healthy and vibrant as it used to be.
"Hi Kas," she finally greeted. Her voice was weak, almost as if she'd been screaming at something for a while, but perhaps it was because of something else. "You didn't need to," she finally responded, frowing just slightly at the items in his hands. "But thank you," she added, glancing back towards Kenshin. She looked slightly hesitant to leave him, but she did. Standing from her spot, she made her way towards Kas. "You can put the stuff here," she stated, pointing towards a small table on the other side of the room.
"How's Eryk?" she finally asked. She hadn't seen him since the incident, and only once thereafter when he'd notified her of his departure to Viridian.
Kas deposited the backpack on the table as she’d requested, but not before unzipping it and retrieving the lunches he’d made. He wasn’t half-bad at the whole cooking thing; his mom ran a four-star restaurant, after all, and his dad couldn’t cook for shit, which meant that during the times of year when he’d lived with him, he’d had plenty of time to practice; at least on the nights when Michelle worked late.
“He’s feeling guilty, of course, but he’ll be fine once he works this stuff out with his certs,” he said, shrugging because it was obvious. He put one of the lunchboxes in her hands, pointing to one of the chairs. “Sit. Eat. Please.” It was just grilled paninis and soup, but he figured comfort food was kind of the order of the day at the moment.
She sighed when he handed her the box, but complied anyway. She sat in one of the chairs, opened her box, and simply stared at the contents. She didn't say anything, nor make a move to eat it. She just stared at it as if waiting for it to move or something. She glanced back up at him, and then back at the contents, sighing once more. Though it didn't look to be out of discontent. She took the soup out, and started with that one.
"I think it's a little more than guilt, but I suppose you're right. Ryk... operates a lot differently. I'm sure it devastated him when Katia threatened to take Ana's center. Ana herself might have been just as devastated," she spoke, taking a slow sip of the soup. "But Ryk is who Ryk is, and he'll be fine. He's always been that way," she spoke, trying to make light of the topic. It didn't quite work for her.
"He woke up, last night," she stated suddenly, allowing her eyes to drift towards Kenshin. "But he passed out just a few minutes after. I think... he's getting better. Just a few more days, and he'll be okay," she spoke, but it sounded like she was trying to reassure herself than anyone else. "How is everyone else doing at the base? I... haven't been there yet," she asked, clearly interested in their well-being more-so than her own.
“Cy.” For once, Kas’s tone carried a note of reproach. “It’s good to be worried about other people—but sometimes, you have to realize when you’re stretching yourself too thin. Everyone at the base is fine. They’re a little shaken up from everything that happened, but I’m there every day and they know they can bring their worries to me. They’ll be okay, Ana and Eryk will be okay, and what you need to focus on right now is Kenshin and yourself—otherwise you won’t be okay.”
He met her eyes and held them. Never once had he let his tone deviate from the soft one he’d used at the start, but he needed her to understand how important this was. No one could do everything. And continuing to ignore her own well-being would eventually mean she'd have none left. Kas found that the thought left a sour taste in his mouth and a strange, hollow feeling in his chest.
She didn't say anything, instead, placing her spoon down. She removed her gaze from his, and glanced down at the table. It seemed she couldn't even look him in the eye anymore. "I know, Kas. I just," she began slowly. She seemed unsure of herself, and continued to stare at the table. "I came so close to losing him. I don't think you understand just how much Kenshin means to me. If I had lost him, I would have," she started, but paused, sighing deeply. She leaned into her chair, and slid down somewhat.
"I don't think I can do this much longer. But if I didn't, then I wouldn't get to be with you or Eryk, or even Ana. I'd be relocated, and I'd lose my rank. I'd lose," she paused, glancing up at him finally. "I just can't seem to bring myself to care about all of that, though. I think something might be wrong with me," she stated softly, but it didn't sound easy for her to do that. "You shouldn't be worried, though, Kas. I'll bounce back once Kenshin's out, I promise," she didn't sound so sure about it, though. Still, she smiled, this time a little more convincingly.
“I understand more than you think, Cyrilla,” he said it quietly, using her whole first name. This, he supposed, was the problem with pretending to be an oblivious, happy idiot all of the time. He made up stupid nicknames for his pokémon and played around in battles; maybe that made it seem like he cared about them less. But he, like everyone, had eagerly waited for the day he’d begin his journey. He, like everyone, had started it with one pokémon in particular—one that even now was close to his heart in a way no human being had yet managed to come, except perhaps Harper.
And, not so much like everyone else, he knew what it was like to feel that everything you were doing was wrong and know that you had to do it anyway. It wasn’t something he’d ever wish on anyone, but especially not her. He let his eyes rest on Kenshin for a while; the lucario’s chest rose and fell steadily, a hint at the strong life underneath the injury. Ana and Joy had done their work well, but part of it would come down to Kenshin’s spirit. And Kas knew it was a hardy one.
“So don’t do it,” he said, moving his eyes back to her. “Quit. Leave Team Rocket. Eryk won’t suddenly stop caring about you if you do—and quitting wouldn’t mean you’d have to stop seeing him. And you wouldn’t have to put any of your pokémon at risk that way again.” There were a thousand other things she could do with her talent and her kindness—it wasn’t fair that she felt like she had to choose this one.
She visibly frowned at him. "I can't," she spoke, her gaze uncharacteristically like Eryk's. It was hard, not the same softness that they usually held. "I can't just leave. My family won't let me. They'd hunt me down again," she seemed to choke on that somewhat. Either she hadn't meant to say that, or she hadn't meant to say it entirely. "Before you came to the clan with Eryk, I tried running away. I tried to leave because I didn't want to be part of Team Rocket. Everyone in Koga's family, even Koga himself, are all a part of Team Rocket, and there is no say in what we do with our lives.
"We aren't supposed to have any other wish than to be part of the organization. But I didn't. I ran away, but they sent Eryk after me. He was the only one who could find me. I thought... I thought he was going to force me to come back," she paused slightly to take a breath. She played with the spoon on the table, tearing her gaze away from him. "He didn't.
She stayed quiet for a few minutes, seemingly contemplating whether or not she wanted to say more. "He gave Kenshin to me and told me I should keep running. He would lie for me, say that he couldn't find me, but I couldn't do that to him. So I went back with him. Remember when I told you that Eryk's scars were meant for me? I... Eryk is a good person. He's a genuinely good person and I want to help him. He's the reason I joined Team Rocket. Him and..." she paused slightly to glance up at him. She looked like she wanted to say more, but she shook her head.
"The only way I could ever leave Team Rocket is if I died on a mission," she spoke a little solemnly. There was truth to that statement. "I know he wouldn't stop caring about me, but we don't get a say in whether or not we can leave. It doesn't work like that, not for him, not for me. Maybe... it could for you, but not for me," she didn't seem inclined to say anything more than that. She looked like she said more than she wanted to.
Kas’s jaw tightened. If he’d needed to remember why he was doing all of this in the first place, there was an answer that would keep him satisfied. What kind of ridiculous bullshit was that? That her family believed they had such control of her life? If Katia was any indication, they didn’t think much of her anyway, so why not just let her go?
He shook his head, though it was mostly directed at his own thoughts. Before he’d really properly considered it, he was reaching forward, brushing his thumb along the small scar on her chin. Even one so small—that it could be given to her by members of her own family, on purpose, was unthinkable. His family had plenty of issues, but that… that was something else.
The skin was smooth under the callus on his fingertip; only then did he think about what he was doing and draw his hand away quickly. “Sorry,” he said, glancing away. “I shouldn’t have done that.” He heaved a sigh out of his nose. “And I shouldn’t have told you to quit. I just…” He wanted to look at her, but couldn’t quite bring himself to do it.
“I hate watching you suffer and not being able to do anything about it. I’m supposed to be helping people, but I can’t even…” his brows furrowed, creating a deep crease above his nose.
She just shook her head. If she'd been embarrassed by it, she didn't show it. Her face didn't turn the slightest bit of color perhaps because she didn't have much color to go on. "It's alright Kas. I've learned a long time ago that no one can help me. It's a fact I've accepted, but at least I can help others," she replied softly. She placed the spoon down, and, instead, stood from her chair. She walked to his side of the table, and kneeled down slightly so that she could see his eyes. She took one of his hands in hers, and covered it with the other one.
"It'll be fine, Kas. You're a good person, too, and you are helping people. You're helping Ryk become more sociable, and how to be more human. And you've helped Ana so much at her center. I just... I might be the one person you can't help, but that's okay. I have you as a friend, and that's all that matters to me," she stated, keeping her gaze steady with his. Her smile seemed to brighten somewhat, but it still looked like she was trying to convince herself of something else.
It wasn’t okay. Not in the slightest. But he was sure that saying that wouldn’t help anything, and it would be selfish of him to dwell on it right now, when she had much more important problems to concern herself with. Now was hardly the time to burden her with his. As he’d told her, it was important that she take care of herself, and that meant dealing with things one at a time, and focusing on her own health and Kenshin’s right now.
“You should eat the rest of your lunch,” he advised softly. “There are a few changes of clothes in the bag—I had Hayley get them from your room.” He knew better than to rifle through a woman’s belongings like that, even if his intentions would have been completely benign. “But… don’t stay here forever, all right? I know you want to be here for Kenshin, but if you get sick or don’t sleep enough because of all the time you spend here, you won’t be able to help him with his recovery later on.” He extracted his hand from hers—he couldn’t help but think it was better not to touch her right now.
With his emotions not quite as contained as they usually were, he might do something they’d both regret. She didn’t deserve that.
She'd allowed his hand to leave rather easily, and remained smiling at him. "I won't. I'll... I just want to be here when he wakes up, but I suppose a walk wouldn't kill me," she stated, grabbing the bag. Once she found what she was looking for, she spared a glance at Kenshin, and then back towards Kas. "I guess I should go change," she started and stood from her spot. "Hey, Kas," she started, biting her lower lip somewhat before shaking her head. She made her way towards the door before she stopped again.
"Thanks," she stated before walking out.
“No problem.” He forced his customary smile onto his face, aware that it would look natural as long as he paid attention.
He wasn’t sure what she was thanking him for, but if it had helped even a bit… he supposed he’d take it.
That wasn’t exactly unexpected—it was what he was going for. It was really too bad that everything else had gone to shit. Accessing the reports on the internal server in Saffron wasn’t too hard—he wasn’t supposed to see them, of course; they were for the boss. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t access them, and for the sake of his friends, he did. Eryk’s didn’t look great. He’d been officially written up for both not completing his basic pokémon handling certs and for “borderline insubordination.” The report called it unprovoked when it was clearly the opposite, but there was enough truth to it that even Aidan—the fairest of the three Birds—would probably back it up if the boss asked. That was bad.
Cyrilla’s report was worse. Eryk’s battle assessment wasn’t great. Cy’s was abysmal. Apparently there was universal agreement that her pokémon training techniques were not up to par, and at least one of them had included a note that she should probably be considered for demotion, by the looks of it. She was also recommended for psychological evaluation—someone didn’t think she had the necessary grit and dedication to hold her post. Eryk and he were both up for psych eval as well—but in their case it was just noted that they hadn’t had one in a while. No doubt some shrink would be showing up within the next month to talk to all of them.
Kas clicked away from the assessments, unable to read more in one go for fear of getting angry. He didn’t like the person he was under sway of that particular emotion, and tried to avoid it whenever possible. He was already irritated, which was perhaps why he gritted his teeth when his phone rang, raising it to his ear without checking the caller ID.
“What?” He asked brusquely. A little too much so, based on the response he got.
“Um… Kas?” Shit. It was Ana. Now he felt like an asshole.
Forcing his tone to gentle, he tried not to sigh. “Yeah, it’s me. Sorry, Ana. Is there something you need?” Eryk wasn’t due to leave for another day, but he’d be spending most of today prepping for the trip, organizing duties and paperwork so Kas could play his role for a few days. Which meant if she needed some task done, he was probably the best option.
Well… and the one with the certs.
“It’s not me, it’s Cyrilla. I’m… I’m a little worried about her, Kas. She hasn’t left Kenshin’s hospital room, not even to go outside. She showers in the nurses’ locker room, but she doesn’t even have a change of clothes, and she won’t leave the room to eat. I’ve been bringing her things, but… I’m a little tied up right now with work, and it’s been a while since I’ve been able to get down there. I’d ask my aunt, but she’s really busy running the Center, so…”
Shit. Kas pinched the bridge of his nose. “Don’t worry Ana—I’ll take care of her. I’ll be there in like half an hour, so don’t worry.”
“Okay, thanks Kas. I’d have asked Eryk, but… I’m not sure. I think she might need something a little different right now.” She sounded unsure of her decision; he supposed he could understand that. Cy and Ryk were very close—he was kind of the odd one out in a sense.
“It’s fine. If nothing else, I’ll bring her some clothes and some food, and anyone can do that, right?”
“I suppose so,” she replied softly. “Anyway… good luck. I have to go now; ekans needs his medication.” There was no missing the touch of melancholy in her voice. It was the sound of someone who was unsure if they’d be able to keep doing what they loved, he supposed.
He tried to suppress the twinge in his chest. “Sure thing, Ana. I’ll see you later, okay?”
After they’d ended the conversation and Kas had commissioned Hayley to help him gather the things Cyrilla needed, he headed down to the communal kitchen they had and made lunch, packing it away in neat boxes before storing everything inside a backpack and throwing it over his shoulders. The walk to the center wasn’t long; Nurse Joy nodded to him on his way in, but made no attempt to stop him.
Kas knocked on the frame of the door to Kenshin’s room, which was partway ajar. “Cy? It’s me. I’ve brought you some stuff you might want.”
She'd apparently been sleeping, since her head was still partly on Kenshin's bedside, and she glanced up at him with weary eyes. She offered him a soft smile, but it wasn't quite the same as it used to be. Hesitantly, she regained her composure and blinked slowly at him. Her eyes were slightly still red, as if she'd been crying still. She probably was, but she looked just as Ana had described. Her eyes were dark, her hair was slightly mashed to one side of her face, and her skin wasn't as healthy and vibrant as it used to be.
"Hi Kas," she finally greeted. Her voice was weak, almost as if she'd been screaming at something for a while, but perhaps it was because of something else. "You didn't need to," she finally responded, frowing just slightly at the items in his hands. "But thank you," she added, glancing back towards Kenshin. She looked slightly hesitant to leave him, but she did. Standing from her spot, she made her way towards Kas. "You can put the stuff here," she stated, pointing towards a small table on the other side of the room.
"How's Eryk?" she finally asked. She hadn't seen him since the incident, and only once thereafter when he'd notified her of his departure to Viridian.
Kas deposited the backpack on the table as she’d requested, but not before unzipping it and retrieving the lunches he’d made. He wasn’t half-bad at the whole cooking thing; his mom ran a four-star restaurant, after all, and his dad couldn’t cook for shit, which meant that during the times of year when he’d lived with him, he’d had plenty of time to practice; at least on the nights when Michelle worked late.
“He’s feeling guilty, of course, but he’ll be fine once he works this stuff out with his certs,” he said, shrugging because it was obvious. He put one of the lunchboxes in her hands, pointing to one of the chairs. “Sit. Eat. Please.” It was just grilled paninis and soup, but he figured comfort food was kind of the order of the day at the moment.
She sighed when he handed her the box, but complied anyway. She sat in one of the chairs, opened her box, and simply stared at the contents. She didn't say anything, nor make a move to eat it. She just stared at it as if waiting for it to move or something. She glanced back up at him, and then back at the contents, sighing once more. Though it didn't look to be out of discontent. She took the soup out, and started with that one.
"I think it's a little more than guilt, but I suppose you're right. Ryk... operates a lot differently. I'm sure it devastated him when Katia threatened to take Ana's center. Ana herself might have been just as devastated," she spoke, taking a slow sip of the soup. "But Ryk is who Ryk is, and he'll be fine. He's always been that way," she spoke, trying to make light of the topic. It didn't quite work for her.
"He woke up, last night," she stated suddenly, allowing her eyes to drift towards Kenshin. "But he passed out just a few minutes after. I think... he's getting better. Just a few more days, and he'll be okay," she spoke, but it sounded like she was trying to reassure herself than anyone else. "How is everyone else doing at the base? I... haven't been there yet," she asked, clearly interested in their well-being more-so than her own.
“Cy.” For once, Kas’s tone carried a note of reproach. “It’s good to be worried about other people—but sometimes, you have to realize when you’re stretching yourself too thin. Everyone at the base is fine. They’re a little shaken up from everything that happened, but I’m there every day and they know they can bring their worries to me. They’ll be okay, Ana and Eryk will be okay, and what you need to focus on right now is Kenshin and yourself—otherwise you won’t be okay.”
He met her eyes and held them. Never once had he let his tone deviate from the soft one he’d used at the start, but he needed her to understand how important this was. No one could do everything. And continuing to ignore her own well-being would eventually mean she'd have none left. Kas found that the thought left a sour taste in his mouth and a strange, hollow feeling in his chest.
She didn't say anything, instead, placing her spoon down. She removed her gaze from his, and glanced down at the table. It seemed she couldn't even look him in the eye anymore. "I know, Kas. I just," she began slowly. She seemed unsure of herself, and continued to stare at the table. "I came so close to losing him. I don't think you understand just how much Kenshin means to me. If I had lost him, I would have," she started, but paused, sighing deeply. She leaned into her chair, and slid down somewhat.
"I don't think I can do this much longer. But if I didn't, then I wouldn't get to be with you or Eryk, or even Ana. I'd be relocated, and I'd lose my rank. I'd lose," she paused, glancing up at him finally. "I just can't seem to bring myself to care about all of that, though. I think something might be wrong with me," she stated softly, but it didn't sound easy for her to do that. "You shouldn't be worried, though, Kas. I'll bounce back once Kenshin's out, I promise," she didn't sound so sure about it, though. Still, she smiled, this time a little more convincingly.
“I understand more than you think, Cyrilla,” he said it quietly, using her whole first name. This, he supposed, was the problem with pretending to be an oblivious, happy idiot all of the time. He made up stupid nicknames for his pokémon and played around in battles; maybe that made it seem like he cared about them less. But he, like everyone, had eagerly waited for the day he’d begin his journey. He, like everyone, had started it with one pokémon in particular—one that even now was close to his heart in a way no human being had yet managed to come, except perhaps Harper.
And, not so much like everyone else, he knew what it was like to feel that everything you were doing was wrong and know that you had to do it anyway. It wasn’t something he’d ever wish on anyone, but especially not her. He let his eyes rest on Kenshin for a while; the lucario’s chest rose and fell steadily, a hint at the strong life underneath the injury. Ana and Joy had done their work well, but part of it would come down to Kenshin’s spirit. And Kas knew it was a hardy one.
“So don’t do it,” he said, moving his eyes back to her. “Quit. Leave Team Rocket. Eryk won’t suddenly stop caring about you if you do—and quitting wouldn’t mean you’d have to stop seeing him. And you wouldn’t have to put any of your pokémon at risk that way again.” There were a thousand other things she could do with her talent and her kindness—it wasn’t fair that she felt like she had to choose this one.
She visibly frowned at him. "I can't," she spoke, her gaze uncharacteristically like Eryk's. It was hard, not the same softness that they usually held. "I can't just leave. My family won't let me. They'd hunt me down again," she seemed to choke on that somewhat. Either she hadn't meant to say that, or she hadn't meant to say it entirely. "Before you came to the clan with Eryk, I tried running away. I tried to leave because I didn't want to be part of Team Rocket. Everyone in Koga's family, even Koga himself, are all a part of Team Rocket, and there is no say in what we do with our lives.
"We aren't supposed to have any other wish than to be part of the organization. But I didn't. I ran away, but they sent Eryk after me. He was the only one who could find me. I thought... I thought he was going to force me to come back," she paused slightly to take a breath. She played with the spoon on the table, tearing her gaze away from him. "He didn't.
She stayed quiet for a few minutes, seemingly contemplating whether or not she wanted to say more. "He gave Kenshin to me and told me I should keep running. He would lie for me, say that he couldn't find me, but I couldn't do that to him. So I went back with him. Remember when I told you that Eryk's scars were meant for me? I... Eryk is a good person. He's a genuinely good person and I want to help him. He's the reason I joined Team Rocket. Him and..." she paused slightly to glance up at him. She looked like she wanted to say more, but she shook her head.
"The only way I could ever leave Team Rocket is if I died on a mission," she spoke a little solemnly. There was truth to that statement. "I know he wouldn't stop caring about me, but we don't get a say in whether or not we can leave. It doesn't work like that, not for him, not for me. Maybe... it could for you, but not for me," she didn't seem inclined to say anything more than that. She looked like she said more than she wanted to.
Kas’s jaw tightened. If he’d needed to remember why he was doing all of this in the first place, there was an answer that would keep him satisfied. What kind of ridiculous bullshit was that? That her family believed they had such control of her life? If Katia was any indication, they didn’t think much of her anyway, so why not just let her go?
He shook his head, though it was mostly directed at his own thoughts. Before he’d really properly considered it, he was reaching forward, brushing his thumb along the small scar on her chin. Even one so small—that it could be given to her by members of her own family, on purpose, was unthinkable. His family had plenty of issues, but that… that was something else.
The skin was smooth under the callus on his fingertip; only then did he think about what he was doing and draw his hand away quickly. “Sorry,” he said, glancing away. “I shouldn’t have done that.” He heaved a sigh out of his nose. “And I shouldn’t have told you to quit. I just…” He wanted to look at her, but couldn’t quite bring himself to do it.
“I hate watching you suffer and not being able to do anything about it. I’m supposed to be helping people, but I can’t even…” his brows furrowed, creating a deep crease above his nose.
She just shook her head. If she'd been embarrassed by it, she didn't show it. Her face didn't turn the slightest bit of color perhaps because she didn't have much color to go on. "It's alright Kas. I've learned a long time ago that no one can help me. It's a fact I've accepted, but at least I can help others," she replied softly. She placed the spoon down, and, instead, stood from her chair. She walked to his side of the table, and kneeled down slightly so that she could see his eyes. She took one of his hands in hers, and covered it with the other one.
"It'll be fine, Kas. You're a good person, too, and you are helping people. You're helping Ryk become more sociable, and how to be more human. And you've helped Ana so much at her center. I just... I might be the one person you can't help, but that's okay. I have you as a friend, and that's all that matters to me," she stated, keeping her gaze steady with his. Her smile seemed to brighten somewhat, but it still looked like she was trying to convince herself of something else.
It wasn’t okay. Not in the slightest. But he was sure that saying that wouldn’t help anything, and it would be selfish of him to dwell on it right now, when she had much more important problems to concern herself with. Now was hardly the time to burden her with his. As he’d told her, it was important that she take care of herself, and that meant dealing with things one at a time, and focusing on her own health and Kenshin’s right now.
“You should eat the rest of your lunch,” he advised softly. “There are a few changes of clothes in the bag—I had Hayley get them from your room.” He knew better than to rifle through a woman’s belongings like that, even if his intentions would have been completely benign. “But… don’t stay here forever, all right? I know you want to be here for Kenshin, but if you get sick or don’t sleep enough because of all the time you spend here, you won’t be able to help him with his recovery later on.” He extracted his hand from hers—he couldn’t help but think it was better not to touch her right now.
With his emotions not quite as contained as they usually were, he might do something they’d both regret. She didn’t deserve that.
She'd allowed his hand to leave rather easily, and remained smiling at him. "I won't. I'll... I just want to be here when he wakes up, but I suppose a walk wouldn't kill me," she stated, grabbing the bag. Once she found what she was looking for, she spared a glance at Kenshin, and then back towards Kas. "I guess I should go change," she started and stood from her spot. "Hey, Kas," she started, biting her lower lip somewhat before shaking her head. She made her way towards the door before she stopped again.
"Thanks," she stated before walking out.
“No problem.” He forced his customary smile onto his face, aware that it would look natural as long as he paid attention.
He wasn’t sure what she was thanking him for, but if it had helped even a bit… he supposed he’d take it.
Eryk shifted his weight on one leg, staring a little dumbly at the gate. He'd wanted to say goodbye to Ana before he left, and he had a few hours before he had to leave for the airport. Rufus was outside, laying in the sun, and hadn't noticed him yet. He was slightly grateful for that since he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to be here. He'd be gone for at least a week, maybe longer, which meant Kas and Cy would be taking care of the base without him. He trusted Kas, but he wasn't so sure about Cy. With Kenshin still in the hospital, he knew most of her focus would be on him. At least he'd woken up last night, though. Cy had called him to tell him the news, so at least she'd be out and about now, taking care of him at least.
Apparently he stood around for too long, and the sound of the old stoutland caught his attention. He glanced down to spot Rufus wagging his stumpy tail, and Eryk couldn't help his expression. It softened somewhat. He'd taken a shine to Rufus, and had contemplated on whether or not he would adopt him. He thought about it, but then he thought about where he would keep Rufus. The base wasn't exactly equipped to handle something like Rufus, so he'd decided against it. He entered the gate and reached down to scratch Rufus' ear before making his way towards Ana's door. He'd gotten into the habit of knocking rather than just barging in. It was, apparently, considered rude, and he hadn't thought of it that way before.
"Ana?" he called out somewhat as he knocked on her door.
“Eryk?” When she replied, it was from the side, rather than behind the door. From the dirt stains on the knees of her pants and the work gloves on her hands, she must have been working in the garden.
She smiled at him, though it was a bit thinner than usual. She looked tired; her fair complexion made it extremely easy to pick out the dark circles under her eyes—they looked like bruises, they were so filled-in. She peeled her gloves off and hooked them through her belt. Her shoulders slackened as she sighed almost too softly for him to hear, but there didn’t seem to be anything annoyed about it, just exhausted. “Hi,” she murmured, folding her hands behind her back.
He didn't like that. Not one bit. He frowned slightly in her direction when she came around. "Ana?" he replied, though he wasn't entirely sure this was the same woman as before. "Are you alright?" he found himself saying instead. She didn't look alright, and he inwardly flinched. He supposed part of this might be related to what happened in the inspection. And that meant that her condition was his fault too. He sighed softly, his shoulders slumping just slightly. He didn't like seeing her like this, not one bit. He wasn't sure if there was anything he could do about it, though. It wasn't like he could force her to do something, like rest, but he could at least make the suggestion.
"You don't look too good," he spoke, and flinched somewhat. He hadn't meant to say it that way, but he was slightly relieved that his voice at least sounded worried. That was new to him, too. He worried about people, but he wasn't used to it being inflected in his tone.
Ana flinched slightly at the words, but seemed to recover, straightening a little. “I’m… I’ll be all right. I’m just… fighting off a bit of a flare-up right now is all. It makes it hard to sleep. It should subside soon, and then everything will be back to normal.” Her arms shifted behind her; after a second, he was able to determine that they were actually shaking. Not a lot—but enough to be perceptible. The tight hold she had on them minimized, but didn’t quell, the tremors.
“Is… there something that I can help you with? Maybe you’d like some tea? Um…” She didn’t seem quite sure what to say; her eyes dropped away from him, wandering around the yard like she hadn’t seen it all a thousand times before.
Half of him didn't want to leave, now. He wanted to stay to make sure she would be okay, however; if he did that, then he'd miss the deadline, and her center would be taken from her. As much as he wanted to stay, he knew it was better that he didn't. At least... if something happened to her, she could be happy in knowing that she still owned her facility, and could still operate it. Part of him was angry at himself, though. This could have all been avoided if he'd completed his damn certifications, and he wouldn't have to leave. He could stay here. But as it was, he needed to do this. He shook his head, though, and pushed his face into something more neutral.
"I came to say goodbye. I'll be leaving today," he stated. It sounded natural to him, but then he remembered that she might not quite get the context of what he was saying. He might be a literal person, but not everyone was. The way he'd said it, though, sounded a little more like a permanent goodbye. "I'm heading to Viridian to complete the certifications. That way... you get to keep your center," he spoke, his voice a little softer this time. He was still getting used to that, too. Being soft wasn't something he was used to, and he noticed he was perceptibly softer around Ana.
"I just wanted you to know that," and he really meant it.
“For…?” It took her a moment, but then she blinked at him, obviously in surprise. “You have to go all the way to Viridian for that? I—I’m sorry. This must be a terrible time to leave, with Kenshin and Cyrilla and the inspection just being finished.” Ana frowned. “I’m so sorry to ask this of you; if…” she hesitated. “If you’d rather not go…I’d understand.”
She finally made eye contact again, and he could tell that she meant it. From her point of view, he was leaving town when his cousin, someone he considered like his sister, was in a lot of pain. Perhaps she thought she was imposing upon him.
"It's not your fault, Ana," he spoke, a tad bit confused. "You don't have to apologize for something that is my fault, and for something that we couldn't have foreseen. Cyrilla has you and Kas to look after her, and I trust the both of you. You, on the other hand, could lose an establishment that you love. That is more important, right now," he spoke, and he winced slightly at the severity of how he said it. This place meant a lot to her, he knew that. Cyrilla would be fine, eventually. He wasn't too worried about his cousin now that Kenshin was awake.
"I made you a promise, that I was going to help you. This is me keeping that promise. A week away won't kill anyone, just..." he paused to take in a breath. He hadn't realized how worried he was now. What if something happened while he was away? Cyrilla wasn't in the right mental state right now to handle much else, but at least Kas could handle something. He believed in his friend that much, at least. "Just promise me you'll take it easy until I get back. If Kas shows up, let him help. Just... you don't have to do this on your own anymore," he stated, pinching the bridge of his nose.
He really wasn't good with people, but he was worse at trying to explain himself.
She seemed relieved by his decision, and oddly enough by the firmness with which he said it. “Thank you,” she said, the words so soft they could only be a whisper. “For doing this for me. For helping, for… caring.” Ana swallowed thickly, rocking back on her heels for a moment, then seemed to come to some kind of decision.
“Um, please don’t take this the wrong way, but… can I, um… C-can I hug you? It’s just you’ve been such a good friend and maybe it’s the lack of sleep talking here, but… I could really use one, if that’s okay.” She paused, then amended hastily. “Oh, but… no hard feelings if you’d rather not. Um.” Slowly, her face shifted colors, until it nearly matched her hair.
Eryk looked at her a little confused. She wanted to hug him? Him of all people? He had a distinct feeling that someone somewhere was laughing at him right now, but he simply stared at her for a moment. It wasn't that he'd never hugged a person before, because Cy used to hug him all the time, however; it just seemed odd to him that someone else wanted to give him one.
"Sure," he finally stated, a little surprised himself. He stooped a bit, though, so that she could hug him properly. She was only an inch taller than Cy, so he knew his height might provide for an uncomfortable one. He opened his arms slightly so she could hug him as she pleased.
Smiling tentatively, Ana stepped in close, wrapping her arms snugly around his back and laying the side of her head against his chest. It was easier to tell she was shaking, now—he could feel it. She exhaled a deep, slow breath, relaxing slightly against him; her fingers curled in the back of his shirt.
“Thank you,” she said, her voice slightly muffled. “For… for helping. And for doing this, when you didn’t have to. This place is… it’s my entire life. And I’m glad—” her voice cracked. “I’m so glad I have a friend like you.”
He was slightly glad that no one else was around. He could feel the slightest pull of his lips, and knew he was smiling softly. He might have scared someone that way. Instead, he simply allowed Ana to hug him, and for a brief moment, he hugged her back. He kept his hand on her back, feeling the softness of her hair against it. He should be the one thanking her, though. She was a friend he never thought he could have, and it was a strange feeling. Suddenly, it dawned on him. She couldn't be his friend. She couldn't be his friend because she was the target, and she was being researched. What friendship they had built might as well have been built on lies, and for once in his life, Eryk felt like shit. Complete and utter shit.
"You're welcome, Ana. I'm glad to have had a friend like you, as well," because their friendship couldn't last much longer. He would do this so she could keep her facility, but after that... he would have to start pushing her out of his life. He'd have to do it slowly though, even if he didn't want to.
She pulled back, not trembling quite as badly anymore. Her smile was more like usual, now, as though she really had simply needed a hug. “I’m not sure why,” she said, her tone caught between light and serious. “All I seem to do is get you in trouble. But I’ll find some way to make it up to you someday.” Stepping away all together, she huffed slightly. “For now… how about some tea? Oh, and I can make oatmeal cookies. You can take them, for the trip.”
"I'd like that," because he couldn't say no to oatmeal cookies.
Apparently he stood around for too long, and the sound of the old stoutland caught his attention. He glanced down to spot Rufus wagging his stumpy tail, and Eryk couldn't help his expression. It softened somewhat. He'd taken a shine to Rufus, and had contemplated on whether or not he would adopt him. He thought about it, but then he thought about where he would keep Rufus. The base wasn't exactly equipped to handle something like Rufus, so he'd decided against it. He entered the gate and reached down to scratch Rufus' ear before making his way towards Ana's door. He'd gotten into the habit of knocking rather than just barging in. It was, apparently, considered rude, and he hadn't thought of it that way before.
"Ana?" he called out somewhat as he knocked on her door.
“Eryk?” When she replied, it was from the side, rather than behind the door. From the dirt stains on the knees of her pants and the work gloves on her hands, she must have been working in the garden.
She smiled at him, though it was a bit thinner than usual. She looked tired; her fair complexion made it extremely easy to pick out the dark circles under her eyes—they looked like bruises, they were so filled-in. She peeled her gloves off and hooked them through her belt. Her shoulders slackened as she sighed almost too softly for him to hear, but there didn’t seem to be anything annoyed about it, just exhausted. “Hi,” she murmured, folding her hands behind her back.
He didn't like that. Not one bit. He frowned slightly in her direction when she came around. "Ana?" he replied, though he wasn't entirely sure this was the same woman as before. "Are you alright?" he found himself saying instead. She didn't look alright, and he inwardly flinched. He supposed part of this might be related to what happened in the inspection. And that meant that her condition was his fault too. He sighed softly, his shoulders slumping just slightly. He didn't like seeing her like this, not one bit. He wasn't sure if there was anything he could do about it, though. It wasn't like he could force her to do something, like rest, but he could at least make the suggestion.
"You don't look too good," he spoke, and flinched somewhat. He hadn't meant to say it that way, but he was slightly relieved that his voice at least sounded worried. That was new to him, too. He worried about people, but he wasn't used to it being inflected in his tone.
Ana flinched slightly at the words, but seemed to recover, straightening a little. “I’m… I’ll be all right. I’m just… fighting off a bit of a flare-up right now is all. It makes it hard to sleep. It should subside soon, and then everything will be back to normal.” Her arms shifted behind her; after a second, he was able to determine that they were actually shaking. Not a lot—but enough to be perceptible. The tight hold she had on them minimized, but didn’t quell, the tremors.
“Is… there something that I can help you with? Maybe you’d like some tea? Um…” She didn’t seem quite sure what to say; her eyes dropped away from him, wandering around the yard like she hadn’t seen it all a thousand times before.
Half of him didn't want to leave, now. He wanted to stay to make sure she would be okay, however; if he did that, then he'd miss the deadline, and her center would be taken from her. As much as he wanted to stay, he knew it was better that he didn't. At least... if something happened to her, she could be happy in knowing that she still owned her facility, and could still operate it. Part of him was angry at himself, though. This could have all been avoided if he'd completed his damn certifications, and he wouldn't have to leave. He could stay here. But as it was, he needed to do this. He shook his head, though, and pushed his face into something more neutral.
"I came to say goodbye. I'll be leaving today," he stated. It sounded natural to him, but then he remembered that she might not quite get the context of what he was saying. He might be a literal person, but not everyone was. The way he'd said it, though, sounded a little more like a permanent goodbye. "I'm heading to Viridian to complete the certifications. That way... you get to keep your center," he spoke, his voice a little softer this time. He was still getting used to that, too. Being soft wasn't something he was used to, and he noticed he was perceptibly softer around Ana.
"I just wanted you to know that," and he really meant it.
“For…?” It took her a moment, but then she blinked at him, obviously in surprise. “You have to go all the way to Viridian for that? I—I’m sorry. This must be a terrible time to leave, with Kenshin and Cyrilla and the inspection just being finished.” Ana frowned. “I’m so sorry to ask this of you; if…” she hesitated. “If you’d rather not go…I’d understand.”
She finally made eye contact again, and he could tell that she meant it. From her point of view, he was leaving town when his cousin, someone he considered like his sister, was in a lot of pain. Perhaps she thought she was imposing upon him.
"It's not your fault, Ana," he spoke, a tad bit confused. "You don't have to apologize for something that is my fault, and for something that we couldn't have foreseen. Cyrilla has you and Kas to look after her, and I trust the both of you. You, on the other hand, could lose an establishment that you love. That is more important, right now," he spoke, and he winced slightly at the severity of how he said it. This place meant a lot to her, he knew that. Cyrilla would be fine, eventually. He wasn't too worried about his cousin now that Kenshin was awake.
"I made you a promise, that I was going to help you. This is me keeping that promise. A week away won't kill anyone, just..." he paused to take in a breath. He hadn't realized how worried he was now. What if something happened while he was away? Cyrilla wasn't in the right mental state right now to handle much else, but at least Kas could handle something. He believed in his friend that much, at least. "Just promise me you'll take it easy until I get back. If Kas shows up, let him help. Just... you don't have to do this on your own anymore," he stated, pinching the bridge of his nose.
He really wasn't good with people, but he was worse at trying to explain himself.
She seemed relieved by his decision, and oddly enough by the firmness with which he said it. “Thank you,” she said, the words so soft they could only be a whisper. “For doing this for me. For helping, for… caring.” Ana swallowed thickly, rocking back on her heels for a moment, then seemed to come to some kind of decision.
“Um, please don’t take this the wrong way, but… can I, um… C-can I hug you? It’s just you’ve been such a good friend and maybe it’s the lack of sleep talking here, but… I could really use one, if that’s okay.” She paused, then amended hastily. “Oh, but… no hard feelings if you’d rather not. Um.” Slowly, her face shifted colors, until it nearly matched her hair.
Eryk looked at her a little confused. She wanted to hug him? Him of all people? He had a distinct feeling that someone somewhere was laughing at him right now, but he simply stared at her for a moment. It wasn't that he'd never hugged a person before, because Cy used to hug him all the time, however; it just seemed odd to him that someone else wanted to give him one.
"Sure," he finally stated, a little surprised himself. He stooped a bit, though, so that she could hug him properly. She was only an inch taller than Cy, so he knew his height might provide for an uncomfortable one. He opened his arms slightly so she could hug him as she pleased.
Smiling tentatively, Ana stepped in close, wrapping her arms snugly around his back and laying the side of her head against his chest. It was easier to tell she was shaking, now—he could feel it. She exhaled a deep, slow breath, relaxing slightly against him; her fingers curled in the back of his shirt.
“Thank you,” she said, her voice slightly muffled. “For… for helping. And for doing this, when you didn’t have to. This place is… it’s my entire life. And I’m glad—” her voice cracked. “I’m so glad I have a friend like you.”
He was slightly glad that no one else was around. He could feel the slightest pull of his lips, and knew he was smiling softly. He might have scared someone that way. Instead, he simply allowed Ana to hug him, and for a brief moment, he hugged her back. He kept his hand on her back, feeling the softness of her hair against it. He should be the one thanking her, though. She was a friend he never thought he could have, and it was a strange feeling. Suddenly, it dawned on him. She couldn't be his friend. She couldn't be his friend because she was the target, and she was being researched. What friendship they had built might as well have been built on lies, and for once in his life, Eryk felt like shit. Complete and utter shit.
"You're welcome, Ana. I'm glad to have had a friend like you, as well," because their friendship couldn't last much longer. He would do this so she could keep her facility, but after that... he would have to start pushing her out of his life. He'd have to do it slowly though, even if he didn't want to.
She pulled back, not trembling quite as badly anymore. Her smile was more like usual, now, as though she really had simply needed a hug. “I’m not sure why,” she said, her tone caught between light and serious. “All I seem to do is get you in trouble. But I’ll find some way to make it up to you someday.” Stepping away all together, she huffed slightly. “For now… how about some tea? Oh, and I can make oatmeal cookies. You can take them, for the trip.”
"I'd like that," because he couldn't say no to oatmeal cookies.
Kasimir pushed a breath out of his nose, earning himself a sideways look from Hayley. Ryk’s pretend-secretary had been basically promoted to Kas’s actual assistant, at least until both Ryk and Cy were back at work. He wasn’t eager to put a timetable on exactly when that would be; it was important that they both took off the time they needed to bounce back from everything that happened with the inspection.
“The boss is ordering a psychiatric evaluation for Cyrilla?” Hayley looked down at the papers in her hands, fresh in from the mail.
Kas suppressed a groan. It looked like the fallout was already beginning. “Probably,” he agreed reluctantly. “Is that a form 75B?”
“Yeah,” she replied gravely. “I know the higher-ups know what they’re doing and everything, but… Cyrilla? Really? She’s so nice—I don’t understand what they could possibly think was wrong with her!”
Thankfully, Hayley was not the type to spread gossip around the office, which was part of the reason he’d picked her to do this job that technically they should have someone for but didn’t.
“That’s because you’re a generally well-meaning person with good intentions, Hayley,” Kas replied dryly. “And from that point of view, there is nothing wrong with her—except maybe a tendency to forego taking care of herself too often when she really should. But that’s not psych eval material.” Kas moved another stack of papers to the ‘done’ pile, flexing his cramped hand in the process. Arceus, that hurt.
Hayley picked up on his implication pretty quickly. “You think the Three Birds were out to get her?”
Well, it was more like two of the three were out to get everyone, especially Cy and Ryk, but he supposed that was close enough. “I can’t say,” he said, raising an eyebrow and giving her a meaningful look. She seemed to catch on, nodding back at him with a frown on her face.
She must have caught him massaging his hand, however, because the next thing she said changed topics. “Sir… I mean Kas,” she amended when he mock-glared. “Why don’t you go ahead and call it a day? The rest of this is just filing nonsense, and you’ve been here for longer than I have.”
Kas glanced at the clock. Fourteen hours, to be exact. When had he become the kind of person who’d work for fourteen hours? Or more accurately… let himself be seen working for fourteen hours? This was going to destroy his reputation as a slacker—he’d have to make up for it really thoroughly when Ryk and Cy got back. He’d have to shove all his work off on them for months for people to forget this.
“Seriously,” Hayley said, leveling him with a stern look. “I could use the overtime, and I know you’re on a salary, so don’t try and fool me.”
He chuckled slightly. “You’re a good woman, Hayley Stamfield. That Luke is fortunate you like him.” He winked playfully; she turned beet-red right on cue, turning away and mumbling something under her breath. Kas didn’t try to hard to make it out.
“Get out of here, you lousy rake,” she chided, making shooing motions with her hands. It was easy to tell she wasn’t actually upset—Kas could tell she was flattered more than anything. It was nice to know he still had his touch, considering just how often he felt like he’d managed to fuck up lately.
He thought for a moment about a hospital room and a vulnerable-looking friend, and shoved the thoughts forcefully out of his head. Stupid damn protective instinct. That was probably Harper’s fault. Damn her for making him an older brother and forcing him to develop that nascent part of himself into a full-fledged character trait. And honestly, damn Cyrilla for making him feel it when he didn’t want to.
But that was probably unfair. Pretending to be sufficiently intimidated, he said his goodbyes to Hayley and made his way out of the office. He was thinking about too many things, and while he was exhausted and hungry, he figured he wouldn’t be able to sleep if he tried and the idea of making something to eat really didn’t appeal right now. So instead he started down the road to Ana’s.
It was already past dark when he started out; by the time he got to her house, it had to be eight-thirty or so. Considerably past polite calling hours, but the thing about Ana was, she’d receive him graciously anyway. While it was probably rude to ask that of her, he really needed her to right now, and so he knocked on her door and stepped back to wait.
Predictably, Rufus barked a couple of times; Kas found himself smiling even despite the mood he was in. Ana opened the door soon after, smiling softly at him and ushering him indoors. They got situated in her kitchen when she learned he hadn’t eaten yet, and she worked on a stir-fry while he sat at the island, long legs wrapped around the foot-bar of a tall stool. He leaned against the light grey stone of the counter, his chin propped in both hands.
Ana moved around the kitchen with the ease and grace of long practice. It was actually kind of soothing to just watch her do things—she had this sort of unhurried efficiency about her that was relaxing. She also didn’t seem to mind the scrutiny, and unlike most people, she could shift easily between pleasant chatter and equally-pleasant silence, depending on what mood she believed he was in. She was remarkably good at guessing, too.
Today, she probably picked up on the fact that he wanted a distraction, and so she spoke.
“I’ve been teaching the magikarp some little tricks,” she said, scraping three eggs into the frying pan. They hit the surface with a sizzle, and she immediately started stirring them around to scramble them. “Just to keep them active, you know? Bubbles has some trouble because of his prosthetic, but he’s learning quickly, and I think it makes him happy to have something to work on, you know?”
Kas figured that only Ana would have the inclination to think up rehabilitative exercises for a magikarp with only one fin. He admired her immensely for it—and other times he wondered if she might not be a little… off in her assessment of things. He’d looked in plenty of magikarps’ faces before: it was pretty hard to tell their moods on a good day, and being able to understand them down to a complicated feeling like struggling but being glad to struggle was… well, he wasn’t sure it was possible.
And yet… hm. That was an interesting observation. He wondered if it might not be connected to what the Boss wanted her for.
“I’m glad to hear it,” he said, half-smiling.
She tilted her head at him. “But your thoughts are elsewhere,” she observed gently, adding mushrooms and chopped green onions to the pan. The aroma wafted through the kitchen, reminding him how hungry he was.
Her tone contained no admonishment, but he grimaced anyway. “Ryk and Cy,” he admitted. “You know as well as I do that they’ve been having a tough time of it lately; I feel pretty useless to them, really.” It was somehow much easier to admit to her than either of them. Even with Cyrilla, he hadn’t quite been able to spit it out in the right form. Maybe that was because his friendship with them would always be complicated on his end by the deception. Weirdly, he was more able to be honest with Ana, despite hiding a pretty massive secret from her as well. Maybe because he didn’t quite believe he’d let Project Nebula go through?
“What do you mean?” she asked. “You’re basically running the whole branch for them right now, aren’t you? That seems like something useful.”
“Maybe,” he conceded. “But that’s work. I can do it while they sort things out, but I can’t actually… help them, you know?”
Ana pursed her lips, stirring the rest of the vegetables into the pan and salting everything. “I think… you might be expecting the wrong things, Kas. No one, not even Eryk and Cy themselves, can just make them feel better about what happened. It’s a process, and it’s one that takes time, and energy, and a lot of work that they have to do for themselves. Not even they’ll be able to do it for each other. That would be like… being upset because you can’t… make a sick person no longer have a cold. You physically can’t. But you can bring them soup and blankets and make sure they don’t have to get up to do chores, right?”
He supposed he hadn’t thought of it that way. “Maybe I’m too used to trying to fix things,” he admitted, taking a sip from the glass of water near his place setting. “Or maybe I figured it had to be different because it was something psychological.” That didn’t seem right though.
“Or maybe you just care a lot,” she said with a shrug. “There’s nothing wrong with wanting them to be well, or wishing that they would. But these just aren’t the kind of things you can magically make go away, much as it might be good if they were. Trust me when I say I speak from experience—on both sides of that problem.”
“I’m jealous,” he admitted. Kas blinked, surprised by his own admission. He hadn’t meant to say that—it had just come out. “They’re so close, you know? Because of all the stuff they’ve been through together as family. And here I am, the third person in the group, friends with both, and… not as close as they are, even though I’ve known them for years. I just can’t touch what they are to each other, and… honestly, it makes me feel kind of… lonely. They could get along just fine without me, and me… I’d be miserable without them, here.”
Ana nodded as though she understood. Hell, maybe she did. He felt like an asshole for feeling the way he did, especially considering that he was going to have to betray them both one day. He didn’t want to hurt them, but that was exactly what being closer to his friends would do, eventually—hurt them. Possibly worse than Katia or Remi even could, in the long run.
“You have family, though, don’t you?” she asked.
He inclined his head. “Yeah,” he said. “And we’re close, but… my family’s not here, you know? My family aren’t also my coworkers, and best friends, and everything all at once. I don’t have anyone like that.”
Ana hummed, adding precooked rice from the fridge into the pan. “I suppose that would make it tougher,” she said. “But you know… most people don’t have anyone like that. And considering how unsupportive and… and cruel the rest of their family is, maybe that’s something they’ve needed. Something they still need.”
“Fuck the rest of their family,” he growled darkly. To his surprise, Ana scowled for a moment, her eyes hard, and nodded. “But… yeah, I don't doubt it. I don’t want to say I resent it, either, I just… seeing that really makes me feel the lack of something like it in my own life, you know?”
“I do. And it’s okay, you know. Jealousy isn’t a nice feeling, but I think sometimes it can help us figure out what really makes us happy in life, or understand more about what we want. I used to think I envied healthy people because they’d live a longer time than me, but… after I thought about it for long enough, I realized that what I really envied was the fact that they got to accomplish meaningful things with the time they had. And that was actually something I could do, too.”
Kas leaned forward slightly, smirking at her. “I can see why Ryk likes being around you so much,” he said, halfway between playful and serious. “You really don’t have a vindictive bone in your body, do you?”
She gave him a flat look for a second. “You wouldn’t say that if you knew what I wanted to say to whoever actually gave them those scars,” she said quietly. Backing up a step, Ana turned off the burner, plating his stir fry and sliding it across the island to him.
“Yes I would,” he replied. “Because you’d talk to them. I wouldn’t.” He’d do much worse than that.
“Eat your food, Kas. It’s better not to dwell on things we have no control over.”
He supposed she was probably right.
“The boss is ordering a psychiatric evaluation for Cyrilla?” Hayley looked down at the papers in her hands, fresh in from the mail.
Kas suppressed a groan. It looked like the fallout was already beginning. “Probably,” he agreed reluctantly. “Is that a form 75B?”
“Yeah,” she replied gravely. “I know the higher-ups know what they’re doing and everything, but… Cyrilla? Really? She’s so nice—I don’t understand what they could possibly think was wrong with her!”
Thankfully, Hayley was not the type to spread gossip around the office, which was part of the reason he’d picked her to do this job that technically they should have someone for but didn’t.
“That’s because you’re a generally well-meaning person with good intentions, Hayley,” Kas replied dryly. “And from that point of view, there is nothing wrong with her—except maybe a tendency to forego taking care of herself too often when she really should. But that’s not psych eval material.” Kas moved another stack of papers to the ‘done’ pile, flexing his cramped hand in the process. Arceus, that hurt.
Hayley picked up on his implication pretty quickly. “You think the Three Birds were out to get her?”
Well, it was more like two of the three were out to get everyone, especially Cy and Ryk, but he supposed that was close enough. “I can’t say,” he said, raising an eyebrow and giving her a meaningful look. She seemed to catch on, nodding back at him with a frown on her face.
She must have caught him massaging his hand, however, because the next thing she said changed topics. “Sir… I mean Kas,” she amended when he mock-glared. “Why don’t you go ahead and call it a day? The rest of this is just filing nonsense, and you’ve been here for longer than I have.”
Kas glanced at the clock. Fourteen hours, to be exact. When had he become the kind of person who’d work for fourteen hours? Or more accurately… let himself be seen working for fourteen hours? This was going to destroy his reputation as a slacker—he’d have to make up for it really thoroughly when Ryk and Cy got back. He’d have to shove all his work off on them for months for people to forget this.
“Seriously,” Hayley said, leveling him with a stern look. “I could use the overtime, and I know you’re on a salary, so don’t try and fool me.”
He chuckled slightly. “You’re a good woman, Hayley Stamfield. That Luke is fortunate you like him.” He winked playfully; she turned beet-red right on cue, turning away and mumbling something under her breath. Kas didn’t try to hard to make it out.
“Get out of here, you lousy rake,” she chided, making shooing motions with her hands. It was easy to tell she wasn’t actually upset—Kas could tell she was flattered more than anything. It was nice to know he still had his touch, considering just how often he felt like he’d managed to fuck up lately.
He thought for a moment about a hospital room and a vulnerable-looking friend, and shoved the thoughts forcefully out of his head. Stupid damn protective instinct. That was probably Harper’s fault. Damn her for making him an older brother and forcing him to develop that nascent part of himself into a full-fledged character trait. And honestly, damn Cyrilla for making him feel it when he didn’t want to.
But that was probably unfair. Pretending to be sufficiently intimidated, he said his goodbyes to Hayley and made his way out of the office. He was thinking about too many things, and while he was exhausted and hungry, he figured he wouldn’t be able to sleep if he tried and the idea of making something to eat really didn’t appeal right now. So instead he started down the road to Ana’s.
It was already past dark when he started out; by the time he got to her house, it had to be eight-thirty or so. Considerably past polite calling hours, but the thing about Ana was, she’d receive him graciously anyway. While it was probably rude to ask that of her, he really needed her to right now, and so he knocked on her door and stepped back to wait.
Predictably, Rufus barked a couple of times; Kas found himself smiling even despite the mood he was in. Ana opened the door soon after, smiling softly at him and ushering him indoors. They got situated in her kitchen when she learned he hadn’t eaten yet, and she worked on a stir-fry while he sat at the island, long legs wrapped around the foot-bar of a tall stool. He leaned against the light grey stone of the counter, his chin propped in both hands.
Ana moved around the kitchen with the ease and grace of long practice. It was actually kind of soothing to just watch her do things—she had this sort of unhurried efficiency about her that was relaxing. She also didn’t seem to mind the scrutiny, and unlike most people, she could shift easily between pleasant chatter and equally-pleasant silence, depending on what mood she believed he was in. She was remarkably good at guessing, too.
Today, she probably picked up on the fact that he wanted a distraction, and so she spoke.
“I’ve been teaching the magikarp some little tricks,” she said, scraping three eggs into the frying pan. They hit the surface with a sizzle, and she immediately started stirring them around to scramble them. “Just to keep them active, you know? Bubbles has some trouble because of his prosthetic, but he’s learning quickly, and I think it makes him happy to have something to work on, you know?”
Kas figured that only Ana would have the inclination to think up rehabilitative exercises for a magikarp with only one fin. He admired her immensely for it—and other times he wondered if she might not be a little… off in her assessment of things. He’d looked in plenty of magikarps’ faces before: it was pretty hard to tell their moods on a good day, and being able to understand them down to a complicated feeling like struggling but being glad to struggle was… well, he wasn’t sure it was possible.
And yet… hm. That was an interesting observation. He wondered if it might not be connected to what the Boss wanted her for.
“I’m glad to hear it,” he said, half-smiling.
She tilted her head at him. “But your thoughts are elsewhere,” she observed gently, adding mushrooms and chopped green onions to the pan. The aroma wafted through the kitchen, reminding him how hungry he was.
Her tone contained no admonishment, but he grimaced anyway. “Ryk and Cy,” he admitted. “You know as well as I do that they’ve been having a tough time of it lately; I feel pretty useless to them, really.” It was somehow much easier to admit to her than either of them. Even with Cyrilla, he hadn’t quite been able to spit it out in the right form. Maybe that was because his friendship with them would always be complicated on his end by the deception. Weirdly, he was more able to be honest with Ana, despite hiding a pretty massive secret from her as well. Maybe because he didn’t quite believe he’d let Project Nebula go through?
“What do you mean?” she asked. “You’re basically running the whole branch for them right now, aren’t you? That seems like something useful.”
“Maybe,” he conceded. “But that’s work. I can do it while they sort things out, but I can’t actually… help them, you know?”
Ana pursed her lips, stirring the rest of the vegetables into the pan and salting everything. “I think… you might be expecting the wrong things, Kas. No one, not even Eryk and Cy themselves, can just make them feel better about what happened. It’s a process, and it’s one that takes time, and energy, and a lot of work that they have to do for themselves. Not even they’ll be able to do it for each other. That would be like… being upset because you can’t… make a sick person no longer have a cold. You physically can’t. But you can bring them soup and blankets and make sure they don’t have to get up to do chores, right?”
He supposed he hadn’t thought of it that way. “Maybe I’m too used to trying to fix things,” he admitted, taking a sip from the glass of water near his place setting. “Or maybe I figured it had to be different because it was something psychological.” That didn’t seem right though.
“Or maybe you just care a lot,” she said with a shrug. “There’s nothing wrong with wanting them to be well, or wishing that they would. But these just aren’t the kind of things you can magically make go away, much as it might be good if they were. Trust me when I say I speak from experience—on both sides of that problem.”
“I’m jealous,” he admitted. Kas blinked, surprised by his own admission. He hadn’t meant to say that—it had just come out. “They’re so close, you know? Because of all the stuff they’ve been through together as family. And here I am, the third person in the group, friends with both, and… not as close as they are, even though I’ve known them for years. I just can’t touch what they are to each other, and… honestly, it makes me feel kind of… lonely. They could get along just fine without me, and me… I’d be miserable without them, here.”
Ana nodded as though she understood. Hell, maybe she did. He felt like an asshole for feeling the way he did, especially considering that he was going to have to betray them both one day. He didn’t want to hurt them, but that was exactly what being closer to his friends would do, eventually—hurt them. Possibly worse than Katia or Remi even could, in the long run.
“You have family, though, don’t you?” she asked.
He inclined his head. “Yeah,” he said. “And we’re close, but… my family’s not here, you know? My family aren’t also my coworkers, and best friends, and everything all at once. I don’t have anyone like that.”
Ana hummed, adding precooked rice from the fridge into the pan. “I suppose that would make it tougher,” she said. “But you know… most people don’t have anyone like that. And considering how unsupportive and… and cruel the rest of their family is, maybe that’s something they’ve needed. Something they still need.”
“Fuck the rest of their family,” he growled darkly. To his surprise, Ana scowled for a moment, her eyes hard, and nodded. “But… yeah, I don't doubt it. I don’t want to say I resent it, either, I just… seeing that really makes me feel the lack of something like it in my own life, you know?”
“I do. And it’s okay, you know. Jealousy isn’t a nice feeling, but I think sometimes it can help us figure out what really makes us happy in life, or understand more about what we want. I used to think I envied healthy people because they’d live a longer time than me, but… after I thought about it for long enough, I realized that what I really envied was the fact that they got to accomplish meaningful things with the time they had. And that was actually something I could do, too.”
Kas leaned forward slightly, smirking at her. “I can see why Ryk likes being around you so much,” he said, halfway between playful and serious. “You really don’t have a vindictive bone in your body, do you?”
She gave him a flat look for a second. “You wouldn’t say that if you knew what I wanted to say to whoever actually gave them those scars,” she said quietly. Backing up a step, Ana turned off the burner, plating his stir fry and sliding it across the island to him.
“Yes I would,” he replied. “Because you’d talk to them. I wouldn’t.” He’d do much worse than that.
“Eat your food, Kas. It’s better not to dwell on things we have no control over.”
He supposed she was probably right.
It'd been a few days since Eryk left for Viridian, and Cyrilla found herself taking walk throughout the base. Kenshin had woken up the day before Eryk had left, and he'd managed to keep consciousness. Yesterday, though, he was finally discharged. He would need to go back in a few days for a check-up, though, but Cyrilla was just glad he was okay. He was currently walking next to her, though she could tell he was still in pain. He was stubborn, and he refused to go back into his ball. She didn't blame him. It was probably uncomfortable in there, and she wanted him by her side at all times anyway.
I'm doing fine, Cy. You... shouldn't worry too much, he finally spoke to her, glancing at her from the corner of his eyes. She could hear the slight wheezing in his breaths, though. It was still hard for him to breathe, and she doubted he would ever battle again. Perhaps it was for the best. You make it sound like it's a bad thing, he spoke, breaking he from her thoughts. She could hear him sigh beside her.
"I just don't want you to get hurt, Ken. I almost lost you once. I can't lose you," she replied. She couldn't lose him, because if she did, she'd lose another part of herself. She'd already lost part of herself when she said goodbye to Kas, and to her heart. As of late, it's been easier to interact with him, as if she'd never fallen in love with him at all. He was becoming just a friend now. Kenshin snorted beside her, though he winced when he did.
I can hear your thoughts, you know. And you know that's not true, he spoke to her, turning his head so that he could stare directly at her. She pouted at him, but smiled softly, earning a light chuckle from Kenshin. Is it so bad to admit that you still like him? he questioned. She pursed her lips together. Maybe, because if she admitted it, she wouldn't be able to keep up the charade much longer. Kenshin visibly rolled his eyes at her.
"You know, it's difficult to admit to another person that you like them, let alone possibly love them. They might not feel the same way," she finally responded. And that would hurt most of all. She knew he didn't feel the same way about her, and that was fine. She had accepted it.
You make it sound like it's been set in stone. You haven't even tried admitting it to him, have you? he shot back, and she winced this time. He was right. She hadn't exactly told Kas that she had liked him, but some part of her thought he already knew. She wasn't the most subtle of people when it came to her emotions. She'd tried to hide her feelings, but if Eryk was able to figure it out, then surely Kas had too, right? You just gave up too easily, he continued and said nothing further. Perhaps she did, but it wasn't hurting anyone but herself.
"Yeah, well one day Kenshin, you're going to see a pretty Lucario yourself, and then you'll be in my shoes," she replied, watching in slight amusement as Kenshin almost tripped over himself. "Now, come on, Ana wanted to see you, remember?" she spoke. She could have sworn he grumbled to himself, but she let it slide. Luckily, the center wasn't too far, and they were walking rather slow. She didn't want to over exert Kenshin this way. He was still recovering, after all.
They reached the rehabilitation center not long after that. Ana was easy to spot—she appeared to be holding a plastic hula hoop just above the surface of the water, raised vertically. Why she was doing so wasn’t exactly clear at first, but then a magikarp came bursting out of the water, throwing itself through the hoop to splash inelegantly back down on the other side. This inevitably soaked Ana's shirt in large splotches of water, but she grinned, apparently more pleased than put-out.
“That’s it; you’re doing so well!” she praised the pokémon, who swam around in slightly-lopsided circles, making that odd noise that magikarp had. It wasn’t clear how that particular species had been named; the noise didn’t sound much at all like the word ‘magikarp.’
As Kenshin and Cyrilla drew closer to the gate, Ana stood, setting the hoop down on the side of the pool and wringing water from the hem of her shirt. Turning, she greeted them with a warm smile. “Hey Cy, hello Kenshin. I’m glad to see you up and about. Here for a checkup?”
"Mostly just to visit," Cyrilla responded, opening the gate to let herself in. Kenshin followed in behind her, but offered Ana a somewhat lopsided smile. "I should have taught Gyarados how to do that when he was still a Magikarp," she stated, nodding her head towards the hula hoop. Gyarados was, obviously, too big to do things like that, and Kenshin mostly snorted at that.
You wouldn't have been able to do it even then. He was always hard headed, Kenshin spoke, causing Cyrilla to chuckle. He was a Riolu when they first encountered the Magikarp, and as far as Magikarp went, he'd been extremely active. He even tried to bite Kenshin, but it just looked weird. Kenshin had let him, though, which made it all the more weird.
"Anyway," she began, trying to change the subject. "I figured we could visit you and do Kenshin's check up all in one go," she spoke. It was true, mostly. She wanted to visit Ana, but at the same time, it would be good to determine how he was healing.
“Sure,” Ana replied easily. “Why don’t we take care of the checkup first, and then sit in the garden for a while? The autumn flowers are just starting to bloom, so it’ll be nice, I think.” She led the way back to the larger building, holding the door for both of them to enter in front of her. Once she’d scrubbed down and put on her gloves and apron, she hooked her stethoscope into her ears and gestured for Kenshin to hop up on the examination table.
“Have you been feeling much pain recently? Any particular muscle movements giving you trouble, or anything like that?”
He did as she asked of him, sitting on the table almost perfectly still. His breathing was still slightly off, but other than that, he didn't show any visible signs of anything else. To her surprise, though, Kenshin nodded slowly. Still, here in the abdomen area, where Runt had nearly crushed him beneath his foot. I didn't want you to worry about it, Cy, he spoke to her, but she supposed she could understand. She sighed softly, but allowed Ana to continue her work.
It still hurts to breathe, he continued, and the wheezing made that obvious. He was still in some pain, and he still could hardly breathe. This wasn't a good sign. I lose feeling in this leg sometimes, he spoke, moving his right leg just slightly, And there are a few moments where I can't feel my arm. It was the same arm he'd used to try and fend off Runt's foot. Cyrilla was slightly surprised it hadn't been both of his arms he couldn't feel.
Ana hummed thoughtfully. Dropping the stethoscope so it was looped around her neck, she chewed on her lip for a moment. “I’m just going to manipulate those for a second here, so please pardon me,” she warned, taking hold of Kenshin’s leg and prodding the muscle. She was obviously being extremely careful, bending it from the angle it was at until it was straight out, then back down again. She checked his arm the same way, lifting it up over his head, then putting it gently back down.
Occasionally, she’d ask him if he felt something, or if a particular position caused any pain, nodding slightly at each of his answers. When she was done, she picked up a clipboard on the nearby counter and made several notes. “So I think part of this is just that your muscles are still very tender, as we’d expect, and they’re going to need proper physical therapy to help build them back up the right way—I’m sure aunt Joy already talked to you about that.” She paused and made another note. “But I think there are a couple of things we can do right away for the pain. Firstly, I’m going to prescribe you some medicine which should ease the ache and help stop the numb spells.” She scribbled something on a small pad of paper, added her signature, and tore it off, handing it to Cy.
“You can get this one filled at the Pokémart. Mr. Scheffler is certified as a pharmacist, so he has a small stock of these. For your lungs, though, we’re going to need something a little more specialized. I’ll put in an order through Aunt Joy—that one should be delivered to the Center in about a week. In the meantime, I recommend staying away from humidity as much as possible, and if you feel discomfort, lay down for a while on your back and do deep breathing or meditation exercises. It sounds a little hokey, I know, but it’ll help. Take it from someone who has the same problem sometimes.”
Kenshin merely nodded at her before hopping off of the table. At least he was okay, somewhat. Cyrilla released a breath she hadn't realized she was holding, and smiled at Kenshin and Ana. "Well, it looks like you'll be fine, for now," she spoke, causing Kenshin to shake his head. "I'll make sure he takes his medicine. He... actually, I don't think anyone likes the taste of it, but it'll make him feel better," she spoke, watching as Kenshin's lips pulled just slightly as if he were going to growl.
"Thanks for looking over him, Ana. It's a good thing summer is over and autumn and winter are just around the corner. It'll be less humid, then," she added, sparing a glance at Kenshin who decided to walk away. He made his way back towards the pond where the Magikarp were, and dipped his feet into it. "Scaring the poor Magikarp," she spoke, laughing lightly at Kenshin. She turned her attention back towards Ana, though, and offered a light grin.
"You mentioned sitting in a garden?" she asked. It would be nice to sit in the garden for a bit. Maybe she could finally relax a bit, and let her head clear.
“Let’s,” Ana agreed easily, leading the way. The garden was behind the house; there was a table there with four chairs around it, and a large umbrella to shade the occupants in the summer months. Less necessary now that autumn was here, but still nice. There were indeed a riot of flowers in bloom; the leaves didn’t really fall off the trees in a place as warm as Cinnabar, so they were still a vibrant green, but the fall blossoms in Ana’s garden tended towards purple, white, and red.
Settling down into one of the chairs, Ana sighed wearily. It seemed she was more fatigued than she looked; there were traces of darkness under her eyes—Cyrilla could see them now that the light had changed. “It’s a nice day,” Ana observed mildly, momentarily focusing on a cluster of hibiscus flowers. “Nicer when you know Kenshin’s recovering, I expect.” She half-smiled sympathetically.
"Yeah, it is," she agreed. It was a nice day, given the circumstances. "I guess, I should be happy that he's recovering well, but I still feel like he's not saying everything," she confessed slightly. Maybe he wasn't because if he did, he knew she would worry more about him. Even though she worried about him now, it would probably be worse if he let her know the worst of it. "I guess I can't blame him if he doesn't," she spoke softly, leaning back into her chair and sliding down.
"I'm sure in time, he'll make a full recovery, and he'll be back to his old self, but maybe... maybe he shouldn't battle anymore. I don't want him to get hurt again, but I also know he wouldn't just quit, either. I suppose he's just as stubborn," she grinned a little at that. Kenshin was probably the most stubborn of the pokémon she owned.
"But I am just glad that he's okay. Now, I can focus on the things I've been neglecting," mainly herself. She was getting back into the habit of eating properly and changing regularly. She hadn't done that the first few days when Kenshin was still unconscious. "How are you faring, though? We... got the notice about what happened and why Eryk left to Viridian," she spoke. She wanted to know how Ana was holding up because it couldn't have been easy. The memo they'd received about Ana's establishment possibly going out of business was not something she could easily swallow. She felt bad about it, even though she wasn't to blame for it. It was, mostly, Ryk's fault, but he had done it with good intentions.
“I’m all right,” Ana replied softly. She crossed one leg over the other and folded her hands over her knee. “It’s been… stressful, especially that first few days after the inspection, when I wasn’t sure what was going to happen but…” There she paused, tipping her head upwards to take in the canopy of the tree at the center of the garden. A ginkgo, if the leaves were anything to go by.
“But Eryk said he was going to get the certification sorted out, and I believe him. So… there’s no reason to be upset about things. It’s a little nerve-wracking, but I just have to remind myself that it’ll be sorted out in a few days, and then everything will be more or less back to normal.” She smiled slightly. “I admit, the routine can be comforting. Work has a way of making me think about something other than my troubles, you know?”
Cyrilla hummed in agreement, glancing up as well. Unfortunately, though, work had the opposite effect for her. It made her think of nothing but her troubles. She sighed softly, dropping her gaze as a few pidgey flew by. "You can count on Eryk to make things right, you know. He doesn't break his promises so easily, and he really cares about you and your center," she finally spoke, smiling softly towards Ana. "He really does, care, I mean. I've never seen him so happy before, even if he doesn't look like he is," she continued, pulling her legs into her chair. She leaned into her knees, drawing in a soft breath.
She was being honest when she said that. She's never seen him as happy as he's been in the last half year they've been here. He's taken so much interest and care with this place, and especially with Ana, that Cyrilla almost thought something else was going on. But then, she'd remember that Ana was a target, and perhaps it wasn't what she thought it was. Sometimes, she wished it was, because then that would mean Eryk could finally have some happiness in his life. And that's all she ever wanted for him. That, and to find a way to leave Team Rocket.
"You've really been good for Ryk, you know that? So... thank you for taking care of him," she continued, smiling just a little more as she glanced at Ana. Some part of her, some dark part, wished that someone could do the same for her. But that was a far off dream. There was no one... but now wasn't the time to think of things like that. It only caused her heart to ache, and she was tired of it. She had enough worries with Kenshin.
"It's so nice here, I could almost stay forever," she spoke thoughtfully.
Ana laughed, only softly, a light sound. “Well, I’m certainly not going to make you leave,” she said, her smile narrowing her eyes with mirth. “You can stay as long as you like.” Pulling both of her legs up onto the chair, she hugged her knees, propping her chin on them and studying Cyrilla’s face for a moment. Or at least it looked like that was what she was doing.
“But you know… I think all of you have been really good for me, too. I feel like it’s the three of you taking care of me, most of the time. You’re always coming by to check in on things and help me out.” Her smile faded a little, but not so much that it disappeared, and she blew a breath out, stirring her rose-colored bangs. “Actually… at first I kind of thought you just assumed I couldn’t do anything for myself. I definitely don’t look like much, I know. But… you’re all so kind I couldn’t keep thinking it for long.”
Her eyes grew distant, as if she were remembering something. “Eryk intimidated me. A lot. I thought you were a bit… weird, as though I can talk, right?” She huffed. “Kas… I had no idea what he was all about. And now… the three of you are the best friends I’ve ever had. Maybe the only ones—the only ones who know anything about me, anyway. Strange, how that works.”
"Hey, that's what friends are for, though, right? We take care of each other," Cyrilla replied, a grin forming on her face. "And that just comes with the package, I suppose, learning and knowing about each other. Eryk looks intimidating, I know, but he's like a big Ursaring, really," she chuckled at that. He really was. An intimidating creature but in reality, he was just a big softy. Cuddly too.
"And you shouldn't make that offer because I think I just might stay forever," she joked, but it was light. She really did wish she could stay, but who knew where they would be in a year's time? "You know, I think we should make something for Eryk when he gets back in a few days. Oh, we should surprise him with some oatmeal cookies and Kalos Onion soup or maybe the casserole we made last time!" she started naming off other things, too. That way, it would keep them busy, and she could keep her mind off of other things.
Don't forget the caramel apples you promised, Kenshin chimed in, causing Cyrilla to snort.
“Why stop there?” Ana asked. “We could just have a surprise party. I’m sure you all could use a break, and it could double as a celebration that he’s certified and the shelter is safe.” She offered up the suggestion with a hint of a smile. “And I’ll make plenty of caramel apples for Kenshin, so we can celebrate your recovery, too.” She turned to him on the last part and grinned.
"Oh that's a great idea! We should start planning, maybe invite Kas, too! Okay, so," it would be nice to take a break, even though technically she was taking one with Kenshin. Eryk needed that much, though perhaps it would be wise not to clue Kas in. But then again...
I'm doing fine, Cy. You... shouldn't worry too much, he finally spoke to her, glancing at her from the corner of his eyes. She could hear the slight wheezing in his breaths, though. It was still hard for him to breathe, and she doubted he would ever battle again. Perhaps it was for the best. You make it sound like it's a bad thing, he spoke, breaking he from her thoughts. She could hear him sigh beside her.
"I just don't want you to get hurt, Ken. I almost lost you once. I can't lose you," she replied. She couldn't lose him, because if she did, she'd lose another part of herself. She'd already lost part of herself when she said goodbye to Kas, and to her heart. As of late, it's been easier to interact with him, as if she'd never fallen in love with him at all. He was becoming just a friend now. Kenshin snorted beside her, though he winced when he did.
I can hear your thoughts, you know. And you know that's not true, he spoke to her, turning his head so that he could stare directly at her. She pouted at him, but smiled softly, earning a light chuckle from Kenshin. Is it so bad to admit that you still like him? he questioned. She pursed her lips together. Maybe, because if she admitted it, she wouldn't be able to keep up the charade much longer. Kenshin visibly rolled his eyes at her.
"You know, it's difficult to admit to another person that you like them, let alone possibly love them. They might not feel the same way," she finally responded. And that would hurt most of all. She knew he didn't feel the same way about her, and that was fine. She had accepted it.
You make it sound like it's been set in stone. You haven't even tried admitting it to him, have you? he shot back, and she winced this time. He was right. She hadn't exactly told Kas that she had liked him, but some part of her thought he already knew. She wasn't the most subtle of people when it came to her emotions. She'd tried to hide her feelings, but if Eryk was able to figure it out, then surely Kas had too, right? You just gave up too easily, he continued and said nothing further. Perhaps she did, but it wasn't hurting anyone but herself.
"Yeah, well one day Kenshin, you're going to see a pretty Lucario yourself, and then you'll be in my shoes," she replied, watching in slight amusement as Kenshin almost tripped over himself. "Now, come on, Ana wanted to see you, remember?" she spoke. She could have sworn he grumbled to himself, but she let it slide. Luckily, the center wasn't too far, and they were walking rather slow. She didn't want to over exert Kenshin this way. He was still recovering, after all.
They reached the rehabilitation center not long after that. Ana was easy to spot—she appeared to be holding a plastic hula hoop just above the surface of the water, raised vertically. Why she was doing so wasn’t exactly clear at first, but then a magikarp came bursting out of the water, throwing itself through the hoop to splash inelegantly back down on the other side. This inevitably soaked Ana's shirt in large splotches of water, but she grinned, apparently more pleased than put-out.
“That’s it; you’re doing so well!” she praised the pokémon, who swam around in slightly-lopsided circles, making that odd noise that magikarp had. It wasn’t clear how that particular species had been named; the noise didn’t sound much at all like the word ‘magikarp.’
As Kenshin and Cyrilla drew closer to the gate, Ana stood, setting the hoop down on the side of the pool and wringing water from the hem of her shirt. Turning, she greeted them with a warm smile. “Hey Cy, hello Kenshin. I’m glad to see you up and about. Here for a checkup?”
"Mostly just to visit," Cyrilla responded, opening the gate to let herself in. Kenshin followed in behind her, but offered Ana a somewhat lopsided smile. "I should have taught Gyarados how to do that when he was still a Magikarp," she stated, nodding her head towards the hula hoop. Gyarados was, obviously, too big to do things like that, and Kenshin mostly snorted at that.
You wouldn't have been able to do it even then. He was always hard headed, Kenshin spoke, causing Cyrilla to chuckle. He was a Riolu when they first encountered the Magikarp, and as far as Magikarp went, he'd been extremely active. He even tried to bite Kenshin, but it just looked weird. Kenshin had let him, though, which made it all the more weird.
"Anyway," she began, trying to change the subject. "I figured we could visit you and do Kenshin's check up all in one go," she spoke. It was true, mostly. She wanted to visit Ana, but at the same time, it would be good to determine how he was healing.
“Sure,” Ana replied easily. “Why don’t we take care of the checkup first, and then sit in the garden for a while? The autumn flowers are just starting to bloom, so it’ll be nice, I think.” She led the way back to the larger building, holding the door for both of them to enter in front of her. Once she’d scrubbed down and put on her gloves and apron, she hooked her stethoscope into her ears and gestured for Kenshin to hop up on the examination table.
“Have you been feeling much pain recently? Any particular muscle movements giving you trouble, or anything like that?”
He did as she asked of him, sitting on the table almost perfectly still. His breathing was still slightly off, but other than that, he didn't show any visible signs of anything else. To her surprise, though, Kenshin nodded slowly. Still, here in the abdomen area, where Runt had nearly crushed him beneath his foot. I didn't want you to worry about it, Cy, he spoke to her, but she supposed she could understand. She sighed softly, but allowed Ana to continue her work.
It still hurts to breathe, he continued, and the wheezing made that obvious. He was still in some pain, and he still could hardly breathe. This wasn't a good sign. I lose feeling in this leg sometimes, he spoke, moving his right leg just slightly, And there are a few moments where I can't feel my arm. It was the same arm he'd used to try and fend off Runt's foot. Cyrilla was slightly surprised it hadn't been both of his arms he couldn't feel.
Ana hummed thoughtfully. Dropping the stethoscope so it was looped around her neck, she chewed on her lip for a moment. “I’m just going to manipulate those for a second here, so please pardon me,” she warned, taking hold of Kenshin’s leg and prodding the muscle. She was obviously being extremely careful, bending it from the angle it was at until it was straight out, then back down again. She checked his arm the same way, lifting it up over his head, then putting it gently back down.
Occasionally, she’d ask him if he felt something, or if a particular position caused any pain, nodding slightly at each of his answers. When she was done, she picked up a clipboard on the nearby counter and made several notes. “So I think part of this is just that your muscles are still very tender, as we’d expect, and they’re going to need proper physical therapy to help build them back up the right way—I’m sure aunt Joy already talked to you about that.” She paused and made another note. “But I think there are a couple of things we can do right away for the pain. Firstly, I’m going to prescribe you some medicine which should ease the ache and help stop the numb spells.” She scribbled something on a small pad of paper, added her signature, and tore it off, handing it to Cy.
“You can get this one filled at the Pokémart. Mr. Scheffler is certified as a pharmacist, so he has a small stock of these. For your lungs, though, we’re going to need something a little more specialized. I’ll put in an order through Aunt Joy—that one should be delivered to the Center in about a week. In the meantime, I recommend staying away from humidity as much as possible, and if you feel discomfort, lay down for a while on your back and do deep breathing or meditation exercises. It sounds a little hokey, I know, but it’ll help. Take it from someone who has the same problem sometimes.”
Kenshin merely nodded at her before hopping off of the table. At least he was okay, somewhat. Cyrilla released a breath she hadn't realized she was holding, and smiled at Kenshin and Ana. "Well, it looks like you'll be fine, for now," she spoke, causing Kenshin to shake his head. "I'll make sure he takes his medicine. He... actually, I don't think anyone likes the taste of it, but it'll make him feel better," she spoke, watching as Kenshin's lips pulled just slightly as if he were going to growl.
"Thanks for looking over him, Ana. It's a good thing summer is over and autumn and winter are just around the corner. It'll be less humid, then," she added, sparing a glance at Kenshin who decided to walk away. He made his way back towards the pond where the Magikarp were, and dipped his feet into it. "Scaring the poor Magikarp," she spoke, laughing lightly at Kenshin. She turned her attention back towards Ana, though, and offered a light grin.
"You mentioned sitting in a garden?" she asked. It would be nice to sit in the garden for a bit. Maybe she could finally relax a bit, and let her head clear.
“Let’s,” Ana agreed easily, leading the way. The garden was behind the house; there was a table there with four chairs around it, and a large umbrella to shade the occupants in the summer months. Less necessary now that autumn was here, but still nice. There were indeed a riot of flowers in bloom; the leaves didn’t really fall off the trees in a place as warm as Cinnabar, so they were still a vibrant green, but the fall blossoms in Ana’s garden tended towards purple, white, and red.
Settling down into one of the chairs, Ana sighed wearily. It seemed she was more fatigued than she looked; there were traces of darkness under her eyes—Cyrilla could see them now that the light had changed. “It’s a nice day,” Ana observed mildly, momentarily focusing on a cluster of hibiscus flowers. “Nicer when you know Kenshin’s recovering, I expect.” She half-smiled sympathetically.
"Yeah, it is," she agreed. It was a nice day, given the circumstances. "I guess, I should be happy that he's recovering well, but I still feel like he's not saying everything," she confessed slightly. Maybe he wasn't because if he did, he knew she would worry more about him. Even though she worried about him now, it would probably be worse if he let her know the worst of it. "I guess I can't blame him if he doesn't," she spoke softly, leaning back into her chair and sliding down.
"I'm sure in time, he'll make a full recovery, and he'll be back to his old self, but maybe... maybe he shouldn't battle anymore. I don't want him to get hurt again, but I also know he wouldn't just quit, either. I suppose he's just as stubborn," she grinned a little at that. Kenshin was probably the most stubborn of the pokémon she owned.
"But I am just glad that he's okay. Now, I can focus on the things I've been neglecting," mainly herself. She was getting back into the habit of eating properly and changing regularly. She hadn't done that the first few days when Kenshin was still unconscious. "How are you faring, though? We... got the notice about what happened and why Eryk left to Viridian," she spoke. She wanted to know how Ana was holding up because it couldn't have been easy. The memo they'd received about Ana's establishment possibly going out of business was not something she could easily swallow. She felt bad about it, even though she wasn't to blame for it. It was, mostly, Ryk's fault, but he had done it with good intentions.
“I’m all right,” Ana replied softly. She crossed one leg over the other and folded her hands over her knee. “It’s been… stressful, especially that first few days after the inspection, when I wasn’t sure what was going to happen but…” There she paused, tipping her head upwards to take in the canopy of the tree at the center of the garden. A ginkgo, if the leaves were anything to go by.
“But Eryk said he was going to get the certification sorted out, and I believe him. So… there’s no reason to be upset about things. It’s a little nerve-wracking, but I just have to remind myself that it’ll be sorted out in a few days, and then everything will be more or less back to normal.” She smiled slightly. “I admit, the routine can be comforting. Work has a way of making me think about something other than my troubles, you know?”
Cyrilla hummed in agreement, glancing up as well. Unfortunately, though, work had the opposite effect for her. It made her think of nothing but her troubles. She sighed softly, dropping her gaze as a few pidgey flew by. "You can count on Eryk to make things right, you know. He doesn't break his promises so easily, and he really cares about you and your center," she finally spoke, smiling softly towards Ana. "He really does, care, I mean. I've never seen him so happy before, even if he doesn't look like he is," she continued, pulling her legs into her chair. She leaned into her knees, drawing in a soft breath.
She was being honest when she said that. She's never seen him as happy as he's been in the last half year they've been here. He's taken so much interest and care with this place, and especially with Ana, that Cyrilla almost thought something else was going on. But then, she'd remember that Ana was a target, and perhaps it wasn't what she thought it was. Sometimes, she wished it was, because then that would mean Eryk could finally have some happiness in his life. And that's all she ever wanted for him. That, and to find a way to leave Team Rocket.
"You've really been good for Ryk, you know that? So... thank you for taking care of him," she continued, smiling just a little more as she glanced at Ana. Some part of her, some dark part, wished that someone could do the same for her. But that was a far off dream. There was no one... but now wasn't the time to think of things like that. It only caused her heart to ache, and she was tired of it. She had enough worries with Kenshin.
"It's so nice here, I could almost stay forever," she spoke thoughtfully.
Ana laughed, only softly, a light sound. “Well, I’m certainly not going to make you leave,” she said, her smile narrowing her eyes with mirth. “You can stay as long as you like.” Pulling both of her legs up onto the chair, she hugged her knees, propping her chin on them and studying Cyrilla’s face for a moment. Or at least it looked like that was what she was doing.
“But you know… I think all of you have been really good for me, too. I feel like it’s the three of you taking care of me, most of the time. You’re always coming by to check in on things and help me out.” Her smile faded a little, but not so much that it disappeared, and she blew a breath out, stirring her rose-colored bangs. “Actually… at first I kind of thought you just assumed I couldn’t do anything for myself. I definitely don’t look like much, I know. But… you’re all so kind I couldn’t keep thinking it for long.”
Her eyes grew distant, as if she were remembering something. “Eryk intimidated me. A lot. I thought you were a bit… weird, as though I can talk, right?” She huffed. “Kas… I had no idea what he was all about. And now… the three of you are the best friends I’ve ever had. Maybe the only ones—the only ones who know anything about me, anyway. Strange, how that works.”
"Hey, that's what friends are for, though, right? We take care of each other," Cyrilla replied, a grin forming on her face. "And that just comes with the package, I suppose, learning and knowing about each other. Eryk looks intimidating, I know, but he's like a big Ursaring, really," she chuckled at that. He really was. An intimidating creature but in reality, he was just a big softy. Cuddly too.
"And you shouldn't make that offer because I think I just might stay forever," she joked, but it was light. She really did wish she could stay, but who knew where they would be in a year's time? "You know, I think we should make something for Eryk when he gets back in a few days. Oh, we should surprise him with some oatmeal cookies and Kalos Onion soup or maybe the casserole we made last time!" she started naming off other things, too. That way, it would keep them busy, and she could keep her mind off of other things.
Don't forget the caramel apples you promised, Kenshin chimed in, causing Cyrilla to snort.
“Why stop there?” Ana asked. “We could just have a surprise party. I’m sure you all could use a break, and it could double as a celebration that he’s certified and the shelter is safe.” She offered up the suggestion with a hint of a smile. “And I’ll make plenty of caramel apples for Kenshin, so we can celebrate your recovery, too.” She turned to him on the last part and grinned.
"Oh that's a great idea! We should start planning, maybe invite Kas, too! Okay, so," it would be nice to take a break, even though technically she was taking one with Kenshin. Eryk needed that much, though perhaps it would be wise not to clue Kas in. But then again...
Ana made a little sweeping motion with the flat knife, neatening an edge of the frosting on the cake. It was a carrot cake, something she’d decided to try since Eryk wasn’t especially fond of overly-sweet things. She’d also made a batch of oatmeal cookies with dark chocolate chips in them, in case he wasn’t fond of carrot cake, either. The rest of the food tended towards savory and salty; all three of them had put their heads together to try and pick out what would go over best.
It had always been Ana’s intention to involve Kas in the planning; he was in charge of getting Eryk to the house after he arrived back on Cinnabar. She’d considered inviting a few of the townspeople he knew, or coworkers, but after some thought and discussion with the others, they’d decided that just the three of them plus all the pokémon would probably be the best idea. Ana could certainly understand that; she tended to get overwhelmed if there were too many people around, especially when she didn't know them well. It was better to have a more comfortable gathering than a bigger one. Besides, the occasion just seemed so… personal.
Officially, it was just a little get-together. Unofficially, it celebrated the shelter staying open, Eryk’s certifications, Kenshin’s recovery, and the end of a very, very stressful period in everyone’s lives. Setting the knife down, Ana carefully lifted the whole cake and carried it outside to the longer table she’d set up in the garden. It would be easier for the pokémon to join in the celebration with more room, and the property was basically perfect for it. Eryk was due back on-island shortly before sunset; Ana had made sure there was plenty of lighting available in case they happened to go past dark.
“Hey, Cyrilla, have you seen the big cake knife?” Since Kas had left to go get Eryk a few minutes ago, it was just she and Cy for now, putting the last touches on everything.
"I think, ow, it was supposed to be over there on the counter," Cyrilla spoke lifting her head too fast and hitting it on the top of the open fridge. She rubbed her head absentmindedly, and made her way towards the counter. "Here it is," she spoke, rummaging through a few dishes before grabbing the knife Ana needed. Cyrilla had already released her pokémon the moment she had entered the gate, but Kenshin was inside helping where he could.
"Alright, I think the only thing left is to make sure the casserole doesn't burn," she stated, wiping her hands on her apron. "Oh, I almost forgot," she stated, taking her apron off and disappearing into Ana's living room. She came back with a box, medium in size, and held it out to Ana. "I had it made a couple of days ago so that you could have something hanging on your gate. Or you could keep it inside, too," she spoke, pulling the top off of the box. Inside was a silver plaque that read ANASTASIA'S POKÉMON REHABILITATION AND HOSPICE CENTER. It didn't say Cinnabar on it like the sign outside. It had Ana's name, instead. On the left corner, there was a small magikarp and one the right, there was an ekans.
"I figured it could use an update," Cyrilla spoke a little shyly, turning just a tad bit pink in the cheeks.
“Oh.” Ana’s breath stilled in her lungs for just a second before she remembered to inhale again. Carefully, she traced her fingers over the engraved letters, swallowing thickly. It was such a perfect thing; she felt a flood of emotion hit her square in the chest. “Oh, Cyrilla, it’s beautiful. I—” she choked up a little. “Thank you—thank you so much!” Heedless of the fact that she was wearing an apron, Ana flung her arms around Cyrilla, drawing her into a fierce hug.
“It’s perfect. I—just, thank you.”
Cyrilla hugged her back, laughing softly. "I don't know about perfect, but it is pretty," she said, placing her head on Ana's shoulder. "And you're quite welcome, Ana," she replied giving her another squeeze before letting her go. She took a step back and smiled brightly at Ana. "Now let's get the table set. They'll be back any minute, and we need the confetti to fall from the door as planned," she spoke, though there was a slight hint of something beneath her tone.
Carefully, Ana set the sign down on the counter, pausing in the hall to dig around in the closet there for the multiple bags of colored paper and sparkly confetti she’d made earlier in the day. “Do you think this is enough?” she asked, holding up four gallon-sized plastic bags. “I think I have enough supplies to make more, but I don’t think we really have the time…”
"Well, considering we're trying to get mostly Eryk covered in it, it should definitely be enough," she stated, grinning all the while. She looked like she wanted to say something else, but she paused for just a moment, glancing towards the window. "Oh, Kenshin says they're down the road, we'd better hurry," she stated. Once everything was situated, it was only a few minutes longer before Eryk walked through the door, however; Cyrilla had managed to make a quick contraption that spilled some confetti over his head.
"Cy," he spoke, his tone neutral and not upset. He did, however, furrow his brows lightly. It didn't seem to faze Cyrilla, though, since she threw more confetti on him.
"Welcome back, Ryk."
Kas entered just behind Eryk, catching on quickly, it seemed. He reached up to the half-full container of confetti stuck on the doorframe and lifted it off, upending it over Eryk’s head with a laugh. “That’s better.”
“Surprise?” Ana smiled tentatively. “Welcome home, Eryk. Er, well… back to Cinnabar. I suppose that this isn’t your home, exactly.” She sighed, shaking her head at her own inability to articulate it properly. “Anyway, we, um… there’s food. I thought we could all eat outside and let the pokémon run around for a bit.”
Eryk turned to glare at Kas for a moment, but seemed to breathe out a reluctant sigh. "I should have known you would have pulled something like this," he spoke, sending a light gaze towards Cyrilla who merely laughed. "You shouldn't have gone through all the trouble, though," he spoke, looking just the slightest bit upset. It quickly disappeared, though, and his face was set back into a more gentle tone.
"Well, we did, so there's that. Now, shush and go eat something. You have to be starving after that long flight. Oh, and you," she spoke, grabbing a handful of confetti and throwing it on Kas. "There, now you both match," she stated, dusting her hands free of what was left behind. "Now let's go get something to eat," she spoke. Eryk merely sighed softly.
"You should at least give me a moment to breathe, Cy. There is some news to spare," he spoke a little solemnly. "Your center," he began, looking a little too intense for what he wanted to say, "will be spared. They didn't make it easy, but you should know that they won't be bothering you for quite some time."
"I... almost didn't pass it, though," he grumbled just slightly.
Ana felt a weight lift from her shoulders. Suddenly, it was easier to breathe and stand upright both, and she heaved a sigh of relief, smiling brightly. “I’m so glad,” she murmured; but then she turned to lead the way out the back to the garden where everything was set up. Once they were there, she let Cy and Kas pass her, dropping back so she was walking next to Eryk.
“Thank you,” she said, though technically she’d already expressed her gratitude for this. “I’m sure they didn’t make it easy for you, but… I’m grateful. Next to that, this wasn’t too much trouble at all.” She glanced up at him from the corner of her eye. “But if you’d prefer to think of it as a celebration for the center or Kenshin instead of you, you can do that. It was meant to be all three.” She reached up, touching his arm just gently.
"As I've said before, you're welcome," he replied. He looked a little uncomfortable when she'd touched his arm, but he didn't say anything about it.
Ana, hoping she hadn't managed to offend him somehow, smiled awkwardly and slipped away to the food table. Kas was unabashedly loading a plate with food, entirely unconcerned with the fact that there was glittery confetti in his hair. “Hey Ryk,” he called past her, “you’d better come get some of this before I eat it all.” He winked at Ana, then turned from the table, lobbing all of his pokéballs into the yard. Ana figured she might as well do the same.
"Ass, you better not," he spoke, though the tone sounded just a tad bit threatening. He really liked food, apparently. That or he just didn't want Kas to eat all of it himself. Before he reached for a plate, Eryk grabbed hold of his pokéballs and lobbed them as well. Immediately, Zoroark made for the nearest tree, climbing up to the top before disappearing slightly. Milotic seemed to head straight for the pool while Meowth and Blue both hovered around for a moment. Gengar, however, did as he did before. He was next to Ana. Eryk visibly rolled his eyes at his pokémon's behavior, but didn't say anything.
"This is, surprisingly nice," he muttered just slightly before going for the table. Like Kas, he loaded his plate as well.
Ana reached out to pat Gengar’s head. She didn’t have to work to do that—he kept himself manifested quite solidly. She could feel the brush of the ghost pokémon’s mind against hers. Unlike most, who waited for her to initiate that kind of contact—or like Kenshin, who simply projected his thoughts into her mind like it was anyone else’s—Gengar actively seemed to seek her for some strange reason. Some did; Ana didn’t think anything of it. She wondered if he’d told Eryk about her ability; it didn’t seem so. Or maybe he had and Eryk simply didn’t care. That would be quite refreshing, if a bit odd in her experience.
Not being able to eat in nearly the industrial quantities of her two very tall male friends, Ana nevertheless took quite a bit of the food, deciding to treat it at least sort of like a meal and eat the hot dinner foods first. The dessert would keep. She settled at the table between Cyrilla and Kasmir, pouring herself a glass of water from the pitcher there. “How was Viridian?” she asked curiously. “Was there some kind of problem with the testing?” He’d said he had difficulty—she couldn’t imagine it being his fault.
"Not necessarily," he spoke, taking a bite of his food before he elaborated. "Part of the test includes how well we can socialize. I'm not a social person," he spoke a little too forwardly. Cyrilla scoffed just lightly that perhaps only Ana could hear it. "It counts about forty percent of the grade, and I almost failed that part," he seemed to mutter it in a somewhat disappointed voice. It was almost as if he were upset that he nearly failed, and perhaps it was rightly so.
"But you didn't, and that's what counts," Cyrilla chimed in, earning a blank stare from Eryk. She gave him one to match that it almost looked like they were having a staring contest, or reading each other's minds.
"No, I suppose you're right," he finally spoke, breaking the eye contact to dig into his food. "But Viridian is... nicer than I remember it being," he added once he'd swallowed the contents in his mouth.
Ana supposed there must be a wide variety of certifications, then; certainly whatever he was supposed to need to volunteer at the shelter didn’t have anything to do with being social. He took a bite of casserole, chewing it over thoughtfully. “Well, I think you socialize just fine,” she said with a shrug. “I’m not sure what they expect you to be able to do to pass, but I think there’s a lot of proof in the fact that you have friends—and the pokémon like you so much. Just look at Rufus.”
Rufus was, indeed, sitting right next to Eryk’s chair, leaning up against his leg. At the mention of his name, he chuffed happily, wagging his little stump of a tail. He wasn’t the sort to beg for food; he just liked being wherever people were.
Kas grinned. “Yeah, but Rufus likes everybody.”
Ana shook her head. “He doesn’t. He was in a bad mood the whole day after the inspectors left. He hid under my bed and wouldn’t come out.” Rufus’s history was actually kind of a sad one, even for a shelter pokémon. He’d been passed around between a lot of them for most of his life because of an incident when he was still a lillipup. It had been very difficult for anyone to figure out why he just didn’t like some people, but Ana was almost certain it was because he could pick out a cruel personality. Or at least, that seemed like the strongest correlation to her.
"It's not about having friends, or if the pokémon like me. It's about how well I can..." he paused at that, almost as if he were about to say too much, and dropped his gaze. He reached down to rub Rufus behind the ear before glancing back up towards Ana. "If it were, I wouldn't have had to get certified. I would already be certified," he decided to say instead. He sighed softly, though, and began pushing some of his food around.
"Ryk, it's not polite to play with your food, especially since Ana and I worked hard on it," Cyrilla spoke, some amount of amusement laced in her voice. She pointed her fork at him when she said it, though. "And you should be delighted that Rufus likes you. Couldn't say the same for your Mankey, though," she spoke, pointing to the said pokémon who was hanging from one of the branches.
"The important thing is that I did pass, and Ana gets to keep her center," he finally spoke, seeming to ignore Cy for a moment. He then placed a large amount of food in his mouth, as if it were going to keep him from saying anything further. Cyrilla just chuckled.
“Good enough,” Kas agreed, shrugging his broad shoulders. “And, to explain a little better, Ana, the certification has to do with the social skills needed for things like undercover work or business types of interactions. But you do have a point: Ryk’s a lot better at getting along with people these days than he used to be.” The way he said it sounded like he was teasing his friend, but not in a way that was necessarily untrue.
So Ana decided to go along with it. “I don’t know,” she said with a playful inflection. “Maybe it just seems like he’s better at it because we’ve gotten used to the way he’s been all along.” She smiled to soften the joke, taking a sip of her water.
Kas snorted. “Nah,” he said. “A few months ago, if you’d thrown confetti on him, he probably would have just walked away. Right Cy?”
Cyrilla laughed. "Oh, it would have been way worse than a simple walk away. He would have stormed out like a Mankey," she added, smiling teasingly at Ryk. He didn't seem too thrilled about the way the conversation had shifted, though, but he seemed to remain silent. "Of course, that's assuming he didn't out right murder you first with his death glare," she continued. Eryk snorted at that, surprising himself just slightly it seemed.
"You all make it sound like I was some horrible machine," he spoke, his voice sounding just the slightest bit upset. But there was also something like understanding in his tone as well. "I am not... I wasn't that bad," he spoke, taking a sip of his drink before setting the cup down. "Besides, if I was as bad as you say I was, you all would have left me a long time ago," he spoke, perhaps a little too seriously. Cyrilla just shook her head.
"No, Ryk, we wouldn't have. We're your friends, and we'll always be your friends. Flaws and all; mankey issues and all," she spoke, laughing just slightly at that.
“You’re still kind of a grumpy-pants,” Kas accused, smiling into his glass. “But you happen to be our grumpy-pants, so here we are.”
Despite the ribbing nature of the conversation, Ana sensed a warmth underneath it that she’d only rarely glimpsed in life. They might poke at each other and occasionally misunderstand each other, but… their friendship was resilient enough to survive all of that. She wondered if there was anything that could knock it down—for their sakes, she really hoped not.
“I’ll be right back,” Ana said, “so please don’t go anywhere yet.” So saying, she stood and slipped back into the house, climbing the stairs to her bedroom and approaching the box on her bed. Pursing her lips, she glanced at the objects inside, wondering if it was really a little too forward of her. She wasn’t exactly practiced in the art of friendship, either.
But… maybe that was okay.
Picking up the box, she headed back down the stairs, using her hip to push open the screen door that separated indoors from out. Setting the box down on the chair she’d once occupied, she glanced up at the three of them. “Um… so I got all of you something. It’s not much, but… I wanted to give them to you, after everything.” Feeling her face warming, Ana took a breath and quickly opened the box, thinking that maybe drawing it out any further was a bad idea.
Inside were three brand-new copies of the keys to her facility: the gate key, her house key, and even the ones to the shelter itself and the storage shed. Each of the sets was on its own silver key ring, with a fabric strap in a color she associated with them. She handed the green one to Kas, the soft blue to Cy, and the red one to Eryk.
“I…” Ana swallowed. “These are the keys to everything on the property. I don’t… there aren’t a lot of people who come into my life and stay there,” she said, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. “And I understand that your jobs are important, and that maybe someday sooner or later you’ll have to move somewhere else. That’s… that’s okay. Because it’s not… it’s not about the amount of time, for me—it’s about the quality of it. And… and you’ve all made my life so much better by being in it, even for just the half a year I’ve known you. You’re in my life now, and you’ll always be part of it, even if… something happens.”
It could be them moving away, or it could be her catching something that her Everett’s wouldn’t let her fight off. There were no guarantees of tomorrow, let alone years from now. But… for every day they’d been here, she’d become a better person. She believed that. “So… I figured that, since that’s already true… it just makes sense for you to have these. It’s not like I’ll ever want to keep you out.” She smiled shakily, chancing a glance up at them.
Eryk looked a little puzzled at first, but Cyrilla's eyes seemed to brighten. "Aw, that's..." she started to say something, but choked on her words. Her eyes were starting to water somewhat, though it was hard to say if it was from happiness or something else. "You shouldn't have, Ana," she finally stated, taking the set that belonged to her and held it closely. She seemed to reach for something in her back pocket, and pulled forth a suicune key-ring. "Now I have something to put this on," she stated, hooking the key-rings together.
Eryk stared at the set in his eyes, still looking quite unsure what to say. Eventually, the soft smile he'd been using, made an appearance on his face. "I... thank you, Ana. You didn't need to do that," he spoke, taking out a similar key chain to Cyrilla's. Where her's was a suicune, his was an entei. He hooked the keys slowly on the key chain, and simply stared at the keys. "You... are a good friend," he finally spoke, but it seemed that he wasn't quite sure if that was the proper thing to say.
Kas hooked his onto his bracelet of all things, which seemed to be partly made of a similar key ring, only this one yellow, with a raikou on it. They had thematic key rings? That was sort of adorable, and somehow not at all unexpected. “Thanks, Ana,” he said, reaching over to ruffle her hair with one of his hands.
“You’re all welcome,” she replied.
It had always been Ana’s intention to involve Kas in the planning; he was in charge of getting Eryk to the house after he arrived back on Cinnabar. She’d considered inviting a few of the townspeople he knew, or coworkers, but after some thought and discussion with the others, they’d decided that just the three of them plus all the pokémon would probably be the best idea. Ana could certainly understand that; she tended to get overwhelmed if there were too many people around, especially when she didn't know them well. It was better to have a more comfortable gathering than a bigger one. Besides, the occasion just seemed so… personal.
Officially, it was just a little get-together. Unofficially, it celebrated the shelter staying open, Eryk’s certifications, Kenshin’s recovery, and the end of a very, very stressful period in everyone’s lives. Setting the knife down, Ana carefully lifted the whole cake and carried it outside to the longer table she’d set up in the garden. It would be easier for the pokémon to join in the celebration with more room, and the property was basically perfect for it. Eryk was due back on-island shortly before sunset; Ana had made sure there was plenty of lighting available in case they happened to go past dark.
“Hey, Cyrilla, have you seen the big cake knife?” Since Kas had left to go get Eryk a few minutes ago, it was just she and Cy for now, putting the last touches on everything.
"I think, ow, it was supposed to be over there on the counter," Cyrilla spoke lifting her head too fast and hitting it on the top of the open fridge. She rubbed her head absentmindedly, and made her way towards the counter. "Here it is," she spoke, rummaging through a few dishes before grabbing the knife Ana needed. Cyrilla had already released her pokémon the moment she had entered the gate, but Kenshin was inside helping where he could.
"Alright, I think the only thing left is to make sure the casserole doesn't burn," she stated, wiping her hands on her apron. "Oh, I almost forgot," she stated, taking her apron off and disappearing into Ana's living room. She came back with a box, medium in size, and held it out to Ana. "I had it made a couple of days ago so that you could have something hanging on your gate. Or you could keep it inside, too," she spoke, pulling the top off of the box. Inside was a silver plaque that read ANASTASIA'S POKÉMON REHABILITATION AND HOSPICE CENTER. It didn't say Cinnabar on it like the sign outside. It had Ana's name, instead. On the left corner, there was a small magikarp and one the right, there was an ekans.
"I figured it could use an update," Cyrilla spoke a little shyly, turning just a tad bit pink in the cheeks.
“Oh.” Ana’s breath stilled in her lungs for just a second before she remembered to inhale again. Carefully, she traced her fingers over the engraved letters, swallowing thickly. It was such a perfect thing; she felt a flood of emotion hit her square in the chest. “Oh, Cyrilla, it’s beautiful. I—” she choked up a little. “Thank you—thank you so much!” Heedless of the fact that she was wearing an apron, Ana flung her arms around Cyrilla, drawing her into a fierce hug.
“It’s perfect. I—just, thank you.”
Cyrilla hugged her back, laughing softly. "I don't know about perfect, but it is pretty," she said, placing her head on Ana's shoulder. "And you're quite welcome, Ana," she replied giving her another squeeze before letting her go. She took a step back and smiled brightly at Ana. "Now let's get the table set. They'll be back any minute, and we need the confetti to fall from the door as planned," she spoke, though there was a slight hint of something beneath her tone.
Carefully, Ana set the sign down on the counter, pausing in the hall to dig around in the closet there for the multiple bags of colored paper and sparkly confetti she’d made earlier in the day. “Do you think this is enough?” she asked, holding up four gallon-sized plastic bags. “I think I have enough supplies to make more, but I don’t think we really have the time…”
"Well, considering we're trying to get mostly Eryk covered in it, it should definitely be enough," she stated, grinning all the while. She looked like she wanted to say something else, but she paused for just a moment, glancing towards the window. "Oh, Kenshin says they're down the road, we'd better hurry," she stated. Once everything was situated, it was only a few minutes longer before Eryk walked through the door, however; Cyrilla had managed to make a quick contraption that spilled some confetti over his head.
"Cy," he spoke, his tone neutral and not upset. He did, however, furrow his brows lightly. It didn't seem to faze Cyrilla, though, since she threw more confetti on him.
"Welcome back, Ryk."
Kas entered just behind Eryk, catching on quickly, it seemed. He reached up to the half-full container of confetti stuck on the doorframe and lifted it off, upending it over Eryk’s head with a laugh. “That’s better.”
“Surprise?” Ana smiled tentatively. “Welcome home, Eryk. Er, well… back to Cinnabar. I suppose that this isn’t your home, exactly.” She sighed, shaking her head at her own inability to articulate it properly. “Anyway, we, um… there’s food. I thought we could all eat outside and let the pokémon run around for a bit.”
Eryk turned to glare at Kas for a moment, but seemed to breathe out a reluctant sigh. "I should have known you would have pulled something like this," he spoke, sending a light gaze towards Cyrilla who merely laughed. "You shouldn't have gone through all the trouble, though," he spoke, looking just the slightest bit upset. It quickly disappeared, though, and his face was set back into a more gentle tone.
"Well, we did, so there's that. Now, shush and go eat something. You have to be starving after that long flight. Oh, and you," she spoke, grabbing a handful of confetti and throwing it on Kas. "There, now you both match," she stated, dusting her hands free of what was left behind. "Now let's go get something to eat," she spoke. Eryk merely sighed softly.
"You should at least give me a moment to breathe, Cy. There is some news to spare," he spoke a little solemnly. "Your center," he began, looking a little too intense for what he wanted to say, "will be spared. They didn't make it easy, but you should know that they won't be bothering you for quite some time."
"I... almost didn't pass it, though," he grumbled just slightly.
Ana felt a weight lift from her shoulders. Suddenly, it was easier to breathe and stand upright both, and she heaved a sigh of relief, smiling brightly. “I’m so glad,” she murmured; but then she turned to lead the way out the back to the garden where everything was set up. Once they were there, she let Cy and Kas pass her, dropping back so she was walking next to Eryk.
“Thank you,” she said, though technically she’d already expressed her gratitude for this. “I’m sure they didn’t make it easy for you, but… I’m grateful. Next to that, this wasn’t too much trouble at all.” She glanced up at him from the corner of her eye. “But if you’d prefer to think of it as a celebration for the center or Kenshin instead of you, you can do that. It was meant to be all three.” She reached up, touching his arm just gently.
"As I've said before, you're welcome," he replied. He looked a little uncomfortable when she'd touched his arm, but he didn't say anything about it.
Ana, hoping she hadn't managed to offend him somehow, smiled awkwardly and slipped away to the food table. Kas was unabashedly loading a plate with food, entirely unconcerned with the fact that there was glittery confetti in his hair. “Hey Ryk,” he called past her, “you’d better come get some of this before I eat it all.” He winked at Ana, then turned from the table, lobbing all of his pokéballs into the yard. Ana figured she might as well do the same.
"Ass, you better not," he spoke, though the tone sounded just a tad bit threatening. He really liked food, apparently. That or he just didn't want Kas to eat all of it himself. Before he reached for a plate, Eryk grabbed hold of his pokéballs and lobbed them as well. Immediately, Zoroark made for the nearest tree, climbing up to the top before disappearing slightly. Milotic seemed to head straight for the pool while Meowth and Blue both hovered around for a moment. Gengar, however, did as he did before. He was next to Ana. Eryk visibly rolled his eyes at his pokémon's behavior, but didn't say anything.
"This is, surprisingly nice," he muttered just slightly before going for the table. Like Kas, he loaded his plate as well.
Ana reached out to pat Gengar’s head. She didn’t have to work to do that—he kept himself manifested quite solidly. She could feel the brush of the ghost pokémon’s mind against hers. Unlike most, who waited for her to initiate that kind of contact—or like Kenshin, who simply projected his thoughts into her mind like it was anyone else’s—Gengar actively seemed to seek her for some strange reason. Some did; Ana didn’t think anything of it. She wondered if he’d told Eryk about her ability; it didn’t seem so. Or maybe he had and Eryk simply didn’t care. That would be quite refreshing, if a bit odd in her experience.
Not being able to eat in nearly the industrial quantities of her two very tall male friends, Ana nevertheless took quite a bit of the food, deciding to treat it at least sort of like a meal and eat the hot dinner foods first. The dessert would keep. She settled at the table between Cyrilla and Kasmir, pouring herself a glass of water from the pitcher there. “How was Viridian?” she asked curiously. “Was there some kind of problem with the testing?” He’d said he had difficulty—she couldn’t imagine it being his fault.
"Not necessarily," he spoke, taking a bite of his food before he elaborated. "Part of the test includes how well we can socialize. I'm not a social person," he spoke a little too forwardly. Cyrilla scoffed just lightly that perhaps only Ana could hear it. "It counts about forty percent of the grade, and I almost failed that part," he seemed to mutter it in a somewhat disappointed voice. It was almost as if he were upset that he nearly failed, and perhaps it was rightly so.
"But you didn't, and that's what counts," Cyrilla chimed in, earning a blank stare from Eryk. She gave him one to match that it almost looked like they were having a staring contest, or reading each other's minds.
"No, I suppose you're right," he finally spoke, breaking the eye contact to dig into his food. "But Viridian is... nicer than I remember it being," he added once he'd swallowed the contents in his mouth.
Ana supposed there must be a wide variety of certifications, then; certainly whatever he was supposed to need to volunteer at the shelter didn’t have anything to do with being social. He took a bite of casserole, chewing it over thoughtfully. “Well, I think you socialize just fine,” she said with a shrug. “I’m not sure what they expect you to be able to do to pass, but I think there’s a lot of proof in the fact that you have friends—and the pokémon like you so much. Just look at Rufus.”
Rufus was, indeed, sitting right next to Eryk’s chair, leaning up against his leg. At the mention of his name, he chuffed happily, wagging his little stump of a tail. He wasn’t the sort to beg for food; he just liked being wherever people were.
Kas grinned. “Yeah, but Rufus likes everybody.”
Ana shook her head. “He doesn’t. He was in a bad mood the whole day after the inspectors left. He hid under my bed and wouldn’t come out.” Rufus’s history was actually kind of a sad one, even for a shelter pokémon. He’d been passed around between a lot of them for most of his life because of an incident when he was still a lillipup. It had been very difficult for anyone to figure out why he just didn’t like some people, but Ana was almost certain it was because he could pick out a cruel personality. Or at least, that seemed like the strongest correlation to her.
"It's not about having friends, or if the pokémon like me. It's about how well I can..." he paused at that, almost as if he were about to say too much, and dropped his gaze. He reached down to rub Rufus behind the ear before glancing back up towards Ana. "If it were, I wouldn't have had to get certified. I would already be certified," he decided to say instead. He sighed softly, though, and began pushing some of his food around.
"Ryk, it's not polite to play with your food, especially since Ana and I worked hard on it," Cyrilla spoke, some amount of amusement laced in her voice. She pointed her fork at him when she said it, though. "And you should be delighted that Rufus likes you. Couldn't say the same for your Mankey, though," she spoke, pointing to the said pokémon who was hanging from one of the branches.
"The important thing is that I did pass, and Ana gets to keep her center," he finally spoke, seeming to ignore Cy for a moment. He then placed a large amount of food in his mouth, as if it were going to keep him from saying anything further. Cyrilla just chuckled.
“Good enough,” Kas agreed, shrugging his broad shoulders. “And, to explain a little better, Ana, the certification has to do with the social skills needed for things like undercover work or business types of interactions. But you do have a point: Ryk’s a lot better at getting along with people these days than he used to be.” The way he said it sounded like he was teasing his friend, but not in a way that was necessarily untrue.
So Ana decided to go along with it. “I don’t know,” she said with a playful inflection. “Maybe it just seems like he’s better at it because we’ve gotten used to the way he’s been all along.” She smiled to soften the joke, taking a sip of her water.
Kas snorted. “Nah,” he said. “A few months ago, if you’d thrown confetti on him, he probably would have just walked away. Right Cy?”
Cyrilla laughed. "Oh, it would have been way worse than a simple walk away. He would have stormed out like a Mankey," she added, smiling teasingly at Ryk. He didn't seem too thrilled about the way the conversation had shifted, though, but he seemed to remain silent. "Of course, that's assuming he didn't out right murder you first with his death glare," she continued. Eryk snorted at that, surprising himself just slightly it seemed.
"You all make it sound like I was some horrible machine," he spoke, his voice sounding just the slightest bit upset. But there was also something like understanding in his tone as well. "I am not... I wasn't that bad," he spoke, taking a sip of his drink before setting the cup down. "Besides, if I was as bad as you say I was, you all would have left me a long time ago," he spoke, perhaps a little too seriously. Cyrilla just shook her head.
"No, Ryk, we wouldn't have. We're your friends, and we'll always be your friends. Flaws and all; mankey issues and all," she spoke, laughing just slightly at that.
“You’re still kind of a grumpy-pants,” Kas accused, smiling into his glass. “But you happen to be our grumpy-pants, so here we are.”
Despite the ribbing nature of the conversation, Ana sensed a warmth underneath it that she’d only rarely glimpsed in life. They might poke at each other and occasionally misunderstand each other, but… their friendship was resilient enough to survive all of that. She wondered if there was anything that could knock it down—for their sakes, she really hoped not.
“I’ll be right back,” Ana said, “so please don’t go anywhere yet.” So saying, she stood and slipped back into the house, climbing the stairs to her bedroom and approaching the box on her bed. Pursing her lips, she glanced at the objects inside, wondering if it was really a little too forward of her. She wasn’t exactly practiced in the art of friendship, either.
But… maybe that was okay.
Picking up the box, she headed back down the stairs, using her hip to push open the screen door that separated indoors from out. Setting the box down on the chair she’d once occupied, she glanced up at the three of them. “Um… so I got all of you something. It’s not much, but… I wanted to give them to you, after everything.” Feeling her face warming, Ana took a breath and quickly opened the box, thinking that maybe drawing it out any further was a bad idea.
Inside were three brand-new copies of the keys to her facility: the gate key, her house key, and even the ones to the shelter itself and the storage shed. Each of the sets was on its own silver key ring, with a fabric strap in a color she associated with them. She handed the green one to Kas, the soft blue to Cy, and the red one to Eryk.
“I…” Ana swallowed. “These are the keys to everything on the property. I don’t… there aren’t a lot of people who come into my life and stay there,” she said, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. “And I understand that your jobs are important, and that maybe someday sooner or later you’ll have to move somewhere else. That’s… that’s okay. Because it’s not… it’s not about the amount of time, for me—it’s about the quality of it. And… and you’ve all made my life so much better by being in it, even for just the half a year I’ve known you. You’re in my life now, and you’ll always be part of it, even if… something happens.”
It could be them moving away, or it could be her catching something that her Everett’s wouldn’t let her fight off. There were no guarantees of tomorrow, let alone years from now. But… for every day they’d been here, she’d become a better person. She believed that. “So… I figured that, since that’s already true… it just makes sense for you to have these. It’s not like I’ll ever want to keep you out.” She smiled shakily, chancing a glance up at them.
Eryk looked a little puzzled at first, but Cyrilla's eyes seemed to brighten. "Aw, that's..." she started to say something, but choked on her words. Her eyes were starting to water somewhat, though it was hard to say if it was from happiness or something else. "You shouldn't have, Ana," she finally stated, taking the set that belonged to her and held it closely. She seemed to reach for something in her back pocket, and pulled forth a suicune key-ring. "Now I have something to put this on," she stated, hooking the key-rings together.
Eryk stared at the set in his eyes, still looking quite unsure what to say. Eventually, the soft smile he'd been using, made an appearance on his face. "I... thank you, Ana. You didn't need to do that," he spoke, taking out a similar key chain to Cyrilla's. Where her's was a suicune, his was an entei. He hooked the keys slowly on the key chain, and simply stared at the keys. "You... are a good friend," he finally spoke, but it seemed that he wasn't quite sure if that was the proper thing to say.
Kas hooked his onto his bracelet of all things, which seemed to be partly made of a similar key ring, only this one yellow, with a raikou on it. They had thematic key rings? That was sort of adorable, and somehow not at all unexpected. “Thanks, Ana,” he said, reaching over to ruffle her hair with one of his hands.
“You’re all welcome,” she replied.
Cyrilla sighed softly, glancing at the memo on her desk. Her psych eval was coming up soon, and she wasn't entirely prepared for it. Kenshin, recovered as he may be, was still injured somewhat, and things hadn't gotten easier for him. His wheezing was still around, and he looked like he was in constant pain. He never said anything about it, but she knew he was. His check up was also on the same day as her evaluation, and she wasn't entirely sure she would make it. She contemplated asking Kas or Eryk to take him, but she wanted to be the one who took him. He was, after all, her pokémon. It was her responsibility to take him, not anyone elses.
But this evaluation is important for you, Cy, he spoke, intercepting her thoughts before she could dwell on them deeper. She glanced up to look at Kenshin, who was sitting in the chair across from her desk. If you fail, they will strip you of your rank, and more than likely, they will relocate you. Do you really want that? he asked, shifting just slightly to be more comfortable. No, she didn't. She didn't want that because that meant she would have to leave Eryk and Kasimir. As much as she hated to think about it, that would hurt more than anything else, to be away from her friends.
"But what about you, you can't just go on your own," she questioned. It would be rather odd to see a pokémon wandering the streets. Some people might mistake him as a wild lucario and try to capture him. That was not a thought she wanted to entertain. Granted, they wouldn't be able to because he belonged to her, but that still didn't mean they wouldn't try. "I can't just let you go on your own," she added. Kenshin sighed heavily so, and shook his head.
Ask Kas or Eryk. One of them will take me, and you can trust them, can you not? he stated, raising the bridge of his brow just slightly. You don't... you shouldn't worry too much about me, Cy. I'll be fine. You need to worry about yourself, for once, and focus on passing this evaluation. If you don't, not only could you be stripped of your rank, but there is a possibility that they will try and take us from you. Do you really want that?
No.
The thought of it actually being a possibility actually scared her perhaps more-so than the actual evaluation itself. She sighed, and ran a hand through her hair. It was slightly longer now, but not too noticeably. She supposed he had a point, though. If they had deemed her unfit for her rank, what was going to stop them from thinking she wasn't a fit trainer? They could take all of her pokémon away from her, and that included Kenshin. Her eyes narrowed softly at that, but she didn't say anything. Anything she could have said, however, was interrupted by the slight shifting of her door. It was Eryk. He popped his head in, glanced around, before his eyes settled on her.
"Why are you here? I thought they said you went for a walk," he spoke, looking the slightest bit confused. Cyrilla laughed at the irony of the question, though.
"Suppose I was. The real question, though, Ryk, is why are you here. Technically, this is my office, the last time I checked," she retorted, smiling softly towards him. He merely pursed his lips together before he sighed, pulling the rest of his body through her door. He took a seat next to Kenshin, sliding down so that he looked almost swallowed by the chair. She glanced towards his side, and noticed the key chain hooked to his side, and her gaze softened somewhat.
"We shouldn't have these," he finally spoke, lifting the keys from his side, and laying it on her desk. "She's getting too close to us, and I fear the same thing is happening with us. We... aren't supposed to have gotten this deep," he spoke, his tone slightly heavier than usual. Cyrilla allowed her gaze to fall somewhat. Of course, he was right. But that didn't mean much to where she was standing. Ana was a genuinely good friend, and she was such a good thing for Eryk. He was less grumpy, and seemed more at ease.
"I know, Ryk, but think of how she'd feel if we didn't take them. We would have, probably, pushed her away. It would have hurt her more than it would have hurt us. Considering everything she's been through, what you've been through, perhaps taking them was for the best. Besides," she paused to take in a breath. "It's... our mission right now. They still want her monitored in case she shows any signs. What those signs are, though, we don't know. They... they haven't sent any new details, have they?" she stated. She knew they hadn't, because she would have received them, too.
"No, they haven't," was his simple reply. He looked lost in his own thoughts, like what they were doing really bothered him. Maybe it did? A small smile crept on her lips, causing her to shake her head somewhat.
"You like her, don't you?" she spoke, her voice as low as she could make it. He still heard, though, because he glanced at her with a confused expression. "It's okay to admit it, you know," she added, listening while he grumbled some incoherent words. She merely laughed at him lightly.
"Of course I do. She's... been a good friend," he stated. Cyrilla sighed. Of course he wouldn't catch on to what she was actually saying. But maybe that was for the best. If he became attached in that kind of way, it could be dangerous for all of them in the end. More-so for him, if anyone else. She decided not to elaborate on the subject, though, and simply glanced at Kenshin, who was wearing an amused look. It was like he figured something out that both of them missed, and she tilted her head at him.
"If it bothers you so much, I have a request for you," she stated, turning her attention towards Eryk. He merely raised a brow in her direction. "My psych evaluation is coming up in a few days. As it happens, it is also on the same day that Kenshin has his last check up. I can't... I can't go, but can you," she started, hopeful that he wouldn't say no. He seemed to contemplate her decision, and turned his gaze away from her.
"I'll take him," he finally agreed, and Cyrilla released a breath of relief. She offered him a soft smile in the process.
"Thanks, Ryk. Just make sure he doesn't eat any more caramel apples. He's getting heavy," she teased, earning a soft growl from Kenshin.
I am not, he huffed. Cyrilla merely chuckled.
"But Ryk," she spoke, her voice unnaturally calm and serious. She held his gaze for a moment, trying to read his expression, however; it was as passive as it always was. "It's okay, you know. It's okay to care about other people, even if it might leave you confused and unsure of yourself," she spoke. She knew that feeling all too well. And she could almost see it in the way he looked at her. It was the same one she had.
But this evaluation is important for you, Cy, he spoke, intercepting her thoughts before she could dwell on them deeper. She glanced up to look at Kenshin, who was sitting in the chair across from her desk. If you fail, they will strip you of your rank, and more than likely, they will relocate you. Do you really want that? he asked, shifting just slightly to be more comfortable. No, she didn't. She didn't want that because that meant she would have to leave Eryk and Kasimir. As much as she hated to think about it, that would hurt more than anything else, to be away from her friends.
"But what about you, you can't just go on your own," she questioned. It would be rather odd to see a pokémon wandering the streets. Some people might mistake him as a wild lucario and try to capture him. That was not a thought she wanted to entertain. Granted, they wouldn't be able to because he belonged to her, but that still didn't mean they wouldn't try. "I can't just let you go on your own," she added. Kenshin sighed heavily so, and shook his head.
Ask Kas or Eryk. One of them will take me, and you can trust them, can you not? he stated, raising the bridge of his brow just slightly. You don't... you shouldn't worry too much about me, Cy. I'll be fine. You need to worry about yourself, for once, and focus on passing this evaluation. If you don't, not only could you be stripped of your rank, but there is a possibility that they will try and take us from you. Do you really want that?
No.
The thought of it actually being a possibility actually scared her perhaps more-so than the actual evaluation itself. She sighed, and ran a hand through her hair. It was slightly longer now, but not too noticeably. She supposed he had a point, though. If they had deemed her unfit for her rank, what was going to stop them from thinking she wasn't a fit trainer? They could take all of her pokémon away from her, and that included Kenshin. Her eyes narrowed softly at that, but she didn't say anything. Anything she could have said, however, was interrupted by the slight shifting of her door. It was Eryk. He popped his head in, glanced around, before his eyes settled on her.
"Why are you here? I thought they said you went for a walk," he spoke, looking the slightest bit confused. Cyrilla laughed at the irony of the question, though.
"Suppose I was. The real question, though, Ryk, is why are you here. Technically, this is my office, the last time I checked," she retorted, smiling softly towards him. He merely pursed his lips together before he sighed, pulling the rest of his body through her door. He took a seat next to Kenshin, sliding down so that he looked almost swallowed by the chair. She glanced towards his side, and noticed the key chain hooked to his side, and her gaze softened somewhat.
"We shouldn't have these," he finally spoke, lifting the keys from his side, and laying it on her desk. "She's getting too close to us, and I fear the same thing is happening with us. We... aren't supposed to have gotten this deep," he spoke, his tone slightly heavier than usual. Cyrilla allowed her gaze to fall somewhat. Of course, he was right. But that didn't mean much to where she was standing. Ana was a genuinely good friend, and she was such a good thing for Eryk. He was less grumpy, and seemed more at ease.
"I know, Ryk, but think of how she'd feel if we didn't take them. We would have, probably, pushed her away. It would have hurt her more than it would have hurt us. Considering everything she's been through, what you've been through, perhaps taking them was for the best. Besides," she paused to take in a breath. "It's... our mission right now. They still want her monitored in case she shows any signs. What those signs are, though, we don't know. They... they haven't sent any new details, have they?" she stated. She knew they hadn't, because she would have received them, too.
"No, they haven't," was his simple reply. He looked lost in his own thoughts, like what they were doing really bothered him. Maybe it did? A small smile crept on her lips, causing her to shake her head somewhat.
"You like her, don't you?" she spoke, her voice as low as she could make it. He still heard, though, because he glanced at her with a confused expression. "It's okay to admit it, you know," she added, listening while he grumbled some incoherent words. She merely laughed at him lightly.
"Of course I do. She's... been a good friend," he stated. Cyrilla sighed. Of course he wouldn't catch on to what she was actually saying. But maybe that was for the best. If he became attached in that kind of way, it could be dangerous for all of them in the end. More-so for him, if anyone else. She decided not to elaborate on the subject, though, and simply glanced at Kenshin, who was wearing an amused look. It was like he figured something out that both of them missed, and she tilted her head at him.
"If it bothers you so much, I have a request for you," she stated, turning her attention towards Eryk. He merely raised a brow in her direction. "My psych evaluation is coming up in a few days. As it happens, it is also on the same day that Kenshin has his last check up. I can't... I can't go, but can you," she started, hopeful that he wouldn't say no. He seemed to contemplate her decision, and turned his gaze away from her.
"I'll take him," he finally agreed, and Cyrilla released a breath of relief. She offered him a soft smile in the process.
"Thanks, Ryk. Just make sure he doesn't eat any more caramel apples. He's getting heavy," she teased, earning a soft growl from Kenshin.
I am not, he huffed. Cyrilla merely chuckled.
"But Ryk," she spoke, her voice unnaturally calm and serious. She held his gaze for a moment, trying to read his expression, however; it was as passive as it always was. "It's okay, you know. It's okay to care about other people, even if it might leave you confused and unsure of yourself," she spoke. She knew that feeling all too well. And she could almost see it in the way he looked at her. It was the same one she had.
Kas rolled over on the couch in his office and sighed. Next to him, Meep let out a sleepy bleat before settling back down. He ran a hand along her wool, smiling absently at the little static prickles that snapped against his fingers. It wasn’t as annoying as normal static electricity—more like a tingling or something of the kind. He moved his hand down to flick the sphere on the end of her tail with a soft clink. “Come on, sleepyhead, it’s time to get up.”
She grumbled, but blinked her eyes open. She had adorable eyes: big and soft and dark. He patted her head a few times as she got her feet underneath her, hopping down from the couch to the floor. “I think we’re gonna go on a walk, okay?”
Already past her sleepiness, it seemed, Meep voiced her approval of the suggestion, and he held the door open for her to bounce out of the office in front of him. He wondered if either of the others were in—maybe Cy wanted to go for ice cream? Winter was approaching fast, but on the island, that just meant it was storm season. Not that it was actually cold. He might as well check.
So when they passed her door, Kas knocked, though he refrained from just letting himself in. Trying to draw back while still acting the part of a friend was a very delicate balance; he’d been gradually getting himself used to erring on the side of caution in this. “Hey Cy? Shift’s over in five; did you wanna get some ice cream or something?”
A soft thud and an 'ow' signaled that she was behind the door. After a few padded steps, she opened the door and glanced at him, holding her forehead just slightly. "Sorry, I apparently hit my head on the desk. I was... uh, sleeping," she stated, rubbing her forehead slightly before dropping her hand. Chuckling could be heard in the background, and from the sounds of it, it sounded like Kenshin. He was still in the office, but made no noise or motion to leave it. She glanced back, presumably at him, before turning her attention back to Kas.
"Actually, ice cream sounds nice, right about now. Kenny, look after the office, will ya?" she spoke, closing the door just briefly before opening it wider. She had to grab her bag, apparently. "Should we ask Ryk to come along? He doesn't like sweet things, but they might have salted caramel or something of the sort," she questioned, blinking slightly up at him.
“His door’s next down the line,” Kas replied with a smile. At his feet, Meep hopped in a circle, rubbing up against Cy’s legs.
As he’d said, he took the few steps more to Eryk’s office at the end of the hall. He didn’t really bother to knock in Ryk’s case—barging in was pretty much just how they dealt with each other. “Hey workaholic grumpy-pants. You want some ice cream? Shift’s over.”
Eryk's eyes glanced up, noticeably softer than they usually were. He didn't look entirely grumpy, though. He seemed to contemplate Kas's offer, and in the end, just stood. He fixed the pile of papers on his desk before making his way towards the both of them. Cyrilla, who had stooped to pet Meep, actually picked her up, and rubbed her face into Meeps wool. The static of it, though, caused her hair to stand on ends a bit.
"Couldn't resist, could you?" Eryk spoke, and Cy merely shook her head. "But I suppose ice cream would be nice. Is there a particularly good one around?" he asked, which made some sense. Eryk wasn't the type to go anywhere else besides to Ana's, or to the mansion. Occasionally he went to the grocer, but that was about as far as the list went.
“Sure is,” Kas said. “Stefano’s. He makes gelato—it’s like ice cream, but better.” Leading the way out of the mansion, he started down the driveway that would carry all of them past the front gate and onto the road that went directly into town. Even out here, there were tall tropical trees basically all over; they ended just in front of the beaches; the town itself tended to be on the green side as well, though there was a distinct difference as soon as the roads became paved ones.
Stefano’s happened to be on the harbor, near where all the boats came in. It faced out towards the beach, having an open front that only got shuttered when the place was closed or there was a storm coming in. Today, however, it was bright and sunny; boats passed in and out of the harbor at regular intervals. Stopping in front of the shop, Kas glanced up at the menu. “See anything you want?” he asked the others. Meep just bounced in place.
Cyrilla stared at the different flavors, her eyes slightly wide as she did so. Eryk merely glanced it over before his eyes landed on a particular one. "I'll take the stracciatella. It looks delicious," she stated, pointing to the flavor she'd chosen. Eryk, however, kept his gaze on the glass, looking like he was debating which flavor to get. Sweets weren't exactly his thing, but gelato, depending on the flavor, wasn't too sweet. The one Cyrilla had chosen was, perhaps, a tad too sweet for Eryk.
"I don't know," he stated, pursing his lips together. "Which flavor are you getting, Kas?" he asked, seemingly a little interested. Maybe he wanted a similar one?
"You should try the lemon one, Ryk. It'll be on the sour side so it won't be too sweet, if that's what you're worried about," Cyrilla suggested, giving a light toss of her shoulders as if she were unsure.
“Or the amarena,” Kas offered. “It’s cherry, but the berries are a little more sour than the usual kind. Stefano?” He drew the proprietor’s attention by raising his voice just slightly. The man in question, a balding elderly gentleman, quirked an eyebrow. “I’d like a zabajone, and a stracciatella for the lady. Ryk?” He returned his attention temporarily to his friend.
"I'll take the amarena," he stated, taking Kas's suggestion. Cyrilla smiled brightly at that, but didn't say anything. "It... this, is nice," Ryk finally stated, glancing over towards Kas and then towards Cy. "I don't think I would have enjoyed something like this, not before," he spoke, pausing just slightly as if searching for the right words. Cy rolled her eyes and pushed her shoulder into Ryk's, just soft enough that it caught his attention.
"You would have enjoyed it either way. You're with friends, Ryk. It's nice to have friends with you when you do things like this," she stated, earning a quirk of a brow from Ryk.
"If you say so," was his only reply. Once the gelatos were delivered and paid for, Ryk took a bite of his, his face twisted just slightly. It was like the amarena flavor was too sour for him, causing Cy to laugh. She handed him her gelato, and took his.
"You might like that one instead, Ryk," she stated, trying to contain the small bouts of laughter. She'd taken a bite out of her newly acquired gelato, but unlike Ryk, her face remained the same. A bright smile and a slight gleam to her eyes.
"This one is... better," he stated, having taken a bite out of it. He seemed satisfied with it, and continued eating it.
Kas laughed. “And here I thought you could hack it,” he teased, clearly amused. The three of them took a seat at the one of the outdoor tables. Kas happened to face the harbor, where it looked like a passenger boat was just coming in. That was a little unusual, considering that tourist season was long over, but the island did still attract visitors year-round, even if the numbers were smaller.
He glanced away, thinking nothing more of it until the passengers began to disembark. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw someone that looked just a bit familiar. It was only the person’s back, but… “Hang on,” he muttered, standing up and squinting in that direction. He lifted his hand to shade his eyes from the sun. “It can’t be…”
But it was.
Hefting one of those heavy camping-style backpacks over her shoulders was a young woman maybe Ana’s age. Her complexion was a shade darker even than his; her hair caught somewhere between deep brown and black—the ambiguous color called often called raven. There was a lot of it, too—thick sheets bound up in twintails high on her head, with other strands falling to her diaphragm. The straightness was something she’d inherited from her mother.
He couldn’t see her eyes, but he knew what color they were. Raising two fingers to his mouth, Kas whistled sharply, a trilling note fading into a lower one, then called out over the intervening distance. “Hey Melly! Get over here!”
The woman’s head snapped towards him—even from here, he could see her scowl. She straightened her backpack and crossed the sand with a determined stride, coming to stand right in front of him before she drew her arm back and punched him in the stomach. Kas was prepared for it, but he made a show of doubling over in pain anyway. “Hey now, is that any way to treat your favorite person in the whole wide world?”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” she drawled sarcastically. “Would that be the same ‘favorite person’ who doesn’t know how to check his damn answering machine?” She narrowed her eyes—cinnamon-colored—at him. “I called you, stupid. Three times this afternoon. You were napping on the job again, weren’t you?”
“…Maybe,” Kas admitted with a smile. Almost despite herself, she grinned too, reaching forward to hug him tightly. She was tall enough that her head fit just under his chin, which was saying something, considering his height.
“It’s good to see you, Mirmir,” she said, squeezing before she pulled away. She glanced at Ryk and Cy, reorienting herself to face them and sticking out a hand. “Hi. You must be this dumbass’s friends. You have my condolences.”
Eryk just stared at her for a moment. It looked like he was trying to register the fact that Harper was talking to them. "I'm Eryk," he replied, his voice as monotone as it used to be. Cyrilla, however, was the one who shook her hand, smiling somewhat brightly in the process.
"I'm Cyrilla! It's a pleasure to meet you...?" she stated, waiting for an introduction it seemed.
“Harper Rheinallt. I’m Kas’s sister. Nice to meet you two.” She paused a moment. “Uh… do you mind if I sit down? It’s been a long boat trip.”
Kas offered her his seat, heading to one of the unoccupied tables and grabbing another chair. He sat between Harper and Eryk, shoving his gelato at his sister, who dug in with some relish. “So, Melly… what, exactly, are you doing in Cinnabar? It’s not that I’m unhappy to see you, but…”
She swallowed a spoonful of the dessert before she replied, reaching into a pocket of the vest she wore and extracting a small, flat wooden case. With the spoon still in her mouth, she flipped it open—inside were six recognizable gym badges. “On my way to the League,” she said confidently. “Gotta collect the badge from the Island before I head to Viridian. It’s fire pokémon here, right? Some guy named Blake or something?”
Eryk snorted softly, like he was trying to contain a laugh. That was new. He never laughed. "You mean Drake?" Cyrilla spoke, correcting the name. "He's the Gym Leader here. Oh! Maybe I can go with you. I haven't seen him in a while, and he might actually be free in the upcoming days," she spoke, earning another snort from Ryk. He said something that sounded suspiciously like
"Not if I have a say in it," but it was too low to make out properly. Eryk otherwise remained quiet and stared at Harper, then towards Kas.
"Oh, and don't mind him. He's... special," Cyrilla stated, pointing to Eryk, though he frowned at her choice of words.
Harper shrugged, but there was a keener look on her face now. Kas knew she was picking up on the group dynamic quickly—she had most of his social skills if none of his duplicity. Her mental filter was arguably in worse shape than Ryk’s, though she didn’t comment directly right now. “Seems fine to me,” she said easily, polishing off the last of her ice cream.
“So I’m guessing you probably can’t put me up, what with all that top-secret Rocket stuff you do,” she said, glancing at Kas and raising an eyebrow. “So I think I’m gonna go check in at the Pokémon Center, but your lazy ass had better take the next couple of days off to hang out with me.” She set the spoon down in the paper bowl the gelato had come in.
“And thanks for the offer, Cyrilla. That might not be a bad idea—I’ll have Mirmir let you know when I challenge. Not that I’d mind seeing more of you beforehand, or anything. My brother talks a lot about his friends; I’ve been looking forward to meeting you.”
Kas hadn’t been looking forward to it, so much. Harper could read him like a book, and she only kept his secrets when she decided she wanted to—which didn’t necessarily coincide with him wanting her to. The big ones, he wasn’t worried about; it was the other ones that could still do damage if she was indelicate about things.
“All right, all right,” he said. “I’ll put in for a few days off. We can do some training and stuff after all the sightseeing—I know you’re still sore about losing last time.”
She wrinkled her nose at him and shoved his arm, but when she stood up and put her bag back on, she was grinning, white teeth a stark contrast against dark skin. “We’ll see who’s sore in a few days, Mirmir. I’ve gotten a lot stronger, you know.” She turned to the others for a moment. “Anyway… nice meeting you, and if I don’t see you again while I’m here… thanks for taking care of my idiot brother. He’s a pain, but for some reason I like him anyway.” With a wave, she was off, consulting her pokégear for the location of the Center, probably.
“And… that was my sister,” Kas said with a shrug. “I think she got most of the ‘get up and go’ in the family.”
"She reminds me of someone, though," Cyrilla spoke, chuckling just slightly. She glanced at Eryk, who merely blinked down at her. "And aw, did you hear that, Ryk? Kas talks about us," she stated, elbowing Ryk in the side in a playful manner. She shook her head though, and released a sigh.
"Can't imagine any of it's good, though," he spoke, sparing Kas a glance. He simply shrugged, though. "I like her, though. She seems... nice," he replied, though it was hard to pinpoint just what Ryk liked about her. Maybe because they were similar, somewhat?
“Glad to hear it,” Kas said, chuckling slightly. “Maybe that means you’ll help me keep her entertained while she’s here. It’s not easy, I promise you.”
She grumbled, but blinked her eyes open. She had adorable eyes: big and soft and dark. He patted her head a few times as she got her feet underneath her, hopping down from the couch to the floor. “I think we’re gonna go on a walk, okay?”
Already past her sleepiness, it seemed, Meep voiced her approval of the suggestion, and he held the door open for her to bounce out of the office in front of him. He wondered if either of the others were in—maybe Cy wanted to go for ice cream? Winter was approaching fast, but on the island, that just meant it was storm season. Not that it was actually cold. He might as well check.
So when they passed her door, Kas knocked, though he refrained from just letting himself in. Trying to draw back while still acting the part of a friend was a very delicate balance; he’d been gradually getting himself used to erring on the side of caution in this. “Hey Cy? Shift’s over in five; did you wanna get some ice cream or something?”
A soft thud and an 'ow' signaled that she was behind the door. After a few padded steps, she opened the door and glanced at him, holding her forehead just slightly. "Sorry, I apparently hit my head on the desk. I was... uh, sleeping," she stated, rubbing her forehead slightly before dropping her hand. Chuckling could be heard in the background, and from the sounds of it, it sounded like Kenshin. He was still in the office, but made no noise or motion to leave it. She glanced back, presumably at him, before turning her attention back to Kas.
"Actually, ice cream sounds nice, right about now. Kenny, look after the office, will ya?" she spoke, closing the door just briefly before opening it wider. She had to grab her bag, apparently. "Should we ask Ryk to come along? He doesn't like sweet things, but they might have salted caramel or something of the sort," she questioned, blinking slightly up at him.
“His door’s next down the line,” Kas replied with a smile. At his feet, Meep hopped in a circle, rubbing up against Cy’s legs.
As he’d said, he took the few steps more to Eryk’s office at the end of the hall. He didn’t really bother to knock in Ryk’s case—barging in was pretty much just how they dealt with each other. “Hey workaholic grumpy-pants. You want some ice cream? Shift’s over.”
Eryk's eyes glanced up, noticeably softer than they usually were. He didn't look entirely grumpy, though. He seemed to contemplate Kas's offer, and in the end, just stood. He fixed the pile of papers on his desk before making his way towards the both of them. Cyrilla, who had stooped to pet Meep, actually picked her up, and rubbed her face into Meeps wool. The static of it, though, caused her hair to stand on ends a bit.
"Couldn't resist, could you?" Eryk spoke, and Cy merely shook her head. "But I suppose ice cream would be nice. Is there a particularly good one around?" he asked, which made some sense. Eryk wasn't the type to go anywhere else besides to Ana's, or to the mansion. Occasionally he went to the grocer, but that was about as far as the list went.
“Sure is,” Kas said. “Stefano’s. He makes gelato—it’s like ice cream, but better.” Leading the way out of the mansion, he started down the driveway that would carry all of them past the front gate and onto the road that went directly into town. Even out here, there were tall tropical trees basically all over; they ended just in front of the beaches; the town itself tended to be on the green side as well, though there was a distinct difference as soon as the roads became paved ones.
Stefano’s happened to be on the harbor, near where all the boats came in. It faced out towards the beach, having an open front that only got shuttered when the place was closed or there was a storm coming in. Today, however, it was bright and sunny; boats passed in and out of the harbor at regular intervals. Stopping in front of the shop, Kas glanced up at the menu. “See anything you want?” he asked the others. Meep just bounced in place.
Cyrilla stared at the different flavors, her eyes slightly wide as she did so. Eryk merely glanced it over before his eyes landed on a particular one. "I'll take the stracciatella. It looks delicious," she stated, pointing to the flavor she'd chosen. Eryk, however, kept his gaze on the glass, looking like he was debating which flavor to get. Sweets weren't exactly his thing, but gelato, depending on the flavor, wasn't too sweet. The one Cyrilla had chosen was, perhaps, a tad too sweet for Eryk.
"I don't know," he stated, pursing his lips together. "Which flavor are you getting, Kas?" he asked, seemingly a little interested. Maybe he wanted a similar one?
"You should try the lemon one, Ryk. It'll be on the sour side so it won't be too sweet, if that's what you're worried about," Cyrilla suggested, giving a light toss of her shoulders as if she were unsure.
“Or the amarena,” Kas offered. “It’s cherry, but the berries are a little more sour than the usual kind. Stefano?” He drew the proprietor’s attention by raising his voice just slightly. The man in question, a balding elderly gentleman, quirked an eyebrow. “I’d like a zabajone, and a stracciatella for the lady. Ryk?” He returned his attention temporarily to his friend.
"I'll take the amarena," he stated, taking Kas's suggestion. Cyrilla smiled brightly at that, but didn't say anything. "It... this, is nice," Ryk finally stated, glancing over towards Kas and then towards Cy. "I don't think I would have enjoyed something like this, not before," he spoke, pausing just slightly as if searching for the right words. Cy rolled her eyes and pushed her shoulder into Ryk's, just soft enough that it caught his attention.
"You would have enjoyed it either way. You're with friends, Ryk. It's nice to have friends with you when you do things like this," she stated, earning a quirk of a brow from Ryk.
"If you say so," was his only reply. Once the gelatos were delivered and paid for, Ryk took a bite of his, his face twisted just slightly. It was like the amarena flavor was too sour for him, causing Cy to laugh. She handed him her gelato, and took his.
"You might like that one instead, Ryk," she stated, trying to contain the small bouts of laughter. She'd taken a bite out of her newly acquired gelato, but unlike Ryk, her face remained the same. A bright smile and a slight gleam to her eyes.
"This one is... better," he stated, having taken a bite out of it. He seemed satisfied with it, and continued eating it.
Kas laughed. “And here I thought you could hack it,” he teased, clearly amused. The three of them took a seat at the one of the outdoor tables. Kas happened to face the harbor, where it looked like a passenger boat was just coming in. That was a little unusual, considering that tourist season was long over, but the island did still attract visitors year-round, even if the numbers were smaller.
He glanced away, thinking nothing more of it until the passengers began to disembark. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw someone that looked just a bit familiar. It was only the person’s back, but… “Hang on,” he muttered, standing up and squinting in that direction. He lifted his hand to shade his eyes from the sun. “It can’t be…”
But it was.
Hefting one of those heavy camping-style backpacks over her shoulders was a young woman maybe Ana’s age. Her complexion was a shade darker even than his; her hair caught somewhere between deep brown and black—the ambiguous color called often called raven. There was a lot of it, too—thick sheets bound up in twintails high on her head, with other strands falling to her diaphragm. The straightness was something she’d inherited from her mother.
He couldn’t see her eyes, but he knew what color they were. Raising two fingers to his mouth, Kas whistled sharply, a trilling note fading into a lower one, then called out over the intervening distance. “Hey Melly! Get over here!”
The woman’s head snapped towards him—even from here, he could see her scowl. She straightened her backpack and crossed the sand with a determined stride, coming to stand right in front of him before she drew her arm back and punched him in the stomach. Kas was prepared for it, but he made a show of doubling over in pain anyway. “Hey now, is that any way to treat your favorite person in the whole wide world?”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” she drawled sarcastically. “Would that be the same ‘favorite person’ who doesn’t know how to check his damn answering machine?” She narrowed her eyes—cinnamon-colored—at him. “I called you, stupid. Three times this afternoon. You were napping on the job again, weren’t you?”
“…Maybe,” Kas admitted with a smile. Almost despite herself, she grinned too, reaching forward to hug him tightly. She was tall enough that her head fit just under his chin, which was saying something, considering his height.
“It’s good to see you, Mirmir,” she said, squeezing before she pulled away. She glanced at Ryk and Cy, reorienting herself to face them and sticking out a hand. “Hi. You must be this dumbass’s friends. You have my condolences.”
Eryk just stared at her for a moment. It looked like he was trying to register the fact that Harper was talking to them. "I'm Eryk," he replied, his voice as monotone as it used to be. Cyrilla, however, was the one who shook her hand, smiling somewhat brightly in the process.
"I'm Cyrilla! It's a pleasure to meet you...?" she stated, waiting for an introduction it seemed.
“Harper Rheinallt. I’m Kas’s sister. Nice to meet you two.” She paused a moment. “Uh… do you mind if I sit down? It’s been a long boat trip.”
Kas offered her his seat, heading to one of the unoccupied tables and grabbing another chair. He sat between Harper and Eryk, shoving his gelato at his sister, who dug in with some relish. “So, Melly… what, exactly, are you doing in Cinnabar? It’s not that I’m unhappy to see you, but…”
She swallowed a spoonful of the dessert before she replied, reaching into a pocket of the vest she wore and extracting a small, flat wooden case. With the spoon still in her mouth, she flipped it open—inside were six recognizable gym badges. “On my way to the League,” she said confidently. “Gotta collect the badge from the Island before I head to Viridian. It’s fire pokémon here, right? Some guy named Blake or something?”
Eryk snorted softly, like he was trying to contain a laugh. That was new. He never laughed. "You mean Drake?" Cyrilla spoke, correcting the name. "He's the Gym Leader here. Oh! Maybe I can go with you. I haven't seen him in a while, and he might actually be free in the upcoming days," she spoke, earning another snort from Ryk. He said something that sounded suspiciously like
"Not if I have a say in it," but it was too low to make out properly. Eryk otherwise remained quiet and stared at Harper, then towards Kas.
"Oh, and don't mind him. He's... special," Cyrilla stated, pointing to Eryk, though he frowned at her choice of words.
Harper shrugged, but there was a keener look on her face now. Kas knew she was picking up on the group dynamic quickly—she had most of his social skills if none of his duplicity. Her mental filter was arguably in worse shape than Ryk’s, though she didn’t comment directly right now. “Seems fine to me,” she said easily, polishing off the last of her ice cream.
“So I’m guessing you probably can’t put me up, what with all that top-secret Rocket stuff you do,” she said, glancing at Kas and raising an eyebrow. “So I think I’m gonna go check in at the Pokémon Center, but your lazy ass had better take the next couple of days off to hang out with me.” She set the spoon down in the paper bowl the gelato had come in.
“And thanks for the offer, Cyrilla. That might not be a bad idea—I’ll have Mirmir let you know when I challenge. Not that I’d mind seeing more of you beforehand, or anything. My brother talks a lot about his friends; I’ve been looking forward to meeting you.”
Kas hadn’t been looking forward to it, so much. Harper could read him like a book, and she only kept his secrets when she decided she wanted to—which didn’t necessarily coincide with him wanting her to. The big ones, he wasn’t worried about; it was the other ones that could still do damage if she was indelicate about things.
“All right, all right,” he said. “I’ll put in for a few days off. We can do some training and stuff after all the sightseeing—I know you’re still sore about losing last time.”
She wrinkled her nose at him and shoved his arm, but when she stood up and put her bag back on, she was grinning, white teeth a stark contrast against dark skin. “We’ll see who’s sore in a few days, Mirmir. I’ve gotten a lot stronger, you know.” She turned to the others for a moment. “Anyway… nice meeting you, and if I don’t see you again while I’m here… thanks for taking care of my idiot brother. He’s a pain, but for some reason I like him anyway.” With a wave, she was off, consulting her pokégear for the location of the Center, probably.
“And… that was my sister,” Kas said with a shrug. “I think she got most of the ‘get up and go’ in the family.”
"She reminds me of someone, though," Cyrilla spoke, chuckling just slightly. She glanced at Eryk, who merely blinked down at her. "And aw, did you hear that, Ryk? Kas talks about us," she stated, elbowing Ryk in the side in a playful manner. She shook her head though, and released a sigh.
"Can't imagine any of it's good, though," he spoke, sparing Kas a glance. He simply shrugged, though. "I like her, though. She seems... nice," he replied, though it was hard to pinpoint just what Ryk liked about her. Maybe because they were similar, somewhat?
“Glad to hear it,” Kas said, chuckling slightly. “Maybe that means you’ll help me keep her entertained while she’s here. It’s not easy, I promise you.”
Drake sighed softly, running a hand through his hair. He didn't fully pull it through, instead, choosing to drag it down his face. This was just getting ridiculous. These challenges had increased to just a handful, to well over the double digits this last week. He was half tempted to shut the Gym down for about a week so he could rest, but that almost went against Gym regulations. He could ask his great-grandfather to come out of retirement for a few days, and watch the Gym, however; Blaine was stubborn and set in his retirement. Drake simply sighed, earning a soft nudge from his Houndoom. He glanced at the pokémon and offered it a smile. Well, if he couldn't shut it down for a week, he could at least shut it down for a day.
With that in mind, he grabbed the closed sign, and made his way towards the entrance. He stopped a few times, once to make sure all the equipment was put away, and to make sure his Fletchinder was resting comfortably in the make-shift nest he'd made her. After Ana had allowed the adoption to go through, he officially owned the bird pokémon. He was slightly happy about that, actually. Fletchy, as he'd named her, chirped to greet him, and he hooked a finger around her head, temporarily forgetting to go hang the sign. Apparently, he was snapped out of his thoughts when the chime echoed someone had entered. He sighed softy, and straightened himself out.
"I'm sorry, but the Gym's closed today," he stated, turning around just slightly to greet the would-be challenger. Seriously, he needed a break. If he didn't get one, he'd probably die before his pokémon did.
“No worries, leader-man.” the voice that responded belonged to a woman. Probably also a young person, from the tone of it, but not a child—it was a little too low-toned for that. “I was just here to check out the place. Thought there must be something really gimmicky about it for the line to be so long, but it looks like a normal Gym to me.”
The speaker, it turned out, was indeed a young woman. She was barely an inch shorter than Drake himself, and wore her considerable amount of dark hair in two tails high on her head. Her wardrobe was that of many a journeying trainer, which immediately marked her as different from most of the other ones he’d had recently. Her smile was easy to her face, it seemed; she studied him with a quirked eyebrow.
“Probably a good thing you closed up for the day. You look a bit like someone punched you in the face.” There was nothing cruel in the way she said it; if anything, she seemed a bit… amused?
"Honestly, I'd prefer it if someone had punched me," he replied honestly, breathing a sigh of relief. At least she wasn't here to challenge him, right? Well, he supposed he could take this break and show her around. It wasn't like he had anything specific planned today, anyway. He could have gone to visit Ana, but he supposed that could wait. "I'm Drake, the Gym Leader of this Gym," he introduced himself with a light smile.
She laughed; the sound was full-throated and not at all tentative. It faded to a grin, and then she stuck a hand out in greeting. “Harper. Nice to meet you, Drake.”
"Most of the trainers who come here are Grunts, from Team Rocket. I think... someone has it out for me in there, somewhere," he spoke, rubbing the back of his neck slightly before taking her hand. He'd never had any problems with the members, but he had a sneaking suspicion that someone was out to get him. He didn't mind, per se, most of the Grunts were actually decent. They were improving on their battle techniques and some of them had actually managed to win a badge. He hadn't seen those who'd won after that, but the ones who came back were getting pretty close.
"I actually don't use any gimmicks. My great-grandfather used to. He had a weird thing for riddles. I guess I just didn't pick up on them. Anyway, would you like a tour of the Gym since you're here?" he asked, glancing at her as he did so.
Harper shrugged. “Sure, if you don’t mind. I’d understand if you didn’t want to, since the place is closed and all.” She tipped her head to the side. “My brother works for Team Rocket here, actually. Kasimir? I…think I know which one of them doesn’t like you.” She wore an enigmatic smile, but didn’t elaborate. Maybe she had no intention of telling him? She was actually a little difficult to read, for all her obvious openness.
He raised a brow at that. So someone was out to get him. Huh. At least he wasn't being paranoid about it. He shrugged it off, though, and didn't comment on it. Whatever it was this mystery person had against him, maybe it would fade? He was hopeful about it, or at least as hopeful as he could get. "Well, I didn't have anything planned for today, but since you're not here for a challenge quite yet, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to show you around. Besides, it'll get you familiar with the ring and the surroundings. It's just a typical Gym, but the layout is a little different," he spoke, leading her towards the gym, itself.
Once he opened the doors, it was noticeably warmer inside, and it was apparent why. There were small pillars of make-shift volcanoes standing in each corner, and the actual field looked like it was mainly sand and dirt. "Gramps had the original Gym inside of a volcano, so I had to relocate it once the volcano errupted and destroyed it. It wasn't the brightest idea he ever had, but at least this way, it's safer for everyone involved," he explained. He still couldn't understand why the man had been insistent on rebuilding it inside the volcano again. Thankfully, Drake was already the owner and decided against it.
"Ah, and there's my team," he spoke, pointing towards the pokémon who lingered towards the warmer parts of the gym. There was Magmar, Houndoom, Pyroar, Blaziken, and a Luxray. They all lifted their heads towards Drake, but only one of them approached. It was a lazy walk, almost as if he didn't care, however; Pyroar approached and nudged Drake's elbow with his head. He wasn't of the typical coloring of pyroar's, instead, having a more tannish color. He was, essentially, a shiny. "Don't mind him, he's harmless outside of battles," he stated, rubbing the Pyroar's fur gently.
Harper grinned. “I think that might be a species trait. Pyrrha’s the same—she’s my pyroar.” Harper clicked her tongue a few times, reaching out towards the pokémon but stopping short of touching him until he gave tacit permission. Then her hands were in his mane, and she huffed. “You have so much more hair than she does,” she told the pokémon. “I bet she’ll be jealous when I tell her.”
Stepping back, she returned her attention to Drake for a moment before casting her eyes around the gym. “A volcano, huh? That’s pretty intense. Unsafe as hell, and probably a dumb idea, but also hardcore.” Her eyes fell to luxray, and she snickered. “That’s kind of cheating, isn’t it? Having an electric-type at a fire-type Gym? Although you’re ruining the advantage by letting me know ahead of time. Should I be flattered or insulted?”
"Wait, what? No!" he stated, flailing his arms in front of him. "I mean, you shouldn't be insulted. Everyone knows my team already so it's not like it's a secret or anything," he finally replied. He could feel his cheeks burning just slightly. Really, if he'd insulted her, it wasn't his intention. "And technically, not really. It's not entirely cheating. Some of the other Gyms also have other types or dual-types on hand. You should have battled them if you've made it this far, after all. We aren't entirely diverse, but some of us do have at least one different type with us," he continued, hoping he wasn't too red in the face.
Pyroar seemed a bit amused by the ordeal because his eyes shined with mirth, and he rubbed his face against her leg, letting out a small purring noise in the process. That, or he'd liked the comment she gave him about his fur. "I wasn't trying to insult you or anything, honest," he apologized, feeling just the slightest bit embarrassed.
“Flattered it is then,” she replied, amusement shining in her eyes. They were a very unusual color—almost like the one the island was named for. That kind of reddish hue. She was equally amused by Pyroar’s affection, it seemed; she ran her fingers repeatedly through his mane. “Who’s a handsome fellow? Certainly it must be you, with your pretty red mane, hm?” she scrubbed him behind the ears and under his chin, flicking her gaze up to Drake.
“Your trainer’s isn’t so bad, either, come to think of it.” She flashed a mischievous smile.
If he wasn't entirely embarrassed by her earlier comment, he was sure his face was matching his hair right now. He coughed awkwardly into his hand and rubbed the back of his neck. "T-Thanks?" he wasn't entirely sure if he should say that. Pyroar, however, must have found it damn amusing. He was laughing, or at least the equivalent to a laugh. Well, no one's ever told him that before, but he didn't entirely expect people to. Oh this was so awkward.
"I mean, you're pretty nice too, for, uh, how about we go this way? There's a cafeteria in the next room so if you'd like to get something to eat..." he trailed off. Oh why was this so awkward all of a sudden?
Harper didn’t seem to find it so; if anything, she was just as comfortable now as she had been when he first ran into her outside the Gym. Her eyes narrowed with the force of her smile; her intentions were entirely unreadable. Maybe she was making fun of him or something? “I can always eat,” she said with a nod. “What’s on the menu?”
But he was so awkward now. He tore his gaze from her, unsure of how to act now. He was embarrassed, he felt awkward, and now he couldn't remember what was on the menu. He hummed unintelligently, and led her towards the cafeteria. "Well, we have burgers mostly," he began. Oh this was so awkward now.
With that in mind, he grabbed the closed sign, and made his way towards the entrance. He stopped a few times, once to make sure all the equipment was put away, and to make sure his Fletchinder was resting comfortably in the make-shift nest he'd made her. After Ana had allowed the adoption to go through, he officially owned the bird pokémon. He was slightly happy about that, actually. Fletchy, as he'd named her, chirped to greet him, and he hooked a finger around her head, temporarily forgetting to go hang the sign. Apparently, he was snapped out of his thoughts when the chime echoed someone had entered. He sighed softy, and straightened himself out.
"I'm sorry, but the Gym's closed today," he stated, turning around just slightly to greet the would-be challenger. Seriously, he needed a break. If he didn't get one, he'd probably die before his pokémon did.
“No worries, leader-man.” the voice that responded belonged to a woman. Probably also a young person, from the tone of it, but not a child—it was a little too low-toned for that. “I was just here to check out the place. Thought there must be something really gimmicky about it for the line to be so long, but it looks like a normal Gym to me.”
The speaker, it turned out, was indeed a young woman. She was barely an inch shorter than Drake himself, and wore her considerable amount of dark hair in two tails high on her head. Her wardrobe was that of many a journeying trainer, which immediately marked her as different from most of the other ones he’d had recently. Her smile was easy to her face, it seemed; she studied him with a quirked eyebrow.
“Probably a good thing you closed up for the day. You look a bit like someone punched you in the face.” There was nothing cruel in the way she said it; if anything, she seemed a bit… amused?
"Honestly, I'd prefer it if someone had punched me," he replied honestly, breathing a sigh of relief. At least she wasn't here to challenge him, right? Well, he supposed he could take this break and show her around. It wasn't like he had anything specific planned today, anyway. He could have gone to visit Ana, but he supposed that could wait. "I'm Drake, the Gym Leader of this Gym," he introduced himself with a light smile.
She laughed; the sound was full-throated and not at all tentative. It faded to a grin, and then she stuck a hand out in greeting. “Harper. Nice to meet you, Drake.”
"Most of the trainers who come here are Grunts, from Team Rocket. I think... someone has it out for me in there, somewhere," he spoke, rubbing the back of his neck slightly before taking her hand. He'd never had any problems with the members, but he had a sneaking suspicion that someone was out to get him. He didn't mind, per se, most of the Grunts were actually decent. They were improving on their battle techniques and some of them had actually managed to win a badge. He hadn't seen those who'd won after that, but the ones who came back were getting pretty close.
"I actually don't use any gimmicks. My great-grandfather used to. He had a weird thing for riddles. I guess I just didn't pick up on them. Anyway, would you like a tour of the Gym since you're here?" he asked, glancing at her as he did so.
Harper shrugged. “Sure, if you don’t mind. I’d understand if you didn’t want to, since the place is closed and all.” She tipped her head to the side. “My brother works for Team Rocket here, actually. Kasimir? I…think I know which one of them doesn’t like you.” She wore an enigmatic smile, but didn’t elaborate. Maybe she had no intention of telling him? She was actually a little difficult to read, for all her obvious openness.
He raised a brow at that. So someone was out to get him. Huh. At least he wasn't being paranoid about it. He shrugged it off, though, and didn't comment on it. Whatever it was this mystery person had against him, maybe it would fade? He was hopeful about it, or at least as hopeful as he could get. "Well, I didn't have anything planned for today, but since you're not here for a challenge quite yet, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to show you around. Besides, it'll get you familiar with the ring and the surroundings. It's just a typical Gym, but the layout is a little different," he spoke, leading her towards the gym, itself.
Once he opened the doors, it was noticeably warmer inside, and it was apparent why. There were small pillars of make-shift volcanoes standing in each corner, and the actual field looked like it was mainly sand and dirt. "Gramps had the original Gym inside of a volcano, so I had to relocate it once the volcano errupted and destroyed it. It wasn't the brightest idea he ever had, but at least this way, it's safer for everyone involved," he explained. He still couldn't understand why the man had been insistent on rebuilding it inside the volcano again. Thankfully, Drake was already the owner and decided against it.
"Ah, and there's my team," he spoke, pointing towards the pokémon who lingered towards the warmer parts of the gym. There was Magmar, Houndoom, Pyroar, Blaziken, and a Luxray. They all lifted their heads towards Drake, but only one of them approached. It was a lazy walk, almost as if he didn't care, however; Pyroar approached and nudged Drake's elbow with his head. He wasn't of the typical coloring of pyroar's, instead, having a more tannish color. He was, essentially, a shiny. "Don't mind him, he's harmless outside of battles," he stated, rubbing the Pyroar's fur gently.
Harper grinned. “I think that might be a species trait. Pyrrha’s the same—she’s my pyroar.” Harper clicked her tongue a few times, reaching out towards the pokémon but stopping short of touching him until he gave tacit permission. Then her hands were in his mane, and she huffed. “You have so much more hair than she does,” she told the pokémon. “I bet she’ll be jealous when I tell her.”
Stepping back, she returned her attention to Drake for a moment before casting her eyes around the gym. “A volcano, huh? That’s pretty intense. Unsafe as hell, and probably a dumb idea, but also hardcore.” Her eyes fell to luxray, and she snickered. “That’s kind of cheating, isn’t it? Having an electric-type at a fire-type Gym? Although you’re ruining the advantage by letting me know ahead of time. Should I be flattered or insulted?”
"Wait, what? No!" he stated, flailing his arms in front of him. "I mean, you shouldn't be insulted. Everyone knows my team already so it's not like it's a secret or anything," he finally replied. He could feel his cheeks burning just slightly. Really, if he'd insulted her, it wasn't his intention. "And technically, not really. It's not entirely cheating. Some of the other Gyms also have other types or dual-types on hand. You should have battled them if you've made it this far, after all. We aren't entirely diverse, but some of us do have at least one different type with us," he continued, hoping he wasn't too red in the face.
Pyroar seemed a bit amused by the ordeal because his eyes shined with mirth, and he rubbed his face against her leg, letting out a small purring noise in the process. That, or he'd liked the comment she gave him about his fur. "I wasn't trying to insult you or anything, honest," he apologized, feeling just the slightest bit embarrassed.
“Flattered it is then,” she replied, amusement shining in her eyes. They were a very unusual color—almost like the one the island was named for. That kind of reddish hue. She was equally amused by Pyroar’s affection, it seemed; she ran her fingers repeatedly through his mane. “Who’s a handsome fellow? Certainly it must be you, with your pretty red mane, hm?” she scrubbed him behind the ears and under his chin, flicking her gaze up to Drake.
“Your trainer’s isn’t so bad, either, come to think of it.” She flashed a mischievous smile.
If he wasn't entirely embarrassed by her earlier comment, he was sure his face was matching his hair right now. He coughed awkwardly into his hand and rubbed the back of his neck. "T-Thanks?" he wasn't entirely sure if he should say that. Pyroar, however, must have found it damn amusing. He was laughing, or at least the equivalent to a laugh. Well, no one's ever told him that before, but he didn't entirely expect people to. Oh this was so awkward.
"I mean, you're pretty nice too, for, uh, how about we go this way? There's a cafeteria in the next room so if you'd like to get something to eat..." he trailed off. Oh why was this so awkward all of a sudden?
Harper didn’t seem to find it so; if anything, she was just as comfortable now as she had been when he first ran into her outside the Gym. Her eyes narrowed with the force of her smile; her intentions were entirely unreadable. Maybe she was making fun of him or something? “I can always eat,” she said with a nod. “What’s on the menu?”
But he was so awkward now. He tore his gaze from her, unsure of how to act now. He was embarrassed, he felt awkward, and now he couldn't remember what was on the menu. He hummed unintelligently, and led her towards the cafeteria. "Well, we have burgers mostly," he began. Oh this was so awkward now.
Feeding time at the shelter was always a bit of a task. There were, of course, more than a dozen different types of pokémon, and each one required slightly different food, or in some cases the same food with different nutritional supplements. Then there were all of the pokémon who had to take medicine with their meals, though she’d managed to wear down most of them with gentle cajoling until they willingly did so. Ana fed the rattata first, because they always got antsy if someone else was eating and the two of them weren’t. After them, she tossed flakes into the pool for the magikarp and coaxed Bubbles into taking his liquid medication while he was happily mouthing at the surface of the water.
Then it was ekans and the rest of the ill ones, followed by the hospice crew, including Rufus. Ana’s own team ate last, mostly because they were patient enough to hold out that long. She set the last bowl—for Luna and Nova—down, wiping her hands on her apron, and glanced around. Everyone seemed to be content; she hadn’t forgotten any of the medicines, and from the exams this morning, she knew nobody had any new sores or injuries to worry about. Ekans’s scale rot was almost completely gone; he’d always have a few paler patches, but a few more moltings should fade them closer to his normal purple color. After that, well… they’d just be the battle scars of his life.
"Ana," it was Ryk. He called out to her from the outside of her gate. He stood patiently, and surprisingly, Mankey was on his shoulders. He seemed happy where he was, and Eryk made his way inside. He glanced around, watching the pokémon eat their fill. He seemed a little bothered, since the expression on his face was slightly tired and pulled into a relaxed frown. "You've started without me," he simply stated, brushing a hand through Mankey's fur. The pig-monkey pokémon hummed in satisfaction, and pulled gently on Eryk's cheeks. Apparently he'd gotten used to Mankey doing that.
"How are you faring?" he questioned, turning his attention back to her. His jaw had locked slightly, as if he'd meant to say something else. But he simply stopped a few feet away from her.
Ana suppressed a laugh at the sight of Mankey pulling Eryk’s cheeks like that. It was actually pretty adorable to watch them interact these days—there were still rough spots, but things seemed to be improving a lot, overall. She was glad to see it. “Well,” she said, “it was dinnertime, and they do better with a schedule, so I figured I should just go ahead and take care of it today.”
She took a deep breath when he asked after her health, half smiling and shaking her head. “I’m well,” she replied honestly. She tended to be so, unless she was enduring a flare-up. Actually, she’d been doing really well on that front. She almost had one just after the inspection, but it had subsided before it became anything serious. The island air must be as good for the constitution as everyone said.
“I was thinking of going for a walk this evening, actually, since all the chores are done. Would you like to come?”
He frowned slightly, but didn't say anything. Instead, he nodded his head, letting his arm out slightly so that Mankey could leave his shoulder. Once he was down, Mankey made his way towards Ana and slipped his three-fingered hand through hers. He simply smiled with his eyes, and Eryk seemed to give an indignant huff. It almost sounded like a little jealousy in that huff. He didn't seem to realize he'd done it, though, and crossed his arms over his chest.
"Was there anywhere in particular you wanted to walk to? Or did you just want to walk? he asked, glancing anywhere but at Ana.
Somewhat puzzled by the reaction, Ana chose not to worry too much about it, and answered the question, instead. “Well,” she said, “I don’t usually have a specific destination in mind, but I was thinking of heading down towards the beach. All the fishing boats and such come in around this time of day; I like watching them. Sometimes I visit Mr. Scheffler at the Pokémart or Aunt Joy, but we don’t have to if you’d rather just enjoy the outdoors.”
Ana folded her hand around Mankey’s rough, furred one, lacing their fingers together securely, like one might with a small child or some such. It was a little awkward since he had fewer fingers, but that was all right. She smiled down at the pokémon, ruffling his fur before she started forward.
Mankey hummed in appreciation when she did that, and Eryk merely glanced at them. His gaze had softened almost considerably, however; it hardened back up just as quickly. "I'm not here to take you away from your routine. If you'd like to visit your aunt, or Mr. Scheffler, don't let me stop you," he finally replied, shoving his hands into his pockets. He didn't seem entirely his usual self. "Plus, it will be... good to interact with other people. Kas tells me I'm still not entirely sociable," he seemed to grumble the last part. Mankey snorted in agreement, apparently.
Ana decided that for the moment, at least, she’d just head for the beach, and angled them to take a fork in the path that would lead there. She’d actually locked the gate this time, since she wasn’t sure how long she’d be away and everyone was out in the yard. She let all three of them settle into a comfortable pace along the dirt and sand path before she spoke.
“Eryk? Are you all right? You don’t seem… quite like yourself at the moment.” She hoped nothing was wrong—maybe something had gone awry with his work again? Ana knew he couldn’t say much about it, nor did he have much choice about his career path, but the frequency with which it seemed to bother him worried her. He seemed… unhappy, doing what he did for a living.
But this might not be related to that at all. Maybe she was just imagining things—but it seemed better to ask, just in case there was something she could do.
He spared her a glance, and seemed a little contemplative. In the end, he simply shook his head, and turned his gaze outward. "It's nothing to concern yourself with, Ana. I'll be fine," he spoke, but the tone in his voice suggested otherwise. "Things have just been... there have been some complications at work is all," he spoke, rolling out his shoulders as he did. It must have been more than that with the way he seemed tense. He sighed a bit too heavily through his nose before he gave her a side glance.
"It'll pass, though. It always does," he finally said. "You shouldn't worry about me," he seemed to repeat. Something must have really been bothering him if he was repeating himself. But he didn't seem inclined to state as to what the reason was.
“But I do,” she replied quietly. “That’s… that’s what friends are supposed to do, right?” Ana tilted her head at him, picking her way carefully over a series of exposed tree roots jutting into the path. It wasn’t more than a thin trail on this part of the island. Once she was over, though, and Mankey was, too, she returned her attention to the conversation.
“I understand if you can’t tell me. But… I can’t turn off my worry like a switch,” she elaborated, offering a small smile at the metaphor. “Still, if it’s ever anything I can help with, all you have to do is ask, okay?”
His eyes narrowed in a soft manner. "You... are too nice, Ana," he spoke, though it sounded more like a whisper. "There are things I wish I could tell you, but unfortunately I can't," he continued, pulling his hands out of his pocket. He took a deep breath, and focused his attention out on the trail. "Perhaps one day I'll be able to tell you, but for now," he paused, turning to stare at her. His gaze was always intense, but this one seemed a little different.
"Just take care of yourself, hm?" he added, a slow smile crossing his lips. He seemed to be doing that more often, too.
Ana found herself smiling back, though she wasn’t exactly sure why. “I usually do,” she replied mildly, then pursed her lips for a moment.
“Since you can’t talk about that… let’s talk about something else. What are your hobbies, Eryk? How do you spend the time when you aren’t working and aren’t helping me?” That was the kind of thing that was perfectly safe and easy to talk about, right? She knew he probably trained a lot, for one. Admittedly, she took up a lot of his free time, so she’d kind of feel bad if there were hobbies he was neglecting to assist her. But maybe that would be just one more reason to be grateful to him.
"I don't have any. I don't leave the mansion that often, and when I do, it's either to help you or to get food for the mansion," he admitted rather freely. "Though, occasionally I train with my team. It keeps them in shape, and it helps them release some of their pent up energy, especially Mankey," he stated, nodding towards the said pokémon. Mankey seemed to agree, and made a short huffing sound. Eryk simply shrugged his shoulders after that.
"Kas says I don't get out much, but other than helping you, there isn't much to do," he added in a nonchalant fashion. "Not that I don't mind. Helping you... is something I enjoy," he seemed uncertain how to word that, though.
Well, that was not the answer she expected. She wondered what he’d do if the shelter wasn’t there to volunteer at. Train more, maybe? In that case, she was kind of glad he helped as much as he did—it had to be a bit more peaceful than doing that all the time. “I don’t know about there not being much to do,” she said, pausing to clamber over more tree roots, “but I guess I’ve just been here long enough to find things. I’m kind of a homebody a lot of the time, though—I like to read and garden.”
They weren’t especially impressive hobbies, really. “Oh. And music. I’ve always liked music. It used to be part of my physical therapy. Dancing, I mean.” Her shirt snagged on a twig; Ana clucked her tongue and carefully unhooked it, smoothing it down with the hand not holding Mankey’s. “Though I guess you wouldn’t know it, from how much difficulty I’m having with simple walking today.” She huffed slightly, shaking her head.
"I just don't have... the luxury of hobbies. Maybe, at one time I wanted to do something, but I can't remember what it was," he spoke with a hint of honesty to his statement. "I would not have guessed that you like dancing," he spoke, somewhat curious apparently. "Everyone I know can do it, apparently, but I can't. I've... tried," he added sounding just a bit embarrassed?
"It's not like it would do me any good, anyway," he grumbled, glancing back down at her. It looked like he wanted to say something more, but he shook his head. "I apologize, but I don't have Kas's height to carry you the way he did Cyrilla during the festival," he spoke so easily with those words.
Ana chuckled. That was a nice memory—and a very entertaining one. “It’s probably for the best,” she said. “I’d just fall off, I expect. Besides, we’re almost to the beach.”
She was as good as her word, and it wasn’t more than two minutes more of walking before the ground abruptly gave way to sand, pale grains spread out before them in what almost looked like a carpet. The sand on Cinnabar was nearly white in hue, and very fine, which made it soft. Ana immediately stepped out of her sandals and rolled her pant legs up to her knees, letting go of Mankey’s hand to make it easier.
She thought about what Eryk said—about hobbies being a luxury he didn’t have. She honestly wasn’t sure she would ever be able to properly understand the life he’d had, even if he sat down and explained it to her all at once. And she didn’t think he would. It was clear to her, though, that there was a lot of pain buried back there, and she understood enough to know that he’d been abused, even if those weren’t the terms he would use. Actually, that made it all the more clear to her.
“Anyone can learn to dance,” she said. “It just takes practice.” Seized by an idea, she picked Mankey up, supporting him against her with one hand and using the other to hold onto one of his, in a not-quite-accurate representation of the way one would hold a partner’s hand. Humming a soft waltz, she started in to the steps, feeling rather than counting the rhythms. She kicked up little bits of sand as she jumped around, the waltz growing ever more elaborate.
Humming the grand finale, she ended by spinning to a stop, giving Mankey a proper hug for putting up with her. She grinned at Eryk. “See? Even Mankeys can dance.” Ana knew she was being a bit silly, but somehow she figured he wouldn’t hold it against her.
Mankey seemed thrilled that Ana was dancing with him, however; Eryk merely stared at her for a moment. The usual soft smile seemed to spread across his face, however; there was something else with it. It almost sounded like he was laughing. He seemed surprised about it, but it was there, light and a little uneven. It was almost like he'd never laughed before. Mankey seemed to find it amusing, though, and laughed in the way Mankeys could.
"I apologize, I did not mean to do that," though he looked a little unsure of what he was apologizing for. "I'm afraid Mankey makes a much better dance partner than I do, though," he added, the smile still softly on his face. He didn't seem to mind it, and it stayed there.
“Are you sure?” Ana asked, carefully setting Mankey down on the sand. She held a hand out towards Eryk, though she made no move towards him. “I bet you’re not so bad. And even if you are, who cares? It’s not about being good at something, or better than anyone else. It’s about enjoying yourself, and having fun.” She tilted her head, her invitation clear even though she didn’t put it in those words exactly.
He looked a little confused, though, by her invitation, and he quirked a brow. "I'd beg to differ. I'd be horrible even if it isn't about being good or better," he replied, but he took a hesitant step forward. He looked to be struggling with himself for a moment before he finally took her hand, tensing just slightly before he relaxed. "Do not blame me if I step on your feet," he spoke in a cautioned way. It almost sounded like he was joking, though.
“You can take your shoes off if you’re that worried about it,” Ana replied, matching his tone. “But I’m not. Here. We’ll start with something simple.” Humming a few notes to make sure she was in tune, she started in on a slower song, positioning one of his hands on her waist and the other in hers. The hand she had free, she placed on his shoulder. Eryk was quite a bit taller than her, but not enough that it was awkward. She’d danced with plenty of people during physical therapy, of all shapes and sizes, so she was used to it.
“Okay, so… first step to the right, like this.” She took a measured step, a little long for her so that it would be more natural for him. “And then forward one…” she moved back in time, gently tugging him along with her. “And then like this. That’s the basic pattern. You see how we ended up facing a little differently? We just keep doing this in a big circle.”
Surprisingly, he hadn't stepped on her toes, even though he'd kept his shoes on. He was a little tense when the dance first began, but he seemed to loosen up as it went on. He had kept his gaze directly on her face, though, and didn't seem too interested in what was being said. He was, of course listening, since he nodded a few times, but he didn't seem entirely focused. Once he'd gotten into the rhythm, it became a little easier for him to follow along. When they came to a stop, though, he'd been a little hesitant to let her go. He did, however, eventually let her go, but instead of taking a step back, he took one forward.
Gently, he wrapped his arms around her, and gave her a gentle squeeze. He had hugged her. "Thank you," he simply spoke, the words barely louder than a whisper. He seemed to mean it, too.
Ana huffed a little bit, smiling mostly to herself and returning the hug with a fond squeeze.
“You’re welcome.”
Then it was ekans and the rest of the ill ones, followed by the hospice crew, including Rufus. Ana’s own team ate last, mostly because they were patient enough to hold out that long. She set the last bowl—for Luna and Nova—down, wiping her hands on her apron, and glanced around. Everyone seemed to be content; she hadn’t forgotten any of the medicines, and from the exams this morning, she knew nobody had any new sores or injuries to worry about. Ekans’s scale rot was almost completely gone; he’d always have a few paler patches, but a few more moltings should fade them closer to his normal purple color. After that, well… they’d just be the battle scars of his life.
"Ana," it was Ryk. He called out to her from the outside of her gate. He stood patiently, and surprisingly, Mankey was on his shoulders. He seemed happy where he was, and Eryk made his way inside. He glanced around, watching the pokémon eat their fill. He seemed a little bothered, since the expression on his face was slightly tired and pulled into a relaxed frown. "You've started without me," he simply stated, brushing a hand through Mankey's fur. The pig-monkey pokémon hummed in satisfaction, and pulled gently on Eryk's cheeks. Apparently he'd gotten used to Mankey doing that.
"How are you faring?" he questioned, turning his attention back to her. His jaw had locked slightly, as if he'd meant to say something else. But he simply stopped a few feet away from her.
Ana suppressed a laugh at the sight of Mankey pulling Eryk’s cheeks like that. It was actually pretty adorable to watch them interact these days—there were still rough spots, but things seemed to be improving a lot, overall. She was glad to see it. “Well,” she said, “it was dinnertime, and they do better with a schedule, so I figured I should just go ahead and take care of it today.”
She took a deep breath when he asked after her health, half smiling and shaking her head. “I’m well,” she replied honestly. She tended to be so, unless she was enduring a flare-up. Actually, she’d been doing really well on that front. She almost had one just after the inspection, but it had subsided before it became anything serious. The island air must be as good for the constitution as everyone said.
“I was thinking of going for a walk this evening, actually, since all the chores are done. Would you like to come?”
He frowned slightly, but didn't say anything. Instead, he nodded his head, letting his arm out slightly so that Mankey could leave his shoulder. Once he was down, Mankey made his way towards Ana and slipped his three-fingered hand through hers. He simply smiled with his eyes, and Eryk seemed to give an indignant huff. It almost sounded like a little jealousy in that huff. He didn't seem to realize he'd done it, though, and crossed his arms over his chest.
"Was there anywhere in particular you wanted to walk to? Or did you just want to walk? he asked, glancing anywhere but at Ana.
Somewhat puzzled by the reaction, Ana chose not to worry too much about it, and answered the question, instead. “Well,” she said, “I don’t usually have a specific destination in mind, but I was thinking of heading down towards the beach. All the fishing boats and such come in around this time of day; I like watching them. Sometimes I visit Mr. Scheffler at the Pokémart or Aunt Joy, but we don’t have to if you’d rather just enjoy the outdoors.”
Ana folded her hand around Mankey’s rough, furred one, lacing their fingers together securely, like one might with a small child or some such. It was a little awkward since he had fewer fingers, but that was all right. She smiled down at the pokémon, ruffling his fur before she started forward.
Mankey hummed in appreciation when she did that, and Eryk merely glanced at them. His gaze had softened almost considerably, however; it hardened back up just as quickly. "I'm not here to take you away from your routine. If you'd like to visit your aunt, or Mr. Scheffler, don't let me stop you," he finally replied, shoving his hands into his pockets. He didn't seem entirely his usual self. "Plus, it will be... good to interact with other people. Kas tells me I'm still not entirely sociable," he seemed to grumble the last part. Mankey snorted in agreement, apparently.
Ana decided that for the moment, at least, she’d just head for the beach, and angled them to take a fork in the path that would lead there. She’d actually locked the gate this time, since she wasn’t sure how long she’d be away and everyone was out in the yard. She let all three of them settle into a comfortable pace along the dirt and sand path before she spoke.
“Eryk? Are you all right? You don’t seem… quite like yourself at the moment.” She hoped nothing was wrong—maybe something had gone awry with his work again? Ana knew he couldn’t say much about it, nor did he have much choice about his career path, but the frequency with which it seemed to bother him worried her. He seemed… unhappy, doing what he did for a living.
But this might not be related to that at all. Maybe she was just imagining things—but it seemed better to ask, just in case there was something she could do.
He spared her a glance, and seemed a little contemplative. In the end, he simply shook his head, and turned his gaze outward. "It's nothing to concern yourself with, Ana. I'll be fine," he spoke, but the tone in his voice suggested otherwise. "Things have just been... there have been some complications at work is all," he spoke, rolling out his shoulders as he did. It must have been more than that with the way he seemed tense. He sighed a bit too heavily through his nose before he gave her a side glance.
"It'll pass, though. It always does," he finally said. "You shouldn't worry about me," he seemed to repeat. Something must have really been bothering him if he was repeating himself. But he didn't seem inclined to state as to what the reason was.
“But I do,” she replied quietly. “That’s… that’s what friends are supposed to do, right?” Ana tilted her head at him, picking her way carefully over a series of exposed tree roots jutting into the path. It wasn’t more than a thin trail on this part of the island. Once she was over, though, and Mankey was, too, she returned her attention to the conversation.
“I understand if you can’t tell me. But… I can’t turn off my worry like a switch,” she elaborated, offering a small smile at the metaphor. “Still, if it’s ever anything I can help with, all you have to do is ask, okay?”
His eyes narrowed in a soft manner. "You... are too nice, Ana," he spoke, though it sounded more like a whisper. "There are things I wish I could tell you, but unfortunately I can't," he continued, pulling his hands out of his pocket. He took a deep breath, and focused his attention out on the trail. "Perhaps one day I'll be able to tell you, but for now," he paused, turning to stare at her. His gaze was always intense, but this one seemed a little different.
"Just take care of yourself, hm?" he added, a slow smile crossing his lips. He seemed to be doing that more often, too.
Ana found herself smiling back, though she wasn’t exactly sure why. “I usually do,” she replied mildly, then pursed her lips for a moment.
“Since you can’t talk about that… let’s talk about something else. What are your hobbies, Eryk? How do you spend the time when you aren’t working and aren’t helping me?” That was the kind of thing that was perfectly safe and easy to talk about, right? She knew he probably trained a lot, for one. Admittedly, she took up a lot of his free time, so she’d kind of feel bad if there were hobbies he was neglecting to assist her. But maybe that would be just one more reason to be grateful to him.
"I don't have any. I don't leave the mansion that often, and when I do, it's either to help you or to get food for the mansion," he admitted rather freely. "Though, occasionally I train with my team. It keeps them in shape, and it helps them release some of their pent up energy, especially Mankey," he stated, nodding towards the said pokémon. Mankey seemed to agree, and made a short huffing sound. Eryk simply shrugged his shoulders after that.
"Kas says I don't get out much, but other than helping you, there isn't much to do," he added in a nonchalant fashion. "Not that I don't mind. Helping you... is something I enjoy," he seemed uncertain how to word that, though.
Well, that was not the answer she expected. She wondered what he’d do if the shelter wasn’t there to volunteer at. Train more, maybe? In that case, she was kind of glad he helped as much as he did—it had to be a bit more peaceful than doing that all the time. “I don’t know about there not being much to do,” she said, pausing to clamber over more tree roots, “but I guess I’ve just been here long enough to find things. I’m kind of a homebody a lot of the time, though—I like to read and garden.”
They weren’t especially impressive hobbies, really. “Oh. And music. I’ve always liked music. It used to be part of my physical therapy. Dancing, I mean.” Her shirt snagged on a twig; Ana clucked her tongue and carefully unhooked it, smoothing it down with the hand not holding Mankey’s. “Though I guess you wouldn’t know it, from how much difficulty I’m having with simple walking today.” She huffed slightly, shaking her head.
"I just don't have... the luxury of hobbies. Maybe, at one time I wanted to do something, but I can't remember what it was," he spoke with a hint of honesty to his statement. "I would not have guessed that you like dancing," he spoke, somewhat curious apparently. "Everyone I know can do it, apparently, but I can't. I've... tried," he added sounding just a bit embarrassed?
"It's not like it would do me any good, anyway," he grumbled, glancing back down at her. It looked like he wanted to say something more, but he shook his head. "I apologize, but I don't have Kas's height to carry you the way he did Cyrilla during the festival," he spoke so easily with those words.
Ana chuckled. That was a nice memory—and a very entertaining one. “It’s probably for the best,” she said. “I’d just fall off, I expect. Besides, we’re almost to the beach.”
She was as good as her word, and it wasn’t more than two minutes more of walking before the ground abruptly gave way to sand, pale grains spread out before them in what almost looked like a carpet. The sand on Cinnabar was nearly white in hue, and very fine, which made it soft. Ana immediately stepped out of her sandals and rolled her pant legs up to her knees, letting go of Mankey’s hand to make it easier.
She thought about what Eryk said—about hobbies being a luxury he didn’t have. She honestly wasn’t sure she would ever be able to properly understand the life he’d had, even if he sat down and explained it to her all at once. And she didn’t think he would. It was clear to her, though, that there was a lot of pain buried back there, and she understood enough to know that he’d been abused, even if those weren’t the terms he would use. Actually, that made it all the more clear to her.
“Anyone can learn to dance,” she said. “It just takes practice.” Seized by an idea, she picked Mankey up, supporting him against her with one hand and using the other to hold onto one of his, in a not-quite-accurate representation of the way one would hold a partner’s hand. Humming a soft waltz, she started in to the steps, feeling rather than counting the rhythms. She kicked up little bits of sand as she jumped around, the waltz growing ever more elaborate.
Humming the grand finale, she ended by spinning to a stop, giving Mankey a proper hug for putting up with her. She grinned at Eryk. “See? Even Mankeys can dance.” Ana knew she was being a bit silly, but somehow she figured he wouldn’t hold it against her.
Mankey seemed thrilled that Ana was dancing with him, however; Eryk merely stared at her for a moment. The usual soft smile seemed to spread across his face, however; there was something else with it. It almost sounded like he was laughing. He seemed surprised about it, but it was there, light and a little uneven. It was almost like he'd never laughed before. Mankey seemed to find it amusing, though, and laughed in the way Mankeys could.
"I apologize, I did not mean to do that," though he looked a little unsure of what he was apologizing for. "I'm afraid Mankey makes a much better dance partner than I do, though," he added, the smile still softly on his face. He didn't seem to mind it, and it stayed there.
“Are you sure?” Ana asked, carefully setting Mankey down on the sand. She held a hand out towards Eryk, though she made no move towards him. “I bet you’re not so bad. And even if you are, who cares? It’s not about being good at something, or better than anyone else. It’s about enjoying yourself, and having fun.” She tilted her head, her invitation clear even though she didn’t put it in those words exactly.
He looked a little confused, though, by her invitation, and he quirked a brow. "I'd beg to differ. I'd be horrible even if it isn't about being good or better," he replied, but he took a hesitant step forward. He looked to be struggling with himself for a moment before he finally took her hand, tensing just slightly before he relaxed. "Do not blame me if I step on your feet," he spoke in a cautioned way. It almost sounded like he was joking, though.
“You can take your shoes off if you’re that worried about it,” Ana replied, matching his tone. “But I’m not. Here. We’ll start with something simple.” Humming a few notes to make sure she was in tune, she started in on a slower song, positioning one of his hands on her waist and the other in hers. The hand she had free, she placed on his shoulder. Eryk was quite a bit taller than her, but not enough that it was awkward. She’d danced with plenty of people during physical therapy, of all shapes and sizes, so she was used to it.
“Okay, so… first step to the right, like this.” She took a measured step, a little long for her so that it would be more natural for him. “And then forward one…” she moved back in time, gently tugging him along with her. “And then like this. That’s the basic pattern. You see how we ended up facing a little differently? We just keep doing this in a big circle.”
Surprisingly, he hadn't stepped on her toes, even though he'd kept his shoes on. He was a little tense when the dance first began, but he seemed to loosen up as it went on. He had kept his gaze directly on her face, though, and didn't seem too interested in what was being said. He was, of course listening, since he nodded a few times, but he didn't seem entirely focused. Once he'd gotten into the rhythm, it became a little easier for him to follow along. When they came to a stop, though, he'd been a little hesitant to let her go. He did, however, eventually let her go, but instead of taking a step back, he took one forward.
Gently, he wrapped his arms around her, and gave her a gentle squeeze. He had hugged her. "Thank you," he simply spoke, the words barely louder than a whisper. He seemed to mean it, too.
Ana huffed a little bit, smiling mostly to herself and returning the hug with a fond squeeze.
“You’re welcome.”
What are you doing? Kenshin questioned, glancing towards his trainer. She was doing something weird, though if he had to guess, it looked like she was trying to dance. Maybe she was? Cyrilla, however, merely chuckled at his question, and glanced at him. What? he questioned as she shook her head. Apparently she didn't feel inclined to tell him anything, and he couldn't exactly read her feelings.
"It's nothing, really.I just feel... really happy lately, is all," she finally replied, sighing in content. He could feel it. She was slightly happier, though what the cause was, he wasn't too sure. "Things are... better, I suppose," she muttered softly, sparing a glance towards her window where the orchid still lay. He narrowed his eyes slightly, but chose not to comment on it. If what she said was true, far be it from him to question it.
If you say so, he replied softly. He took a soft breath, wincing just slightly at the pain that shot through his side. Even after they'd told him he was healed, he was still in some pain. It had been confirmed, though, that he wouldn't be able to battle anymore. That had hurt his pride, somewhat. It meant that he would risk killing himself if he did, and it also meant that he couldn't protect his trainer. He had to rely on his other friends to do it. His gaze dropped somewhat, and Cyrilla seemed to pick up on it. She placed a hand on his shoulder and offered him a sympathetic smile.
"Hey, it'll be okay. If my dancing makes you that upset, I'll stop," she spoke, though he knew she knew the reason as to why he was. He shook his head. She laid a hand on his, and gave it a gentle squeeze. He could barely even feel that. He had regained some feeling in his leg and arm with the exercises Ana had given him, but he was still numb. Cyrilla sighed, sitting back in the empty chair in front of him. She simply stared at him, and for a moment, they held each other's gaze.
I won't be able to protect you, you know, he spoke, his gaze dropping. You should... find another to take my place, he spoke, though it hurt slightly to admit that. He couldn't protect her, but maybe someone else could? He could hear her sigh and shift in her chair. She stood up, apparently, and grabbed his arm, pulling on it gently so that he could stand up.
"It doesn't work like that, Kenny. You're with me till the end," she spoke, offering him a smile. He couldn't return it, though. "Come on, we're going to go for a walk. It'll do you some good, alright?" she spoke. He wasn't too sure about that, but he trusted her. There wasn't a particular destination in mind, and that felt slightly... nice.
The island was pretty as always; there were a few clouds in the sky today, but nothing that looked like it was threatening rain. Life here was pretty quiet, at least away from the mansion. In fact, they didn’t run into anyone on the road at all for quite some time—not until they passed by a bare stretch of beach.
There was a young woman running there, accompanied on one side by a pyroar, and on the other by a purrloin, from the looks of it. She had headphones in her ears, and was dressed for exercise, her dark hair pulled into a single tail on her head. Her expression was vaguely discontent, at least until she chanced a glance in their direction. She seemed to squint at them for a second, particularly Cyrilla, then raised one of her arms to wave them down, pulling her ear buds out with her other hand.
“Cyrilla!” she called, approaching them at the same ground-eating jog. She was extremely tall, as far as women went, but her face was still almost a little childish, at least around her brow and eyes. She stopped in front of them, pulling in deep, steady breaths. It seemed like she’d been running for a while, but neither she nor her pokémon seemed all that winded. They sat apparently automatically at her sides, almost protective.
“Hey,” she greeted, more properly now that she was within polite speaking distance. “I thought I recognized you. It’s nice to see you again.”
Cyrilla seemed to smile and recognized the woman. Kenshin just raised a brow at the pokémon at her side. It wasn't like he was going to do anything. He couldn't. "Hi, Harper. It's nice to see you, too," she greeted, causing Kenshin to gaze at her, and then at Harper. "Oh, this is Kenshin, my lucario," she introduced him, and he merely stared at Harper, his eyes narrowing just slightly. She looked vaguely familiar to him, like someone he knew.
“Nice to meet you, Kenshin,” the woman replied politely, giving him a nod. Her pokémon seemed to be protective by reflex rather than due to some threat they believed he posed, because the two of them dipped their heads as well. “Oh, and this is Pyrrha and Una.” She indicated the pyroar and purrloin respectively.
"Kenny, this is Harper, Kas's sister," well that explained the familiarity. He nodded his head in her direction, but chose not to say anything. "Don't mind him, he's a little grumpy today," Cyrilla spoke, causing Kenshin to give her a flat look. Was that really necessary? For her, probably. "Oh, how are you finding things on the island? Have you managed to challenge Drake yet?" she decided to ask. Kenshin scoffed just slightly. If he knew Eryk by now, and he did, Drake was probably swimming in challenges again.
“Not yet,” she replied, smiling inscrutably for some reason. “Though I did check out the gym. I decided to try and get a few days’ training in beforehand. Mirmir is supposed to be helping me, but he got way ahead of me on our run and now I don’t know where he is.” She sighed, apparently used to this sort of thing. “I’ll probably find him napping in a tree at the end of the route, the jerk.” She shrugged.
“Are you two just out on a walk, or did am I keeping you from being somewhere?”
"We were just out on a walk. I kind of had the day off and the fresh air seemed pretty nice right now," Cyrilla spoke. That was partly true. The fresh air was nice, but she didn't exactly have the day off. She could have said she was taking a break, but then again, she might have just taken the rest of the day off without saying anything to anyone. He scoffed slightly. "Oh, are we keeping you from something? You said you were training with Kas, and if that's the case, I don't want to keep you from him," she laughed a little shyly, her face turning just the slightest shade of pink. Kenshin muffled a laugh at that.
Harper arched an eyebrow; her subtle smile grew just a little.
Or maybe she can help. She hasn't had a proper battle in a while, if that's what you need, he chimed in. She still had other pokémon she could battle with besides him. Or we could just join you in your run, he stated, shrugging his shoulders carelessly.
She huffed softly in response. “You’re not keeping me from him, don’t worry. I’ll find him exactly when he wants me to, and not a moment before. That’s the way he is. Actually, if you’re with me, it might be sooner—he’ll get paranoid that I’m telling you all kinds of things about what he was like as a dorky kid.” Her expression morphed into something positively wicked for a moment, but then it faded.
“But… I could go for either a battle or a run, if you were interested. Or tell you all my brother's secrets. Whichever.”
Kenshin let out a raspy laugh. Cyrilla's face turned just a shade darker when he did. I'm sure she'd love to know all about your brother's secrets, he spoke, a sly smirk crossing his face. He could tell she was embarrassed, but it was her own fault. She brought this upon herself, really.
"I couldn't, no. Those are his secrets to keep. If he wanted to tell them to someone, I'm sure he would have by now," she spoke, waving a hand in front of her face. Kenshin rolled his eyes just slightly, and shook his head.
That's not what she said before, he interrupted.
"Kenshin!" He only smirked at her.
Harper grinned at him, not even trying to conceal the mischief in it. “Oh, I like you, Kenshin. I think we’re going to be great friends.”
Kenshin snorted. I think so, too, he replied.
She turned her eyes back to Cyrilla and tilted her head to the side. “Oh, come on. Don’t be such a ninny, Rilla. Mirmir’s a big kid, he can take a little revenge for not sticking with me. There’s gotta be something you wanna know about him—he’s way more secretive than you’d think from the boneheaded way he acts. Ask me anything.” She looped her arm with Cyrilla’s and started them both walking down the road again, her pokémon shifting easily to accommodate.
"Yeah, I know, but it just feels so... personal," she spoke, turning a bright shade of red when Harper looped their arms together. Kenshin followed along, trying his best not to snicker at his trainer. She shot him a glance, though, which caused him to laugh. "But... I don't, I guess, what was he like as a kid? I couldn't imagine he was any different," she questioned. Really? Of all the things she could have asked Harper, she asked her that? Kenshin shook his head.
She wants to know if he really was a round 'adorable' kid, Kenshin chimed in, earning an incredulous look from Cyrilla. I'm not going to make this easy for you, he spoke to only her.
Harper looked genuinely surprised. “He told you about that? He never really tells anyone about that part of his life.” She tilted her head, looking a little bit more serious for a moment. “I mean, he’s my older brother. I could never think there was anything wrong with him. But some of the other kids in his grade—and some of the older kids at his school—didn’t really agree. It would be nice if I could just say he was chubby and adorable and that was it, but it wasn’t a good time for him, honestly.”
She shrugged. “For most of my life, though, he’s been closer to what he is now—arceusdamn beanpole. I think it really surprised him when people started coming onto him when he hit sixteen or so.” The smile was back again, now. “He didn’t know how to take it.”
Cyrilla looked a little shocked when Harper spoke, and lowered her gaze somewhat. She visibly frowned, and for a moment, Kenshin swore he heard her thoughts about it. Her gaze faltered somewhat before she forced a smile onto her face. "I didn't know that, but... I'm glad he at least told me that part of it," she spoke. She seemed to be a little at ease now, and he supposed that was partly because they had both shared something about their pasts that had been rather difficult.
Kenshin shook his head just slightly, and chose just to speak to Harper. Damn the consequences on his end, but he could at least nudge something forward, right? She says that because she used to have a crush on him. Now, she thinks that's what he thinks of [i]her, that she only had a crush on him because of how he looks,[/i] he stated rolling his eyes slightly. Cyrilla couldn't hear him, and that's how he'd intended it to be.
She still likes him, but she won't admit it, he continued. Really, it was starting to get a tad bit ridiculous. She was an adult, right?
Harper’s eyes slid to him for a second, something like understanding in them, but then she returned her attention to Cyrilla. “He talks about you all the time, you know,” she observed, her tone light and breezy, as though it were an errant thought or casual topic change, and not a response to Kenshin’s private communication. “And Eryk and Ana—met her yesterday. But… you most of all. I call him every week, and it’s always Cy this, Cy that. I think you confuse him.”
She nudged Cyrilla with her elbow as they walked. “That’s a good thing, by the way. He thinks he’s got the world figured out, but sometimes, he’s just plain wrong. It’s good to confuse him, because then he actually has to think about it and stop assuming things.”
Kenshin had to surpress his laugh as he watched Cyrilla blink slowly, and pointed to herself with a free hand. "He talks about me? I mean... why? I don't... what could he possibly say about me? And... I don't... I mean," she seemed at a loss and looked like she was tripping over her own words. "I don't understand how I could do that to him. I mean, he's... well, he's," she started, but ended up pursing her lips together. She couldn't find the words to say, apparently, but there was a slight hint of curiosity in her eyes.
"You don't have to tell me, if you'd rather not, but... what.. what does he say?" she asked hesitantly. It really did take a lot of effort not to laugh at her right now.
Harper didn’t seem to have any such difficulty, and simply laughed outright, her amusement clear in her expression. After it subsided, she shrugged. “What does anyone talk about? He talks about things you said or did that week, mostly. Sometimes he worries about you to me, or asks what I’d do in a certain situation, if someone I knew was having a problem—he doesn’t give me specifics, of course. Sometimes he just… brings up your thoughts on whatever topic we’re discussing, if he knows what they are. Normal stuff.”
She grinned. “But if you want to know what he thinks of you, I know a lot of that, too. That’s just reading between the lines, is all.”
Kenshin snickered just slightly, but Cyrilla seemed to smile all the same. She shook her head softly, the smile growing just a little more. You could always just tell me, Kenshin spoke, interrupting the small silence between them. Cyrilla shot him a look, though, and he merely shrugged. It's not like it would matter to him what he thought of her. He'd just use it as ammo later if he felt like it. Besides, maybe if she knew where she at least stood with him, she could get over this incessant feeling of being unsure of how she should feel.
"Would... that be okay?" she finally asked, and it surprised Kenshin somewhat. He hadn't actually thought she would ask.
“Aha,” the new voice came from behind them, close enough that they could hear it. Harper stopped and turned to face Kasimir, who was approaching, turning Cyrilla around with her.
“So this is where you got to. Corrupting my friends, I see.”
Harper snorted. “I knew you’d come out of hiding if I had her with me,” she drawled. “You never can stay away from a pretty girl, can you?” She removed her arm from Cyrilla’s and slung it amiably over her shoulders instead.
Kas smiled, but there was something a little off about it. “Harper… just what nonsense have you been bothering Cy with?” He crossed his arms over his chest, clearly faking a sterner demeanor than he really had. He was also dressed for exercise, surprisingly enough—long athletic shorts and a black shirt apparently made out of something stretchy. Harper might have called him a beanpole, but he wasn’t one anymore.
“You’re so egotistical, Mirmir. What makes you think we were talking about you in the first place, huh? We were just discussing girl stuff, right Rilla?”
"Right," Cyrilla chimed in, smiling as she did so. Kenshin shook his head and rolled his eyes, but he wasn't going to say anything. He merely glanced at Kas. "It's girl stuff, and your sister is really nice, Mirmir," she added, calling him the same thing Harper had. She seemed a bit amused by it, like it was a new accomplishment of some kind.
I feel a little left out, now, Kenshin spoke. I'm not a girl, he added, giving them a flat look.
“Story of my life, Ken,” Kasimir replied with a dramatic sigh. “All right, all right, have your secret conversations and leave poor me out of it. I see how it is.” He grinned, though; clearly, he was happy to see them getting along so well. “But I do think we should get some training in today. Do you want to join us, Cy?”
His eyes moved to Kenshin for a moment, then back to Cyrilla; his expression gentled. “It’s going to be a mix of everything. Nothing… nothing too harsh. Just a focus on fitness and move practice. You might get to see me get my butt handed to me by her mienshao, though.”
“You should totally come,” Harper added. “I’m sure you’ll be a much better training partner than this useless lump.”
"I would actually like to see that, Kas getting handed by a mienshao," Cyrilla spoke.
I'm sure that's not the only thing, though he only said that to her, her face turned a bright red. We'll come along, he stated, following in step as they walked away. This was, oddly, nicer than he thought it was going to be.
"It's nothing, really.I just feel... really happy lately, is all," she finally replied, sighing in content. He could feel it. She was slightly happier, though what the cause was, he wasn't too sure. "Things are... better, I suppose," she muttered softly, sparing a glance towards her window where the orchid still lay. He narrowed his eyes slightly, but chose not to comment on it. If what she said was true, far be it from him to question it.
If you say so, he replied softly. He took a soft breath, wincing just slightly at the pain that shot through his side. Even after they'd told him he was healed, he was still in some pain. It had been confirmed, though, that he wouldn't be able to battle anymore. That had hurt his pride, somewhat. It meant that he would risk killing himself if he did, and it also meant that he couldn't protect his trainer. He had to rely on his other friends to do it. His gaze dropped somewhat, and Cyrilla seemed to pick up on it. She placed a hand on his shoulder and offered him a sympathetic smile.
"Hey, it'll be okay. If my dancing makes you that upset, I'll stop," she spoke, though he knew she knew the reason as to why he was. He shook his head. She laid a hand on his, and gave it a gentle squeeze. He could barely even feel that. He had regained some feeling in his leg and arm with the exercises Ana had given him, but he was still numb. Cyrilla sighed, sitting back in the empty chair in front of him. She simply stared at him, and for a moment, they held each other's gaze.
I won't be able to protect you, you know, he spoke, his gaze dropping. You should... find another to take my place, he spoke, though it hurt slightly to admit that. He couldn't protect her, but maybe someone else could? He could hear her sigh and shift in her chair. She stood up, apparently, and grabbed his arm, pulling on it gently so that he could stand up.
"It doesn't work like that, Kenny. You're with me till the end," she spoke, offering him a smile. He couldn't return it, though. "Come on, we're going to go for a walk. It'll do you some good, alright?" she spoke. He wasn't too sure about that, but he trusted her. There wasn't a particular destination in mind, and that felt slightly... nice.
The island was pretty as always; there were a few clouds in the sky today, but nothing that looked like it was threatening rain. Life here was pretty quiet, at least away from the mansion. In fact, they didn’t run into anyone on the road at all for quite some time—not until they passed by a bare stretch of beach.
There was a young woman running there, accompanied on one side by a pyroar, and on the other by a purrloin, from the looks of it. She had headphones in her ears, and was dressed for exercise, her dark hair pulled into a single tail on her head. Her expression was vaguely discontent, at least until she chanced a glance in their direction. She seemed to squint at them for a second, particularly Cyrilla, then raised one of her arms to wave them down, pulling her ear buds out with her other hand.
“Cyrilla!” she called, approaching them at the same ground-eating jog. She was extremely tall, as far as women went, but her face was still almost a little childish, at least around her brow and eyes. She stopped in front of them, pulling in deep, steady breaths. It seemed like she’d been running for a while, but neither she nor her pokémon seemed all that winded. They sat apparently automatically at her sides, almost protective.
“Hey,” she greeted, more properly now that she was within polite speaking distance. “I thought I recognized you. It’s nice to see you again.”
Cyrilla seemed to smile and recognized the woman. Kenshin just raised a brow at the pokémon at her side. It wasn't like he was going to do anything. He couldn't. "Hi, Harper. It's nice to see you, too," she greeted, causing Kenshin to gaze at her, and then at Harper. "Oh, this is Kenshin, my lucario," she introduced him, and he merely stared at Harper, his eyes narrowing just slightly. She looked vaguely familiar to him, like someone he knew.
“Nice to meet you, Kenshin,” the woman replied politely, giving him a nod. Her pokémon seemed to be protective by reflex rather than due to some threat they believed he posed, because the two of them dipped their heads as well. “Oh, and this is Pyrrha and Una.” She indicated the pyroar and purrloin respectively.
"Kenny, this is Harper, Kas's sister," well that explained the familiarity. He nodded his head in her direction, but chose not to say anything. "Don't mind him, he's a little grumpy today," Cyrilla spoke, causing Kenshin to give her a flat look. Was that really necessary? For her, probably. "Oh, how are you finding things on the island? Have you managed to challenge Drake yet?" she decided to ask. Kenshin scoffed just slightly. If he knew Eryk by now, and he did, Drake was probably swimming in challenges again.
“Not yet,” she replied, smiling inscrutably for some reason. “Though I did check out the gym. I decided to try and get a few days’ training in beforehand. Mirmir is supposed to be helping me, but he got way ahead of me on our run and now I don’t know where he is.” She sighed, apparently used to this sort of thing. “I’ll probably find him napping in a tree at the end of the route, the jerk.” She shrugged.
“Are you two just out on a walk, or did am I keeping you from being somewhere?”
"We were just out on a walk. I kind of had the day off and the fresh air seemed pretty nice right now," Cyrilla spoke. That was partly true. The fresh air was nice, but she didn't exactly have the day off. She could have said she was taking a break, but then again, she might have just taken the rest of the day off without saying anything to anyone. He scoffed slightly. "Oh, are we keeping you from something? You said you were training with Kas, and if that's the case, I don't want to keep you from him," she laughed a little shyly, her face turning just the slightest shade of pink. Kenshin muffled a laugh at that.
Harper arched an eyebrow; her subtle smile grew just a little.
Or maybe she can help. She hasn't had a proper battle in a while, if that's what you need, he chimed in. She still had other pokémon she could battle with besides him. Or we could just join you in your run, he stated, shrugging his shoulders carelessly.
She huffed softly in response. “You’re not keeping me from him, don’t worry. I’ll find him exactly when he wants me to, and not a moment before. That’s the way he is. Actually, if you’re with me, it might be sooner—he’ll get paranoid that I’m telling you all kinds of things about what he was like as a dorky kid.” Her expression morphed into something positively wicked for a moment, but then it faded.
“But… I could go for either a battle or a run, if you were interested. Or tell you all my brother's secrets. Whichever.”
Kenshin let out a raspy laugh. Cyrilla's face turned just a shade darker when he did. I'm sure she'd love to know all about your brother's secrets, he spoke, a sly smirk crossing his face. He could tell she was embarrassed, but it was her own fault. She brought this upon herself, really.
"I couldn't, no. Those are his secrets to keep. If he wanted to tell them to someone, I'm sure he would have by now," she spoke, waving a hand in front of her face. Kenshin rolled his eyes just slightly, and shook his head.
That's not what she said before, he interrupted.
"Kenshin!" He only smirked at her.
Harper grinned at him, not even trying to conceal the mischief in it. “Oh, I like you, Kenshin. I think we’re going to be great friends.”
Kenshin snorted. I think so, too, he replied.
She turned her eyes back to Cyrilla and tilted her head to the side. “Oh, come on. Don’t be such a ninny, Rilla. Mirmir’s a big kid, he can take a little revenge for not sticking with me. There’s gotta be something you wanna know about him—he’s way more secretive than you’d think from the boneheaded way he acts. Ask me anything.” She looped her arm with Cyrilla’s and started them both walking down the road again, her pokémon shifting easily to accommodate.
"Yeah, I know, but it just feels so... personal," she spoke, turning a bright shade of red when Harper looped their arms together. Kenshin followed along, trying his best not to snicker at his trainer. She shot him a glance, though, which caused him to laugh. "But... I don't, I guess, what was he like as a kid? I couldn't imagine he was any different," she questioned. Really? Of all the things she could have asked Harper, she asked her that? Kenshin shook his head.
She wants to know if he really was a round 'adorable' kid, Kenshin chimed in, earning an incredulous look from Cyrilla. I'm not going to make this easy for you, he spoke to only her.
Harper looked genuinely surprised. “He told you about that? He never really tells anyone about that part of his life.” She tilted her head, looking a little bit more serious for a moment. “I mean, he’s my older brother. I could never think there was anything wrong with him. But some of the other kids in his grade—and some of the older kids at his school—didn’t really agree. It would be nice if I could just say he was chubby and adorable and that was it, but it wasn’t a good time for him, honestly.”
She shrugged. “For most of my life, though, he’s been closer to what he is now—arceusdamn beanpole. I think it really surprised him when people started coming onto him when he hit sixteen or so.” The smile was back again, now. “He didn’t know how to take it.”
Cyrilla looked a little shocked when Harper spoke, and lowered her gaze somewhat. She visibly frowned, and for a moment, Kenshin swore he heard her thoughts about it. Her gaze faltered somewhat before she forced a smile onto her face. "I didn't know that, but... I'm glad he at least told me that part of it," she spoke. She seemed to be a little at ease now, and he supposed that was partly because they had both shared something about their pasts that had been rather difficult.
Kenshin shook his head just slightly, and chose just to speak to Harper. Damn the consequences on his end, but he could at least nudge something forward, right? She says that because she used to have a crush on him. Now, she thinks that's what he thinks of [i]her, that she only had a crush on him because of how he looks,[/i] he stated rolling his eyes slightly. Cyrilla couldn't hear him, and that's how he'd intended it to be.
She still likes him, but she won't admit it, he continued. Really, it was starting to get a tad bit ridiculous. She was an adult, right?
Harper’s eyes slid to him for a second, something like understanding in them, but then she returned her attention to Cyrilla. “He talks about you all the time, you know,” she observed, her tone light and breezy, as though it were an errant thought or casual topic change, and not a response to Kenshin’s private communication. “And Eryk and Ana—met her yesterday. But… you most of all. I call him every week, and it’s always Cy this, Cy that. I think you confuse him.”
She nudged Cyrilla with her elbow as they walked. “That’s a good thing, by the way. He thinks he’s got the world figured out, but sometimes, he’s just plain wrong. It’s good to confuse him, because then he actually has to think about it and stop assuming things.”
Kenshin had to surpress his laugh as he watched Cyrilla blink slowly, and pointed to herself with a free hand. "He talks about me? I mean... why? I don't... what could he possibly say about me? And... I don't... I mean," she seemed at a loss and looked like she was tripping over her own words. "I don't understand how I could do that to him. I mean, he's... well, he's," she started, but ended up pursing her lips together. She couldn't find the words to say, apparently, but there was a slight hint of curiosity in her eyes.
"You don't have to tell me, if you'd rather not, but... what.. what does he say?" she asked hesitantly. It really did take a lot of effort not to laugh at her right now.
Harper didn’t seem to have any such difficulty, and simply laughed outright, her amusement clear in her expression. After it subsided, she shrugged. “What does anyone talk about? He talks about things you said or did that week, mostly. Sometimes he worries about you to me, or asks what I’d do in a certain situation, if someone I knew was having a problem—he doesn’t give me specifics, of course. Sometimes he just… brings up your thoughts on whatever topic we’re discussing, if he knows what they are. Normal stuff.”
She grinned. “But if you want to know what he thinks of you, I know a lot of that, too. That’s just reading between the lines, is all.”
Kenshin snickered just slightly, but Cyrilla seemed to smile all the same. She shook her head softly, the smile growing just a little more. You could always just tell me, Kenshin spoke, interrupting the small silence between them. Cyrilla shot him a look, though, and he merely shrugged. It's not like it would matter to him what he thought of her. He'd just use it as ammo later if he felt like it. Besides, maybe if she knew where she at least stood with him, she could get over this incessant feeling of being unsure of how she should feel.
"Would... that be okay?" she finally asked, and it surprised Kenshin somewhat. He hadn't actually thought she would ask.
“Aha,” the new voice came from behind them, close enough that they could hear it. Harper stopped and turned to face Kasimir, who was approaching, turning Cyrilla around with her.
“So this is where you got to. Corrupting my friends, I see.”
Harper snorted. “I knew you’d come out of hiding if I had her with me,” she drawled. “You never can stay away from a pretty girl, can you?” She removed her arm from Cyrilla’s and slung it amiably over her shoulders instead.
Kas smiled, but there was something a little off about it. “Harper… just what nonsense have you been bothering Cy with?” He crossed his arms over his chest, clearly faking a sterner demeanor than he really had. He was also dressed for exercise, surprisingly enough—long athletic shorts and a black shirt apparently made out of something stretchy. Harper might have called him a beanpole, but he wasn’t one anymore.
“You’re so egotistical, Mirmir. What makes you think we were talking about you in the first place, huh? We were just discussing girl stuff, right Rilla?”
"Right," Cyrilla chimed in, smiling as she did so. Kenshin shook his head and rolled his eyes, but he wasn't going to say anything. He merely glanced at Kas. "It's girl stuff, and your sister is really nice, Mirmir," she added, calling him the same thing Harper had. She seemed a bit amused by it, like it was a new accomplishment of some kind.
I feel a little left out, now, Kenshin spoke. I'm not a girl, he added, giving them a flat look.
“Story of my life, Ken,” Kasimir replied with a dramatic sigh. “All right, all right, have your secret conversations and leave poor me out of it. I see how it is.” He grinned, though; clearly, he was happy to see them getting along so well. “But I do think we should get some training in today. Do you want to join us, Cy?”
His eyes moved to Kenshin for a moment, then back to Cyrilla; his expression gentled. “It’s going to be a mix of everything. Nothing… nothing too harsh. Just a focus on fitness and move practice. You might get to see me get my butt handed to me by her mienshao, though.”
“You should totally come,” Harper added. “I’m sure you’ll be a much better training partner than this useless lump.”
"I would actually like to see that, Kas getting handed by a mienshao," Cyrilla spoke.
I'm sure that's not the only thing, though he only said that to her, her face turned a bright red. We'll come along, he stated, following in step as they walked away. This was, oddly, nicer than he thought it was going to be.
They’d chosen a spot on the beach to train, well away from any buildings or other people. Harper had called out the rest of her pokémon: a dragalge, a kingdra which immediately dove into the ocean itself, a sylveon, and of course her mienshao, Shaolin. With Pyrrha and Una, they were six in total.
It had been a while since Kas had seen her team in person; he was impressed with how much they seemed to have grown. It was easy to tell just from their condition that Harper was serious about her intentions to challenge the League at some point soon. Her sylveon, Argent, immediately jumped into his arms; Kas spun her around for a couple of turns before letting her hop down again.
“Been a while since I’ve seen her,” he commented with a smile. “I always figured she’d end up a sylveon, though.”
“She was Kas’s, to begin with,” Harper explained to Cyrilla. “And my first pokémon, way back when.” She had a hand on Pyrrha’s head, trailing her fingers through her bright red-and-yellow crown of hair.
“If you wanna let yours out, Cy, we were gonna start with our favorite warmup.”
"Alright," she replied, reaching for the four pokéballs that were at her side. She released her pokémon, Gyarados making the biggest entrance with his loud roar, and she smiled at them. She reached up to rub his head, and the Gyarados seemed a little pleased at that, before Cyrilla turned her attention towards them. Snow, Rapidash, and Lithe seemed a little confused, but they stood next to her anyway.
"Kenshin," she called out hesitantly towards the lucario who merely shook his head. She frowned slightly. "If it gets too hard, you could stop," she spoke softly, causing Kenshin to sigh. He walked so that he was standing next to her, though. "Alright, so what are we in for?" she spoke once everyone was situated.
“Heh, well… Gyarados might be able to help with this, actually,” Kas said. “Basically, Torrent here—” he nodded his head at the kingdra in the water—“is going to shoot water at all of us, and we’re gonna loosen up by keeping ourselves out of the way. It’s also great for working on dodging technique—water, fire, and even electrical attacks work on the same principles, so if you can get away from one kind, you can get away from them all. Try not to get soaked.” He winked at her.
“Ready, Torrent?” That was Harper again, and the kingdra dipped his head in reply. “All right then, let’s go! Hydro Pump!”
The first blast of water flew towards Kas; he swiftly ducked and rolled to the side. He didn’t like asking his pokémon to do things he wasn’t willing to do himself, after all. A little bit of the blowback from the force of the water caught him on the side, but not much. The second jet flew for Cy and Kenshin.
Cyrilla seemed ready for it, and dodged it as well. Kenshin moved a little too slowly, though, and was hit with some residual water spray. He seemed to wince, and shook it off. Cyrilla shot him a concerned look, but apparently he seemed fine since he shook his head at her. Gyarados, though, seemed a little too excited to get in on the action, and joined Torrent in the water.
"Don't get too happy, Gyarados," Cyrilla called out. He bobbed his head as if to agree, and she turned her attention back to them. "Seems easy enough," she stated. She rolled her shoulders out as she prepared for the next one.
The thing about this exercise was—it scaled. That was the whole point of a warmup. Getting past the first few wasn’t too hard, but then Torrent sped up, extending the length of the bursts and moving his head during them to cover a wider area. With Gyarados joining the effort, it was soon pretty much constant motion—the Hydro Pump attacks were weakened since the point wasn’t to do damage, but it would still suck to get hit by one, to be sure.
By the end of it, Kas and his pokémon were a mix of soaked and mostly dry. He’d done pretty well himself, and Princess Cinders had taken to the air, which gave her more dodging options, but Meep was soaking wet and sparking slightly, though she seemed to be enjoying herself. Jaws had at some point decided to play his own game and bite the incoming streams, which meant he was dripping as well. Kaiser, his absol, was totally dry and looking a little smug about that; Lily and Sledge were somewhere in between. Harper’s team looked much the same; she herself had a large splotch of water on one side of her green workout shirt.
He laughed at her; she scowled, making a motion with her hand. Kas yelped and ducked out of the way of a final attack by Torrent.
Cyrilla, on the other hand, was a little more soaked than the others, though it looked like she wasn't really trying too hard to dodge. She seemed to be enjoying herself a little too much. Kenshin, however, was mostly dry. For being slightly injured and unable to battle, he could still move to keep out of the shots. Lithe and Rapidash, however, had stood this little warm up out, probably preferring not to chance it. Snow was completely dry save for her tails where she'd been hit.
"Well, that was fun," Cy spoke, wringing some water out of her shirt. She laughed lightly as Kenshin shook his head, saying something incoherent. Anything else she might have said, though, was blocked out. She'd been hit by the attack meant for Kas, and it pushed her a bit back. It probably would have knocked her over had Kenshin not stepped behind her to help her keep her balance. She blinked slowly, completely drenched and just stared from Torrent, to Kas, and then to Harper. Suddenly, she laughed.
I think you might have soaked her sanity away, Kenshin spoke in a confused tone. Probably because Cyrilla started laughing a little too hard by the end of it.
“Sorry, Rilla!” Harper called, though she was smiling, too. “Mirmir, you’re a terrible person; you should have taken that hit so it didn’t get her, you jerk!”
“Hey!” he protested. “Cy’s practically a ninja! I thought she’d be able to get out of the way on her own!” He was worried for half a second—should he have blocked that? But if she was laughing, he supposed she couldn’t be doing that badly.
"Oh, low blow Kas. I am a ninja, thank you," she retorted, but seemed to get her laughing under control.
“Anyway,” Harper said, squeezing water out of her shirt and off the ends of her hair. “Next we’re just doing basic workout stuff for a bit: pushups, jogging or swimming intervals, and a little bit of tai chi, for muscle control. Once we finish with all that, we can spar.”
Kas had actually missed having a sparring partner. The downside to being away from his family and not having any fighting-types himself, he supposed.
"Oh, sparring will be nice. I usually spar with just Ryk, and sometimes Kenshin, but," she paused, trailing off towards the end to glance at Kenshin. She shrugged her shoulders, though, as if it didn't matter. "Ryk doesn't know the meaning of 'taking it easy' so it might be nice to spar with someone else for a change," she replied, still smiling somewhat.
Harper barked a short laugh. “Yeah, well… Mirmir has to go easy. Did you know he’s the Kanto region all-around martial arts champ three years running? He beat our dad to take the title the first time—dad was both proud and also pissed when it happened.”
Kas grimaced. “Melly, why would you say that? It’s embarrassing.” And actually… it kind of was. Kas felt his face warming, suddenly gladder than ever for his complexion, which would hopefully not make that fact as obvious. Seriously… this kid was gonna be the death of him someday.
“Because it’s both embarrassing to you and awesome, so that means I have two really good reasons to bring it up,” she replied with a mischievous smile. “I won the women’s competition last year, but I’ve got nothin’ on the champ here.”
He snorted. “Nothing except a killer right hook, you mean.”
Cyrilla looked genuinely surprised, or impressed. Probably both. She glanced at Kas, eyes slightly wide with a lopsided smile on her face. "Wow, Kas, that's actually amazing. You'd probably wipe the floor with Ryk, then. I'm sure he wouldn't be too happy about that," she stated, laughing softly before turning her attention towards Harper. "I'd probably have nothing on you, then. My family isn't quite like that. We're more subtle and discreet, I suppose," she added, her smile stretching out a bit before softening.
"It must be nice, though," she spoke, a hint of something melancholy to her voice. It disappeared quickly as she shook her head. "Well then, I guess I really wouldn't know unless I tried, right?" she added.
“Don’t even worry about it. The person who wins a spar is the person who gets the most out of it, end of story,” Harper declared.
Kas nodded. “The scoring and competitions and stuff aren’t the point of this. The reason we keep training with each other is to get better, right? The only thing you have to worry about is beating the… the you from yesterday, or whatever dad’s always saying.” Oh Arceus, he’d actually said that, hadn’t he? He buried his face in a hand even as Harper started cackling.
“I’m gonna tell him! I’m gonna tell him you told his cheesy line to a pretty girl. He’s gonna be so proud!” She was holding her ribs at this point, nearly doubled over with laughter.
What was it about the presence of his sister that made him feel so uncool? Maybe it was the combination of her and Cyrilla? Ugh. “Whatever,” he said sullenly, clearing his throat. “Just… go get set for your spar, will ya? I’m gonna tell Cy all your weaknesses so she can beat you.”
“Playing favorites, huh?” she shot back. “Guess I know where I stand!” But she was still laughing, even if she’d physically contained it to a smile.
Cyrilla laughed, and somewhere in the back, Kenshin was laughing too. "Don't ruin it, Kas. I'd like to see where I stand, anyway," she stated, walking so that she was standing next to him and elbowing him somewhat. It was a soft nudge, nothing too firm. It was innocent. "Besides, I could really use a good sparring partner and a decent amount of training. I might get my butt kicked, but at least we'll have some fun, ne?" she stated, her smile turning into a grin.
"Alright Harper, don't take it easy on me, please!" she stated, calling after her. "Oh, that's right," she spoke again, stopping just mometarily to glance up at him. "Thanks for bringing us along," she stated, and nodding her head towards Kenshin. "It means a lot to the both of us," and from the look on her face, she was telling the truth.
Kas was a little puzzled, but smiled back at her anyway. Did she think they wouldn’t invite them to train or something? That was weird. Maybe he’d been drawing back too far?
“No problem, Cy. Now go show my sister what ninja can do. Ken and I will be your cheering section, since Melly doesn’t need one.”
It had been a while since Kas had seen her team in person; he was impressed with how much they seemed to have grown. It was easy to tell just from their condition that Harper was serious about her intentions to challenge the League at some point soon. Her sylveon, Argent, immediately jumped into his arms; Kas spun her around for a couple of turns before letting her hop down again.
“Been a while since I’ve seen her,” he commented with a smile. “I always figured she’d end up a sylveon, though.”
“She was Kas’s, to begin with,” Harper explained to Cyrilla. “And my first pokémon, way back when.” She had a hand on Pyrrha’s head, trailing her fingers through her bright red-and-yellow crown of hair.
“If you wanna let yours out, Cy, we were gonna start with our favorite warmup.”
"Alright," she replied, reaching for the four pokéballs that were at her side. She released her pokémon, Gyarados making the biggest entrance with his loud roar, and she smiled at them. She reached up to rub his head, and the Gyarados seemed a little pleased at that, before Cyrilla turned her attention towards them. Snow, Rapidash, and Lithe seemed a little confused, but they stood next to her anyway.
"Kenshin," she called out hesitantly towards the lucario who merely shook his head. She frowned slightly. "If it gets too hard, you could stop," she spoke softly, causing Kenshin to sigh. He walked so that he was standing next to her, though. "Alright, so what are we in for?" she spoke once everyone was situated.
“Heh, well… Gyarados might be able to help with this, actually,” Kas said. “Basically, Torrent here—” he nodded his head at the kingdra in the water—“is going to shoot water at all of us, and we’re gonna loosen up by keeping ourselves out of the way. It’s also great for working on dodging technique—water, fire, and even electrical attacks work on the same principles, so if you can get away from one kind, you can get away from them all. Try not to get soaked.” He winked at her.
“Ready, Torrent?” That was Harper again, and the kingdra dipped his head in reply. “All right then, let’s go! Hydro Pump!”
The first blast of water flew towards Kas; he swiftly ducked and rolled to the side. He didn’t like asking his pokémon to do things he wasn’t willing to do himself, after all. A little bit of the blowback from the force of the water caught him on the side, but not much. The second jet flew for Cy and Kenshin.
Cyrilla seemed ready for it, and dodged it as well. Kenshin moved a little too slowly, though, and was hit with some residual water spray. He seemed to wince, and shook it off. Cyrilla shot him a concerned look, but apparently he seemed fine since he shook his head at her. Gyarados, though, seemed a little too excited to get in on the action, and joined Torrent in the water.
"Don't get too happy, Gyarados," Cyrilla called out. He bobbed his head as if to agree, and she turned her attention back to them. "Seems easy enough," she stated. She rolled her shoulders out as she prepared for the next one.
The thing about this exercise was—it scaled. That was the whole point of a warmup. Getting past the first few wasn’t too hard, but then Torrent sped up, extending the length of the bursts and moving his head during them to cover a wider area. With Gyarados joining the effort, it was soon pretty much constant motion—the Hydro Pump attacks were weakened since the point wasn’t to do damage, but it would still suck to get hit by one, to be sure.
By the end of it, Kas and his pokémon were a mix of soaked and mostly dry. He’d done pretty well himself, and Princess Cinders had taken to the air, which gave her more dodging options, but Meep was soaking wet and sparking slightly, though she seemed to be enjoying herself. Jaws had at some point decided to play his own game and bite the incoming streams, which meant he was dripping as well. Kaiser, his absol, was totally dry and looking a little smug about that; Lily and Sledge were somewhere in between. Harper’s team looked much the same; she herself had a large splotch of water on one side of her green workout shirt.
He laughed at her; she scowled, making a motion with her hand. Kas yelped and ducked out of the way of a final attack by Torrent.
Cyrilla, on the other hand, was a little more soaked than the others, though it looked like she wasn't really trying too hard to dodge. She seemed to be enjoying herself a little too much. Kenshin, however, was mostly dry. For being slightly injured and unable to battle, he could still move to keep out of the shots. Lithe and Rapidash, however, had stood this little warm up out, probably preferring not to chance it. Snow was completely dry save for her tails where she'd been hit.
"Well, that was fun," Cy spoke, wringing some water out of her shirt. She laughed lightly as Kenshin shook his head, saying something incoherent. Anything else she might have said, though, was blocked out. She'd been hit by the attack meant for Kas, and it pushed her a bit back. It probably would have knocked her over had Kenshin not stepped behind her to help her keep her balance. She blinked slowly, completely drenched and just stared from Torrent, to Kas, and then to Harper. Suddenly, she laughed.
I think you might have soaked her sanity away, Kenshin spoke in a confused tone. Probably because Cyrilla started laughing a little too hard by the end of it.
“Sorry, Rilla!” Harper called, though she was smiling, too. “Mirmir, you’re a terrible person; you should have taken that hit so it didn’t get her, you jerk!”
“Hey!” he protested. “Cy’s practically a ninja! I thought she’d be able to get out of the way on her own!” He was worried for half a second—should he have blocked that? But if she was laughing, he supposed she couldn’t be doing that badly.
"Oh, low blow Kas. I am a ninja, thank you," she retorted, but seemed to get her laughing under control.
“Anyway,” Harper said, squeezing water out of her shirt and off the ends of her hair. “Next we’re just doing basic workout stuff for a bit: pushups, jogging or swimming intervals, and a little bit of tai chi, for muscle control. Once we finish with all that, we can spar.”
Kas had actually missed having a sparring partner. The downside to being away from his family and not having any fighting-types himself, he supposed.
"Oh, sparring will be nice. I usually spar with just Ryk, and sometimes Kenshin, but," she paused, trailing off towards the end to glance at Kenshin. She shrugged her shoulders, though, as if it didn't matter. "Ryk doesn't know the meaning of 'taking it easy' so it might be nice to spar with someone else for a change," she replied, still smiling somewhat.
Harper barked a short laugh. “Yeah, well… Mirmir has to go easy. Did you know he’s the Kanto region all-around martial arts champ three years running? He beat our dad to take the title the first time—dad was both proud and also pissed when it happened.”
Kas grimaced. “Melly, why would you say that? It’s embarrassing.” And actually… it kind of was. Kas felt his face warming, suddenly gladder than ever for his complexion, which would hopefully not make that fact as obvious. Seriously… this kid was gonna be the death of him someday.
“Because it’s both embarrassing to you and awesome, so that means I have two really good reasons to bring it up,” she replied with a mischievous smile. “I won the women’s competition last year, but I’ve got nothin’ on the champ here.”
He snorted. “Nothing except a killer right hook, you mean.”
Cyrilla looked genuinely surprised, or impressed. Probably both. She glanced at Kas, eyes slightly wide with a lopsided smile on her face. "Wow, Kas, that's actually amazing. You'd probably wipe the floor with Ryk, then. I'm sure he wouldn't be too happy about that," she stated, laughing softly before turning her attention towards Harper. "I'd probably have nothing on you, then. My family isn't quite like that. We're more subtle and discreet, I suppose," she added, her smile stretching out a bit before softening.
"It must be nice, though," she spoke, a hint of something melancholy to her voice. It disappeared quickly as she shook her head. "Well then, I guess I really wouldn't know unless I tried, right?" she added.
“Don’t even worry about it. The person who wins a spar is the person who gets the most out of it, end of story,” Harper declared.
Kas nodded. “The scoring and competitions and stuff aren’t the point of this. The reason we keep training with each other is to get better, right? The only thing you have to worry about is beating the… the you from yesterday, or whatever dad’s always saying.” Oh Arceus, he’d actually said that, hadn’t he? He buried his face in a hand even as Harper started cackling.
“I’m gonna tell him! I’m gonna tell him you told his cheesy line to a pretty girl. He’s gonna be so proud!” She was holding her ribs at this point, nearly doubled over with laughter.
What was it about the presence of his sister that made him feel so uncool? Maybe it was the combination of her and Cyrilla? Ugh. “Whatever,” he said sullenly, clearing his throat. “Just… go get set for your spar, will ya? I’m gonna tell Cy all your weaknesses so she can beat you.”
“Playing favorites, huh?” she shot back. “Guess I know where I stand!” But she was still laughing, even if she’d physically contained it to a smile.
Cyrilla laughed, and somewhere in the back, Kenshin was laughing too. "Don't ruin it, Kas. I'd like to see where I stand, anyway," she stated, walking so that she was standing next to him and elbowing him somewhat. It was a soft nudge, nothing too firm. It was innocent. "Besides, I could really use a good sparring partner and a decent amount of training. I might get my butt kicked, but at least we'll have some fun, ne?" she stated, her smile turning into a grin.
"Alright Harper, don't take it easy on me, please!" she stated, calling after her. "Oh, that's right," she spoke again, stopping just mometarily to glance up at him. "Thanks for bringing us along," she stated, and nodding her head towards Kenshin. "It means a lot to the both of us," and from the look on her face, she was telling the truth.
Kas was a little puzzled, but smiled back at her anyway. Did she think they wouldn’t invite them to train or something? That was weird. Maybe he’d been drawing back too far?
“No problem, Cy. Now go show my sister what ninja can do. Ken and I will be your cheering section, since Melly doesn’t need one.”
Drake sighed for what seemed like the umpteenth time, today. He'd been running around on the island all day, trying to find his pyroar. He had planned on spending the day helping Ana out since, for once, he didn't have any challengers. It was odd, really. He expected to see a long line of challengers outside of the Gym this morning, however; there were none. Maybe there was something going on at the base that they couldn't spare any Grunts? He shook his head free of those thoughts, though. It was like if he thought about it, he might actually summon them. But his plan had been ruined when Pyroar decided to run off.
Drake had tried to chase after him, but Pyroar was a little too fast. He sighed just softly. He rubbed the back of his neck, sitting his free hand on his waist as he looked over a hill. He squinted his eyes for just a moment, and thought he saw Pyroar, however; it was just a Litleo. "Man, Pyroar. You're really making me work this time," he muttered to himself just softly. Maybe he was back at the Gym? That... wouldn't be right, though. If Pyroar was back at the Gym, he wouldn't have insisted on accompanying Drake to Ana's. More like, he wouldn't have just tagged along if that were the case.
Now, he was certain his Pyroar was out to get him, somehow.
“Drake?” the voice, quite familiar, called to him over what seemed like a fair distance. Anastasia didn’t sound sure that he was even around. “Drake, I think I found a friend of yours, if you’re nearby.”
As it turned out, Ana was a few streets over, a grocery bag in either hand and pyroar walking quite contentedly next to her. As soon as she caught sight of him, she smiled. “Oh good; I was hoping he hadn’t gotten too far away. I’d recognize this fellow anywhere.” She must have been done with work for the day; she was wearing a simple white sundress and a floppy straw hat to keep the sun out of her eyes.
He smiled at Ana and waved at her, jogging the last few feet to stand in front of her. "Yeah, he kind of ditched me this morning," he spoke, laughing a little nervously. He tilted his head towards Pyroar and gave him a stern glare, but Pyroar merely flicked his tail as if he didn't care. He probably didn't. Drake only sighed. Sometimes Pyroar could really be a pain. "We were on our way over to see if you needed any help, but by the looks of it," he stated, straightening his posture back out.
"It looks like you might be done for the day. I could help you carry your groceries home, though," he stated. The bags didn't look too heavy, and he didn't want to impose on her, however; since he couldn't really help out at the center, he could at least walk her home and carry her groceries, right?
She blinked at him for a moment, tilting her head to the side in that birdlike way she had. “Well… how about you carry one and I’ll take the other? I do appreciate the help, but I don’t want to put you out too much.” She handed over the bag in her left hand willingly enough, setting the hand it freed on Pyroar’s back, scratching right between his shoulderblades as they walked.
“Thank you though; I happened to finish early today because Cyrilla and Eryk were both there to help, so the work went really fast.” She glanced at him from the corner of her eye. “Did you defeat your stream of challengers more quickly than usual today, or are you taking one off?”
Huh. He should have known they were there to help. Eryk, if he remembered correctly, had been helping Ana out ever since they came to the island. Not that it was a bad thing, he didn't think. Maybe it was because Eryk was spending more time with Ana than he was. He inwardly frowned at that. He wasn't jealous, was he? He visibly shook his head. "You wouldn't be imposing at all, Ana. I like to help out when I can," he stated, saving himself somewhat from having to explain why he shook his head.
"Well see that's the weird thing," he began, scratching the back of his head slightly. "I didn't have any challengers today. It was weird. I opened the doors to the Gym expecting to see the line, but there wasn't anyone there. Do you know if something's going on? You said Eryk and Cyrilla were with you today, did they seem a little less themselves?" because that would explain a lot.
“Not that I noticed,” she said slowly. She appeared to consider it a moment more, then shook her head a little. “I don’t think so. I think I’ve gotten pretty good at telling what’s going on with them—at least better than I was. I think if there had been some Team Rocket thing happening today, they would have mentioned it.” She paused as they crested a small hill, then started down it.
“But look at that: you have no challengers and I don’t have any work to help with, so now you’ve got a whole day to do whatever you want.” She smiled, a hint of amusement creeping into her tone. “I’d wager that hasn’t happened in a while—do you even remember how to relax?”
Drake chuckled softly. "No, I suppose I don't. I think the last time I relaxed was almost a year ago," he spoke, though he was slightly joking. Team Rocket had been on the island for just under a year, now, but he was always getting challenges then. Mostly because he was still new at being a Gym Leader, and most challengers thought they could take him. Granted, a few of them could, but a majority of them couldn't. He smiled just slightly at that thought. "Well, I could spend the day doing whatever I want, can't I?" he finally spoke, amused at the thought. Pyroar, however, seemed to rumble a grunt of appreciation when she scratched him, though.
The real question, though, was what did he want to do? He had a free day, and most of the time when he was free, he either slept or he ate. Or he talked to some of the islanders who would visit and help Ana. He couldn't help Ana, now, because Eryk and Cy beat him to it, and the islanders were all doing their own thing. Hm. "Well this will have to do for now," he spoke, holding up the bag she had given him. He could walk her home and then maybe he could go from there.
“We need to find you a hobby,” she replied, a little bit of dry humor creeping through. It was rare that she employed it, but Ana did have a laconic wit—something he knew she only showed to those people she was most comfortable with. “Maybe something that doesn’t demand regular attention, that you can pick up or put down whenever you want…” She seemed to give this some thought, though it took her until they reached her house and she’d unlocked the gate before she offered a suggestion.
“Perhaps knitting?” There was a glint of humor in her eyes that belied the joke. “Though that might be better for cooler climates.”
"I... do know how to knit, actually. My great-grandmother taught me before she passed. She said it would help me, one day, though I'm not sure how," he laughed just slightly. He followed her through the gate, and closed it behind him. "But maybe I should try singing. They said I have an atrocious voice, I could probably work on it," he countered. He actually couldn't sing, and he'd never even dare try out in public. Blaine used to tease him all the time for that, but it's not like he actually wanted to sing.
"Though, in all honesty, I'd actually like to learn the guitar. I have one but I've never really played it. Too many challengers, not enough time," he chuckled at that. He supposed at this time, his guitar was collecting dust underneath his bed, but it wasn't too bad. He took it out every once in a while and tuned it. He tried playing a few notes, but it's like the music attracted the challengers to his Gym.
"Oh, hey look Ekans' skin rot's been cleared up," he stated, noticing the Ekans sunbathing. That was nice. He had hoped it would end soon, like his Fletchinder's molting problem.
“I know a little guitar,” Ana said thoughtfully. “Maybe I could help you practice?” A moment later, she shook her head and amended. “Ah, but you probably already spend enough time with me, don’t you? Too much more might start to grate a little.” She didn’t seem to be upset by that at all, actually, and smiled over at Ekans.
“He’s ready for adoption, really. If Toby’s paperwork goes through for his trainer’s license, I was thinking they might get along really well. You know Toby, right?”
"Of course I know Toby. He's Robert's little boy. He actually came by the Gym yesterday to see how battles went. I guess it didn't hurt too much to have him sit in on one. He really seemed to enjoy it," he replied, smiling at that. Toby was a good kid; he'd make a good trainer for Ekans. "Ah, actually, I'm not sure I'll have time to learn guitar. I mean, it'd be nice, but there's no telling when a new string of challengers will come. Maybe... next summer? I might have my old man take over the gym for a little while," because if he had to deal with all of these trainers by then, he'd be molting like Fletchinder had.
"And I don't mind spending my time with you. I enjoy hanging out with you," he spoke, offering her a light grin. He really did enjoy being around her, perhaps a little too much. That wasn't a bad thing was it?
Ana’s expression changed for a second, almost to something… melancholy? But then her mouth pulled back into a smile. “Well… maybe next summer then. I’m glad you’re not sick of me yet—and you’re welcome to come by even if it’s not to do work, you know. I’m sure things can get a little crazy for you, so if you decide you just want to relax and eat something, let me know. I’ve been getting lots of practice cooking lately.”
"Thanks for the offer, I just might do that," he replied, smiling in her direction. He couldn't help but think there might be more to that expression, but he didn't linger on it too long. She'd tell him if something was wrong, right? He hoped they were close enough friends, but maybe there were some things better left unsaid? "For now, I think it's best if Pyroar and I help you with your groceries. We can talk about food later."
Drake had tried to chase after him, but Pyroar was a little too fast. He sighed just softly. He rubbed the back of his neck, sitting his free hand on his waist as he looked over a hill. He squinted his eyes for just a moment, and thought he saw Pyroar, however; it was just a Litleo. "Man, Pyroar. You're really making me work this time," he muttered to himself just softly. Maybe he was back at the Gym? That... wouldn't be right, though. If Pyroar was back at the Gym, he wouldn't have insisted on accompanying Drake to Ana's. More like, he wouldn't have just tagged along if that were the case.
Now, he was certain his Pyroar was out to get him, somehow.
“Drake?” the voice, quite familiar, called to him over what seemed like a fair distance. Anastasia didn’t sound sure that he was even around. “Drake, I think I found a friend of yours, if you’re nearby.”
As it turned out, Ana was a few streets over, a grocery bag in either hand and pyroar walking quite contentedly next to her. As soon as she caught sight of him, she smiled. “Oh good; I was hoping he hadn’t gotten too far away. I’d recognize this fellow anywhere.” She must have been done with work for the day; she was wearing a simple white sundress and a floppy straw hat to keep the sun out of her eyes.
He smiled at Ana and waved at her, jogging the last few feet to stand in front of her. "Yeah, he kind of ditched me this morning," he spoke, laughing a little nervously. He tilted his head towards Pyroar and gave him a stern glare, but Pyroar merely flicked his tail as if he didn't care. He probably didn't. Drake only sighed. Sometimes Pyroar could really be a pain. "We were on our way over to see if you needed any help, but by the looks of it," he stated, straightening his posture back out.
"It looks like you might be done for the day. I could help you carry your groceries home, though," he stated. The bags didn't look too heavy, and he didn't want to impose on her, however; since he couldn't really help out at the center, he could at least walk her home and carry her groceries, right?
She blinked at him for a moment, tilting her head to the side in that birdlike way she had. “Well… how about you carry one and I’ll take the other? I do appreciate the help, but I don’t want to put you out too much.” She handed over the bag in her left hand willingly enough, setting the hand it freed on Pyroar’s back, scratching right between his shoulderblades as they walked.
“Thank you though; I happened to finish early today because Cyrilla and Eryk were both there to help, so the work went really fast.” She glanced at him from the corner of her eye. “Did you defeat your stream of challengers more quickly than usual today, or are you taking one off?”
Huh. He should have known they were there to help. Eryk, if he remembered correctly, had been helping Ana out ever since they came to the island. Not that it was a bad thing, he didn't think. Maybe it was because Eryk was spending more time with Ana than he was. He inwardly frowned at that. He wasn't jealous, was he? He visibly shook his head. "You wouldn't be imposing at all, Ana. I like to help out when I can," he stated, saving himself somewhat from having to explain why he shook his head.
"Well see that's the weird thing," he began, scratching the back of his head slightly. "I didn't have any challengers today. It was weird. I opened the doors to the Gym expecting to see the line, but there wasn't anyone there. Do you know if something's going on? You said Eryk and Cyrilla were with you today, did they seem a little less themselves?" because that would explain a lot.
“Not that I noticed,” she said slowly. She appeared to consider it a moment more, then shook her head a little. “I don’t think so. I think I’ve gotten pretty good at telling what’s going on with them—at least better than I was. I think if there had been some Team Rocket thing happening today, they would have mentioned it.” She paused as they crested a small hill, then started down it.
“But look at that: you have no challengers and I don’t have any work to help with, so now you’ve got a whole day to do whatever you want.” She smiled, a hint of amusement creeping into her tone. “I’d wager that hasn’t happened in a while—do you even remember how to relax?”
Drake chuckled softly. "No, I suppose I don't. I think the last time I relaxed was almost a year ago," he spoke, though he was slightly joking. Team Rocket had been on the island for just under a year, now, but he was always getting challenges then. Mostly because he was still new at being a Gym Leader, and most challengers thought they could take him. Granted, a few of them could, but a majority of them couldn't. He smiled just slightly at that thought. "Well, I could spend the day doing whatever I want, can't I?" he finally spoke, amused at the thought. Pyroar, however, seemed to rumble a grunt of appreciation when she scratched him, though.
The real question, though, was what did he want to do? He had a free day, and most of the time when he was free, he either slept or he ate. Or he talked to some of the islanders who would visit and help Ana. He couldn't help Ana, now, because Eryk and Cy beat him to it, and the islanders were all doing their own thing. Hm. "Well this will have to do for now," he spoke, holding up the bag she had given him. He could walk her home and then maybe he could go from there.
“We need to find you a hobby,” she replied, a little bit of dry humor creeping through. It was rare that she employed it, but Ana did have a laconic wit—something he knew she only showed to those people she was most comfortable with. “Maybe something that doesn’t demand regular attention, that you can pick up or put down whenever you want…” She seemed to give this some thought, though it took her until they reached her house and she’d unlocked the gate before she offered a suggestion.
“Perhaps knitting?” There was a glint of humor in her eyes that belied the joke. “Though that might be better for cooler climates.”
"I... do know how to knit, actually. My great-grandmother taught me before she passed. She said it would help me, one day, though I'm not sure how," he laughed just slightly. He followed her through the gate, and closed it behind him. "But maybe I should try singing. They said I have an atrocious voice, I could probably work on it," he countered. He actually couldn't sing, and he'd never even dare try out in public. Blaine used to tease him all the time for that, but it's not like he actually wanted to sing.
"Though, in all honesty, I'd actually like to learn the guitar. I have one but I've never really played it. Too many challengers, not enough time," he chuckled at that. He supposed at this time, his guitar was collecting dust underneath his bed, but it wasn't too bad. He took it out every once in a while and tuned it. He tried playing a few notes, but it's like the music attracted the challengers to his Gym.
"Oh, hey look Ekans' skin rot's been cleared up," he stated, noticing the Ekans sunbathing. That was nice. He had hoped it would end soon, like his Fletchinder's molting problem.
“I know a little guitar,” Ana said thoughtfully. “Maybe I could help you practice?” A moment later, she shook her head and amended. “Ah, but you probably already spend enough time with me, don’t you? Too much more might start to grate a little.” She didn’t seem to be upset by that at all, actually, and smiled over at Ekans.
“He’s ready for adoption, really. If Toby’s paperwork goes through for his trainer’s license, I was thinking they might get along really well. You know Toby, right?”
"Of course I know Toby. He's Robert's little boy. He actually came by the Gym yesterday to see how battles went. I guess it didn't hurt too much to have him sit in on one. He really seemed to enjoy it," he replied, smiling at that. Toby was a good kid; he'd make a good trainer for Ekans. "Ah, actually, I'm not sure I'll have time to learn guitar. I mean, it'd be nice, but there's no telling when a new string of challengers will come. Maybe... next summer? I might have my old man take over the gym for a little while," because if he had to deal with all of these trainers by then, he'd be molting like Fletchinder had.
"And I don't mind spending my time with you. I enjoy hanging out with you," he spoke, offering her a light grin. He really did enjoy being around her, perhaps a little too much. That wasn't a bad thing was it?
Ana’s expression changed for a second, almost to something… melancholy? But then her mouth pulled back into a smile. “Well… maybe next summer then. I’m glad you’re not sick of me yet—and you’re welcome to come by even if it’s not to do work, you know. I’m sure things can get a little crazy for you, so if you decide you just want to relax and eat something, let me know. I’ve been getting lots of practice cooking lately.”
"Thanks for the offer, I just might do that," he replied, smiling in her direction. He couldn't help but think there might be more to that expression, but he didn't linger on it too long. She'd tell him if something was wrong, right? He hoped they were close enough friends, but maybe there were some things better left unsaid? "For now, I think it's best if Pyroar and I help you with your groceries. We can talk about food later."
Ana sighed, hefting the large bag of food into its place on the shelf. She’d gotten used to hauling these things around after the first few months of running the shelter, but it was still more difficult for her than it would be for anyone else after a year and a half. She’d never been able to build much muscle mass—mostly because of the Everett’s. But even if she hadn’t had it, it might have been a bit tricky. Some people were naturally gifted by genetics with the ability to shape their bodies with the right regimens. For others it was a lot harder.
At least the weather was cool enough that she didn’t sweat much in the process. She wasn’t sure who was coming by to help her today, but they were due soon, so she put the rest of the bags where they belonged and stepped out of the shed, leaving it unlocked behind her. The rest of the chores for today consisted of cleaning out the pool, which was not a fun task but necessary, and mowing the lawn, so she’d prepared by moving everyone inside already. Thankfully they were used to the sound of the mower by now and wouldn’t be startled by it.
Approaching the pool, she reached out with a gloved hand and turned the handle that would drain it from the bottom. It ran into the island’s sewer system, and would end up at the water treatment facility like everything else. That was nice—one thing she could say in favor of Team Rocket was that all the codes they enforced for residential pokémon habitats saved a lot of energy and resources by making sure no special handling was needed for things like this. She shuddered to think of how much it would cost her to run the place if she needed to have all the dirty water hauled off by a truck every time. Having the right filter installed was more up-front, but a lot easier in the long run.
Turns out, it was Cyrilla who came to help. She was smiling when she approached the gate, opening it to let herself inside. "Hi Ana!" she called out, though there was a missing factor. Kenshin wasn't with her. He was usually with her and no longer restrained to his pokéball. He probably stayed behind. "Eryk wanted to come, but he had a business call to take care of. Otherwise, Mr. Grumpy would have been here instead," she spoke, as if explaining the situation. She glanced around the area, taking in the scenery apparently. Like it was the first time she'd seen it.
"It looks so empty without the pokémon in the yard," she spoke, though it was in a thoughtful tone. "So what's on the agenda for today? Ryk said something about the yard, but I wasn't paying too much attention. I was just happy to come in his place today," she admitted, a small grin forming on her lips like she'd somehow outwitted him in something.
Ana wasn’t sure what that something would be, but she smiled anyway, lifting her shoulders in a casual shrug. “Well, today I have to clean out the pool and mow the lawn.” She thought about it for a second, unsure she should really be asking for help with tasks that were quite this laborious. “If you wanted to help, I could show you how to use the mower, but cleaning the pool is really unpleasant, and probably much faster if I just do it myself.”
The last of the water drained away with a gurgle at the bottom of the pool’s tub, and she wrinkled her nose. “I’d really understand if you’d rather just go play with the pokémon, though—you really don’t have to do any of this.” Even just imagining any of this muck in Cyrilla’s gorgeous hair kind of made her feel vaguely guilty.
Cyrilla didn't seem to mind, though. She just raised a brow in her direction, and seemed to smirk a bit. "Really Ana? You think I'm going to leave you to do all of the work yourself? Eryk would get really mad at me if I did that, and I would get mad at myself for just coming over to play with the pokémon. I've done worse things than mowing a yard and cleaning out pools," she spoke, slightly amused at the fact Ana had suggested it, apparently.
"Besides, what kind of friend would I be if I did that? I'd lose my reputation as a nice person, and then I'd be dubbed the little Eryk of the group," she spoke, pulling her lips just slightly into a thin line. She must have been trying to pull her face into Eryk's. She couldn't hold it for too long, though, since she giggled at herself. "I'd rather not be called little Eryk, if you don't mind. Now, let me help you with this, or I'll have Gyarados restrain you and I'll do it all myself," she spoke, a hint of teasing in her voice, but also something quite serious.
Well, when she put it that way… “The lawnmower’s in the shed,” Ana said, leading the way over to it and pushing the door open. “It’s just a standard push one, though it will mostly move itself and just needs guidance around corners and things.” She honestly wasn’t sure how much experience Cyrilla had with lawn chores. One of the things that bothered her about asking her friends to help with this kind of thing was that they all seemed a little… above that sort of thing. Especially Eryk and Cy—maybe because of what little she knew about how they’d been raised? Kas seemed like the kind of person who might have been made to mow a lawn before, but the others were… different.
“Anyway, um… it has gas and everything already. If you have any questions about it, please let me know. I’m going to take care of the pool.” She pulled down a caddy of large scrub brushes and other supplies from one of the shelves, hefting it in her hands.
"Thanks," Cyrilla replied, moving to remove the lawn mower from the shed. Once she'd done that, she stared at it, and then back at Ana, smiling as she did so. "You know, up until a few years ago, I wouldn't have known how to use one of these," she spoke, her smile slightly disappearing. "You start out doing menial tasks as a Grunt, and sometimes that includes doing things for those with a higher rank. One of the members I was under, before I was moved under Ryk, had me cut his yard. I mean, I'm not resentful for it or anything. I actually enjoyed doing it because I learned how to do something on my own, you know?" she stated, pulling at the string to get the lawn mower going.
Once it was revved, she turned her attention towards the yard. "It's the little things we learn for ourselves that we have to enjoy, right?" she stated, giving Ana a slight wink before she went to work on the yard.
That was definitely one way to look at it. Pushing out a short sigh, Ana tossed Iris’s pokéball, smiling when the dratini appeared. “You know the drill,” she said, nodding towards the pool. “We’ve gotta make sure Bubbles and Glub have a clean house, so… Aqua Tail.”
She and Iris had a system for this chore: Iris would wet a patch with the move, Ana would scrub it down with specialized soap and elbow grease, and then while she moved on to the next spot, Iris would rinse. The hum of the lawnmower in the distance was a pleasant reminder of the fact that she wasn’t working alone, and before long, she’d settled into the rhythm of it, humming along with her work.
Including cleaning the mower and refilling the pool, the work took about an hour and a half. On top of all the other lifting and hauling she’d done early in the day, Ana’s muscles were aching, but it wasn’t entirely unpleasant. She considered it a reminder that they had the ability to help her do these things.
Not long after, she and Cyrilla sat at the table outdoors, drinking tea with cookies. Ana leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes, stretching out the muscles of her back. “Were your early years with Team Rocket difficult?” she asked, cracking an eyelid to peer at Cyrilla from one blue eye. “I don’t really know what’s involved in being a grunt or anything like that, except that the rank is obviously lower.”
"I suppose you could say so," she replied almost immediately, leaning into her chair as well. She had a content smile on her face, and her eyes were closed somewhat. She cracked her eyes open, though, and turned her head towards Ana. "It took me a long time to climb my way up the ranks. Everyone I met, who were grunts like me, wanted to succeed in what they did. Me, being the silly person that I am, wanted to help them. And so, I spent most of my time helping out my fellow grunts, making sure they were taken care of and at least somewhat comfortable in what they were doing."
She turned away when she spoke, a melancholic expression crossing her face. "But then I realized I was losing Eryk, and by the time I realized it, he was already earning his first rank as a Beast. They called him Entei. I felt... left behind, sort of," she continued, taking a deep breath. It didn't seem easy for her to say this, but she seemed comfortable enough with Ana. "In the end, I started focusing on advancing myself, and some people, some of my closest friends in the organization, resented me for it. I don't blame them, I really don't. But... I was on a mission. If I failed it, then what use would I have been to them," she ended that note with a soft hum and scoff.
"They mean a lot to me," though who they were was left ambiguous. Maybe she did that on purpose, but she seemed to accept it with a slight shake of her head. "What good is having friends if you can't share your secrets, right?" she stated suddenly, glancing fully at Ana. "I'm sure you know, but I'm talking about Kas and Eryk. They really do mean a lot to me, and... I want to help them any way I can. I just don't know if I have. You too, actually. You're... kind of my best friend, now that I think about it," she spoke, laughing lightly at herself.
“You’re kind of my best friend, too,” Ana replied honestly. It wasn’t something she’d ever thought about in those terms; she just knew she had friends that she loved and cared about now. And if some people thought six months was too short a time to feel that way about them, well… Ana would simply have to disagree. She rubbed her thumb on the rim of her teacup; the small smile she wore faded a little as she considered the implications of Cyrilla’s words.
“It sounds like… you joined Team Rocket for the sole purpose of helping them,” she said, tilting her head to the side a little. It was quite an extraordinary thing to do, but Ana had no problem believing it was true of Cyrilla. She was the kind of person who wouldn’t hesitate to do that. “I’m sure you have, for whatever that’s worth—but I thought you two didn’t really know Kas that well until you’d already joined?” There was a small discrepancy there that she didn’t know what to do with. To hear Kas tell it, he’d only really interacted with a couple of times before she joined, and both of those times were just because he happened to be with Eryk.
"I was in training when I met Kas. Eryk had already been with the organization for a few years, and he came home to visit the clan one day. Kas was with him and... well, um," she started, turning just the slightest bit pink. "It was that first interaction we had that I realized Kas was a little like Eryk. I mean, they're completely different people on the outside, but they were, are, good people. And... I... kind of have a crush on Kas," she spoke, though she must have realized what she said because she choked a bit.
"I mean, I had a crush on him. Not that it had anything to do with the reason why I joined, I just..." she laughed nervously and glanced away for a moment. "A-Anyway, after that, I just wanted to help them, you know? He and Eryk, I think, were just barely above Grunt status then, because when I finally joined, they were already close to being Executives. Eryk and Kas weren't really on good terms, exactly. Kas annoyed Eryk to no end, but... I think he's actually quite fond of Kas, now. Funny how time has a way of changing your perspective on things," she chuckled softly.
“It does,” Ana agreed. Somehow, she wasn’t exactly surprised by the fact that Cyrilla had—or was it used to have? The matter wasn’t clear—feelings for Kasimir.
She contemplated that for a moment, sipping carefully at her hot tea and feeling herself start to relax as her muscles unwound. “Do you… still have those feelings for him? I’d have thought that if you did, the two of you would be, well… together. It doesn’t seem to me like he’d turn you down, I don’t think?” She was careful to keep the words measured and her tone delicate—as often as things like that might be ultimately trivial, Cyrilla didn’t really seem to do unserious feelings. She gave herself wholly to whatever she decided she wanted to do.
Ana didn’t see any reason to believe relationships of that kind would be different. “Not… that I’m an expert,” she confessed, smiling sheepishly. “I don’t really have any experience to guide, in matters like those.” It wasn’t really the kind of thing you let yourself think about, when relationships, real ones, were meant to be long-term, and she just didn’t have any interest in short-term things of that kind.
Cyrilla looked like she almost fell out of her chair when she'd asked the question. She regained her composure, though, and smiled a little solemnly. "I do, but... I'm trying to put them away. Kas isn't exactly the type of person who has just one relationship. Actually, I've never seen him in one, so I can't say for sure," she began, sitting up properly in the chair and folding her hands in her lap. "But I know that even if I did tell him anything about it, he wouldn't... he wouldn't be with me. I'm not exactly his type. I don't even know if he has one. Also... please don't take this the wrong way, but," she paused and seemed a little hesitant to continue.
"Even if we could be together, we couldn't. It just wouldn't work out that way," she smiled, but it wasn't so sad this time. "Besides, my family probably wouldn't even allow it. It shouldn't matter, but it does," she added. Something like realization flashed through her eyes, and for a moment, there was a sort of sadness to them. She shook her head and smiled regularly. "I'm not one to talk, though. Someone else I know is having a hard time dealing with their own feelings and doesn't want to admit it," she spoke, glancing a little slyly at Ana.
"But they're a good co-worker so hopefully someone will help them sort it out. I think it'll be cute once they do," she spoke, laughing just lightly to herself.
“Well,” Ana said slowly, “I hope as your best friend I’m allowed to say this, but… it sounds like you’re making a lot of assumptions about him, and about how things would be if you were together. I suppose the family issue might be a real problem, but… I don’t know. I think it might not be impossible to get around. As for your… coworker?” It seemed like an abrupt change of topic to Ana, but she decided to go with it. “I hope their situation works out for the best, too. Life is… well, I suppose not every life is all that short, but… not even healthy people know what tomorrow’s going to be like. That seems like a good reason to do your best to be happy today, doesn’t it?”
Ana finished her tea, setting the cup down on the saucer with a soft clink, and reached for one of the cookies. Since it was just Cy and herself, she’d made them sweet this time—though maybe not as much as she used to. They were based on dark chocolate and orange. She hadn’t even thought about it—maybe her tastes had changed a little from eating so many not-so-sweet desserts recently?
She hummed a thoughtful tune in the back of her throat, and merely nodded her head. "Maybe. I'll be sure to let them know that," she stated, returning to a slouch in her chair. She took one of the cookies as well, and nearly chuckled when she did. "I see Ryk is rubbing off on you with all this not-so-sweet sweets," she stated, finishing off the cookie. "I suppose that isn't a bad thing, though. Sometimes sweets get a little over rated, right?" she stated, her smile turning into a wide grin. She blinked somewhat, as if a sudden thought occurred.
"You know what we need," she started, glancing up towards the sky. "We need to go camping one day, maybe make a make-shift camp in your yard. It'll be nice and we'd all get to have a nice day to relax," she suggested.
Ana chuckled. “Well, there are a few smaller, unpopulated islands around Cinnabar. Maybe we could go camping on one of those. It would be nice, I think…” She’d never really been camping before, but it seemed like a nice idea. Maybe she could ask her aunt to look in on the shelter for a day or two. “Might be good to make a weekend of it sometime, perhaps after the rainy season is over.”
It was a nice thought, at least.
At least the weather was cool enough that she didn’t sweat much in the process. She wasn’t sure who was coming by to help her today, but they were due soon, so she put the rest of the bags where they belonged and stepped out of the shed, leaving it unlocked behind her. The rest of the chores for today consisted of cleaning out the pool, which was not a fun task but necessary, and mowing the lawn, so she’d prepared by moving everyone inside already. Thankfully they were used to the sound of the mower by now and wouldn’t be startled by it.
Approaching the pool, she reached out with a gloved hand and turned the handle that would drain it from the bottom. It ran into the island’s sewer system, and would end up at the water treatment facility like everything else. That was nice—one thing she could say in favor of Team Rocket was that all the codes they enforced for residential pokémon habitats saved a lot of energy and resources by making sure no special handling was needed for things like this. She shuddered to think of how much it would cost her to run the place if she needed to have all the dirty water hauled off by a truck every time. Having the right filter installed was more up-front, but a lot easier in the long run.
Turns out, it was Cyrilla who came to help. She was smiling when she approached the gate, opening it to let herself inside. "Hi Ana!" she called out, though there was a missing factor. Kenshin wasn't with her. He was usually with her and no longer restrained to his pokéball. He probably stayed behind. "Eryk wanted to come, but he had a business call to take care of. Otherwise, Mr. Grumpy would have been here instead," she spoke, as if explaining the situation. She glanced around the area, taking in the scenery apparently. Like it was the first time she'd seen it.
"It looks so empty without the pokémon in the yard," she spoke, though it was in a thoughtful tone. "So what's on the agenda for today? Ryk said something about the yard, but I wasn't paying too much attention. I was just happy to come in his place today," she admitted, a small grin forming on her lips like she'd somehow outwitted him in something.
Ana wasn’t sure what that something would be, but she smiled anyway, lifting her shoulders in a casual shrug. “Well, today I have to clean out the pool and mow the lawn.” She thought about it for a second, unsure she should really be asking for help with tasks that were quite this laborious. “If you wanted to help, I could show you how to use the mower, but cleaning the pool is really unpleasant, and probably much faster if I just do it myself.”
The last of the water drained away with a gurgle at the bottom of the pool’s tub, and she wrinkled her nose. “I’d really understand if you’d rather just go play with the pokémon, though—you really don’t have to do any of this.” Even just imagining any of this muck in Cyrilla’s gorgeous hair kind of made her feel vaguely guilty.
Cyrilla didn't seem to mind, though. She just raised a brow in her direction, and seemed to smirk a bit. "Really Ana? You think I'm going to leave you to do all of the work yourself? Eryk would get really mad at me if I did that, and I would get mad at myself for just coming over to play with the pokémon. I've done worse things than mowing a yard and cleaning out pools," she spoke, slightly amused at the fact Ana had suggested it, apparently.
"Besides, what kind of friend would I be if I did that? I'd lose my reputation as a nice person, and then I'd be dubbed the little Eryk of the group," she spoke, pulling her lips just slightly into a thin line. She must have been trying to pull her face into Eryk's. She couldn't hold it for too long, though, since she giggled at herself. "I'd rather not be called little Eryk, if you don't mind. Now, let me help you with this, or I'll have Gyarados restrain you and I'll do it all myself," she spoke, a hint of teasing in her voice, but also something quite serious.
Well, when she put it that way… “The lawnmower’s in the shed,” Ana said, leading the way over to it and pushing the door open. “It’s just a standard push one, though it will mostly move itself and just needs guidance around corners and things.” She honestly wasn’t sure how much experience Cyrilla had with lawn chores. One of the things that bothered her about asking her friends to help with this kind of thing was that they all seemed a little… above that sort of thing. Especially Eryk and Cy—maybe because of what little she knew about how they’d been raised? Kas seemed like the kind of person who might have been made to mow a lawn before, but the others were… different.
“Anyway, um… it has gas and everything already. If you have any questions about it, please let me know. I’m going to take care of the pool.” She pulled down a caddy of large scrub brushes and other supplies from one of the shelves, hefting it in her hands.
"Thanks," Cyrilla replied, moving to remove the lawn mower from the shed. Once she'd done that, she stared at it, and then back at Ana, smiling as she did so. "You know, up until a few years ago, I wouldn't have known how to use one of these," she spoke, her smile slightly disappearing. "You start out doing menial tasks as a Grunt, and sometimes that includes doing things for those with a higher rank. One of the members I was under, before I was moved under Ryk, had me cut his yard. I mean, I'm not resentful for it or anything. I actually enjoyed doing it because I learned how to do something on my own, you know?" she stated, pulling at the string to get the lawn mower going.
Once it was revved, she turned her attention towards the yard. "It's the little things we learn for ourselves that we have to enjoy, right?" she stated, giving Ana a slight wink before she went to work on the yard.
That was definitely one way to look at it. Pushing out a short sigh, Ana tossed Iris’s pokéball, smiling when the dratini appeared. “You know the drill,” she said, nodding towards the pool. “We’ve gotta make sure Bubbles and Glub have a clean house, so… Aqua Tail.”
She and Iris had a system for this chore: Iris would wet a patch with the move, Ana would scrub it down with specialized soap and elbow grease, and then while she moved on to the next spot, Iris would rinse. The hum of the lawnmower in the distance was a pleasant reminder of the fact that she wasn’t working alone, and before long, she’d settled into the rhythm of it, humming along with her work.
Including cleaning the mower and refilling the pool, the work took about an hour and a half. On top of all the other lifting and hauling she’d done early in the day, Ana’s muscles were aching, but it wasn’t entirely unpleasant. She considered it a reminder that they had the ability to help her do these things.
Not long after, she and Cyrilla sat at the table outdoors, drinking tea with cookies. Ana leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes, stretching out the muscles of her back. “Were your early years with Team Rocket difficult?” she asked, cracking an eyelid to peer at Cyrilla from one blue eye. “I don’t really know what’s involved in being a grunt or anything like that, except that the rank is obviously lower.”
"I suppose you could say so," she replied almost immediately, leaning into her chair as well. She had a content smile on her face, and her eyes were closed somewhat. She cracked her eyes open, though, and turned her head towards Ana. "It took me a long time to climb my way up the ranks. Everyone I met, who were grunts like me, wanted to succeed in what they did. Me, being the silly person that I am, wanted to help them. And so, I spent most of my time helping out my fellow grunts, making sure they were taken care of and at least somewhat comfortable in what they were doing."
She turned away when she spoke, a melancholic expression crossing her face. "But then I realized I was losing Eryk, and by the time I realized it, he was already earning his first rank as a Beast. They called him Entei. I felt... left behind, sort of," she continued, taking a deep breath. It didn't seem easy for her to say this, but she seemed comfortable enough with Ana. "In the end, I started focusing on advancing myself, and some people, some of my closest friends in the organization, resented me for it. I don't blame them, I really don't. But... I was on a mission. If I failed it, then what use would I have been to them," she ended that note with a soft hum and scoff.
"They mean a lot to me," though who they were was left ambiguous. Maybe she did that on purpose, but she seemed to accept it with a slight shake of her head. "What good is having friends if you can't share your secrets, right?" she stated suddenly, glancing fully at Ana. "I'm sure you know, but I'm talking about Kas and Eryk. They really do mean a lot to me, and... I want to help them any way I can. I just don't know if I have. You too, actually. You're... kind of my best friend, now that I think about it," she spoke, laughing lightly at herself.
“You’re kind of my best friend, too,” Ana replied honestly. It wasn’t something she’d ever thought about in those terms; she just knew she had friends that she loved and cared about now. And if some people thought six months was too short a time to feel that way about them, well… Ana would simply have to disagree. She rubbed her thumb on the rim of her teacup; the small smile she wore faded a little as she considered the implications of Cyrilla’s words.
“It sounds like… you joined Team Rocket for the sole purpose of helping them,” she said, tilting her head to the side a little. It was quite an extraordinary thing to do, but Ana had no problem believing it was true of Cyrilla. She was the kind of person who wouldn’t hesitate to do that. “I’m sure you have, for whatever that’s worth—but I thought you two didn’t really know Kas that well until you’d already joined?” There was a small discrepancy there that she didn’t know what to do with. To hear Kas tell it, he’d only really interacted with a couple of times before she joined, and both of those times were just because he happened to be with Eryk.
"I was in training when I met Kas. Eryk had already been with the organization for a few years, and he came home to visit the clan one day. Kas was with him and... well, um," she started, turning just the slightest bit pink. "It was that first interaction we had that I realized Kas was a little like Eryk. I mean, they're completely different people on the outside, but they were, are, good people. And... I... kind of have a crush on Kas," she spoke, though she must have realized what she said because she choked a bit.
"I mean, I had a crush on him. Not that it had anything to do with the reason why I joined, I just..." she laughed nervously and glanced away for a moment. "A-Anyway, after that, I just wanted to help them, you know? He and Eryk, I think, were just barely above Grunt status then, because when I finally joined, they were already close to being Executives. Eryk and Kas weren't really on good terms, exactly. Kas annoyed Eryk to no end, but... I think he's actually quite fond of Kas, now. Funny how time has a way of changing your perspective on things," she chuckled softly.
“It does,” Ana agreed. Somehow, she wasn’t exactly surprised by the fact that Cyrilla had—or was it used to have? The matter wasn’t clear—feelings for Kasimir.
She contemplated that for a moment, sipping carefully at her hot tea and feeling herself start to relax as her muscles unwound. “Do you… still have those feelings for him? I’d have thought that if you did, the two of you would be, well… together. It doesn’t seem to me like he’d turn you down, I don’t think?” She was careful to keep the words measured and her tone delicate—as often as things like that might be ultimately trivial, Cyrilla didn’t really seem to do unserious feelings. She gave herself wholly to whatever she decided she wanted to do.
Ana didn’t see any reason to believe relationships of that kind would be different. “Not… that I’m an expert,” she confessed, smiling sheepishly. “I don’t really have any experience to guide, in matters like those.” It wasn’t really the kind of thing you let yourself think about, when relationships, real ones, were meant to be long-term, and she just didn’t have any interest in short-term things of that kind.
Cyrilla looked like she almost fell out of her chair when she'd asked the question. She regained her composure, though, and smiled a little solemnly. "I do, but... I'm trying to put them away. Kas isn't exactly the type of person who has just one relationship. Actually, I've never seen him in one, so I can't say for sure," she began, sitting up properly in the chair and folding her hands in her lap. "But I know that even if I did tell him anything about it, he wouldn't... he wouldn't be with me. I'm not exactly his type. I don't even know if he has one. Also... please don't take this the wrong way, but," she paused and seemed a little hesitant to continue.
"Even if we could be together, we couldn't. It just wouldn't work out that way," she smiled, but it wasn't so sad this time. "Besides, my family probably wouldn't even allow it. It shouldn't matter, but it does," she added. Something like realization flashed through her eyes, and for a moment, there was a sort of sadness to them. She shook her head and smiled regularly. "I'm not one to talk, though. Someone else I know is having a hard time dealing with their own feelings and doesn't want to admit it," she spoke, glancing a little slyly at Ana.
"But they're a good co-worker so hopefully someone will help them sort it out. I think it'll be cute once they do," she spoke, laughing just lightly to herself.
“Well,” Ana said slowly, “I hope as your best friend I’m allowed to say this, but… it sounds like you’re making a lot of assumptions about him, and about how things would be if you were together. I suppose the family issue might be a real problem, but… I don’t know. I think it might not be impossible to get around. As for your… coworker?” It seemed like an abrupt change of topic to Ana, but she decided to go with it. “I hope their situation works out for the best, too. Life is… well, I suppose not every life is all that short, but… not even healthy people know what tomorrow’s going to be like. That seems like a good reason to do your best to be happy today, doesn’t it?”
Ana finished her tea, setting the cup down on the saucer with a soft clink, and reached for one of the cookies. Since it was just Cy and herself, she’d made them sweet this time—though maybe not as much as she used to. They were based on dark chocolate and orange. She hadn’t even thought about it—maybe her tastes had changed a little from eating so many not-so-sweet desserts recently?
She hummed a thoughtful tune in the back of her throat, and merely nodded her head. "Maybe. I'll be sure to let them know that," she stated, returning to a slouch in her chair. She took one of the cookies as well, and nearly chuckled when she did. "I see Ryk is rubbing off on you with all this not-so-sweet sweets," she stated, finishing off the cookie. "I suppose that isn't a bad thing, though. Sometimes sweets get a little over rated, right?" she stated, her smile turning into a wide grin. She blinked somewhat, as if a sudden thought occurred.
"You know what we need," she started, glancing up towards the sky. "We need to go camping one day, maybe make a make-shift camp in your yard. It'll be nice and we'd all get to have a nice day to relax," she suggested.
Ana chuckled. “Well, there are a few smaller, unpopulated islands around Cinnabar. Maybe we could go camping on one of those. It would be nice, I think…” She’d never really been camping before, but it seemed like a nice idea. Maybe she could ask her aunt to look in on the shelter for a day or two. “Might be good to make a weekend of it sometime, perhaps after the rainy season is over.”
It was a nice thought, at least.
Eryk was hanging out in his chair, perhaps a little unlike himself. His arms were hanging off of the sides, his head was leaning over the top, and he was just staring at the ceiling. He was having a bit of trouble sorting through things, and he'd been distracted as of late. So distracted that they had called to issue a complaint. Apparently he'd forgotten to send in a report in the last few weeks. He could have sworn he did, but going through the papers that were currently out of shape on his desk, had proven otherwise. The report was written, but it hadn't been sent off. He could have just e-mailed it to them, but he'd just forgotten.
He really felt distracted, and he couldn't quite place where it stemmed from. Part of it had mostly to do with what Cyrilla had told him, and the more he thought about it, the more distracted he became. What else could he possibly have missed? She had told him like it was something more, but how? How was it any more than what it was? He admitted that he enjoyed Ana's company, and that he'd liked her. But that was about as far as it went. He told Ana that she was a good friend to have, but now that he thought about it, that seemed wrong. He pulled a hand over his face, and dragged it across.
"I am distracted, and yet need a distraction," he spoke out loud. There was some irony in that statement, and Mankey seemed to have caught onto it. He simply jumped onto Eryk's lap, and stared at him. Eryk stared back. Neither of them blinked, and this went on for a few minutes more.
“You know,” Kas said from the doorway, “the resemblance really is quite striking. Between you and Mankey, that is.” He entered the office with a tray balanced on one hand. Steam wafted up from one of the plain white mugs from the breakroom—though by the smell of it, it had something much better in it than the instant coffee the grunts seemed to subsist on.
“Melly brought me coffee beans from the island,” he explained with a smile, obviously referring to his island. He talked about it like that, sometimes. “There aren’t any better ones in the world, so consider this a gourmet coffee experience. Black, as usual.” He set it down in front of Eryk, reaching back to the tray and producing an apple, which he handed to Mankey.
“And for everyone’s favorite troublemaker. Besides me, of course.” He tucked the tray under his arm and sat in one of the chairs on the other side of Eryk’s desk.
“So… what’s eating you?”
Both Mankey and Eryk turned their head in unison towards Kasimir, and for a moment, Eryk just stared at him. He frowned slightly, unsure of what to say himself. He didn't know what was eating him and he couldn't exactly describe it, either. He took the offered mug, and stared inside at the contents. Mankey took the apple happily, and jumped from Ryk's shoulder and made his way towards a make-shift tree that he could climb up. Eryk had it made special for Mankey so that he could have something to go in if he needed to.
"I don't know," he finally confessed, taking a drink from the cup. "I've been neglecting my duties, for some odd reason, and I think it has something to do with what Cy said," he continued once he'd swallowed his drink. He pursed his lips together as he thought about it more. He was pretty sure it was something that she'd said, but he still had some doubts. He glanced up at Kas, and furrowed his brows. "She told me that it's okay to admit that I enjoy someone's company," but he was still confused as to what she actually meant.
"And that it was okay to feel that," he stated, his brows furrowing deeper.
Kas propped an elbow on the armrest of the chair, resting his thumb on the underside of his chin and his knuckle in front of his mouth. He smiled for a second, but it faded pretty quickly. “Okay,” he replied slowly. “And the issue is that you don’t understand what she meant by that? Or that you do understand and aren’t sure you agree?” He seemed to treat Eryk’s conundrum almost as seriously as Eryk himself was—which was to say that he hadn’t immediately started cracking jokes or making fun of him. That was pretty unusual, actually.
If he were being honest, it was a little bit of both. He thought he knew what she meant by that, but he did know that he didn't necessarily agree with it. Considering how delicate this matter was to HQ, enjoying someone's company and admitting to it seemed like something he shouldn't do. It was dangerous ground for all of them, and he knew that. But...
"I don't know," he finally spoke, leaning back into his chair. "I think I know what she means, but I'm not entirely sure if it's the same thing. And no, I'm not so sure if I do agree if it is what I think it is," he admitted somewhat. Now, he was confused. The way he said it didn't make sense at all to himself, and he pursed his lips together. This was getting more confusing the longer he thought about it.
Kas smiled, apparently in good humor, but it was subtle compared to most of his facial expressions. “Slow down there, rapidash,” he said amiably. “I think you might be getting a little ahead of yourself here. All this is very vague so far. Now, I have my own ideas about what Cyrilla meant and how to take it, but why don’t we start simple: what do you think she meant to say when she told you that? Be as concrete and literal as possible: you’re good at that, so it’s what’ll help you think through this, right?”
"She asked me if I liked Ana and I told her yes. I like her because she's a good friend," he began, slowing down just slightly. "But from the way she said it, she made it seem like it was more than just that. I know it's not," he continued. He wasn't entirely stupid. He knew about things like crushes and shit like that. He'd known Cyrilla his entire life to not know what that was, however; he knew it wasn't the same thing with Ana. He simply enjoyed her company. That was it, right? Fuck, now he was doubting himself.
“Okay,” Kas said, seeming inclined to take him at his word, “so basically what you’re saying is that you think Cyrilla has misunderstood the nature of your feelings towards Ana.” He lifted both eyebrows at Eryk. “If that’s the case, what’s the problem? She misunderstood, said something that would only apply if she were correct—which you’ve said she isn’t. So it just straightforwardly doesn’t apply to the situation, right? You could tell her so if you wanted, but that doesn’t seem like the kind of thing that would distract you this much, does it?”
His friend’s words had a sort of deliberate patience to them, as though he were quite consciously guiding Eryk through his own thoughts on the matter. He didn’t try to tell Eryk what was going on in his head; all he did was ask questions to try and get clarification. It was kind of strange, for someone who usually happily informed other people of what they were thinking—and who was most often quite right about it.
Now that he thought about it, Kas was right. If Cyrilla wasn't right, then it shouldn't bother him. He shouldn't be this distracted over some misunderstanding. Well. Shit. Now this just got more confusing. He sighed heavily and made to take another drink of his cup, however; he paused and glanced at his own reflection. He could see his reflection in the dark coffee, but it was distorted somewhat. Kind of like how he felt at the moment. Maybe he was just misunderstanding the situation as a whole? Maybe it wasn't really that, that distracted him. Perhaps it was something more?
"You're right about that," he finally admitted, tearing his gaze from his coffee to stare at Kas. "I suppose I should talk to her about it, and get it straightened out, but," he paused just temporarily. Would it be that bad if he actually did? His face straightened out into something unreadable, he could tell. It would be, because then that meant he had compromised his mission and became personally attached. This was why he wanted to distance himself in the first place. The more he was around her, the more he wanted to stay around.
"Maybe there is some truth to what she says," he spoke softly. He hadn't meant to say it out loud though, and was glad he whispered it.
Kas apparently heard, though, because he sighed heavily through his nose. “I know you’re probably thinking about the mission right now,” he said slowly, quietly. “But… I’m not gonna tell you what to do, Ryk, but here’s a couple of things you should maybe consider. Firstly… it’s probably too late to do this clean like they wanted us to. Whether we like it or not, whether there’s more to it for you or not, she’s our friend. There’s no getting around that at this point, and we’re deluding ourselves if we think it’s going to end without pain, for us or for her, if we have to do whatever the boss is after.” His words had a heavy weight to them, like he was speaking from deeply personal experience.
Then again, he was friends with Ana too, so maybe he was. “Second… it might not turn out that way—by which I mean she might not be a candidate or a prospect or whatever for this project at the end. Maybe she doesn’t have what they’re looking for; we’ve seen no evidence of anything that should interest the boss. He’s not gonna care that she has Everett’s or runs a shelter or is probably the nicest person we know. So… it’s possible that we might be getting worried for nothing. If that was the case, well… maybe you should at least think about what you would do and how you would act if she wasn’t a target, because she might not be one forever. But she’ll still be here. In our lives. Just… stuff to think about, I guess.”
He actually hadn't thought about it that way. But if that were true, then it still wouldn't end well. They would get transferred to another place, probably back to Saffron if had to guess where. Even if it was just stuff to think about, he was thinking about it now, and that was what distracted him so much. He sighed heavily into his cup before taking the last bit of drink. He set the cup down, glanced towards Mankey who seemed to have fallen asleep in his tree, and back towards Kas.
"You know," he began, pausing just momentarily to gather his words properly. He allowed a subtle quirk of his lips to be shown. "You're a good friend when you want to be, giving out advice and all," he stated just barely short of amused. But he supposed Kas was also right about another thing. It is possible that they would be getting worried for nothing, and that he should at least take it into consideration. After all, with her disease, perhaps it would be best if he didn't get attached that way. Her days were, practically, numbered. There wasn't any guarantee that she would live past this year or the following year.
And for the second time in his life, Eryk felt a spike of hot fear course through his body. He shuddered slightly, but shook it off as best as he could. "Even though you can be an ass most of the time," he added, trying not to think of anything more than he had to, now.
“Well,” Kas drawled, grinning back, “someone’s gotta help you out. Cy’s apparently vague as hell, and we both know that kind of thing doesn’t penetrate that thick skull of yours.” Amusement glinted in his eyes; apparently he could only be serious for short periods at a time. “But honestly, Ryk, I’m glad to help—if that’s even what I just did. Might’ve made things worse, now that I think about it.”
His smile faded slightly, and he stood. “One last bit of advice, though… sometimes, we don’t get to decide what we feel. Attachment, affection—they don’t work like that, exactly. So… just be aware that the feelings might not be up to you, in the end, but the actions always are.”
Oh he knew that. "I am fully aware of that," he repeated, though to himself. He only had to look at his cousin to know that. She might say she's over her feelings, but Eryk knew better. He almost chuckled at that.
He really felt distracted, and he couldn't quite place where it stemmed from. Part of it had mostly to do with what Cyrilla had told him, and the more he thought about it, the more distracted he became. What else could he possibly have missed? She had told him like it was something more, but how? How was it any more than what it was? He admitted that he enjoyed Ana's company, and that he'd liked her. But that was about as far as it went. He told Ana that she was a good friend to have, but now that he thought about it, that seemed wrong. He pulled a hand over his face, and dragged it across.
"I am distracted, and yet need a distraction," he spoke out loud. There was some irony in that statement, and Mankey seemed to have caught onto it. He simply jumped onto Eryk's lap, and stared at him. Eryk stared back. Neither of them blinked, and this went on for a few minutes more.
“You know,” Kas said from the doorway, “the resemblance really is quite striking. Between you and Mankey, that is.” He entered the office with a tray balanced on one hand. Steam wafted up from one of the plain white mugs from the breakroom—though by the smell of it, it had something much better in it than the instant coffee the grunts seemed to subsist on.
“Melly brought me coffee beans from the island,” he explained with a smile, obviously referring to his island. He talked about it like that, sometimes. “There aren’t any better ones in the world, so consider this a gourmet coffee experience. Black, as usual.” He set it down in front of Eryk, reaching back to the tray and producing an apple, which he handed to Mankey.
“And for everyone’s favorite troublemaker. Besides me, of course.” He tucked the tray under his arm and sat in one of the chairs on the other side of Eryk’s desk.
“So… what’s eating you?”
Both Mankey and Eryk turned their head in unison towards Kasimir, and for a moment, Eryk just stared at him. He frowned slightly, unsure of what to say himself. He didn't know what was eating him and he couldn't exactly describe it, either. He took the offered mug, and stared inside at the contents. Mankey took the apple happily, and jumped from Ryk's shoulder and made his way towards a make-shift tree that he could climb up. Eryk had it made special for Mankey so that he could have something to go in if he needed to.
"I don't know," he finally confessed, taking a drink from the cup. "I've been neglecting my duties, for some odd reason, and I think it has something to do with what Cy said," he continued once he'd swallowed his drink. He pursed his lips together as he thought about it more. He was pretty sure it was something that she'd said, but he still had some doubts. He glanced up at Kas, and furrowed his brows. "She told me that it's okay to admit that I enjoy someone's company," but he was still confused as to what she actually meant.
"And that it was okay to feel that," he stated, his brows furrowing deeper.
Kas propped an elbow on the armrest of the chair, resting his thumb on the underside of his chin and his knuckle in front of his mouth. He smiled for a second, but it faded pretty quickly. “Okay,” he replied slowly. “And the issue is that you don’t understand what she meant by that? Or that you do understand and aren’t sure you agree?” He seemed to treat Eryk’s conundrum almost as seriously as Eryk himself was—which was to say that he hadn’t immediately started cracking jokes or making fun of him. That was pretty unusual, actually.
If he were being honest, it was a little bit of both. He thought he knew what she meant by that, but he did know that he didn't necessarily agree with it. Considering how delicate this matter was to HQ, enjoying someone's company and admitting to it seemed like something he shouldn't do. It was dangerous ground for all of them, and he knew that. But...
"I don't know," he finally spoke, leaning back into his chair. "I think I know what she means, but I'm not entirely sure if it's the same thing. And no, I'm not so sure if I do agree if it is what I think it is," he admitted somewhat. Now, he was confused. The way he said it didn't make sense at all to himself, and he pursed his lips together. This was getting more confusing the longer he thought about it.
Kas smiled, apparently in good humor, but it was subtle compared to most of his facial expressions. “Slow down there, rapidash,” he said amiably. “I think you might be getting a little ahead of yourself here. All this is very vague so far. Now, I have my own ideas about what Cyrilla meant and how to take it, but why don’t we start simple: what do you think she meant to say when she told you that? Be as concrete and literal as possible: you’re good at that, so it’s what’ll help you think through this, right?”
"She asked me if I liked Ana and I told her yes. I like her because she's a good friend," he began, slowing down just slightly. "But from the way she said it, she made it seem like it was more than just that. I know it's not," he continued. He wasn't entirely stupid. He knew about things like crushes and shit like that. He'd known Cyrilla his entire life to not know what that was, however; he knew it wasn't the same thing with Ana. He simply enjoyed her company. That was it, right? Fuck, now he was doubting himself.
“Okay,” Kas said, seeming inclined to take him at his word, “so basically what you’re saying is that you think Cyrilla has misunderstood the nature of your feelings towards Ana.” He lifted both eyebrows at Eryk. “If that’s the case, what’s the problem? She misunderstood, said something that would only apply if she were correct—which you’ve said she isn’t. So it just straightforwardly doesn’t apply to the situation, right? You could tell her so if you wanted, but that doesn’t seem like the kind of thing that would distract you this much, does it?”
His friend’s words had a sort of deliberate patience to them, as though he were quite consciously guiding Eryk through his own thoughts on the matter. He didn’t try to tell Eryk what was going on in his head; all he did was ask questions to try and get clarification. It was kind of strange, for someone who usually happily informed other people of what they were thinking—and who was most often quite right about it.
Now that he thought about it, Kas was right. If Cyrilla wasn't right, then it shouldn't bother him. He shouldn't be this distracted over some misunderstanding. Well. Shit. Now this just got more confusing. He sighed heavily and made to take another drink of his cup, however; he paused and glanced at his own reflection. He could see his reflection in the dark coffee, but it was distorted somewhat. Kind of like how he felt at the moment. Maybe he was just misunderstanding the situation as a whole? Maybe it wasn't really that, that distracted him. Perhaps it was something more?
"You're right about that," he finally admitted, tearing his gaze from his coffee to stare at Kas. "I suppose I should talk to her about it, and get it straightened out, but," he paused just temporarily. Would it be that bad if he actually did? His face straightened out into something unreadable, he could tell. It would be, because then that meant he had compromised his mission and became personally attached. This was why he wanted to distance himself in the first place. The more he was around her, the more he wanted to stay around.
"Maybe there is some truth to what she says," he spoke softly. He hadn't meant to say it out loud though, and was glad he whispered it.
Kas apparently heard, though, because he sighed heavily through his nose. “I know you’re probably thinking about the mission right now,” he said slowly, quietly. “But… I’m not gonna tell you what to do, Ryk, but here’s a couple of things you should maybe consider. Firstly… it’s probably too late to do this clean like they wanted us to. Whether we like it or not, whether there’s more to it for you or not, she’s our friend. There’s no getting around that at this point, and we’re deluding ourselves if we think it’s going to end without pain, for us or for her, if we have to do whatever the boss is after.” His words had a heavy weight to them, like he was speaking from deeply personal experience.
Then again, he was friends with Ana too, so maybe he was. “Second… it might not turn out that way—by which I mean she might not be a candidate or a prospect or whatever for this project at the end. Maybe she doesn’t have what they’re looking for; we’ve seen no evidence of anything that should interest the boss. He’s not gonna care that she has Everett’s or runs a shelter or is probably the nicest person we know. So… it’s possible that we might be getting worried for nothing. If that was the case, well… maybe you should at least think about what you would do and how you would act if she wasn’t a target, because she might not be one forever. But she’ll still be here. In our lives. Just… stuff to think about, I guess.”
He actually hadn't thought about it that way. But if that were true, then it still wouldn't end well. They would get transferred to another place, probably back to Saffron if had to guess where. Even if it was just stuff to think about, he was thinking about it now, and that was what distracted him so much. He sighed heavily into his cup before taking the last bit of drink. He set the cup down, glanced towards Mankey who seemed to have fallen asleep in his tree, and back towards Kas.
"You know," he began, pausing just momentarily to gather his words properly. He allowed a subtle quirk of his lips to be shown. "You're a good friend when you want to be, giving out advice and all," he stated just barely short of amused. But he supposed Kas was also right about another thing. It is possible that they would be getting worried for nothing, and that he should at least take it into consideration. After all, with her disease, perhaps it would be best if he didn't get attached that way. Her days were, practically, numbered. There wasn't any guarantee that she would live past this year or the following year.
And for the second time in his life, Eryk felt a spike of hot fear course through his body. He shuddered slightly, but shook it off as best as he could. "Even though you can be an ass most of the time," he added, trying not to think of anything more than he had to, now.
“Well,” Kas drawled, grinning back, “someone’s gotta help you out. Cy’s apparently vague as hell, and we both know that kind of thing doesn’t penetrate that thick skull of yours.” Amusement glinted in his eyes; apparently he could only be serious for short periods at a time. “But honestly, Ryk, I’m glad to help—if that’s even what I just did. Might’ve made things worse, now that I think about it.”
His smile faded slightly, and he stood. “One last bit of advice, though… sometimes, we don’t get to decide what we feel. Attachment, affection—they don’t work like that, exactly. So… just be aware that the feelings might not be up to you, in the end, but the actions always are.”
Oh he knew that. "I am fully aware of that," he repeated, though to himself. He only had to look at his cousin to know that. She might say she's over her feelings, but Eryk knew better. He almost chuckled at that.
Music thudded in her ears; it wasn’t hard to time the rhythm of her footfalls to match it. That was, in fact, the basic incentive to running with music—to give yourself a steady pace and stick to it. Harper enjoyed running in the sand at the edge of the beach more than she thought she would; it was good resistance training. Pyrrha seemed to enjoy it, too—she kept running in and out of the waves and splashing around. For a fire-type, she really enjoyed the water. Perhaps that was due to her longstanding friendship with Torrent, which started when they were a litleo and a horsea respectively.
Una ran on her other side, less enthusiastic at the prospect of getting her fur wet. These two were her running partners, Torrent and Kelpie her swimming buddies, Shaolin her sparring partner, and Argent kept her company on the road and inside places where larger pokémon weren’t allowed to be loose. She had a friend everywhere she went, for most everything she could do.
She still managed to miss human companionship sometimes, though. Talking with your pokémon was well and good, but most couldn’t talk back, and even the species that could had wildly different outlooks on the world. Sometimes, a girl just wanted some time with her own species. Good thing her brother and his interesting friends lived on Cinnabar, she figured—that was better than having to talk to strangers to get that fix. But even this was only temporary; she’d be back to phone calls and no actual company soon enough.
Ugh.
Shaking her head and resolving not to think about it, Harper picked up the pace a little, switching the Pokégear armband she wore to play a different song.
"Hey Harper!" a voice called out that was easily recognizable as Cyrilla's. She was walking with someone, though, and from the looks of it, it looked like the Gym Leader, Drake. He waved in her direction too, a slightly goofy smile on his face and a tinge of red. Apparently he was still embarrassed about their first meeting. He offered a greeting as well, and Cyrilla turned to give him a confused look. "Oh? You've met already? Oh don't tell me you've already challenged him?!" she stated, glancing back towards Harper.
"What? No, she hasn't, actually," Drake intervened that one before anything could be said. "She came by the Gym a few days ago when I was closing it up for the day. That's how I met her," he spoke, laughing slightly nervously and it looked like he was refusing to look at her, now. At least in the eye.
Speaking of human company… Harper smiled at Cyrilla, letting it take a certain wicked edge when she noticed that Drake was with her. Well, well… fancy meeting him again. She knew at a glance that they weren’t anything more than friends—martial arts wasn’t the only thing she’d learned from her brother and strove to overtake him in. She was probably a little better at reading people, honestly, because she actually believed in love and knew how to see it, which was Mirmir’s biggest shortcoming.
“He gave me a nice tour and everything,” she said, amusement leaking into her voice. Shutting her music off, she dropped her earbuds around her neck and jogged the rest of the way over to them, pokémon in tow. They sat at her sides protectively as usual, but she clicked her tongue—a signal that they could relax. They might not ever fully do so, after everything, but they did ease up. Una leaned up against her side while Pyrrha went to sniff at the newcomers. She knew Cyrilla already leading her to concentrate her attention on Drake.
Harper huffed. “Don’t mind her; she’s nosy, is all.” She paused, glancing between them. “Were you two headed somewhere?”
"Aw, isn't that sweet, Drake," Cyrilla stated, shoving her shoulder into his, causing his face to turn a shade darker. "I'm surprised he even gave you a tour. If he was closing the Gym, I kind of figured he didn't want any company," she stated, causing Drake to sigh heavily.
"You make it sound like it's a bad thing to want to rest, Cy," he spoke, giving Cyrilla a sort of deadpanned look. "And actually, we were just taking a walk. I have a moment to breathe with no challengers," he paused momentarily to stare at Harper, "and Cyrilla was taking the day off for personal reasons. At least that's what she said. I kind of figured since Ana didn't need us today, we could at least spend our time in each other's company. It's nice to have friends like that," he stated, glancing towards Cyrilla and then back towards Harper.
"Do you want to join us? We were going to the pier, but they closed it down. Apparently someone accidentally set a stall on fire and they want to make sure everything is fine before they re-open it," she stated, glancing at Drake when she said that.
"You're looking at me like it was my fault," he commented. "I promise it wasn't my fault," he stated, glancing back at Harper.
Harper bit her tongue to keep from laughing, then realized that was stupid and just let herself laugh. “Oh?” she said with an air of thoughtfulness. “Well, I don’t know anyone else with quite so many fire pokémon as you, so the balance of probability is not on your side, leader-man.” She grinned, but shook her head to indicate that she was only joking.
“Anyway, if you can’t go to the pier, do you want to get something to eat? I just finished my run, so I’m kind of starving, and I haven’t been to many of the restaurants on the island yet.” She wasn’t sure anything would ever top Sheena’s place, but that was a really damn high bar. She wasn’t that much of a food snob. “I’ll buy,” she added, in case they didn’t want to spend the money. She figured they probably had it—more than her, since they were a Rocket admin and a gym leader, but hey, who knew?
"If we're going to go get something to eat, it's not going to be burgers," Cyrilla stated, giving Drake a rather flat look. "Last time he wanted to eat something, he wanted burgers. I think he lives off of burgers," she stated, leaning forward slightly as if she were trying to make it seem like a secret. It wasn't, obviously, since Drake could hear it.
"I resent that, you know," he stated, but shook his head. The color didn't quite leave his face, but it did fade a bit. "I guess it really depends on what you're in the mood for, though. We have a nice restaurant that specializes in Kalos region-styled foods, and then we have a restaurant that has good seafood," he began listing a few choices, and then gave a thoughtful nod. "Actually, we could probably whip something up at the Gym, too, since there's a kitchen and all. Cy makes awesome things so I'm sure she'd be happy to make you something," he stated, volunteering Cyrilla for it.
"Hey now, you can't just volunteer someone without asking them first. I'm standing right here, you know," Cyrilla chided, but it was in good nature. She didn't seem upset by the notion, after all. "I'm pretty sure the pretty lady wants something a little more convenient," she added, smiling a little wider when Drake's face regained color.
Rilla knew how to play this game. Harper was glad of it—it’d make things considerably more fun for her. “I’d hate to make someone cook homemade for me when there are so many good restaurant choices available,” she said truthfully, pinching two pokéballs off her belt and recalling Una and Pyrrha. That accomplished, she minimized and reattached them, looping an arm through one each of Rilla’s and Drake’s—and making a point to wink at him when she did it.
“Let’s do seafood. It’s gotta be good around here—it’s an island, for goodness’ sake! Which way do we go?” She looked back and forth between them—but she kept her hold on each of them loose enough to be easily escaped. Having fun with people was one thing; making them genuinely upset was another matter, and she knew better than most how uncomfortable it could be even to be touched by someone you didn’t want near you—so she silently gave them the option of moving away discreetly.
She could take a hint, after all.
Cyrilla laughed lightly, but Drake turned a deeper shade of red. "It's uh... it's this way, I think," he spoke, but he didn't remove his arm, either. Cyrilla, however, seemed to tighten her hold on Harper's arm, and looked like she was trying not to laugh. "It's owned by Nathan and his wife, Judith. The usually have a good variety of things if you don't want seafood, exactly," he added, clearing his throat a little awkwardly.
"But, you wouldn't have suggested seafood if you didn't want it," he continued, this time laughing nervously again. Cyrilla seemed amused by it because she was shaking a little bit, her cheeks puffing out just slightly.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say Drake, here, is a bit lost for words. Wow, Harper, I didn't know you could leave people so speechless," she finally spoke, amusement laced in her tone as Drake sputtered slightly.
"Hey now, that's not fair. I'm just... I don't," he tried to speak, apparently at a loss for words now.
"There's nothing wrong with it, Drake. I think it's adorable," she added, the color on Drake's face now matching the color of his hair.
Harper grinned at her. “Rilla, I’ve done much worse to people than this. This is me being merciful. Unless you’ve suddenly managed to forget just who I’m related to, hm?” Drake shouldn’t be the only one dealing with a little bit of fluster, after all. Harper wasn’t worried about dishing out anything she couldn’t take—the only person she’d ever met who could embarrass her was her brother.
Gently tugging the both of them forward, she set off in the direction Drake had sort-of indicated. “So, what do you guys like to eat, when you get to choose?” she asked, partly from curiosity and partly because she really was being merciful. “I really like Orange Islands food, but some people think it’s too spicy…”
"Oh, I like spicy foods, though," Cyrilla spoke after frowning slightly at Harper. Her face, however, managed to get some color on it, but she didn't say anything about that topic. "But spaghetti is nice, too, when I have the right ingredients," she continued. Drake seemed to muse the question over, though, and chewed his bottom lip thoughtfully.
"Well, as you've noticed, I live off a diet of burgers," he stated, shooting Cyrilla a glance when she snorted at him. "But I've never tried anything spicy, so I can't say for sure in that category," he commented and gave a shrug of his shoulders. "I suppose Cinnabar is more of a seafood island than it is anything else. But I'm not particularly fond of seafood," he added, pulling his brows together as he did so, and shook his head.
“Well, ya should’ve said so!” Harper protested. “If you don’t like seafood, we can go somewhere else that’s not burgers, since Rilla’s dead against that option. Unless the other stuff that they have is something you like, I guess.” She shrugged; he had mentioned that there were other options, so maybe there was something he knew he liked there? She’d forgotten what it was like to be local to someplace, over the years of travelling.
“But if you like spicy stuff, Rilla, you’ve gotta get Kas’s mom to cook for you someday. She owns a restaurant on her island—best food I’ve ever had, hands down. You’re going with him to Crystal’s wedding, right?” On second thought, it might not be that obvious? She expected Kas to invite her, and probably his other friends, too, but the idiot didn’t always do what she expected him to. Usually to worse results.
"Well because they do have other things on the menu I like. I wouldn't be familiar with them, otherwise," Drake replied raising an amused brow for a second before it dropped. Cyrilla, however, gave Harper a confused look. Apparently she hadn't heard.
"Actually, no. He hasn't, I didn't even know anyone in his family was getting married," she replied, looking confused still. "I mean, it would be nice to try new foods, though, but I don't think he'll invite us. We're his friends, but I think... that's more of a personal thing, right?" she continued, her brow still raised.
“Oh, he’ll invite you,” Harper replied with a frown. “Weddings on the island are different from how people do them other places. The ceremony’s short and sweet, but the real action is at the big party they have afterwards. There’s usually like a pig roast and tons of food and a lot of dancing and drinking, from what I hear.” She shrugged. It wasn’t like she was actually an islander herself—Kas got that from his mom. Her mom was a lawyer and part-time coordinator. “So what I mean is lots of people are invited. He probably just hasn’t gotten around to it yet because he’s a lazy bum who never does anything unless someone kicks him in the pants first.”
She huffed. “Anyway, enough about him. He’s lame.” She shook her head; at right about that time, they arrived at the restaurant. “Okay, Mr. I-know-everything-in-my-town, I’m expecting a fantastic menu consultation here. Wow me.” They headed inside the building, stopping in front of a host’s stand.
"Isn't the correct term, woo? I'm supposed to woo you, right?" Drake stated. Apparently Cyrilla found it funny, because she started laughing a little too loudly, causing some of the patrons to turn in their direction. "What?" he stated. Cyrilla wiped at her eyes and shook her head.
"Unless you want to go out on a date with her, no, Drake, it's not woo. She wants you to wow her with food, not woo her," she explained, causing Drake to turn a beet red.
"O-oh, OH!" he finally seemed to catch on. "Oh, well, there's, erm, stuff?" he was a little too embarrassed, it seemed.
“If you wanted to try wooing me, I won’t stop you,” Harper added playfully. “It’s kind of charming how earnest you are, so it might even work.” She narrowed her eyes with mirth, knocking him gently with her elbow so as to soften the embarrassment. Not that it would necessarily work, of course—the honest types tended to react the same whether it was in jest or serious. At least a lot of the time.
Drake just shook his head, placing his free hand against his face and groaned just lightly. "I didn't, I mean, you're pretty and all, I just... I'm making this worse on myself, aren't I?" he began, trailing off just slightly. Cyrilla shook her head and just laughed.
"No, but it is adorable. Oh, I forgot!" she stated, a slight chiming coming from her pocket. She fished around it to pull out a cell phone and pursed her lips together. "As much as I'd like to stay and eat with you both, something came up and I have to go back. Just... enjoy your date," she stated, shoving the phone back in her pocket and unhooked her arm from Harper's. Drake looked a bit confused at the statement before his eyes widened slightly.
"What, no Cy, it's not a date! It's not a date... right?" Drake stated as he turned a little flustered towards Harper as Cy left. She was snickering just slightly when she did, though.
Harper had a feeling Cy had definitely done that on purpose, but she didn’t call her out on it, since the result was so entertaining. She waved goodbye to the other woman as she left, then returned her attention to the extremely flustered-looking Drake. Taking pity on the poor guy, Harper decided to be honest.
“I tease people a lot, if you hadn’t noticed,” she said, smiling more gently than mischievously this time. “But I won’t take anything in that vein seriously unless you tell me to—I know the difference between the slip of a tongue and actual intent, okay?” She let the smile slide off her face. “And if I’m making you too uncomfortable, just say so. I won’t be offended—really.” Not everyone liked her exuberant, forward personality, and that was all right. It was more fun when they did, of course, but she had decided a long time ago that she was going to put the other person’s preferences first when it came to that kind of thing.
“So… no. Not a date. Just a nice guy keeping a girl company while she eats. Is that all right with you? Because you don’t have to stay.”
"Well, it would be kind of rude of me if I didn't at least join you, right? I'm actually kind of hungry anyway, so, I guess we could call this a friendly date? A date between new friends?" he didn't seem too sure if that's what you would call it, but he seemed a little more at ease. He shrugged lightly, though their arms were still looped together. Either he'd forgotten about it, or he just didn't seem to notice too much.
"So, shall we go get something to eat, then?"
Well, if he wasn’t complaining, she wouldn’t either. “Sure, Drake. Let’s do that.”
Una ran on her other side, less enthusiastic at the prospect of getting her fur wet. These two were her running partners, Torrent and Kelpie her swimming buddies, Shaolin her sparring partner, and Argent kept her company on the road and inside places where larger pokémon weren’t allowed to be loose. She had a friend everywhere she went, for most everything she could do.
She still managed to miss human companionship sometimes, though. Talking with your pokémon was well and good, but most couldn’t talk back, and even the species that could had wildly different outlooks on the world. Sometimes, a girl just wanted some time with her own species. Good thing her brother and his interesting friends lived on Cinnabar, she figured—that was better than having to talk to strangers to get that fix. But even this was only temporary; she’d be back to phone calls and no actual company soon enough.
Ugh.
Shaking her head and resolving not to think about it, Harper picked up the pace a little, switching the Pokégear armband she wore to play a different song.
"Hey Harper!" a voice called out that was easily recognizable as Cyrilla's. She was walking with someone, though, and from the looks of it, it looked like the Gym Leader, Drake. He waved in her direction too, a slightly goofy smile on his face and a tinge of red. Apparently he was still embarrassed about their first meeting. He offered a greeting as well, and Cyrilla turned to give him a confused look. "Oh? You've met already? Oh don't tell me you've already challenged him?!" she stated, glancing back towards Harper.
"What? No, she hasn't, actually," Drake intervened that one before anything could be said. "She came by the Gym a few days ago when I was closing it up for the day. That's how I met her," he spoke, laughing slightly nervously and it looked like he was refusing to look at her, now. At least in the eye.
Speaking of human company… Harper smiled at Cyrilla, letting it take a certain wicked edge when she noticed that Drake was with her. Well, well… fancy meeting him again. She knew at a glance that they weren’t anything more than friends—martial arts wasn’t the only thing she’d learned from her brother and strove to overtake him in. She was probably a little better at reading people, honestly, because she actually believed in love and knew how to see it, which was Mirmir’s biggest shortcoming.
“He gave me a nice tour and everything,” she said, amusement leaking into her voice. Shutting her music off, she dropped her earbuds around her neck and jogged the rest of the way over to them, pokémon in tow. They sat at her sides protectively as usual, but she clicked her tongue—a signal that they could relax. They might not ever fully do so, after everything, but they did ease up. Una leaned up against her side while Pyrrha went to sniff at the newcomers. She knew Cyrilla already leading her to concentrate her attention on Drake.
Harper huffed. “Don’t mind her; she’s nosy, is all.” She paused, glancing between them. “Were you two headed somewhere?”
"Aw, isn't that sweet, Drake," Cyrilla stated, shoving her shoulder into his, causing his face to turn a shade darker. "I'm surprised he even gave you a tour. If he was closing the Gym, I kind of figured he didn't want any company," she stated, causing Drake to sigh heavily.
"You make it sound like it's a bad thing to want to rest, Cy," he spoke, giving Cyrilla a sort of deadpanned look. "And actually, we were just taking a walk. I have a moment to breathe with no challengers," he paused momentarily to stare at Harper, "and Cyrilla was taking the day off for personal reasons. At least that's what she said. I kind of figured since Ana didn't need us today, we could at least spend our time in each other's company. It's nice to have friends like that," he stated, glancing towards Cyrilla and then back towards Harper.
"Do you want to join us? We were going to the pier, but they closed it down. Apparently someone accidentally set a stall on fire and they want to make sure everything is fine before they re-open it," she stated, glancing at Drake when she said that.
"You're looking at me like it was my fault," he commented. "I promise it wasn't my fault," he stated, glancing back at Harper.
Harper bit her tongue to keep from laughing, then realized that was stupid and just let herself laugh. “Oh?” she said with an air of thoughtfulness. “Well, I don’t know anyone else with quite so many fire pokémon as you, so the balance of probability is not on your side, leader-man.” She grinned, but shook her head to indicate that she was only joking.
“Anyway, if you can’t go to the pier, do you want to get something to eat? I just finished my run, so I’m kind of starving, and I haven’t been to many of the restaurants on the island yet.” She wasn’t sure anything would ever top Sheena’s place, but that was a really damn high bar. She wasn’t that much of a food snob. “I’ll buy,” she added, in case they didn’t want to spend the money. She figured they probably had it—more than her, since they were a Rocket admin and a gym leader, but hey, who knew?
"If we're going to go get something to eat, it's not going to be burgers," Cyrilla stated, giving Drake a rather flat look. "Last time he wanted to eat something, he wanted burgers. I think he lives off of burgers," she stated, leaning forward slightly as if she were trying to make it seem like a secret. It wasn't, obviously, since Drake could hear it.
"I resent that, you know," he stated, but shook his head. The color didn't quite leave his face, but it did fade a bit. "I guess it really depends on what you're in the mood for, though. We have a nice restaurant that specializes in Kalos region-styled foods, and then we have a restaurant that has good seafood," he began listing a few choices, and then gave a thoughtful nod. "Actually, we could probably whip something up at the Gym, too, since there's a kitchen and all. Cy makes awesome things so I'm sure she'd be happy to make you something," he stated, volunteering Cyrilla for it.
"Hey now, you can't just volunteer someone without asking them first. I'm standing right here, you know," Cyrilla chided, but it was in good nature. She didn't seem upset by the notion, after all. "I'm pretty sure the pretty lady wants something a little more convenient," she added, smiling a little wider when Drake's face regained color.
Rilla knew how to play this game. Harper was glad of it—it’d make things considerably more fun for her. “I’d hate to make someone cook homemade for me when there are so many good restaurant choices available,” she said truthfully, pinching two pokéballs off her belt and recalling Una and Pyrrha. That accomplished, she minimized and reattached them, looping an arm through one each of Rilla’s and Drake’s—and making a point to wink at him when she did it.
“Let’s do seafood. It’s gotta be good around here—it’s an island, for goodness’ sake! Which way do we go?” She looked back and forth between them—but she kept her hold on each of them loose enough to be easily escaped. Having fun with people was one thing; making them genuinely upset was another matter, and she knew better than most how uncomfortable it could be even to be touched by someone you didn’t want near you—so she silently gave them the option of moving away discreetly.
She could take a hint, after all.
Cyrilla laughed lightly, but Drake turned a deeper shade of red. "It's uh... it's this way, I think," he spoke, but he didn't remove his arm, either. Cyrilla, however, seemed to tighten her hold on Harper's arm, and looked like she was trying not to laugh. "It's owned by Nathan and his wife, Judith. The usually have a good variety of things if you don't want seafood, exactly," he added, clearing his throat a little awkwardly.
"But, you wouldn't have suggested seafood if you didn't want it," he continued, this time laughing nervously again. Cyrilla seemed amused by it because she was shaking a little bit, her cheeks puffing out just slightly.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say Drake, here, is a bit lost for words. Wow, Harper, I didn't know you could leave people so speechless," she finally spoke, amusement laced in her tone as Drake sputtered slightly.
"Hey now, that's not fair. I'm just... I don't," he tried to speak, apparently at a loss for words now.
"There's nothing wrong with it, Drake. I think it's adorable," she added, the color on Drake's face now matching the color of his hair.
Harper grinned at her. “Rilla, I’ve done much worse to people than this. This is me being merciful. Unless you’ve suddenly managed to forget just who I’m related to, hm?” Drake shouldn’t be the only one dealing with a little bit of fluster, after all. Harper wasn’t worried about dishing out anything she couldn’t take—the only person she’d ever met who could embarrass her was her brother.
Gently tugging the both of them forward, she set off in the direction Drake had sort-of indicated. “So, what do you guys like to eat, when you get to choose?” she asked, partly from curiosity and partly because she really was being merciful. “I really like Orange Islands food, but some people think it’s too spicy…”
"Oh, I like spicy foods, though," Cyrilla spoke after frowning slightly at Harper. Her face, however, managed to get some color on it, but she didn't say anything about that topic. "But spaghetti is nice, too, when I have the right ingredients," she continued. Drake seemed to muse the question over, though, and chewed his bottom lip thoughtfully.
"Well, as you've noticed, I live off a diet of burgers," he stated, shooting Cyrilla a glance when she snorted at him. "But I've never tried anything spicy, so I can't say for sure in that category," he commented and gave a shrug of his shoulders. "I suppose Cinnabar is more of a seafood island than it is anything else. But I'm not particularly fond of seafood," he added, pulling his brows together as he did so, and shook his head.
“Well, ya should’ve said so!” Harper protested. “If you don’t like seafood, we can go somewhere else that’s not burgers, since Rilla’s dead against that option. Unless the other stuff that they have is something you like, I guess.” She shrugged; he had mentioned that there were other options, so maybe there was something he knew he liked there? She’d forgotten what it was like to be local to someplace, over the years of travelling.
“But if you like spicy stuff, Rilla, you’ve gotta get Kas’s mom to cook for you someday. She owns a restaurant on her island—best food I’ve ever had, hands down. You’re going with him to Crystal’s wedding, right?” On second thought, it might not be that obvious? She expected Kas to invite her, and probably his other friends, too, but the idiot didn’t always do what she expected him to. Usually to worse results.
"Well because they do have other things on the menu I like. I wouldn't be familiar with them, otherwise," Drake replied raising an amused brow for a second before it dropped. Cyrilla, however, gave Harper a confused look. Apparently she hadn't heard.
"Actually, no. He hasn't, I didn't even know anyone in his family was getting married," she replied, looking confused still. "I mean, it would be nice to try new foods, though, but I don't think he'll invite us. We're his friends, but I think... that's more of a personal thing, right?" she continued, her brow still raised.
“Oh, he’ll invite you,” Harper replied with a frown. “Weddings on the island are different from how people do them other places. The ceremony’s short and sweet, but the real action is at the big party they have afterwards. There’s usually like a pig roast and tons of food and a lot of dancing and drinking, from what I hear.” She shrugged. It wasn’t like she was actually an islander herself—Kas got that from his mom. Her mom was a lawyer and part-time coordinator. “So what I mean is lots of people are invited. He probably just hasn’t gotten around to it yet because he’s a lazy bum who never does anything unless someone kicks him in the pants first.”
She huffed. “Anyway, enough about him. He’s lame.” She shook her head; at right about that time, they arrived at the restaurant. “Okay, Mr. I-know-everything-in-my-town, I’m expecting a fantastic menu consultation here. Wow me.” They headed inside the building, stopping in front of a host’s stand.
"Isn't the correct term, woo? I'm supposed to woo you, right?" Drake stated. Apparently Cyrilla found it funny, because she started laughing a little too loudly, causing some of the patrons to turn in their direction. "What?" he stated. Cyrilla wiped at her eyes and shook her head.
"Unless you want to go out on a date with her, no, Drake, it's not woo. She wants you to wow her with food, not woo her," she explained, causing Drake to turn a beet red.
"O-oh, OH!" he finally seemed to catch on. "Oh, well, there's, erm, stuff?" he was a little too embarrassed, it seemed.
“If you wanted to try wooing me, I won’t stop you,” Harper added playfully. “It’s kind of charming how earnest you are, so it might even work.” She narrowed her eyes with mirth, knocking him gently with her elbow so as to soften the embarrassment. Not that it would necessarily work, of course—the honest types tended to react the same whether it was in jest or serious. At least a lot of the time.
Drake just shook his head, placing his free hand against his face and groaned just lightly. "I didn't, I mean, you're pretty and all, I just... I'm making this worse on myself, aren't I?" he began, trailing off just slightly. Cyrilla shook her head and just laughed.
"No, but it is adorable. Oh, I forgot!" she stated, a slight chiming coming from her pocket. She fished around it to pull out a cell phone and pursed her lips together. "As much as I'd like to stay and eat with you both, something came up and I have to go back. Just... enjoy your date," she stated, shoving the phone back in her pocket and unhooked her arm from Harper's. Drake looked a bit confused at the statement before his eyes widened slightly.
"What, no Cy, it's not a date! It's not a date... right?" Drake stated as he turned a little flustered towards Harper as Cy left. She was snickering just slightly when she did, though.
Harper had a feeling Cy had definitely done that on purpose, but she didn’t call her out on it, since the result was so entertaining. She waved goodbye to the other woman as she left, then returned her attention to the extremely flustered-looking Drake. Taking pity on the poor guy, Harper decided to be honest.
“I tease people a lot, if you hadn’t noticed,” she said, smiling more gently than mischievously this time. “But I won’t take anything in that vein seriously unless you tell me to—I know the difference between the slip of a tongue and actual intent, okay?” She let the smile slide off her face. “And if I’m making you too uncomfortable, just say so. I won’t be offended—really.” Not everyone liked her exuberant, forward personality, and that was all right. It was more fun when they did, of course, but she had decided a long time ago that she was going to put the other person’s preferences first when it came to that kind of thing.
“So… no. Not a date. Just a nice guy keeping a girl company while she eats. Is that all right with you? Because you don’t have to stay.”
"Well, it would be kind of rude of me if I didn't at least join you, right? I'm actually kind of hungry anyway, so, I guess we could call this a friendly date? A date between new friends?" he didn't seem too sure if that's what you would call it, but he seemed a little more at ease. He shrugged lightly, though their arms were still looped together. Either he'd forgotten about it, or he just didn't seem to notice too much.
"So, shall we go get something to eat, then?"
Well, if he wasn’t complaining, she wouldn’t either. “Sure, Drake. Let’s do that.”
"Cy, what are you doing?" Eryk spoke, glancing at her with a confused expression. Currently, he was upside down to her, and she blinked up at him.
"Well, you see," she began, staying in her spot. She didn't move or anything mainly because she was sort of stuck. Her leg was dangling over one side of the chair and her arm was hooked uncomfortably so around the arm of the chair. Both of them, however, were currently on the floor, and she laughed nervously up at him. She'd been trying to reach something at the top of her shelf, and since she was a tad bit too short, she ended up falling over the chair. Not that Eryk needed to know, of course. "I fell out of my chair," because that seemed like a more reasonable excuse.
"Near your bookcase?" he retorted as if he didn't believe her. He probably didn't, but she wasn't going to say that. "Honestly, Cyrilla, if you needed help you could have asked," he spoke, sighing heavily as he walked over towards her. Gently, he grabbed her arm and unhooked it before helping her stand up. She dusted off her skirt before smiling awkwardly at him. She was kind of grateful that she was wearing shorts underneath. Her face turned the slightest bit pink before she glanced back up at the shelf.
"There was just something at the top of the shelf that I wanted to get before I forgot about it," she spoke. Somehow, her orchid had reached the top of her shelf from where it used to be, and she had a feeling she knew who the culprit was. It's not that she didn't want to give him the candy apple. It just... fell out of her hand and over the pier. Eryk, however, followed her gaze and he must have spotted it because he frowned slightly. Shaking his head, he reached over to pluck the orchid from its spot and handed it to her.
"I will never understand you and your feelings," he spoke, causing her face to turn a shade darker than it was. "You should at least stop pretending you don't still love him. And don't say you don't, because I know you do," he spoke, his voice a little too stern for him to be joking. She merely rolled her eyes at him, though. What did he know? A lot apparently. She shook that thought from her head and instead, smiled at him.
"Whatever you say, Ryk. Whatever you say. Anyway, since you're here, you might as well help me with something," she stated, changing the subject. She didn't exactly feel like talking about it and she wasn't sure she wanted to anymore. The longer she thought about it, the more she realized she hadn't gotten over her feelings, and it just made things worse. Eryk hummed something incoherent, but she didn't mind too much. "Harper said that the Orange Islands had a lot of good, spicy foods and I want you to be my Swinub," she stated, a mischievous smile on her face. Eryk apparently didn't catch it because he shrugged his shoulders and nodded his head. "Great."
They left for the kitchen, a recipe in hand. She'd printed it out earlier when she was looking up the various recipes, and this particular one had caught her interest. Once they were settled in the kitchen, she began chopping up the ingredients she needed and mixed together the ones that were supposed to be. It was at least an hour and some minutes later before she finished it, and she presented the plate to Eryk. She'd made enough to feed at least a dozen people because she knew if Ryk liked it, he would probably be able to eat all of it himself.
"It's called Ranch-Style Eggs with Chorizo and Tomato-Red Chile Sauce. I'm not too sure how spicy it's supposed to be, but I wanted to try it," she spoke, setting the plate down in front of him. Eryk pushed at it with his fork for a moment before taking a bite out of it. His face turned just the slightest bit, and he coughed somewhat. That worried her a moment. "Oh, is it not good!? Is it too spicy!?" she questioned, worrying now that she might have messed up the recipe.
"No, Cy, it's just, it's been awhile since I had spicy food," he spoke between coughs. She breathed a sigh of relief at that.
Within a few minutes of the food finishing, she could hear shuffling footsteps outside the kitchen, and then Kas poked his head in, looking as though he’d just woken up from a nap. His hair, usually tied up and away from his face, fell loose around his shoulders, more than a little of it escaping to shag in front of his face. He smiled mildly at the both of them, padding inside the room, scratching his chest through his shirt with one large hand. The other opened the fridge door, and he stooped considerably to see what was in it.
“That smells nice,” he told Cyrilla sleepily, “but you might want to spice the chile sauce a little heavier next time, if heat’s what you’re going for.” He pulled a gallon of milk out of the fridge, looking at it dubiously for a second, then popped the cap off and sniffed it. Apparently satisfied, he reached up into one of the cabinets for a glass, poured the milk into it, and slid it across the table to Eryk, grinning slyly.
“When mom’s customers order more than they can handle, she gives them a free glass of milk. It’ll take the sting right out.” Putting the container back in the fridge, he moved a few things around, apparently looking for… well, something.
Ryk looked a little thankful for the cup, and took a drink from it. Well, that's not exactly what she was going for, but she supposed next time she could add more spice to it. This was, after all, the first time she'd made something like this. Spicy dishes she might like, but she'd never really made them for herself before. Or anyone else for that matter. Huh, strange. She should do it more often, then. She liked spicy food, so why hadn't she been making it for herself? She inwardly chuckled at the thought, and grabbed herself a plate.
"You're welcome to some yourself, if you'd like, Kas. I made plenty, and this was my first attempt at this, so..." she started, unsure if she should say anything after that. It wasn't like he wasn't welcome to it or anything. "Hm, I mean, I can always try another batch tomorrow, too," she muttered to herself. But then that wouldn't be helpful. The same thing two days in a row? She'll have to try something else and save this recipe for another day.
"I suppose next time you can be the Swinub, then, if you know more about spicy things," Ryk finally spoke once he'd finished his drink. "I don't think I'm suited," and it was hard to tell if he was being honest or not, but she just shook her head anyway.
"You hush and eat my cooking or I won't feed you anymore," she spoke, threatening him somewhat. "Besides, you enjoy being my Swinub. You get to eat all the food even if you don't like it," she added, earning a light scoff from him.
Kas glanced at the food laid out on the table in front of Eryk and shook his head. “Thanks, Cy, but I’d better not. That looks like barely enough to feed the industrial food compactor over there.” Clearly, he was referring to Eryk, and he did so with a small smile.
Sticking his head back in the fridge, he came up with a large tupperware container of something and cracked the lid off, sidestepping to the microwave and popping it in. Once he’d set the timer, he turned around, leaning back against the counter and crossing his arms loosely over his chest. “So what brought on the culinary experimentation?” he asked. “You don’t usually make stuff like this, right?” Unlike Eryk, Cyrilla didn’t actually feed Kas on a regular basis—he usually saw to that himself.
"Well I saw Harper the other day," she began, taking a bite out of her food and wincing just slightly. It wasn't too spicy, but there was a little bit of heat to it. It was something she could make a habit out of eating, though. "Drake and I were supposed to head to the pier but someone caught a stall on fire. They ended up shutting it down and we saw Harper jogging. She ended up joining us for a moment and started talking about the Orange Island foods. She mentioned that some people thought they were too spicy," she began, taking a slow breath. She hadn't realized she said that a little too fast.
"And well, I like spicy foods and I thought I would try something new today. I figured since I never make anything spicy, I might as well try it. It just never occured to me to do that," she finished taking another bite of her food.
"So you could have just eaten the food yourself instead of using me, you know," Eryk shot back at her, but she shrugged her shoulders.
"I could have, yes, but then you wouldn't have been fed. It's a win-win situation for me, the way I see it," she spoke, a little happy at her own words. Plus, it wasn't like she could be her own critic. She was biased that way, she supposed.
The microwave behind Kas beeped; he turned around and pulled out the container. The smell of more spice permeated the kitchen; this seemed to be something more like a curry—the sauce, now that she could see it, was green of all colors. Stirring it around with a fork, Kas took a bite and hummed.
“Harper does love to talk about food,” he commented. “Though the rest of the family’s worse, honestly.” He took a chair at the table where they were sitting, gathering up more of the curry and rice on his fork. He contemplated it for a moment, then held it out to her. “Want to try some? It’s my kapuna’s recipe—my grandfather, that is. It’s got a bit of a kick to it, so be careful.”
"Oh, really?" she questioned, glancing at him for a moment. She contemplated it for a second longer before nodding. "Sure, it looks good," she admitted. She's had curry before, but it was a long time ago. And it didn't have green sauce. Maybe it would be spicier? That thought alone seemed to brighter her mood a bit. She took the fork from him and took a bite out of it. Her eyes lit up for a moment and she just stared at Kas. It was really good. Spicy, yes, but still good.
"Cy, are you alright? You're staring," Eryk managed to snap her out of her thoughts and she blinked a few times. She could feel a bit of heat rising to her cheeks as she glanced towards Eryk.
"I'm good, this is good," she stated, handing Kas back his fork. "I bet he has other good recipes too," she stated, smiling somewhat. Eryk rolled his eyes and continued eating his own food, pausing every now and then to take a sip of milk. Cyrilla chuckled in his direction when he did that. "You know, if it's too spicy for you, I can always save what I made and give it to Drake. He's never tried spicy foods before," she spoke, watching as he tensed somewhat.
"No," was the reply he gave her. She would have rolled her eyes if she didn't find it cute. "I suppose it runs in the family, then. You like food, too, don't you?" Eryk questioned as he glanced towards Kas.
Kas snorted, accepting his fork back from Cyrilla and digging into the curry. “I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t like food, Ryk. But if you mean that we like to talk about it and cook it in addition to eating it, then… yes. It does seem to be a trait in my family. It’s also part of life on the island, though: there’s usually one big meal a day, and it’s long and everyone eats with each other.” He shrugged, pausing to chew a bite and swallow. If the spice bothered him even the slightest bit, he made no indication of it.
“Gramps was a really good cook, but mom’s even better. Crystal’s training to take over the restaurant someday; she didn’t have to, but as things turned out, she wanted to, so it worked out.” He didn’t volunteer anything more than that, perhaps sensitive to the fact that talking about family was a very different thing for them than it was for him.
"You know what I meant," Eryk replied, making some sound of acknowledgement before he continued to eat. Cyrilla, however, just simply smiled. It must be nice to have a family like that. She shook the thought out of her head, though. This was her life now, wanted or not. Still, she poked at her plate for a moment. She wondered what it would have been like if she'd never been born into the family she was. Would she even know Kas and Ryk? Probably not. They would all be in separate parts of the world. They would have never known each other, and she would have never met Ana or Drake, or even Kenshin for that matter.
"You know what, I'm glad I know both of you," she blurted out. She hadn't intentionally meant to say that, but what was done was done. "I mean, I'm glad to know you is what I meant," because she wasn't so sure she'd have been just as happy without them.
"You're just being sentimental now," Eryk retorted, earning a scoff from Cyrilla. Maybe, but she was allowed to do that.
"Yeah, well Mr. Grumpy, I'm allowed to be sentimental with my friends, am I not?" she stated, chuckling lightly. "Oh, hey Ryk, you have something stuck on your face," she said, pointing to the corner of his face. He blinked slowly and reached up to wipe it off, only to have missed. She laughed somewhat. "It's right there on your chin, how do you miss it?" she questioned. "No, Ryk, right there. There you go," she stated again when he missed it. She sighed once he got it off his face.
Kas grinned at Eryk’s obvious struggle with the food on his face, shaking his head slightly when he finally wiped it off. “You two are ridiculous, and coming from me, that means something,” he said, polishing off his curry with ease. “Leave the dishes, Cy; I’ll take care of them.”
He headed over to the sink and ran the water to fill it, submerging his own two items as well as the pots and pans she’d used to make the eggs and sauce. He didn’t bother with the rubber gloves; considering that the ones in here were her size, they probably wouldn’t even fit.
"It's not that we're ridiculous, Kas. It's just that Eryk would be lost without me. He wouldn't be able to cook his own food, wipe his own face. It's like taking care of a child, really," she snickered as Eryk shot her a glare. "I'm just being honest, Ryk. You know you'd be lost without me," she grinned when he rolled his eyes. She blinked, though, when he told her to leave the dishes. She frowned slightly at that.
"Nope, nuh uh, I don't think so," she spoke, standing from her chair once she was finished with her plate. "My dishes, my kitchen, I'm washing. You go bother Ryk on the table or go help him style his hair or something, but this area is mine," she stated, earning a snort from Eryk.
"What's wrong with my hair?" he shot back, and she glanced over her shoulder. "It's how it's always been, why does it need to be fixed?" he continued, frowning just slightly at her.
"Because you always look like a shaggy Arcanine," she replied back before turning her attention back to Kas. "Now shoo before I have Eryk take you away or something," she stated making shooing motions with her hands.
Kas raised an eyebrow at her. “You cooked,” he pointed out. “That means someone else does the dishes, and Ryk’s still eating.” He remained stubborn in the face of her shooing, merely looking flatly down at her in a passable imitation of some of Eryk’s facial expressions. “You can try and move me, but you’re too short and Ryk doesn’t care enough to try, so… there.”
He reached into the sink, scooping up a few soap bubbles on his index finger. Quicker than he usually ever did anything, he reached out, smearing them on the tip of her nose with a sly half-smile.
"He has a point," Eryk added, taking a slower bite, like he was doing it on purpose. Cyrilla, however, went a bit cross-eyed when Kas placed the bubbles on her nose, pursing her lips together. She could feel her face heat up a bit, but she was not going to fall for this. Oh no, this was her kitchen. "You could just ask nicely, maybe then he'd move, but," he trailed off, shrugging his shoulders.
"You know, I do have a last resort, and I highly doubt you want me to use it," she stated, turning her attention back towards Kas. "Gyarados hasn't been out of his ball since yesterday, and you know how much he loves you, so," she began, however; Eryk snorted.
"It's an empty threat, and you know it, Cy. Gyarados is too big, and he'd destory the kitchen. Do you really want that?" he spoke, raising an amused brow.
"You're supposed to be on my side, jerk," she mumbled. Well, if she couldn't get him to move, she could at least get him back for the bubbles. She grabbed a small scoop of bubbles with her own fingers, and tip-toed as high as she could to place them on him, but she was still a few inches too short. She just got his chin instead. Satisfied, she huffed and made her way back to the table. "There, now I feel better," she stated, wiping her hands like she had something on them.
“Glad you got that out of your system,” Kas drawled, nudging the bubbles off his chin with his shoulder, where they soaked into his shirt. He didn’t seem to mind. It wasn’t until he’d put the frying pan in the dish drain, though, that he turned to look back at her over his shoulder, smiling with obvious mischief.
“You still have bubbles on your nose, you know.”
"Yeah, I know," she replied casually. She actually forgot for a moment. Stupid bubbles. Stupid Kas.
"Well, you see," she began, staying in her spot. She didn't move or anything mainly because she was sort of stuck. Her leg was dangling over one side of the chair and her arm was hooked uncomfortably so around the arm of the chair. Both of them, however, were currently on the floor, and she laughed nervously up at him. She'd been trying to reach something at the top of her shelf, and since she was a tad bit too short, she ended up falling over the chair. Not that Eryk needed to know, of course. "I fell out of my chair," because that seemed like a more reasonable excuse.
"Near your bookcase?" he retorted as if he didn't believe her. He probably didn't, but she wasn't going to say that. "Honestly, Cyrilla, if you needed help you could have asked," he spoke, sighing heavily as he walked over towards her. Gently, he grabbed her arm and unhooked it before helping her stand up. She dusted off her skirt before smiling awkwardly at him. She was kind of grateful that she was wearing shorts underneath. Her face turned the slightest bit pink before she glanced back up at the shelf.
"There was just something at the top of the shelf that I wanted to get before I forgot about it," she spoke. Somehow, her orchid had reached the top of her shelf from where it used to be, and she had a feeling she knew who the culprit was. It's not that she didn't want to give him the candy apple. It just... fell out of her hand and over the pier. Eryk, however, followed her gaze and he must have spotted it because he frowned slightly. Shaking his head, he reached over to pluck the orchid from its spot and handed it to her.
"I will never understand you and your feelings," he spoke, causing her face to turn a shade darker than it was. "You should at least stop pretending you don't still love him. And don't say you don't, because I know you do," he spoke, his voice a little too stern for him to be joking. She merely rolled her eyes at him, though. What did he know? A lot apparently. She shook that thought from her head and instead, smiled at him.
"Whatever you say, Ryk. Whatever you say. Anyway, since you're here, you might as well help me with something," she stated, changing the subject. She didn't exactly feel like talking about it and she wasn't sure she wanted to anymore. The longer she thought about it, the more she realized she hadn't gotten over her feelings, and it just made things worse. Eryk hummed something incoherent, but she didn't mind too much. "Harper said that the Orange Islands had a lot of good, spicy foods and I want you to be my Swinub," she stated, a mischievous smile on her face. Eryk apparently didn't catch it because he shrugged his shoulders and nodded his head. "Great."
They left for the kitchen, a recipe in hand. She'd printed it out earlier when she was looking up the various recipes, and this particular one had caught her interest. Once they were settled in the kitchen, she began chopping up the ingredients she needed and mixed together the ones that were supposed to be. It was at least an hour and some minutes later before she finished it, and she presented the plate to Eryk. She'd made enough to feed at least a dozen people because she knew if Ryk liked it, he would probably be able to eat all of it himself.
"It's called Ranch-Style Eggs with Chorizo and Tomato-Red Chile Sauce. I'm not too sure how spicy it's supposed to be, but I wanted to try it," she spoke, setting the plate down in front of him. Eryk pushed at it with his fork for a moment before taking a bite out of it. His face turned just the slightest bit, and he coughed somewhat. That worried her a moment. "Oh, is it not good!? Is it too spicy!?" she questioned, worrying now that she might have messed up the recipe.
"No, Cy, it's just, it's been awhile since I had spicy food," he spoke between coughs. She breathed a sigh of relief at that.
Within a few minutes of the food finishing, she could hear shuffling footsteps outside the kitchen, and then Kas poked his head in, looking as though he’d just woken up from a nap. His hair, usually tied up and away from his face, fell loose around his shoulders, more than a little of it escaping to shag in front of his face. He smiled mildly at the both of them, padding inside the room, scratching his chest through his shirt with one large hand. The other opened the fridge door, and he stooped considerably to see what was in it.
“That smells nice,” he told Cyrilla sleepily, “but you might want to spice the chile sauce a little heavier next time, if heat’s what you’re going for.” He pulled a gallon of milk out of the fridge, looking at it dubiously for a second, then popped the cap off and sniffed it. Apparently satisfied, he reached up into one of the cabinets for a glass, poured the milk into it, and slid it across the table to Eryk, grinning slyly.
“When mom’s customers order more than they can handle, she gives them a free glass of milk. It’ll take the sting right out.” Putting the container back in the fridge, he moved a few things around, apparently looking for… well, something.
Ryk looked a little thankful for the cup, and took a drink from it. Well, that's not exactly what she was going for, but she supposed next time she could add more spice to it. This was, after all, the first time she'd made something like this. Spicy dishes she might like, but she'd never really made them for herself before. Or anyone else for that matter. Huh, strange. She should do it more often, then. She liked spicy food, so why hadn't she been making it for herself? She inwardly chuckled at the thought, and grabbed herself a plate.
"You're welcome to some yourself, if you'd like, Kas. I made plenty, and this was my first attempt at this, so..." she started, unsure if she should say anything after that. It wasn't like he wasn't welcome to it or anything. "Hm, I mean, I can always try another batch tomorrow, too," she muttered to herself. But then that wouldn't be helpful. The same thing two days in a row? She'll have to try something else and save this recipe for another day.
"I suppose next time you can be the Swinub, then, if you know more about spicy things," Ryk finally spoke once he'd finished his drink. "I don't think I'm suited," and it was hard to tell if he was being honest or not, but she just shook her head anyway.
"You hush and eat my cooking or I won't feed you anymore," she spoke, threatening him somewhat. "Besides, you enjoy being my Swinub. You get to eat all the food even if you don't like it," she added, earning a light scoff from him.
Kas glanced at the food laid out on the table in front of Eryk and shook his head. “Thanks, Cy, but I’d better not. That looks like barely enough to feed the industrial food compactor over there.” Clearly, he was referring to Eryk, and he did so with a small smile.
Sticking his head back in the fridge, he came up with a large tupperware container of something and cracked the lid off, sidestepping to the microwave and popping it in. Once he’d set the timer, he turned around, leaning back against the counter and crossing his arms loosely over his chest. “So what brought on the culinary experimentation?” he asked. “You don’t usually make stuff like this, right?” Unlike Eryk, Cyrilla didn’t actually feed Kas on a regular basis—he usually saw to that himself.
"Well I saw Harper the other day," she began, taking a bite out of her food and wincing just slightly. It wasn't too spicy, but there was a little bit of heat to it. It was something she could make a habit out of eating, though. "Drake and I were supposed to head to the pier but someone caught a stall on fire. They ended up shutting it down and we saw Harper jogging. She ended up joining us for a moment and started talking about the Orange Island foods. She mentioned that some people thought they were too spicy," she began, taking a slow breath. She hadn't realized she said that a little too fast.
"And well, I like spicy foods and I thought I would try something new today. I figured since I never make anything spicy, I might as well try it. It just never occured to me to do that," she finished taking another bite of her food.
"So you could have just eaten the food yourself instead of using me, you know," Eryk shot back at her, but she shrugged her shoulders.
"I could have, yes, but then you wouldn't have been fed. It's a win-win situation for me, the way I see it," she spoke, a little happy at her own words. Plus, it wasn't like she could be her own critic. She was biased that way, she supposed.
The microwave behind Kas beeped; he turned around and pulled out the container. The smell of more spice permeated the kitchen; this seemed to be something more like a curry—the sauce, now that she could see it, was green of all colors. Stirring it around with a fork, Kas took a bite and hummed.
“Harper does love to talk about food,” he commented. “Though the rest of the family’s worse, honestly.” He took a chair at the table where they were sitting, gathering up more of the curry and rice on his fork. He contemplated it for a moment, then held it out to her. “Want to try some? It’s my kapuna’s recipe—my grandfather, that is. It’s got a bit of a kick to it, so be careful.”
"Oh, really?" she questioned, glancing at him for a moment. She contemplated it for a second longer before nodding. "Sure, it looks good," she admitted. She's had curry before, but it was a long time ago. And it didn't have green sauce. Maybe it would be spicier? That thought alone seemed to brighter her mood a bit. She took the fork from him and took a bite out of it. Her eyes lit up for a moment and she just stared at Kas. It was really good. Spicy, yes, but still good.
"Cy, are you alright? You're staring," Eryk managed to snap her out of her thoughts and she blinked a few times. She could feel a bit of heat rising to her cheeks as she glanced towards Eryk.
"I'm good, this is good," she stated, handing Kas back his fork. "I bet he has other good recipes too," she stated, smiling somewhat. Eryk rolled his eyes and continued eating his own food, pausing every now and then to take a sip of milk. Cyrilla chuckled in his direction when he did that. "You know, if it's too spicy for you, I can always save what I made and give it to Drake. He's never tried spicy foods before," she spoke, watching as he tensed somewhat.
"No," was the reply he gave her. She would have rolled her eyes if she didn't find it cute. "I suppose it runs in the family, then. You like food, too, don't you?" Eryk questioned as he glanced towards Kas.
Kas snorted, accepting his fork back from Cyrilla and digging into the curry. “I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t like food, Ryk. But if you mean that we like to talk about it and cook it in addition to eating it, then… yes. It does seem to be a trait in my family. It’s also part of life on the island, though: there’s usually one big meal a day, and it’s long and everyone eats with each other.” He shrugged, pausing to chew a bite and swallow. If the spice bothered him even the slightest bit, he made no indication of it.
“Gramps was a really good cook, but mom’s even better. Crystal’s training to take over the restaurant someday; she didn’t have to, but as things turned out, she wanted to, so it worked out.” He didn’t volunteer anything more than that, perhaps sensitive to the fact that talking about family was a very different thing for them than it was for him.
"You know what I meant," Eryk replied, making some sound of acknowledgement before he continued to eat. Cyrilla, however, just simply smiled. It must be nice to have a family like that. She shook the thought out of her head, though. This was her life now, wanted or not. Still, she poked at her plate for a moment. She wondered what it would have been like if she'd never been born into the family she was. Would she even know Kas and Ryk? Probably not. They would all be in separate parts of the world. They would have never known each other, and she would have never met Ana or Drake, or even Kenshin for that matter.
"You know what, I'm glad I know both of you," she blurted out. She hadn't intentionally meant to say that, but what was done was done. "I mean, I'm glad to know you is what I meant," because she wasn't so sure she'd have been just as happy without them.
"You're just being sentimental now," Eryk retorted, earning a scoff from Cyrilla. Maybe, but she was allowed to do that.
"Yeah, well Mr. Grumpy, I'm allowed to be sentimental with my friends, am I not?" she stated, chuckling lightly. "Oh, hey Ryk, you have something stuck on your face," she said, pointing to the corner of his face. He blinked slowly and reached up to wipe it off, only to have missed. She laughed somewhat. "It's right there on your chin, how do you miss it?" she questioned. "No, Ryk, right there. There you go," she stated again when he missed it. She sighed once he got it off his face.
Kas grinned at Eryk’s obvious struggle with the food on his face, shaking his head slightly when he finally wiped it off. “You two are ridiculous, and coming from me, that means something,” he said, polishing off his curry with ease. “Leave the dishes, Cy; I’ll take care of them.”
He headed over to the sink and ran the water to fill it, submerging his own two items as well as the pots and pans she’d used to make the eggs and sauce. He didn’t bother with the rubber gloves; considering that the ones in here were her size, they probably wouldn’t even fit.
"It's not that we're ridiculous, Kas. It's just that Eryk would be lost without me. He wouldn't be able to cook his own food, wipe his own face. It's like taking care of a child, really," she snickered as Eryk shot her a glare. "I'm just being honest, Ryk. You know you'd be lost without me," she grinned when he rolled his eyes. She blinked, though, when he told her to leave the dishes. She frowned slightly at that.
"Nope, nuh uh, I don't think so," she spoke, standing from her chair once she was finished with her plate. "My dishes, my kitchen, I'm washing. You go bother Ryk on the table or go help him style his hair or something, but this area is mine," she stated, earning a snort from Eryk.
"What's wrong with my hair?" he shot back, and she glanced over her shoulder. "It's how it's always been, why does it need to be fixed?" he continued, frowning just slightly at her.
"Because you always look like a shaggy Arcanine," she replied back before turning her attention back to Kas. "Now shoo before I have Eryk take you away or something," she stated making shooing motions with her hands.
Kas raised an eyebrow at her. “You cooked,” he pointed out. “That means someone else does the dishes, and Ryk’s still eating.” He remained stubborn in the face of her shooing, merely looking flatly down at her in a passable imitation of some of Eryk’s facial expressions. “You can try and move me, but you’re too short and Ryk doesn’t care enough to try, so… there.”
He reached into the sink, scooping up a few soap bubbles on his index finger. Quicker than he usually ever did anything, he reached out, smearing them on the tip of her nose with a sly half-smile.
"He has a point," Eryk added, taking a slower bite, like he was doing it on purpose. Cyrilla, however, went a bit cross-eyed when Kas placed the bubbles on her nose, pursing her lips together. She could feel her face heat up a bit, but she was not going to fall for this. Oh no, this was her kitchen. "You could just ask nicely, maybe then he'd move, but," he trailed off, shrugging his shoulders.
"You know, I do have a last resort, and I highly doubt you want me to use it," she stated, turning her attention back towards Kas. "Gyarados hasn't been out of his ball since yesterday, and you know how much he loves you, so," she began, however; Eryk snorted.
"It's an empty threat, and you know it, Cy. Gyarados is too big, and he'd destory the kitchen. Do you really want that?" he spoke, raising an amused brow.
"You're supposed to be on my side, jerk," she mumbled. Well, if she couldn't get him to move, she could at least get him back for the bubbles. She grabbed a small scoop of bubbles with her own fingers, and tip-toed as high as she could to place them on him, but she was still a few inches too short. She just got his chin instead. Satisfied, she huffed and made her way back to the table. "There, now I feel better," she stated, wiping her hands like she had something on them.
“Glad you got that out of your system,” Kas drawled, nudging the bubbles off his chin with his shoulder, where they soaked into his shirt. He didn’t seem to mind. It wasn’t until he’d put the frying pan in the dish drain, though, that he turned to look back at her over his shoulder, smiling with obvious mischief.
“You still have bubbles on your nose, you know.”
"Yeah, I know," she replied casually. She actually forgot for a moment. Stupid bubbles. Stupid Kas.
“Thanks for having us over, Ana; it was nice to get to know you,” Harper said, opening her arms slightly.
Ana stepped into them willingly, and the two of them exchanged a brief hug. Kas ducked in to give her another, grinning to himself when she patted him on the back. She really was a sweetheart.
“I agree,” she said warmly, clasping her hands in front of her. “I feel as though I understand so much more about Kasimir than I used to.” She smiled good-naturedly, and Harper laughed.
Kas pretended to sigh, but the truth was, he was just as pleased with the evening as the both of them. He’d been a little worried at first that Ana’s shy personality would be overwhelmed by Melly’s obvious exuberance, but she’d been surprisingly perceptive about that, and gentled her usual mannerisms just a little. Ana, in turn, had proved more resilient than he’d expected—though perhaps he shouldn’t be surprised. Anyone who could put up with him and Ryk could handle Harper for a few hours. They seemed to enjoy it, even.
It was nice.
“Anyway,” Kas said, “we’re gonna go ahead and get going—Harper here has a gym challenge in a couple of days, and I should probably get back to the mansion. Have a good evening, Ana.”
She nodded with understanding. “Of course. You two be careful on your way back—there aren’t that many lights until you hit the town proper.”
Kas knew that, of course, but he didn’t doubt the warning was for Harper’s benefit more than his own. He wasn’t planning on letting her walk back by herself, though. His sister could handle herself—had been doing so since she got her license and started her journey, but… as careful as trainers had to be with checkpoints and regular calls to family, things still happened.
They both knew that especially well.
Once they were away from the front gate, Harper spoke in a low voice. “She’s.. really nice. Does she honestly run the place by herself?”
Kas nodded, folding his hands behind his head as they strolled down the path. He tipped his head up to get a better view of the night sky—at least the moon was out for illumination. They’d stayed later than he’d meant to, but the conversation had flowed well long after the food was gone.
“She does.” He paused, then amended. “Well… there are volunteers who help out, of course, but Ana doesn’t ask anyone to do anything she doesn’t know how to do herself, so she could, even if she lost them. Ryk’s around the most, probably.”
Harper wore a thoughtful look for a moment—he knew she was trying to wrap her head around that fact and observe it from all angles before deciding how to take it. Not a bad habit to have, in conversations with him, he supposed. Not everyone was as direct as certain coworkers of his.
“That’s… I’m not sure I would have expected that. They’re not together, though.” It wasn’t a question—it was a fact she’d clearly deduced from knowing a few things about their personalities and behavior.
Kas made a noncommittal noise. “Not officially, no. The situation is… complicated, and they’re definitely more than a few steps away from what you’re thinking. But…” The more he thought about it, the more complicated it got, really—there were just a lot of things to consider. Kas could understand Eryk’s confusion, even if he didn’t share it.
His sister nodded, then let the subject drop in favor of transitioning to another. “So… you and Rilla? Is that complicated, too?” She raised an eyebrow at him, and he sighed.
He had the feeling she’d been waiting to interrogate him on this for some time, probably since before she came to the island. He hadn’t thought much of it at the time, since Cy was obviously one of his only friends and closest coworkers, but he probably did talk too much about her. Melly would have noticed easily. He was surprised she’d kept it to herself for this long—maybe she’d just wanted to wait until she met Cyrilla and could form an opinion of her.
Kas dropped one of his hands back to his side; it made a dull wump as it hit the leg of his shorts. The other, he used to scratch an itch at the back of his head, under his ponytail. His hair was getting a bit too long again, and probably needed a trim. He should get to that at some point; he was fine with it being below his shoulders since he wore it up all the time anyway, but he didn’t want it much longer than that.
“No,” he said resolutely. “It’s not complicated because it isn’t anything.” It couldn’t be anything.
Harper rolled her eyes at him, scuffing her feet on the pathway. “You’re a shittier liar than I remember, Mirmir.”
“Well that’s interesting, because I’m not lying.” He frowned down at her, though it wasn’t nearly as far down as it was with most women. Most people, actually. “We’re too… different.” He picked the obvious reason, because the non-obvious one was something he couldn’t even tell her. Go figure.
“Oh, for—is this that I can’t love anyone and no one can love me bullshit again? Because you know how I feel about that.”
“No,” he said shortly. “I don’t date people, and she doesn’t have one-night stands. End of story.” She was prodding at extremely uncomfortable subject areas—but they were only uncomfortable because she knew him. Because, in other words, she wouldn’t believe any of the dozens of reasons he could give for why he chose to live the way he did.
There was nothing wrong with it—not morally, since he was always up-front about how he handled his personal life and made sure that his one-night stands or on-and-off meetups also considered him to be the same thing to them. If he suspected strings were attaching, willingly or otherwise, he broke it off. It was better, that way, because the strings were never his and he didn’t want to hurt anyone.
“Have you even asked her?”
He scowled at her. “I’m not a complete asshole, Harper. I’m not going to ask someone who used to be… fond… of me to do that. Especially because I’d either offend her or she’d agree out of some misplaced feeling, and it’d end so bad I’d never forgive myself.”
“Used to be?”
He sighed, lowering his voice slightly as they came within range of actual houses. The yellow light from lit windows poured out into the yards; the lamps overhead bathed them in the same glow, highlighting them in gold tones.
“Yeah, Melly,” he said tonelessly. “Used to be.”
“You’re a damn idiot, Mirmir,” she told him, shaking her head. Her twintails rippled with the motion; she glanced down at her feet. “There’s… there’s nothing ‘used to’ about it. And the word you want isn’t fondness, it’s—”
She glanced back up; Kasimir reached forward and put a finger to her lips. “Don’t,” he said. “Don’t say it, Harper. It’s not true, and it’s unfair. To her especially. Cy’s feelings, and whatever she thinks they might be, are hers and hers only to tell anyone about.” He lowered his hand away from her, and she sighed.
“It’s nothing she told me,” Harper replied. “Any idiot can see it.”
Kas shook his head, denying the observation, and the assertion she was trying to make. “People might be able to see what she thinks she feels,” he conceded. “But that doesn’t mean that things are the way they seem.” He wished she’d leave the topic alone. He’d closed this discussion off in his own head, resolved to do nothing about it, resolved to let it naturally fade until there was no trace of possibility left. He’d been hoping she might decide she cared for someone else—Drake, maybe, or whoever.
He’d been prepared to encourage it. To watch something like that grow and develop and mature for as long as this was his mission and they were around each other.
It was the logical thing to do, and the right one, besides. He didn’t believe in the things she held close to her heart—not in the same way she did. Not in the same way Harper did. Not even in the same way Eryk probably did, despite his confusion.
“Mirmir,” Harper said, all the steely insistence gone from her tone. “You’re making yourself miserable. Haven’t you done that enough? Haven’t other people done it enough? You can be happy now, you know? Maybe there’s a shallow element to that happiness, but… maybe not. Maybe people like you because your personality’s different than it used to be, and they want to know more about you because you actually give them something to go on instead of clamping up like a cloyster.”
Maybe he could believe that, if the front weren’t just that: a front. There was nothing about him that was genuine, an issue even apart from his disdain for the superficiality of the whole process. But now his thoughts were turning in circles: wasn’t he superficial as well? Living the way he did? Maybe—but at least he didn’t claim to be after anything more than that. Unsatisfying as the resolution might be.
“I don’t know how you managed to forgive it, Melly,” he said heavily. He didn’t think he could—and though their problems were different… they should have led to the same conclusion. He’d accepted it, but Harper…
A breath hissed out from between her teeth. “It wasn’t easy—but the important part was recognizing that not everyone’s the same. Not even deep down. Some people really are good, Mirmir. Some people really are worth being vulnerable to. Finding them is tough, and it might hurt a lot if you guess wrong, but… I have to believe that if I guess right someday, it’ll make everything else… worth it.”
He supposed that was exactly the thing he couldn’t do.
“Then you’re much stronger than me,” he said at last.
“No,” she countered, wrapping an arm around his waist and tugging them closer together as they walked. “I’m just less stubborn.”
Ana stepped into them willingly, and the two of them exchanged a brief hug. Kas ducked in to give her another, grinning to himself when she patted him on the back. She really was a sweetheart.
“I agree,” she said warmly, clasping her hands in front of her. “I feel as though I understand so much more about Kasimir than I used to.” She smiled good-naturedly, and Harper laughed.
Kas pretended to sigh, but the truth was, he was just as pleased with the evening as the both of them. He’d been a little worried at first that Ana’s shy personality would be overwhelmed by Melly’s obvious exuberance, but she’d been surprisingly perceptive about that, and gentled her usual mannerisms just a little. Ana, in turn, had proved more resilient than he’d expected—though perhaps he shouldn’t be surprised. Anyone who could put up with him and Ryk could handle Harper for a few hours. They seemed to enjoy it, even.
It was nice.
“Anyway,” Kas said, “we’re gonna go ahead and get going—Harper here has a gym challenge in a couple of days, and I should probably get back to the mansion. Have a good evening, Ana.”
She nodded with understanding. “Of course. You two be careful on your way back—there aren’t that many lights until you hit the town proper.”
Kas knew that, of course, but he didn’t doubt the warning was for Harper’s benefit more than his own. He wasn’t planning on letting her walk back by herself, though. His sister could handle herself—had been doing so since she got her license and started her journey, but… as careful as trainers had to be with checkpoints and regular calls to family, things still happened.
They both knew that especially well.
Once they were away from the front gate, Harper spoke in a low voice. “She’s.. really nice. Does she honestly run the place by herself?”
Kas nodded, folding his hands behind his head as they strolled down the path. He tipped his head up to get a better view of the night sky—at least the moon was out for illumination. They’d stayed later than he’d meant to, but the conversation had flowed well long after the food was gone.
“She does.” He paused, then amended. “Well… there are volunteers who help out, of course, but Ana doesn’t ask anyone to do anything she doesn’t know how to do herself, so she could, even if she lost them. Ryk’s around the most, probably.”
Harper wore a thoughtful look for a moment—he knew she was trying to wrap her head around that fact and observe it from all angles before deciding how to take it. Not a bad habit to have, in conversations with him, he supposed. Not everyone was as direct as certain coworkers of his.
“That’s… I’m not sure I would have expected that. They’re not together, though.” It wasn’t a question—it was a fact she’d clearly deduced from knowing a few things about their personalities and behavior.
Kas made a noncommittal noise. “Not officially, no. The situation is… complicated, and they’re definitely more than a few steps away from what you’re thinking. But…” The more he thought about it, the more complicated it got, really—there were just a lot of things to consider. Kas could understand Eryk’s confusion, even if he didn’t share it.
His sister nodded, then let the subject drop in favor of transitioning to another. “So… you and Rilla? Is that complicated, too?” She raised an eyebrow at him, and he sighed.
He had the feeling she’d been waiting to interrogate him on this for some time, probably since before she came to the island. He hadn’t thought much of it at the time, since Cy was obviously one of his only friends and closest coworkers, but he probably did talk too much about her. Melly would have noticed easily. He was surprised she’d kept it to herself for this long—maybe she’d just wanted to wait until she met Cyrilla and could form an opinion of her.
Kas dropped one of his hands back to his side; it made a dull wump as it hit the leg of his shorts. The other, he used to scratch an itch at the back of his head, under his ponytail. His hair was getting a bit too long again, and probably needed a trim. He should get to that at some point; he was fine with it being below his shoulders since he wore it up all the time anyway, but he didn’t want it much longer than that.
“No,” he said resolutely. “It’s not complicated because it isn’t anything.” It couldn’t be anything.
Harper rolled her eyes at him, scuffing her feet on the pathway. “You’re a shittier liar than I remember, Mirmir.”
“Well that’s interesting, because I’m not lying.” He frowned down at her, though it wasn’t nearly as far down as it was with most women. Most people, actually. “We’re too… different.” He picked the obvious reason, because the non-obvious one was something he couldn’t even tell her. Go figure.
“Oh, for—is this that I can’t love anyone and no one can love me bullshit again? Because you know how I feel about that.”
“No,” he said shortly. “I don’t date people, and she doesn’t have one-night stands. End of story.” She was prodding at extremely uncomfortable subject areas—but they were only uncomfortable because she knew him. Because, in other words, she wouldn’t believe any of the dozens of reasons he could give for why he chose to live the way he did.
There was nothing wrong with it—not morally, since he was always up-front about how he handled his personal life and made sure that his one-night stands or on-and-off meetups also considered him to be the same thing to them. If he suspected strings were attaching, willingly or otherwise, he broke it off. It was better, that way, because the strings were never his and he didn’t want to hurt anyone.
“Have you even asked her?”
He scowled at her. “I’m not a complete asshole, Harper. I’m not going to ask someone who used to be… fond… of me to do that. Especially because I’d either offend her or she’d agree out of some misplaced feeling, and it’d end so bad I’d never forgive myself.”
“Used to be?”
He sighed, lowering his voice slightly as they came within range of actual houses. The yellow light from lit windows poured out into the yards; the lamps overhead bathed them in the same glow, highlighting them in gold tones.
“Yeah, Melly,” he said tonelessly. “Used to be.”
“You’re a damn idiot, Mirmir,” she told him, shaking her head. Her twintails rippled with the motion; she glanced down at her feet. “There’s… there’s nothing ‘used to’ about it. And the word you want isn’t fondness, it’s—”
She glanced back up; Kasimir reached forward and put a finger to her lips. “Don’t,” he said. “Don’t say it, Harper. It’s not true, and it’s unfair. To her especially. Cy’s feelings, and whatever she thinks they might be, are hers and hers only to tell anyone about.” He lowered his hand away from her, and she sighed.
“It’s nothing she told me,” Harper replied. “Any idiot can see it.”
Kas shook his head, denying the observation, and the assertion she was trying to make. “People might be able to see what she thinks she feels,” he conceded. “But that doesn’t mean that things are the way they seem.” He wished she’d leave the topic alone. He’d closed this discussion off in his own head, resolved to do nothing about it, resolved to let it naturally fade until there was no trace of possibility left. He’d been hoping she might decide she cared for someone else—Drake, maybe, or whoever.
He’d been prepared to encourage it. To watch something like that grow and develop and mature for as long as this was his mission and they were around each other.
It was the logical thing to do, and the right one, besides. He didn’t believe in the things she held close to her heart—not in the same way she did. Not in the same way Harper did. Not even in the same way Eryk probably did, despite his confusion.
“Mirmir,” Harper said, all the steely insistence gone from her tone. “You’re making yourself miserable. Haven’t you done that enough? Haven’t other people done it enough? You can be happy now, you know? Maybe there’s a shallow element to that happiness, but… maybe not. Maybe people like you because your personality’s different than it used to be, and they want to know more about you because you actually give them something to go on instead of clamping up like a cloyster.”
Maybe he could believe that, if the front weren’t just that: a front. There was nothing about him that was genuine, an issue even apart from his disdain for the superficiality of the whole process. But now his thoughts were turning in circles: wasn’t he superficial as well? Living the way he did? Maybe—but at least he didn’t claim to be after anything more than that. Unsatisfying as the resolution might be.
“I don’t know how you managed to forgive it, Melly,” he said heavily. He didn’t think he could—and though their problems were different… they should have led to the same conclusion. He’d accepted it, but Harper…
A breath hissed out from between her teeth. “It wasn’t easy—but the important part was recognizing that not everyone’s the same. Not even deep down. Some people really are good, Mirmir. Some people really are worth being vulnerable to. Finding them is tough, and it might hurt a lot if you guess wrong, but… I have to believe that if I guess right someday, it’ll make everything else… worth it.”
He supposed that was exactly the thing he couldn’t do.
“Then you’re much stronger than me,” he said at last.
“No,” she countered, wrapping an arm around his waist and tugging them closer together as they walked. “I’m just less stubborn.”
Eryk gritted his teeth as he pushed the shelf out of the way. Mankey had a tantrum and managed to knock things down, and that included a particularly heavy shelf. Once it was upright, he began picking up his books, placing them back on the shelf in the right order they had been in. He glanced at the culprit, and Mankey merely glared right back. He didn't understand why Mankey had been so insistent on going outside, but Eryk didn't have the time. He was trying to write his report, but it wasn't exactly coming together, either. He pushed a sigh from his nose as Mankey grunted at him, rushing over and stopping just a few inches away. He glanced down as the pokémon slipped his hand into Eryk's, and tried to drag him away. Eryk didn't move, and that seemed to frustrate the pokémon a little more.
"Fine, Mankey. Give me a second," he finally caved, watching as the pokémon bounced happily away. He could hear snickering from his Zoroark who lay curled in the corner. The one spot Mankey hadn't destroyed. Once Eryk was finished cleaning up the mess, he allowed Mankey to crawl on his shoulder, and walked out of the mansion. He wasn't entirely sure where Mankey wanted to go, or why he even wanted to be out, but at least he was out now, right?
Eventually, he reached the town, which was about as busy as usual for a Friday afternoon, which was to say not especially. The few people walking around between stores and such were either alone or in small groups; a few carried shopping bags with them, but overall things were very relaxed. Cinnabar rarely seemed to be busy as such; even when there were things going on, the average islander’s attitude towards them was an easygoing one. If the Orange Islands were at all like this, it was easy to trace that part of Kas’s personality, at least.
The only interruption in the tranquility as such was in the form of said coworker’s sister, who was walking down the street chatting amiably with anyone and everyone, it seemed. Unusually, Anastasia seemed to be with her, much more subdued in demeanor but smiling anyway. Each of them was holding an ice cream cone, and Harper had a few additional shopping bags; the labels revealed them to be from the sporting equipment store and the Pokémart.
Ana caught sight of him first, offering a smile and an understated wave. The motion drew Harper’s attention, and she followed Ana’s eyes to him. “Oh, hey,” she greeted cheerfully. “It’s Eryk, right?”
Mankey was a little too excited to see Ana, and immediately made his way towards her. He hopped a few times in front of her and looked like he was smiling. Eryk couldn't see from the angle he was at, but he raised his hand in a slight greeting. He'd never get used to waving at someone as a greeting. "Yes, it's Eryk," he stated, turning his attention towards Harper. He stared at her for a moment before his attention went back to Ana.
"Are you both out?" he asked, though he felt that wasn't quite what he was looking for. Of course they were out; that much was obvious with their cones and Harper's bags.
Ana nodded. “Mhm. I got finished with my chores early today, and Harper asked me if I knew any good places to stock up on outdoors gear. So we’ve been to there and to the Pokémart.” She seemed pleased to have done so, if the smile she wore was any indication. Shifting her ice cream into her left hand, she crouched to pick Mankey up with the assistance of her right and Mankey himself, who by now was quite used to climbing on her.
“Ana’s been my guide for the past couple of hours,” Harper agreed readily. “But, uh… Kas says you guys usually have to work most of the afternoon. Did you get a day off or something? Because if he’s skipping training to slack off again…”
Eryk raised a slight brow at that. "No, I didn't get the day off. Mankey destroyed my office because he wanted to come outside. We're allowed a few breaks throughout the day, so I'm taking one now. Mankey needed fresh air, apparently," he spoke, returning his gaze towards Harper. Mankey seemed happier now that he was on Ana's shoulders, and hummed in appreciation. It didn't suprise him, though, if Kas had been slacking off. He wasn't exactly one of the hardest workers he knew, but Kas had some better points, he supposed.
"I'm surprised you can even get him to do anything like that," he found himself admitting slightly. "Most of the time he naps with Meep or in some arceus-forsaken place I can't find him in," because there were a few times where Eryk searched the entire building and still couldn't find Kas. He sighed at that reminder, and rubbed his temples slightly.
"Are you challenging Drake soon?" he found himself asking, glancing slightly curiously towards Harper. He hoped she'd wipe the floor with him. That, and he could make sure to send an extra group of challengers to Drake so that she'd have the upper hand somewhat. Drake would be tired the next day if he did that. He almost smiled at the thought.
“Tomorrow,” she replied with a grin. “I’m putting my battle strategy together this afternoon.” Harper finished off her ice cream and made a show of cracking her knuckles. “Should be a good match; I’ve already invited my brother and Rilla and Ana here to come see it; you can come too, if it’s the kind of thing you’d find interesting.” She looked at him with a familiar knowing expression—Kas wore it on his face a lot, too. Maybe she’d caught on to some of his thoughts about Drake?
Eryk raised a slight brow at that. Well, if that were the case, when he returned back to the mansion, he'd have to have a word with a few grunts and see if they'd take to the gym fast enough before it closed for the day. "It would be interesting," and that was true. He'd like to see Harper's battle strategy and how a member of Kas' family would do against Drake. He thought for a moment if he'd be doing the same thing had he been able to become a proper trainer. That thought was strange in itself, though. He'd never thought of something like that before.
"If the others are going, that is," he added. Maybe they didn't want him to go? But if that were the case, Harper wouldn't have invited him, so maybe they did? A sudden thought occured to him. It shouldn't matter, but for some reason, it did. "Who are you going to be cheering for, Ana?" he asked.
Ana smiled. “Is it cheating if I say both?” she asked, reaching up to scratch Mankey behind the ears. “I think Harper has a very good chance of winning her challenge, though; I’ve only heard about a bit of the training, but it seems strenuous. I’m sure it will be an amazing match to watch.”
Harper laughed a bit, shaking her head. “Well, it’s not like leaders actually bring their a-game when a challenger shows up. They’ve all either got a second, stronger team than the official one, or they take it easy on people. They’re not leaders for nothing—but I still think I’m gonna beat him.” She paused a moment and glanced between them, her smile creeping wider.
“Anyhow, I’m going to go work on that strategy. I’ll see you both tomorrow!” She gave Ana a brief hug and Eryk a friendly wave, then jogged off.
“She has a lot of energy,” Ana said admiringly once Harper was gone. Shifting her eyes to him, she tilted her head to the side. “It would be nice if you could come. I like watching battles with people who know a lot about them. I only learned the basics, myself.”
Eryk didn't seem to mind when Harper left, but she was partially right about Gym Leaders. Most did have a second team just for more advanced trainers. Typically the ones who had badges from other regions or who had previously challenged a league elsewhere. He only knew parts of it because it was his job to keep tabs. He shook his head, though, at Ana's statement.
"It's kind of hard to imagine she's related to Kas," he spoke, some amusement in his voice. He was still getting used to that, actually. "Kas is a lazy ass, and Harper's just full of energy," he continued, pausing momentariy to glance at Mankey, and then at Ana. "Then I shall come. I'm mostly free tomorrow and I don't have anything else to do," he spoke, throwing a careless shrug of his shoulders. He would have spent it helping her out, but from the sounds of it, she wasn't going to need his help tomorrow. She'd be at the Gym with Cyrilla and Kas.
"I guess I'll be cheering for Harper, though. Drake is a Gym Leader, so he doesn't need to be cheered on," he said as an after thought. It wasn't like Drake didn't have plenty of practice, anyway. He'd be fine... maybe.
“Everyone needs support sometimes,” she said, but the disagreement was good-natured, and she didn’t press the point. Shifting to look up at Mankey on her shoulders, she frowned slightly at him. “Mankey, it wasn’t very nice of you to destroy Eryk’s office. Can you try to find some other way to tell him when you want to go outside in the future, please? For me?” She rubbed his ear affectionately, sighing slightly and returning her attention to Eryk.
“If you’re on a break anyway and don’t mind, would you like to walk with me a while? I was just enjoying the weather. The rainy season will be here soon, so there might not be too many more chances.” For her, that was quite the literal statement.
"Sure, I can manage that," he spoke, though he was slightly suspicious of Mankey now. Was that his entire motive? To get him outside so he could run into Ana? He could hear Mankey snickering just slightly, but he hummed against Ana's hand. "And I don't think Mankey could do that. He destroyed my room last time he wanted something," he replied back, his tone a little flat but still amused nonetheless. Well, if that was Mankey's motives, he wasn't going to reprimand him for it
"Cyrilla mentioned a few days ago, that she wanted to go camping. She also said she mentioned it to you," he spoke once their walk became comfortable. "If... you still want to, I can make a request so that we can have a few days off to enjoy it," he spoke, a little unsure of himself now. Cyrilla had said it was meant for all of them, but to enjoy something like that, as friends? It was an odd concept he was still getting used to. After all this time, he thought he'd be used to it.
Ana’s eyes went wide; she blinked at him for a moment. It took a couple of seconds, but a bright smile bloomed over her face. “I’d… I’d really like something like that, if you would. Um… I think I even know somewhere we can go. I talked to my aunt about it; she said one of the smaller islands a couple of miles out is really good for it. So… maybe when the rainy season is over?” One of the hands fiddled with the hem of her shirt. It was almost… nervous?
"After the rainy season, then," he stated, nodding his head just slightly. If that's what she wanted, then they could schedule something when the rain stopped. That seemed... nice, actually. It would give him a reason to get away from the base for awhile and help him reflect on... whatever it is he needed to reflect on. "I shall send in a request when I return to the base, and I will advise the other two to do the same," he spoke, though really, he could do it for all of them. He was, after all, the one in charge. Huh. He could do a lot of things that way.
“Okay then. Good. That’s—yeah.” Ana cleared her throat, then shook her head. “Sorry, I’m being silly. It’s probably just that… I’ve never really done anything like this before. Been on a trip with friends… or camping at all, actually.” She laughed softly, apparently at herself.
He shook his head. "You don't have to apologize, Ana. I've never gone camping, either," though that wasn't completely true. But he supposed doing covert missions and camping were two separate things. Both required spending time out in the woods, and in the company of a select few, however; one was usually done for enjoyment. The other wasn't so much enjoyment but rather as something necessary. "Besides, I think we could all use a break. You especially considering you don't ever take one," he spoke, but it was light and more out of jest.
He'd have to get used to that, too.
“Then thank you. For making sure I can take one.” She bumped her shoulder gently against his arm.
"You're welcome," he replied, chuckling just softly. That was something he'd never get used to, but it was... nice.
"Fine, Mankey. Give me a second," he finally caved, watching as the pokémon bounced happily away. He could hear snickering from his Zoroark who lay curled in the corner. The one spot Mankey hadn't destroyed. Once Eryk was finished cleaning up the mess, he allowed Mankey to crawl on his shoulder, and walked out of the mansion. He wasn't entirely sure where Mankey wanted to go, or why he even wanted to be out, but at least he was out now, right?
Eventually, he reached the town, which was about as busy as usual for a Friday afternoon, which was to say not especially. The few people walking around between stores and such were either alone or in small groups; a few carried shopping bags with them, but overall things were very relaxed. Cinnabar rarely seemed to be busy as such; even when there were things going on, the average islander’s attitude towards them was an easygoing one. If the Orange Islands were at all like this, it was easy to trace that part of Kas’s personality, at least.
The only interruption in the tranquility as such was in the form of said coworker’s sister, who was walking down the street chatting amiably with anyone and everyone, it seemed. Unusually, Anastasia seemed to be with her, much more subdued in demeanor but smiling anyway. Each of them was holding an ice cream cone, and Harper had a few additional shopping bags; the labels revealed them to be from the sporting equipment store and the Pokémart.
Ana caught sight of him first, offering a smile and an understated wave. The motion drew Harper’s attention, and she followed Ana’s eyes to him. “Oh, hey,” she greeted cheerfully. “It’s Eryk, right?”
Mankey was a little too excited to see Ana, and immediately made his way towards her. He hopped a few times in front of her and looked like he was smiling. Eryk couldn't see from the angle he was at, but he raised his hand in a slight greeting. He'd never get used to waving at someone as a greeting. "Yes, it's Eryk," he stated, turning his attention towards Harper. He stared at her for a moment before his attention went back to Ana.
"Are you both out?" he asked, though he felt that wasn't quite what he was looking for. Of course they were out; that much was obvious with their cones and Harper's bags.
Ana nodded. “Mhm. I got finished with my chores early today, and Harper asked me if I knew any good places to stock up on outdoors gear. So we’ve been to there and to the Pokémart.” She seemed pleased to have done so, if the smile she wore was any indication. Shifting her ice cream into her left hand, she crouched to pick Mankey up with the assistance of her right and Mankey himself, who by now was quite used to climbing on her.
“Ana’s been my guide for the past couple of hours,” Harper agreed readily. “But, uh… Kas says you guys usually have to work most of the afternoon. Did you get a day off or something? Because if he’s skipping training to slack off again…”
Eryk raised a slight brow at that. "No, I didn't get the day off. Mankey destroyed my office because he wanted to come outside. We're allowed a few breaks throughout the day, so I'm taking one now. Mankey needed fresh air, apparently," he spoke, returning his gaze towards Harper. Mankey seemed happier now that he was on Ana's shoulders, and hummed in appreciation. It didn't suprise him, though, if Kas had been slacking off. He wasn't exactly one of the hardest workers he knew, but Kas had some better points, he supposed.
"I'm surprised you can even get him to do anything like that," he found himself admitting slightly. "Most of the time he naps with Meep or in some arceus-forsaken place I can't find him in," because there were a few times where Eryk searched the entire building and still couldn't find Kas. He sighed at that reminder, and rubbed his temples slightly.
"Are you challenging Drake soon?" he found himself asking, glancing slightly curiously towards Harper. He hoped she'd wipe the floor with him. That, and he could make sure to send an extra group of challengers to Drake so that she'd have the upper hand somewhat. Drake would be tired the next day if he did that. He almost smiled at the thought.
“Tomorrow,” she replied with a grin. “I’m putting my battle strategy together this afternoon.” Harper finished off her ice cream and made a show of cracking her knuckles. “Should be a good match; I’ve already invited my brother and Rilla and Ana here to come see it; you can come too, if it’s the kind of thing you’d find interesting.” She looked at him with a familiar knowing expression—Kas wore it on his face a lot, too. Maybe she’d caught on to some of his thoughts about Drake?
Eryk raised a slight brow at that. Well, if that were the case, when he returned back to the mansion, he'd have to have a word with a few grunts and see if they'd take to the gym fast enough before it closed for the day. "It would be interesting," and that was true. He'd like to see Harper's battle strategy and how a member of Kas' family would do against Drake. He thought for a moment if he'd be doing the same thing had he been able to become a proper trainer. That thought was strange in itself, though. He'd never thought of something like that before.
"If the others are going, that is," he added. Maybe they didn't want him to go? But if that were the case, Harper wouldn't have invited him, so maybe they did? A sudden thought occured to him. It shouldn't matter, but for some reason, it did. "Who are you going to be cheering for, Ana?" he asked.
Ana smiled. “Is it cheating if I say both?” she asked, reaching up to scratch Mankey behind the ears. “I think Harper has a very good chance of winning her challenge, though; I’ve only heard about a bit of the training, but it seems strenuous. I’m sure it will be an amazing match to watch.”
Harper laughed a bit, shaking her head. “Well, it’s not like leaders actually bring their a-game when a challenger shows up. They’ve all either got a second, stronger team than the official one, or they take it easy on people. They’re not leaders for nothing—but I still think I’m gonna beat him.” She paused a moment and glanced between them, her smile creeping wider.
“Anyhow, I’m going to go work on that strategy. I’ll see you both tomorrow!” She gave Ana a brief hug and Eryk a friendly wave, then jogged off.
“She has a lot of energy,” Ana said admiringly once Harper was gone. Shifting her eyes to him, she tilted her head to the side. “It would be nice if you could come. I like watching battles with people who know a lot about them. I only learned the basics, myself.”
Eryk didn't seem to mind when Harper left, but she was partially right about Gym Leaders. Most did have a second team just for more advanced trainers. Typically the ones who had badges from other regions or who had previously challenged a league elsewhere. He only knew parts of it because it was his job to keep tabs. He shook his head, though, at Ana's statement.
"It's kind of hard to imagine she's related to Kas," he spoke, some amusement in his voice. He was still getting used to that, actually. "Kas is a lazy ass, and Harper's just full of energy," he continued, pausing momentariy to glance at Mankey, and then at Ana. "Then I shall come. I'm mostly free tomorrow and I don't have anything else to do," he spoke, throwing a careless shrug of his shoulders. He would have spent it helping her out, but from the sounds of it, she wasn't going to need his help tomorrow. She'd be at the Gym with Cyrilla and Kas.
"I guess I'll be cheering for Harper, though. Drake is a Gym Leader, so he doesn't need to be cheered on," he said as an after thought. It wasn't like Drake didn't have plenty of practice, anyway. He'd be fine... maybe.
“Everyone needs support sometimes,” she said, but the disagreement was good-natured, and she didn’t press the point. Shifting to look up at Mankey on her shoulders, she frowned slightly at him. “Mankey, it wasn’t very nice of you to destroy Eryk’s office. Can you try to find some other way to tell him when you want to go outside in the future, please? For me?” She rubbed his ear affectionately, sighing slightly and returning her attention to Eryk.
“If you’re on a break anyway and don’t mind, would you like to walk with me a while? I was just enjoying the weather. The rainy season will be here soon, so there might not be too many more chances.” For her, that was quite the literal statement.
"Sure, I can manage that," he spoke, though he was slightly suspicious of Mankey now. Was that his entire motive? To get him outside so he could run into Ana? He could hear Mankey snickering just slightly, but he hummed against Ana's hand. "And I don't think Mankey could do that. He destroyed my room last time he wanted something," he replied back, his tone a little flat but still amused nonetheless. Well, if that was Mankey's motives, he wasn't going to reprimand him for it
"Cyrilla mentioned a few days ago, that she wanted to go camping. She also said she mentioned it to you," he spoke once their walk became comfortable. "If... you still want to, I can make a request so that we can have a few days off to enjoy it," he spoke, a little unsure of himself now. Cyrilla had said it was meant for all of them, but to enjoy something like that, as friends? It was an odd concept he was still getting used to. After all this time, he thought he'd be used to it.
Ana’s eyes went wide; she blinked at him for a moment. It took a couple of seconds, but a bright smile bloomed over her face. “I’d… I’d really like something like that, if you would. Um… I think I even know somewhere we can go. I talked to my aunt about it; she said one of the smaller islands a couple of miles out is really good for it. So… maybe when the rainy season is over?” One of the hands fiddled with the hem of her shirt. It was almost… nervous?
"After the rainy season, then," he stated, nodding his head just slightly. If that's what she wanted, then they could schedule something when the rain stopped. That seemed... nice, actually. It would give him a reason to get away from the base for awhile and help him reflect on... whatever it is he needed to reflect on. "I shall send in a request when I return to the base, and I will advise the other two to do the same," he spoke, though really, he could do it for all of them. He was, after all, the one in charge. Huh. He could do a lot of things that way.
“Okay then. Good. That’s—yeah.” Ana cleared her throat, then shook her head. “Sorry, I’m being silly. It’s probably just that… I’ve never really done anything like this before. Been on a trip with friends… or camping at all, actually.” She laughed softly, apparently at herself.
He shook his head. "You don't have to apologize, Ana. I've never gone camping, either," though that wasn't completely true. But he supposed doing covert missions and camping were two separate things. Both required spending time out in the woods, and in the company of a select few, however; one was usually done for enjoyment. The other wasn't so much enjoyment but rather as something necessary. "Besides, I think we could all use a break. You especially considering you don't ever take one," he spoke, but it was light and more out of jest.
He'd have to get used to that, too.
“Then thank you. For making sure I can take one.” She bumped her shoulder gently against his arm.
"You're welcome," he replied, chuckling just softly. That was something he'd never get used to, but it was... nice.
Harper pushed a breath out from between parted lips. The Gym doors loomed suddenly much larger than they had been a week ago. Even someone as generally confident and optimistic as she was got nervous before something important like this. But since her brother and his friends were waiting to file in behind her, she didn’t pause for too long before she opened the door, holding it out for Kas behind her and heading towards the official challenger’s position.
To her left, the other four filed onto the bleachers available for spectators. Harper mounted the stairs to the platform that would let her see the whole battle ring, picking pokéballs off her belt and holding them between her fingers in the minimized size. She had a strategy for this, of course, but part of it was dependent on which pokémon Drake chose. She’d just match her choices to his, and work around the situations as they presented themselves.
There was a railing that prevented people from falling off the platform into the ring, and she placed her free hand on it, leaning forward slightly. Drake was focused on something else, not yet aware that they were there, apparently.
“Hey, leader-man!” she called, grinning at him. “What’s a girl gotta do to make a challenge around here, huh?”
She could hear Kas snort even from as far away as he was.
Something from the distance, like the sound of shuffling, could be heard and some choice words. It wasn't a moment later that the doors to the opposite side of the Gym opened, and Drake walked out. He looked like he just woke up, or hadn't slept at all because his hair was slightly messy. It was usually kept and combed. "Sorry! Sorry! I didn't hear the bell!" he spoke, slipping on a shoe, it looked like, as he ran up the stairs to his platform. He took in a deep breath as he leaned on his knees to catch it. Once he glanced up, though, surprise flashed through his eyes.
"Oh, I should have known it was you. You're the only one who calls me that. Oh, hey guys!" he stated, greeting the other four at the bleachers. Cyrilla, Ana, and Kasimir waved back, but Eryk merely stared at him with an uninterested gaze. "So, you're here for a battle I take it," he stated. "Alright then, let's see. It's standard rules, though we'll both be using three pokémon for this particular battle," he spoke, grabbing one of his pokéballs from his belt.
"Do you have any questions before we start?" he asked, tipping his head left for just a little bit.
Harper shook her head. “Nah,” she said lightly. “I’ve done this whole song-and-dance a few times by this point; unless you’ve got any weird specific rules, I’m good.” And he’d said he wasn’t a gimmicks kind of guy, so she had a feeling this wouldn’t be a particularly annoying battle or anything. “Oh, but I should ask…” she trailed off, shooting a glance towards the bleachers. “Your team’s fresh, right? Wouldn’t want to win because a bunch of other people wore them down first.”
Eryk looked like he scoffed for a moment, but his face remained passive. "Nope, no specific or weird rules," he stated, but looked a little confused at her second statement. "Oh, yeah, um. They're good and refreshed. I only had a few challengers yesterday. It was weird," he stated, trailing off just slightly. In the bleachers, though, Cyrilla elbowed Eryk a bit, but he remained passive, still.
"Alright then, if we're good to go," he stated tossing the first pokéball out onto the field. Blaziken appeared, looking extremely refreshed and excited. To prove it, embers formed at the corners of his mouth before he stared up at Harper. "I'll start with Blaziken."
Pre-battle jitters in full effect now, Harper nodded and picked one of her pokéballs from the set, giving it a toss. “Then I’ll go with Shaolin.” The pokéball popped open, releasing her mienshao, probably the most even-tempered of her pokémon. She was ready to go from the outset, and Harper let that center her, too.
“Let’s go,” she said, and Shaolin nodded once. Rather than shooting forward immediately to attack, though, she picked a different tactic. “Meditate.” Shaolin fell into a ready, but relaxed stance, closing her eyes and gaining focus. Her outline began to glow a faint magenta color.
Drake seemed a little eager to start the battle, and so did Blaziken. "Blaziken. Earthquake," he commanded. Blaziken seemed all too happy to oblige, jumping up into the air before coming down hard on the ground. It sent fissures through the entire Gym, causing the ground to split and crack in various places.
Harper smirked. Perfect. “Bounce, now!”
Abruptly, Shaolin shot up into the air, neatly avoiding the fissure headed right for her, twisting into a spinning kick on her way back down. The move was technically flying-type, but pokémon with enough jumping power that weren’t flyers could learn it anyway—and it served Shaolin really well in battles against other fighting-types, like Blaziken was. She aimed herself like a bullet for where Blaziken stood.
"Counter it with Flame Kick," Drake commanded, watching as fire surrounded Blaziken before it shifted to his leg. Blaziken jumped up towards Shaolin, looking to meet her attack with his own.
They clashed, legs meeting in the middle as Blaziken kicked upwards and Shaolin kicked down. The impact thudded, the sound echoing through the ring; both pokémon jumped away from each other to reset their stances. “Get back in there, Shaolin—use Force Palm!” With a dip of her chin, Shaolin bounded forward in powerful strokes, aiming an open-palmed blow direct for Blaziken’s center mass.
It landed, pushing Blaziken back somewhat. "Shake it off Blaziken," Drake spoke, though there was a hint of concern in his voice. Blaziken seemed to recoil from the attack, but did as Drake instructed. He shook his shoulders out and stared at Shaolin. "Alright, let's use Aerial Ace, and follow up with Dual Chop!" he commanded once more, throwing his arm out just slightly in a dramatic pose.
“Get outta there, Shaolin!” Harper implored. Unfortunately, with as close as they were, the Aerial Ace was impossible to avoid completely, and clipped Shaolin’s hip. She ducked and rolled away from the Dual Chop though. The first hit seemed to have done a lot of damage, but that was a double-edged sword. Pursing her lips, Harper huffed. “Give ‘em a Reversal!”
She loved moves like this—the ones that could turn a situation around even when it looked bad. Pushing out of her roll, Shaolin sprang up on her hands and kicked out with both feet.
"Brace for it, Blaziken," he stated, watching as Shaolin attacked Blaziken. "Wait for it... wait for it," he continued chanting, waiting for Shaolin's attack to connect. "There, grab it!" he shouted. Blaziken allowed the hit to connect, however; as soon as Shaolin's attack landed, he grabbed her legs and secured them so she couldn't leave. "Now, use Flamethrower!" at such a close range, it would be hard to avoid. Drake flinched just slightly as Blaziken attacked, and watched as Shaolin went down.
"First match is mine," though he didn't seem too happy about it. He recalled his Blaziken and turned towards Harper. "Next up, Magmar," he stated, tossing out the ball that contained his Magmar.
Harper recalled Shaolin with a grimace. That had been solid strategy on Drake’s part—Shaolin’s mobility was hard to beat, so negating it was a good idea. “You did a good job, girl,” she said softly, placing the ball back on her belt.
Drake’s next selection was a straightforward fire type, though she knew there was a risk of some electric- or ground-type moves with a Magmar. Still… she had a pokémon for this. “You’re up, Torrent.” She tossed the second ball into the ring; Torrent appeared, shaking himself out and fluffing his fins. This time, Harper started things with a bang. “Hydro Pump.”
This wasn’t the playful bursts of water he fired at the others for training—this was a rush of water that earned him his nickname, and it surged straight for Magmar.
"Ah crap! Dodge it Magmar, dodge it!" he didn't even have a chance to make a command. Magmar tried his best to move out of the way, but he was clipped in the side. "It's alright, you're alright! Quick, use Confuse Ray!" Drake commanded, trying to regain his composure. Magmar nodded and did as he was instructed. His eyes glowed for a minute as he directed the attack towards Torrent.
“Damndamndamndamn,” Harper muttered under her breath. She hated confusion effects. She winced as Torrent’s eyes glowed the same color for a minute. He blinked and shook his head, but she wasn’t sure how well he’d be able to understand her. Still… she had to try. “Use Agility!”
As she’d feared, he didn’t quite seem to comprehend the words; he listed slightly sideways, disoriented and unable to comply.
"Now's your chance, Magmar, use Toxic while it's confused!" he stated, Magmar nodding his head in understanding. He seemed to gurgle for a moment before purple liquid spewed from its mouth and hurled the mixture towards Torrent.
“Come on, come on! Agility, Torrent—Agility!” It almost looked like he wasn’t going to make it, but the second before the sludge hit him, he seemed to snap out of it, shaking himself and lunging to the side—just barely avoiding the goo. “Now let’s do this: Smokescreen and Hydro Pump so he can’t see it coming!”
Torrent exhaled a massive cloud of black fog, shifted positions, and shot another tremendous blast of water.
"Quick Magmar, use Psychic!" Drake commanded, however; it was a second too late. The attack landed on Magmar, sending him halfway across the Gym floor and hitting the platform Drake stood on. "Magmar!" he called out, leaning over his railing to glance down at his pokémon. Magmar was unconscious, but otherwise not too harmed.
"Second match goes to you, Harper," he said as he recalled his Magmar. "You did good, buddy. Get some rest," he stated before he pulled out his last pokéball. "Alrighty Pyroar, you're up next," he stated, tossing the ball out onto the field. "Let's give the pretty lady a decent challenge, now, what do you say?" he spoke, glancing down at his Pyroar who merely let out a low roar.
Kasimir cackled from his place in the stands; Harper grinned herself. “Aww, you think I’m pretty? How sweet.” Her eyes narrowed slyly, and she picked up the last pokéball in the set. “Let’s make this a little more fun, huh? Go for it, Pyrrha!”
With a deft toss, she released her own pyroar. Pyrrha glanced around the arena, making a pleased sound at the prospect of getting to play. She was really just a huge kitten, that one. “I think it’s ladies first, don’t you? Take Down.” Pyrrha let out a happy roar and charged, legs coiling under her at the last moment so she could spring.
"Use Wild Charge, Pyroar!" Drake decided to counter it, though his face was a pretty shade of red. Pyroar roared and charged after Pyrrha, electricity crackling from his fur as he did so. It coated his entire fur before he was surrounded in electricity.
They met in midair, the impact carrying them both to the floor, where they rolled around, pawing at each other and trying to get a decent hold on the other. Harper grimaced—Pyrrha was the smaller one, so she probably shouldn’t stay in a lock for too long. “Get out of there, girl!”
Pyrrha disentangled herself from the brawl, rolling away and regaining her feet. “Take two: use Crunch!” Pyrrha went in for Drake’s Pyroar’s front leg.
Pyroar let Pyrrah bite him, apparently, because he didn't move. It didn't seem to hurt any less, though, since Pyroar let out a discomforting hiss of pain. "Your turn, Pyroar, Crunch!" Drake stated. At this close range, he'd easily be able to grab her by the gruff of her neck, or by her mane.
“Roll!” It wasn’t a battle move—rather just a command. Pyrrha got low, letting go of her grip on Pyroar’s arm and rolling away before he could do more than catch her mane in his teeth. That still stopped her from getting further away though; Harper didn’t quite like where this was going.
Time for the trump card, then.
“Well, Pyrrha, the Gym leader thinks I’m pretty,” Harper said, gripping her railing with both hands and leaning forward. She made eye contact with Drake, who was really an adorable pink color at the moment. “Let’s see if his pokémon thinks the same thing about you.” She grinned. “Attract.”
"What? Wait, that's, Pyroar!" he fell over his words when she said that, though he seemed to be more concerned about his Pyroar. Attract wasn't something that could be dodged, exactly. Pyroar was affected, and immediately, he seemed enamored by Pyrrha, going so far as to jog up to her and attempt to rub his face with hers. "Pyroar snap out of it!" Drake seemed to plead, but Pyroar wasn't trying too hard to do anything. He was smiling, or smiling about as far as Pyroars go, and having the time of his life next to Pyrrha.
Harper laughed; from the sounds of the bleachers, most everyone else was, too. It was actually kind of adorable. Pyrrha made an amused huffing sound, looking back up at her trainer. “So, Drake,” she said, taking a tone of negotiation. “How do you want to handle this? I’d feel bad having her beat up the poor guy, but if you want to take the chance that he’ll get over it, we can keep battling.” Regulation rules allowed for trainers to surrender a match or a round for any reason and at any time, so it wasn’t like it’d be illegal. And it might spare Pyroar a couple sparring bruises—and possibly some heartbreak.
He heaved a somewhat dramatic sigh, and shook his head. "Alright, you win. Pyroar, get over here," he stated, recalling the pyroar back to his ball. "Well, congrats, Harp, you've won yourself a badge," he stated, not quite realizing he didn't say her full name. "I guess I have to present to you the Volcano Badge," he stated, reaching for his left shirt pocket. He pulled a small, thin case from it, and plucked the item from it.
"Well, I can't just toss it to you so," he stated, leaving the platform and making his way towards her side.
She stepped down from her platform to meet him. “You don’t have to sound so disappointed, you know,” she said playfully. He supposed he had to, huh? Well, she supposed he did. She extracted her badge case from the side pocket of her back, cracking it open. After this one, there’d be only one more she needed to worry about—one step closer to her dream. It might have taken longer than it should have because of the way her life had gone, but that was the way of things.
Slipping something else from her pocket, she tucked it into her hand, and waited for him to cross the gym.
"Do I sound disappointed?" he questioned, arching a brow. "I'm not, actually. I'm kind of happy I lost. Though, I am not proud of the way it ended, but I suppose that's the way things go sometimes," he stated, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. He shrugged his shoulders, though, and he stopped just a polite distance away from her, holding out the badge.
"But you deserve it, so here ya go," he continued, holding the badge out to her so she could take it.
“Thanks!” she said, reaching for the badge. Lowering her voice so the people in the bleachers wouldn’t be able to hear, she continued. “I have something for you, too, actually.” She held out the piece of paper, folded in half, after she took the badge.
“I should probably explain: no pressure, no expectations. Just… if you feel like talking sometime. I had fun on our friend-date.” She winked at him, then turned away to meet the others, who were now descending from the stands. She… actually wasn’t sure she wanted to see his reaction, in case it wasn’t that good.
After all, she hadn’t given anyone her Pokégear number in a pretty long time.
Maybe if she hadn't turned away, she would have seen his face take on an extremely dark shade of red. Eryk, however, seemed somewhat amused, glancing over her shoulder to stare at Drake, while Cyrilla just smiled at Harper.
"Uh, yeah, sure," he sputtered out behind her, though. Eryk must have heard, because he raised a brow, but didn't say anything. Cyrilla, however, just stared at Harper in slight awe.
"Way to go Harper! Congratulations on winning," she spoke, and Eryk nodded his head in agreement.
Harper grinned at the lot of them, sketching a shallow bow. “Thank you, thank you, I’m here for… well, another couple days at least.” She turned back to Drake, a slightly softer expression on her face. “Thanks for the battle; it was fun. Seeya ‘round, Drake.”
"See you, Harp."
To her left, the other four filed onto the bleachers available for spectators. Harper mounted the stairs to the platform that would let her see the whole battle ring, picking pokéballs off her belt and holding them between her fingers in the minimized size. She had a strategy for this, of course, but part of it was dependent on which pokémon Drake chose. She’d just match her choices to his, and work around the situations as they presented themselves.
There was a railing that prevented people from falling off the platform into the ring, and she placed her free hand on it, leaning forward slightly. Drake was focused on something else, not yet aware that they were there, apparently.
“Hey, leader-man!” she called, grinning at him. “What’s a girl gotta do to make a challenge around here, huh?”
She could hear Kas snort even from as far away as he was.
Something from the distance, like the sound of shuffling, could be heard and some choice words. It wasn't a moment later that the doors to the opposite side of the Gym opened, and Drake walked out. He looked like he just woke up, or hadn't slept at all because his hair was slightly messy. It was usually kept and combed. "Sorry! Sorry! I didn't hear the bell!" he spoke, slipping on a shoe, it looked like, as he ran up the stairs to his platform. He took in a deep breath as he leaned on his knees to catch it. Once he glanced up, though, surprise flashed through his eyes.
"Oh, I should have known it was you. You're the only one who calls me that. Oh, hey guys!" he stated, greeting the other four at the bleachers. Cyrilla, Ana, and Kasimir waved back, but Eryk merely stared at him with an uninterested gaze. "So, you're here for a battle I take it," he stated. "Alright then, let's see. It's standard rules, though we'll both be using three pokémon for this particular battle," he spoke, grabbing one of his pokéballs from his belt.
"Do you have any questions before we start?" he asked, tipping his head left for just a little bit.
Harper shook her head. “Nah,” she said lightly. “I’ve done this whole song-and-dance a few times by this point; unless you’ve got any weird specific rules, I’m good.” And he’d said he wasn’t a gimmicks kind of guy, so she had a feeling this wouldn’t be a particularly annoying battle or anything. “Oh, but I should ask…” she trailed off, shooting a glance towards the bleachers. “Your team’s fresh, right? Wouldn’t want to win because a bunch of other people wore them down first.”
Eryk looked like he scoffed for a moment, but his face remained passive. "Nope, no specific or weird rules," he stated, but looked a little confused at her second statement. "Oh, yeah, um. They're good and refreshed. I only had a few challengers yesterday. It was weird," he stated, trailing off just slightly. In the bleachers, though, Cyrilla elbowed Eryk a bit, but he remained passive, still.
"Alright then, if we're good to go," he stated tossing the first pokéball out onto the field. Blaziken appeared, looking extremely refreshed and excited. To prove it, embers formed at the corners of his mouth before he stared up at Harper. "I'll start with Blaziken."
Pre-battle jitters in full effect now, Harper nodded and picked one of her pokéballs from the set, giving it a toss. “Then I’ll go with Shaolin.” The pokéball popped open, releasing her mienshao, probably the most even-tempered of her pokémon. She was ready to go from the outset, and Harper let that center her, too.
“Let’s go,” she said, and Shaolin nodded once. Rather than shooting forward immediately to attack, though, she picked a different tactic. “Meditate.” Shaolin fell into a ready, but relaxed stance, closing her eyes and gaining focus. Her outline began to glow a faint magenta color.
Drake seemed a little eager to start the battle, and so did Blaziken. "Blaziken. Earthquake," he commanded. Blaziken seemed all too happy to oblige, jumping up into the air before coming down hard on the ground. It sent fissures through the entire Gym, causing the ground to split and crack in various places.
Harper smirked. Perfect. “Bounce, now!”
Abruptly, Shaolin shot up into the air, neatly avoiding the fissure headed right for her, twisting into a spinning kick on her way back down. The move was technically flying-type, but pokémon with enough jumping power that weren’t flyers could learn it anyway—and it served Shaolin really well in battles against other fighting-types, like Blaziken was. She aimed herself like a bullet for where Blaziken stood.
"Counter it with Flame Kick," Drake commanded, watching as fire surrounded Blaziken before it shifted to his leg. Blaziken jumped up towards Shaolin, looking to meet her attack with his own.
They clashed, legs meeting in the middle as Blaziken kicked upwards and Shaolin kicked down. The impact thudded, the sound echoing through the ring; both pokémon jumped away from each other to reset their stances. “Get back in there, Shaolin—use Force Palm!” With a dip of her chin, Shaolin bounded forward in powerful strokes, aiming an open-palmed blow direct for Blaziken’s center mass.
It landed, pushing Blaziken back somewhat. "Shake it off Blaziken," Drake spoke, though there was a hint of concern in his voice. Blaziken seemed to recoil from the attack, but did as Drake instructed. He shook his shoulders out and stared at Shaolin. "Alright, let's use Aerial Ace, and follow up with Dual Chop!" he commanded once more, throwing his arm out just slightly in a dramatic pose.
“Get outta there, Shaolin!” Harper implored. Unfortunately, with as close as they were, the Aerial Ace was impossible to avoid completely, and clipped Shaolin’s hip. She ducked and rolled away from the Dual Chop though. The first hit seemed to have done a lot of damage, but that was a double-edged sword. Pursing her lips, Harper huffed. “Give ‘em a Reversal!”
She loved moves like this—the ones that could turn a situation around even when it looked bad. Pushing out of her roll, Shaolin sprang up on her hands and kicked out with both feet.
"Brace for it, Blaziken," he stated, watching as Shaolin attacked Blaziken. "Wait for it... wait for it," he continued chanting, waiting for Shaolin's attack to connect. "There, grab it!" he shouted. Blaziken allowed the hit to connect, however; as soon as Shaolin's attack landed, he grabbed her legs and secured them so she couldn't leave. "Now, use Flamethrower!" at such a close range, it would be hard to avoid. Drake flinched just slightly as Blaziken attacked, and watched as Shaolin went down.
"First match is mine," though he didn't seem too happy about it. He recalled his Blaziken and turned towards Harper. "Next up, Magmar," he stated, tossing out the ball that contained his Magmar.
Harper recalled Shaolin with a grimace. That had been solid strategy on Drake’s part—Shaolin’s mobility was hard to beat, so negating it was a good idea. “You did a good job, girl,” she said softly, placing the ball back on her belt.
Drake’s next selection was a straightforward fire type, though she knew there was a risk of some electric- or ground-type moves with a Magmar. Still… she had a pokémon for this. “You’re up, Torrent.” She tossed the second ball into the ring; Torrent appeared, shaking himself out and fluffing his fins. This time, Harper started things with a bang. “Hydro Pump.”
This wasn’t the playful bursts of water he fired at the others for training—this was a rush of water that earned him his nickname, and it surged straight for Magmar.
"Ah crap! Dodge it Magmar, dodge it!" he didn't even have a chance to make a command. Magmar tried his best to move out of the way, but he was clipped in the side. "It's alright, you're alright! Quick, use Confuse Ray!" Drake commanded, trying to regain his composure. Magmar nodded and did as he was instructed. His eyes glowed for a minute as he directed the attack towards Torrent.
“Damndamndamndamn,” Harper muttered under her breath. She hated confusion effects. She winced as Torrent’s eyes glowed the same color for a minute. He blinked and shook his head, but she wasn’t sure how well he’d be able to understand her. Still… she had to try. “Use Agility!”
As she’d feared, he didn’t quite seem to comprehend the words; he listed slightly sideways, disoriented and unable to comply.
"Now's your chance, Magmar, use Toxic while it's confused!" he stated, Magmar nodding his head in understanding. He seemed to gurgle for a moment before purple liquid spewed from its mouth and hurled the mixture towards Torrent.
“Come on, come on! Agility, Torrent—Agility!” It almost looked like he wasn’t going to make it, but the second before the sludge hit him, he seemed to snap out of it, shaking himself and lunging to the side—just barely avoiding the goo. “Now let’s do this: Smokescreen and Hydro Pump so he can’t see it coming!”
Torrent exhaled a massive cloud of black fog, shifted positions, and shot another tremendous blast of water.
"Quick Magmar, use Psychic!" Drake commanded, however; it was a second too late. The attack landed on Magmar, sending him halfway across the Gym floor and hitting the platform Drake stood on. "Magmar!" he called out, leaning over his railing to glance down at his pokémon. Magmar was unconscious, but otherwise not too harmed.
"Second match goes to you, Harper," he said as he recalled his Magmar. "You did good, buddy. Get some rest," he stated before he pulled out his last pokéball. "Alrighty Pyroar, you're up next," he stated, tossing the ball out onto the field. "Let's give the pretty lady a decent challenge, now, what do you say?" he spoke, glancing down at his Pyroar who merely let out a low roar.
Kasimir cackled from his place in the stands; Harper grinned herself. “Aww, you think I’m pretty? How sweet.” Her eyes narrowed slyly, and she picked up the last pokéball in the set. “Let’s make this a little more fun, huh? Go for it, Pyrrha!”
With a deft toss, she released her own pyroar. Pyrrha glanced around the arena, making a pleased sound at the prospect of getting to play. She was really just a huge kitten, that one. “I think it’s ladies first, don’t you? Take Down.” Pyrrha let out a happy roar and charged, legs coiling under her at the last moment so she could spring.
"Use Wild Charge, Pyroar!" Drake decided to counter it, though his face was a pretty shade of red. Pyroar roared and charged after Pyrrha, electricity crackling from his fur as he did so. It coated his entire fur before he was surrounded in electricity.
They met in midair, the impact carrying them both to the floor, where they rolled around, pawing at each other and trying to get a decent hold on the other. Harper grimaced—Pyrrha was the smaller one, so she probably shouldn’t stay in a lock for too long. “Get out of there, girl!”
Pyrrha disentangled herself from the brawl, rolling away and regaining her feet. “Take two: use Crunch!” Pyrrha went in for Drake’s Pyroar’s front leg.
Pyroar let Pyrrah bite him, apparently, because he didn't move. It didn't seem to hurt any less, though, since Pyroar let out a discomforting hiss of pain. "Your turn, Pyroar, Crunch!" Drake stated. At this close range, he'd easily be able to grab her by the gruff of her neck, or by her mane.
“Roll!” It wasn’t a battle move—rather just a command. Pyrrha got low, letting go of her grip on Pyroar’s arm and rolling away before he could do more than catch her mane in his teeth. That still stopped her from getting further away though; Harper didn’t quite like where this was going.
Time for the trump card, then.
“Well, Pyrrha, the Gym leader thinks I’m pretty,” Harper said, gripping her railing with both hands and leaning forward. She made eye contact with Drake, who was really an adorable pink color at the moment. “Let’s see if his pokémon thinks the same thing about you.” She grinned. “Attract.”
"What? Wait, that's, Pyroar!" he fell over his words when she said that, though he seemed to be more concerned about his Pyroar. Attract wasn't something that could be dodged, exactly. Pyroar was affected, and immediately, he seemed enamored by Pyrrha, going so far as to jog up to her and attempt to rub his face with hers. "Pyroar snap out of it!" Drake seemed to plead, but Pyroar wasn't trying too hard to do anything. He was smiling, or smiling about as far as Pyroars go, and having the time of his life next to Pyrrha.
Harper laughed; from the sounds of the bleachers, most everyone else was, too. It was actually kind of adorable. Pyrrha made an amused huffing sound, looking back up at her trainer. “So, Drake,” she said, taking a tone of negotiation. “How do you want to handle this? I’d feel bad having her beat up the poor guy, but if you want to take the chance that he’ll get over it, we can keep battling.” Regulation rules allowed for trainers to surrender a match or a round for any reason and at any time, so it wasn’t like it’d be illegal. And it might spare Pyroar a couple sparring bruises—and possibly some heartbreak.
He heaved a somewhat dramatic sigh, and shook his head. "Alright, you win. Pyroar, get over here," he stated, recalling the pyroar back to his ball. "Well, congrats, Harp, you've won yourself a badge," he stated, not quite realizing he didn't say her full name. "I guess I have to present to you the Volcano Badge," he stated, reaching for his left shirt pocket. He pulled a small, thin case from it, and plucked the item from it.
"Well, I can't just toss it to you so," he stated, leaving the platform and making his way towards her side.
She stepped down from her platform to meet him. “You don’t have to sound so disappointed, you know,” she said playfully. He supposed he had to, huh? Well, she supposed he did. She extracted her badge case from the side pocket of her back, cracking it open. After this one, there’d be only one more she needed to worry about—one step closer to her dream. It might have taken longer than it should have because of the way her life had gone, but that was the way of things.
Slipping something else from her pocket, she tucked it into her hand, and waited for him to cross the gym.
"Do I sound disappointed?" he questioned, arching a brow. "I'm not, actually. I'm kind of happy I lost. Though, I am not proud of the way it ended, but I suppose that's the way things go sometimes," he stated, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. He shrugged his shoulders, though, and he stopped just a polite distance away from her, holding out the badge.
"But you deserve it, so here ya go," he continued, holding the badge out to her so she could take it.
“Thanks!” she said, reaching for the badge. Lowering her voice so the people in the bleachers wouldn’t be able to hear, she continued. “I have something for you, too, actually.” She held out the piece of paper, folded in half, after she took the badge.
“I should probably explain: no pressure, no expectations. Just… if you feel like talking sometime. I had fun on our friend-date.” She winked at him, then turned away to meet the others, who were now descending from the stands. She… actually wasn’t sure she wanted to see his reaction, in case it wasn’t that good.
After all, she hadn’t given anyone her Pokégear number in a pretty long time.
Maybe if she hadn't turned away, she would have seen his face take on an extremely dark shade of red. Eryk, however, seemed somewhat amused, glancing over her shoulder to stare at Drake, while Cyrilla just smiled at Harper.
"Uh, yeah, sure," he sputtered out behind her, though. Eryk must have heard, because he raised a brow, but didn't say anything. Cyrilla, however, just stared at Harper in slight awe.
"Way to go Harper! Congratulations on winning," she spoke, and Eryk nodded his head in agreement.
Harper grinned at the lot of them, sketching a shallow bow. “Thank you, thank you, I’m here for… well, another couple days at least.” She turned back to Drake, a slightly softer expression on her face. “Thanks for the battle; it was fun. Seeya ‘round, Drake.”
"See you, Harp."
"You know, you haven't stopped blushing since the Gym battle," Cyrilla spoke, snapping Drake out of his thoughts. Somewhere to his side, Eryk scoffed, but he didn't say anything. He looked... amused by that fact. "Oh," she stated, as if she suddenly realized something. A smirk like smile crossed her lips as she pulled closer to Drake so that she was far enough from Ryk. She leaned in close, smiling still. "Do you like her?" she whispered. Whatever thoughts Drake was having at the moment, came to a complete stop. He tripped lighty over his own feet and tried to regain his footing. Luckily, Cyrilla, who was laughing at him, managed to hold onto his arm and help him to his feet.
"W-What gave you that idea," he questioned, giving her an incredulous look. Seriously, where did that come from? He didn't like her, at least not like that... did he? He rubbed his face a few times, feeling the heat approaching. "I just... admire her. She was interesting and fun to battle with and we had a fun friend-date when you ditched us," he finally admitted, laughing nervously as he did. Cyrilla snorted at him, and he could have sworn he heard one come from Eryk behind them. Did he have really good hearing?
"If you say so, Drake. If you say so," she responded, giggling just lightly. She kept her arm hooked with his, though, and tried to contain a small fit of laughter. At least the expression on her face gave that impression. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes at her, but smiled nonetheless. "It wouldn't be so bad, you know, if you did. She's fun to be with and really... energetic. You need someone like that," she wouldn't let it drop, would she?
"Oi, really Cy? Now you're giving me advice?" he questioned, raising a brow just slightly.
"Must be pretty bad if she is," Eryk muttered from behind. Really, okay that was a little scary. He really did have good hearing.
"Can we just keep going? I'd rather not talk about it, thank you," he finally stated, trying his best to change the subject. His face was still red, wasn't it?
Fortunately for Drake, perhaps, the conversation was interrupted by the appearance of Kasimir, who was walking towards them from the other direction, looking down at something in his hand. It was a bright pink flyer, apparently, though what the words printed on it were was impossible to see from this distance.
“Oh, hey guys,” he greeted, noticing them as they drew closer to one another. “Out for a stroll? Or is this a conciliation lap?” He grinned, referencing of course Drake’s recent loss, but perhaps that was understandable. He was the winner’s brother; it made sense for him to be proud of her.
"Hey Kas," Drake stated, waving to him with his free hand. Cyrilla did the same, and Eryk merely nodded his head in acknowledgment. "I suppose you could say that, though. It's not the first time I've lost, people do have to win a badge every now and then, don't they?" he stated, brightening up at the thought. He just didn't like the way he did lose. That was a little unfair, but he supposed it would have happened anyway. He'll have to train Pyroar just a little more to be a bit more resilient to that attack.
"What are you doing? Taking a leisure stroll yourself and picking up pink paper slips?" he asked, nodding his head towards the flyer in Kas's hand.
“Nah,” Kas replied, shaking his head. “I was helping Harper get together some fresh supplies for her trip to Viridian. Someone was handing these out near the post office. I guess they’re really making a thing of this.” He handed the paper over so the group could see.
In big bold letters at the top, it declared the creation of a region-wide battle tournament, to be held in mid-spring of the following year, in Saffron. The rest of the information was details for the event, like dates and registration deadlines and fees. “Apparently, all comers are invited; it’s going to be a big deal, apparently. The guy passing these out said that the winner gets a pass to challenge the Elite Four, even if they don’t have all the Gym Badges, which seems kind of like a big deal, right?”
According to the flyer though, winning would take just about as much effort as beating all the Gyms—leaders were invited by default, including those from other regions, and several earlier preliminary tournaments were being held in the major towns to narrow the field of contestants to something manageable. “Looks like our local tournament will be in a month or so.”
Drake stared at the flyer in slight surprise. Why hadn't he received this sooner? He groaned inwardly. Blaine usually received the flyers and mail for that kind of thing. He hadn't exactly changed the forwarding address for the Gym or anything to Drake's residence. Well, at least he was hearing about it now, right? "Oh, well if that's the case, you guys should go. It might be fun, and it'll give you some battle practice, right?" he stated as Cyrilla raised a brow.
"Are you saying we couldn't provide a challenge for you?" Eryk spoke, seeming a little offended by the statement. Drake shook his head a little too hard, though. "If that is the case, consider your challenge accepted," he continued, his eyes narrowing slightly at Drake.
"I wasn't saying that, I promise!" he spoke. He really wasn't. He just thought it would be nice for them to go since he's never really seen them battle. They were, after all, in the top positions of Team Rocket. He knew that much. And you just didn't get that position by being an important person. You had to earn that position. He sighed, though, slightly.
"Well, if you go, then I'll go. But I'll be part of your cheering squad. I don't think league challenges are for me," Cyrilla stated. He could understand that. If she wasn't a part of Team Rocket, he would have guessed her to be a care-taker of pokémon, like a breeder perhaps.
“What do ya think, Ryk? We’d have to ask for some time off, but we could enter anyway. It looks like the local tournament at least is only a couple of days long. The big one’s apparently going to go for a week or so in Saffron, though. Could be fun.”
Drake wouldn’t have to participate in the qualifier, being a Gym leader, but if the two of them wanted to make it to the later tournament, they’d have to place in the top five participants in the local one, first. “Looks like our local is us, Pallet Town, and the outlying islands…”
"Oh, you should do it, Ryk," Cyrilla spoke, releasing Drake's arm. He glanced towards Eryk as well, watching as his face pulled into a contemplative gesture. He'd never seen Eryk battle before, perhaps it would be a good insight to the techniques and to see just how well-trained his team was.
"Fine. I'll send the memo to HQ and we'll go from there. We haven't used any of our vacation days, and we've..." he paused there, glancing towards Drake before he glanced towards Kas. "I'll see what I can do," was all he said.
"Good. You said there's supposed to be sign-ups, right? We should go get the both of you registered before we miss it," she spoke, pulling a bit on Eryk's arm to get him moving.
“I’m not sure it’s that urgent,” Kas said, obviously amused. “The deadline for registration is…” He glanced at the flyer for a second. “Next week. Looks like the fee’s a thousand, but that covers the both stages, except lodging and stuff.”
A thousand pokédollars definitely wasn’t nothing, but it wasn’t too much for the average trainer to manage if they wanted to, and people with actual jobs like the three of them had probably wouldn’t blink twice at it. “Anyway, they’re handling the registration at the Center, so we might as well head that way. If you don’t mind, Drake?” Kas raised a brow at him in question—he was, after all, not required to do any of this himself, so it was technically out of his way.
"Sure, I'll tag along," he replied, shrugging his shoulders. "I'm still partly free for the day, and we were all taking a stroll as you said. I'm not sure why he wanted to come, but I suppose it's a good thing he did," he continued, jabbing a thumb towards Eryk. He had found it a bit strange that Eryk had accompanied Cyrilla when she came to visit him, but he wasn't really complaining. He just didn't understand why Eryk didn't like him, was all.
"Alright then, let's go get registered at the Center, and pay your fees," Cyrilla spoke, perhaps a little too happy about the situation.
"W-What gave you that idea," he questioned, giving her an incredulous look. Seriously, where did that come from? He didn't like her, at least not like that... did he? He rubbed his face a few times, feeling the heat approaching. "I just... admire her. She was interesting and fun to battle with and we had a fun friend-date when you ditched us," he finally admitted, laughing nervously as he did. Cyrilla snorted at him, and he could have sworn he heard one come from Eryk behind them. Did he have really good hearing?
"If you say so, Drake. If you say so," she responded, giggling just lightly. She kept her arm hooked with his, though, and tried to contain a small fit of laughter. At least the expression on her face gave that impression. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes at her, but smiled nonetheless. "It wouldn't be so bad, you know, if you did. She's fun to be with and really... energetic. You need someone like that," she wouldn't let it drop, would she?
"Oi, really Cy? Now you're giving me advice?" he questioned, raising a brow just slightly.
"Must be pretty bad if she is," Eryk muttered from behind. Really, okay that was a little scary. He really did have good hearing.
"Can we just keep going? I'd rather not talk about it, thank you," he finally stated, trying his best to change the subject. His face was still red, wasn't it?
Fortunately for Drake, perhaps, the conversation was interrupted by the appearance of Kasimir, who was walking towards them from the other direction, looking down at something in his hand. It was a bright pink flyer, apparently, though what the words printed on it were was impossible to see from this distance.
“Oh, hey guys,” he greeted, noticing them as they drew closer to one another. “Out for a stroll? Or is this a conciliation lap?” He grinned, referencing of course Drake’s recent loss, but perhaps that was understandable. He was the winner’s brother; it made sense for him to be proud of her.
"Hey Kas," Drake stated, waving to him with his free hand. Cyrilla did the same, and Eryk merely nodded his head in acknowledgment. "I suppose you could say that, though. It's not the first time I've lost, people do have to win a badge every now and then, don't they?" he stated, brightening up at the thought. He just didn't like the way he did lose. That was a little unfair, but he supposed it would have happened anyway. He'll have to train Pyroar just a little more to be a bit more resilient to that attack.
"What are you doing? Taking a leisure stroll yourself and picking up pink paper slips?" he asked, nodding his head towards the flyer in Kas's hand.
“Nah,” Kas replied, shaking his head. “I was helping Harper get together some fresh supplies for her trip to Viridian. Someone was handing these out near the post office. I guess they’re really making a thing of this.” He handed the paper over so the group could see.
In big bold letters at the top, it declared the creation of a region-wide battle tournament, to be held in mid-spring of the following year, in Saffron. The rest of the information was details for the event, like dates and registration deadlines and fees. “Apparently, all comers are invited; it’s going to be a big deal, apparently. The guy passing these out said that the winner gets a pass to challenge the Elite Four, even if they don’t have all the Gym Badges, which seems kind of like a big deal, right?”
According to the flyer though, winning would take just about as much effort as beating all the Gyms—leaders were invited by default, including those from other regions, and several earlier preliminary tournaments were being held in the major towns to narrow the field of contestants to something manageable. “Looks like our local tournament will be in a month or so.”
Drake stared at the flyer in slight surprise. Why hadn't he received this sooner? He groaned inwardly. Blaine usually received the flyers and mail for that kind of thing. He hadn't exactly changed the forwarding address for the Gym or anything to Drake's residence. Well, at least he was hearing about it now, right? "Oh, well if that's the case, you guys should go. It might be fun, and it'll give you some battle practice, right?" he stated as Cyrilla raised a brow.
"Are you saying we couldn't provide a challenge for you?" Eryk spoke, seeming a little offended by the statement. Drake shook his head a little too hard, though. "If that is the case, consider your challenge accepted," he continued, his eyes narrowing slightly at Drake.
"I wasn't saying that, I promise!" he spoke. He really wasn't. He just thought it would be nice for them to go since he's never really seen them battle. They were, after all, in the top positions of Team Rocket. He knew that much. And you just didn't get that position by being an important person. You had to earn that position. He sighed, though, slightly.
"Well, if you go, then I'll go. But I'll be part of your cheering squad. I don't think league challenges are for me," Cyrilla stated. He could understand that. If she wasn't a part of Team Rocket, he would have guessed her to be a care-taker of pokémon, like a breeder perhaps.
“What do ya think, Ryk? We’d have to ask for some time off, but we could enter anyway. It looks like the local tournament at least is only a couple of days long. The big one’s apparently going to go for a week or so in Saffron, though. Could be fun.”
Drake wouldn’t have to participate in the qualifier, being a Gym leader, but if the two of them wanted to make it to the later tournament, they’d have to place in the top five participants in the local one, first. “Looks like our local is us, Pallet Town, and the outlying islands…”
"Oh, you should do it, Ryk," Cyrilla spoke, releasing Drake's arm. He glanced towards Eryk as well, watching as his face pulled into a contemplative gesture. He'd never seen Eryk battle before, perhaps it would be a good insight to the techniques and to see just how well-trained his team was.
"Fine. I'll send the memo to HQ and we'll go from there. We haven't used any of our vacation days, and we've..." he paused there, glancing towards Drake before he glanced towards Kas. "I'll see what I can do," was all he said.
"Good. You said there's supposed to be sign-ups, right? We should go get the both of you registered before we miss it," she spoke, pulling a bit on Eryk's arm to get him moving.
“I’m not sure it’s that urgent,” Kas said, obviously amused. “The deadline for registration is…” He glanced at the flyer for a second. “Next week. Looks like the fee’s a thousand, but that covers the both stages, except lodging and stuff.”
A thousand pokédollars definitely wasn’t nothing, but it wasn’t too much for the average trainer to manage if they wanted to, and people with actual jobs like the three of them had probably wouldn’t blink twice at it. “Anyway, they’re handling the registration at the Center, so we might as well head that way. If you don’t mind, Drake?” Kas raised a brow at him in question—he was, after all, not required to do any of this himself, so it was technically out of his way.
"Sure, I'll tag along," he replied, shrugging his shoulders. "I'm still partly free for the day, and we were all taking a stroll as you said. I'm not sure why he wanted to come, but I suppose it's a good thing he did," he continued, jabbing a thumb towards Eryk. He had found it a bit strange that Eryk had accompanied Cyrilla when she came to visit him, but he wasn't really complaining. He just didn't understand why Eryk didn't like him, was all.
"Alright then, let's go get registered at the Center, and pay your fees," Cyrilla spoke, perhaps a little too happy about the situation.
Ana picked absently at the scone on the plate in front of her. She was at one of Cinnabar’s beachside restaurants with Eryk—though this one was more of a café than a restaurant proper. She’d considered the fact that he had basically three places in town that he ever went and decided to do her part to show him that there were other places worth going, at least occasionally. That task basically amounted to taking him along with her whenever she decided to go to someplace she liked; she did hope she wasn’t inconveniencing him, but he didn’t seem to put up a resistance to the idea.
Today, though, she honestly wasn’t especially hungry. The scone was good, as was nearly everything else served at the café, but she hadn’t had much of an appetite for the past few days; that was a bit of a concern, but something she was used to dealing with. She tried to make herself eat enough anyway, to keep up her strength, but it could be a challenge.
Seeking to distract herself from this, she recalled something Cyrilla had told her yesterday and decided it was worth bringing up. “I heard you’ve registered for the regional tournament in the spring,” she said quietly. “The qualifying rounds are in about a month, right?”
Eryk glanced up at her from his plate, poking at a similar scone in front of him. "Yes. Kas and I enrolled so we will be attending that when the day comes," he answered, going back to his scone for a moment. He seemed a little bothered by it, like he'd never seen one before. Maybe he hadn't, considering that he didn't especially go for treats like these. He'd only chosen it because she chose it, and apparently he wanted to try something she liked.
"Would you like to come see us?" he asked suddenly, glancing up from the scone and to her.
Ana blinked at him. That was not where she’d been going with the question, but now that he’d asked… “That would be nice,” she said honestly. “And I’ll definitely come see you at the regional one, since it will be on the island, but…” She hesitated. It was sort of difficult to explain that she didn’t exactly have the funds laying around for a week’s worth of hotel rooms in Saffron City. Still, she didn’t want to just say she wasn’t interested in going, because that would be a lie—likewise, giving some other half-baked excuse was unappealing.
So she took a bite of scone, not really tasting the tartness of the blueberries. “Well, to be honest… I run the shelter with donations and adoption fees, and I buy my food by working a couple shifts a week for my aunt. It’s not really the sort of situation that lets me travel to anywhere fancy.” Some people managed to make a nice nest egg for themselves on their journeys, but Ana had never been on one, due to her sickness in childhood. “So unfortunately I won’t be able to go to Saffron if the two of you make it that far.”
What part of her sentence upset him, wasn't exactly clear. But it was clear that he was upset, and his face turned into a light scowl. His hand clenched on the fork he'd been using, but it wasn't tight enough to where his knuckles were white. "Find someone to care for your shelter while you're gone. You'll be coming with us. I'll pay for the necessary arrangements. Also, you will not be without assistance from now on. I will buy your groceries and any other items you may need for the shelter, and I do not expect to hear objections about it," he spoke a little too seriously. He looked really upset about that, for some reason.
Ana pursed her lips, tilting her head at him and shaking it a little sadly. “Eryk, that’s not… that’s not reasonable. I can’t ask you to do that, and I don’t want you to. Maybe… maybe we can talk about what to do with the trip situation, but I can’t and won’t ask you to buy my groceries or any of the supplies for my shelter. I make enough for both of those things; I stick to my budget and plan around it. I don’t need anything I don’t have, truly.” And aside from her emergency fund for the shelter… it wasn’t like she needed a life savings or anything, so using up all of her money every month wasn’t really an issue.
“Please… I wasn’t trying to bring this up for that reason. I just wanted you to know that it would probably be difficult for me to make it to Saffron—and that I wasn’t refusing to go because I didn’t want to do that with you. I’d love to, but it might not be possible.” Maybe she could scrape together enough for the trip if she was really strict with herself for the month between now and then, but it wasn’t likely—it just wasn’t enough time.
Eryk's gaze faltered for just a minute, and it looked like he was a little upset? Maybe he was. "That's not what I meant either. What I meant was that you shouldn't have to work more than you already do for something like basic necessities. Let me at least accommodate you by paying for your expenses to come with us to Saffron, if we make it that far," he spoke, his tone a little more gentle than it was before.
"It... would also make me feel better knowing that you weren't, and that I was helping you out as much as you have helped me," he continued, though his voice quieted towards the end, like he was unsure if he should be saying something like that.
“Eryk…” Ana’s tone softened, as did her facial expression. She sighed quietly, offering him half a smile. “How about this, then? If you make it to Saffron, I’ll go with you, and… I won’t put up a fuss if you pay for my lodgings. And, if you really want to support the shelter, you can sign up to be a monthly donor for a reasonable amount,” she put a gentle emphasis on the word ‘reasonable.’ “Which I’ll be able to use to help the pokémon. If I have to cover fewer costs with my own income, buying groceries and things will be much easier. Does that sound okay?” She didn’t want to seem ungrateful for what he was offering, but it was important to her that she was able to make her own way in the world—it had taken her a long time to gain that independence, and she didn’t want to lose it now that she had it.
“And… you’re wrong, you know,” she continued, lifting her eyes to make contact. “I’m the one who owes you—you’ve done so much to help me and the pokémon I’m afraid I won’t be able to reciprocate.” She didn’t really think she’d done much for him—something like this, dragging him along to different parts of the island—was about as close as she thought she’d gotten, and it wasn’t much.
He seemed hesitant to accept the idea, but eventually, he nodded his head and breathed a sigh of defeat. "Alright," he finally spoke, poking his scone once more before he took a bite of it. "I'll do that, then, after the tournament," he added, dropping his gaze to his plate. He seemed a little uncertain when she spoke, as if saying he was wrong, startled him.
"I have done what anyone else would have were they in my place. I don't see how that has helped at all, but you," he spoke, this time glancing up at her, staring with an all too intense gaze. He looked like he wanted to say something else, but he must have decided against it. "You have been a good friend where I had none before," he said, shaking his head slightly. It must have been different for him to say that since Kas and Cy were his friends, too.
She really didn’t think that “anyone else” would have done all the work he had; if that were so, she’d have no end of volunteers, and while she had quite a number and was grateful to them all, that number was definitely not enough to encompass the town. But she didn’t fight him on the point, choosing instead to glance down at her plate. Something about the way he was looking at her was… maybe she was having some kind of respiratory issue? Or maybe just being the focus of such… direct attention was bringing back a bit of her shyness.
“I was kind of surprised when I heard, you know,” she murmured, bringing the conversation back around to the tournament. “It’s not… for work, if I understood Cyrilla properly—it’s… you’re actually taking time off to go participate in a battle tournament. I thought… that’s good. Even if you can’t or don’t want to be one of those trainers that journeys around and battles at gyms or what-have-you, I’m glad you get to do this.”
Eryk scoffed slightly at that. "Drake challenged my ability as a trainer. I am proving him wrong," he stated, but there was a light undertone to it. Like perhaps it wasn't entirely true of what he just said. "And... I thought it would be nice to do something outside of the organization," he muttered just lowly to where she could hear it, and no one else could. He sounded a little embarrassed by the sudden declaration, though, and didn't look at her. He merely stared at his plate, now empty of the scone.
She smiled at him, even though he probably wouldn’t know since he wasn’t looking at her at all. “I’m proud of you,” she told him. “No matter how dedicated you are to a cause or how much it matters to you… I think it’s important to do other things, too. Even I have to find time for doing things besides working, and I love my job more than I think I’d like nearly any other.” Eryk had never been… entirely clear about how he felt about working for Team Rocket, but she did know that he’d been pressured into it by his family—that he saw himself as having no other choice.
Maybe that was true. If so, it was all the more reason to make sure he did other things sometimes. It could only be good for him to branch out a little.
"I hadn't thought about it that way," he simply spoke, lifting his gaze to hold Ana's. His expression softened considerably so. It was noticeable, for one thing. "I think... you might be the only other person who's told me that," he stated, looking a little unsure of himself, now. "But thank you," he added, playing with the crumbs on his plate.
“Then I’m in good company,” she replied, figuring that the other person surely had to be Cyrilla. “And you’re absolutely welcome.”
Today, though, she honestly wasn’t especially hungry. The scone was good, as was nearly everything else served at the café, but she hadn’t had much of an appetite for the past few days; that was a bit of a concern, but something she was used to dealing with. She tried to make herself eat enough anyway, to keep up her strength, but it could be a challenge.
Seeking to distract herself from this, she recalled something Cyrilla had told her yesterday and decided it was worth bringing up. “I heard you’ve registered for the regional tournament in the spring,” she said quietly. “The qualifying rounds are in about a month, right?”
Eryk glanced up at her from his plate, poking at a similar scone in front of him. "Yes. Kas and I enrolled so we will be attending that when the day comes," he answered, going back to his scone for a moment. He seemed a little bothered by it, like he'd never seen one before. Maybe he hadn't, considering that he didn't especially go for treats like these. He'd only chosen it because she chose it, and apparently he wanted to try something she liked.
"Would you like to come see us?" he asked suddenly, glancing up from the scone and to her.
Ana blinked at him. That was not where she’d been going with the question, but now that he’d asked… “That would be nice,” she said honestly. “And I’ll definitely come see you at the regional one, since it will be on the island, but…” She hesitated. It was sort of difficult to explain that she didn’t exactly have the funds laying around for a week’s worth of hotel rooms in Saffron City. Still, she didn’t want to just say she wasn’t interested in going, because that would be a lie—likewise, giving some other half-baked excuse was unappealing.
So she took a bite of scone, not really tasting the tartness of the blueberries. “Well, to be honest… I run the shelter with donations and adoption fees, and I buy my food by working a couple shifts a week for my aunt. It’s not really the sort of situation that lets me travel to anywhere fancy.” Some people managed to make a nice nest egg for themselves on their journeys, but Ana had never been on one, due to her sickness in childhood. “So unfortunately I won’t be able to go to Saffron if the two of you make it that far.”
What part of her sentence upset him, wasn't exactly clear. But it was clear that he was upset, and his face turned into a light scowl. His hand clenched on the fork he'd been using, but it wasn't tight enough to where his knuckles were white. "Find someone to care for your shelter while you're gone. You'll be coming with us. I'll pay for the necessary arrangements. Also, you will not be without assistance from now on. I will buy your groceries and any other items you may need for the shelter, and I do not expect to hear objections about it," he spoke a little too seriously. He looked really upset about that, for some reason.
Ana pursed her lips, tilting her head at him and shaking it a little sadly. “Eryk, that’s not… that’s not reasonable. I can’t ask you to do that, and I don’t want you to. Maybe… maybe we can talk about what to do with the trip situation, but I can’t and won’t ask you to buy my groceries or any of the supplies for my shelter. I make enough for both of those things; I stick to my budget and plan around it. I don’t need anything I don’t have, truly.” And aside from her emergency fund for the shelter… it wasn’t like she needed a life savings or anything, so using up all of her money every month wasn’t really an issue.
“Please… I wasn’t trying to bring this up for that reason. I just wanted you to know that it would probably be difficult for me to make it to Saffron—and that I wasn’t refusing to go because I didn’t want to do that with you. I’d love to, but it might not be possible.” Maybe she could scrape together enough for the trip if she was really strict with herself for the month between now and then, but it wasn’t likely—it just wasn’t enough time.
Eryk's gaze faltered for just a minute, and it looked like he was a little upset? Maybe he was. "That's not what I meant either. What I meant was that you shouldn't have to work more than you already do for something like basic necessities. Let me at least accommodate you by paying for your expenses to come with us to Saffron, if we make it that far," he spoke, his tone a little more gentle than it was before.
"It... would also make me feel better knowing that you weren't, and that I was helping you out as much as you have helped me," he continued, though his voice quieted towards the end, like he was unsure if he should be saying something like that.
“Eryk…” Ana’s tone softened, as did her facial expression. She sighed quietly, offering him half a smile. “How about this, then? If you make it to Saffron, I’ll go with you, and… I won’t put up a fuss if you pay for my lodgings. And, if you really want to support the shelter, you can sign up to be a monthly donor for a reasonable amount,” she put a gentle emphasis on the word ‘reasonable.’ “Which I’ll be able to use to help the pokémon. If I have to cover fewer costs with my own income, buying groceries and things will be much easier. Does that sound okay?” She didn’t want to seem ungrateful for what he was offering, but it was important to her that she was able to make her own way in the world—it had taken her a long time to gain that independence, and she didn’t want to lose it now that she had it.
“And… you’re wrong, you know,” she continued, lifting her eyes to make contact. “I’m the one who owes you—you’ve done so much to help me and the pokémon I’m afraid I won’t be able to reciprocate.” She didn’t really think she’d done much for him—something like this, dragging him along to different parts of the island—was about as close as she thought she’d gotten, and it wasn’t much.
He seemed hesitant to accept the idea, but eventually, he nodded his head and breathed a sigh of defeat. "Alright," he finally spoke, poking his scone once more before he took a bite of it. "I'll do that, then, after the tournament," he added, dropping his gaze to his plate. He seemed a little uncertain when she spoke, as if saying he was wrong, startled him.
"I have done what anyone else would have were they in my place. I don't see how that has helped at all, but you," he spoke, this time glancing up at her, staring with an all too intense gaze. He looked like he wanted to say something else, but he must have decided against it. "You have been a good friend where I had none before," he said, shaking his head slightly. It must have been different for him to say that since Kas and Cy were his friends, too.
She really didn’t think that “anyone else” would have done all the work he had; if that were so, she’d have no end of volunteers, and while she had quite a number and was grateful to them all, that number was definitely not enough to encompass the town. But she didn’t fight him on the point, choosing instead to glance down at her plate. Something about the way he was looking at her was… maybe she was having some kind of respiratory issue? Or maybe just being the focus of such… direct attention was bringing back a bit of her shyness.
“I was kind of surprised when I heard, you know,” she murmured, bringing the conversation back around to the tournament. “It’s not… for work, if I understood Cyrilla properly—it’s… you’re actually taking time off to go participate in a battle tournament. I thought… that’s good. Even if you can’t or don’t want to be one of those trainers that journeys around and battles at gyms or what-have-you, I’m glad you get to do this.”
Eryk scoffed slightly at that. "Drake challenged my ability as a trainer. I am proving him wrong," he stated, but there was a light undertone to it. Like perhaps it wasn't entirely true of what he just said. "And... I thought it would be nice to do something outside of the organization," he muttered just lowly to where she could hear it, and no one else could. He sounded a little embarrassed by the sudden declaration, though, and didn't look at her. He merely stared at his plate, now empty of the scone.
She smiled at him, even though he probably wouldn’t know since he wasn’t looking at her at all. “I’m proud of you,” she told him. “No matter how dedicated you are to a cause or how much it matters to you… I think it’s important to do other things, too. Even I have to find time for doing things besides working, and I love my job more than I think I’d like nearly any other.” Eryk had never been… entirely clear about how he felt about working for Team Rocket, but she did know that he’d been pressured into it by his family—that he saw himself as having no other choice.
Maybe that was true. If so, it was all the more reason to make sure he did other things sometimes. It could only be good for him to branch out a little.
"I hadn't thought about it that way," he simply spoke, lifting his gaze to hold Ana's. His expression softened considerably so. It was noticeable, for one thing. "I think... you might be the only other person who's told me that," he stated, looking a little unsure of himself, now. "But thank you," he added, playing with the crumbs on his plate.
“Then I’m in good company,” she replied, figuring that the other person surely had to be Cyrilla. “And you’re absolutely welcome.”
Kenshin rubbed the side of his temples, trying to figure out what was going on. One minute they were getting ready to go say goodbye to Harper, the next thing, Mankey was throwing a fit and running around Eryk's room. He didn't understand why Mankey suddenly decided to do what he did, but it didn't change the fact that it did. Once Eryk was able to calm the pokémon down, they all gathered together in the lobby. Kenshin glanced at Eryk, noticing the slight disapproving look on his face, and did his best not to chuckle at the man. Served him right, actually. Cyrilla was on his other side, smiling about some thought or another, and seemed to catch his eye. She waved at him and grinned.
"Alright, Drake said he'd meet us down there at the port with Ana, so let's go meet up with Kas and Harper. I think they might be at the Center where she's staying," she spoke. Eryk merely nodded his head, and they left the base. The walk was fairly pleasant. The breeze was cool, and people were out and about chatting amicably to each other. He almost missed days like these, where it seemed almost peaceful. He pushed a sigh from his nose and glanced towards his side, staring at his trainer and Eryk.
"There they are," he spoke, pointing forward to Kas and Harper. They all waved in that direction, including him.
The Rheinallt siblings waved back, though they waited until the group got close enough before attempting to speak. “Thanks for coming to see me off, guys,” she said, nodding to all of them with a grin. “I dunno how my brother ended up with cool friends, but I guess I’m benefitting as well.” She playfully elbowed Kas in the ribs while he was checking through her bag; he pretended to be hurt and clutched at his side with far too many dramatics to be anywhere near genuine.
“You’re so cruel to me, Melly,” he whined.
She stuck her tongue out at him. “Oh, shut it, you.” Rolling her eyes, she drew her brows down over them into a furrow. “And stop going through my stuff. I told you an hour ago: I have everything I need to get to Viridian and then some. Worrywart.”
“Hey, I only worry about the people I love,” he rejoined. “That’s just normal.” He did zip her bag closed, though, handing it to her by the strap.
She slung it over her shoulders, adjusting it until it was comfortable. She’d be taking it off again once she boarded the boat to Pallet, but in the meantime it made sense to carry it properly so she didn’t inadvertently strain something. “Mirmir, nothing about you is normal, and it never has been.”
He laughed at that, seemingly taking the possibly-insult, possibly-compliment in stride. “Well, all right… let’s get going, shall we?” The group made for the pier, noting the thickening clouds as they did. The rainy season was due any day now; while these weren’t quite yet storm clouds, they might be soon.
Cyrilla chuckled lightly at the antics before Eryk nodded, turning in the direction of the pier and breaking out into a slow walk so as to keep pace with the others. Really, the only one who had too much trouble keeping up was Cyrilla and himself. He was the shortest of the group, but he didn't seem to mind too much. It's not like being tall would ever serve him a purpose. Pokémon didn't work that way, he supposed. It wasn't too long before they reached the pier, and Drake was the first to wave his hand towards them. Ana was there, too, standing off to his left.
"Hi Ana, Drake!" Cyrilla spoke, though shouted would have probably been a better word. They weren't so close that they could hear if she spoke normally, but she probably couldn't contain herself for even that much. Eryk narrowed his eyes somewhat at the two in front, and Kenshin merely huffed slightly. Eryk was weird that way, but he didn't put it past the man for being so. It's just who he is.
"Ana, Drake," Eryk finally greeted when they were close enough.
Drake, Ana, he greeted himself, casting a glance towards Drake and then towards Harper. He raised a brow when he noticed a slight tinge of pink dusting the red-haired man's face, and a sly smirk covered Kenshin's mouth.
Isn't that nice, Drake's here to see you off, Harper, Kenshin spoke to Harper, slightly amused by this sudden fact. Why did everyone he know, act like they were kids in elementary? He'd never understand humans that way, but maybe that was for the best. Humans were weird. Or maybe it was just the company he kept?
"Hi guys, Harper," Drake greeted, smiling sheepishly in the process.
If anything, Harper seemed genuinely surprised that he was actually there, blinking a few times before her customary smile returned to her face. “Hey,” she replied easily, shifting her burden slightly on her back. She might have maintained eye contact with him for a heartbeat too long, but it was only that—one heartbeat, and missable in the grand scheme of things.
Her eyes found the harbor itself after that, and she must have seen the boat that she was expecting, because her eyes lit with recognition. Taking a couple of steps forward, she turned around so that her back was to the pier and she was facing all of them at once. “So… thanks, guys. Most times when I visit a new place, I have to pretty much find my own way around, so this was really cool. It was great to meet you all; hopefully I’ll be seeing you again sometime.”
“Well, you’re not getting away from me,” Kas said with a short laugh.
She rolled her eyes at him. “Unfortunately.”
“Good luck with your next Gym, Harper,” Ana said with a smile. “And be sure to let Kas know when you beat it, so he can tell us. We’ll be rooting for you.”
"Well, if she keeps with the same strategy, I'm sure she'll win," Drake chimed in, his smile turning into a grin. "Of course, that's if you even use the same one twice, cheater," he continued, but whispered the last word slightly. Eryk must have heard because he seemed slightly amused by the words.
"Good luck, Harper," Eryk spoke this time, Cyrilla nodding her head in agreement. "If she was able to defeat you so easily, her endeavours will be quick and she'll be victorious," he continued. Kenshin wanted to laugh at that. He was poking fun at Drake, and he never knew Eryk to do that to someone that much. He had to roll his eyes, though.
"I'd say good luck, too, but it seems everyone has already said it enough. So, I'll just say enjoy your journey and kick ass!" she must have realized what she said because she turned a little pink afterwards.
I think she actually means it, he spoke, shaking his head just slightly.
Harper laughed at that one, tossing her head such that one of her tails slid behind her shoulder. “I’ll be sure to do that,” she promised, glancing at Drake. “And it’s not cheating; it’s… playing to my strengths.”
Since they were in a rough line, she started at one end with Ana, stooping down a bit to give the other woman a hug. Harper said something to her, but it was too low to hear. When she hugged Cy, though, Kenshin was able to make out the words she spoke into her ear. “You don’t have to give up,” she said softly. “I’m rooting for you.”
Reaching Eryk, she stuck out her hand. “You don’t strike me as a hug kind of guy,” she admitted with amusement. “But that’s all right. Good luck with that tournament—might see you again at the finals.” Perhaps she intended to enter herself.
Cy looked a little taken back by the words, and blushed just softly enough that it looked natural, but the look on Eryk's face was slightly amusing. He had rolled his eyes somewhat, but shook her hand nonetheless. Before the handshake was over, though, he pulled Harper just slightly towards, giving her a hug. But it was the look he shot Drake, that had Kenshin laughing.
"You're right, I don't do hugs, but I'll make an exception for this one," was the only thing he said before releasing her. Drake looked a little bug-eyed, and Kenshin found it hard to contain his bouts of laughter. Eryk was such a cruel man.
"Hey now, don't I get one, too?" Drake spoke, looking somewhat down that everyone received a hug but him.
Harper raised an eyebrow at Eryk, a look crossing her face that suggested that she knew exactly what he was up to, but she didn’t seem to mind. Drake’s comment, though, did actually seem to surprise her. She grinned, though, recovering from that surprise with admirable celerity.
“Hmm…” She approached him, stopping directly in front of him at a slightly less-than-polite distance. Her eyes crinkled with the force of her smile, and something about it might have been the slightest bit predatory. “Yeah, I think I can swing that.” Stepping the rest of the way forward, she embraced him like the others, again speaking too low for Kenshin to hear. Kas might have though; he looked like he was trying to stifle a laugh as she pulled back.
"Y-Yeah, you too," Drake replied, hugging her back a little awkwardly. He could have sworn he heard Eryk snicker for a moment, but his face was too passive to know for sure. "A-Anyway, good luck and stay safe on your travels, okay?" Drake added, before releasing her. Cyrilla spoke a little too low for anyone to hear, but Kenshin was next to her and he could make out the words 'how cute' and a slight chuckle that followed.
You are all very strange, he chimed in, but said nothing further. Really, humans were strange creatures.
“I will,” she promised, her expression a tad more serious for a moment. Then she moved to the last person in line—Kasimir. They didn’t even say anything to each other; they just wound themselves up in a crushing hug. Harper pressed her forehead to his shoulder, and Kas dropped a soft kiss on the crown of her head, propping his chin there afterwards. They rocked back and forth a few times, squeezing tightly for a second before they let go.
He kept his hands on her shoulders, ducking his head a bit to look straight into her eyes. “Love you, Melly,” he said quietly. The three words, simple as they were, contained more emotion than he usually expressed in a day.
Harper gave him a tremulous smile and nodded. “Love you, Mirmir.” The words had the feel of ritual, a call-and-response worn into habit, into the fabric of the relationship itself. She swallowed, took a deep breath, and straightened her shoulders. “Don’t do anything too stupid before you see me again, okay?”
He grinned, his hands flexing as he squeezed her shoulders one last time. “No promises,” he replied cheekily.
She rolled her eyes at him, but whatever emotion had been threatening to spill over had subsided again, and she nodded to everyone before she headed for the boat. The plank raised behind her, and she turned around, leaning up against the railing and waving until she was out of sight.
"Alright, Drake said he'd meet us down there at the port with Ana, so let's go meet up with Kas and Harper. I think they might be at the Center where she's staying," she spoke. Eryk merely nodded his head, and they left the base. The walk was fairly pleasant. The breeze was cool, and people were out and about chatting amicably to each other. He almost missed days like these, where it seemed almost peaceful. He pushed a sigh from his nose and glanced towards his side, staring at his trainer and Eryk.
"There they are," he spoke, pointing forward to Kas and Harper. They all waved in that direction, including him.
The Rheinallt siblings waved back, though they waited until the group got close enough before attempting to speak. “Thanks for coming to see me off, guys,” she said, nodding to all of them with a grin. “I dunno how my brother ended up with cool friends, but I guess I’m benefitting as well.” She playfully elbowed Kas in the ribs while he was checking through her bag; he pretended to be hurt and clutched at his side with far too many dramatics to be anywhere near genuine.
“You’re so cruel to me, Melly,” he whined.
She stuck her tongue out at him. “Oh, shut it, you.” Rolling her eyes, she drew her brows down over them into a furrow. “And stop going through my stuff. I told you an hour ago: I have everything I need to get to Viridian and then some. Worrywart.”
“Hey, I only worry about the people I love,” he rejoined. “That’s just normal.” He did zip her bag closed, though, handing it to her by the strap.
She slung it over her shoulders, adjusting it until it was comfortable. She’d be taking it off again once she boarded the boat to Pallet, but in the meantime it made sense to carry it properly so she didn’t inadvertently strain something. “Mirmir, nothing about you is normal, and it never has been.”
He laughed at that, seemingly taking the possibly-insult, possibly-compliment in stride. “Well, all right… let’s get going, shall we?” The group made for the pier, noting the thickening clouds as they did. The rainy season was due any day now; while these weren’t quite yet storm clouds, they might be soon.
Cyrilla chuckled lightly at the antics before Eryk nodded, turning in the direction of the pier and breaking out into a slow walk so as to keep pace with the others. Really, the only one who had too much trouble keeping up was Cyrilla and himself. He was the shortest of the group, but he didn't seem to mind too much. It's not like being tall would ever serve him a purpose. Pokémon didn't work that way, he supposed. It wasn't too long before they reached the pier, and Drake was the first to wave his hand towards them. Ana was there, too, standing off to his left.
"Hi Ana, Drake!" Cyrilla spoke, though shouted would have probably been a better word. They weren't so close that they could hear if she spoke normally, but she probably couldn't contain herself for even that much. Eryk narrowed his eyes somewhat at the two in front, and Kenshin merely huffed slightly. Eryk was weird that way, but he didn't put it past the man for being so. It's just who he is.
"Ana, Drake," Eryk finally greeted when they were close enough.
Drake, Ana, he greeted himself, casting a glance towards Drake and then towards Harper. He raised a brow when he noticed a slight tinge of pink dusting the red-haired man's face, and a sly smirk covered Kenshin's mouth.
Isn't that nice, Drake's here to see you off, Harper, Kenshin spoke to Harper, slightly amused by this sudden fact. Why did everyone he know, act like they were kids in elementary? He'd never understand humans that way, but maybe that was for the best. Humans were weird. Or maybe it was just the company he kept?
"Hi guys, Harper," Drake greeted, smiling sheepishly in the process.
If anything, Harper seemed genuinely surprised that he was actually there, blinking a few times before her customary smile returned to her face. “Hey,” she replied easily, shifting her burden slightly on her back. She might have maintained eye contact with him for a heartbeat too long, but it was only that—one heartbeat, and missable in the grand scheme of things.
Her eyes found the harbor itself after that, and she must have seen the boat that she was expecting, because her eyes lit with recognition. Taking a couple of steps forward, she turned around so that her back was to the pier and she was facing all of them at once. “So… thanks, guys. Most times when I visit a new place, I have to pretty much find my own way around, so this was really cool. It was great to meet you all; hopefully I’ll be seeing you again sometime.”
“Well, you’re not getting away from me,” Kas said with a short laugh.
She rolled her eyes at him. “Unfortunately.”
“Good luck with your next Gym, Harper,” Ana said with a smile. “And be sure to let Kas know when you beat it, so he can tell us. We’ll be rooting for you.”
"Well, if she keeps with the same strategy, I'm sure she'll win," Drake chimed in, his smile turning into a grin. "Of course, that's if you even use the same one twice, cheater," he continued, but whispered the last word slightly. Eryk must have heard because he seemed slightly amused by the words.
"Good luck, Harper," Eryk spoke this time, Cyrilla nodding her head in agreement. "If she was able to defeat you so easily, her endeavours will be quick and she'll be victorious," he continued. Kenshin wanted to laugh at that. He was poking fun at Drake, and he never knew Eryk to do that to someone that much. He had to roll his eyes, though.
"I'd say good luck, too, but it seems everyone has already said it enough. So, I'll just say enjoy your journey and kick ass!" she must have realized what she said because she turned a little pink afterwards.
I think she actually means it, he spoke, shaking his head just slightly.
Harper laughed at that one, tossing her head such that one of her tails slid behind her shoulder. “I’ll be sure to do that,” she promised, glancing at Drake. “And it’s not cheating; it’s… playing to my strengths.”
Since they were in a rough line, she started at one end with Ana, stooping down a bit to give the other woman a hug. Harper said something to her, but it was too low to hear. When she hugged Cy, though, Kenshin was able to make out the words she spoke into her ear. “You don’t have to give up,” she said softly. “I’m rooting for you.”
Reaching Eryk, she stuck out her hand. “You don’t strike me as a hug kind of guy,” she admitted with amusement. “But that’s all right. Good luck with that tournament—might see you again at the finals.” Perhaps she intended to enter herself.
Cy looked a little taken back by the words, and blushed just softly enough that it looked natural, but the look on Eryk's face was slightly amusing. He had rolled his eyes somewhat, but shook her hand nonetheless. Before the handshake was over, though, he pulled Harper just slightly towards, giving her a hug. But it was the look he shot Drake, that had Kenshin laughing.
"You're right, I don't do hugs, but I'll make an exception for this one," was the only thing he said before releasing her. Drake looked a little bug-eyed, and Kenshin found it hard to contain his bouts of laughter. Eryk was such a cruel man.
"Hey now, don't I get one, too?" Drake spoke, looking somewhat down that everyone received a hug but him.
Harper raised an eyebrow at Eryk, a look crossing her face that suggested that she knew exactly what he was up to, but she didn’t seem to mind. Drake’s comment, though, did actually seem to surprise her. She grinned, though, recovering from that surprise with admirable celerity.
“Hmm…” She approached him, stopping directly in front of him at a slightly less-than-polite distance. Her eyes crinkled with the force of her smile, and something about it might have been the slightest bit predatory. “Yeah, I think I can swing that.” Stepping the rest of the way forward, she embraced him like the others, again speaking too low for Kenshin to hear. Kas might have though; he looked like he was trying to stifle a laugh as she pulled back.
"Y-Yeah, you too," Drake replied, hugging her back a little awkwardly. He could have sworn he heard Eryk snicker for a moment, but his face was too passive to know for sure. "A-Anyway, good luck and stay safe on your travels, okay?" Drake added, before releasing her. Cyrilla spoke a little too low for anyone to hear, but Kenshin was next to her and he could make out the words 'how cute' and a slight chuckle that followed.
You are all very strange, he chimed in, but said nothing further. Really, humans were strange creatures.
“I will,” she promised, her expression a tad more serious for a moment. Then she moved to the last person in line—Kasimir. They didn’t even say anything to each other; they just wound themselves up in a crushing hug. Harper pressed her forehead to his shoulder, and Kas dropped a soft kiss on the crown of her head, propping his chin there afterwards. They rocked back and forth a few times, squeezing tightly for a second before they let go.
He kept his hands on her shoulders, ducking his head a bit to look straight into her eyes. “Love you, Melly,” he said quietly. The three words, simple as they were, contained more emotion than he usually expressed in a day.
Harper gave him a tremulous smile and nodded. “Love you, Mirmir.” The words had the feel of ritual, a call-and-response worn into habit, into the fabric of the relationship itself. She swallowed, took a deep breath, and straightened her shoulders. “Don’t do anything too stupid before you see me again, okay?”
He grinned, his hands flexing as he squeezed her shoulders one last time. “No promises,” he replied cheekily.
She rolled her eyes at him, but whatever emotion had been threatening to spill over had subsided again, and she nodded to everyone before she headed for the boat. The plank raised behind her, and she turned around, leaning up against the railing and waving until she was out of sight.
The rains had started.
As it happened, rain made Kasimir sleepy. Then again, so did a lot of things, so maybe that was no surprise to anyone. The mansion had a nice observatory—the reinforced glass dome that topped the roof gave him an all-around view of the property; right now it was also the perfect spot to observe the rainfall cascading down in sheets. Thunder rumbled ominously in the distance, but he could tell already that this was more of an aggressive shower than a real storm. There was no need to worry about tidal waves or the like, anyway.
It pattered away overhead; Kas had stretched out on the couch with his laptop on his legs; Meep slept on the floor right next to him, her wool rising and falling like a breathing cloud—puffy and occasionally host to little flickers of electricity. She liked storms even more than he did.
Somewhere from outside the observatory, Kas's name was being called. From the sounds of it, it was Ryk. He seemed to either be in no rush to find Kas, or he was having a difficult time finding him. Either way, he kept calling to him. A few moments later, the door opened to the room, and Eryk stepped in, glowering for just a moment before he stepped inside.
"Slacking off again?" he asked, giving Kas a raised brow.
Kas glanced over the back of the couch at his friend, a half-smile lifting one corner of his mouth. “Research, actually. I figured I’d go back through the records of what the old Team Rocket did at this facility—they did have a base here, at one point. I figured it might help explain what they want us to do here, and maybe give us a hint as to what their plans are for Ana.”
It was admittedly a long shot: the other prospects were in other towns, and it might not have anything to do with Cinnabar at all. But the more he thought about it, the more Kas thought that maybe this base had been installed here—they had been sent here—for a specific reason. Something connected to the place itself. Why make such a big production of this, otherwise? They could have done what they were doing with the other prospects and send one or two people to observe and report. The extra attention was either justified by Ana, Cinnabar, or both.
Eryk huffed for a moment, and simply stared at him. He seemed to contemplate Kas's statement for a moment and furrowed his brows. "It was odd that they would send us here without much information to go on," he finally spoke, taking a seat on the other side of Kas. There was an empty chair there. "There hasn't been any significant changes since the last time they were here, and there hasn't been any news sent to us," he added, leaning back into the chair and closing his eyes for a moment.
"We've been here almost a year already. I'm surprised they haven't moved us, yet," he added, opening one eye to stare at Kas.
Kas pushed a sigh out through his nose. He wondered if he ought to divulge this—he felt shitty enough digging into Ana’s life without bringing Ryk in on it, too. But… it was relevant to the mission. Crossing one of his ankles over the other, he minimized the window he was working in and pulled up another. “I’ve started doing family histories on the potentials,” he admitted. “HQ probably doesn’t want me to, but they haven’t said I can’t, so I did some digging.”
He left out the part where they probably only hadn’t explicitly forbidden it because they didn’t even know he was doing it. “We thought it might have something to do with her being a Joy, but it’s actually the other side of her family that’s interesting. Check this out—I go back a few generations, and it looks like she’s descended from a sister of Sabrina’s. The former Saffron Gym Leader.” He turned the computer around on his lap, pointing to the name on what looked like a family tree.
“And that guy she told us about—Edgar? In Lavender Town? He was a medium. She said he helped raise her. So I started to wonder, and checked on the other prospects: all of them have an ancestor or relative of an ancestor with confirmed psychic powers.” He frowned. Such abilities were extremely rare in the world; usually they were concentrated in only a few extended families, and even then they rarely showed up in any significant way. Ana’s family was statistically the most likely to produce one. And to produce a powerful one. But even then there hadn't been one in generations.
“It might be a coincidence—these families are old, and by now, there are a lot of third cousins and stuff. But… it might be that they think she’s psychic, and want us to figure it out. It’s definitely the kind of thing you’d put in a report, right? Even without telling us what we’re looking for, they’d get what they wanted, if that was it.” But the question remained: what the hell did Team Rocket want with a psychic? They could get a pokémon with telekinesis or telepathy easily—there didn’t seem to be a need for one. He wondered if it was something else, instead.
"That... makes some sense," Eryk spoke, pursing his lips together. "My father is a psychic, but he runs things in the science division," he spoke, his brows furrowing just slightly as if some strange thought occured to him. "But if that's the case, she hasn't shown any abilities, and neither have the other potentials. If they really are interested in the psychic aspects of their heritage, either the potentials are still unaware of their abilities, or there hasn't been need for them to use them," he continued, breathing out a soft sigh.
"Sabrina's family, if that's true, then there might be a possibilty that Ana's also one. Their family was known for producing some of the most potent psychics around, but there hasn't been one in years," he continued, pursing his lips together. "I guess it's something to go on for now, but as it is, we can't just say outright. We might want to leave that part out in the next update we send them," he continued.
Kas bobbed his head. “Yeah, I definitely wasn’t planning on calling attention to the fact that we know this. But who knows? I’ve never seen Ana do anything that looks psychic to me, but… if you think about it, the way she is with pokémon is pretty crazy. I’ve never met one that didn’t like her. Even Princess Cinders tries to get her attention—and I’ve never known her to give a shit about anyone but me.” His charizard was a special kind of strange, really.
“I’m not gonna believe it without more evidence, and I’m not putting what I’ve got in any reports, but… it just might be possible.” For Ana’s sake, he really, really hoped it wasn’t true.
"It might make more sense if she was, and that was why Gengar is so attached to her," he spoke a little carelessly. "But I don't trust Gengar. He's always trying to Hypnotize me," Eryk almost frowned when he said that. The start of a frown could be seen, but he smoothed it back out. "For now, we'll just keep doing things as we always have," he continued, closing his eye once more. He remained silent for a few minutes, keeping his eyes closed as if he were taking a nap. Eryk wasn't the type to nap, though.
"Hey Kas," he called out suddenly, opening both eyes to stare at Kas. He remained that way for a moment before he shook his head. "Nevermind," he spoke, leaning back into his chair.
“Out with it, Ryk,” Kas said over the sound of his keyboard tapping rhythmically. “You know I hate a bait-and-switch.” He paused a moment, glancing up at his friend and arching an eyebrow.
"It's nothing," he shot back, his voice a little monotonous. He didn't seem like he was going to say anything more about it, though.
Kas stared at him over the top of his computer screen. “Ryk. You can tell me whatever it is. I might talk a lot, but have I ever told anyone anything you told me in confidence?” They both knew what the answer to that question was. “What am I gonna do? Judge you?” They both knew he didn’t do that, either. Not deep down.
Eryk huffed slightly, but he seemed to resign himself to silence. He stared at Kas for a moment and sighed in defeat. "All I was going to say was that you're not... you're not a dumbass anymore," which was probably Ryk's way of saying Kas was a good friend, or possibly something else. "Cyrilla's the closest thing I've have to a sibling... and so are you," he seemed a little hesitant to say that last bit.
Kas was… legitimately floored by that. His mouth opened and closed a few times as he tried to make the words come out right; he figured he probably just ended up looking like a magikarp. Closing his mouth with a click, he shook his head slightly and cleared his throat. “I, uh…” he wasn’t used to being this inarticulate. Arceus, did Ryk feel like this all the time? No wonder he found it hard to talk about his feelings.
“I’ve already got a couple of sisters,” he said thickly, clearing his throat again. “But, uh… but never a brother. Not… not until now, I guess.” He smiled, close-lipped and subtle compared to his usual grins. He felt simultaneously great and like utter shit as a person.
Wasn’t that just the way of things?
Eryk snorted. "At least you have actual siblings," he spoke, but leaned back into his chair. It took a moment, but the slight rise and fall of his chest signaled he'd fallen asleep. Maybe it was just the rain that put him out?
Kas chuckled softly, returning to his research and deciding to leave him be for now.
He could probably use the nap.
As it happened, rain made Kasimir sleepy. Then again, so did a lot of things, so maybe that was no surprise to anyone. The mansion had a nice observatory—the reinforced glass dome that topped the roof gave him an all-around view of the property; right now it was also the perfect spot to observe the rainfall cascading down in sheets. Thunder rumbled ominously in the distance, but he could tell already that this was more of an aggressive shower than a real storm. There was no need to worry about tidal waves or the like, anyway.
It pattered away overhead; Kas had stretched out on the couch with his laptop on his legs; Meep slept on the floor right next to him, her wool rising and falling like a breathing cloud—puffy and occasionally host to little flickers of electricity. She liked storms even more than he did.
Somewhere from outside the observatory, Kas's name was being called. From the sounds of it, it was Ryk. He seemed to either be in no rush to find Kas, or he was having a difficult time finding him. Either way, he kept calling to him. A few moments later, the door opened to the room, and Eryk stepped in, glowering for just a moment before he stepped inside.
"Slacking off again?" he asked, giving Kas a raised brow.
Kas glanced over the back of the couch at his friend, a half-smile lifting one corner of his mouth. “Research, actually. I figured I’d go back through the records of what the old Team Rocket did at this facility—they did have a base here, at one point. I figured it might help explain what they want us to do here, and maybe give us a hint as to what their plans are for Ana.”
It was admittedly a long shot: the other prospects were in other towns, and it might not have anything to do with Cinnabar at all. But the more he thought about it, the more Kas thought that maybe this base had been installed here—they had been sent here—for a specific reason. Something connected to the place itself. Why make such a big production of this, otherwise? They could have done what they were doing with the other prospects and send one or two people to observe and report. The extra attention was either justified by Ana, Cinnabar, or both.
Eryk huffed for a moment, and simply stared at him. He seemed to contemplate Kas's statement for a moment and furrowed his brows. "It was odd that they would send us here without much information to go on," he finally spoke, taking a seat on the other side of Kas. There was an empty chair there. "There hasn't been any significant changes since the last time they were here, and there hasn't been any news sent to us," he added, leaning back into the chair and closing his eyes for a moment.
"We've been here almost a year already. I'm surprised they haven't moved us, yet," he added, opening one eye to stare at Kas.
Kas pushed a sigh out through his nose. He wondered if he ought to divulge this—he felt shitty enough digging into Ana’s life without bringing Ryk in on it, too. But… it was relevant to the mission. Crossing one of his ankles over the other, he minimized the window he was working in and pulled up another. “I’ve started doing family histories on the potentials,” he admitted. “HQ probably doesn’t want me to, but they haven’t said I can’t, so I did some digging.”
He left out the part where they probably only hadn’t explicitly forbidden it because they didn’t even know he was doing it. “We thought it might have something to do with her being a Joy, but it’s actually the other side of her family that’s interesting. Check this out—I go back a few generations, and it looks like she’s descended from a sister of Sabrina’s. The former Saffron Gym Leader.” He turned the computer around on his lap, pointing to the name on what looked like a family tree.
“And that guy she told us about—Edgar? In Lavender Town? He was a medium. She said he helped raise her. So I started to wonder, and checked on the other prospects: all of them have an ancestor or relative of an ancestor with confirmed psychic powers.” He frowned. Such abilities were extremely rare in the world; usually they were concentrated in only a few extended families, and even then they rarely showed up in any significant way. Ana’s family was statistically the most likely to produce one. And to produce a powerful one. But even then there hadn't been one in generations.
“It might be a coincidence—these families are old, and by now, there are a lot of third cousins and stuff. But… it might be that they think she’s psychic, and want us to figure it out. It’s definitely the kind of thing you’d put in a report, right? Even without telling us what we’re looking for, they’d get what they wanted, if that was it.” But the question remained: what the hell did Team Rocket want with a psychic? They could get a pokémon with telekinesis or telepathy easily—there didn’t seem to be a need for one. He wondered if it was something else, instead.
"That... makes some sense," Eryk spoke, pursing his lips together. "My father is a psychic, but he runs things in the science division," he spoke, his brows furrowing just slightly as if some strange thought occured to him. "But if that's the case, she hasn't shown any abilities, and neither have the other potentials. If they really are interested in the psychic aspects of their heritage, either the potentials are still unaware of their abilities, or there hasn't been need for them to use them," he continued, breathing out a soft sigh.
"Sabrina's family, if that's true, then there might be a possibilty that Ana's also one. Their family was known for producing some of the most potent psychics around, but there hasn't been one in years," he continued, pursing his lips together. "I guess it's something to go on for now, but as it is, we can't just say outright. We might want to leave that part out in the next update we send them," he continued.
Kas bobbed his head. “Yeah, I definitely wasn’t planning on calling attention to the fact that we know this. But who knows? I’ve never seen Ana do anything that looks psychic to me, but… if you think about it, the way she is with pokémon is pretty crazy. I’ve never met one that didn’t like her. Even Princess Cinders tries to get her attention—and I’ve never known her to give a shit about anyone but me.” His charizard was a special kind of strange, really.
“I’m not gonna believe it without more evidence, and I’m not putting what I’ve got in any reports, but… it just might be possible.” For Ana’s sake, he really, really hoped it wasn’t true.
"It might make more sense if she was, and that was why Gengar is so attached to her," he spoke a little carelessly. "But I don't trust Gengar. He's always trying to Hypnotize me," Eryk almost frowned when he said that. The start of a frown could be seen, but he smoothed it back out. "For now, we'll just keep doing things as we always have," he continued, closing his eye once more. He remained silent for a few minutes, keeping his eyes closed as if he were taking a nap. Eryk wasn't the type to nap, though.
"Hey Kas," he called out suddenly, opening both eyes to stare at Kas. He remained that way for a moment before he shook his head. "Nevermind," he spoke, leaning back into his chair.
“Out with it, Ryk,” Kas said over the sound of his keyboard tapping rhythmically. “You know I hate a bait-and-switch.” He paused a moment, glancing up at his friend and arching an eyebrow.
"It's nothing," he shot back, his voice a little monotonous. He didn't seem like he was going to say anything more about it, though.
Kas stared at him over the top of his computer screen. “Ryk. You can tell me whatever it is. I might talk a lot, but have I ever told anyone anything you told me in confidence?” They both knew what the answer to that question was. “What am I gonna do? Judge you?” They both knew he didn’t do that, either. Not deep down.
Eryk huffed slightly, but he seemed to resign himself to silence. He stared at Kas for a moment and sighed in defeat. "All I was going to say was that you're not... you're not a dumbass anymore," which was probably Ryk's way of saying Kas was a good friend, or possibly something else. "Cyrilla's the closest thing I've have to a sibling... and so are you," he seemed a little hesitant to say that last bit.
Kas was… legitimately floored by that. His mouth opened and closed a few times as he tried to make the words come out right; he figured he probably just ended up looking like a magikarp. Closing his mouth with a click, he shook his head slightly and cleared his throat. “I, uh…” he wasn’t used to being this inarticulate. Arceus, did Ryk feel like this all the time? No wonder he found it hard to talk about his feelings.
“I’ve already got a couple of sisters,” he said thickly, clearing his throat again. “But, uh… but never a brother. Not… not until now, I guess.” He smiled, close-lipped and subtle compared to his usual grins. He felt simultaneously great and like utter shit as a person.
Wasn’t that just the way of things?
Eryk snorted. "At least you have actual siblings," he spoke, but leaned back into his chair. It took a moment, but the slight rise and fall of his chest signaled he'd fallen asleep. Maybe it was just the rain that put him out?
Kas chuckled softly, returning to his research and deciding to leave him be for now.
He could probably use the nap.
Cyrilla sighed, clicking on the next file as she shuffled through them. There was nothing new, and the rain had kept most of them inside. It's not like she didn't like the rain, because she did. She just hated being cooped up inside without much to do besides click away at files that had no particular value to them. She could hear the slight shuffling of Lithe beneath her desk, and smiled softly as he rubbed against her legs. Sometimes she could have sworn he was more a meowth than he was a growlithe. She reached down to grab a tuff of his fur, and rubbed his neck, listening to the approved growl.
"Alright Lithe, I'm going outside. It's boring here," she spoke, pushing herself away from the desk and standing. Lithe made some noise, but walked to the other side of the room, circling around the make-shift bed of blankets before laying down. "Fine, fine. You stay here, I'm going outside. Maybe I should drag Ryk along," she spoke out loud, but it occured to her she didn't know where he was. Well, too bad for him, then. She wanted to go outside in the rain and maybe go visit Ana. She hadn't been able to do that in the last few days.
"Alright Lithe, take care of my office and I'll be sure to get you something from the market, alright?" she spoke, earning a slight huff she supposed was to be an agreement. As she walked out of her office, she turned a little too quickly, and collided with something. Or rather, someone. She turned, a little dizzy from the impact and glanced up into a raised brow.
"In a hurry?" Ryk spoke, as he stared at her. She laughed nervously and nodded her head.
"I was actually on my way to go visit Ana," she spoke, watching a slight shift in expression cross his face. She couldn't help but giggle at it. "If you want to come, you can," she began, and it looked like he wanted to accept the offer, but he shook his head.
"No, but say hi to her for me, will you?" he stated, shaking his head softly before taking off. Cyrilla shook her head and just smiled. She grabbed an umbrella from the spare closet on her way out, one that had a pattern of psyducks on it, and shifted it so that it covered most of her person underneath it. The walk, she took slowly. She wasn't in a particular rush, and the weather had a nice cool breeze to it. Despite the occasional splash of water, it was refreshing. Before she knew it, though, she approached Ana's house and stepped up to the front door. She gave a brief knock on it before calling out.
"Ana! It's me."
“Come in!” Ana’s voice called out from inside. When Cyrilla did so, it was to find that Ana herself was standing on the stairs, carefully braiding what looked like a festive garland made mostly of fake autumn leaves constructed of silk. It wasn’t like any of the trees around here changed for fall, but Thanksgiving was coming. So it sort of made sense.
When Cy had made her way inside, Ana turned to her with a smile. “Hi, Cyrilla. The rain didn’t give you any trouble, I hope?”
"Nope, rain doesn't trouble me at all. I kind of like it. I think, maybe, I was some sort of water-type in a past life," she replied, chuckling to herself when she said that. It would certainly explain why she loved the water so much. "Ryk says hi and sorry for not coming with. I think he really wanted to come, but he had a few things to take care of," she stated, making her way towards Ana.
"Oh, the stairs look really nice. Are you getting ready for Thanksgiving? Oh! Speaking of which, shouldn't we be getting things ready? We were going to spend it with you this year, right?" she stated. She'd almost forgotten about that. Time seemed to be going by a little fast, lately, and it was hard keeping track of it.
“You’re all invited,” Ana confirmed. “My aunt from Lavender Town and I plan to cook a big meal for everyone, but if you’d like to bring a side dish or something, we could make it a potluck. Other than that, it’s mostly just sitting around and talking,” she admitted, smiling sheepishly. “I’m not sure it’ll be that interesting, really, but I’d love to introduce you all to her. I think you’ll get along really well, and…”
She trailed off for a moment, coloring slightly. “…I’d like her to meet my first friends.” She mumbled it more than said it, but Cyrilla could still hear.
Well... that was adorable wasn't it? Cyrilla laughed lightly but she managed to keep it contained. "Well I wouldn't want to feel left out without cooking something, but that sounds nice. We'll have to make sure we make plenty of it, because if we want some leftovers, inviting Kas and Eryk might not be the best course of plan here," she stated. Eryk could eat, and so could Kas. They would probably eat everything just by themselves. She shook her head softly, though. It wouldn't be Thanksgiving without everyone, so they couldn't just leave the both of them out.
"You know... I think this will be the first Thanksgiving Ryk and I spent with friends. It's going to be nice," she said, leaning on the rail to the stairs. Thanksgiving wasn't something they usually did, after all. They just worked right through it. Sometimes she'd make something for the three of them, or occasionally for the Grunts who couldn't make it home, but this was different. And it felt really nice, now that she thought about it.
Ana’s face softened. “Well then… I’m glad you’re spending it with us. We’re happy to have you—really.” She blinked, adjusting the russet-colored bow on the front of the banister. “I still have a few decorations to put out. Would you like to help? I kind of like the decorating part of it all.”
"I'm glad, too," she replied. Her eyes lit up, though, when Ana mentioned the decorations. She hasn't decorated anything since forever, it seemed. "Of course I'd like to help! Just point me in the right direction, and I'll do my best not to wrinkle anything or mess it up!" she said, moving just slightly so that she could do what Ana needed of her. This was going to be a Thanksgiving to remember, she could feel it.
Ana huffed softly. “I’m sure you’ll be fine,” she said. “The decorations are in a box in the living room; it’s mostly wreaths, candles, and that sort of thing left. Feel free to put them anywhere you like.” For her own part, it looked like she had several more woven strands of silk leaves to work with.
As they set the house up for the holiday, Ana kept the conversation going. “You said Eryk was busy today, right? It’s nothing too serious, I hope?” she sounded a tad concerned, but not overly so. There were some days Eryk didn’t get the chance to leave the mansion, but probably four out of every five, he at least paid Ana a short visit, so maybe the question was understandable.
"Oh it's nothing serious. If it was, I wouldn't be here, either. Eryk's been a slacker recently so he's had to put in some extra time to catch up. I think he and Kas might be switching places, if I didn't know any better," she replied, hanging the last wreath up. Honestly, that statement felt a little true in some ways. Ryk has been neglecting some of his duties as of late, and it seems like Kas has picked up a bit more on his end. It was odd, but not unwelcomed, she supposed. Ryk needed to get out more often and do things he wanted to do. It wasn't going to hurt them in the long run. He might forget a few things here and there, but he was still loyal to the organization.
"He just had a few too many e-mails to sort through, and a few too many to write," she added, turning so she could see Ana. "He did tell me to tell you hi, though. I'm sure he'll be by tomorrow morning or afternoon," she didn't doubt that much.
Ana seemed satisfied by the explanation, going so far as to shake her head slightly. “He doesn’t have to, if he has work to catch up on. I just wanted to make sure it wasn’t anything that was causing him problems, is all.” She smiled, turning back to the task of festooning her curtain rod with more of the leaves. She stood on a small ladder for the enterprise, but her balance seemed quite steady.
"Oh, trust me, he needs a distraction. He used to be a work-a-holic. I thought I was bad, but Ryk. All he did was work. Now, he has a reason to get out of the mansion and stretch his legs, so to speak," Cyrilla retorted, chuckling just lightly. Seriously, that man needed a hobby or something to distract him. Now that he had one, though, she was glad. "He just doesn't know how to not work," she added. "Why, are you that worried about him?" Cyrilla spoke, allowing something of a sly smile to cross her lips. It really was adorable that she cared. Perhaps that's what he needed in his life, someone who cared. She shook her head lightly.
Ana coughed slightly; it was hard to tell, but the pinkness in her cheeks might not have only been the fact that she was naturally rosy. “That’s a question with no right answer,” she pointed out. “If I say no, it sounds like I don’t care, which I do. But if I say yes, then… you make fun of me for being a worrywart.” She sighed. “I only mean… I wanted to make sure it wasn’t anything like the other times when you were all so busy. Those didn’t—they weren’t easy on any of you, and if something like that is going on, I want to help, is all.”
She lifted her shoulders in a slight shrug. “A-anyway, since it’s nothing like that, I’m not worried anymore, so… let’s talk about something else?”
It took a lot for Cyrilla not to laugh at Ana, but she figured it was for the best. "Sure thing, Ana. Oh, how about recipes?" She could dream, though, right?
"Alright Lithe, I'm going outside. It's boring here," she spoke, pushing herself away from the desk and standing. Lithe made some noise, but walked to the other side of the room, circling around the make-shift bed of blankets before laying down. "Fine, fine. You stay here, I'm going outside. Maybe I should drag Ryk along," she spoke out loud, but it occured to her she didn't know where he was. Well, too bad for him, then. She wanted to go outside in the rain and maybe go visit Ana. She hadn't been able to do that in the last few days.
"Alright Lithe, take care of my office and I'll be sure to get you something from the market, alright?" she spoke, earning a slight huff she supposed was to be an agreement. As she walked out of her office, she turned a little too quickly, and collided with something. Or rather, someone. She turned, a little dizzy from the impact and glanced up into a raised brow.
"In a hurry?" Ryk spoke, as he stared at her. She laughed nervously and nodded her head.
"I was actually on my way to go visit Ana," she spoke, watching a slight shift in expression cross his face. She couldn't help but giggle at it. "If you want to come, you can," she began, and it looked like he wanted to accept the offer, but he shook his head.
"No, but say hi to her for me, will you?" he stated, shaking his head softly before taking off. Cyrilla shook her head and just smiled. She grabbed an umbrella from the spare closet on her way out, one that had a pattern of psyducks on it, and shifted it so that it covered most of her person underneath it. The walk, she took slowly. She wasn't in a particular rush, and the weather had a nice cool breeze to it. Despite the occasional splash of water, it was refreshing. Before she knew it, though, she approached Ana's house and stepped up to the front door. She gave a brief knock on it before calling out.
"Ana! It's me."
“Come in!” Ana’s voice called out from inside. When Cyrilla did so, it was to find that Ana herself was standing on the stairs, carefully braiding what looked like a festive garland made mostly of fake autumn leaves constructed of silk. It wasn’t like any of the trees around here changed for fall, but Thanksgiving was coming. So it sort of made sense.
When Cy had made her way inside, Ana turned to her with a smile. “Hi, Cyrilla. The rain didn’t give you any trouble, I hope?”
"Nope, rain doesn't trouble me at all. I kind of like it. I think, maybe, I was some sort of water-type in a past life," she replied, chuckling to herself when she said that. It would certainly explain why she loved the water so much. "Ryk says hi and sorry for not coming with. I think he really wanted to come, but he had a few things to take care of," she stated, making her way towards Ana.
"Oh, the stairs look really nice. Are you getting ready for Thanksgiving? Oh! Speaking of which, shouldn't we be getting things ready? We were going to spend it with you this year, right?" she stated. She'd almost forgotten about that. Time seemed to be going by a little fast, lately, and it was hard keeping track of it.
“You’re all invited,” Ana confirmed. “My aunt from Lavender Town and I plan to cook a big meal for everyone, but if you’d like to bring a side dish or something, we could make it a potluck. Other than that, it’s mostly just sitting around and talking,” she admitted, smiling sheepishly. “I’m not sure it’ll be that interesting, really, but I’d love to introduce you all to her. I think you’ll get along really well, and…”
She trailed off for a moment, coloring slightly. “…I’d like her to meet my first friends.” She mumbled it more than said it, but Cyrilla could still hear.
Well... that was adorable wasn't it? Cyrilla laughed lightly but she managed to keep it contained. "Well I wouldn't want to feel left out without cooking something, but that sounds nice. We'll have to make sure we make plenty of it, because if we want some leftovers, inviting Kas and Eryk might not be the best course of plan here," she stated. Eryk could eat, and so could Kas. They would probably eat everything just by themselves. She shook her head softly, though. It wouldn't be Thanksgiving without everyone, so they couldn't just leave the both of them out.
"You know... I think this will be the first Thanksgiving Ryk and I spent with friends. It's going to be nice," she said, leaning on the rail to the stairs. Thanksgiving wasn't something they usually did, after all. They just worked right through it. Sometimes she'd make something for the three of them, or occasionally for the Grunts who couldn't make it home, but this was different. And it felt really nice, now that she thought about it.
Ana’s face softened. “Well then… I’m glad you’re spending it with us. We’re happy to have you—really.” She blinked, adjusting the russet-colored bow on the front of the banister. “I still have a few decorations to put out. Would you like to help? I kind of like the decorating part of it all.”
"I'm glad, too," she replied. Her eyes lit up, though, when Ana mentioned the decorations. She hasn't decorated anything since forever, it seemed. "Of course I'd like to help! Just point me in the right direction, and I'll do my best not to wrinkle anything or mess it up!" she said, moving just slightly so that she could do what Ana needed of her. This was going to be a Thanksgiving to remember, she could feel it.
Ana huffed softly. “I’m sure you’ll be fine,” she said. “The decorations are in a box in the living room; it’s mostly wreaths, candles, and that sort of thing left. Feel free to put them anywhere you like.” For her own part, it looked like she had several more woven strands of silk leaves to work with.
As they set the house up for the holiday, Ana kept the conversation going. “You said Eryk was busy today, right? It’s nothing too serious, I hope?” she sounded a tad concerned, but not overly so. There were some days Eryk didn’t get the chance to leave the mansion, but probably four out of every five, he at least paid Ana a short visit, so maybe the question was understandable.
"Oh it's nothing serious. If it was, I wouldn't be here, either. Eryk's been a slacker recently so he's had to put in some extra time to catch up. I think he and Kas might be switching places, if I didn't know any better," she replied, hanging the last wreath up. Honestly, that statement felt a little true in some ways. Ryk has been neglecting some of his duties as of late, and it seems like Kas has picked up a bit more on his end. It was odd, but not unwelcomed, she supposed. Ryk needed to get out more often and do things he wanted to do. It wasn't going to hurt them in the long run. He might forget a few things here and there, but he was still loyal to the organization.
"He just had a few too many e-mails to sort through, and a few too many to write," she added, turning so she could see Ana. "He did tell me to tell you hi, though. I'm sure he'll be by tomorrow morning or afternoon," she didn't doubt that much.
Ana seemed satisfied by the explanation, going so far as to shake her head slightly. “He doesn’t have to, if he has work to catch up on. I just wanted to make sure it wasn’t anything that was causing him problems, is all.” She smiled, turning back to the task of festooning her curtain rod with more of the leaves. She stood on a small ladder for the enterprise, but her balance seemed quite steady.
"Oh, trust me, he needs a distraction. He used to be a work-a-holic. I thought I was bad, but Ryk. All he did was work. Now, he has a reason to get out of the mansion and stretch his legs, so to speak," Cyrilla retorted, chuckling just lightly. Seriously, that man needed a hobby or something to distract him. Now that he had one, though, she was glad. "He just doesn't know how to not work," she added. "Why, are you that worried about him?" Cyrilla spoke, allowing something of a sly smile to cross her lips. It really was adorable that she cared. Perhaps that's what he needed in his life, someone who cared. She shook her head lightly.
Ana coughed slightly; it was hard to tell, but the pinkness in her cheeks might not have only been the fact that she was naturally rosy. “That’s a question with no right answer,” she pointed out. “If I say no, it sounds like I don’t care, which I do. But if I say yes, then… you make fun of me for being a worrywart.” She sighed. “I only mean… I wanted to make sure it wasn’t anything like the other times when you were all so busy. Those didn’t—they weren’t easy on any of you, and if something like that is going on, I want to help, is all.”
She lifted her shoulders in a slight shrug. “A-anyway, since it’s nothing like that, I’m not worried anymore, so… let’s talk about something else?”
It took a lot for Cyrilla not to laugh at Ana, but she figured it was for the best. "Sure thing, Ana. Oh, how about recipes?" She could dream, though, right?
Kas read over the email again and grimaced. Great—of course this would happen now. With the holiday and their plans for it so close. Sighing, he closed out the window, logging out of his desktop and standing from his chair. Loosening the tie on his ponytail, he pulled it out and raked his hands through his hair a couple of times to neaten it. Pulling it back up with a few less flyaways, he fastened the tie again and grabbed his laptop, tucking it under his arm and heading down the hall for the other offices.
As usual in situations like this, he knocked on Cy’s door on his way past, but kept going until he reached Eryk’s. Pushing the door open, he abled in and plopped down in one of the chairs. “Hey,” he greeted, with perhaps less enthusiasm than usual. Once Cy was in the room as well, he actually got to the news. “We’ve got a mission—fieldwork.”
Eryk raised an eyebrow at that. "They're actually giving us something?" he spoke, a slight surprised undertone lacing his voice. Cyrilla seemed just as confused, mirroring Eryk's raised brow. He frowned, though, appearing to contemplate what Kas just said. His body language was a little more tense than usual, but it relaxed when he let out a small huff of air.
"What do they want us to do?" it was Cy who spoke this time, glancing at Kas. Eryk gave a slight nod of his head as if to agree with the question.
“Here’s where it gets interesting,” Kas said, cracking his laptop open. “They’re actually calling this a mission for Project Nebula.” They weren’t supposed to know that assessing Ana was part of the same project, but it looked like at least some of the details were now filtering down past the boss and the Birds. Kas wasn’t sure if that was because it was getting closer to completion or just out of necessity. It was still a classified project though—no details had been given but the name.
Bringing up a new window in his laptop, he pulled his research to the front, then turned the whole thing around so they could see it. The screen displayed the schematics of what looked like a large laboratory facility. “You’ll recall that Spectre Inc. took over a lot of the work that the old Silph Co. used to do, but with no connection to Team Rocket. This is one of their research facilities, in Pewter City. Cutting edge stuff—even I’d need to study up to figure out half of what they’re up to.” He didn’t usually make a big deal of it, but he was a pretty clever person—a genius, if one believed IQ testing, which he didn’t—so that was saying something.
“I did do some homework on this, though. It’s a top-secret project of theirs—not even a press release about it. One of our moles in the company got us a file, but it’s not much to go on and he’s not enough of a scientist to understand it any better. Far as I can tell, it’s a power source of some kind.” Reaching over, he tapped a button and brought up another window—a diagram of some small, spherical object. “It seems to be a self-contained power source of some kind. Really compact, too—probably not much bigger than my hand. I’ll spare you the science crap, but the point is, it’s a big deal. And we’re supposed to steal it.”
"Steal it?" Eryk questioned. "They want us to steal this power source," he finally seemed to accept it and furrowed his brows. "That means we have to go to Pewter," he added, seemingly unhappy at the thought. Cyrilla didn't seem too happy about it either, but they couldn't exactly say no to something like this. It was their job.
"This is going to take some time and it won't be easy. We'll need at least a blueprint of some sorts of the building to know exactly where it's at. Then we'll need at least a day to stake out the place and learn the routine," Cyrilla began, pursing her lips together. She seemed lost in thought for a moment before she shook her head lightly.
"That won't be too hard," Eryk stated, turning his full attention back towards Kas. "Kas could probably find it. He's the one who's suited to such things," he continued. He sighed, though. "When do we leave?"
Kas suppressed a smile. He knew why they weren’t happy about this—and weirdly, he was glad they weren’t. It meant they’d rather stay here. Things hadn’t ever been that way before. One place had been the same as another, for all of them. “Well, boss wants it taken care of ASAP, obviously,” he said. “We’ve got a charter flight out tomorrow, assuming the rain stops. Otherwise, we’re gonna have to take a boat to Pallet first, which would take about a day.” He shrugged, flipping his computer back around.
“I’ve got some blueprints already, but it’ll help if I can see the building. Shouldn’t be too hard to get myself in there for a day as a janitor or something.” He was definitely the best choice for that kind of thing. “Once I’ve got all the info, we can hit the place at night—the Pewter team will have a tactical van kitted out for me so I can help you get through security. We’ll have to plan the details once we get the right info, but we should be able to do it in about three days if everything goes to plan.”
As it happened, that and the return trip would get them back on the evening of Thanksgiving.
He arched an eyebrow. “Who wants to tell Ana we might not quite get back in time?”
"Not me," Cyrilla responded a little too fast, and Eryk turned to her with a questioning gaze. "I'm not exactly the best person to be the bearer of bad news. It might upset Ana, and then I'll get upset, and then we'd both be upset, and you get the picture," she continued, trying to explain to Eryk. "That means you get to tell Ana that we might not be back on time," she added, smiling while she did so.
"You could just call, you know. She wouldn't be any less offended," Eryk responded, earning a light scowl from Cy.
"This isn't the kind of thing you can do over the phone, right Kas?" she replied, turning towards Kas.
Kas shrugged. Honestly he didn’t think Ana would be too upset—she was a little too patient and understanding for that. But she might be disappointed, and would probably appreciate the chance to say goodbye to at least one of them in person. Honestly… it would be best in a lot of ways if that someone was Ryk. “It’s definitely more polite,” he agreed. “Ana’s not the kind to get offended easily, but she does care a lot, and you know she’d tell us in person if she might have to cancel holiday plans.”
Eryk frowned. "Fine, I'll tell her," Eryk actually grumbled after that, turning away just slightly. "If our plane, or boat, leaves tomorrow. I'll tell her today," he continued, glancing back at Kas and Cy.
"Don't sound so grumpy, Ryk. You didn't go visit her the other day when it was raining, so think of it as a check-up and a memo," Cyrilla spoke, poking Eryk's shoulder as she did. Eryk just rolled his eyes.
“I mean,” Kas said lightly, smiling slyly. “I could always go see her instead. It wouldn’t be a chore for me. I might even get a goodbye hug out of it.” Which would actually be legitimately nice—but he was saying it mostly as an attempt to get Eryk’s gogoat.
Eryk shot him a glare, something that seemed to amuse Cyrilla because she started laughing. "I already said I'd go tell her, you... stay here and get the preparations ready or something," he stated, a little too readily. He made for the door but stopped next to Kas. "Ass," he continued, saying it just low enough to where Kas could hear him.
“Always,” Kas replied, huffing a laugh.
That was pretty much exactly the reaction he’d expected.
As usual in situations like this, he knocked on Cy’s door on his way past, but kept going until he reached Eryk’s. Pushing the door open, he abled in and plopped down in one of the chairs. “Hey,” he greeted, with perhaps less enthusiasm than usual. Once Cy was in the room as well, he actually got to the news. “We’ve got a mission—fieldwork.”
Eryk raised an eyebrow at that. "They're actually giving us something?" he spoke, a slight surprised undertone lacing his voice. Cyrilla seemed just as confused, mirroring Eryk's raised brow. He frowned, though, appearing to contemplate what Kas just said. His body language was a little more tense than usual, but it relaxed when he let out a small huff of air.
"What do they want us to do?" it was Cy who spoke this time, glancing at Kas. Eryk gave a slight nod of his head as if to agree with the question.
“Here’s where it gets interesting,” Kas said, cracking his laptop open. “They’re actually calling this a mission for Project Nebula.” They weren’t supposed to know that assessing Ana was part of the same project, but it looked like at least some of the details were now filtering down past the boss and the Birds. Kas wasn’t sure if that was because it was getting closer to completion or just out of necessity. It was still a classified project though—no details had been given but the name.
Bringing up a new window in his laptop, he pulled his research to the front, then turned the whole thing around so they could see it. The screen displayed the schematics of what looked like a large laboratory facility. “You’ll recall that Spectre Inc. took over a lot of the work that the old Silph Co. used to do, but with no connection to Team Rocket. This is one of their research facilities, in Pewter City. Cutting edge stuff—even I’d need to study up to figure out half of what they’re up to.” He didn’t usually make a big deal of it, but he was a pretty clever person—a genius, if one believed IQ testing, which he didn’t—so that was saying something.
“I did do some homework on this, though. It’s a top-secret project of theirs—not even a press release about it. One of our moles in the company got us a file, but it’s not much to go on and he’s not enough of a scientist to understand it any better. Far as I can tell, it’s a power source of some kind.” Reaching over, he tapped a button and brought up another window—a diagram of some small, spherical object. “It seems to be a self-contained power source of some kind. Really compact, too—probably not much bigger than my hand. I’ll spare you the science crap, but the point is, it’s a big deal. And we’re supposed to steal it.”
"Steal it?" Eryk questioned. "They want us to steal this power source," he finally seemed to accept it and furrowed his brows. "That means we have to go to Pewter," he added, seemingly unhappy at the thought. Cyrilla didn't seem too happy about it either, but they couldn't exactly say no to something like this. It was their job.
"This is going to take some time and it won't be easy. We'll need at least a blueprint of some sorts of the building to know exactly where it's at. Then we'll need at least a day to stake out the place and learn the routine," Cyrilla began, pursing her lips together. She seemed lost in thought for a moment before she shook her head lightly.
"That won't be too hard," Eryk stated, turning his full attention back towards Kas. "Kas could probably find it. He's the one who's suited to such things," he continued. He sighed, though. "When do we leave?"
Kas suppressed a smile. He knew why they weren’t happy about this—and weirdly, he was glad they weren’t. It meant they’d rather stay here. Things hadn’t ever been that way before. One place had been the same as another, for all of them. “Well, boss wants it taken care of ASAP, obviously,” he said. “We’ve got a charter flight out tomorrow, assuming the rain stops. Otherwise, we’re gonna have to take a boat to Pallet first, which would take about a day.” He shrugged, flipping his computer back around.
“I’ve got some blueprints already, but it’ll help if I can see the building. Shouldn’t be too hard to get myself in there for a day as a janitor or something.” He was definitely the best choice for that kind of thing. “Once I’ve got all the info, we can hit the place at night—the Pewter team will have a tactical van kitted out for me so I can help you get through security. We’ll have to plan the details once we get the right info, but we should be able to do it in about three days if everything goes to plan.”
As it happened, that and the return trip would get them back on the evening of Thanksgiving.
He arched an eyebrow. “Who wants to tell Ana we might not quite get back in time?”
"Not me," Cyrilla responded a little too fast, and Eryk turned to her with a questioning gaze. "I'm not exactly the best person to be the bearer of bad news. It might upset Ana, and then I'll get upset, and then we'd both be upset, and you get the picture," she continued, trying to explain to Eryk. "That means you get to tell Ana that we might not be back on time," she added, smiling while she did so.
"You could just call, you know. She wouldn't be any less offended," Eryk responded, earning a light scowl from Cy.
"This isn't the kind of thing you can do over the phone, right Kas?" she replied, turning towards Kas.
Kas shrugged. Honestly he didn’t think Ana would be too upset—she was a little too patient and understanding for that. But she might be disappointed, and would probably appreciate the chance to say goodbye to at least one of them in person. Honestly… it would be best in a lot of ways if that someone was Ryk. “It’s definitely more polite,” he agreed. “Ana’s not the kind to get offended easily, but she does care a lot, and you know she’d tell us in person if she might have to cancel holiday plans.”
Eryk frowned. "Fine, I'll tell her," Eryk actually grumbled after that, turning away just slightly. "If our plane, or boat, leaves tomorrow. I'll tell her today," he continued, glancing back at Kas and Cy.
"Don't sound so grumpy, Ryk. You didn't go visit her the other day when it was raining, so think of it as a check-up and a memo," Cyrilla spoke, poking Eryk's shoulder as she did. Eryk just rolled his eyes.
“I mean,” Kas said lightly, smiling slyly. “I could always go see her instead. It wouldn’t be a chore for me. I might even get a goodbye hug out of it.” Which would actually be legitimately nice—but he was saying it mostly as an attempt to get Eryk’s gogoat.
Eryk shot him a glare, something that seemed to amuse Cyrilla because she started laughing. "I already said I'd go tell her, you... stay here and get the preparations ready or something," he stated, a little too readily. He made for the door but stopped next to Kas. "Ass," he continued, saying it just low enough to where Kas could hear him.
“Always,” Kas replied, huffing a laugh.
That was pretty much exactly the reaction he’d expected.
Eryk huffed slightly, shoving his free hand into his pocket and using the other one to hold the umbrella over his head. This particular shower, however, wasn't entirely heavy. It was light, more like a passing sprinkle. He didn't really need the umbrella, but he'd taken it with him just in case. He really didn't like the way Kas and Cy ganged up on him like that, making him deliver the news to her. He wasn't upset. He wasn't. He just didn't think it was fair that they might miss Thanksgiving with her. He and Cy practically promised they'd be spending it with her, but now there was a chance that they wouldn't. He sighed heavily.
He really didn't like this. He couldn't put a proper reason as to why, though. He didn't like the idea of possibly breaking a promise, especially one to her. He blinked, slowly realizing he was standing outside of Ana's door. There were a few pokémon outside, but not too many. He almost smiled at that. He shook his head lightly before knocking lightly on Ana's door.
It took a little while before the door opened; when it did, Ana stood on the other side of it with a blanket more or less cocooning her body. It looked to be made of flannel or some similar soft material, faded enough at the edges that it was probably something she’d had for a while. The tip of her nose was red, and there were spots of color on her cheeks—though she didn’t wear any kind of expression to indicate embarrassment or any emotion that might have caused them. She blinked at him for a second, then smiled.
“Hello Eryk,” she said. Her voice was raspier than usual, and she sounded a little congested. She stepped away from the door to give him room. “Please come in; the forecast says the rain’s going to get heavier today.” She sniffled a little, and pulled the blanket tighter around herself.
“I was just making lunch, if you wanted some.”
He knew enough about colds to spot one, and he frowned considerably. He walked in through the door, though, and focused back on her. It didn't seem too severe, but it still didn't stop that stupid feeling in the pit of his stomach from appearing. For a minute, he didn't reply. He simply stared at her before he dropped his gaze, shaking his head lightly. He wasn't here for lunch, or anything else for that matter. He was here to give her the message, and that was it.
"You have a cold," he stated, blinking a little surprised at himself. That wasn't what he wanted to say, but that was what came out. He frowned. "I... no thank you. I have already eaten," though that was a partial lie. He hadn't eaten yet, but he wasn't going to take her food, either. She would need everything she could get to get better.
"I actually came here to tell you something," he finally began, shifting a little in his position. "We... might not make it back in time for Thanksgiving," he spoke softly, feeling just a bit uncomfortable now. "We are needed in Pewter City, and it make take longer than we anticipate it to be. Cyrilla and Kas send their sincerities, but," he paused, swallowing a sudden lump in his throat.
"We will try to make it back on time."
The smile dropped straight off her face. Ana tilted her head to the side, nodding slightly; only then did she seem to realize that her expression was plainly visible. The smile reappeared, but it was thinner, and didn’t quite reach her eyes. Shifting from one foot to the other, she sighed. “Um… would you mind heading to the kitchen with me? It’s just, my soup’s going in there and it’s a little bit… uncomfortable to stand for too long right now. If… if you need to go, I understand, but.” She didn’t really seem to want him to go, but she was also swaying a little on her feet, and the red in her face was deepening.
"Of course," he replied without missing a beat, following her into the kitchen. It's not like they were leaving today, and he'd only need a few necessities for when they left. Everything else was just details. Still, he didn't want to leave her side just yet, with the way she was swaying and the way her face deepened in color. He was really contemplating whether or not he should tell Kas and Cy to leave without him, that they didn't need him for this mission. Cy's pulled off more heists than he did, and it would be easier for her since she was a little smaller than he was. She could go through the ventilation shafts and other such air ducts if it came down to it. But some small voice in the back of his head told him that they needed him. More than she did.
"We'll be leaving tomorrow. If... if everything goes as planned, we will make it back on time to attend Thanksgiving with you. If... we don't," he didn't exactly know how to end that sentence. He wouldn't blame her if she blamed them, but she wouldn't do that. He wouldn't blame her, either, if she was upset by it.
Ana carefully ladled herself some soup from the stovetop into a waiting bowl. She seemed to consider him for a moment, then retrieved a second bowl, pausing halfway there to lean heavily against the counter, taking a couple of deep breaths before she was able to finish the task and return to the stove, spooning up a second bowl. “It’s here if you change your mind,” she said, setting it on the island.
She got herself up onto one of the other stools against the counter, letting out a sigh of relief once she was seated. Only after her first spoonful of soup—it looked to be some kind of noodle dish, but smelled like herbs—did she glance back up at him. “It’s okay, you know,” she said softly. “I’m not upset. Well—I’m sad that you might not make it, but it’s okay. Aunt Joy and I will cook the same amount either way, and if we have to have the big dinner together a couple of days late, well… who cares? The calendar date isn’t the important thing.”
She paused to take another spoonful of soup. “It’s unfortunate that you have to be away at this time of year, but… I hope whatever you’re doing goes well for you.” She smiled—it seemed genuine that time, even despite her obvious illness.
Sometimes he didn't like when she did that. He didn't want to take her food, but now that she had served it, he would be an asshole to let it cool and possibly go bad. He pursed his lips thoughtfully before he took the bowl and dipped into it with his spoon. He took a deep breath and glanced at her when she spoke. There's where she was wrong, though. It wasn't okay, not to him at least. He had promised, or kind of promised, that they would spend Thanksgiving with her this year. He was actually looking forward to spending time with her. He never looked forward to anything, really. There was nothing, but now there was something.
"But keeping a promise for a certain date, is the important thing," he finally spoke, taking another spoonful of the soup. "I... want to promise you that we will be back on time, but I do not know if I can keep that promise," and he really did want to keep it. "It is unfortunate yes," he continued, shaking his head just lightly. Plus, he really didn't want to go anywhere with her being sick like this. His chest tightened at a certain thought. What if something happened to her while they were gone? Who was going to come here to check up on her until she was well? He would ask someone to do it, but the only person he could really ask was Drake. And he really didn't want to ask him that.
"Is... are you taking any medication for your cold?" he decided to ask, changing the subject just slightly.
She seemed willing enough to accept the shift in topic, and dipped her chin. “Mhm,” she hummed, swallowing her current mouthful of noodles. “Just basic things, of course, but the cough medicine is helping. I think my fever will probably go down soon—it looks bad, but it’s just a cold. Not even Everett’s can make a cold that bad.” She was probably understating it somewhat—because she did look to be in a seriously weakened condition. But at the very least it didn’t seem to worry her.
“Oh. If you’re concerned about keeping a promise…” she trailed off for a moment, fixing him with a gentle look. “You can make it up to me, if you go to the Pewter Museum and take a picture of the fossilized amber they have there. I’ve always wanted to see the museum—that piece especially. How’s that?”
She'd never seen Pewter's Museum? Well, if that were the case, he supposed he could do just that. At least for her. Taking a picture of the fossilized amber wouldn't be too much of a detour. If she really wanted to see it, though. He could always steal it. He frowned at that thought. That would probably not go over well with her, so he decided against it. He could also take a few pictures of the other things that were in there, just so she could see more than just that particular item. But that was the one she wanted to see the most, so he'd do that for her.
"I can do that," he added, giving her the softest appearance of a smile he could muster. "Is there anything else you'd like? A... souvenir perhaps?" he questioned. He could get her more than just a picture if she wanted it.
Ana shook her head. “Mm-mm. Just a picture will do fine.” She smiled back at him, just as soft. “Don’t hurry or anything, but… I’ll be waiting for you, okay?”
"Alright," he replied, sitting in comfortable silence after. For some reason, though, that statement alone made him want to hurry back.
He really didn't like this. He couldn't put a proper reason as to why, though. He didn't like the idea of possibly breaking a promise, especially one to her. He blinked, slowly realizing he was standing outside of Ana's door. There were a few pokémon outside, but not too many. He almost smiled at that. He shook his head lightly before knocking lightly on Ana's door.
It took a little while before the door opened; when it did, Ana stood on the other side of it with a blanket more or less cocooning her body. It looked to be made of flannel or some similar soft material, faded enough at the edges that it was probably something she’d had for a while. The tip of her nose was red, and there were spots of color on her cheeks—though she didn’t wear any kind of expression to indicate embarrassment or any emotion that might have caused them. She blinked at him for a second, then smiled.
“Hello Eryk,” she said. Her voice was raspier than usual, and she sounded a little congested. She stepped away from the door to give him room. “Please come in; the forecast says the rain’s going to get heavier today.” She sniffled a little, and pulled the blanket tighter around herself.
“I was just making lunch, if you wanted some.”
He knew enough about colds to spot one, and he frowned considerably. He walked in through the door, though, and focused back on her. It didn't seem too severe, but it still didn't stop that stupid feeling in the pit of his stomach from appearing. For a minute, he didn't reply. He simply stared at her before he dropped his gaze, shaking his head lightly. He wasn't here for lunch, or anything else for that matter. He was here to give her the message, and that was it.
"You have a cold," he stated, blinking a little surprised at himself. That wasn't what he wanted to say, but that was what came out. He frowned. "I... no thank you. I have already eaten," though that was a partial lie. He hadn't eaten yet, but he wasn't going to take her food, either. She would need everything she could get to get better.
"I actually came here to tell you something," he finally began, shifting a little in his position. "We... might not make it back in time for Thanksgiving," he spoke softly, feeling just a bit uncomfortable now. "We are needed in Pewter City, and it make take longer than we anticipate it to be. Cyrilla and Kas send their sincerities, but," he paused, swallowing a sudden lump in his throat.
"We will try to make it back on time."
The smile dropped straight off her face. Ana tilted her head to the side, nodding slightly; only then did she seem to realize that her expression was plainly visible. The smile reappeared, but it was thinner, and didn’t quite reach her eyes. Shifting from one foot to the other, she sighed. “Um… would you mind heading to the kitchen with me? It’s just, my soup’s going in there and it’s a little bit… uncomfortable to stand for too long right now. If… if you need to go, I understand, but.” She didn’t really seem to want him to go, but she was also swaying a little on her feet, and the red in her face was deepening.
"Of course," he replied without missing a beat, following her into the kitchen. It's not like they were leaving today, and he'd only need a few necessities for when they left. Everything else was just details. Still, he didn't want to leave her side just yet, with the way she was swaying and the way her face deepened in color. He was really contemplating whether or not he should tell Kas and Cy to leave without him, that they didn't need him for this mission. Cy's pulled off more heists than he did, and it would be easier for her since she was a little smaller than he was. She could go through the ventilation shafts and other such air ducts if it came down to it. But some small voice in the back of his head told him that they needed him. More than she did.
"We'll be leaving tomorrow. If... if everything goes as planned, we will make it back on time to attend Thanksgiving with you. If... we don't," he didn't exactly know how to end that sentence. He wouldn't blame her if she blamed them, but she wouldn't do that. He wouldn't blame her, either, if she was upset by it.
Ana carefully ladled herself some soup from the stovetop into a waiting bowl. She seemed to consider him for a moment, then retrieved a second bowl, pausing halfway there to lean heavily against the counter, taking a couple of deep breaths before she was able to finish the task and return to the stove, spooning up a second bowl. “It’s here if you change your mind,” she said, setting it on the island.
She got herself up onto one of the other stools against the counter, letting out a sigh of relief once she was seated. Only after her first spoonful of soup—it looked to be some kind of noodle dish, but smelled like herbs—did she glance back up at him. “It’s okay, you know,” she said softly. “I’m not upset. Well—I’m sad that you might not make it, but it’s okay. Aunt Joy and I will cook the same amount either way, and if we have to have the big dinner together a couple of days late, well… who cares? The calendar date isn’t the important thing.”
She paused to take another spoonful of soup. “It’s unfortunate that you have to be away at this time of year, but… I hope whatever you’re doing goes well for you.” She smiled—it seemed genuine that time, even despite her obvious illness.
Sometimes he didn't like when she did that. He didn't want to take her food, but now that she had served it, he would be an asshole to let it cool and possibly go bad. He pursed his lips thoughtfully before he took the bowl and dipped into it with his spoon. He took a deep breath and glanced at her when she spoke. There's where she was wrong, though. It wasn't okay, not to him at least. He had promised, or kind of promised, that they would spend Thanksgiving with her this year. He was actually looking forward to spending time with her. He never looked forward to anything, really. There was nothing, but now there was something.
"But keeping a promise for a certain date, is the important thing," he finally spoke, taking another spoonful of the soup. "I... want to promise you that we will be back on time, but I do not know if I can keep that promise," and he really did want to keep it. "It is unfortunate yes," he continued, shaking his head just lightly. Plus, he really didn't want to go anywhere with her being sick like this. His chest tightened at a certain thought. What if something happened to her while they were gone? Who was going to come here to check up on her until she was well? He would ask someone to do it, but the only person he could really ask was Drake. And he really didn't want to ask him that.
"Is... are you taking any medication for your cold?" he decided to ask, changing the subject just slightly.
She seemed willing enough to accept the shift in topic, and dipped her chin. “Mhm,” she hummed, swallowing her current mouthful of noodles. “Just basic things, of course, but the cough medicine is helping. I think my fever will probably go down soon—it looks bad, but it’s just a cold. Not even Everett’s can make a cold that bad.” She was probably understating it somewhat—because she did look to be in a seriously weakened condition. But at the very least it didn’t seem to worry her.
“Oh. If you’re concerned about keeping a promise…” she trailed off for a moment, fixing him with a gentle look. “You can make it up to me, if you go to the Pewter Museum and take a picture of the fossilized amber they have there. I’ve always wanted to see the museum—that piece especially. How’s that?”
She'd never seen Pewter's Museum? Well, if that were the case, he supposed he could do just that. At least for her. Taking a picture of the fossilized amber wouldn't be too much of a detour. If she really wanted to see it, though. He could always steal it. He frowned at that thought. That would probably not go over well with her, so he decided against it. He could also take a few pictures of the other things that were in there, just so she could see more than just that particular item. But that was the one she wanted to see the most, so he'd do that for her.
"I can do that," he added, giving her the softest appearance of a smile he could muster. "Is there anything else you'd like? A... souvenir perhaps?" he questioned. He could get her more than just a picture if she wanted it.
Ana shook her head. “Mm-mm. Just a picture will do fine.” She smiled back at him, just as soft. “Don’t hurry or anything, but… I’ll be waiting for you, okay?”
"Alright," he replied, sitting in comfortable silence after. For some reason, though, that statement alone made him want to hurry back.
Kasimir strolled into the Pewter base, shedding layers as he went. He pulled the cap off his head, tucking his sunglasses into the v of his shirt—the sleeves of the janitor’s jumpsuit he wore were already tied down around his waist. He peeled the prosthesis off his nose; it hadn’t been a significant change, but it would be enough of one to prevent anyone from recognizing him, should something unexpected happen and an employee stumble upon the tactical van or something.
He’d been able to case the laboratory to a certain extent—there were, of course, secured rooms where he wouldn’t be allowed even if he actually worked there. But as he’d expected, no one noticed the janitor—it was a sad truth about the world that he’d taken full advantage of. Picking out the pins behind his ears, he doffed the wig and shook his hair out, tossing the false ones onto the table in front of him.
He glanced at Eryk and Cy as he rand his fingers through his hair a few times, making it lay more or less like normal before fishing a tie out of his pocket and pulling it back out of his face. “Case successful,” he told them with a grin. He had to admit, part of him had missed fieldwork like this. It was challenging and didn’t generally involve feelings. “It’s good that we have both of you, because I think we’re gonna need two to get past all this security.”
Eryk merely stared at him, an unamused expression crossing his face. Luckily, his thoughts seemed more or less intact unlike the journey over here. He had seemed... distracted. "We can take care of the security. You just need to get us in, first," he finally replied not looking up from a piece of paper in his hands. Cyrilla was, oddly, quiet, shifting in her spot every now and then. "What were you able to find out?" Eryk questioned, shifting his gaze towards Kas.
“The power source is called the Halcyon Reactor. I don’t know why they call it that, but they do. It’s kept in Lab Nine overnight, which is of course the one in the center of the building with no easy way in or out. It’s protected with a mix of electronic and more mundane security, and a couple of guards, as well.” Kas grabbed a piece of paper off the table and sketched the floor plan from memory, marking the spot he was talking about with an ‘x’.
“Now… I can get you past all the electronic crap, but there’s also a proper lock on the damn door. A pretty well-made one, too—looks custom, so I doubt too many picks are going to work on it. But that’s only a problem if we try to open it from the outside.” He glanced up at both of them, grinning. “Because Lab Nine is in the middle of the building, there’s a heavy-duty ventilation system in there for chemical safety. It’s accessible from the roof, if you know where to look, which I do.”
He didn’t bother explaining how he’d acquired that bit of information—the important part was that he had. “So here’s what I’m thinking: Ryk and I can deal with the guards outside. I’ll nick one of their radios to eavesdrop on their communication and run interference if necessary. Then we’ll get Cy up on the roof, and I’ll guide her through the vents. Meanwhile, I disable the electronic security and get Ryk through the facility to the right lab. He deals with the guards in front of it, while Cy unlocks the door from the inside. You grab the reactor, and book it out of there, clean as a whistle if we do it right.” He raised an eyebrow.
“How’s that sound?”
"Too easy," Eryk replied, raising a brow when he did. "Something that valuable would be guarded heavier than this," he spoke, speaking with a hint of skepticism. He seemed a little reluctant to say anything further than that, and he sighed. "But I wouldn't be surprised if this didn't turn out to be that easy," he continued, glancing towards Cy. "Do you have everything you need?" he questioned.
"I do," she finally spoke, holding up a small bag about the size of her fist. "I have my smoke bombs just in case something happens, and I also have," she paused for a moment, opening the bag and rummaging through it, "these." She held up a small case and opened it. Inside there were a few items that looked remotely like lock-picks and a few darts? "These are slightly new, but I was working on them while we were on our way here. I just finished them yesterday," she explained, handing some to Ryk.
"It's... poison, but it doesn't necessarily poison anyone. It's more like a tranquilizer so if you need to use it," she continued, glancing back towards Kas. Eryk nodded his head and placed the small darts in his pocket. "They're made to be thrown so they'll penetrate the skin easily. If you hit anything that is thicker than cloth, it won't work, obviously," she said, shrugging her shoulders lightly.
Kas resisted the urge to sigh. Ryk talked like it sounded easy—maybe to him it did. But Kas had an entire network to take over, and several layers of electronic security to penetrate, and that wasn’t just a matter of a few keystrokes. “In any case,” he said, “one shift’s worth of security staff is about twenty guys; half of them patrol the perimeter and the other half are inside. So it’s not gonna be a cakewalk. But we can do it.”
Between them, they had a specialist in anything they’d need to make it work. And since he’d be able to help with the guards outside, he wasn’t too worried. It wasn’t like everyone in the building would come charging Ryk at once—that was the point of being quiet about this. “Oh. Also. I know Cy does most of the fancy ninja crafts, but I know some chemistry, too.” He shrugged his bag off his back and pulled out a bandolier with three round objects attached to it.
“Flashbombs. Pull the pin and throw. And, you know… don’t look directly at it when it goes off.” he tossed them onto the table. “Anyway… we should get you guys set up with earpieces, so you can hear the charming dulcet tones of my voice while we’re doing this.” He grinned, but he was serious to a point. He was the one who’d be guiding them through the process; though the physical work was minimal, he had to be both the brains and the eyes for the whole thing.
Ryk rolled his eyes at that. "It's not like you don't talk to us everyday," he replied, and taking the flashbombs. He glanced at Kas for a moment, his gaze unusually calm. "We have a plan, we have our supplies, the only thing left now is the time," he finally spoke. "The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can go home," he spoke, pursing his lips for a moment. Cyrilla glanced at him too with a somewhat skeptical look, but didn't say anything about it.
“Yup,” Kas replied, popping the ‘p’ on the end slightly. “Which is why I figure we should do this tonight. Night shift’s twenty guys according to the roster, but the day shift’s the same, plus all the scientists, and we don’t want to do that. I’d rather not take the chance that they catch on to us, so we should hit the place as soon as we can. Let’s wait for it to get dark, then make our move.”
Home, huh?
Yeah, he supposed it was.
He’d been able to case the laboratory to a certain extent—there were, of course, secured rooms where he wouldn’t be allowed even if he actually worked there. But as he’d expected, no one noticed the janitor—it was a sad truth about the world that he’d taken full advantage of. Picking out the pins behind his ears, he doffed the wig and shook his hair out, tossing the false ones onto the table in front of him.
He glanced at Eryk and Cy as he rand his fingers through his hair a few times, making it lay more or less like normal before fishing a tie out of his pocket and pulling it back out of his face. “Case successful,” he told them with a grin. He had to admit, part of him had missed fieldwork like this. It was challenging and didn’t generally involve feelings. “It’s good that we have both of you, because I think we’re gonna need two to get past all this security.”
Eryk merely stared at him, an unamused expression crossing his face. Luckily, his thoughts seemed more or less intact unlike the journey over here. He had seemed... distracted. "We can take care of the security. You just need to get us in, first," he finally replied not looking up from a piece of paper in his hands. Cyrilla was, oddly, quiet, shifting in her spot every now and then. "What were you able to find out?" Eryk questioned, shifting his gaze towards Kas.
“The power source is called the Halcyon Reactor. I don’t know why they call it that, but they do. It’s kept in Lab Nine overnight, which is of course the one in the center of the building with no easy way in or out. It’s protected with a mix of electronic and more mundane security, and a couple of guards, as well.” Kas grabbed a piece of paper off the table and sketched the floor plan from memory, marking the spot he was talking about with an ‘x’.
“Now… I can get you past all the electronic crap, but there’s also a proper lock on the damn door. A pretty well-made one, too—looks custom, so I doubt too many picks are going to work on it. But that’s only a problem if we try to open it from the outside.” He glanced up at both of them, grinning. “Because Lab Nine is in the middle of the building, there’s a heavy-duty ventilation system in there for chemical safety. It’s accessible from the roof, if you know where to look, which I do.”
He didn’t bother explaining how he’d acquired that bit of information—the important part was that he had. “So here’s what I’m thinking: Ryk and I can deal with the guards outside. I’ll nick one of their radios to eavesdrop on their communication and run interference if necessary. Then we’ll get Cy up on the roof, and I’ll guide her through the vents. Meanwhile, I disable the electronic security and get Ryk through the facility to the right lab. He deals with the guards in front of it, while Cy unlocks the door from the inside. You grab the reactor, and book it out of there, clean as a whistle if we do it right.” He raised an eyebrow.
“How’s that sound?”
"Too easy," Eryk replied, raising a brow when he did. "Something that valuable would be guarded heavier than this," he spoke, speaking with a hint of skepticism. He seemed a little reluctant to say anything further than that, and he sighed. "But I wouldn't be surprised if this didn't turn out to be that easy," he continued, glancing towards Cy. "Do you have everything you need?" he questioned.
"I do," she finally spoke, holding up a small bag about the size of her fist. "I have my smoke bombs just in case something happens, and I also have," she paused for a moment, opening the bag and rummaging through it, "these." She held up a small case and opened it. Inside there were a few items that looked remotely like lock-picks and a few darts? "These are slightly new, but I was working on them while we were on our way here. I just finished them yesterday," she explained, handing some to Ryk.
"It's... poison, but it doesn't necessarily poison anyone. It's more like a tranquilizer so if you need to use it," she continued, glancing back towards Kas. Eryk nodded his head and placed the small darts in his pocket. "They're made to be thrown so they'll penetrate the skin easily. If you hit anything that is thicker than cloth, it won't work, obviously," she said, shrugging her shoulders lightly.
Kas resisted the urge to sigh. Ryk talked like it sounded easy—maybe to him it did. But Kas had an entire network to take over, and several layers of electronic security to penetrate, and that wasn’t just a matter of a few keystrokes. “In any case,” he said, “one shift’s worth of security staff is about twenty guys; half of them patrol the perimeter and the other half are inside. So it’s not gonna be a cakewalk. But we can do it.”
Between them, they had a specialist in anything they’d need to make it work. And since he’d be able to help with the guards outside, he wasn’t too worried. It wasn’t like everyone in the building would come charging Ryk at once—that was the point of being quiet about this. “Oh. Also. I know Cy does most of the fancy ninja crafts, but I know some chemistry, too.” He shrugged his bag off his back and pulled out a bandolier with three round objects attached to it.
“Flashbombs. Pull the pin and throw. And, you know… don’t look directly at it when it goes off.” he tossed them onto the table. “Anyway… we should get you guys set up with earpieces, so you can hear the charming dulcet tones of my voice while we’re doing this.” He grinned, but he was serious to a point. He was the one who’d be guiding them through the process; though the physical work was minimal, he had to be both the brains and the eyes for the whole thing.
Ryk rolled his eyes at that. "It's not like you don't talk to us everyday," he replied, and taking the flashbombs. He glanced at Kas for a moment, his gaze unusually calm. "We have a plan, we have our supplies, the only thing left now is the time," he finally spoke. "The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can go home," he spoke, pursing his lips for a moment. Cyrilla glanced at him too with a somewhat skeptical look, but didn't say anything about it.
“Yup,” Kas replied, popping the ‘p’ on the end slightly. “Which is why I figure we should do this tonight. Night shift’s twenty guys according to the roster, but the day shift’s the same, plus all the scientists, and we don’t want to do that. I’d rather not take the chance that they catch on to us, so we should hit the place as soon as we can. Let’s wait for it to get dark, then make our move.”
Home, huh?
Yeah, he supposed it was.
Cyrilla shifted slightly in her uniform, fixing her outfit slightly. It was a standard shinobi outfit, one that she'd used plenty of times before for missions like this one. It offered maximum comfort and flexibility. She would need it if she was going through some of the ventilation shafts. She fixed the tekko around her wrists and slipped on her shoes. Once she was prepared, items in place, she stepped out to meet Kas and Ryk. They were doing this now, and she wanted to make sure she was preppared. She had the zukin in her hand, but she contemplated whether or not she really needed it. Perhaps it would be for the best so that they don't at least see her face. Her hair, though, would be a different problem. There were not too many people out in the world with white hair unless they were elderly. Roxie from Virbank was an exception, she supposed. But Virbank was in the Unova region and Roxie was a Gym Leader.
"Cyrilla," Eryk's voice managed to snap her out of her thoughts as she glanced up. She didn't even realize they arrived. She offered them a small smile before she shifted in her spot, standing a little more comfortably. She really did like her shoes; it almost felt like she was barefoot, and it was easier this way to manuever around.
"Is everyone ready?" she questioned, glancing back and forth between Kas and Eryk.
“Of course.” Kas had altered his wardrobe, too, but he couldn’t wear anything as obvious as shinobi gear, in case someone came to investigated the van. But he also didn’t dress in his usual bright colors, probably to reduce the chance of being noticed. He had pulled on a black turtleneck sweater instead, with dark blue jeans and ordinary running shoes. Still, on him, that was downright weird.
He was driving, and so once she and Ryk were secure in the van, he backed it out of the parking lot. They drove with the lights on for most of the way so as to hide in plain sight, but a little while before turning into the facility, he killed he beams and pulled a pair of goggles down over his head. The road was practically completely dark, but they might have been night-vision lenses, because he seemed confident of his directions.
They pulled up some distance from the building; disembarking all together. Kas handed Eryk and Cyrilla their earpieces, making sure they were in and functional before they all headed stealthily towards the building. It was better lit here, but they stuck to the shadows, keeping low and out of sight. They’d decided that they’d split up—Kas went left by himself and Eryk and Cy went right together. They’d meet up on the other side, each having disabled their half of the guard presence.
Couching behind a dumpster, Kas grinned at them both, his bright white teeth visible in the light from the lamps in the parking lot. “Here goes,” he said softly. “Good luck, you two.”
"Thanks, Kas," she whispered back, crouching just slightly before glancing towards Eryk. They needed to get to the other side and meet Kas. Once they did that, they would need to help her get to the roof and Eryk would meet her by the lab once he was able to get inside. She pushed a sigh through her nose, and nodded at Eryk. Both of them took off, hiding as best as they could until they came upon their first obstacle. A guard outside standing idly by. She glanced towards Eryk, and nodded her head. He nodded back, and left her side for a moment.
She remained in the bushes as Eryk approached the guard. It always surprised her how stealthy Eryk could be when he wanted to. She couldn't even see where he was, however; there was another guard rounding the corner. Cyrilla hissed to herself and moved. She couldn't allow this person to see Eryk and radio for help, or alert everyone else. Quietly, she approached the man just as he came around the corner. She had to act fast. Grabbing the small tranquilizer dart, she latched onto the man's back, forcing the dart into the man's neck just as Eryk knocked out his guard. They both fell to the ground, Cyrilla still on her target's back. She sighed softly, shifting slightly so she could nod her head at Eryk.
Once that was done, the next few guards were easier targets, and they managed to make it towards the back of the building. They settled just slightly, waiting for Kas.
He appeared not a minute later, rolling his shoulders and attaching one of the handheld radios the guards had been equipped with to his belt. When his eyes landed on them, he smiled; in keeping with the need for stealth, though, he didn’t say anything. Instead, he walked over to the wall of the building, lowering himself into a crouch and folding his hands together just in front of his knee. With a jerk of his head, he indicated that Cy should make a running start, and he’d boost her onto the roof.
They’d already been over the layout together, so she knew where the ventilation access was on the roof; after that, he’d be helping her navigate the system while he worked to get Eryk through on the ground level.
Cyrilla nodded her head and took a few steps back. Taking in a deep breath, she leaned forward just slightly before taking off in a sprint. Her foot connected with Kas's hand and she was lifted into the air. She managed to grab hold of the building's edge, pulling herself up the rest of the way before settling herself on the roof. Once she was comfortable, she shifted slightly so she could scan the area, spotting the shaft that she needed. Slowly, she made her way towards the shaft and lifted the cage door from its spot. She slipped inside, lowering herself down slowly so she didn't make too much noise. Once her feet were on solid flooring, or metal, she glanced around for a moment.
"Alright, Kas. I'm in position, where do I go from here?" she asked, her voice as low as she could make it.
“Hang on.” Kas’s voice sounded in her ear—it was an awful lot like he was standing right over her shoulder and leaning down to speak, actually. But of course, he was a considerable distance away. “Let me get Ryk through the first door here and I’ll be right with you. Just hold tight for now.” The communicator went quiet for about half a minute before he spoke again.
“All right. He’s in. As for you…” Through the open channel, Cyrilla could hear the soft clack of a keyboard, several times in extremely rapid succession. “Okay. You’re going to be moving forward for a while. You should take a left the second time you come to a corner, but not the first.”
"Alright," she replied back, moving forward afterwards. She could hear the soft humming of the air conditioner, and for a moment, she allowed her mind to fall into rhythm with the sounds. She passed the first intersection, glancing down the left side before pushing forward. Second left, not the first, she had to remind herself. Once she came to the second left, she turned down it and paused momentarily.
"Where to, now?" she asked softly.
“Straight ahead for another two intersections and then hang a right,” he replied almost immediately. “How are you doing in there? Not too cramped or too hot or anything? I can get into the climate controls if I have to.” The way he spoke sounded slightly off, as though he were focusing on three or four things at the same time; it gave him a sort of detached, offhand tone. But he was still concerned about her situation, it seemed.
"No, don't worry about it. I'm fine," she replied, shaking her head slightly before remembering he couldn't see it. She almost laughed at herself. Shaking her head at herself, she continued forward, passing by a vent she could see out of. She smiled softly when she spotted Eryk, making his way through the hallway. She could hear footsteps in the distance, but they were too heavy to be Eryk's. He knew how to mask his sounds and how to be quiet.
"Hey, you're not supposed to be here," someone said, and Cyrilla winced just slightly as a gust of air escaped the person's mouth. She supposed Eryk must have taken care of it since there was silence thereafter. A moment later, she could hear the sound of his flash grenade going off, and she had to shake her head softly. She thought there would be no need for it, but she was wrong apparently. Some sounds later, and it was silent again.
She came up to the second intersection, and turned right. She paused for a moment, listening as another one of Eryk's grenades went off before shaking her head. He must be losing his touch if he had to use two of them, already. "Alright Kas, I'm in position. Where now?"
“There should be a grate about three feet in front of you,” Kas said, apparently typing furiously again. “I’m disabling the alarms on the door, so all you should have to do is drop down in there and unlock the door from the inside. Ryk’s almost to your location, so you can look for the reactor together. Let me know when you’re both in there and I’ll tell you what you’re looking for.”
"Copy that," she stated, glancing towards the grate he'd mentioned. She pushed it open, sticking her head down to make sure it was clear. Once she determined it was, she lowered herself down, stepping lightly as she approached the door. Kas said he'd disabled it, and she pulled on the latch, listening to a slight hissing sound before she pushed it open. Eryk stood on the other side, his gaze a little passive as he nodded towards her. Glancing back for a second, he stepped forward, closing the door behind him so as to not be too suspicious.
"I moved the guards as well," he stated, probably referring to the fact that he hid their bodies. They wouldn't be discovered that way, and it would be some time before the guards would wake up. "Kas, I'm with Cy. What are we looking for?" he asked. Cyrilla glanced around the room, frowning just slightly beneath her mask. There were a few tables sitting around, and it looked like laptops were sitting open. They were probably being used by the scientists.
“Okay, the thing you want is gonna be about the size of the palm of your hand, but spherical. It might be glowing slightly—probably blue. I wouldn’t be surprised if they have it in a case of some kind. If it is and you can move it, take the case—I’ll check it for trackers when you get out here. If it’s not, be careful handling it. It’s not radioactive or anything, but it might be hot to the touch.”
"Alright," she replied, glancing at Eryk before taking off towards the other side of the room. It wasn't too big, but it would probably be better if they split up to find it. She glanced around, keeping an eye out for anything that looked like what Kas had described. She found a suitcase, but it was too easy to open. There was a picture inside of a man and a small child. It looked like it might be a father and daughter, but she didn't linger on it too long. There was another one, however; this one only held papers and was too easy to open too.
"Cyrilla, over here," Eryk called out, causing her to glance in his direction. He pointed to an object behind a glass case when she approached. "I think this might be it," he spoke softly and she only nodded her head. It looked to be in a box of some sort, probably to act as a barrier. She glanced towards Eryk as he reached for it, pulling it from its mantel, and held it in his hands.
"Alright, Kas. I think we found it," she spoke, turning her attention towards the door Eryk had come through. "We'll be out in a few," she stated, nodding her head towards the door. Eryk went first, opened the door, and looked outside. It appeared to be clear because he jerked his head to let her know to go first. She did, and stepped quickly down the hall. There weren't too many obstacles getting back out, though there was one guard who almost caught her. She hadn't seen him coming out of the bathroom, and she'd nearly collided with the door. She would have if Eryk hadn't stopped it. Once they were outside, they made their way to meet with Kas.
The doors on the back of the van opened as soon as they got there. Kas gestured them in with a quick hand motion, pulling the headphones away from his neck and shutting down his console. It folded into the floor of the van, partially; the rest of it could be made to look innocent enough, but it was still far better if they didn’t get stopped and questioned.
“Nice work, guys,” he said, nodding his head. Maneuvering himself over the console, he jumped into the front seat. “Now buckle up—time to get outta here. We didn’t get all the guards, so someone’s gonna figure out what’s going on any minute now.” It went without saying that it was much better if they weren’t around when that happened.
"Good idea," she replied, folding herself to the backseat. She removed her mask and glanced at Eryk. "Thanks for the door," she spoke. He merely raised a brow at her and shook his head.
"Next time, pay attention."
"Cyrilla," Eryk's voice managed to snap her out of her thoughts as she glanced up. She didn't even realize they arrived. She offered them a small smile before she shifted in her spot, standing a little more comfortably. She really did like her shoes; it almost felt like she was barefoot, and it was easier this way to manuever around.
"Is everyone ready?" she questioned, glancing back and forth between Kas and Eryk.
“Of course.” Kas had altered his wardrobe, too, but he couldn’t wear anything as obvious as shinobi gear, in case someone came to investigated the van. But he also didn’t dress in his usual bright colors, probably to reduce the chance of being noticed. He had pulled on a black turtleneck sweater instead, with dark blue jeans and ordinary running shoes. Still, on him, that was downright weird.
He was driving, and so once she and Ryk were secure in the van, he backed it out of the parking lot. They drove with the lights on for most of the way so as to hide in plain sight, but a little while before turning into the facility, he killed he beams and pulled a pair of goggles down over his head. The road was practically completely dark, but they might have been night-vision lenses, because he seemed confident of his directions.
They pulled up some distance from the building; disembarking all together. Kas handed Eryk and Cyrilla their earpieces, making sure they were in and functional before they all headed stealthily towards the building. It was better lit here, but they stuck to the shadows, keeping low and out of sight. They’d decided that they’d split up—Kas went left by himself and Eryk and Cy went right together. They’d meet up on the other side, each having disabled their half of the guard presence.
Couching behind a dumpster, Kas grinned at them both, his bright white teeth visible in the light from the lamps in the parking lot. “Here goes,” he said softly. “Good luck, you two.”
"Thanks, Kas," she whispered back, crouching just slightly before glancing towards Eryk. They needed to get to the other side and meet Kas. Once they did that, they would need to help her get to the roof and Eryk would meet her by the lab once he was able to get inside. She pushed a sigh through her nose, and nodded at Eryk. Both of them took off, hiding as best as they could until they came upon their first obstacle. A guard outside standing idly by. She glanced towards Eryk, and nodded her head. He nodded back, and left her side for a moment.
She remained in the bushes as Eryk approached the guard. It always surprised her how stealthy Eryk could be when he wanted to. She couldn't even see where he was, however; there was another guard rounding the corner. Cyrilla hissed to herself and moved. She couldn't allow this person to see Eryk and radio for help, or alert everyone else. Quietly, she approached the man just as he came around the corner. She had to act fast. Grabbing the small tranquilizer dart, she latched onto the man's back, forcing the dart into the man's neck just as Eryk knocked out his guard. They both fell to the ground, Cyrilla still on her target's back. She sighed softly, shifting slightly so she could nod her head at Eryk.
Once that was done, the next few guards were easier targets, and they managed to make it towards the back of the building. They settled just slightly, waiting for Kas.
He appeared not a minute later, rolling his shoulders and attaching one of the handheld radios the guards had been equipped with to his belt. When his eyes landed on them, he smiled; in keeping with the need for stealth, though, he didn’t say anything. Instead, he walked over to the wall of the building, lowering himself into a crouch and folding his hands together just in front of his knee. With a jerk of his head, he indicated that Cy should make a running start, and he’d boost her onto the roof.
They’d already been over the layout together, so she knew where the ventilation access was on the roof; after that, he’d be helping her navigate the system while he worked to get Eryk through on the ground level.
Cyrilla nodded her head and took a few steps back. Taking in a deep breath, she leaned forward just slightly before taking off in a sprint. Her foot connected with Kas's hand and she was lifted into the air. She managed to grab hold of the building's edge, pulling herself up the rest of the way before settling herself on the roof. Once she was comfortable, she shifted slightly so she could scan the area, spotting the shaft that she needed. Slowly, she made her way towards the shaft and lifted the cage door from its spot. She slipped inside, lowering herself down slowly so she didn't make too much noise. Once her feet were on solid flooring, or metal, she glanced around for a moment.
"Alright, Kas. I'm in position, where do I go from here?" she asked, her voice as low as she could make it.
“Hang on.” Kas’s voice sounded in her ear—it was an awful lot like he was standing right over her shoulder and leaning down to speak, actually. But of course, he was a considerable distance away. “Let me get Ryk through the first door here and I’ll be right with you. Just hold tight for now.” The communicator went quiet for about half a minute before he spoke again.
“All right. He’s in. As for you…” Through the open channel, Cyrilla could hear the soft clack of a keyboard, several times in extremely rapid succession. “Okay. You’re going to be moving forward for a while. You should take a left the second time you come to a corner, but not the first.”
"Alright," she replied back, moving forward afterwards. She could hear the soft humming of the air conditioner, and for a moment, she allowed her mind to fall into rhythm with the sounds. She passed the first intersection, glancing down the left side before pushing forward. Second left, not the first, she had to remind herself. Once she came to the second left, she turned down it and paused momentarily.
"Where to, now?" she asked softly.
“Straight ahead for another two intersections and then hang a right,” he replied almost immediately. “How are you doing in there? Not too cramped or too hot or anything? I can get into the climate controls if I have to.” The way he spoke sounded slightly off, as though he were focusing on three or four things at the same time; it gave him a sort of detached, offhand tone. But he was still concerned about her situation, it seemed.
"No, don't worry about it. I'm fine," she replied, shaking her head slightly before remembering he couldn't see it. She almost laughed at herself. Shaking her head at herself, she continued forward, passing by a vent she could see out of. She smiled softly when she spotted Eryk, making his way through the hallway. She could hear footsteps in the distance, but they were too heavy to be Eryk's. He knew how to mask his sounds and how to be quiet.
"Hey, you're not supposed to be here," someone said, and Cyrilla winced just slightly as a gust of air escaped the person's mouth. She supposed Eryk must have taken care of it since there was silence thereafter. A moment later, she could hear the sound of his flash grenade going off, and she had to shake her head softly. She thought there would be no need for it, but she was wrong apparently. Some sounds later, and it was silent again.
She came up to the second intersection, and turned right. She paused for a moment, listening as another one of Eryk's grenades went off before shaking her head. He must be losing his touch if he had to use two of them, already. "Alright Kas, I'm in position. Where now?"
“There should be a grate about three feet in front of you,” Kas said, apparently typing furiously again. “I’m disabling the alarms on the door, so all you should have to do is drop down in there and unlock the door from the inside. Ryk’s almost to your location, so you can look for the reactor together. Let me know when you’re both in there and I’ll tell you what you’re looking for.”
"Copy that," she stated, glancing towards the grate he'd mentioned. She pushed it open, sticking her head down to make sure it was clear. Once she determined it was, she lowered herself down, stepping lightly as she approached the door. Kas said he'd disabled it, and she pulled on the latch, listening to a slight hissing sound before she pushed it open. Eryk stood on the other side, his gaze a little passive as he nodded towards her. Glancing back for a second, he stepped forward, closing the door behind him so as to not be too suspicious.
"I moved the guards as well," he stated, probably referring to the fact that he hid their bodies. They wouldn't be discovered that way, and it would be some time before the guards would wake up. "Kas, I'm with Cy. What are we looking for?" he asked. Cyrilla glanced around the room, frowning just slightly beneath her mask. There were a few tables sitting around, and it looked like laptops were sitting open. They were probably being used by the scientists.
“Okay, the thing you want is gonna be about the size of the palm of your hand, but spherical. It might be glowing slightly—probably blue. I wouldn’t be surprised if they have it in a case of some kind. If it is and you can move it, take the case—I’ll check it for trackers when you get out here. If it’s not, be careful handling it. It’s not radioactive or anything, but it might be hot to the touch.”
"Alright," she replied, glancing at Eryk before taking off towards the other side of the room. It wasn't too big, but it would probably be better if they split up to find it. She glanced around, keeping an eye out for anything that looked like what Kas had described. She found a suitcase, but it was too easy to open. There was a picture inside of a man and a small child. It looked like it might be a father and daughter, but she didn't linger on it too long. There was another one, however; this one only held papers and was too easy to open too.
"Cyrilla, over here," Eryk called out, causing her to glance in his direction. He pointed to an object behind a glass case when she approached. "I think this might be it," he spoke softly and she only nodded her head. It looked to be in a box of some sort, probably to act as a barrier. She glanced towards Eryk as he reached for it, pulling it from its mantel, and held it in his hands.
"Alright, Kas. I think we found it," she spoke, turning her attention towards the door Eryk had come through. "We'll be out in a few," she stated, nodding her head towards the door. Eryk went first, opened the door, and looked outside. It appeared to be clear because he jerked his head to let her know to go first. She did, and stepped quickly down the hall. There weren't too many obstacles getting back out, though there was one guard who almost caught her. She hadn't seen him coming out of the bathroom, and she'd nearly collided with the door. She would have if Eryk hadn't stopped it. Once they were outside, they made their way to meet with Kas.
The doors on the back of the van opened as soon as they got there. Kas gestured them in with a quick hand motion, pulling the headphones away from his neck and shutting down his console. It folded into the floor of the van, partially; the rest of it could be made to look innocent enough, but it was still far better if they didn’t get stopped and questioned.
“Nice work, guys,” he said, nodding his head. Maneuvering himself over the console, he jumped into the front seat. “Now buckle up—time to get outta here. We didn’t get all the guards, so someone’s gonna figure out what’s going on any minute now.” It went without saying that it was much better if they weren’t around when that happened.
"Good idea," she replied, folding herself to the backseat. She removed her mask and glanced at Eryk. "Thanks for the door," she spoke. He merely raised a brow at her and shook his head.
"Next time, pay attention."
“Okay; I’ll take those apple slices now if you’re ready.” Her aunt’s voice drew Ana from her thoughts and back to the kitchen. She nodded slightly and passed over the bowl of apples—though they’d made caramel ones, these were for a pie.
The kitchen was filled with the smell of cooking food; the potatoes had just been taken off the stove, nearly ready to mash. The turkey was in the oven still, but from the smell was almost done. Half a dozen different types of dessert were already cooling over most of the free counterspace—whatever wasn’t taken up by roasted vegetables, stuffing, or other side dishes. It was a near-industrial quantity of food—more than they’d be able to eat by themselves in a week, probably.
But Ana held out hope that they wouldn’t be eating it alone, so they’d made enough for five—two of whom were very tall men who ate quite a lot.
“You look a little down, dear—is everything all right?” her aunt scooped the apples into the pie crust, arranging them to lay flat, then poured in caramel over the top. No doubt Kenshin would be delighted, if he could make it. After a moment of silence, she continued. “Are you worried about your friends? You said they were out of town for work, right?”
“Mm,” Ana agreed with a nod. “I’m not worried exactly—I’m sure they’re fine. I just… hope they can make it to eat with us, you know?”
Her Aunt—who was a Joy like the rest, but generally preferred to go by her middle name, Miranda—smiled sympathetically. She was nearing sixty-five now, but her face was youthful for someone of that age, lined with creases that only served to make her look gentler. Though her hair had liberal streaks of grey in it, the base color was still the same pinkish-red of most of Ana’s relatives. “You must really love them, to fret so. It’s not like you to trouble yourself about things you can’t control.”
That was kind of true. Ana pursed her lips, staring too hard at the butter and cream mix she was whipping to add to the potatoes. She was a worrier, but not about small things, and not usually about anything beyond her reach. She’d had to become that way. “I do,” she conceded softly. “I love them very much. I know you will, too, if you get to meet them.”
Adding the mix to the mashed potatoes, she folded it in carefully, giving them a creamier consistency, then salted the pot of them.
“Well, then it’s no matter. If they make it tonight, that’s good. But if not, you’ll enjoy it just as much tomorrow or the day after, right?”
Ana smiled thinly, hesitating before she spoke. “I will, but… I think I’d enjoy it the most if I got all of the above.”
“What this?” Aunt Miranda said, a light note of teasing entering her voice. “Do I detect the faint hint of selfishness?”
Ana felt her face grow warmer. She’d parted her lips to defend herself, but her aunt waved away the attempt with a hand gesture. “I’m only giving you a hard time, dear. It’s good to want things for your own sake. You can’t live only for others all the time. It’s not good for a person, no matter how kind or gracious they are.”
“Then… yes,” Ana admitted. “I… I just really like them, and I want… I want to be around him as much as I can until I…” She swallowed.
For a reason Ana didn’t understand, her aunt’s eyes gained a spark of mischief. She smiled a little too brightly. “Ah, I see. A young gentleman, is it?”
Realization dawned on Ana; her face must have gone from pink to deep, splotchy red. “Them!” she amended hastily. “I meant them, I really did! All of them are wonderful friends!” She meant them all—she did.
“If you say so, dear.”
It wasn't soon after that a slight knock was heard on the door. Something like shuffling could be heard behind the door, and it sounded like someone was telling another person to 'shush'. "Ana! Ana are you home!?" it was Cyrilla. Someone, it sounded like Eryk, huffed.
"Really Cy? The windows are open, and you can smell the food outside. Of course she's home. Give her a minute to answer the door. She could be busy," Eryk spoke. Cyrilla apologized, and it sounded like she was chuckling to herself.
"I mean, we do have keys, too," Cyrilla started again.
"And you said I'm rude."
“They’re here!” A smile bloomed across Ana’s face; she turned to her aunt, who simply chuckled and made shooing motions. Taking the hint, she ran to the door, pulling it open to find all three of her best friends standing on her doorstep.
Kas waved at her from behind the other two, a broad grin on his face. “Hey Ana. Did we make it on time?”
She nodded, feeling a deep warmth welling up in her chest. They were really here, and they were going to spend the holiday with her, and meet her aunt. She was… she wasn’t sure she’d ever been this happy all at once before. “You did,” she replied brightly, stepping aside so they could come in out of the rain. “The food’s just being finished; I figured we’d actually use the dining room for once.”
It didn’t usually see much use, but it was there, separated from the kitchen by a door. Gesturing for them to follow once they’d taken off their shoes and the like, she led them into the latter, where her aunt was just removing the turkey from the oven.
“Everyone, this is my aunt Joy. She prefers Miranda, though. Auntie, this is everyone. Er, well, it’s Kasimir and Cyrilla and Eryk.”
Miranda set the turkey down on the stovetop to cool, pulling the mitts from her hands and crossing the room to offer her hand for each of them to shake. “It’s a pleasure to meet you in person,” she said warmly, moving down the line starting with Kas. “It’s nice to put faces to the names I’ve been hearing all afternoon.”
“Well, I hope our faces don’t disappoint, ma’am,” Kas said with a grin.
She laughed. “Not in the slightest. And please, Miranda is fine. You must be Kas.” Ana supposed it was an easy guess, from the way she’d described them.
“My reputation precedes me. Good things, I hope?”
Her aunt’s eyes crinkled deeply at the corners; the lines on her face were almost all those created by a lifetime of good humor. “Of course. Ana can’t say a bad word about any of you.” She released his hand and turned to Cy. “And you must be Cyrilla. My Ana calls you her best friend, you know.”
“Auntie,” Ana protested. Her face was warm again; she resisted the urge to bury it in her hands. “They're all my best friends."
“Yes, dear, but female friends are special, aren't they?"
Ana supposed she couldn't argue with that.
"Aw," Cyrilla began, making her way to stand next to Ana. She wrapped her arms around her, and gave Ana a light hug. "She's my best friend, too," she replied, giving one last squeeze before releasing Ana. "Oh, yes I'm Cyrilla," she stated, turning a light shade of pink in the process. Eryk rolled his eyes softly and shook his head. "I wasn't sure we'd make it back in time, but I'm glad we did," she spoke, turning towards Ana. She smiled, though, and turned back towards Miranda.
"And this grumpy person here, is Eryk, though I'm sure you knew that," she said, glancing towards Eryk who furrowed his brows at her.
"Cy," he began, but didn't say anything further. He shook his head softly before glancing towards Miranda. His gaze wasn't as intense as it usually was with people he'd just met, and it seemed more relaxed. "It is... nice to finally meet you, Miranda," he spoke, almost as if he were unsure if that was how he should word it. Cyrilla looked like she wanted to laugh, but was doing her best not to.
Fortunately, Aunt Miranda was very good at handling just about any social situation, and so she simply smiled. “And you, Eryk. But there’s no use standing around here talking when we could be stuffing our faces and talking instead. So off to the dining room with you—Ana and I will bring in the food.” She made shooing motions with her hands; her tone of voice was a familiar one to Ana: it brooked no argument.
Once they were away getting settled, Miranda turned to Ana and smiled. It was a little bit sly, and she didn’t even have to say anything—Ana knew exactly what she meant. Clearing her throat, Ana turned away and started to gather up the dishes. It took them several trips to get everything; Kas graciously volunteered to carve the turkey while they brought in the sides. By the time it was all in there, the entire center of the table was laden with food and drink options.
“Feel free to serve yourselves as much of everything as you want,”Ana said, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “There’s plenty.”
“You’re a good woman, Ana,” Kas replied, eyeing the food like a starving houndoom. “We haven’t eaten all day—the boat ride back was a pain.”
"You say that like it was a bad thing," Eryk replied to Kas, before grabbing himself a plate. "Thank you, though, Ana and Miranda," he continued. He glanced momentarily at Ana and offered her one of those soft smiles. The ones that weren't entirely noticeable, but there regardless. He filled his plate with as much food as it could hold before settling himself down.
"This looks so good," Cyrilla spoke this time, grabbing herself a plate as well. She didn't fill it quite as much as Kas or Eryk did, but it was a little more than she usually would have. Maybe Kas wasn't entirely wrong? "I'm sorry I didn't make it back in time to help, though," she added, once she was sitted as well. She frowned slightly, but it didn't take long before it was replaced with a smile.
Aunt Miranda did what Ana would have done, and waved off the concern with none of her own. “No need to worry yourself, dear: Ana and I like doing this. Don’t we?”
She nodded. “I’m sure we would have had fun if you were here, too, but you don’t need to worry. It wasn’t too much work or anything like that.” The two of them filled their plates last, and everyone settled into eating.
Ana let the silence linger for several minutes—if they really hadn’t eaten much, then they’d probably appreciate the chance to at least partway sate their hunger before there were any distractions. Ana shook her head to Aunt Miranda’s offer of wine; she was still getting over her last cold and didn’t want to imbibe in that state. It wouldn’t be pleasant if she accidentally had one too many in such a condition.
“So,” Miranda said at last, setting her glass down on the table. “Why don’t you tell me a little bit about yourselves? Ana’s only really mentioned that you volunteer here at the shelter quite regularly—and that all of you train pokémon.”
The reason for that was that Ana didn’t know how broadly they wanted people to know what they did for a living, so she’d avoided the subject in order to let them decide how much they wanted to say.
“We’re with the Cinnabar branch of Team Rocket,” Kas said with a shrug, raising his own wineglass to his mouth and taking a few swallows before he set it back down. “I work mainly in information technology—with computers and such. I do train pokémon, though.” He smiled. “Maybe not as rigorously as I should.”
Cyrilla was drinking lemonade, and allowed it to settle before she spoke. "I mainly help Eryk keep everyone in line and make sure things are done on a timely manner. We're with the Cinnabar Team Rocket, but we're also in charge of this particular branch," she stated, glancing down at her plate now. She seemed a little nervous about saying that, but it wasn't a bad thing, it seemed. "I... don't necessarily train my pokémon as other trainers do. I just like raising them," she continued, her smile softening for a second.
"I suppose... I look over these two and everyone else. I write the reports and give them the information they need," Eryk chimed in. It looked like he'd chosen the lemonade as well in favor of the wine. Either they didn't like drinking it, or they didn't want it for some other reason. "I train with my pokémon, sometimes with other pokémon," he continued. "Mankey is proving to be a rather unusual sparring partner as of late, though," he added in a nonchalant fashion.
Ana huffed softly at the mention of that. “I’ll bet,” she said, not having difficulty at all imagining the scenario. It was probably good, really—to have a way to help Mankey let out his excess energy like that.
“And how about you, Miranda?” Kas asked, tilting his head curiously. “Are you a pokémon nurse, or…?”
“I was,” she agreed. “I’m training a second cousin of mine to take over the Lavender Town Center, and then I expect I’ll be retiring. It’s about time.” She smiled almost to herself, but hid it in her wineglass.
“Oh?” Kas said. “Any plans for after that?”
“I’m not sure,” Miranda admitted. “I’ve been thinking about moving out here, actually, to be closer to my Ana, but she doesn’t want me to.” She sent a sidelong glance at Anastasia, who sighed softly.
“It’s not that I don’t want you to live nearby,” she protested quietly. “It’s just that I know you want to travel, and I think you should be able to do that for as long as you like.” Because if her aunt moved here, she’d try and assume the same role she’d had for so many years—looking after Ana. And with the timing… she’d probably be stuck here through the end, taking care of someone who got closer and closer to death’s door, but on no certain timetable.
She didn’t want that for her aunt. But of course it didn’t make pleasant dinnertime conversation, so she didn’t say it. Instead, she changed the topic.
“How did the trip to Pewter go? You finished whatever you were supposed to do?” She assumed they had, but she supposed she wouldn’t know for sure unless they told her.
Eryk seemed to remember something when she said that. He reached into one of his pockets, and withdrew something from it, handing it to Ana in the process. "Here," he stated, handing her the picture of the fossilized amber she had wanted. Cyrilla snickered softly.
"I think what he means to say is, yes. We finished what we were supposed to and were able to make it back here in time. It went... surprisingly well," she spoke, shaking her head lightly when Eryk rolled his eyes at her. "We were even able to make a quick stop to the Museum. Eryk said it was... important," she stated, giving Eryk a sly smile. It wasn't too noticeable on Cyrilla, but it was there in the small shine of her eyes. Eryk didn't seem concerned by it, instead, focusing on his plate with a casual sip of his drink.
"It was," he finally replied, glancing towards Cyrilla, and then towards Ana. He settled his gaze back onto his food, though, and continued eating.
Anastasia took the photo and smiled. The amber had a deep color to it, but from the way the museum had arranged the light, she could clearly see the fossil inside. Her eyes narrowed with the force of her smile. “Thank you,” she said softly. “I’ll put it in my photo album.” She had a big one, a collection of all kinds of things.
“An album, huh?” Kas said, putting his fork down on his empty plate. “Can we see?”
Ana blinked. “Um… you want to?”
"Yes, let's see your photo album! That is, of course, if you want to show it to us. You don't have to, sometimes photo albums are private to people," Cyrilla stated, glancing sideways towards Eryk who seemed a little interested. He merely raised a brow, though, and finished the last slice of meat before glancing at Ana.
"It would be nice to see your life," he spoke, staring at her for just a second too long to be considered polite.
Ana felt a little tiny fission down her spine, but she ignored the feeling, smiling mildly instead. Beside her, her aunt chuckled. Doubtless she found all of this very amusing. But that was all right—maybe it was.
“I’ll clear the plates,” she said, waving her hand when Ana started to gather them up. “You go show your friends your pictures.”
She wasn’t quite sure she should leave all that work to Aunt Miranda; but on the other hand, protesting would get her nowhere. Her aunt had a very firm demeanor, and it was better not to cross her. “Okay; it’s in the living room. It’s really not that interesting,” she said, feeling herself turn a little pink. “Mostly just places I’ve been.” And there weren’t, honestly, that many.
But she led all of them into the living room, retrieving the album from the bottom shelf on one of her floor-to-ceiling bookcases. Sitting at the center of the couch, she patted the places next to her. Kas shook his head and leaned against the back of the couch to see, leaving the spots open for the others.
Eryk sat to her right, sparing a glance towards Kas as Cyrilla sat on her left. They both leaned over slightly, though Eryk didn't lean as close as Cyrilla did. He sat a little closer towards the arm of the couch, though, so as to give Ana some breathing room. Cyrilla didn't seem to share the same inclination, and sat closer to where her thigh was brushing against Ana's. She seemed excited to see the album, though, since there was a big smile on her face.
"So, tell us about your pictures, Ana. Where was this one taken?" Cyrilla asked, glancing towards Ana before her eyes shifted towards Eryk. They narrowed slightly as if giving him a silent warning, however; he didn't seem too bothered by it.
Ana had no idea what that was all about, but she decided to let it go. “Um, well… these ones here are of the house I lived in, back when I still lived with my parents. This front part of the album isn’t pictures I’ve taken—just ones from back then.” The house itself was nice, but not excessively large or anything; it looked, she thought, like any suburban home in Celadon, which was where they’d been at the time. There were a few others of her neighborhood and school.
She turned the page, huffing softly. “I guess this one must be my first day of elementary school.” Her parents had been reluctant to send her, but Aunt Miranda—looking out for her even then—had insisted that she have the chance for as long as possible. She was wearing the uniform—a white short-sleeved shirt with buttons down the front, a green silk neckerchief in the sailor style, and a plaid green-and-black skirt that hit her knees, complete with little knee socks and polished shoes. She had her hands clasped around the straps of the backpack on her back, and the brightest, biggest smile plastered over her face.
There was another one of her with her parents, when they’d dropped her off that day. Her mother, red-haired and—Ana had always thought—incredibly beautiful, had crouched halfway down next to her, and her father, a sharp-featured man with black hair and rimless glasses, stood with one hand on her mother’s shoulder and another on Ana’s head. “Those are my parents, of course. My mom’s name is Andrea, and my dad’s is Silas. He's the one from the Joy side of the family, believe it or not.”
"Aww, Ana, you're so cute," Cyrilla spoke, glancing at the picture of Ana's first day of elementary. "And your parents are... lovely," she hesitated saying that, but she smiled regardless. She continued looking at the pictures, and Eryk was, surprisingly, intensely focused on them all. He hadn't moved his eyes from the photo album as Ana flipped through the pictures. His hand had twitched a few times, but they remained where they were. He seemed to be lost in his own thoughts, though, before he glanced towards Ana.
"Your pictures, they are all nice," he finally stated, his expression softening for a minute. He didn't smile, but it looked like he wanted to.
“You look a lot like your mom,” Kas added from over her shoulder. “But you got your dad’s eye color, from the look of it.”
Ana shook her head. “Lots of people say that; I’m not sure. Maybe it’s just because I haven’t seen her in a while.” She lifted her shoulders—she didn’t really think she looked any more like her mom than any of her other relatives. But maybe it was because she was used to hearing how much like the women on her dad's side she looked.
“But thank you,” she said, smiling at the others. They’d moved on to images she’d taken herself, now; those were mostly monuments, landscapes, or locations. She wasn’t a professional by any means—but to her the memory was more important than the picture itself. There were a few of Edgar, and Auntie Miranda, and some of all three of them. After those, a couple of Aithne and her other pokémon, and a few more of herself and Miranda.
Ana had never liked taking too many pictures of herself; if anything, she was a tad camera-shy. But there was one she liked: she was sitting on the deck of a passenger boat, sunglasses perched on her head and Aithne in her arms. The travel bag next to her indicated a longer journey. “This one’s from just before I landed here in Cinnabar. I’d already decided to put the shelter here, but I hadn’t actually seen the building yet.”
The last couple contained photos of the island, mostly, and she carefully lifted the photo of the amber to one of the little sleeves, tucking it in with the tip of her finger. “There. Now I have something from Pewter, too.”
“How about adding one of you and your friends?” Aunt Miranda, apparently finished with the dishes, appeared in the living room.
That… was actually a really nice idea; Ana would love to have one. She glanced at the three of them. “Would that… would that be okay with the three of you?”
“Sure.” Kas assented immediately—he, it seemed, had no reservations about it at all.
"Oh I'd love to!" Cyrilla spoke, already standing from her seat apparently excited about the thought. She laughed a little nervously as Eryk shook his head, rolling his eyes softly at her. "I mean, yes, I'd like to take a picture with you guys," she spoke, a small grin on her face.
"If that is what you want, then I have no objections to it," Eryk spoke, turning towards Miranda, Kas, Cy, and then finally back onto Ana. He shrugged his shoulders softly in a nonchalant fashion. "I think... it would be nice," he added, taking his gaze off Ana just slightly as he scratched the tip of his nose.
Ana couldn’t quite contain her enthusiasm—she bounced a few times on her toes, smiling brightly. “Okay, um… where to take it?” It was still raining outside, which narrowed their options considerably. She dug in one of the small boxes on the bottom of the bookshelf and produced her camera. “Maybe you could all line up in front of the window?”
“What do you mean, ‘you’?” her aunt asked, raising a brow and swiftly snatching the camera from Ana’s hands. “You’re going to be in the picture too, silly girl.”
Ana frowned. She knew it was almost a pout, and that she probably looked ridiculous, but it was hard to avoid. “But you all have to be in it. So there’s everyone I…” She pursed her lips. Everyone she loved.
“We can take two then,” Kas suggested. “One with you, and one with Miranda and us. How about that?”
She nodded. That would work well enough. It took them a while to get organized, but eventually, she and Cy were standing in front of Kas and Eryk. Ana wrapped an arm casually around Cy’s shoulders, leaning slightly into her. At her aunt’s prompting, she smiled; the flash went off, half-blinding her for a moment.
“Perfect,” Miranda assured them. “Now all you have to do is develop it.”
The kitchen was filled with the smell of cooking food; the potatoes had just been taken off the stove, nearly ready to mash. The turkey was in the oven still, but from the smell was almost done. Half a dozen different types of dessert were already cooling over most of the free counterspace—whatever wasn’t taken up by roasted vegetables, stuffing, or other side dishes. It was a near-industrial quantity of food—more than they’d be able to eat by themselves in a week, probably.
But Ana held out hope that they wouldn’t be eating it alone, so they’d made enough for five—two of whom were very tall men who ate quite a lot.
“You look a little down, dear—is everything all right?” her aunt scooped the apples into the pie crust, arranging them to lay flat, then poured in caramel over the top. No doubt Kenshin would be delighted, if he could make it. After a moment of silence, she continued. “Are you worried about your friends? You said they were out of town for work, right?”
“Mm,” Ana agreed with a nod. “I’m not worried exactly—I’m sure they’re fine. I just… hope they can make it to eat with us, you know?”
Her Aunt—who was a Joy like the rest, but generally preferred to go by her middle name, Miranda—smiled sympathetically. She was nearing sixty-five now, but her face was youthful for someone of that age, lined with creases that only served to make her look gentler. Though her hair had liberal streaks of grey in it, the base color was still the same pinkish-red of most of Ana’s relatives. “You must really love them, to fret so. It’s not like you to trouble yourself about things you can’t control.”
That was kind of true. Ana pursed her lips, staring too hard at the butter and cream mix she was whipping to add to the potatoes. She was a worrier, but not about small things, and not usually about anything beyond her reach. She’d had to become that way. “I do,” she conceded softly. “I love them very much. I know you will, too, if you get to meet them.”
Adding the mix to the mashed potatoes, she folded it in carefully, giving them a creamier consistency, then salted the pot of them.
“Well, then it’s no matter. If they make it tonight, that’s good. But if not, you’ll enjoy it just as much tomorrow or the day after, right?”
Ana smiled thinly, hesitating before she spoke. “I will, but… I think I’d enjoy it the most if I got all of the above.”
“What this?” Aunt Miranda said, a light note of teasing entering her voice. “Do I detect the faint hint of selfishness?”
Ana felt her face grow warmer. She’d parted her lips to defend herself, but her aunt waved away the attempt with a hand gesture. “I’m only giving you a hard time, dear. It’s good to want things for your own sake. You can’t live only for others all the time. It’s not good for a person, no matter how kind or gracious they are.”
“Then… yes,” Ana admitted. “I… I just really like them, and I want… I want to be around him as much as I can until I…” She swallowed.
For a reason Ana didn’t understand, her aunt’s eyes gained a spark of mischief. She smiled a little too brightly. “Ah, I see. A young gentleman, is it?”
Realization dawned on Ana; her face must have gone from pink to deep, splotchy red. “Them!” she amended hastily. “I meant them, I really did! All of them are wonderful friends!” She meant them all—she did.
“If you say so, dear.”
It wasn't soon after that a slight knock was heard on the door. Something like shuffling could be heard behind the door, and it sounded like someone was telling another person to 'shush'. "Ana! Ana are you home!?" it was Cyrilla. Someone, it sounded like Eryk, huffed.
"Really Cy? The windows are open, and you can smell the food outside. Of course she's home. Give her a minute to answer the door. She could be busy," Eryk spoke. Cyrilla apologized, and it sounded like she was chuckling to herself.
"I mean, we do have keys, too," Cyrilla started again.
"And you said I'm rude."
“They’re here!” A smile bloomed across Ana’s face; she turned to her aunt, who simply chuckled and made shooing motions. Taking the hint, she ran to the door, pulling it open to find all three of her best friends standing on her doorstep.
Kas waved at her from behind the other two, a broad grin on his face. “Hey Ana. Did we make it on time?”
She nodded, feeling a deep warmth welling up in her chest. They were really here, and they were going to spend the holiday with her, and meet her aunt. She was… she wasn’t sure she’d ever been this happy all at once before. “You did,” she replied brightly, stepping aside so they could come in out of the rain. “The food’s just being finished; I figured we’d actually use the dining room for once.”
It didn’t usually see much use, but it was there, separated from the kitchen by a door. Gesturing for them to follow once they’d taken off their shoes and the like, she led them into the latter, where her aunt was just removing the turkey from the oven.
“Everyone, this is my aunt Joy. She prefers Miranda, though. Auntie, this is everyone. Er, well, it’s Kasimir and Cyrilla and Eryk.”
Miranda set the turkey down on the stovetop to cool, pulling the mitts from her hands and crossing the room to offer her hand for each of them to shake. “It’s a pleasure to meet you in person,” she said warmly, moving down the line starting with Kas. “It’s nice to put faces to the names I’ve been hearing all afternoon.”
“Well, I hope our faces don’t disappoint, ma’am,” Kas said with a grin.
She laughed. “Not in the slightest. And please, Miranda is fine. You must be Kas.” Ana supposed it was an easy guess, from the way she’d described them.
“My reputation precedes me. Good things, I hope?”
Her aunt’s eyes crinkled deeply at the corners; the lines on her face were almost all those created by a lifetime of good humor. “Of course. Ana can’t say a bad word about any of you.” She released his hand and turned to Cy. “And you must be Cyrilla. My Ana calls you her best friend, you know.”
“Auntie,” Ana protested. Her face was warm again; she resisted the urge to bury it in her hands. “They're all my best friends."
“Yes, dear, but female friends are special, aren't they?"
Ana supposed she couldn't argue with that.
"Aw," Cyrilla began, making her way to stand next to Ana. She wrapped her arms around her, and gave Ana a light hug. "She's my best friend, too," she replied, giving one last squeeze before releasing Ana. "Oh, yes I'm Cyrilla," she stated, turning a light shade of pink in the process. Eryk rolled his eyes softly and shook his head. "I wasn't sure we'd make it back in time, but I'm glad we did," she spoke, turning towards Ana. She smiled, though, and turned back towards Miranda.
"And this grumpy person here, is Eryk, though I'm sure you knew that," she said, glancing towards Eryk who furrowed his brows at her.
"Cy," he began, but didn't say anything further. He shook his head softly before glancing towards Miranda. His gaze wasn't as intense as it usually was with people he'd just met, and it seemed more relaxed. "It is... nice to finally meet you, Miranda," he spoke, almost as if he were unsure if that was how he should word it. Cyrilla looked like she wanted to laugh, but was doing her best not to.
Fortunately, Aunt Miranda was very good at handling just about any social situation, and so she simply smiled. “And you, Eryk. But there’s no use standing around here talking when we could be stuffing our faces and talking instead. So off to the dining room with you—Ana and I will bring in the food.” She made shooing motions with her hands; her tone of voice was a familiar one to Ana: it brooked no argument.
Once they were away getting settled, Miranda turned to Ana and smiled. It was a little bit sly, and she didn’t even have to say anything—Ana knew exactly what she meant. Clearing her throat, Ana turned away and started to gather up the dishes. It took them several trips to get everything; Kas graciously volunteered to carve the turkey while they brought in the sides. By the time it was all in there, the entire center of the table was laden with food and drink options.
“Feel free to serve yourselves as much of everything as you want,”Ana said, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “There’s plenty.”
“You’re a good woman, Ana,” Kas replied, eyeing the food like a starving houndoom. “We haven’t eaten all day—the boat ride back was a pain.”
"You say that like it was a bad thing," Eryk replied to Kas, before grabbing himself a plate. "Thank you, though, Ana and Miranda," he continued. He glanced momentarily at Ana and offered her one of those soft smiles. The ones that weren't entirely noticeable, but there regardless. He filled his plate with as much food as it could hold before settling himself down.
"This looks so good," Cyrilla spoke this time, grabbing herself a plate as well. She didn't fill it quite as much as Kas or Eryk did, but it was a little more than she usually would have. Maybe Kas wasn't entirely wrong? "I'm sorry I didn't make it back in time to help, though," she added, once she was sitted as well. She frowned slightly, but it didn't take long before it was replaced with a smile.
Aunt Miranda did what Ana would have done, and waved off the concern with none of her own. “No need to worry yourself, dear: Ana and I like doing this. Don’t we?”
She nodded. “I’m sure we would have had fun if you were here, too, but you don’t need to worry. It wasn’t too much work or anything like that.” The two of them filled their plates last, and everyone settled into eating.
Ana let the silence linger for several minutes—if they really hadn’t eaten much, then they’d probably appreciate the chance to at least partway sate their hunger before there were any distractions. Ana shook her head to Aunt Miranda’s offer of wine; she was still getting over her last cold and didn’t want to imbibe in that state. It wouldn’t be pleasant if she accidentally had one too many in such a condition.
“So,” Miranda said at last, setting her glass down on the table. “Why don’t you tell me a little bit about yourselves? Ana’s only really mentioned that you volunteer here at the shelter quite regularly—and that all of you train pokémon.”
The reason for that was that Ana didn’t know how broadly they wanted people to know what they did for a living, so she’d avoided the subject in order to let them decide how much they wanted to say.
“We’re with the Cinnabar branch of Team Rocket,” Kas said with a shrug, raising his own wineglass to his mouth and taking a few swallows before he set it back down. “I work mainly in information technology—with computers and such. I do train pokémon, though.” He smiled. “Maybe not as rigorously as I should.”
Cyrilla was drinking lemonade, and allowed it to settle before she spoke. "I mainly help Eryk keep everyone in line and make sure things are done on a timely manner. We're with the Cinnabar Team Rocket, but we're also in charge of this particular branch," she stated, glancing down at her plate now. She seemed a little nervous about saying that, but it wasn't a bad thing, it seemed. "I... don't necessarily train my pokémon as other trainers do. I just like raising them," she continued, her smile softening for a second.
"I suppose... I look over these two and everyone else. I write the reports and give them the information they need," Eryk chimed in. It looked like he'd chosen the lemonade as well in favor of the wine. Either they didn't like drinking it, or they didn't want it for some other reason. "I train with my pokémon, sometimes with other pokémon," he continued. "Mankey is proving to be a rather unusual sparring partner as of late, though," he added in a nonchalant fashion.
Ana huffed softly at the mention of that. “I’ll bet,” she said, not having difficulty at all imagining the scenario. It was probably good, really—to have a way to help Mankey let out his excess energy like that.
“And how about you, Miranda?” Kas asked, tilting his head curiously. “Are you a pokémon nurse, or…?”
“I was,” she agreed. “I’m training a second cousin of mine to take over the Lavender Town Center, and then I expect I’ll be retiring. It’s about time.” She smiled almost to herself, but hid it in her wineglass.
“Oh?” Kas said. “Any plans for after that?”
“I’m not sure,” Miranda admitted. “I’ve been thinking about moving out here, actually, to be closer to my Ana, but she doesn’t want me to.” She sent a sidelong glance at Anastasia, who sighed softly.
“It’s not that I don’t want you to live nearby,” she protested quietly. “It’s just that I know you want to travel, and I think you should be able to do that for as long as you like.” Because if her aunt moved here, she’d try and assume the same role she’d had for so many years—looking after Ana. And with the timing… she’d probably be stuck here through the end, taking care of someone who got closer and closer to death’s door, but on no certain timetable.
She didn’t want that for her aunt. But of course it didn’t make pleasant dinnertime conversation, so she didn’t say it. Instead, she changed the topic.
“How did the trip to Pewter go? You finished whatever you were supposed to do?” She assumed they had, but she supposed she wouldn’t know for sure unless they told her.
Eryk seemed to remember something when she said that. He reached into one of his pockets, and withdrew something from it, handing it to Ana in the process. "Here," he stated, handing her the picture of the fossilized amber she had wanted. Cyrilla snickered softly.
"I think what he means to say is, yes. We finished what we were supposed to and were able to make it back here in time. It went... surprisingly well," she spoke, shaking her head lightly when Eryk rolled his eyes at her. "We were even able to make a quick stop to the Museum. Eryk said it was... important," she stated, giving Eryk a sly smile. It wasn't too noticeable on Cyrilla, but it was there in the small shine of her eyes. Eryk didn't seem concerned by it, instead, focusing on his plate with a casual sip of his drink.
"It was," he finally replied, glancing towards Cyrilla, and then towards Ana. He settled his gaze back onto his food, though, and continued eating.
Anastasia took the photo and smiled. The amber had a deep color to it, but from the way the museum had arranged the light, she could clearly see the fossil inside. Her eyes narrowed with the force of her smile. “Thank you,” she said softly. “I’ll put it in my photo album.” She had a big one, a collection of all kinds of things.
“An album, huh?” Kas said, putting his fork down on his empty plate. “Can we see?”
Ana blinked. “Um… you want to?”
"Yes, let's see your photo album! That is, of course, if you want to show it to us. You don't have to, sometimes photo albums are private to people," Cyrilla stated, glancing sideways towards Eryk who seemed a little interested. He merely raised a brow, though, and finished the last slice of meat before glancing at Ana.
"It would be nice to see your life," he spoke, staring at her for just a second too long to be considered polite.
Ana felt a little tiny fission down her spine, but she ignored the feeling, smiling mildly instead. Beside her, her aunt chuckled. Doubtless she found all of this very amusing. But that was all right—maybe it was.
“I’ll clear the plates,” she said, waving her hand when Ana started to gather them up. “You go show your friends your pictures.”
She wasn’t quite sure she should leave all that work to Aunt Miranda; but on the other hand, protesting would get her nowhere. Her aunt had a very firm demeanor, and it was better not to cross her. “Okay; it’s in the living room. It’s really not that interesting,” she said, feeling herself turn a little pink. “Mostly just places I’ve been.” And there weren’t, honestly, that many.
But she led all of them into the living room, retrieving the album from the bottom shelf on one of her floor-to-ceiling bookcases. Sitting at the center of the couch, she patted the places next to her. Kas shook his head and leaned against the back of the couch to see, leaving the spots open for the others.
Eryk sat to her right, sparing a glance towards Kas as Cyrilla sat on her left. They both leaned over slightly, though Eryk didn't lean as close as Cyrilla did. He sat a little closer towards the arm of the couch, though, so as to give Ana some breathing room. Cyrilla didn't seem to share the same inclination, and sat closer to where her thigh was brushing against Ana's. She seemed excited to see the album, though, since there was a big smile on her face.
"So, tell us about your pictures, Ana. Where was this one taken?" Cyrilla asked, glancing towards Ana before her eyes shifted towards Eryk. They narrowed slightly as if giving him a silent warning, however; he didn't seem too bothered by it.
Ana had no idea what that was all about, but she decided to let it go. “Um, well… these ones here are of the house I lived in, back when I still lived with my parents. This front part of the album isn’t pictures I’ve taken—just ones from back then.” The house itself was nice, but not excessively large or anything; it looked, she thought, like any suburban home in Celadon, which was where they’d been at the time. There were a few others of her neighborhood and school.
She turned the page, huffing softly. “I guess this one must be my first day of elementary school.” Her parents had been reluctant to send her, but Aunt Miranda—looking out for her even then—had insisted that she have the chance for as long as possible. She was wearing the uniform—a white short-sleeved shirt with buttons down the front, a green silk neckerchief in the sailor style, and a plaid green-and-black skirt that hit her knees, complete with little knee socks and polished shoes. She had her hands clasped around the straps of the backpack on her back, and the brightest, biggest smile plastered over her face.
There was another one of her with her parents, when they’d dropped her off that day. Her mother, red-haired and—Ana had always thought—incredibly beautiful, had crouched halfway down next to her, and her father, a sharp-featured man with black hair and rimless glasses, stood with one hand on her mother’s shoulder and another on Ana’s head. “Those are my parents, of course. My mom’s name is Andrea, and my dad’s is Silas. He's the one from the Joy side of the family, believe it or not.”
"Aww, Ana, you're so cute," Cyrilla spoke, glancing at the picture of Ana's first day of elementary. "And your parents are... lovely," she hesitated saying that, but she smiled regardless. She continued looking at the pictures, and Eryk was, surprisingly, intensely focused on them all. He hadn't moved his eyes from the photo album as Ana flipped through the pictures. His hand had twitched a few times, but they remained where they were. He seemed to be lost in his own thoughts, though, before he glanced towards Ana.
"Your pictures, they are all nice," he finally stated, his expression softening for a minute. He didn't smile, but it looked like he wanted to.
“You look a lot like your mom,” Kas added from over her shoulder. “But you got your dad’s eye color, from the look of it.”
Ana shook her head. “Lots of people say that; I’m not sure. Maybe it’s just because I haven’t seen her in a while.” She lifted her shoulders—she didn’t really think she looked any more like her mom than any of her other relatives. But maybe it was because she was used to hearing how much like the women on her dad's side she looked.
“But thank you,” she said, smiling at the others. They’d moved on to images she’d taken herself, now; those were mostly monuments, landscapes, or locations. She wasn’t a professional by any means—but to her the memory was more important than the picture itself. There were a few of Edgar, and Auntie Miranda, and some of all three of them. After those, a couple of Aithne and her other pokémon, and a few more of herself and Miranda.
Ana had never liked taking too many pictures of herself; if anything, she was a tad camera-shy. But there was one she liked: she was sitting on the deck of a passenger boat, sunglasses perched on her head and Aithne in her arms. The travel bag next to her indicated a longer journey. “This one’s from just before I landed here in Cinnabar. I’d already decided to put the shelter here, but I hadn’t actually seen the building yet.”
The last couple contained photos of the island, mostly, and she carefully lifted the photo of the amber to one of the little sleeves, tucking it in with the tip of her finger. “There. Now I have something from Pewter, too.”
“How about adding one of you and your friends?” Aunt Miranda, apparently finished with the dishes, appeared in the living room.
That… was actually a really nice idea; Ana would love to have one. She glanced at the three of them. “Would that… would that be okay with the three of you?”
“Sure.” Kas assented immediately—he, it seemed, had no reservations about it at all.
"Oh I'd love to!" Cyrilla spoke, already standing from her seat apparently excited about the thought. She laughed a little nervously as Eryk shook his head, rolling his eyes softly at her. "I mean, yes, I'd like to take a picture with you guys," she spoke, a small grin on her face.
"If that is what you want, then I have no objections to it," Eryk spoke, turning towards Miranda, Kas, Cy, and then finally back onto Ana. He shrugged his shoulders softly in a nonchalant fashion. "I think... it would be nice," he added, taking his gaze off Ana just slightly as he scratched the tip of his nose.
Ana couldn’t quite contain her enthusiasm—she bounced a few times on her toes, smiling brightly. “Okay, um… where to take it?” It was still raining outside, which narrowed their options considerably. She dug in one of the small boxes on the bottom of the bookshelf and produced her camera. “Maybe you could all line up in front of the window?”
“What do you mean, ‘you’?” her aunt asked, raising a brow and swiftly snatching the camera from Ana’s hands. “You’re going to be in the picture too, silly girl.”
Ana frowned. She knew it was almost a pout, and that she probably looked ridiculous, but it was hard to avoid. “But you all have to be in it. So there’s everyone I…” She pursed her lips. Everyone she loved.
“We can take two then,” Kas suggested. “One with you, and one with Miranda and us. How about that?”
She nodded. That would work well enough. It took them a while to get organized, but eventually, she and Cy were standing in front of Kas and Eryk. Ana wrapped an arm casually around Cy’s shoulders, leaning slightly into her. At her aunt’s prompting, she smiled; the flash went off, half-blinding her for a moment.
“Perfect,” Miranda assured them. “Now all you have to do is develop it.”
Eryk stared at the picture in front of him. Cy had given him that look when they had been going through Ana's picture book, but he didn't seem to mind. It wasn't like he wasn't going to return it. He just wanted something of hers, for some odd reason. This particular picture, though, seemed to stick out to him the most. He was sure Ana would notice it missing if she looked through her book, and he didn't want to upset her too much. He'd return it when he wanted to. He blinked slowly, tilting his head just slightly. That was a strange thought in of itself. He'd never felt that selfish before. Shaking the thought from his head, he slipped the picture back into his desk where it would be safe.
There were footstep outside his door, but no one walked through the door. He supposed there wasn't anything too important going on today. Maybe he should use this time to practice? The preliminary matches for the challenge would be coming up eventually, and he hasn't really practiced battling with anyone since the battle with the Birds. He could ask Cy, but she wouldn't do it. He knew she would, but with Kenshin unable to battle anymore, she was bereft of her strongest pokémon. Her other pokémon were strong too, but Kenshin had been with her since the very beginning. Most of the ones she had now were only a few years old. Maybe he should ask Kas?
He pursed his lips at that, glancing towards Mankey who lay on his couch, sleeping rather peacefully for once. He could go challenge Drake, but why would he want to do that? He didn't like the man too much, though he was slightly more tolerable now. The Grunts were basically out of the question in general. They were too inexperienced. Eryk sighed heavily through his nose, standing from his spot before walking over towards Mankey. He scooped the pokémon up without much protest, and carried him down the hall. He supposed Kas would be his only option at the moment.
"Where'd that dumbass go," he stated to himself, knocking on Kas's door and receiving no answer. He sighed, making his way towards Cy's office. He wasn't there either, apparently. Well. Shit. If he couldn't find Kas, then he'd basically have to scratch that plan.
“Sir?” the voice behind him belonged to Hayley, who worked now as an assistant to all three of them. It was a job that suited her; she was extremely good at knowing what was required in most situations and doing it. “If you’re looking for Kasimir, he left about half an hour ago. He said he was heading down to the pier—you could probably find him there if you needed to.”
Well, that explained his absence from the base. "Thank you, Hayley," he stated, nodding his appreciation as he left. He contemplated for a moment if he really wanted to go down to the pier. It meant he'd have to pass by a few people he didn't necessarily like, and that also meant passing Drake's gym. He could stomach it, he supposed. Mankey still in his arms, he shifted the pokémon so that he was easier to carry, and it would provide a bit more comfort for Mankey. He made his departure from the mansion, saying his goodbyes to a few of the grunts. They had looked at him oddly, but they seemed to shrug it off. They were probably getting used to him even talking to them, let alone saying goodbye to them.
A recent habit, he supposed. It didn't take him too long to reach the pier, and scanned the area. Mankey shifted just slightly, but seemed to be asleep still. He was snoring lightly. "Kas?" he called out. It would be easier to find him this way at least.
There were several pokémon clustered together a little further down the beach; at Eryk’s call, Kas himself seemed to appear from the middle of them, waving an arm in greeting. Upon closer inspection, they were all of his pokémon, and they looked to be in the middle of some kind of training exercises. That alone was unusual—Eryk had never actually seen Kas training his pokémon before. Maybe fewer of his workday disappearances were naps than he’d thought? Or maybe this was a recent development, in light of the upcoming tournament.
Once they were within proper hearing distance, Kas grinned. “Hey there, Ryk. Whatcha doing all the way out here?” His eyes fell to Mankey, and he snorted softly. “Don’t tell me he ran away again.”
Eryk blinked a little stupidly at Kas before glancing down in his arms. "He was sleeping on my couch," he finally replied. He supposed he'd gotten used to Mankey hanging on his shoulders or his back, but this was the first time he actually carried Mankey. Huh. "I figured it would be better to carry him rather than to wake him up. If he woke up, he actually might have ran away," he shrugged his shoulders softly enough so that he didn't disturb Mankey.
"I was looking for you, actually," he stated, glancing back at Kas. "I could use a few practice battles for the upcoming tournament," he stated, shifting slightly so that his arms weren't falling asleep. Mankey wasn't as heavy as he looked, but Eryk wasn't exactly used to carrying things for so long. This was still a rather new development in his life, too. "I was thinking that you could help me out with that," because he didn't know who else to ask.
Kasimir actually looked a little surprised by that, blinking a couple of times before he remembered he was supposed to be smiling, or something. But it returned right after, and he nodded. “Can do,” he replied immediately. “I kinda figured you preferred to train alone; but I could use a few matches too, so let’s do it.”
He whistled sharply; immediately, his pokémon stopped what they were doing and gathered around him. His charizard rested her chin on his head, smoke curling from her nose; the rest of them milled around more or less in an orderly fashion. “Is there something in particular you want to work on? Meep’s good for helping build electricity resistance, for instance. She’s got nice voltage control, don’t you, girl?”
Meep bleated something that sounded affirmative, the little orb on the end of her tail flashing a few times.
“We could also just duke it out league-style, if that’s what you wanted.”
There were only two of his pokémon who could use the help building a resistance to electricity: Milotic and Blue. Milotic already had a decent resistance to electricity, having trained mostly with Gengar who would occasionally try to shock her. She was more mild in her personality, and Gengar always tried getting her mad. He never understood why, though. Blue was partly a dragon-type, but electric attacks would still do some damage to him. He supposed the better route to take would be league-style. That way, they could get a little of both resistance training and actual battle progress.
"League-style sounds better," he answered, releasing one hand so that he could grab the remaining five balls at his belt. He plucked them and gave them all a toss, watching as the pokémon appeared. It would be easier this way, and they could all spectate the events.
“Mmkay,” Kas said. He looked more than a little ridiculous, with Princess Cinders’s head resting on his like a bizarre sort of hat. “I’ve been aiming to catch the little guys up with the rest, so they’re the ones I’ll be using, if that’s okay.” Considering the fact that the little guys had been two of three pretty close matches with Aidan, it was hardly going easy.
“Who do you wanna put up first?”
Well, when he put it that way, he supposed he should do the same. Meowth wasn't an inexperienced battler, but he hardly used her for much. He's never used Mankey, so he didn't know how well he battled. Perhaps now would be a good time to test him out? Battles were different than sparring matches. Those were the only two little guys Eryk had. He pursed his lips slightly. He could use Milotic. She'd be more gentle than either Zoroark or Gengar, however; Blue wasn't exactly a good match either because he'd go too easy on the others.
"Mankey," he answered Kas's question. As soon as his name was said, though, it seemed that Mankey woke up, extremely excited about something. Maybe he wasn't asleep after all? Damn it. "I need to see how Mankey battles, and then I'll be using her," he stated, pointing towards his meowth. She mewled at him, and seemed to just smile. Mankey, however, was already hopping around Eryk in a similar manner as Meep usually did around Kas. He rolled his eyes.
Kas chuckled. “All right. Then Jaws is up first for me. I think they have a similar level of energy, so they should wear each other out and give us a break, huh?”
They lined up on opposite sides of the stretch of beach; their other pokémon ranged out to spectate. Jaws seemed excited at the prospect of a battle—he hopped around in the sand, scraping furrows in it with his claws and snapping his teeth in a way that seemed more automatic than anything.
“You ready?” Kas called over. “First move’s yours when you wanna go.”
Eryk nodded his head and then glanced towards Mankey. "Are you ready?" he asked, watching as Mankey mirrored Jaws. He seemed to be just as excited. He made a huffing sound as if to say yes, and Eryk glanced at Kas. "Alright, Mankey, use Karate Chop," because it was the first known move he knew of Mankey's.
Upon seeing Mankey charging towards him, Jaws jumped up and down a couple of times; but he didn’t move without an order from his trainer. “All right buddy, let’s try a Shadow Claw.” Dark purplish energy gathered around the gible’s little claws, and he rushed forward to meet Mankey mid-charge.
Their attacks met, acting like a sort of block for both pokémon. Mankey skidded back a little, apparently glaring at Jaws. Eryk couldn't tell but he could see that Mankey was a little upset at being blocked. He huffed slightly, hitting his hands into the dirt as Eryk tried not to roll his eyes. He supposed Mankey's temper wasn't too far from his own. "Mankey, calm down and use Aerial Ace followed up by Poison Jab," he spoke, watching as Mankey's own fist glowed slightly with a purple tint. He jumped and attacked Jaws, moving a little faster, now.
“Dragon Breath!” Taking in a deep lungful of air, Jaws exhaled it at Mankey in the air, adjusting the stream to compensate for the arc of motion he took with his Aerial Ace. “Now Double Team.”
Jaws split into several copies of himself—since the breath attack had ended, it was impossible to tell which was which. They all bobbed around in equally-silly-looking circles, which if anything just made telling them apart even more difficult. Poison Jab was a single-target attack: Makey had to pick one.
Sometimes, Eryk hated that attack. Multiple targets, and only one to choose. If he chose wrong, Mankey could get hurt, but if he chose right, Mankey would have landed a successful attack. He took a deep breath, watching as the copies of Jaws moved around. He glanced from one to the other before making his decision. "Attack the one behind you," he spoke, watching as Mankey turned around, aiming for Jaws.
“Nice guess,” Kas said, a teasing lilt in his voice even as the attack connected. Jaws didn’t seem overly-bothered by it—the attack had connected, but it evidently hadn’t actually poisoned him in any lasting fashion. “Let’s go, buddy—Dragon Breath again.”
This time, Mankey was still so close that Jaws more or less belched the breath attack in his face—making it much more difficult to avoid.
"Shit," Eryk muttered slightly as the attack landed. Mankey was pushed back, but he had managed to at least save his face by using his arms to block some of the attack. It still seemed to hurt, though, as Mankey grimaced. "Use Aerial Ace and follow it up with Earthquake, Mankey," he stated. Mankey nodded his head and charged, using the speed from the first attack to jump high. He came back down, hard, and his fist connected to the ground, sending fissures towards Jaws. At least the ground didn't crack.
“You too, Jaws!” The gible jumped into the air; when he landed, the energy from his earthquake met with Mankey’s, causing the sand under them to heave and buckle. Kas’s choice of training spot suddenly made sense—the sand absorbed most of the impact, and they weren’t in danger of breaking anything. The pokémon move wasn’t nearly as strong as a real earthquake, of course, but it could still do some damage in places not designed for it.
Both pokémon were thrown back; Jaws landed wrong and tumbled over several times; he seemed to be struggling to get up. “C’mon, buddy,” Kas said, his tone unusually soft. “You’ve got this.”
Slowly, Jaws became encased in a bluish light; it spread over his whole body, shifting and changing shape. The sound of his claws scraping into the sand was distinct—when the light faded, it was no longer a gible on the field, it was a gabite. With a roar, he surged to his feet.
Kas looked surprised, but that swiftly changed into a broad grin. “Well, how about that? Let’s try this again—Shadow Claw.”
Jaws charged towards Mankey, the dark energy of the attack streaming behind him. He was much faster now, it seemed.
"Ah, shit, Mankey, dodge it!" Eryk spoke, his own tone coming out unusually worried. Mankey was still young he supposed, and now that Jaws was no longer a gible, this battle had shifted in Kas's favor. That wasn't to say that Mankey wouldn't be able to win, but that required a sort of strategy that Eryk didn't quite have. Mankey was hit by the attack, and sent flying towards Eryk. Eryk managed to step in the way quick enough as to catch Mankey, however; the pokémon was knocked unconscious. Catching Mankey, however, didn't come without its setbacks. Eryk was pushed a little further back, too, but he managed to dig his feet in enough to keep him from tumbling backwards. He was, however, forced to his knees.
He glanced towards Mankey, and then towards Kas. "I guess I've lost this one," he spoke, standing up with Mankey in his arms.
“Good experience for Mankey, though,” Kas said, taking his own win very casually. He jogged over to Jaws, laying a hand on the newly-evolved gabite’s head. “For both of them, clearly.” Jaws closed his mouth over Kas’s arm, gnawing playfully, but without any real force.
“Hey!” Kas protested, frowning. “Oh great. You’re still going to be a pest, aren't you?”
"I suppose so. Even though he's evolved, they don't really change much in the personality department," he replied, glancing down at Mankey in his arms. He sighed softly, shaking his head as he pulled Mankey's pokéball from his belt. "You did good, though, Mankey," he stated, recalling the pokémon into his pokéball. "Alright, next battle," Eryk spoke, motioning for Meowth to take the field. It seemed time passed by at an unnoticeable pace because when Eryk looked up, the sun was high in the sky. It was probably past one or two in the afternoon.
"Good battle, dumbass," he spoke, glancing towards Kas as he recalled the rest of his pokémon into their respective balls. "We should set up a practice battle every once in a while before the tournament arrives," that why they could practice different strategies against each other. Plus, it would be a good work out for most of his pokémon and they would get more experience this way. Both of their teams were diverse enough to provide that.
Kas looked slightly sour at being addressed as ‘dumbass’ again, but the farce of that was revealed when he smiled. “Sure. We train most days around this time, so whenever you wanna drop by is fine.”
He nodded his head. Most of his time he spent helping Ana, but he supposed the days he didn't help, he could practice with Kas. "Thursdays, then." He was oddly looking forward to that.
There were footstep outside his door, but no one walked through the door. He supposed there wasn't anything too important going on today. Maybe he should use this time to practice? The preliminary matches for the challenge would be coming up eventually, and he hasn't really practiced battling with anyone since the battle with the Birds. He could ask Cy, but she wouldn't do it. He knew she would, but with Kenshin unable to battle anymore, she was bereft of her strongest pokémon. Her other pokémon were strong too, but Kenshin had been with her since the very beginning. Most of the ones she had now were only a few years old. Maybe he should ask Kas?
He pursed his lips at that, glancing towards Mankey who lay on his couch, sleeping rather peacefully for once. He could go challenge Drake, but why would he want to do that? He didn't like the man too much, though he was slightly more tolerable now. The Grunts were basically out of the question in general. They were too inexperienced. Eryk sighed heavily through his nose, standing from his spot before walking over towards Mankey. He scooped the pokémon up without much protest, and carried him down the hall. He supposed Kas would be his only option at the moment.
"Where'd that dumbass go," he stated to himself, knocking on Kas's door and receiving no answer. He sighed, making his way towards Cy's office. He wasn't there either, apparently. Well. Shit. If he couldn't find Kas, then he'd basically have to scratch that plan.
“Sir?” the voice behind him belonged to Hayley, who worked now as an assistant to all three of them. It was a job that suited her; she was extremely good at knowing what was required in most situations and doing it. “If you’re looking for Kasimir, he left about half an hour ago. He said he was heading down to the pier—you could probably find him there if you needed to.”
Well, that explained his absence from the base. "Thank you, Hayley," he stated, nodding his appreciation as he left. He contemplated for a moment if he really wanted to go down to the pier. It meant he'd have to pass by a few people he didn't necessarily like, and that also meant passing Drake's gym. He could stomach it, he supposed. Mankey still in his arms, he shifted the pokémon so that he was easier to carry, and it would provide a bit more comfort for Mankey. He made his departure from the mansion, saying his goodbyes to a few of the grunts. They had looked at him oddly, but they seemed to shrug it off. They were probably getting used to him even talking to them, let alone saying goodbye to them.
A recent habit, he supposed. It didn't take him too long to reach the pier, and scanned the area. Mankey shifted just slightly, but seemed to be asleep still. He was snoring lightly. "Kas?" he called out. It would be easier to find him this way at least.
There were several pokémon clustered together a little further down the beach; at Eryk’s call, Kas himself seemed to appear from the middle of them, waving an arm in greeting. Upon closer inspection, they were all of his pokémon, and they looked to be in the middle of some kind of training exercises. That alone was unusual—Eryk had never actually seen Kas training his pokémon before. Maybe fewer of his workday disappearances were naps than he’d thought? Or maybe this was a recent development, in light of the upcoming tournament.
Once they were within proper hearing distance, Kas grinned. “Hey there, Ryk. Whatcha doing all the way out here?” His eyes fell to Mankey, and he snorted softly. “Don’t tell me he ran away again.”
Eryk blinked a little stupidly at Kas before glancing down in his arms. "He was sleeping on my couch," he finally replied. He supposed he'd gotten used to Mankey hanging on his shoulders or his back, but this was the first time he actually carried Mankey. Huh. "I figured it would be better to carry him rather than to wake him up. If he woke up, he actually might have ran away," he shrugged his shoulders softly enough so that he didn't disturb Mankey.
"I was looking for you, actually," he stated, glancing back at Kas. "I could use a few practice battles for the upcoming tournament," he stated, shifting slightly so that his arms weren't falling asleep. Mankey wasn't as heavy as he looked, but Eryk wasn't exactly used to carrying things for so long. This was still a rather new development in his life, too. "I was thinking that you could help me out with that," because he didn't know who else to ask.
Kasimir actually looked a little surprised by that, blinking a couple of times before he remembered he was supposed to be smiling, or something. But it returned right after, and he nodded. “Can do,” he replied immediately. “I kinda figured you preferred to train alone; but I could use a few matches too, so let’s do it.”
He whistled sharply; immediately, his pokémon stopped what they were doing and gathered around him. His charizard rested her chin on his head, smoke curling from her nose; the rest of them milled around more or less in an orderly fashion. “Is there something in particular you want to work on? Meep’s good for helping build electricity resistance, for instance. She’s got nice voltage control, don’t you, girl?”
Meep bleated something that sounded affirmative, the little orb on the end of her tail flashing a few times.
“We could also just duke it out league-style, if that’s what you wanted.”
There were only two of his pokémon who could use the help building a resistance to electricity: Milotic and Blue. Milotic already had a decent resistance to electricity, having trained mostly with Gengar who would occasionally try to shock her. She was more mild in her personality, and Gengar always tried getting her mad. He never understood why, though. Blue was partly a dragon-type, but electric attacks would still do some damage to him. He supposed the better route to take would be league-style. That way, they could get a little of both resistance training and actual battle progress.
"League-style sounds better," he answered, releasing one hand so that he could grab the remaining five balls at his belt. He plucked them and gave them all a toss, watching as the pokémon appeared. It would be easier this way, and they could all spectate the events.
“Mmkay,” Kas said. He looked more than a little ridiculous, with Princess Cinders’s head resting on his like a bizarre sort of hat. “I’ve been aiming to catch the little guys up with the rest, so they’re the ones I’ll be using, if that’s okay.” Considering the fact that the little guys had been two of three pretty close matches with Aidan, it was hardly going easy.
“Who do you wanna put up first?”
Well, when he put it that way, he supposed he should do the same. Meowth wasn't an inexperienced battler, but he hardly used her for much. He's never used Mankey, so he didn't know how well he battled. Perhaps now would be a good time to test him out? Battles were different than sparring matches. Those were the only two little guys Eryk had. He pursed his lips slightly. He could use Milotic. She'd be more gentle than either Zoroark or Gengar, however; Blue wasn't exactly a good match either because he'd go too easy on the others.
"Mankey," he answered Kas's question. As soon as his name was said, though, it seemed that Mankey woke up, extremely excited about something. Maybe he wasn't asleep after all? Damn it. "I need to see how Mankey battles, and then I'll be using her," he stated, pointing towards his meowth. She mewled at him, and seemed to just smile. Mankey, however, was already hopping around Eryk in a similar manner as Meep usually did around Kas. He rolled his eyes.
Kas chuckled. “All right. Then Jaws is up first for me. I think they have a similar level of energy, so they should wear each other out and give us a break, huh?”
They lined up on opposite sides of the stretch of beach; their other pokémon ranged out to spectate. Jaws seemed excited at the prospect of a battle—he hopped around in the sand, scraping furrows in it with his claws and snapping his teeth in a way that seemed more automatic than anything.
“You ready?” Kas called over. “First move’s yours when you wanna go.”
Eryk nodded his head and then glanced towards Mankey. "Are you ready?" he asked, watching as Mankey mirrored Jaws. He seemed to be just as excited. He made a huffing sound as if to say yes, and Eryk glanced at Kas. "Alright, Mankey, use Karate Chop," because it was the first known move he knew of Mankey's.
Upon seeing Mankey charging towards him, Jaws jumped up and down a couple of times; but he didn’t move without an order from his trainer. “All right buddy, let’s try a Shadow Claw.” Dark purplish energy gathered around the gible’s little claws, and he rushed forward to meet Mankey mid-charge.
Their attacks met, acting like a sort of block for both pokémon. Mankey skidded back a little, apparently glaring at Jaws. Eryk couldn't tell but he could see that Mankey was a little upset at being blocked. He huffed slightly, hitting his hands into the dirt as Eryk tried not to roll his eyes. He supposed Mankey's temper wasn't too far from his own. "Mankey, calm down and use Aerial Ace followed up by Poison Jab," he spoke, watching as Mankey's own fist glowed slightly with a purple tint. He jumped and attacked Jaws, moving a little faster, now.
“Dragon Breath!” Taking in a deep lungful of air, Jaws exhaled it at Mankey in the air, adjusting the stream to compensate for the arc of motion he took with his Aerial Ace. “Now Double Team.”
Jaws split into several copies of himself—since the breath attack had ended, it was impossible to tell which was which. They all bobbed around in equally-silly-looking circles, which if anything just made telling them apart even more difficult. Poison Jab was a single-target attack: Makey had to pick one.
Sometimes, Eryk hated that attack. Multiple targets, and only one to choose. If he chose wrong, Mankey could get hurt, but if he chose right, Mankey would have landed a successful attack. He took a deep breath, watching as the copies of Jaws moved around. He glanced from one to the other before making his decision. "Attack the one behind you," he spoke, watching as Mankey turned around, aiming for Jaws.
“Nice guess,” Kas said, a teasing lilt in his voice even as the attack connected. Jaws didn’t seem overly-bothered by it—the attack had connected, but it evidently hadn’t actually poisoned him in any lasting fashion. “Let’s go, buddy—Dragon Breath again.”
This time, Mankey was still so close that Jaws more or less belched the breath attack in his face—making it much more difficult to avoid.
"Shit," Eryk muttered slightly as the attack landed. Mankey was pushed back, but he had managed to at least save his face by using his arms to block some of the attack. It still seemed to hurt, though, as Mankey grimaced. "Use Aerial Ace and follow it up with Earthquake, Mankey," he stated. Mankey nodded his head and charged, using the speed from the first attack to jump high. He came back down, hard, and his fist connected to the ground, sending fissures towards Jaws. At least the ground didn't crack.
“You too, Jaws!” The gible jumped into the air; when he landed, the energy from his earthquake met with Mankey’s, causing the sand under them to heave and buckle. Kas’s choice of training spot suddenly made sense—the sand absorbed most of the impact, and they weren’t in danger of breaking anything. The pokémon move wasn’t nearly as strong as a real earthquake, of course, but it could still do some damage in places not designed for it.
Both pokémon were thrown back; Jaws landed wrong and tumbled over several times; he seemed to be struggling to get up. “C’mon, buddy,” Kas said, his tone unusually soft. “You’ve got this.”
Slowly, Jaws became encased in a bluish light; it spread over his whole body, shifting and changing shape. The sound of his claws scraping into the sand was distinct—when the light faded, it was no longer a gible on the field, it was a gabite. With a roar, he surged to his feet.
Kas looked surprised, but that swiftly changed into a broad grin. “Well, how about that? Let’s try this again—Shadow Claw.”
Jaws charged towards Mankey, the dark energy of the attack streaming behind him. He was much faster now, it seemed.
"Ah, shit, Mankey, dodge it!" Eryk spoke, his own tone coming out unusually worried. Mankey was still young he supposed, and now that Jaws was no longer a gible, this battle had shifted in Kas's favor. That wasn't to say that Mankey wouldn't be able to win, but that required a sort of strategy that Eryk didn't quite have. Mankey was hit by the attack, and sent flying towards Eryk. Eryk managed to step in the way quick enough as to catch Mankey, however; the pokémon was knocked unconscious. Catching Mankey, however, didn't come without its setbacks. Eryk was pushed a little further back, too, but he managed to dig his feet in enough to keep him from tumbling backwards. He was, however, forced to his knees.
He glanced towards Mankey, and then towards Kas. "I guess I've lost this one," he spoke, standing up with Mankey in his arms.
“Good experience for Mankey, though,” Kas said, taking his own win very casually. He jogged over to Jaws, laying a hand on the newly-evolved gabite’s head. “For both of them, clearly.” Jaws closed his mouth over Kas’s arm, gnawing playfully, but without any real force.
“Hey!” Kas protested, frowning. “Oh great. You’re still going to be a pest, aren't you?”
"I suppose so. Even though he's evolved, they don't really change much in the personality department," he replied, glancing down at Mankey in his arms. He sighed softly, shaking his head as he pulled Mankey's pokéball from his belt. "You did good, though, Mankey," he stated, recalling the pokémon into his pokéball. "Alright, next battle," Eryk spoke, motioning for Meowth to take the field. It seemed time passed by at an unnoticeable pace because when Eryk looked up, the sun was high in the sky. It was probably past one or two in the afternoon.
"Good battle, dumbass," he spoke, glancing towards Kas as he recalled the rest of his pokémon into their respective balls. "We should set up a practice battle every once in a while before the tournament arrives," that why they could practice different strategies against each other. Plus, it would be a good work out for most of his pokémon and they would get more experience this way. Both of their teams were diverse enough to provide that.
Kas looked slightly sour at being addressed as ‘dumbass’ again, but the farce of that was revealed when he smiled. “Sure. We train most days around this time, so whenever you wanna drop by is fine.”
He nodded his head. Most of his time he spent helping Ana, but he supposed the days he didn't help, he could practice with Kas. "Thursdays, then." He was oddly looking forward to that.
Kas breathed out a heavy sigh, pushing the papers away from him and further up his desk. They collided with his keyboard and bent upwards. He frowned, dragging a hand down his face. This was impossible—there just wasn’t enough information to go on, even with all his digging. It had to be that the boss was keeping everything on paper only, between the Birds and him.
He’d spent the better part of the last week trying to figure out what the hell the Halcyon Reactor had to do with Project Nebula. None of the records in the Rocket databases indicated any sort of machine that would require a reactor of that kind to power—everything in R&D could run on normal power without danger. So why did they go to all the trouble of stealing a state-of-the-art, self-powering module?
He’d worked himself nearly cross-eyed looking at specs for the different projects the team had going lately, and gotten nowhere. Deciding he needed a break, Kas stood. In concession to the fact that it was maybe forty degrees outside that day, he grabbed a green scarf off the hook in his office wall and looped it around his neck. It went pretty nicely with his black sweater and dark-wash jeans. He supposed he hadn’t been dressing as colorfully, lately. Maybe he hadn’t been so much in the mood.
He was heading down the hall to exit the building when he passed by Cyrilla’s office. He hadn’t planned to stop until he caught sight of something rather peculiar out of the corner of his eye. Then he was ducking his head in before he’d even stopped to consider the pros and cons. “Uh… Cy? What exactly are you doing with Lithe?” The growlithe in question had once been his; he’d trained him pretty extensively before gifting him to Cy—but he hadn’t exactly told her that. Cyrilla preferred not to battle in general—he figured Lithe’s training might be useful someday, but might not; either way, Kas was content that he’d done a little something to…
To what? Protect her? It seemed like the right thought, but it wasn’t one he wanted. He shoved it away and raised an eyebrow at her.
Cyrilla was holding Lithe out in front of her, the pokémon in question just hanging limply in her arms. He seemed rather content being held like that, and just allowed himself to be dangled. Cyrilla, however, turned towards Kas, the frown on her face turning into a small smile. "Well, I'm holding him," she stated the obvious. She turned her attention back towards Lithe, though, and furrowed her brows. "I was actually debating what to do with him," she finally answered, setting the growlithe down into her lap.
"I don't usually battle with my pokémon, but after," she paused slightly, her jaw tightening somewhat. "After the battle with the Birds, I figured I might train them a little bit, but Lithe's been bugging me a lot lately. I think he wants to evolve," she stated. At the mentioning of evolve, Lithe's head perked up and he let loose a short bark.
"See?" she stated, picking up Lithe to hold him out towards Kas. "And don't laugh," she began, peeking her head around Lithe, "but I was talking to him about it. I don't think he understood what I was telling him, but he seemed to understand a majority of it. Somehow, we agreed on a staring contest. If I won, he wouldn't evolve. If he won, then I promised I would go out into town to get him a fire stone. Cinnabar is full of them, if I remember correctly. And... it looks like I just lost." Lithe looked happy about it, though.
Leave it to Cyrilla to settle her disagreements with her pokémon in such a ridiculous way. It was almost annoying, how endearing she could be. Kas sighed, mostly to himself. “There are a lot of them here, comparatively speaking,” he agreed with a nod of his head, still standing in the doorframe. He shifted so he was leaning against it with one shoulder, arms crossed over his chest. “They mine them from the volcano, but the supply isn’t infinite or anything.”
They couldn’t take too many, or the equipment might cause enough of a disturbance to awaken the dormant volcano. “There are a few specialty shops that sell them though. I can show you where one is?” He asked it lightly, casually—and he kept his tone completely free of any of the implications he’d have once allowed to inhabit it, just to tease her.
"Really?" she seemed to brighten up at the prospect of being shown one of the shops. "Oh if it isn't too much trouble, I'd appreciate it," she continued, plucking Lithe from her lap. She set him on the floor and allowed him to waddle to the other side of the room. He circled in his make-shift bed before laying down, not before giving Cyrilla a look. She huffed in his direction, and grabbed something off of her desk. Her wallet, probably. She shoved it into her pocket, though, and grabbed her jacket.
"If you can show me where the shop is, you... don't have to stay. I know my way back to the mansion," she spoke, smiling nervously up at him. She really was short compared to him.
Kas shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans and shook his head. “It’s no trouble,” he said, trying not to let his own lingering sense of awkwardness come through in his demeanor. “I was going to go for a walk anyway—I need to clear my head.” He half-smiled, waiting for her to make sure she had everything she wanted before they left.
He led the way out of the building, though not without stopping to hold the door for her. Once they were on the path into town, he felt back to walk beside her. Their breath misted slightly in the air—the sky was deep grey overhead, and it was misting lightly, but there was no rain in the forecast until tomorrow. Kas could already smell a storm coming in. Maybe he’d have to go for a swim—that might help him clear all the extra stuff out of his head.
“How’s Ken doing?” he asked quietly. “Haven’t had a chance to ask him myself, lately.” Mostly because he’d been avoiding situations where he might be able to. Namely situations in which he was alone with Cyrilla and/or her pokémon. He tried to keep Eryk, Ana, or even Drake around as buffers, these days.
"He's doing a lot better these days. He's... still having some trouble with breathing, but it's not as bad as it used to be. The feelings in his arm and leg haven't quite returned to normal, yet. He still loses it sometimes," she replied, her voice not quite as melancholy as it used to be. "I think... I think he's more upset that he can't battle anymore, though. Joy said that if he ever did, that there was a really high possibility that it could kill him," she continued, her gaze faltering somewhat. She shook her head, though, and allowed a small smile to cover her face.
"I'm just glad that he's okay. He'll be grumpy for a while, but I think I can keep his mind off of it with caramel apples. Or something with caramel apples in it," she spoke, shaking her head just lightly.
That brought his mind back to the pie at Thanksgiving. In turn, he remembered something else. “Oh, right. Ana gave me something yesterday; she said you should have one, too.” Kas reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet, unfolding the leather and carefully retrieving the small rectangle.
“It’s a copy of the picture we took together.” He held it out for her to take. The four of them all looked absurdly happy; Kas was grinning, as were Cy and Ana. Even Ryk had smiled, if not as obviously.
She took the image from his hand and just stared at it. A small smile bloomed on her face as she laughed at it. "I can't believe he actually smiled," she spoke, poking at Eryk's image. "I'm glad, actually. I was starting to forget what it looked like," she continued, pulling her wallet from her pocket. She slipped the image into one of the empty slots, and stared at it.
"I don't think I've ever seen him this happy, either," she said lightly, giving out a somewhat content sigh. "I'm glad, happy even, for him," she added suddenly, shaking her head at herself.
Kas’s feelings on the matter were a bit more mixed; maybe because he could sympathize with the dilemma the situation presented? “I’m pretty sure it’s not even unusual to her,” he speculated, referring to seeing Eryk smile. He had a feeling Ana knew exactly what that looked like, and saw the expression often enough that she wasn’t in danger of forgetting it.
“I guess I can’t deny that it’s a good thing, considering.” Some part of him was just waiting for it all to blow up in their faces though—and however it happened, it was going to be catastrophic.
They reached the edge of town about then; Kas cast his eyes around, trying to remember the exact street the shop was on. It came back to him after a second, and he started them down a side alleyway.
"I'm actually a little jealous," she stated. She must not have realized she said it out loud, though, and chuckled nervously. "Not in a bad way, of course. I'm not going to say it's not a good thing, because it is. Eryk... he's," she paused. She pursed her lips together, trying to gather the right words it seemed. "It's been good for him, even if things might not go the way we hope," she spoke softly. Her smile didn't falter, though, and she just kept smiling. It seemed pretty natural at this point.
"I'm glad, though, that we were able to make it back in time. We might have been earlier if Ryk hadn't stopped by the Museum, but I guess we know why he did," she stated, her smile turning into something coy as if she'd figured something out. She laughed suddenly and paused in her steps. "Sorry, I was picturing something," she stated once she caught back up.
“Picturing what?” he asked curiously, turning them down a corner.
She looked at him somewhat incredulously before she chuckled to herself. "That's for me to know," she stated, folding her hands behind her back. "Really, I was just picturing Eryk doing something he shouldn't. I'm surprised he took a picture of the fossilized amber instead of just outright stealing it. I mean, he could have, but then he'd probably upset Ana. I was picturing him with a pouty face. Could you imagine what he would look like if he pouted? It'd be adorable," she finally answered.
Kas snorted. “’Adorable’ is maybe not the word I’d pick for it, but… yeah. I could definitely see him doing something like that… and then like not getting why she was upset.” He shook his head. Eryk had come a long way in the near-year since they’d been here. But in some ways, he still had pretty damn far to go.
They arrived in front of a small shop; Kas knew it was the one they were looking for. Of all things, it appeared to be mostly a jewelers’, but he knew they ran a small side business in evolution stones as well. Occasionally they even had a mega-evolution stone or two in stock; he’d bought a few of those himself. They put a pretty big hole in his wallet, and he had no plans to tell anyone he had them, but he wasn’t going to take any chances.
Kas pulled open the door for Cy, gesturing for her to enter before him.
"Thanks," she spoke as she walked into the store. She glanced around, glancing at the various stones they had. "Alright, I need a fire stone," she spoke that mostly to herself, but she wandered to a different part. She made a slight awing sound as she approached a case. "They have a lucarionite," she stated, staring at in slight awe before a frown formed on her face. "I'm here for Lithe's stone," she seemed to remind herself. Even if she did purchase the lucarionite, she wouldn't be able to use it, per se.
She walked back towards the case that held the primary evolution stones. There was a fire, a water, a thunder, and a leaf stone, sitting side by side in a set, it appeared. There was also a few other fire stones underneath the set, and Cyrilla pointed to the one she needed. The merchant seemed to nod his head and wrapped it up for her. Once she'd purchased it, she turned towards Kas and smiled a little too brightly. "Thanks for showing me the way, Kas," she thanked him, holding the wrapped stone closely to her.
He detected something off about her demeanor, but he suspected he already knew what it was: the lucarionite had reminded her of Ken’s condition. Since they’d already firmly established that there was exactly nothing he could do or say that would help her, though, he chose not to bring it up. Let her believe her smile fooled him—that was fine. He could play that game.
“It’s no problem, Cy.”
He’d spent the better part of the last week trying to figure out what the hell the Halcyon Reactor had to do with Project Nebula. None of the records in the Rocket databases indicated any sort of machine that would require a reactor of that kind to power—everything in R&D could run on normal power without danger. So why did they go to all the trouble of stealing a state-of-the-art, self-powering module?
He’d worked himself nearly cross-eyed looking at specs for the different projects the team had going lately, and gotten nowhere. Deciding he needed a break, Kas stood. In concession to the fact that it was maybe forty degrees outside that day, he grabbed a green scarf off the hook in his office wall and looped it around his neck. It went pretty nicely with his black sweater and dark-wash jeans. He supposed he hadn’t been dressing as colorfully, lately. Maybe he hadn’t been so much in the mood.
He was heading down the hall to exit the building when he passed by Cyrilla’s office. He hadn’t planned to stop until he caught sight of something rather peculiar out of the corner of his eye. Then he was ducking his head in before he’d even stopped to consider the pros and cons. “Uh… Cy? What exactly are you doing with Lithe?” The growlithe in question had once been his; he’d trained him pretty extensively before gifting him to Cy—but he hadn’t exactly told her that. Cyrilla preferred not to battle in general—he figured Lithe’s training might be useful someday, but might not; either way, Kas was content that he’d done a little something to…
To what? Protect her? It seemed like the right thought, but it wasn’t one he wanted. He shoved it away and raised an eyebrow at her.
Cyrilla was holding Lithe out in front of her, the pokémon in question just hanging limply in her arms. He seemed rather content being held like that, and just allowed himself to be dangled. Cyrilla, however, turned towards Kas, the frown on her face turning into a small smile. "Well, I'm holding him," she stated the obvious. She turned her attention back towards Lithe, though, and furrowed her brows. "I was actually debating what to do with him," she finally answered, setting the growlithe down into her lap.
"I don't usually battle with my pokémon, but after," she paused slightly, her jaw tightening somewhat. "After the battle with the Birds, I figured I might train them a little bit, but Lithe's been bugging me a lot lately. I think he wants to evolve," she stated. At the mentioning of evolve, Lithe's head perked up and he let loose a short bark.
"See?" she stated, picking up Lithe to hold him out towards Kas. "And don't laugh," she began, peeking her head around Lithe, "but I was talking to him about it. I don't think he understood what I was telling him, but he seemed to understand a majority of it. Somehow, we agreed on a staring contest. If I won, he wouldn't evolve. If he won, then I promised I would go out into town to get him a fire stone. Cinnabar is full of them, if I remember correctly. And... it looks like I just lost." Lithe looked happy about it, though.
Leave it to Cyrilla to settle her disagreements with her pokémon in such a ridiculous way. It was almost annoying, how endearing she could be. Kas sighed, mostly to himself. “There are a lot of them here, comparatively speaking,” he agreed with a nod of his head, still standing in the doorframe. He shifted so he was leaning against it with one shoulder, arms crossed over his chest. “They mine them from the volcano, but the supply isn’t infinite or anything.”
They couldn’t take too many, or the equipment might cause enough of a disturbance to awaken the dormant volcano. “There are a few specialty shops that sell them though. I can show you where one is?” He asked it lightly, casually—and he kept his tone completely free of any of the implications he’d have once allowed to inhabit it, just to tease her.
"Really?" she seemed to brighten up at the prospect of being shown one of the shops. "Oh if it isn't too much trouble, I'd appreciate it," she continued, plucking Lithe from her lap. She set him on the floor and allowed him to waddle to the other side of the room. He circled in his make-shift bed before laying down, not before giving Cyrilla a look. She huffed in his direction, and grabbed something off of her desk. Her wallet, probably. She shoved it into her pocket, though, and grabbed her jacket.
"If you can show me where the shop is, you... don't have to stay. I know my way back to the mansion," she spoke, smiling nervously up at him. She really was short compared to him.
Kas shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans and shook his head. “It’s no trouble,” he said, trying not to let his own lingering sense of awkwardness come through in his demeanor. “I was going to go for a walk anyway—I need to clear my head.” He half-smiled, waiting for her to make sure she had everything she wanted before they left.
He led the way out of the building, though not without stopping to hold the door for her. Once they were on the path into town, he felt back to walk beside her. Their breath misted slightly in the air—the sky was deep grey overhead, and it was misting lightly, but there was no rain in the forecast until tomorrow. Kas could already smell a storm coming in. Maybe he’d have to go for a swim—that might help him clear all the extra stuff out of his head.
“How’s Ken doing?” he asked quietly. “Haven’t had a chance to ask him myself, lately.” Mostly because he’d been avoiding situations where he might be able to. Namely situations in which he was alone with Cyrilla and/or her pokémon. He tried to keep Eryk, Ana, or even Drake around as buffers, these days.
"He's doing a lot better these days. He's... still having some trouble with breathing, but it's not as bad as it used to be. The feelings in his arm and leg haven't quite returned to normal, yet. He still loses it sometimes," she replied, her voice not quite as melancholy as it used to be. "I think... I think he's more upset that he can't battle anymore, though. Joy said that if he ever did, that there was a really high possibility that it could kill him," she continued, her gaze faltering somewhat. She shook her head, though, and allowed a small smile to cover her face.
"I'm just glad that he's okay. He'll be grumpy for a while, but I think I can keep his mind off of it with caramel apples. Or something with caramel apples in it," she spoke, shaking her head just lightly.
That brought his mind back to the pie at Thanksgiving. In turn, he remembered something else. “Oh, right. Ana gave me something yesterday; she said you should have one, too.” Kas reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet, unfolding the leather and carefully retrieving the small rectangle.
“It’s a copy of the picture we took together.” He held it out for her to take. The four of them all looked absurdly happy; Kas was grinning, as were Cy and Ana. Even Ryk had smiled, if not as obviously.
She took the image from his hand and just stared at it. A small smile bloomed on her face as she laughed at it. "I can't believe he actually smiled," she spoke, poking at Eryk's image. "I'm glad, actually. I was starting to forget what it looked like," she continued, pulling her wallet from her pocket. She slipped the image into one of the empty slots, and stared at it.
"I don't think I've ever seen him this happy, either," she said lightly, giving out a somewhat content sigh. "I'm glad, happy even, for him," she added suddenly, shaking her head at herself.
Kas’s feelings on the matter were a bit more mixed; maybe because he could sympathize with the dilemma the situation presented? “I’m pretty sure it’s not even unusual to her,” he speculated, referring to seeing Eryk smile. He had a feeling Ana knew exactly what that looked like, and saw the expression often enough that she wasn’t in danger of forgetting it.
“I guess I can’t deny that it’s a good thing, considering.” Some part of him was just waiting for it all to blow up in their faces though—and however it happened, it was going to be catastrophic.
They reached the edge of town about then; Kas cast his eyes around, trying to remember the exact street the shop was on. It came back to him after a second, and he started them down a side alleyway.
"I'm actually a little jealous," she stated. She must not have realized she said it out loud, though, and chuckled nervously. "Not in a bad way, of course. I'm not going to say it's not a good thing, because it is. Eryk... he's," she paused. She pursed her lips together, trying to gather the right words it seemed. "It's been good for him, even if things might not go the way we hope," she spoke softly. Her smile didn't falter, though, and she just kept smiling. It seemed pretty natural at this point.
"I'm glad, though, that we were able to make it back in time. We might have been earlier if Ryk hadn't stopped by the Museum, but I guess we know why he did," she stated, her smile turning into something coy as if she'd figured something out. She laughed suddenly and paused in her steps. "Sorry, I was picturing something," she stated once she caught back up.
“Picturing what?” he asked curiously, turning them down a corner.
She looked at him somewhat incredulously before she chuckled to herself. "That's for me to know," she stated, folding her hands behind her back. "Really, I was just picturing Eryk doing something he shouldn't. I'm surprised he took a picture of the fossilized amber instead of just outright stealing it. I mean, he could have, but then he'd probably upset Ana. I was picturing him with a pouty face. Could you imagine what he would look like if he pouted? It'd be adorable," she finally answered.
Kas snorted. “’Adorable’ is maybe not the word I’d pick for it, but… yeah. I could definitely see him doing something like that… and then like not getting why she was upset.” He shook his head. Eryk had come a long way in the near-year since they’d been here. But in some ways, he still had pretty damn far to go.
They arrived in front of a small shop; Kas knew it was the one they were looking for. Of all things, it appeared to be mostly a jewelers’, but he knew they ran a small side business in evolution stones as well. Occasionally they even had a mega-evolution stone or two in stock; he’d bought a few of those himself. They put a pretty big hole in his wallet, and he had no plans to tell anyone he had them, but he wasn’t going to take any chances.
Kas pulled open the door for Cy, gesturing for her to enter before him.
"Thanks," she spoke as she walked into the store. She glanced around, glancing at the various stones they had. "Alright, I need a fire stone," she spoke that mostly to herself, but she wandered to a different part. She made a slight awing sound as she approached a case. "They have a lucarionite," she stated, staring at in slight awe before a frown formed on her face. "I'm here for Lithe's stone," she seemed to remind herself. Even if she did purchase the lucarionite, she wouldn't be able to use it, per se.
She walked back towards the case that held the primary evolution stones. There was a fire, a water, a thunder, and a leaf stone, sitting side by side in a set, it appeared. There was also a few other fire stones underneath the set, and Cyrilla pointed to the one she needed. The merchant seemed to nod his head and wrapped it up for her. Once she'd purchased it, she turned towards Kas and smiled a little too brightly. "Thanks for showing me the way, Kas," she thanked him, holding the wrapped stone closely to her.
He detected something off about her demeanor, but he suspected he already knew what it was: the lucarionite had reminded her of Ken’s condition. Since they’d already firmly established that there was exactly nothing he could do or say that would help her, though, he chose not to bring it up. Let her believe her smile fooled him—that was fine. He could play that game.
“It’s no problem, Cy.”
For once, Kenshin was not with Cyrilla. Instead, he resigned himself to accompanying Eryk, who was currently sitting at his desk staring at something. From the looks of it, it looked like a picture of someone. He couldn't make out who it was, but he had a feeling he knew. Eryk's expression didn't soften like that for just anyone. Kenshin almost wanted to roll his eyes. Was everyone in Koga's family emotionally stupid? He didn't think so, but he was sure Cyrilla and Eryk were just the stupid ones in that department. He was a lucario, all it took was a simple gesture of reading their auras and he could tell. He sighed, and slumped his shoulders somewhat.
Eryk, it's time, he spoke towards the man, watching as Eryk slowly lifted his gaze from the picture and settled on Kenshin. He stared at him for a second, his face littered with a slightly confused question. Leave it to Eryk to forget what he was here for. Kenshin sighed and shook his head. You're supposed to be going to Ana's. You wanted me to come here to remind you since Cy is busy trying to get her things situated, he spoke, watching the information sink in. Eryk seemed to finally remember since he nodded his head. Cyrilla was usually the one who reminded Eryk about the time as of late because of the work he'd fallen behind on, however; she had fallen behind on some of her work, too.
So, Kenshin was here to act as the temporary replacement. Not that he minded, really, since there wasn't much he could do nowadays. He rolled his eyes at himself, taking in a slow breath. He could feel a small pain in his side when he did that, though, and he released the breath just as slowly. Eryk gave him a questioning gaze, but Kenshin just shook his head. He was used to it by now. It would be there, but at least he didn't have to let it stop him from doing anything else. Once Eryk was situated, he stood from his desk and made to leave. Kenshin debated for a moment whether or not he should go back to Cyrilla, however; a small smirk formed on his face. He'd never seen Eryk interacting with Ana by himself before, and for a moment, he wondered if it was anything like Cy and Kas.
With that thought in mind, he followed behind Eryk, following him out the door and down the path towards Ana's. Eryk must not have noticed that he was being followed because he hadn't turned once towards Kenshin. He didn't even speak to him, and that wasn't entirely unusual. Once they reached Ana's home, Eryk didn't even bother to call out to her. He simply entered the gate, Kenshin right behind him. Ana, however, looked like she was outside doing something. "Ana," Eryk greeted, and Kenshin raised a brow at him. The way he said it had more emotion in it than he was used to Eryk expressing. Oh, this was going to be an interesting watch, wasn't it?
Ana, wearing the usual durable clothes and sturdy blue apron, appeared to be setting something up near the pool. It looked like she had a bucket of supplies—the bristle-head of a scrubbing brush stuck out the top, and a checkered washcloth was draped over the side. At the sound of Eryk’s voice, though, she turned, rising out of her crouch and smiling. “Good afternoon, Eryk. And Kenshin. It’s nice to see you.” Her expression was soft—but unlike with Eryk, this was actually pretty typical with Ana, so it was hard to tell if it meant anything in particular.
She folded her hands behind her back, tipping back on her heels for a moment before her feet hit the concrete at the side of the pool again. Upon closer inspection, it didn’t seem to have any water in it, though she’d dragged a hose over to the spot, and the drain at the bottom had been opened. “You, um…” she trailed off for a second; it seemed like she must be considering something. “You’re in time to help if you want—today is bath time for most of the pokémon.” It might have been his imagination, but there seemed to be a little flicker of amusement in her eyes when she said that.
Kenshin raised a brow at her, and then glanced towards Eryk. He seemed to have grimaced at the news, but nodded his head anyway. It appeared this was Eryk's least favorite chore, and Kenshin would have smirked if it wasn't so weird for him to see Eryk like this. "Is there anything I should do before?" because bathing a pokémon wasn't exactly an easy thing, especially with some of the ones who weren't entirely comfortable with Eryk, yet.
“Actually... I ordered you an apron,” Ana said, half-smiling. “It's in the shed; the red one. You got so soaked last time I thought you might like a bit of protection from the water. You might also want to take your shoes and socks off this time.” She pointed to her own feet, which were indeed bare; she’d rolled her pant legs up as well, exposing pale skin to the knee.
Ana paused, then dug around in her pockets for a moment. “Also… here.” she held out a small drawstring bag to him. “I made pokémon treats this time. You can give them to the nervous ones before we start. It’ll help them relax around you.” Ana, in Kenshin’s experience, never seemed to have that particular problem.
I'll help, Kenshin spoke, uncrossing his arms from his chest and letting them hang at his side. He glanced at Eryk for a moment, who still looked rather surprised Kenshin was around. Maybe he hadn't intended for anyone else to be with him when he came? Kenshin laughed to himself at that thought. Now he knew why Cy liked bothering Eryk so much. A thought struck him, and Kenshin glanced at Ana. What do you need me to do? he questioned. He could be a lot more helpful than Eryk if this went right.
She smiled at him. “Well… basically what we’re going to do is hose everyone down in the pool, one by one, then soap and rinse. If you don't mind being in charge of the hose itself, we can take care of the rest.”
Eryk nodded his head and went to retrieve the apron. When he returned, he was also barefoot, his pant legs rolled up slightly, and donned the red apron. Kenshin tried his best not to laugh at Eryk. He looked... domestic, and Kenshin's never seen him like that before. It wasn't a bad look, he just supposed it was one he wouldn't wear forever. His attention was taken, however, when Ana told him he could be in charge of the hose, and he blinked slowly. As he blinked, a slow smile spread across his muzzle.
I can do that, he spoke, taking the hose and staring at it for a moment. He waited for Eryk to get settled, and waited for Ana to bring the first pokémon out. He pulled the trigger on the nozzle, and watched the gentle stream head straight for Eryk, and not the pokémon he was supposed to be rinsing. Luckily, it landed on his chest, and not his face or any other exposed part of his body. Well, he'll just have to try harder next time. He gave Eryk a mock apologetic look, but he really wasn't sorry about it, per se.
"Kenshin," Eryk spoke, but it sounded like he was trying to warn Kenshin about something. Kenshin only smirked at Eryk.
Ana did not seem to have caught on to the fact that it was hardly an accident. Glancing from Eryk to Kenshin, she smiled slightly. “It can take a second to get used to. Try angling down a little more.” The first pokémon up was Rufus, who seemed absolutely chuffed to be getting a bath. His stumpy little tail was wagging vigorously enough to move most of the rest of his body as well.
Kenshin feigned an innocent smile. Like this? he continued, holding the hose at an angle towards Ana. He pulled the trigger gently, and watched the stream of water head towards Ana. Eryk must have sensed his mischief, however, and stepped in front of her. He narrowed his eyes at Kenshin who merely shrugged his shoulders. I have three fingers that technically make up a paw. What did you expect? he spoke, holding up his paw and wiggling his fingers as he did so. Eryk didn't seem to buy the explanation, but that was okay. Kenshin received the reaction he wanted out of Eryk, and aimed the hose towards Rufus.
"Sometimes I don't know who's worse, you or Kas," Eryk muttered, causing Kenshin to chuckle somewhat. He supposed he had a point there.
Alright, Rufus, you're up, Kenshin spoke to the stoutland, ignoring Ryk at the moment.
Ana seemed slightly bemused by the exchange, shaking her head, but Rufus was clearly enjoying himself. He moved to stand under the water with no problems, turning himself around to make sure all of his fur was dampened. Ana took a shampoo bottle from the bucket she’d carried down into the pool with her, gesturing for Eryk to hold his hands forward. She squeezed a small amount of what must have been shampoo out onto his palm, then did the same with her own, setting the bottle aside.
She rubbed her hands together, working up a good lather. The scent of the soap was citrusy and clean—some mix of lemon and pine. “I’ll get the right side if you go left,” she proposed, starting with Rufus’s paws. For someone so willowy-looking, she was obviously used to the work; the stoutland’s paw thumped against the ground as she worked the soap in with massaging motions.
Eryk nodded his head and began massaging the shampoo into Rufus' fur. Kenshin raised a brow at how gentle Eryk was being, and for a moment, he felt his own gaze soften for a moment. He wondered for a moment if things were different, if Eryk would... he shook the thought from his mind and sighed a little too heavily. Eryk glanced up from his work and gave Kenshin a questioning glance. You don't have to worry, Eryk, I'm not going to spray you, he spoke only to Eryk who merely furrowed his brows.
Kenshin rolled his eyes and waited until they were finished with the soap. Once they were, he rinsed Rufus off, holding the hose as if he'd always used them. He could hear Eryk huffing slightly, and raised an amused brow. "I think you are worse," he whispered just light enough for Kenshin to hear him.
I'll take that as a compliment.
They had quite a few pokémon to get through that day; fortunately, most of them were quite cooperative. Those few who didn’t quite seem to trust Eryk were generally made pliable with a few of the treats Ana had given him to use. Of course, not all the pokémon bathed in water; the fire types tended to do better with just dry grooming, and the rattata had dust baths to roll around in.
Ana straightened from their last one, rolling her shoulders out and carefully helping the skitty dry herself with a fluffy towel. “Eryk, would you like to give Mankey a bath while we’re all set up here? I imagine it’s a bit difficult to get him to take one normally, but he might cooperate if we both try.” Her glance flicked upwards, and she smiled a little mischievously. “I'm also happy to shampoo you if you want, Kenshin."
Can't pass up an opportunity on a bath from Ana, Kenshin replied, his own smile matching Ana's as he turned towards Eryk. He held the hose out towards him. Don't forget to get in between these, he spoke, shaking his toes at Eryk. He seemed to scowl at Kenshin, but took the hose anyway. He turned his attention towards Ana, spreading out his arms as he did so. Does this make it easier? he started, his eyes sparkling just slightly with mischief.
"Mankey's already had his bath, but I suppose if Kenshin really wants one," Eryk began, glancing at Ana. He shrugged his shoulders lightly and turned the hose on Kenshin. The first stream went straight for Kenshin's face, but he didn't necessarily move out of the way. "I thought you were ready," Eryk almost smirked. Kenshin just gave him a flat look.
You did that on purpose. he spoke. A thought occurred to him, and he glanced towards Ana, pointing at Eryk. He did that on purpose, he spoke to Ana, trying his best to sound slighlty hurt.
Ana glanced between the both of them and sighed. “Honestly. I don’t know what I’m going to do with either of you.” She shook her head, giving Eryk a look of mild reproach. “Anyway, please try not to get me, too.” She didn’t seem to be able to hold any non-smiling expression for long, in any case.
Lathering up her hands again, she waited until Kenshin was properly wetted down, then started at his head, rubbing the shampoo into his scalp with her fingertips. She took care with his pointed ears; her touch was gentle as feathers over those. Clearly, she knew what she was doing—she easily found a knot between his shoulders and worked it out with her thumbs.
“You’re going to smell like lemons for a couple days,” she told him lightly. “I hope you don’t mind.”
I'm sure Cy won't mind, he spoke in a nonchalant fashion. He didn't mind the scent of lemons, however; sometimes it reminded him of that stuff Cyrilla would use to clean her office. He'd associated it with clean, so he didn't mind it too much. He actually kind of liked it. Though, preferably, he'd rather smell like strawberries... or caramel apples. Kenshin shook the thought from his head. He was either hungry for fruits, or he wanted sweet and tart things.
"Alright, Kenshin, you're finished," Eryk spoke, snapping Kenshin back to reality. He hadn't even realized Eryk rinsed him off. He glanced between Eryk and Ana before allowing a slow smile to overtake him. Without so much as a warning, Kenshin shook the water out of his coat, watching as Eryk tried his best to shield himself from the residue.
I like to air dry.
“Eep!” Ana was clearly not expecting the sudden spray, and actually stumbled backwards a step. She must have hit a slick patch on the bottom of the pool, because she fell into a sprawl immediately afterwards, legs thrown out to either side and the rest of her braced on her hands behind her.
She blinked slowly a couple of times, though she didn’t seem upset, just surprised. “Ow.”
Eryk looked slightly worried when Ana fell, however; Kenshin merely stared at her. It took a minute to process, but he was fairly certain he was laughing. Eryk, however, shot him somewhat of a glare and helped Ana back to her feet. Kenshin managed to contain his laughing to a few snickers, and shook his head. This day was turning out better than he thought it would.
Eryk, it's time, he spoke towards the man, watching as Eryk slowly lifted his gaze from the picture and settled on Kenshin. He stared at him for a second, his face littered with a slightly confused question. Leave it to Eryk to forget what he was here for. Kenshin sighed and shook his head. You're supposed to be going to Ana's. You wanted me to come here to remind you since Cy is busy trying to get her things situated, he spoke, watching the information sink in. Eryk seemed to finally remember since he nodded his head. Cyrilla was usually the one who reminded Eryk about the time as of late because of the work he'd fallen behind on, however; she had fallen behind on some of her work, too.
So, Kenshin was here to act as the temporary replacement. Not that he minded, really, since there wasn't much he could do nowadays. He rolled his eyes at himself, taking in a slow breath. He could feel a small pain in his side when he did that, though, and he released the breath just as slowly. Eryk gave him a questioning gaze, but Kenshin just shook his head. He was used to it by now. It would be there, but at least he didn't have to let it stop him from doing anything else. Once Eryk was situated, he stood from his desk and made to leave. Kenshin debated for a moment whether or not he should go back to Cyrilla, however; a small smirk formed on his face. He'd never seen Eryk interacting with Ana by himself before, and for a moment, he wondered if it was anything like Cy and Kas.
With that thought in mind, he followed behind Eryk, following him out the door and down the path towards Ana's. Eryk must not have noticed that he was being followed because he hadn't turned once towards Kenshin. He didn't even speak to him, and that wasn't entirely unusual. Once they reached Ana's home, Eryk didn't even bother to call out to her. He simply entered the gate, Kenshin right behind him. Ana, however, looked like she was outside doing something. "Ana," Eryk greeted, and Kenshin raised a brow at him. The way he said it had more emotion in it than he was used to Eryk expressing. Oh, this was going to be an interesting watch, wasn't it?
Ana, wearing the usual durable clothes and sturdy blue apron, appeared to be setting something up near the pool. It looked like she had a bucket of supplies—the bristle-head of a scrubbing brush stuck out the top, and a checkered washcloth was draped over the side. At the sound of Eryk’s voice, though, she turned, rising out of her crouch and smiling. “Good afternoon, Eryk. And Kenshin. It’s nice to see you.” Her expression was soft—but unlike with Eryk, this was actually pretty typical with Ana, so it was hard to tell if it meant anything in particular.
She folded her hands behind her back, tipping back on her heels for a moment before her feet hit the concrete at the side of the pool again. Upon closer inspection, it didn’t seem to have any water in it, though she’d dragged a hose over to the spot, and the drain at the bottom had been opened. “You, um…” she trailed off for a second; it seemed like she must be considering something. “You’re in time to help if you want—today is bath time for most of the pokémon.” It might have been his imagination, but there seemed to be a little flicker of amusement in her eyes when she said that.
Kenshin raised a brow at her, and then glanced towards Eryk. He seemed to have grimaced at the news, but nodded his head anyway. It appeared this was Eryk's least favorite chore, and Kenshin would have smirked if it wasn't so weird for him to see Eryk like this. "Is there anything I should do before?" because bathing a pokémon wasn't exactly an easy thing, especially with some of the ones who weren't entirely comfortable with Eryk, yet.
“Actually... I ordered you an apron,” Ana said, half-smiling. “It's in the shed; the red one. You got so soaked last time I thought you might like a bit of protection from the water. You might also want to take your shoes and socks off this time.” She pointed to her own feet, which were indeed bare; she’d rolled her pant legs up as well, exposing pale skin to the knee.
Ana paused, then dug around in her pockets for a moment. “Also… here.” she held out a small drawstring bag to him. “I made pokémon treats this time. You can give them to the nervous ones before we start. It’ll help them relax around you.” Ana, in Kenshin’s experience, never seemed to have that particular problem.
I'll help, Kenshin spoke, uncrossing his arms from his chest and letting them hang at his side. He glanced at Eryk for a moment, who still looked rather surprised Kenshin was around. Maybe he hadn't intended for anyone else to be with him when he came? Kenshin laughed to himself at that thought. Now he knew why Cy liked bothering Eryk so much. A thought struck him, and Kenshin glanced at Ana. What do you need me to do? he questioned. He could be a lot more helpful than Eryk if this went right.
She smiled at him. “Well… basically what we’re going to do is hose everyone down in the pool, one by one, then soap and rinse. If you don't mind being in charge of the hose itself, we can take care of the rest.”
Eryk nodded his head and went to retrieve the apron. When he returned, he was also barefoot, his pant legs rolled up slightly, and donned the red apron. Kenshin tried his best not to laugh at Eryk. He looked... domestic, and Kenshin's never seen him like that before. It wasn't a bad look, he just supposed it was one he wouldn't wear forever. His attention was taken, however, when Ana told him he could be in charge of the hose, and he blinked slowly. As he blinked, a slow smile spread across his muzzle.
I can do that, he spoke, taking the hose and staring at it for a moment. He waited for Eryk to get settled, and waited for Ana to bring the first pokémon out. He pulled the trigger on the nozzle, and watched the gentle stream head straight for Eryk, and not the pokémon he was supposed to be rinsing. Luckily, it landed on his chest, and not his face or any other exposed part of his body. Well, he'll just have to try harder next time. He gave Eryk a mock apologetic look, but he really wasn't sorry about it, per se.
"Kenshin," Eryk spoke, but it sounded like he was trying to warn Kenshin about something. Kenshin only smirked at Eryk.
Ana did not seem to have caught on to the fact that it was hardly an accident. Glancing from Eryk to Kenshin, she smiled slightly. “It can take a second to get used to. Try angling down a little more.” The first pokémon up was Rufus, who seemed absolutely chuffed to be getting a bath. His stumpy little tail was wagging vigorously enough to move most of the rest of his body as well.
Kenshin feigned an innocent smile. Like this? he continued, holding the hose at an angle towards Ana. He pulled the trigger gently, and watched the stream of water head towards Ana. Eryk must have sensed his mischief, however, and stepped in front of her. He narrowed his eyes at Kenshin who merely shrugged his shoulders. I have three fingers that technically make up a paw. What did you expect? he spoke, holding up his paw and wiggling his fingers as he did so. Eryk didn't seem to buy the explanation, but that was okay. Kenshin received the reaction he wanted out of Eryk, and aimed the hose towards Rufus.
"Sometimes I don't know who's worse, you or Kas," Eryk muttered, causing Kenshin to chuckle somewhat. He supposed he had a point there.
Alright, Rufus, you're up, Kenshin spoke to the stoutland, ignoring Ryk at the moment.
Ana seemed slightly bemused by the exchange, shaking her head, but Rufus was clearly enjoying himself. He moved to stand under the water with no problems, turning himself around to make sure all of his fur was dampened. Ana took a shampoo bottle from the bucket she’d carried down into the pool with her, gesturing for Eryk to hold his hands forward. She squeezed a small amount of what must have been shampoo out onto his palm, then did the same with her own, setting the bottle aside.
She rubbed her hands together, working up a good lather. The scent of the soap was citrusy and clean—some mix of lemon and pine. “I’ll get the right side if you go left,” she proposed, starting with Rufus’s paws. For someone so willowy-looking, she was obviously used to the work; the stoutland’s paw thumped against the ground as she worked the soap in with massaging motions.
Eryk nodded his head and began massaging the shampoo into Rufus' fur. Kenshin raised a brow at how gentle Eryk was being, and for a moment, he felt his own gaze soften for a moment. He wondered for a moment if things were different, if Eryk would... he shook the thought from his mind and sighed a little too heavily. Eryk glanced up from his work and gave Kenshin a questioning glance. You don't have to worry, Eryk, I'm not going to spray you, he spoke only to Eryk who merely furrowed his brows.
Kenshin rolled his eyes and waited until they were finished with the soap. Once they were, he rinsed Rufus off, holding the hose as if he'd always used them. He could hear Eryk huffing slightly, and raised an amused brow. "I think you are worse," he whispered just light enough for Kenshin to hear him.
I'll take that as a compliment.
They had quite a few pokémon to get through that day; fortunately, most of them were quite cooperative. Those few who didn’t quite seem to trust Eryk were generally made pliable with a few of the treats Ana had given him to use. Of course, not all the pokémon bathed in water; the fire types tended to do better with just dry grooming, and the rattata had dust baths to roll around in.
Ana straightened from their last one, rolling her shoulders out and carefully helping the skitty dry herself with a fluffy towel. “Eryk, would you like to give Mankey a bath while we’re all set up here? I imagine it’s a bit difficult to get him to take one normally, but he might cooperate if we both try.” Her glance flicked upwards, and she smiled a little mischievously. “I'm also happy to shampoo you if you want, Kenshin."
Can't pass up an opportunity on a bath from Ana, Kenshin replied, his own smile matching Ana's as he turned towards Eryk. He held the hose out towards him. Don't forget to get in between these, he spoke, shaking his toes at Eryk. He seemed to scowl at Kenshin, but took the hose anyway. He turned his attention towards Ana, spreading out his arms as he did so. Does this make it easier? he started, his eyes sparkling just slightly with mischief.
"Mankey's already had his bath, but I suppose if Kenshin really wants one," Eryk began, glancing at Ana. He shrugged his shoulders lightly and turned the hose on Kenshin. The first stream went straight for Kenshin's face, but he didn't necessarily move out of the way. "I thought you were ready," Eryk almost smirked. Kenshin just gave him a flat look.
You did that on purpose. he spoke. A thought occurred to him, and he glanced towards Ana, pointing at Eryk. He did that on purpose, he spoke to Ana, trying his best to sound slighlty hurt.
Ana glanced between the both of them and sighed. “Honestly. I don’t know what I’m going to do with either of you.” She shook her head, giving Eryk a look of mild reproach. “Anyway, please try not to get me, too.” She didn’t seem to be able to hold any non-smiling expression for long, in any case.
Lathering up her hands again, she waited until Kenshin was properly wetted down, then started at his head, rubbing the shampoo into his scalp with her fingertips. She took care with his pointed ears; her touch was gentle as feathers over those. Clearly, she knew what she was doing—she easily found a knot between his shoulders and worked it out with her thumbs.
“You’re going to smell like lemons for a couple days,” she told him lightly. “I hope you don’t mind.”
I'm sure Cy won't mind, he spoke in a nonchalant fashion. He didn't mind the scent of lemons, however; sometimes it reminded him of that stuff Cyrilla would use to clean her office. He'd associated it with clean, so he didn't mind it too much. He actually kind of liked it. Though, preferably, he'd rather smell like strawberries... or caramel apples. Kenshin shook the thought from his head. He was either hungry for fruits, or he wanted sweet and tart things.
"Alright, Kenshin, you're finished," Eryk spoke, snapping Kenshin back to reality. He hadn't even realized Eryk rinsed him off. He glanced between Eryk and Ana before allowing a slow smile to overtake him. Without so much as a warning, Kenshin shook the water out of his coat, watching as Eryk tried his best to shield himself from the residue.
I like to air dry.
“Eep!” Ana was clearly not expecting the sudden spray, and actually stumbled backwards a step. She must have hit a slick patch on the bottom of the pool, because she fell into a sprawl immediately afterwards, legs thrown out to either side and the rest of her braced on her hands behind her.
She blinked slowly a couple of times, though she didn’t seem upset, just surprised. “Ow.”
Eryk looked slightly worried when Ana fell, however; Kenshin merely stared at her. It took a minute to process, but he was fairly certain he was laughing. Eryk, however, shot him somewhat of a glare and helped Ana back to her feet. Kenshin managed to contain his laughing to a few snickers, and shook his head. This day was turning out better than he thought it would.
“Okay, Auntie. I’ll be back in half an hour or so, I promise.” Ana smiled brightly, tying her drawstring purse to one of her belt-loops.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to go with you?” Miranda asked, wondering if she regularly did this sort of thing. She had to remind herself that she wasn’t looking at a fragile little girl anymore, but a young woman with ambitions and the drive to achieve them.
Anastasia dipped her chin, then ducked in for a quick hug. “Positive. You just stay here and relax. It’s actually sunny today; you should take advantage of it.”
Miranda nodded, seeing her off to the gate and letting it close once she was out of sight. There wasn’t much to do; Anastasia took care of the majority of the chores that morning. There were several pokémon out and about in the yard. Rufus generally stayed within sight of her, but the rest of them seemed mostly to ignore her presence. It was quite something that they felt safe enough to do that, she supposed.
Well, since her niece would be back with her groceries in a little while anyway, Miranda resolved to take her advice. Returning inside briefly for one of her knitting projects, she moved outside again and sat at the little table in the garden, unrolling enough yarn to work with and starting to cast on her first stitches.
"Good afternoon, Miranda," it was Eryk. He seemed a little confused at first, but it passed as he nodded his head in her direction. "Is Ana here?" he asked hesitantly. He must be here to help her with her chores, but he didn't know she was already finished with them. He stood perfectly still, though, by the gate, as if contemplating whether or not to enter. It made some sense, since if he knew Ana wasn't here, he could easily be on his way. On the other hand, he could easily come into the yard if she were.
“Ah, hello Eryk.” Miranda smiled warmly at the young man. “Anastasia just left to go do a bit of shopping, but she said she’ll be back shortly, if you would like to wait for her.” She tipped her head slightly to the side. Something told her he just might—but perhaps that was simply the instinct of an old woman. It steered her wrongly on occasion, but most of the time, it was dead-on.
“I wouldn’t mind the company if you do, but if you have somewhere else to be, I’m sure she’ll understand—I can tell her you stopped by.”
He seemed a little hesitant. Though he was standing perfectly still, there was slight tension in his shoulders as if he were debating her offer. His brows were furrowed, and his lips were pursed into a fine line. He was probably weighing his options. He seemed to decide on staying, because he entered the gate, closing it behind him. Rufus made his way towards Eryk and the stoutland seemed a little too happy to see him. Eryk merely bent down enough so that he could rub the back of the stoutland's ear before making his way towards Miranda.
"If she'll be back shortly... I suppose I can linger for a moment," he spoke a little awkwardly. He didn't seem used to socializing very much, since he remained silent and glanced towards the side. He occasionally glanced at the object in her hand, but didn't say anything about it. He chose a different topic, instead. "How are you finding Cinnabar?" he asked, his voice portraying a soft curiosity.
“It’s a lovely island,” Miranda replied honestly. He was certainly a quiet fellow, wasn’t he? Well, there was nothing wrong with that. Edgar had been a little on the awkward side, too, come to think of it. Anastasia seemed to get along with such people. “Though I take it I’m not here in the best season to enjoy it.” Ah well. Such was life.
She made a few more stitches in the yarn on her needle before she glanced back up at him. “Please, sit down. All that tension you’re carrying around is making me tense, too—arceus knows my old bones don’t need any more of that.” She smiled good-naturedly to soften the slightly-scolding tone to her voice.
“Why don’t you tell me how you met my niece? She does a lot of talking about how wonderful you all are, but not as much about how she came to think so.” Ana did tend to respect the privacy of others—Miranda wouldn’t have even known what Eryk did for a living if the three of them hadn’t told her for themselves.
Eryk took a seat next to her almost immediately after she said that, probably so he wouldn't make things more tense. He glanced at her, though, when she asked him the question. "Meowth," he simply spoke, and for a minute, that's all he said. He must have realized that he hadn't elaborated enough, and coughed into his hand to clear his throat. "I met Ana when my Meowth ran away from the base," he clarified, turning slightly in his chair so he looked more comfortable.
"Somehow, Meowth ended up hiding behind Ana when I found her," he continued. "I helped Ana carry home a few bags, and I didn't start volunteering until..." he seemed a little hesitant to continue on that subject. His brows furrowed slightly, as his lips pursed together. "I didn't start helping out until I found out that Ana was sick," he said, glancing away for a moment. "She was coming down with a cold, I believe. I didn't learn of her condition until much later," and he seemed a little sad about that, like it bothered him personally that Ana was sick in that way.
Miranda hummed softly. It was a difficult thing to learn abut another person, at any stage of a friendship. It seemed like they must have already at least been somewhat close by the time Ana told him. She couldn’t blame her niece for that—it was difficult enough to admit to someone who you thought would care. It was harder still to admit when it might make the difference between someone staying in your life or leaving.
She sighed, starting a new row. “It can be difficult to think about,” she murmured. “No parent should ever have to outlive their child, and yet… perhaps I will.” She might have been Anastasia’s aunt by blood, but in spirit, she was certainly more her mother than her cowardly sister-in-law was. Ana might have forgiven them for making her someone else’s problem, but Miranda could not say she ever had.
“But there’s hope,” she amended. “It’s important to remember that. Sometimes she forgets herself, you see.”
"I am not sure if difficult is the right word," he spoke, leaning back in his chair slightly. He sighed a little too heavily, but his mind might have been elsewhere. "Hope?" he questioned slightly, glancing back towards her. His expression had softened a little bit, but there was still something steely about it. "Perhaps, there is hope," he finally stated, though from the way he said it, it almost sounded like he didn't believe it.
“A cynic, I see.” Miranda couldn’t judge a person for that. She’d been one, too—before she’d raised the most cheerful, optimistic child she’d ever met. She smiled at him, a faint hint of curiosity entering her eyes. Of course, it was much more considerable than she showed it to be. It was not lost upon her that this was the friend Anastasia spoke about the most. This was the him, as it were, that her little niece’s tongue had slipped to when she wasn’t paying attention.
“Do you believe in her, Eryk? She believes in you—very much.”
He looked taken back for a moment, and blinked slowly at her. His face furrowed with the force of his thoughts, apparently. "I..." he began, though he seemed unsure of himself. It looked like he wanted to say he did, but there also seemed to be something holding him back. He let loose a long sigh before he nodded his head. "I do, more than any other person I've ever met before," he finally spoke, and he seemed genuinely surprised he'd said that out loud.
"She... has shown me things that I have forgotten, and she has helped me more than I could ever claim to deserve," he continued, shifting just slightly in his chair. "I am not a good person, Miranda," his stated, his tone gravely serious for a moment as he turned to stare at her. His eyes were intense as he stared at her, and he seemed to be waging a silent battle with himself. "She... makes me want to be, though."
Miranda felt her expression soften without consciously deciding to make it so. “Then keep trying,” she said gently. “That’s it, you know? That’s the only secret to being better. Do everything you can to be better than you were yesterday, and if you stumble, keep going. And take whatever help you can get.” She said the last part with a smile.
“I think… that just maybe, if you believe in someone else enough, you might help them believe in themselves. And that alone can make a world of difference—whether you’re trying to fight an illness or become a better person.” She reached the end of her row, and slid the empty needle through her hands to begin another.
“And… thank you. Anastasia’s a good girl, but she so rarely reaches out to people. I think she’s afraid of another situation like her parents. I’m glad the three of you are around—you especially.” She didn’t indicate what about him in particular was different from the others. Perhaps because Ana hadn’t figured it out herself yet. There were a few ways something like that could go—Miranda had no desire to interfere so much as to choose between them.
Eryk huffed slightly, but there was the faintest sliver of a smile on his face. He shook his head softly and leaned a little further into his chair, if it were possible. "That would make two of us," he said as he glanced out into the yard. He looked too comfortable in his surroundings, perhaps because he'd been here so often. "But... if it is important for her, then I shall do what I can to do right... by her," he continued, though from the look on his face, he seemed a little embarrassed now. His face didn't stain with any particular color, but the tone of his voice had suggested it.
“I’m sure you will,” Miranda agreed, smiling secretively to herself.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to go with you?” Miranda asked, wondering if she regularly did this sort of thing. She had to remind herself that she wasn’t looking at a fragile little girl anymore, but a young woman with ambitions and the drive to achieve them.
Anastasia dipped her chin, then ducked in for a quick hug. “Positive. You just stay here and relax. It’s actually sunny today; you should take advantage of it.”
Miranda nodded, seeing her off to the gate and letting it close once she was out of sight. There wasn’t much to do; Anastasia took care of the majority of the chores that morning. There were several pokémon out and about in the yard. Rufus generally stayed within sight of her, but the rest of them seemed mostly to ignore her presence. It was quite something that they felt safe enough to do that, she supposed.
Well, since her niece would be back with her groceries in a little while anyway, Miranda resolved to take her advice. Returning inside briefly for one of her knitting projects, she moved outside again and sat at the little table in the garden, unrolling enough yarn to work with and starting to cast on her first stitches.
"Good afternoon, Miranda," it was Eryk. He seemed a little confused at first, but it passed as he nodded his head in her direction. "Is Ana here?" he asked hesitantly. He must be here to help her with her chores, but he didn't know she was already finished with them. He stood perfectly still, though, by the gate, as if contemplating whether or not to enter. It made some sense, since if he knew Ana wasn't here, he could easily be on his way. On the other hand, he could easily come into the yard if she were.
“Ah, hello Eryk.” Miranda smiled warmly at the young man. “Anastasia just left to go do a bit of shopping, but she said she’ll be back shortly, if you would like to wait for her.” She tipped her head slightly to the side. Something told her he just might—but perhaps that was simply the instinct of an old woman. It steered her wrongly on occasion, but most of the time, it was dead-on.
“I wouldn’t mind the company if you do, but if you have somewhere else to be, I’m sure she’ll understand—I can tell her you stopped by.”
He seemed a little hesitant. Though he was standing perfectly still, there was slight tension in his shoulders as if he were debating her offer. His brows were furrowed, and his lips were pursed into a fine line. He was probably weighing his options. He seemed to decide on staying, because he entered the gate, closing it behind him. Rufus made his way towards Eryk and the stoutland seemed a little too happy to see him. Eryk merely bent down enough so that he could rub the back of the stoutland's ear before making his way towards Miranda.
"If she'll be back shortly... I suppose I can linger for a moment," he spoke a little awkwardly. He didn't seem used to socializing very much, since he remained silent and glanced towards the side. He occasionally glanced at the object in her hand, but didn't say anything about it. He chose a different topic, instead. "How are you finding Cinnabar?" he asked, his voice portraying a soft curiosity.
“It’s a lovely island,” Miranda replied honestly. He was certainly a quiet fellow, wasn’t he? Well, there was nothing wrong with that. Edgar had been a little on the awkward side, too, come to think of it. Anastasia seemed to get along with such people. “Though I take it I’m not here in the best season to enjoy it.” Ah well. Such was life.
She made a few more stitches in the yarn on her needle before she glanced back up at him. “Please, sit down. All that tension you’re carrying around is making me tense, too—arceus knows my old bones don’t need any more of that.” She smiled good-naturedly to soften the slightly-scolding tone to her voice.
“Why don’t you tell me how you met my niece? She does a lot of talking about how wonderful you all are, but not as much about how she came to think so.” Ana did tend to respect the privacy of others—Miranda wouldn’t have even known what Eryk did for a living if the three of them hadn’t told her for themselves.
Eryk took a seat next to her almost immediately after she said that, probably so he wouldn't make things more tense. He glanced at her, though, when she asked him the question. "Meowth," he simply spoke, and for a minute, that's all he said. He must have realized that he hadn't elaborated enough, and coughed into his hand to clear his throat. "I met Ana when my Meowth ran away from the base," he clarified, turning slightly in his chair so he looked more comfortable.
"Somehow, Meowth ended up hiding behind Ana when I found her," he continued. "I helped Ana carry home a few bags, and I didn't start volunteering until..." he seemed a little hesitant to continue on that subject. His brows furrowed slightly, as his lips pursed together. "I didn't start helping out until I found out that Ana was sick," he said, glancing away for a moment. "She was coming down with a cold, I believe. I didn't learn of her condition until much later," and he seemed a little sad about that, like it bothered him personally that Ana was sick in that way.
Miranda hummed softly. It was a difficult thing to learn abut another person, at any stage of a friendship. It seemed like they must have already at least been somewhat close by the time Ana told him. She couldn’t blame her niece for that—it was difficult enough to admit to someone who you thought would care. It was harder still to admit when it might make the difference between someone staying in your life or leaving.
She sighed, starting a new row. “It can be difficult to think about,” she murmured. “No parent should ever have to outlive their child, and yet… perhaps I will.” She might have been Anastasia’s aunt by blood, but in spirit, she was certainly more her mother than her cowardly sister-in-law was. Ana might have forgiven them for making her someone else’s problem, but Miranda could not say she ever had.
“But there’s hope,” she amended. “It’s important to remember that. Sometimes she forgets herself, you see.”
"I am not sure if difficult is the right word," he spoke, leaning back in his chair slightly. He sighed a little too heavily, but his mind might have been elsewhere. "Hope?" he questioned slightly, glancing back towards her. His expression had softened a little bit, but there was still something steely about it. "Perhaps, there is hope," he finally stated, though from the way he said it, it almost sounded like he didn't believe it.
“A cynic, I see.” Miranda couldn’t judge a person for that. She’d been one, too—before she’d raised the most cheerful, optimistic child she’d ever met. She smiled at him, a faint hint of curiosity entering her eyes. Of course, it was much more considerable than she showed it to be. It was not lost upon her that this was the friend Anastasia spoke about the most. This was the him, as it were, that her little niece’s tongue had slipped to when she wasn’t paying attention.
“Do you believe in her, Eryk? She believes in you—very much.”
He looked taken back for a moment, and blinked slowly at her. His face furrowed with the force of his thoughts, apparently. "I..." he began, though he seemed unsure of himself. It looked like he wanted to say he did, but there also seemed to be something holding him back. He let loose a long sigh before he nodded his head. "I do, more than any other person I've ever met before," he finally spoke, and he seemed genuinely surprised he'd said that out loud.
"She... has shown me things that I have forgotten, and she has helped me more than I could ever claim to deserve," he continued, shifting just slightly in his chair. "I am not a good person, Miranda," his stated, his tone gravely serious for a moment as he turned to stare at her. His eyes were intense as he stared at her, and he seemed to be waging a silent battle with himself. "She... makes me want to be, though."
Miranda felt her expression soften without consciously deciding to make it so. “Then keep trying,” she said gently. “That’s it, you know? That’s the only secret to being better. Do everything you can to be better than you were yesterday, and if you stumble, keep going. And take whatever help you can get.” She said the last part with a smile.
“I think… that just maybe, if you believe in someone else enough, you might help them believe in themselves. And that alone can make a world of difference—whether you’re trying to fight an illness or become a better person.” She reached the end of her row, and slid the empty needle through her hands to begin another.
“And… thank you. Anastasia’s a good girl, but she so rarely reaches out to people. I think she’s afraid of another situation like her parents. I’m glad the three of you are around—you especially.” She didn’t indicate what about him in particular was different from the others. Perhaps because Ana hadn’t figured it out herself yet. There were a few ways something like that could go—Miranda had no desire to interfere so much as to choose between them.
Eryk huffed slightly, but there was the faintest sliver of a smile on his face. He shook his head softly and leaned a little further into his chair, if it were possible. "That would make two of us," he said as he glanced out into the yard. He looked too comfortable in his surroundings, perhaps because he'd been here so often. "But... if it is important for her, then I shall do what I can to do right... by her," he continued, though from the look on his face, he seemed a little embarrassed now. His face didn't stain with any particular color, but the tone of his voice had suggested it.
“I’m sure you will,” Miranda agreed, smiling secretively to herself.
Cyrilla stared at Lithe, having a silent staring contest with him. It was a little difficult now that he was a little over six feet tall, and staring down at her. She almost missed her little growlithe, however; now that he was an arcanine, she had a large furball of warmth. She chuckled softly to herself as she leaned further into his side. It was a little cold outside, but since Lithe was naturally warm, he was acting as her current jacket. The day was too pretty to spend inside, and she decided she wanted to be outside. Plus, it would be a good way to clear her head. After she and Kas had left the store, and after she'd left Kas's side, her stomach started doing odd flips. She could have sworn she had butterfrees in her stomach.
"Why, Lithe, why is it so hard sometimes?" she asked, watching as Lithe blinked at her and tilted his head. Of course he wouldn't know, because he didn't know what she was talking about. She laughed slightly, and reached up to scratch underneath his jaw. He let out a soft rumbling noise before laying his head back against his paws. She sighed softly, turning her attention back to the picture in her hand. It was the picture from Thanksgiving of all of them smiling. She smiled at it. It would be nice if they could all have something like this. If they weren't part of Team Rocket, if they weren't investigating Ana...
"Lithe, you're supposed to be distracting me!" she stated leaning further into his side. He let loose a grunt of disapproval as he shifted. He wasn't helping, and she knew Kenshin would only make things a little worse. Besides, he'd stayed behind at the base.
“Cyrilla!”
The island was quite small; running into Ana at the park wasn’t unexpected, really. She seemed to be walking Rufus today. He kept himself at heel right at her left side; she looked to be taking the walk slowly, perhaps on account of his age. Ana blinked up at Lithe, grinning broadly. “I recognize your friend here. When did you decide to evolve him? Or perhaps I should ask when he decided he wanted to evolve?” She seemed to have either guessed or somehow known that it was Lithe’s preference rather than Cy’s that had ultimately decided the matter.
"Hi Ana!" Cyrilla greeted back, waving towards Ana and Rufus. She glanced up at Lithe before smiling sheepishly. "Yesterday, actually. The other day we had a conversation about it because he wouldn't leave me be. I'm not entirely sure why he wanted to evolve, but he did. Plus, I lost the contest and I'd promised him that he'd evolve if he won," she replied, a bright smile on her face. She didn't particularly like the idea of him evolving, but it was his decision, and she wasn't going to take that from him. If he wanted to evolve, then she'd let him. And because he won their staring contest. Lithe seemed to huff in agreement, nodding his head as he did so before wagging his tail towards Ana.
"He's so warm and fluffy now, though, so I guess I can't be too upset about it," she added, turning to wrap her arms around his neck and leaned into his fur. "And I also have more transportation besides Rapidash," she grinned, earning a slight scoff from Lithe. He was big enough to ride if she'd wanted to, but she liked walking a little more. Speaking of which...
"Are you taking Rufus out for a walk? Do you want us to come?" she asked. It would also be a good way to distract her mind. That, and talking with Ana was always fun.
“Well,” Ana replied, “we’re actually already about halfway through our route, but you’re welcome to join us the rest of the way.” She took a few steps forward to pat the side of Lithe’s face, moving her hand down to scratch beneath his chin.
The four of them started back down the path; Rufus ranged ahead to sniff at things, but he never wandered too far from Ana, even without a lead. Ana walked with her hands clasped loosely behind her back, her face turned slightly up towards the sun. “Maybe he just wants to protect you,” she said quietly, referring to Lithe’s reason for evolving. “He…” she hesitated, as though trying to decide what to say. “He seems to be that sort. Growlithes and Arcanines often are.”
Cyrilla turned towards Lithe and shook her head at him. If that were the case, she could understand why. It wasn't a secret that she wanted to train them to be stronger so she could protect them somehow, but she supposed she never thought of it that way. Maybe that's why Kenshin was so upset? Not because he couldn't battle, but because he couldn't protect her. She'd have to talk to him about that. Maybe then he could brighten up a little more.
"He could have easily done that as a growlithe, but then again," she began trailing off for a second. She sighed softly, but kept her gaze outwards as they walked. "Like I said, I can't exactly be upset about it. It was his decision, after all," she continued chuckling lightly as she did.
"So, Kenny told me what happened the other day, with you and Eryk," she decided to turn the conversation on Ana. She thought it was adorable, but she did scold Kenshin lightly about what he did. He didn't hurt Ana, but he could have. Still, the way Eryk reacted, it was endearing a bit.
Ana looked confused for a second, as though she were trying to decide exactly what Cyrilla was referring to. “You mean when we gave the pokémon baths?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. “I do that every couple of weeks or so. Only a few of them need it more often than that. Did Kenshin find something about it especially strange or something?” She clearly had no idea what Cyrilla was getting at.
Cyrilla just stared at Ana for a moment, her smile gone. She wasn't upset or anything, but she did find it highly amusing that Ana didn't know what she was talking about. She tried not to giggle, but she couldn't exactly contain it all. When she finished, and she was able to catch her breath, she managed to look Ana in the eye, and gave her a coy smile. Kenshin might have done it on purpose, now that she thought about it, but she could understand his reasons, somewhat.
"He just said it was cute," she decided to say, her tone full of mischief. Part of her wished she had been there so she could have seen it first hand, but she'll just have to take Kenshin's word for it. Lithe huffed slightly, pushing his head against Cy's back, and she turned around towards him, narrowing her eyes at him. "What was that for?" she questioned as he merely huffed. It wasn't like she was teasing Ana entirely, after all.
The additional information didn’t seem that clarificatory, but Ana must have decided she understood what Cyrilla meant, because she smiled and nodded. “Some of the pokémon are really cute, yes,” she said, apparently presuming that this was agreeing with what Cy had said. “Rufus especially really enjoys his baths. It’s nice to see them excited about something.”
They walked for a little longer; at some point, Ana glanced at Cyrilla out of the corner of her eye. “So what about you, Cy? Out to clear your head, or just to enjoy the park?”
Cyrilla shook her head. Some people wouldn't understand what she was talking about, and that was okay. They just weren't as in tune with their feelings as she was. Instead, the walk went by relatively peaceful. She was enjoying how tranquil it was, the cool breeze on her face, when Ana spoke. "Actually, a little bit of both," she replied turning her head to face Ana. She'd succeeded in clearing her head now that she was walking with Ana, but now she was enjoying the view. She wasn't at the park anymore, so she couldn't say that.
"I came outside today to clear my head of a few things, and Lithe was supposed to distract me," she continued, glancing towards the arcanine. He merely huffed at her, a smug look on his face. It was almost as if he was trying not to distract her on purpose. Was he trying to say something too? She shook her head at the thought, and resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Some help he was, though. He couldn't keep me distracted longer than two minutes," she jested. In all honesty, she couldn't keep herself distracted.
"But now that you're here, my head is clear, and I can think straight!"
“Well, that’s good,” Ana said, if with a slight hint of bemusement. “I won’t ask you what you were trying not to think about, since that kind of defeats the purpose. Instead… hm. Well, the first round of the Kanto Regional Tournament is in a week. Do you think Eryk and Kas are going to be ready for it?”
She smiled a little; there was something almost melancholy in it. “I’m afraid you see more of both of them than I do; I keep missing chances to ask…”
Well, even if she didn't ask, she'd brought it up unknowingly by asking about them, him. Cyrilla sighed softly. "I think so. They've been practicing almost every Thursday since after Thanksgiving. Either Eryk isn't human, or he must have a lot of stamina. Between practicing with Kas, to helping you out, to doing what he needs to do at the mansion, I'm surprised he hasn't collapsed yet," she spoke. It was almost true, now that she thought about it. Eryk was always doing something, but he never looked tired. Maybe he really wasn't human?
"Well that's a silly thought, though," she added as an after thought. "You're coming with to help cheer them on, right?"
For some reason, the question appeared to make Ana a little… nervous? She started to fidget in a way she hadn’t before. Just little things, unremarkable on their own—but taken together, she almost looked uncomfortable now. “Y-yes,” she said, offering up a strange sort of smile. It might have just been the sunshine or the walk, but there looked to be a bit more color in her face this time. “To this one… and to the final rounds, if they make it that far.” She didn’t seem to doubt that they would.
Cyrilla raised a brow at Ana, a somewhat sly forming on her face. "Is that so? What if... they both make it to the finals, and one of them has to win? Who would you cheer for, then? You couldn't cheer for them both, because one of them would have to win," she decided to ask. This was going to be fun.
Ana cleared her throat. “Umm…” She considered that for several long moments; her expression shifted to one that was almost distressed. “I don’t—do I really have to choose? Can’t I just… cheer for both of them?”
"Nope."
She pushed her bottom lip out slightly. It must have been Ana’s version of something like pouting, but it disappeared quickly. She sighed, clearing her throat again and steadily turning redder. “Do you… do you promise not to tell?”
It took a lot of effort on Cyrilla's end not to laugh at Ana. She could almost tell where this was going, and some deep part of her, found it endearing. It was also adorable the way Ana was blushing right now. "I swear on my own heart that I will not tell a single soul," she finally replied, holding out her pinky in the process. "This I pinky promise," she added, giving Ana a goofy smile.
Almost despite herself, it seemed, Ana huffed a soft laugh, linking her pinky with Cyrilla’s. “It’s… I’d hope Eryk would win,” she confessed. “Kas is my friend, too, and I’m sure he’s really good, but… Eryk told me that it used to be his dream to be the kind of trainer that could challenge the League and be the Champion, and… this tournament would be like a step towards that. Even if he didn’t want it anymore, he… I think it would be good for him to know that he could, if he wanted to.” She sighed, dropping her hand and turning her eyes towards the clouds overhead.
“That it wasn’t… it wasn’t a waste, for him to dream that.”
Cyrilla blinked slowly, taking in what Ana just said. Eryk told her that? A slow smile spread across her lips at the thought. It really was something, wasn't it? If he felt that comfortable telling Ana something like that... she shook her head, keeping the smile in place. "Now I kind of want to change who I'd cheer on," she spoke, placing a teasing tone to her voice. She really did envy Ana, sometimes. She was changing Eryk's fundamental way of thinking, making him see more than she could ever do, herself. This was something she wanted for Eryk, and if Ana could provide that, then she would keep encouraging it.
"You know, Ana, I'm going to cheer you on," she spoke, knowing she'd confuse Ana since she wasn't participating in the battle. She was going to cheer her on for something else. She might not be an expert in it, but she was under its sway long before she even knew it, and what she could see, it was the same thing she felt. Or maybe she was seeing something that wasn't there, entirely? Maybe she was just a really good friend for Eryk? "I just want you to know that I'm in your corner if you ever need me." Sometimes she wished there was someone there for her when she first found out about it.
Ana did, indeed, seem a bit perplexed by that, but she got over it quickly, replacing the expression with a bright smile. “How about another promise, then? I’ll stand by you and you’ll stand by me.” She lifted her hand again, extending her pinky towards Cyrilla.
Cyrilla chuckled. Linking her pinky with Ana's, she spoke, "It's a promise."
"Why, Lithe, why is it so hard sometimes?" she asked, watching as Lithe blinked at her and tilted his head. Of course he wouldn't know, because he didn't know what she was talking about. She laughed slightly, and reached up to scratch underneath his jaw. He let out a soft rumbling noise before laying his head back against his paws. She sighed softly, turning her attention back to the picture in her hand. It was the picture from Thanksgiving of all of them smiling. She smiled at it. It would be nice if they could all have something like this. If they weren't part of Team Rocket, if they weren't investigating Ana...
"Lithe, you're supposed to be distracting me!" she stated leaning further into his side. He let loose a grunt of disapproval as he shifted. He wasn't helping, and she knew Kenshin would only make things a little worse. Besides, he'd stayed behind at the base.
“Cyrilla!”
The island was quite small; running into Ana at the park wasn’t unexpected, really. She seemed to be walking Rufus today. He kept himself at heel right at her left side; she looked to be taking the walk slowly, perhaps on account of his age. Ana blinked up at Lithe, grinning broadly. “I recognize your friend here. When did you decide to evolve him? Or perhaps I should ask when he decided he wanted to evolve?” She seemed to have either guessed or somehow known that it was Lithe’s preference rather than Cy’s that had ultimately decided the matter.
"Hi Ana!" Cyrilla greeted back, waving towards Ana and Rufus. She glanced up at Lithe before smiling sheepishly. "Yesterday, actually. The other day we had a conversation about it because he wouldn't leave me be. I'm not entirely sure why he wanted to evolve, but he did. Plus, I lost the contest and I'd promised him that he'd evolve if he won," she replied, a bright smile on her face. She didn't particularly like the idea of him evolving, but it was his decision, and she wasn't going to take that from him. If he wanted to evolve, then she'd let him. And because he won their staring contest. Lithe seemed to huff in agreement, nodding his head as he did so before wagging his tail towards Ana.
"He's so warm and fluffy now, though, so I guess I can't be too upset about it," she added, turning to wrap her arms around his neck and leaned into his fur. "And I also have more transportation besides Rapidash," she grinned, earning a slight scoff from Lithe. He was big enough to ride if she'd wanted to, but she liked walking a little more. Speaking of which...
"Are you taking Rufus out for a walk? Do you want us to come?" she asked. It would also be a good way to distract her mind. That, and talking with Ana was always fun.
“Well,” Ana replied, “we’re actually already about halfway through our route, but you’re welcome to join us the rest of the way.” She took a few steps forward to pat the side of Lithe’s face, moving her hand down to scratch beneath his chin.
The four of them started back down the path; Rufus ranged ahead to sniff at things, but he never wandered too far from Ana, even without a lead. Ana walked with her hands clasped loosely behind her back, her face turned slightly up towards the sun. “Maybe he just wants to protect you,” she said quietly, referring to Lithe’s reason for evolving. “He…” she hesitated, as though trying to decide what to say. “He seems to be that sort. Growlithes and Arcanines often are.”
Cyrilla turned towards Lithe and shook her head at him. If that were the case, she could understand why. It wasn't a secret that she wanted to train them to be stronger so she could protect them somehow, but she supposed she never thought of it that way. Maybe that's why Kenshin was so upset? Not because he couldn't battle, but because he couldn't protect her. She'd have to talk to him about that. Maybe then he could brighten up a little more.
"He could have easily done that as a growlithe, but then again," she began trailing off for a second. She sighed softly, but kept her gaze outwards as they walked. "Like I said, I can't exactly be upset about it. It was his decision, after all," she continued chuckling lightly as she did.
"So, Kenny told me what happened the other day, with you and Eryk," she decided to turn the conversation on Ana. She thought it was adorable, but she did scold Kenshin lightly about what he did. He didn't hurt Ana, but he could have. Still, the way Eryk reacted, it was endearing a bit.
Ana looked confused for a second, as though she were trying to decide exactly what Cyrilla was referring to. “You mean when we gave the pokémon baths?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. “I do that every couple of weeks or so. Only a few of them need it more often than that. Did Kenshin find something about it especially strange or something?” She clearly had no idea what Cyrilla was getting at.
Cyrilla just stared at Ana for a moment, her smile gone. She wasn't upset or anything, but she did find it highly amusing that Ana didn't know what she was talking about. She tried not to giggle, but she couldn't exactly contain it all. When she finished, and she was able to catch her breath, she managed to look Ana in the eye, and gave her a coy smile. Kenshin might have done it on purpose, now that she thought about it, but she could understand his reasons, somewhat.
"He just said it was cute," she decided to say, her tone full of mischief. Part of her wished she had been there so she could have seen it first hand, but she'll just have to take Kenshin's word for it. Lithe huffed slightly, pushing his head against Cy's back, and she turned around towards him, narrowing her eyes at him. "What was that for?" she questioned as he merely huffed. It wasn't like she was teasing Ana entirely, after all.
The additional information didn’t seem that clarificatory, but Ana must have decided she understood what Cyrilla meant, because she smiled and nodded. “Some of the pokémon are really cute, yes,” she said, apparently presuming that this was agreeing with what Cy had said. “Rufus especially really enjoys his baths. It’s nice to see them excited about something.”
They walked for a little longer; at some point, Ana glanced at Cyrilla out of the corner of her eye. “So what about you, Cy? Out to clear your head, or just to enjoy the park?”
Cyrilla shook her head. Some people wouldn't understand what she was talking about, and that was okay. They just weren't as in tune with their feelings as she was. Instead, the walk went by relatively peaceful. She was enjoying how tranquil it was, the cool breeze on her face, when Ana spoke. "Actually, a little bit of both," she replied turning her head to face Ana. She'd succeeded in clearing her head now that she was walking with Ana, but now she was enjoying the view. She wasn't at the park anymore, so she couldn't say that.
"I came outside today to clear my head of a few things, and Lithe was supposed to distract me," she continued, glancing towards the arcanine. He merely huffed at her, a smug look on his face. It was almost as if he was trying not to distract her on purpose. Was he trying to say something too? She shook her head at the thought, and resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Some help he was, though. He couldn't keep me distracted longer than two minutes," she jested. In all honesty, she couldn't keep herself distracted.
"But now that you're here, my head is clear, and I can think straight!"
“Well, that’s good,” Ana said, if with a slight hint of bemusement. “I won’t ask you what you were trying not to think about, since that kind of defeats the purpose. Instead… hm. Well, the first round of the Kanto Regional Tournament is in a week. Do you think Eryk and Kas are going to be ready for it?”
She smiled a little; there was something almost melancholy in it. “I’m afraid you see more of both of them than I do; I keep missing chances to ask…”
Well, even if she didn't ask, she'd brought it up unknowingly by asking about them, him. Cyrilla sighed softly. "I think so. They've been practicing almost every Thursday since after Thanksgiving. Either Eryk isn't human, or he must have a lot of stamina. Between practicing with Kas, to helping you out, to doing what he needs to do at the mansion, I'm surprised he hasn't collapsed yet," she spoke. It was almost true, now that she thought about it. Eryk was always doing something, but he never looked tired. Maybe he really wasn't human?
"Well that's a silly thought, though," she added as an after thought. "You're coming with to help cheer them on, right?"
For some reason, the question appeared to make Ana a little… nervous? She started to fidget in a way she hadn’t before. Just little things, unremarkable on their own—but taken together, she almost looked uncomfortable now. “Y-yes,” she said, offering up a strange sort of smile. It might have just been the sunshine or the walk, but there looked to be a bit more color in her face this time. “To this one… and to the final rounds, if they make it that far.” She didn’t seem to doubt that they would.
Cyrilla raised a brow at Ana, a somewhat sly forming on her face. "Is that so? What if... they both make it to the finals, and one of them has to win? Who would you cheer for, then? You couldn't cheer for them both, because one of them would have to win," she decided to ask. This was going to be fun.
Ana cleared her throat. “Umm…” She considered that for several long moments; her expression shifted to one that was almost distressed. “I don’t—do I really have to choose? Can’t I just… cheer for both of them?”
"Nope."
She pushed her bottom lip out slightly. It must have been Ana’s version of something like pouting, but it disappeared quickly. She sighed, clearing her throat again and steadily turning redder. “Do you… do you promise not to tell?”
It took a lot of effort on Cyrilla's end not to laugh at Ana. She could almost tell where this was going, and some deep part of her, found it endearing. It was also adorable the way Ana was blushing right now. "I swear on my own heart that I will not tell a single soul," she finally replied, holding out her pinky in the process. "This I pinky promise," she added, giving Ana a goofy smile.
Almost despite herself, it seemed, Ana huffed a soft laugh, linking her pinky with Cyrilla’s. “It’s… I’d hope Eryk would win,” she confessed. “Kas is my friend, too, and I’m sure he’s really good, but… Eryk told me that it used to be his dream to be the kind of trainer that could challenge the League and be the Champion, and… this tournament would be like a step towards that. Even if he didn’t want it anymore, he… I think it would be good for him to know that he could, if he wanted to.” She sighed, dropping her hand and turning her eyes towards the clouds overhead.
“That it wasn’t… it wasn’t a waste, for him to dream that.”
Cyrilla blinked slowly, taking in what Ana just said. Eryk told her that? A slow smile spread across her lips at the thought. It really was something, wasn't it? If he felt that comfortable telling Ana something like that... she shook her head, keeping the smile in place. "Now I kind of want to change who I'd cheer on," she spoke, placing a teasing tone to her voice. She really did envy Ana, sometimes. She was changing Eryk's fundamental way of thinking, making him see more than she could ever do, herself. This was something she wanted for Eryk, and if Ana could provide that, then she would keep encouraging it.
"You know, Ana, I'm going to cheer you on," she spoke, knowing she'd confuse Ana since she wasn't participating in the battle. She was going to cheer her on for something else. She might not be an expert in it, but she was under its sway long before she even knew it, and what she could see, it was the same thing she felt. Or maybe she was seeing something that wasn't there, entirely? Maybe she was just a really good friend for Eryk? "I just want you to know that I'm in your corner if you ever need me." Sometimes she wished there was someone there for her when she first found out about it.
Ana did, indeed, seem a bit perplexed by that, but she got over it quickly, replacing the expression with a bright smile. “How about another promise, then? I’ll stand by you and you’ll stand by me.” She lifted her hand again, extending her pinky towards Cyrilla.
Cyrilla chuckled. Linking her pinky with Ana's, she spoke, "It's a promise."
Ana yawned, shaking her head at the end of it and flipping the page of her book. The night was a quiet one, and cool, at least relative to the island’s climate. Rain pattered softly outside, tracing furrows down the glass of the window to the left of her chair. She was getting near the part where the heroine and her trusty rapidash approached the castle belonging to her nemesis; the battle that followed was her favorite part of the story. Maribelle had been through a lot over the course of the book—this was the part where she got to rise above those challenges and prove her worthiness to the Queen who’d made her a knight.
“Ser Maribelle of Cantour again?” On the small living room sofa, Miranda was knitting. The news was on, but muted; she glanced up at the screen occasionally, but was mostly focused on what she was doing.
Ana figured she must have lifted the book enough for her aunt to read the title. “Mhm,” she affirmed softly. “I’m almost to the Battle of Skylake.”
Miranda smiled. “You wouldn’t let me stop in the middle of that part, the first time I read that story to you. We had to stay up for an extra hour to get all the way through.” Her needles made soft clacking noises against one another, but it wasn’t loud enough to be annoying. It was, in fact, part of the distinct soundtrack of Ana’s childhood.
“It’s the best part,” Ana said, figuring her nine-year-old self probably had other reasons for wanting to stay up a little longer with Auntie Miranda.
“Oh, I agree,” she said kindly. “And I thought it was an important one for you to hear. After all that girl went through, she still managed to come out victorious in the end, and conquer her demons.”
Ana took a deep breath, closing the book over the leather strip she used to mark her place. The cover was worn by now, the red paper faded at the edges and slightly crinkled. Many of the pages were dog-eared—she’d owned the book long before she’d cared about things like bookmarks or keeping her reading material in good condition. ‘Well-loved’ was the term Miranda used for it. Ana just thought it was beat up.
She ran her hand over it, trying not to frown. “I guess it was,” she mused. Maybe it had even helped her later, when things were so much worse for her than they’d been at nine. Back then, death had been something vague, something she didn’t quite yet understand. In the years to follow, she’d realized she had much bigger problems than the fact that her parents didn’t want her anymore.
Or so she’d seen it for such a long time. She knew now that it wasn’t about wanting. They just couldn’t keep her. And her problems were the reason.
She shifted, one of her bare calves brushing against the other. She’d propped both on the ottoman that went with her armchair, but now she curled them in towards herself, tucking them under her body.
“But… I don’t know. Some problems just don’t get solved that way.” There was no working hard enough to make her Everett’s go away. No willing strong enough to keep herself from catching any of the dozens of more mundane diseases that could kill her if her immune system faltered. She couldn’t make herself live any longer than she was going to, even if it sometimes seemed…
She swallowed. “It’s not fair,” Ana said quietly.
The steady click of knitting needles paused. Ana looked up at her aunt, who was lowering her yarn into her lap, watching her with a gentle expression.
“It’s been a long time since I heard you say that,” Miranda observed.
Ana pursed her lips. “For a while, I… I kind of figured that I just needed to change how I looked at things. I thought… I thought that all I really wanted was to do something meaningful before it was over, you know?” It was why she’d left home in the first place. Why she’d started the shelter out here. Why she continued to run it: it was meaningful to her, and it was something she could do before she was gone.
“But?” Miranda prompted softly.
She sighed; it stirred the ends of her bangs, which fell right back into her eyes, regardless. On the floor beside her, Aithne shifted in her sleep; her fluffy tails twitched. Ana licked her lips.
“But now, I think… in some ways, it doesn’t matter how good the time I have left is. I want… I want more of it. So much more than I have, and…” And it wasn’t enough anymore, to say that she was living as well as she could with the time she had. For the first time in years, Ana was actually…
“I’m afraid of dying,” she whispered.
“Oh, honey,” her aunt said softly. “Come here, Ana.” She set aside her project and opened her arms.
Ana didn’t argue; she slid out of the chair and settled herself next to her aunt, leaning up against her and nuzzling her face into Miranda’s shoulder. All the miserable things she’d pushed aside for the better part of the last three years were hitting her all at once now. She missed Edgar. She missed being a kid and not knowing about her disease, not worrying that the next day, the next week could be the last one she had in her.
She felt the selfish desire to change her own fate, and the utter hopelessness of knowing it was completely out of her own hands. She felt jealous of everyone who would get to live a long, full life, with no more risk than anyone else. She wanted to live a life like that. A long one, with all the good things. Her friends, her pokémon, her shelter, and maybe someday a family. Maybe someday a degree in pokémon studies and the job she’d wanted since she was a little girl.
She wanted… she wanted…
“I can’t… I can’t stop wanting things anymore,” she said into Miranda’s shoulder. “I can’t…” She squeezed her eyes shut and curled her fingers into her aunt’s cardigan.
Miranda’s arms were warm and strong around her; she held on just as tightly as Ana did. “I know, sweetie, I know. If I could give you time, I would. I’d do anything, Ana.”
One of her hands moved up to Ana’s hair, stroking it gently in repetitive, soothing motions. Ana didn’t cry—she couldn’t remember the last time she’d cried—but she trembled, her breaths shaky in her lungs. She hated feeling this way, and she hated burdening her aunt with it. These were supposed to be her troubles to bear. She’d kept them from her friends for this long; she’d kept them from everyone this long. But…
They only seemed to get worse as time went on.
“Ana,” Miranda said quietly, tucking a strand of pink hair behind her ear. “You can’t give up, darling. I know it seems impossible, but there’s always a chance. That’s what—” She cleared her throat; her voice was thick. “That’s what I wanted you to know, when I first read you that book. I don’t want you to lose hope, honey.”
But ten percent was the survival rate for her condition, and Ana knew she wasn’t anywhere near special enough to be in that ten percent.
“I hate… I hate not being able to make plans,” she said softly, miserably. She was wretched. Wretched for thinking like this. Other people in the world went through so much more than she ever had—other people suffered far worse. Her life was a gift, and she hated it because it wasn’t the one she wanted anymore. How much more terrible could she be?
“So make them,” her aunt said softly. “Make plans. And plan to be around to complete them. It doesn’t do you any good to plan to die, Ana.”
She knew that. But… but still.
“I have to,” she replied. “Because if I don’t, then when it happens, there won’t be anyone to look after the shelter. And I might… I might do something stupid.” She pulled in a shuddering lungful of air.
Miranda shifted slightly beside her. “Stupid how?” she asked gently.
Ana steadied herself with several more slow breaths. She wasn’t shaking quite as badly now; she tried to collect herself enough to put her thoughts to words, but it wasn’t easy. “I might… I might hurt someone,” she said, almost too softly to hear. “I could hurt them, my friends. They know I’m… they know about the Everett’s, but… if I start to plan for the future, they might think I’ll be there, and I don’t want… I don’t want to let them down.”
A soft sigh stirred the hair at the top of her head. Miranda rubbed her back in small circles. “Having friends is wonderful and strange, isn’t it? That’s why it can hurt a lot, too. But Ana—if they know and they still haven’t left, it means they want to be here. And you shouldn’t stop doing things with them or making plans with them because you’re afraid you won’t be there when the time comes. They seem like clever people—they know what might happen.”
Slowly, Ana nodded. She wasn’t so sure, but… she didn’t want to bother her aunt with her doubts anymore, so she slowly leaned back, until she was upright and looking into Miranda’s softly-smiling face. “I’m glad you’re here, Auntie.” It was the truth; after all this time, her aunt was basically her mother. Neither of them referred to each other that way, but the words didn’t matter. They were what they were, and just now… Ana had needed her aunt.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to stay, honey? I’d be happy to; you know that.”
She did, but that was all the more reason she couldn’t let it happen. Ana shook her head. “I want you to go enjoy yourself,” she said quietly. “I’ll… I’ll let you know if it feels like… it’ll be soon.”
Miranda placed a softly-wrinkled hand on each side of Ana’s face; her skin was thin, like paper, and pleasantly dry. More than anything, it was warm. For several moments, she searched her eyes, then nodded slowly.
“All right, dear. But I want a phone call every week, okay?”
Ana dipped her chin, finding a smile somewhere inside herself and dredging it up to the surface.
“Okay.”
“Ser Maribelle of Cantour again?” On the small living room sofa, Miranda was knitting. The news was on, but muted; she glanced up at the screen occasionally, but was mostly focused on what she was doing.
Ana figured she must have lifted the book enough for her aunt to read the title. “Mhm,” she affirmed softly. “I’m almost to the Battle of Skylake.”
Miranda smiled. “You wouldn’t let me stop in the middle of that part, the first time I read that story to you. We had to stay up for an extra hour to get all the way through.” Her needles made soft clacking noises against one another, but it wasn’t loud enough to be annoying. It was, in fact, part of the distinct soundtrack of Ana’s childhood.
“It’s the best part,” Ana said, figuring her nine-year-old self probably had other reasons for wanting to stay up a little longer with Auntie Miranda.
“Oh, I agree,” she said kindly. “And I thought it was an important one for you to hear. After all that girl went through, she still managed to come out victorious in the end, and conquer her demons.”
Ana took a deep breath, closing the book over the leather strip she used to mark her place. The cover was worn by now, the red paper faded at the edges and slightly crinkled. Many of the pages were dog-eared—she’d owned the book long before she’d cared about things like bookmarks or keeping her reading material in good condition. ‘Well-loved’ was the term Miranda used for it. Ana just thought it was beat up.
She ran her hand over it, trying not to frown. “I guess it was,” she mused. Maybe it had even helped her later, when things were so much worse for her than they’d been at nine. Back then, death had been something vague, something she didn’t quite yet understand. In the years to follow, she’d realized she had much bigger problems than the fact that her parents didn’t want her anymore.
Or so she’d seen it for such a long time. She knew now that it wasn’t about wanting. They just couldn’t keep her. And her problems were the reason.
She shifted, one of her bare calves brushing against the other. She’d propped both on the ottoman that went with her armchair, but now she curled them in towards herself, tucking them under her body.
“But… I don’t know. Some problems just don’t get solved that way.” There was no working hard enough to make her Everett’s go away. No willing strong enough to keep herself from catching any of the dozens of more mundane diseases that could kill her if her immune system faltered. She couldn’t make herself live any longer than she was going to, even if it sometimes seemed…
She swallowed. “It’s not fair,” Ana said quietly.
The steady click of knitting needles paused. Ana looked up at her aunt, who was lowering her yarn into her lap, watching her with a gentle expression.
“It’s been a long time since I heard you say that,” Miranda observed.
Ana pursed her lips. “For a while, I… I kind of figured that I just needed to change how I looked at things. I thought… I thought that all I really wanted was to do something meaningful before it was over, you know?” It was why she’d left home in the first place. Why she’d started the shelter out here. Why she continued to run it: it was meaningful to her, and it was something she could do before she was gone.
“But?” Miranda prompted softly.
She sighed; it stirred the ends of her bangs, which fell right back into her eyes, regardless. On the floor beside her, Aithne shifted in her sleep; her fluffy tails twitched. Ana licked her lips.
“But now, I think… in some ways, it doesn’t matter how good the time I have left is. I want… I want more of it. So much more than I have, and…” And it wasn’t enough anymore, to say that she was living as well as she could with the time she had. For the first time in years, Ana was actually…
“I’m afraid of dying,” she whispered.
“Oh, honey,” her aunt said softly. “Come here, Ana.” She set aside her project and opened her arms.
Ana didn’t argue; she slid out of the chair and settled herself next to her aunt, leaning up against her and nuzzling her face into Miranda’s shoulder. All the miserable things she’d pushed aside for the better part of the last three years were hitting her all at once now. She missed Edgar. She missed being a kid and not knowing about her disease, not worrying that the next day, the next week could be the last one she had in her.
She felt the selfish desire to change her own fate, and the utter hopelessness of knowing it was completely out of her own hands. She felt jealous of everyone who would get to live a long, full life, with no more risk than anyone else. She wanted to live a life like that. A long one, with all the good things. Her friends, her pokémon, her shelter, and maybe someday a family. Maybe someday a degree in pokémon studies and the job she’d wanted since she was a little girl.
She wanted… she wanted…
“I can’t… I can’t stop wanting things anymore,” she said into Miranda’s shoulder. “I can’t…” She squeezed her eyes shut and curled her fingers into her aunt’s cardigan.
Miranda’s arms were warm and strong around her; she held on just as tightly as Ana did. “I know, sweetie, I know. If I could give you time, I would. I’d do anything, Ana.”
One of her hands moved up to Ana’s hair, stroking it gently in repetitive, soothing motions. Ana didn’t cry—she couldn’t remember the last time she’d cried—but she trembled, her breaths shaky in her lungs. She hated feeling this way, and she hated burdening her aunt with it. These were supposed to be her troubles to bear. She’d kept them from her friends for this long; she’d kept them from everyone this long. But…
They only seemed to get worse as time went on.
“Ana,” Miranda said quietly, tucking a strand of pink hair behind her ear. “You can’t give up, darling. I know it seems impossible, but there’s always a chance. That’s what—” She cleared her throat; her voice was thick. “That’s what I wanted you to know, when I first read you that book. I don’t want you to lose hope, honey.”
But ten percent was the survival rate for her condition, and Ana knew she wasn’t anywhere near special enough to be in that ten percent.
“I hate… I hate not being able to make plans,” she said softly, miserably. She was wretched. Wretched for thinking like this. Other people in the world went through so much more than she ever had—other people suffered far worse. Her life was a gift, and she hated it because it wasn’t the one she wanted anymore. How much more terrible could she be?
“So make them,” her aunt said softly. “Make plans. And plan to be around to complete them. It doesn’t do you any good to plan to die, Ana.”
She knew that. But… but still.
“I have to,” she replied. “Because if I don’t, then when it happens, there won’t be anyone to look after the shelter. And I might… I might do something stupid.” She pulled in a shuddering lungful of air.
Miranda shifted slightly beside her. “Stupid how?” she asked gently.
Ana steadied herself with several more slow breaths. She wasn’t shaking quite as badly now; she tried to collect herself enough to put her thoughts to words, but it wasn’t easy. “I might… I might hurt someone,” she said, almost too softly to hear. “I could hurt them, my friends. They know I’m… they know about the Everett’s, but… if I start to plan for the future, they might think I’ll be there, and I don’t want… I don’t want to let them down.”
A soft sigh stirred the hair at the top of her head. Miranda rubbed her back in small circles. “Having friends is wonderful and strange, isn’t it? That’s why it can hurt a lot, too. But Ana—if they know and they still haven’t left, it means they want to be here. And you shouldn’t stop doing things with them or making plans with them because you’re afraid you won’t be there when the time comes. They seem like clever people—they know what might happen.”
Slowly, Ana nodded. She wasn’t so sure, but… she didn’t want to bother her aunt with her doubts anymore, so she slowly leaned back, until she was upright and looking into Miranda’s softly-smiling face. “I’m glad you’re here, Auntie.” It was the truth; after all this time, her aunt was basically her mother. Neither of them referred to each other that way, but the words didn’t matter. They were what they were, and just now… Ana had needed her aunt.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to stay, honey? I’d be happy to; you know that.”
She did, but that was all the more reason she couldn’t let it happen. Ana shook her head. “I want you to go enjoy yourself,” she said quietly. “I’ll… I’ll let you know if it feels like… it’ll be soon.”
Miranda placed a softly-wrinkled hand on each side of Ana’s face; her skin was thin, like paper, and pleasantly dry. More than anything, it was warm. For several moments, she searched her eyes, then nodded slowly.
“All right, dear. But I want a phone call every week, okay?”
Ana dipped her chin, finding a smile somewhere inside herself and dredging it up to the surface.
“Okay.”
"Kenshin," Cyrilla's voice snapped him out of his thoughts as he turned to look at her. He'd been looking out the window, staring at nothing in particular when she called out to him. She had a look of contemplation on her face, and he could almost feel the hesitation in her aura. Something was bothering her, and it must have something to do with him. He pushed himself away from the window and gave her his full attention.
What is it? he asked, watching as she shifted in her spot. She sighed softly, pulling a stray hair from her face.
"I want to ask you something, and I don't want you to get upset, but," she began, and his eyes narrowed. He could tell where this was going to go, but he didn't necessarily like it. He hated when she brought it up because she felt bad about it, and it made him feel worse than it needed to be. "How are you feeling?" though he knew that wasn't quite what she wanted to ask. She was going to build up to it, and that was alright, he supposed. Maybe he could steer the questioning in a different direction.
I'm fine, Cy. I am as I've always been, and as I'll always be, he replied, watching as she shook her head.
"That's really vague, Kenny, and you know it," she spoke.
He did.
He knew it was vague, but what was he supposed to say? That he was still in pain sometimes, and that there were days where it felt like he was suffocating? He couldn't tell her that. She would worry about him more than she needed to, and there were other things she needed to focus on. He sighed, though, and glanced back out towards the window. There wasn't much else to do, now that he was pretty much useless. He couldn't do anything to protect her, and he couldn't do anything to help her in the way she needed. He was useless. And he knew it, so why didn't she?
"You don't have to, Kenshin, you know that," she spoke as if reading his thoughts. He gave her a somewhat bewildered expression. She smiled softly at him and shook her head. "I was talking with Ana the other day, and something she said made me think of you. I just want you to know that, you don't have to. You don't have to beat yourself up because you can't protect me, anymore, Kenny. You don't... you really don't," she spoke, and he could tell she was having a hard time saying it. He frowned though.
Then what use am I if I can't do that? he spoke, his voice coming out more distressed than he had intended it to be. Cy, you don't understand. If I can't battle, and there isn't much use for me, then what good am I to you? I can't fight for you, I can't protect you. What if one day you're in trouble, and I can't do anything about it? What good am I to you? he continued, the tone in his voice slightly rising to something like anger. He wasn't angry at her. He was angry at himself.
"Kenshin," she began, but he didn't let her finish.
Don't, Cyrilla. We both know that what you say won't really mean anything. Just like how you say your feelings about him mean nothing more to you than they used to.
"That's not fair, Kenshin. My feelings for Kas have nothing to do with this, and you know it. That is not the same thing. I may feel what I feel, but at least I know enough to keep myself from breaking apart," she spoke, a slight hint of anger to her tone. She was upset that he'd brought it up, he knew that. "Kenshin, you know that I consider you as something more than just a pokémon. You're my friend, Kenshin. I don't... I don't want you to be my protector, or just some pokémon I've raised. We've... we've been through too much for that to hold any meaning to it. You're my friend, Kenshin. That's all I ever wanted from you, and I want you to keep being my friend. I don't... I don't want to lose you," she was on the verge of crying, he could see it. He sighed softly.
Cy—
"Don't. Don't say it's different for you, because we both know that's not true, Kenshin. I don't need you to be my protector. I don't need you to be just my pokémon. I just... I want you to be my friend, and be by my side as my friend. I don't want you to battle anymore. I never wanted any of you to battle. It... always hurts whenever I see you all battle because there isn't anything I can do to help you all. I... I hate it, and I hate what Remi has done to you," she was crying now. He could see the tears on her face, and her shoulders shaking as she tried to contain them.
"I hate that you feel this way about yourself, and that there isn't anything I can do about it, but," she began, trying to steady her breath. It was coming out rather short breathed, and he could tell she was struggling with it. "If I could go back to that day, I wouldn't have battled Remi. I wouldn't have let her hurt you the way she did. If I could take it all back, I would, Kenshin. But I can't. I can't turn back time, and it doesn't change the fact that I let this happen. If I had just let them demote me instead, if I hadn't been here trying to help Eryk, trying to lie to myself that I don't love Kas, then none of this would have happened. You wouldn't be hurt."
He shook his head and crossed the room. "But if I had never made those decisions, I wouldn't have you, Kenshin. If I had taken Ryk's offer a long time ago, I wouldn't know you, or Ana, or Kas. I wouldn't have seen the pokémon you've become. You know I love you more than anything, and you know I would give anything just to make you feel better, but I can't. I can't do that for you, Kenny. I feel so useless to you, but I can't allow myself to think like that. If I did, I would have lost you, and everyone else. So... please, please don't do this to yourself," she continued, pausing only momentarily to take a much needed breath.
I'm sorry, Cy, he spoke. He wrapped his arms around her, trying to hug her as best as he could. He was, after all, considerably shorter than she was, but he managed. She wrapped her arms around him, too, and he could feel how warm they both were, like this. I can't make any promises, but, but what? It wouldn't change how he felt. He'd always feel useless to her being how he was. He knew she never wanted any of this, and she really wasn't suited for it. She would have made a better caretaker than anything.
I'll try, Cy, he could promise her that much.
"That's all I want," she spoke, pulling back slightly to wipe her tears away. "If you can do that for me, then... I can try for you, alright?" she stated. He scoffed lightly. He wasn't sure what she meant by that, but he wasn't going to press any further than that. At least with this, he could lie to her. He could make her believe that he didn't feel this way about himself, and he could make sure she didn't feel that way either. Perhaps in time, his lie will become truth, and maybe... just maybe he could learn to live with himself for doing this to her. She was right about one thing, though. All he wanted to do was to be able to protect her. He'll find a way to do it.
Not today, not tomorrow, but someday.
What is it? he asked, watching as she shifted in her spot. She sighed softly, pulling a stray hair from her face.
"I want to ask you something, and I don't want you to get upset, but," she began, and his eyes narrowed. He could tell where this was going to go, but he didn't necessarily like it. He hated when she brought it up because she felt bad about it, and it made him feel worse than it needed to be. "How are you feeling?" though he knew that wasn't quite what she wanted to ask. She was going to build up to it, and that was alright, he supposed. Maybe he could steer the questioning in a different direction.
I'm fine, Cy. I am as I've always been, and as I'll always be, he replied, watching as she shook her head.
"That's really vague, Kenny, and you know it," she spoke.
He did.
He knew it was vague, but what was he supposed to say? That he was still in pain sometimes, and that there were days where it felt like he was suffocating? He couldn't tell her that. She would worry about him more than she needed to, and there were other things she needed to focus on. He sighed, though, and glanced back out towards the window. There wasn't much else to do, now that he was pretty much useless. He couldn't do anything to protect her, and he couldn't do anything to help her in the way she needed. He was useless. And he knew it, so why didn't she?
"You don't have to, Kenshin, you know that," she spoke as if reading his thoughts. He gave her a somewhat bewildered expression. She smiled softly at him and shook her head. "I was talking with Ana the other day, and something she said made me think of you. I just want you to know that, you don't have to. You don't have to beat yourself up because you can't protect me, anymore, Kenny. You don't... you really don't," she spoke, and he could tell she was having a hard time saying it. He frowned though.
Then what use am I if I can't do that? he spoke, his voice coming out more distressed than he had intended it to be. Cy, you don't understand. If I can't battle, and there isn't much use for me, then what good am I to you? I can't fight for you, I can't protect you. What if one day you're in trouble, and I can't do anything about it? What good am I to you? he continued, the tone in his voice slightly rising to something like anger. He wasn't angry at her. He was angry at himself.
"Kenshin," she began, but he didn't let her finish.
Don't, Cyrilla. We both know that what you say won't really mean anything. Just like how you say your feelings about him mean nothing more to you than they used to.
"That's not fair, Kenshin. My feelings for Kas have nothing to do with this, and you know it. That is not the same thing. I may feel what I feel, but at least I know enough to keep myself from breaking apart," she spoke, a slight hint of anger to her tone. She was upset that he'd brought it up, he knew that. "Kenshin, you know that I consider you as something more than just a pokémon. You're my friend, Kenshin. I don't... I don't want you to be my protector, or just some pokémon I've raised. We've... we've been through too much for that to hold any meaning to it. You're my friend, Kenshin. That's all I ever wanted from you, and I want you to keep being my friend. I don't... I don't want to lose you," she was on the verge of crying, he could see it. He sighed softly.
Cy—
"Don't. Don't say it's different for you, because we both know that's not true, Kenshin. I don't need you to be my protector. I don't need you to be just my pokémon. I just... I want you to be my friend, and be by my side as my friend. I don't want you to battle anymore. I never wanted any of you to battle. It... always hurts whenever I see you all battle because there isn't anything I can do to help you all. I... I hate it, and I hate what Remi has done to you," she was crying now. He could see the tears on her face, and her shoulders shaking as she tried to contain them.
"I hate that you feel this way about yourself, and that there isn't anything I can do about it, but," she began, trying to steady her breath. It was coming out rather short breathed, and he could tell she was struggling with it. "If I could go back to that day, I wouldn't have battled Remi. I wouldn't have let her hurt you the way she did. If I could take it all back, I would, Kenshin. But I can't. I can't turn back time, and it doesn't change the fact that I let this happen. If I had just let them demote me instead, if I hadn't been here trying to help Eryk, trying to lie to myself that I don't love Kas, then none of this would have happened. You wouldn't be hurt."
He shook his head and crossed the room. "But if I had never made those decisions, I wouldn't have you, Kenshin. If I had taken Ryk's offer a long time ago, I wouldn't know you, or Ana, or Kas. I wouldn't have seen the pokémon you've become. You know I love you more than anything, and you know I would give anything just to make you feel better, but I can't. I can't do that for you, Kenny. I feel so useless to you, but I can't allow myself to think like that. If I did, I would have lost you, and everyone else. So... please, please don't do this to yourself," she continued, pausing only momentarily to take a much needed breath.
I'm sorry, Cy, he spoke. He wrapped his arms around her, trying to hug her as best as he could. He was, after all, considerably shorter than she was, but he managed. She wrapped her arms around him, too, and he could feel how warm they both were, like this. I can't make any promises, but, but what? It wouldn't change how he felt. He'd always feel useless to her being how he was. He knew she never wanted any of this, and she really wasn't suited for it. She would have made a better caretaker than anything.
I'll try, Cy, he could promise her that much.
"That's all I want," she spoke, pulling back slightly to wipe her tears away. "If you can do that for me, then... I can try for you, alright?" she stated. He scoffed lightly. He wasn't sure what she meant by that, but he wasn't going to press any further than that. At least with this, he could lie to her. He could make her believe that he didn't feel this way about himself, and he could make sure she didn't feel that way either. Perhaps in time, his lie will become truth, and maybe... just maybe he could learn to live with himself for doing this to her. She was right about one thing, though. All he wanted to do was to be able to protect her. He'll find a way to do it.
Not today, not tomorrow, but someday.
The island had suddenly gotten a lot livelier. Kas could easily trace that to the influx of contestants for the tournament, plus the spectators. Cinnabar’s few hotels were full, as was the Pokémon Center. They were using the Gym facilities for the matches—no doubt Drake would be glad to have a few days off from his constant influx of challengers. Kas still wasn’t sure exactly what Eryk thought he was achieving with that, except maybe training both Drake and the grunts for whatever reason.
In any case, the first matches were today, and Kas was looking forward to it. The four of them had just arrived at the Gym; there were crowds milling all over since the tournament didn’t officially start for another half-hour. Various food stalls and souvenir booths had been set up outside; it looked like Robert was grilling again. Probably making a small fortune, too.
They’d agreed to meet here ahead of time to get an idea of the number of people and the tournament schedule. Now it really came down to figuring out where that information was. “Does anyone see a registration desk or something?” he asked, frowning slightly.
“I’m pretty sure no one can see further than you, Kas,” Ana replied. She was probably referring to his height.
“Fair point,” he replied. For a moment, he debated trying to find higher ground. Instead, he bent down, scooped Ana up by the waist, and just held her up. “There, now you’re taller. Do you see it?” Arceus, she was a buck-ten soaking wet. He wondered if the Everett’s made it hard to keep weight on.
To her credit, she didn’t freak out at him—just turned her attention forward. “I think I can see it. There’s something going on in front of the Gym, anyway.”
Kas set her back down on her feet. “Guess we’ll have to push our way through this crowd, then.”
Eryk didn't look too happy about being around so many people. His face was pressed hard, and it looked like he was glaring at everyone. The months he spent socializing with people, talking to the grunts, would have had one thinking he'd be used to this by now. Apparently he wasn't. That, or something else was bothering him. He wasn't talking much, either. He turned slightly, though, at Kas's statement.
"Or you could just bulldoze your way through. You flow easier with the crowd than we do, we could follow your lead," he spoke. Cyrilla was standing at his side, and rolled her eyes at him.
"Or you could be polite and just try not to knock people down as you make your way through, you know," she stated, pushing Eryk forward. He didn't protest, and allowed himself to be pushed slightly. "You make a good shield, too," she added from behind him.
Kas snickered, shaking his head. “It’s fine. Just follow my lead, and maybe hold on to each other or something so we don’t get lost.” Nearly immediately, Ana’s fingers curled into the back of his shirt, right under his shoulderblades. That was probably not a bad idea.
Since Cy was already behind Eryk, Ana offered her hand to him to complete the chain. Kas had to turn away to hide his smile, so he unfortunately didn’t get to see what reaction that got. Once everyone was more or less settled, he started to navigate, sliding through the crowd with the ease of long practice. Unlike his friend, he’d stopped shunning large crowds a long time ago.
Eventually, they made it to the registration table. It was manned by a few official League staffers, who gave them odd looks as they rolled up to the table, linked up like a human caterpie. “Kasimir Rheinallt and Eryk Nero,” he said, jabbing a thumb back at Ryk. “We’re registered to participate, but we don’t know when our matches are.”
The attendant on the left—a younger woman, nodded almost immediately, practically jumping to get their papers in order. Her coworker slid them what looked like a tournament bracket. “Entrants have been divided into three divisions,” he said. “Win, place, or show in your division, and you make it to the finals automatically. There’s also one other spot, that will go to the best of the fourth-place finishers.”
Kas leaned over slightly to look at the brackets. He was in the Charizard division, which seemed appropriate, all things considered. Eryk was in the Blastoise division. “Looks like we don’t have to worry about matching up with each other, at least,” he observed, accepting his paperwork from the other attendant. She smiled shyly at him; he, of course, winked.
Eryk scoffed at him, though it was a little difficult to tell why. "Considering our battles together," he began. As few as they had been, their battles typically ended with Eryk losing, or they would both come to a draw. He hadn't actually won any of the battles they had. Perhaps because he was not as good, or perhaps because he just wanted to test the waters so to speak. Eryk glanced at both attendants, not realizing he was practically glaring at them.
"Ryk... put on your smiley face. You're scaring them," Cyrilla whispered, nudging Ryk in the back. He blinked down at her, and furrowed his brows. "Don't give me that look, you're scaring the nice people, now apologize, or don't. Just stop glaring at everyone," she continued, causing Ryk to glance back at the attendants.
Kas snorted. “Ryk doesn’t have a smiley face.” He considered that for a moment, then grinned. “Well, at least not one that most of us get to see. I have photographic evidence that it exists, though.” He was never, ever getting rid of that picture. They’d have to bury him with it.
Once all the paperwork was sorted out, they headed inside, picking a spot on the bleachers that was still relatively unoccupied. They were allowed to sit in the audience before it was their turn, so long as they could get to the podiums when the time came. The Venusaur division was up first—it looked like the matches were going to start soon.
“Anyone you recognize in your group, Eryk?”
Eryk narrowed his eyes slightly. "I only saw two familiar names," he replied, glancing towards Kas. He didn't seem to think too much of it, and instead, focused on the Venasaur division. He pursed his lips together, though, and glanced towards Ana and Cy before his attention returned back to Kas. "Luke and Nathan," he finally answered. Luke was Hayley's significant other, and Nathan was one of the Grunts who seemed to be showing some promise. He'd been a decent trainer when he first joined, but he was also one of the Grunts, along with Luke, whom Eryk sent to Drake's Gym. With all the practice, perhaps he thought he had a good chance at this?
"What about you?"
“Looks like Hayley’s in my division,” he replied. That’d be an interesting match—she’d been asking him for training tips during work for a while now. Hopefully, they’d both last long enough to wind up with a match against each other.
The Venusaur division matches went pretty quickly—the overall winner turned out to be Marna, actually. Kas cheered loudly for her the whole time; she replied by flipping him the bird, naturally. He knew there was a reason he liked her. A few other people in the division did well—there was a ranger; one of Viv’s coworkers, he thought. And then a younger teenager who seemed to be on a journey at the moment took third. She seemed really chuffed about it, too.
“Guess my group’s up next,” he said, standing and gathering his things.
“Good luck!” Ana beamed at him; Kas gave her a jaunty two-fingered salute.
"Yeah, what Ana said! Good luck, Kas!" Cyrilla spoke next, smiling at him, though perhaps not as brightly as Ana did. Eryk rolled his eyes at the both of them, and shook his head.
"You don't need me telling you anything, ass," was the only thing Ryk said. It was Ryk's equivalent to 'good luck' or something close to it, perhaps.
“No shit, jerk,” he replied, but there was not a trace of actual anger in his tone. He nodded to all of them, then headed down the bleachers as they called his division up for battles.
The first few matches were… well, Kas did the polite thing and held back. His first opponent was just a kid, so he actually spent a lot of the round giving advice disguised as questions. When the battle was over, he got everyone to clap for the newbie trainer, and spent the time between his first match and his second breaking down how things had gone. By the end of it, he actually felt pretty good about it. Brandon—that was the kid’s name—said it was his first tournament, and he only had three badges to his name, but he was from Pallet, so it seemed like something he should do. Kas hoped he’d gotten a lot out of it; he chose not to mention that he was on Team Rocket. Probably better not to scare him.
The final round, though, pitted himself against some guy from the outlying islands. Hayley had unfortunately been knocked out in the second round—by this very trainer. According to the paperwork, his name was Albert Westinghouse. He had the look of money to him, like one of those reclusive old-money types. This could be interesting.
The match began; Albert called a feraligatr. Figuring that this was a prime opportunity to get Meep some experience, he tossed her pokéball into the ring.
The type advantage was his, but the fully-evolved feraligatr was no easy opponent, either—his opening Thunder Wave was dodged completely, something that was impressive for such a large pokémon. Electric Terrain evened things out a bit; Meep got hit by a nasty Hydro Pump, but she’d been trained to deal with that—practice matches with Eryk’s milotic had helped a lot in that respect.
“Let’s go, kiddo. How ‘bout an Iron Tail?” Kas grinned when the attack connected—it wasn’t that threatening on its own against feraligatr’s tough hide, but it put Meep in the perfect position to follow up.
“Electroball!” It generated at the globe on the end of her tail, smacking right into the other pokémon’s flank. Meep packed a punch for a creature her size; the feraligatr went down to applause from the crowd.
Sledge made pretty short work of Albert’s Delcatty, and with two out of three, Kas was declared the winner of his division. He returned to the others in the bleachers, grinning broadly. “One down, one to go, eh?”
Eryk rolled his eyes somewhat at Kas's statement, and Cy looked slightly happy she was sitting down. She had jerked forward slightly, and she seemed to catch herself and apparently decided against whatever it was she was thinking about. "That was a good match, Kas," she said as Eryk stood.
"Yeah," Eryk spoke, rolling out his shoulders as he did. "It's my turn, though," he spoke, sparing a glance towards Ana. He made his way down to the stadium and stood with the other trainers. Out of all of the trainers below, Eryk looked like he was the most grumpy of them all. Perhaps because he wasn't exactly grinning like a lunatic, or expressively happy about the situation. There were subtle clues, however, if one knew how to read them. His shoulders were tense, and he looked unusually focused. He seemed just as excited down there as the others did.
The first match Eryk had been in, he looked to be up against an older gentleman. It was a close match but Ryk pulled forward victorious. The next couple of matches, however, proved a little too easy for Ryk. It was like he wasn't even trying. He looked, however, to be enjoying himself. There was a small bout of pride, or at least in the way Eryk was carrying himself, calling out the orders as he did so. Once the match was over, he looked almost smug, however; the final match seemed a little odd. Eryk's face had pulled into a deep frown as his opponent came forward. The man, he looked to be about the same age as Ryk, smirked at him.
"Long time no see, Ryk. Cy with you?" he spoke, sparing a glance towards the bleachers. Cyrilla covered her face, though, and shook her head. "Oh wait, there she is," he continued, and Eryk looked almost livid as the man waved. He looked a little like one would expect Koga to have at a young age, but there were some noteable differences. His hair, medium length, was a dark green color, and his eyes were a deep lavender.
"Chris," it was Cyrilla who spoke. "He's not directly related to us, but he's part of Koga's clan," she explained, her hand never really leaving her face. "I should have recognized that name," she continued.
The battle began, and Ryk sent out his Milotic at the same time Chris sent out a Vileplume. "Ice Beam," he commanded as Milotic did as she was told. Vileplume managed to dodge the attack and followed up with a Stun Spore. "Scald," he was just calling out attacks now. It managed to scatter the spores, though, and Milotic was saved, just barely, from a Solar Beam.
It was a close one between the two, but Milotic managed to pull through victorious. The next battle saw Zoroark pitted against a Venomoth. Zoroark had the advantage by using Flamethrower while making use of the holes he had made with Dig. Somehow, though, Zoroark lost. The last battle, however, was between Gengar and a Drapion. Drapion would have the advantage, being a dual-type: dark and poison. Gengar, however, proved to be tenacious.
"Hypnosis, Gengar," Eryk commanded. Gengar's eyes glowed a bit as he grinned towards the Drapion. He managed to miss, though, and a Night Slash managed to hit. Gengar was pushed back, but he managed to keep his ground. Ryk, however, looked upset.
"We're not supposed to make this easy, Ryky boy," Chris called out, grinning widely at Ryk. "Alright Drap, stop playing around. Use Hyper Beam!" he commanded. Ryk seemed to tense slightly before something like a sly smirk crossed his lips. He said something to Gengar, who only grinned wider, if that were possible. It was made apparent when Gengar used Sludge Bomb, however; that seemed to be the distraction. He followed it up with an Ice Punch that looked to be critical, forcing Drapion back. The match was over, from the looks of it. He didn't even say so much as a word when he left the arena, and made his way towards the bleachers.
"I. Hate. That. Guy," and it sounded like he really did.
Ana looked concerned; she scooted slightly closer to him when he sat down, laying a gentle hand on the crook of his elbow. If she had any thoughts to offer, she kept them to herself for now.
Kas grimaced. “Figures that something like this would bring your clan members out of the woodwork,” he said, rolling his eyes. “Well… you beat him, though that was the final match, so he goes through to the one in January in any case.” He made an exaggerated face; Ana smiled a little, but he didn’t think humor was much good for the other two at the moment.
“Anyway—we’re done, so we can get outta here if you guys want. Maybe somewhere less crowded.”
"That would be preferable," Ryk replied. He looked like he was ready to punch someone, though if it was anyone's guess, it was probably Chris.
“...Right."
In any case, the first matches were today, and Kas was looking forward to it. The four of them had just arrived at the Gym; there were crowds milling all over since the tournament didn’t officially start for another half-hour. Various food stalls and souvenir booths had been set up outside; it looked like Robert was grilling again. Probably making a small fortune, too.
They’d agreed to meet here ahead of time to get an idea of the number of people and the tournament schedule. Now it really came down to figuring out where that information was. “Does anyone see a registration desk or something?” he asked, frowning slightly.
“I’m pretty sure no one can see further than you, Kas,” Ana replied. She was probably referring to his height.
“Fair point,” he replied. For a moment, he debated trying to find higher ground. Instead, he bent down, scooped Ana up by the waist, and just held her up. “There, now you’re taller. Do you see it?” Arceus, she was a buck-ten soaking wet. He wondered if the Everett’s made it hard to keep weight on.
To her credit, she didn’t freak out at him—just turned her attention forward. “I think I can see it. There’s something going on in front of the Gym, anyway.”
Kas set her back down on her feet. “Guess we’ll have to push our way through this crowd, then.”
Eryk didn't look too happy about being around so many people. His face was pressed hard, and it looked like he was glaring at everyone. The months he spent socializing with people, talking to the grunts, would have had one thinking he'd be used to this by now. Apparently he wasn't. That, or something else was bothering him. He wasn't talking much, either. He turned slightly, though, at Kas's statement.
"Or you could just bulldoze your way through. You flow easier with the crowd than we do, we could follow your lead," he spoke. Cyrilla was standing at his side, and rolled her eyes at him.
"Or you could be polite and just try not to knock people down as you make your way through, you know," she stated, pushing Eryk forward. He didn't protest, and allowed himself to be pushed slightly. "You make a good shield, too," she added from behind him.
Kas snickered, shaking his head. “It’s fine. Just follow my lead, and maybe hold on to each other or something so we don’t get lost.” Nearly immediately, Ana’s fingers curled into the back of his shirt, right under his shoulderblades. That was probably not a bad idea.
Since Cy was already behind Eryk, Ana offered her hand to him to complete the chain. Kas had to turn away to hide his smile, so he unfortunately didn’t get to see what reaction that got. Once everyone was more or less settled, he started to navigate, sliding through the crowd with the ease of long practice. Unlike his friend, he’d stopped shunning large crowds a long time ago.
Eventually, they made it to the registration table. It was manned by a few official League staffers, who gave them odd looks as they rolled up to the table, linked up like a human caterpie. “Kasimir Rheinallt and Eryk Nero,” he said, jabbing a thumb back at Ryk. “We’re registered to participate, but we don’t know when our matches are.”
The attendant on the left—a younger woman, nodded almost immediately, practically jumping to get their papers in order. Her coworker slid them what looked like a tournament bracket. “Entrants have been divided into three divisions,” he said. “Win, place, or show in your division, and you make it to the finals automatically. There’s also one other spot, that will go to the best of the fourth-place finishers.”
Kas leaned over slightly to look at the brackets. He was in the Charizard division, which seemed appropriate, all things considered. Eryk was in the Blastoise division. “Looks like we don’t have to worry about matching up with each other, at least,” he observed, accepting his paperwork from the other attendant. She smiled shyly at him; he, of course, winked.
Eryk scoffed at him, though it was a little difficult to tell why. "Considering our battles together," he began. As few as they had been, their battles typically ended with Eryk losing, or they would both come to a draw. He hadn't actually won any of the battles they had. Perhaps because he was not as good, or perhaps because he just wanted to test the waters so to speak. Eryk glanced at both attendants, not realizing he was practically glaring at them.
"Ryk... put on your smiley face. You're scaring them," Cyrilla whispered, nudging Ryk in the back. He blinked down at her, and furrowed his brows. "Don't give me that look, you're scaring the nice people, now apologize, or don't. Just stop glaring at everyone," she continued, causing Ryk to glance back at the attendants.
Kas snorted. “Ryk doesn’t have a smiley face.” He considered that for a moment, then grinned. “Well, at least not one that most of us get to see. I have photographic evidence that it exists, though.” He was never, ever getting rid of that picture. They’d have to bury him with it.
Once all the paperwork was sorted out, they headed inside, picking a spot on the bleachers that was still relatively unoccupied. They were allowed to sit in the audience before it was their turn, so long as they could get to the podiums when the time came. The Venusaur division was up first—it looked like the matches were going to start soon.
“Anyone you recognize in your group, Eryk?”
Eryk narrowed his eyes slightly. "I only saw two familiar names," he replied, glancing towards Kas. He didn't seem to think too much of it, and instead, focused on the Venasaur division. He pursed his lips together, though, and glanced towards Ana and Cy before his attention returned back to Kas. "Luke and Nathan," he finally answered. Luke was Hayley's significant other, and Nathan was one of the Grunts who seemed to be showing some promise. He'd been a decent trainer when he first joined, but he was also one of the Grunts, along with Luke, whom Eryk sent to Drake's Gym. With all the practice, perhaps he thought he had a good chance at this?
"What about you?"
“Looks like Hayley’s in my division,” he replied. That’d be an interesting match—she’d been asking him for training tips during work for a while now. Hopefully, they’d both last long enough to wind up with a match against each other.
The Venusaur division matches went pretty quickly—the overall winner turned out to be Marna, actually. Kas cheered loudly for her the whole time; she replied by flipping him the bird, naturally. He knew there was a reason he liked her. A few other people in the division did well—there was a ranger; one of Viv’s coworkers, he thought. And then a younger teenager who seemed to be on a journey at the moment took third. She seemed really chuffed about it, too.
“Guess my group’s up next,” he said, standing and gathering his things.
“Good luck!” Ana beamed at him; Kas gave her a jaunty two-fingered salute.
"Yeah, what Ana said! Good luck, Kas!" Cyrilla spoke next, smiling at him, though perhaps not as brightly as Ana did. Eryk rolled his eyes at the both of them, and shook his head.
"You don't need me telling you anything, ass," was the only thing Ryk said. It was Ryk's equivalent to 'good luck' or something close to it, perhaps.
“No shit, jerk,” he replied, but there was not a trace of actual anger in his tone. He nodded to all of them, then headed down the bleachers as they called his division up for battles.
The first few matches were… well, Kas did the polite thing and held back. His first opponent was just a kid, so he actually spent a lot of the round giving advice disguised as questions. When the battle was over, he got everyone to clap for the newbie trainer, and spent the time between his first match and his second breaking down how things had gone. By the end of it, he actually felt pretty good about it. Brandon—that was the kid’s name—said it was his first tournament, and he only had three badges to his name, but he was from Pallet, so it seemed like something he should do. Kas hoped he’d gotten a lot out of it; he chose not to mention that he was on Team Rocket. Probably better not to scare him.
The final round, though, pitted himself against some guy from the outlying islands. Hayley had unfortunately been knocked out in the second round—by this very trainer. According to the paperwork, his name was Albert Westinghouse. He had the look of money to him, like one of those reclusive old-money types. This could be interesting.
The match began; Albert called a feraligatr. Figuring that this was a prime opportunity to get Meep some experience, he tossed her pokéball into the ring.
The type advantage was his, but the fully-evolved feraligatr was no easy opponent, either—his opening Thunder Wave was dodged completely, something that was impressive for such a large pokémon. Electric Terrain evened things out a bit; Meep got hit by a nasty Hydro Pump, but she’d been trained to deal with that—practice matches with Eryk’s milotic had helped a lot in that respect.
“Let’s go, kiddo. How ‘bout an Iron Tail?” Kas grinned when the attack connected—it wasn’t that threatening on its own against feraligatr’s tough hide, but it put Meep in the perfect position to follow up.
“Electroball!” It generated at the globe on the end of her tail, smacking right into the other pokémon’s flank. Meep packed a punch for a creature her size; the feraligatr went down to applause from the crowd.
Sledge made pretty short work of Albert’s Delcatty, and with two out of three, Kas was declared the winner of his division. He returned to the others in the bleachers, grinning broadly. “One down, one to go, eh?”
Eryk rolled his eyes somewhat at Kas's statement, and Cy looked slightly happy she was sitting down. She had jerked forward slightly, and she seemed to catch herself and apparently decided against whatever it was she was thinking about. "That was a good match, Kas," she said as Eryk stood.
"Yeah," Eryk spoke, rolling out his shoulders as he did. "It's my turn, though," he spoke, sparing a glance towards Ana. He made his way down to the stadium and stood with the other trainers. Out of all of the trainers below, Eryk looked like he was the most grumpy of them all. Perhaps because he wasn't exactly grinning like a lunatic, or expressively happy about the situation. There were subtle clues, however, if one knew how to read them. His shoulders were tense, and he looked unusually focused. He seemed just as excited down there as the others did.
The first match Eryk had been in, he looked to be up against an older gentleman. It was a close match but Ryk pulled forward victorious. The next couple of matches, however, proved a little too easy for Ryk. It was like he wasn't even trying. He looked, however, to be enjoying himself. There was a small bout of pride, or at least in the way Eryk was carrying himself, calling out the orders as he did so. Once the match was over, he looked almost smug, however; the final match seemed a little odd. Eryk's face had pulled into a deep frown as his opponent came forward. The man, he looked to be about the same age as Ryk, smirked at him.
"Long time no see, Ryk. Cy with you?" he spoke, sparing a glance towards the bleachers. Cyrilla covered her face, though, and shook her head. "Oh wait, there she is," he continued, and Eryk looked almost livid as the man waved. He looked a little like one would expect Koga to have at a young age, but there were some noteable differences. His hair, medium length, was a dark green color, and his eyes were a deep lavender.
"Chris," it was Cyrilla who spoke. "He's not directly related to us, but he's part of Koga's clan," she explained, her hand never really leaving her face. "I should have recognized that name," she continued.
The battle began, and Ryk sent out his Milotic at the same time Chris sent out a Vileplume. "Ice Beam," he commanded as Milotic did as she was told. Vileplume managed to dodge the attack and followed up with a Stun Spore. "Scald," he was just calling out attacks now. It managed to scatter the spores, though, and Milotic was saved, just barely, from a Solar Beam.
It was a close one between the two, but Milotic managed to pull through victorious. The next battle saw Zoroark pitted against a Venomoth. Zoroark had the advantage by using Flamethrower while making use of the holes he had made with Dig. Somehow, though, Zoroark lost. The last battle, however, was between Gengar and a Drapion. Drapion would have the advantage, being a dual-type: dark and poison. Gengar, however, proved to be tenacious.
"Hypnosis, Gengar," Eryk commanded. Gengar's eyes glowed a bit as he grinned towards the Drapion. He managed to miss, though, and a Night Slash managed to hit. Gengar was pushed back, but he managed to keep his ground. Ryk, however, looked upset.
"We're not supposed to make this easy, Ryky boy," Chris called out, grinning widely at Ryk. "Alright Drap, stop playing around. Use Hyper Beam!" he commanded. Ryk seemed to tense slightly before something like a sly smirk crossed his lips. He said something to Gengar, who only grinned wider, if that were possible. It was made apparent when Gengar used Sludge Bomb, however; that seemed to be the distraction. He followed it up with an Ice Punch that looked to be critical, forcing Drapion back. The match was over, from the looks of it. He didn't even say so much as a word when he left the arena, and made his way towards the bleachers.
"I. Hate. That. Guy," and it sounded like he really did.
Ana looked concerned; she scooted slightly closer to him when he sat down, laying a gentle hand on the crook of his elbow. If she had any thoughts to offer, she kept them to herself for now.
Kas grimaced. “Figures that something like this would bring your clan members out of the woodwork,” he said, rolling his eyes. “Well… you beat him, though that was the final match, so he goes through to the one in January in any case.” He made an exaggerated face; Ana smiled a little, but he didn’t think humor was much good for the other two at the moment.
“Anyway—we’re done, so we can get outta here if you guys want. Maybe somewhere less crowded.”
"That would be preferable," Ryk replied. He looked like he was ready to punch someone, though if it was anyone's guess, it was probably Chris.
“...Right."
Eryk was livid, and that was putting it mildly. Of all the relatives, Chris was probably the one person he hated the most. Katia didn't necessarily count since she kind of scared him. Chris, though, was an arrogant asshole (and he's known plenty) who had no sense of personal space. There was one time he'd caught Chris hitting on Cyrilla, and she looked either uncomfortable with his flirting, or she was just not in a good mood. Regardless, he had said something about it, and that resulted in a fist fight with the man. He just didn't understand why, of all people, they sent him. And he knew they sent him because Chris couldn't find his left foot if it kicked him in the ass. He blinked slowly when he felt someone touch his elbow, and he glanced down.
"Ryk, I know you're unhappy, but could you please stop glaring at everything? You're scaring people, and I don't think you really want that, especially," she paused, nodding her head forward towards Ana. He and Cy had fallen back a bit so that Kas and Ana were walking in front of them, and he sighed heavily, nodding his head. It was hard when he was angry.
Kas ended up leading them down to the beach. There were still a few people around, but not that many compared to up near the Gym. Immediately, he stepped out of his shoes, steadying Ana when she wobbled a bit trying to do the same. She laughed softly, stowing her shoes in her pack and curling her bare toes into the sand.
She looked up, almost as though trying to find something, but smiled a little when her eyes fell on him and Cy. She beckoned both forward with her hand. “Come on,” she urged quietly. “I bet there’s even fewer people a little further down. We should walk that way.”
"See, at least she puts you back in a good mood," Cy spoke, smiling somewhat in his direction. He blinked slowly, trying to understand what she meant until he realized he wasn't as angry now that Ana had smiled at him. Or rather, when she smiled at them. He sighed, pushing a sigh through his nose as he mimicked the others by taking off his shoes. At least the sand would be cool on his feet. They walked in the direction Ana had said, and he felt considerably better. He glanced down towards Ana, having kept pace with them now, and contemplated what he should say. He was at a loss for words since the battles were over for him and Kas. There wasn't much else going on, or he just didn't seem to notice anything around with her. He sighed a bit too heavily for that thought.
"What did you think about the battles?" he found himself saying. He really didn't know what to say at the moment. Of course, he could have stayed silent to enjoy the silence, however; it would be a good thing to distract him with.
“They were really interesting to watch,” she said; her tone was surprisingly earnest. Ana wasn’t one to yell or be too effusive, but she seemed genuinely excited, in the subdued manner she had. She tipped her chin up so she could meet his eyes for a moment, then gently knocked her shoulder into his arm as they walked.
“I might not know too much about them, but even I can tell that you’re really good. And you’ll be going to the finals now.” Her eyes narrowed with the force of her smile. “I knew you could do it.”
He raised a brow at her, the corners of his lips just tilting up for a fraction of a second. "And that also means you'll be coming along with us," he added blinking at himself. He could have sworn he heard Cy chuckle at him, but he really couldn't hear anything, or anyone, else at the moment. He and Ana had agreed that she would come if he and Kas had won, and they did. "Unless you've changed your mind," he asked somewhat hesitantly. She didn't look like she did, but there was just a small possibility that she might have. He didn't understand why he felt a slight tightness in his chest at the moment.
Ana shook her head, swishing her pinkish ponytail. “I haven’t,” she replied. “I do want to see it.” Her smile turned a little rueful, though. “I still think it’s not necessary for you to go to all the trouble, but since there’s no other way… well, I’m glad I get to go.” She broke eye contact for a moment to hop over a piece of driftwood—they’d wandered pretty far out by this point.
Her tongue smoothed over her lips; she seemed to be trying to find the right words to say something. “But… you still want to go, right? There might be more of your clansmen there—if it’s better not to see them, maybe…?” The implied question was a fair one—he’d told her enough for her to know just how much his family controlled his life. And how poorly he got along with most of them. It was a potentially-toxic combination.
His eyes narrowed at that. He didn't like some members of his family, if not all of them, but this was something he wanted to do. He wanted her to go to Saffron, to see him and Kas battle. Whether they actually won, though, were details that would be played out along the way. What mattered most to him was that she wanted to go. Fuck his family for thinking that they could take that away from her. He paused almost abruptly in that thought, and in his steps. So suddenly that he hadn't really processed he'd stopped at all. He stood still for a moment before shaking his head at himself.
"I do," he finally answered her question. He wanted to go, yes, but more importantly, he wanted to go because of her. "This is something that I want to do. They will not keep me from it," he continued. Damn it all, this was a little awkward now. Eryk wasn't, as a general rule, awkward with such things, but for some reason or another, he felt that way now.
“Then we’ll go,” Ana said, as though it were the simplest thing in the world.
The four of them walked quietly for a little while; Kas and Cy seemed to have been talking about something else, but that conversation ended around the same time. When Anastasia spoke again, it was with enough projection that her voice would carry to all three of them. “You know what else we should do? Christmas. Aunt Miranda left a few days ago, but… I’d be happy to have you all over again if you wanted to come.”
Christmas? Isn't that the holiday people spent in the company of their family? He pursed his lips together, thinking about it. On one hand, it would be nice. Cyrilla, whose attention was now on Ana, smiled at the idea of it, it seemed. Of course she'd be happy about it. He rolled his eyes slightly, but shook his head. It's not like he wanted to say no, so why was he hesitating on saying yes? Maybe because of the fact that she wanted them to come over again on a day that was meant for family. Did she think of them as family?
"We will come," he finally spoke, a little slowly. "If that is what you'd like, then we will come," he spoke, though this time, he hoped they wouldn't send them on another mission. He wasn't so sure he'd do it this time. They'd nearly made it back on time, and he didn't want to chance it this time.
"And this time, I get to help cook!" Cyrilla drew his thoughts as she spoke. He sighed heavily at her, and rolled his eyes. "Shush, Ryk," she spoke, causing him to raise a brow. He didn't say anything.
“Sign me up,” Kas agreed with enthusiasm. “We’ll try not to land any missions the week before this time, eh?”
Ana smiled at that. “I’d understand if you did, but… it would be nicer for me if you didn’t.” She glanced between the three of them with some evident amusement. “I’m going to be putting up a tree, but a fake one ,since it’s an island and all. Plus it doesn’t seem right to kill an actual tree. Anyway, what I mean to say is that if you want to help me decorate, you can. I was planning on doing it tomorrow—there’s only a couple of weeks left until the day itself anyway.”
Tomorrow he was going to pass by, anyway. There wasn't a single day he missed to help Ana, and the ones he did were work related. Cyrilla gave him a look, almost as if she were expecting him to say yes. Well, he wasn't going to say no. Huh. Was he ever capable of telling Ana no?
"We'll come help decorate, though I can't promise my... skills are adequate enough," because he never really decorated anything before.
“That’s fine,” Ana replied, waving a hand like it didn’t matter. “It’s not really about the end result anyway. We’ll just enjoy ourselves and see what it looks like afterwards.”
"Ryk, I know you're unhappy, but could you please stop glaring at everything? You're scaring people, and I don't think you really want that, especially," she paused, nodding her head forward towards Ana. He and Cy had fallen back a bit so that Kas and Ana were walking in front of them, and he sighed heavily, nodding his head. It was hard when he was angry.
Kas ended up leading them down to the beach. There were still a few people around, but not that many compared to up near the Gym. Immediately, he stepped out of his shoes, steadying Ana when she wobbled a bit trying to do the same. She laughed softly, stowing her shoes in her pack and curling her bare toes into the sand.
She looked up, almost as though trying to find something, but smiled a little when her eyes fell on him and Cy. She beckoned both forward with her hand. “Come on,” she urged quietly. “I bet there’s even fewer people a little further down. We should walk that way.”
"See, at least she puts you back in a good mood," Cy spoke, smiling somewhat in his direction. He blinked slowly, trying to understand what she meant until he realized he wasn't as angry now that Ana had smiled at him. Or rather, when she smiled at them. He sighed, pushing a sigh through his nose as he mimicked the others by taking off his shoes. At least the sand would be cool on his feet. They walked in the direction Ana had said, and he felt considerably better. He glanced down towards Ana, having kept pace with them now, and contemplated what he should say. He was at a loss for words since the battles were over for him and Kas. There wasn't much else going on, or he just didn't seem to notice anything around with her. He sighed a bit too heavily for that thought.
"What did you think about the battles?" he found himself saying. He really didn't know what to say at the moment. Of course, he could have stayed silent to enjoy the silence, however; it would be a good thing to distract him with.
“They were really interesting to watch,” she said; her tone was surprisingly earnest. Ana wasn’t one to yell or be too effusive, but she seemed genuinely excited, in the subdued manner she had. She tipped her chin up so she could meet his eyes for a moment, then gently knocked her shoulder into his arm as they walked.
“I might not know too much about them, but even I can tell that you’re really good. And you’ll be going to the finals now.” Her eyes narrowed with the force of her smile. “I knew you could do it.”
He raised a brow at her, the corners of his lips just tilting up for a fraction of a second. "And that also means you'll be coming along with us," he added blinking at himself. He could have sworn he heard Cy chuckle at him, but he really couldn't hear anything, or anyone, else at the moment. He and Ana had agreed that she would come if he and Kas had won, and they did. "Unless you've changed your mind," he asked somewhat hesitantly. She didn't look like she did, but there was just a small possibility that she might have. He didn't understand why he felt a slight tightness in his chest at the moment.
Ana shook her head, swishing her pinkish ponytail. “I haven’t,” she replied. “I do want to see it.” Her smile turned a little rueful, though. “I still think it’s not necessary for you to go to all the trouble, but since there’s no other way… well, I’m glad I get to go.” She broke eye contact for a moment to hop over a piece of driftwood—they’d wandered pretty far out by this point.
Her tongue smoothed over her lips; she seemed to be trying to find the right words to say something. “But… you still want to go, right? There might be more of your clansmen there—if it’s better not to see them, maybe…?” The implied question was a fair one—he’d told her enough for her to know just how much his family controlled his life. And how poorly he got along with most of them. It was a potentially-toxic combination.
His eyes narrowed at that. He didn't like some members of his family, if not all of them, but this was something he wanted to do. He wanted her to go to Saffron, to see him and Kas battle. Whether they actually won, though, were details that would be played out along the way. What mattered most to him was that she wanted to go. Fuck his family for thinking that they could take that away from her. He paused almost abruptly in that thought, and in his steps. So suddenly that he hadn't really processed he'd stopped at all. He stood still for a moment before shaking his head at himself.
"I do," he finally answered her question. He wanted to go, yes, but more importantly, he wanted to go because of her. "This is something that I want to do. They will not keep me from it," he continued. Damn it all, this was a little awkward now. Eryk wasn't, as a general rule, awkward with such things, but for some reason or another, he felt that way now.
“Then we’ll go,” Ana said, as though it were the simplest thing in the world.
The four of them walked quietly for a little while; Kas and Cy seemed to have been talking about something else, but that conversation ended around the same time. When Anastasia spoke again, it was with enough projection that her voice would carry to all three of them. “You know what else we should do? Christmas. Aunt Miranda left a few days ago, but… I’d be happy to have you all over again if you wanted to come.”
Christmas? Isn't that the holiday people spent in the company of their family? He pursed his lips together, thinking about it. On one hand, it would be nice. Cyrilla, whose attention was now on Ana, smiled at the idea of it, it seemed. Of course she'd be happy about it. He rolled his eyes slightly, but shook his head. It's not like he wanted to say no, so why was he hesitating on saying yes? Maybe because of the fact that she wanted them to come over again on a day that was meant for family. Did she think of them as family?
"We will come," he finally spoke, a little slowly. "If that is what you'd like, then we will come," he spoke, though this time, he hoped they wouldn't send them on another mission. He wasn't so sure he'd do it this time. They'd nearly made it back on time, and he didn't want to chance it this time.
"And this time, I get to help cook!" Cyrilla drew his thoughts as she spoke. He sighed heavily at her, and rolled his eyes. "Shush, Ryk," she spoke, causing him to raise a brow. He didn't say anything.
“Sign me up,” Kas agreed with enthusiasm. “We’ll try not to land any missions the week before this time, eh?”
Ana smiled at that. “I’d understand if you did, but… it would be nicer for me if you didn’t.” She glanced between the three of them with some evident amusement. “I’m going to be putting up a tree, but a fake one ,since it’s an island and all. Plus it doesn’t seem right to kill an actual tree. Anyway, what I mean to say is that if you want to help me decorate, you can. I was planning on doing it tomorrow—there’s only a couple of weeks left until the day itself anyway.”
Tomorrow he was going to pass by, anyway. There wasn't a single day he missed to help Ana, and the ones he did were work related. Cyrilla gave him a look, almost as if she were expecting him to say yes. Well, he wasn't going to say no. Huh. Was he ever capable of telling Ana no?
"We'll come help decorate, though I can't promise my... skills are adequate enough," because he never really decorated anything before.
“That’s fine,” Ana replied, waving a hand like it didn’t matter. “It’s not really about the end result anyway. We’ll just enjoy ourselves and see what it looks like afterwards.”
Having tall people around really made decorating that much easier.
On any other given year, Ana usually had to haul a ladder around and supplement her own average height with her powers, but Kas and Eryk were both so tall that the only thing the ladder turned out to be necessary for was the lights outside, and she didn’t have too many of those. Ana kept the yard decorations to a minimum, since the pokémon spent so much time out there. She had strings of pale icicle lights to hang from the edges of her roof, but that was really about it.
Fortunately, Kas had volunteered to handle that, and he was currently in the middle of stringing them up. Cy was in charge of the garland, and she was trying to teach Eryk how to decorate a Christmas tree. It was a little surreal, actually.
“So, usually after the tree is set up like this, the first thing you put on is the lights. Mine are blue and white, but they come in a lot of different colors. Basically, you just want to wind them around, starting at the top and heading further down.”
He looked confused. His lips pursed just lightly enough that his expression was readable, for once. "So, do you just... how do you wind them around the tree?" he asked, glancing from her to said object. He looked to be studying it for a moment, as if it were a foreign object he'd never encountered before. Perhaps that was true considering what he mentioned of his family life. They didn't have Christmas, apparently, or at least they didn't seem to celebrate it.
"Do you just wind it, or do you have to walk around it?" he really did look so confused about it.
Ana giggled softly, shaking her head. There was something about his confusion that was… endearing, maybe. The laughter faded into a patient smile, though. “Well, you don’t have to walk all the way around if your arms are long enough, but it’s easier that way. Plus you can tell what all the sides look like. Here.” She took the end of one of the strands of lights and held it up between them.
“Take this part and set it near the very top of the tree. You don’t have to tie it to anything, but it’ll fall down again if you aren’t careful with the first few trips around.” She held the end forward so he could take it from her. Truthfully, this would go a lot faster if she just did it herself, but that wasn’t the point here.
He took the end from her, and simply stared at it for a moment. He glanced at her, then towards the tree, then back to her. Taking a deep breath, probably to steady himself, and began walking around the tree with it. Somewhere along the way, he turned the wrong way, or he must have done something wrong because the lights were beginning to circle him, not the tree. For a moment, he just stood there, eyes blinking slowly at her, and then at down at himself. He'd apparently tangled himself in the wires. How he managed to do that must have been some secret talent of his.
"It's not funny, Cy," he spoke, Cyrilla's laughter just echoing in the home. He sent her a glare, but it didn't seem to faze her much. She just continued laughing at him.
"I'm not sorry, Ryk, but how did you manage to do that to yourself?" she asked as he continued to glare at her. He looked... embarrassed?
Ana had no idea how he’d managed to make such a jumble of things. She blinked slowly, trying her best to constrain her laughter into a smile. He was obviously embarrassed by it, and he probably didn’t need anyone else making fun of him for it. So, Ana carefully stepped forward, taking the string of lights gently out of his hand. “Stand still,” she advised quietly.
Disentangling him was quite a process, but all she really had to do was follow the wires. It might have been difficult for him to get himself out of them, but she could walk around behind him and such with no particular difficulty, and she did, until the last of them fell away and he was free of entanglement.
“Here,” she said kindly. “Let’s do it together.” As she wasn’t tall enough to reach the top of the tree, she handed that part up to him again. Once it was in place, she gave him the front part of the string and indicated that he should go first. Following him around, Ana carefully unraveled the lights, letting them out gradually so he wouldn’t risk any more tie-ups. It didn’t take them too long working in tandem, and so the tree was wrapped in blue and white within a few minutes.
“Perfect.”
He didn't seem too upset about anything, now that the tree was finally wrapped in lights. He seemed happier, though. His lips weren't pursed, and his face had a sort of calm to it. He blinked before staring down at her, and just slightly, his lips quirked up a bit. It wasn't a full on smile, he wasn't capable of those, yet, but it was his own smile. The one he used around her the most, if not all the time. In a way, it might have been her smile.
"Thank you," he spoke, leaning forward just a bit. He seemed to realize something before he straightened back up, and coughed lightly into his hand. Cyrilla, who had been finished with her garland, looked like she was trying her best not to laugh at him. It wasn't working too well since her shoulders, and most of her body, was shaking. And she was snickering.
“You’re welcome,” Ana said warmly. It actually came out a little quieter than she’d meant, but—she felt suddenly a little bit off-balance somehow. Clearing her throat a bit, she tilted her head at Cyrilla, who was apparently going to quite a lot of effort not to laugh aloud. “Um… Cy? Are you okay?”
At that point, Ana heard the front door open. Within a couple more seconds, Kas had poked his head into the living room, flicking his eyes over all three of them and raising an eyebrow. “Okay… what’d I miss?”
No sooner than he asked that question, Cyrilla decided she couldn't contain her laughter anymore. Eryk gave her a look, but he didn't say anything to her. Instead, his focus went to Kas. "I don't know what you're talking about. There was nothing here," he replied. Cy only laughed harder, and from the look on her face, she was having trouble breathing somewhat.
Oh Kas, you missed it. You missed the best thing, ever," she finally managed to say between laughs. Eryk looked confused as to what it could be.
Ana was just as confused as Eryk, honestly. Kas, on the other hand, seemed to catch on immediately, a jagged smile blooming over his face. “Is that so?” he replied, crossing his arms over his chest. “Well, that’s just my luck, I suppose.”
“I’m… going to make tea,” Ana decided, sighing. Whatever it was, it seemed to be entertaining them a good deal, though she had a feeling it must have been partly at her—or at least partly at Eryk’s—expense somehow. “Then we can put up the ornaments.”
She headed to the kitchen to do just that. It wasn’t until the water was boiling and she was putting the tea ball in that she let her thoughts wander back to what had just happened. It was strange—she’d seen Eryk move out of the corner of her eye, leaning slightly towards… well, either the tree or… herself. Perhaps he’d intended a hug? He didn’t usually initiate physical contact of any kind, but he had seemed happy just then, so it was a plausible hypothesis. Perhaps Cy had found that unusual enough to be entertaining.
Satisfied with her deduction for the moment, she returned to the living room, tea-tray in-hand, and set it on the coffee table in front of the couch, glancing up at the tree.
Cyrilla was still in a fit of laughter, but it was a little more contained. Eryk was scowling at her, but his gaze flickered to Ana when she returned. Standing from her spot, Cyrilla made her way towards the couch, taking a seat after grabbing a cup. She was smiling still, over the rim of her cup, towards Eryk who seemed to be ignoring her now. He did, however, walk over towards the table as well, and took a cup, taking a seat away from Cyrilla.
"It's coming out really pretty. Do you have any ornaments for it?" she asked, glancing towards Ana and then the tree.
“A few,” Ana replied, nodding. “They’re on the shelf in the closet in my guest room, actually. I’ll have to go get them before we can use them, but we can take a break first.” She poured cup of tea, handing it off to Kas, before making another for herself, stirring a little honey into it.
“You could always let Ryk or I do that for you, Ana,” Kas said.
She supposed that was fair; it was somewhat heavy. Not that weight was really an obstacle for her, per se. “If you want to, I’d appreciate it,” she said with a nod. “There aren’t too many of them, but there should be enough for the tree.”
Eryk glanced towards Kas for a moment, and then back towards Ana. "I can go get them," he replied. He didn't move, though, probably because he was taking her suggestion. It would be better if they took a break, especially since he was still learning how to properly decorate the tree with lights. Cyrilla rolled her eyes, though, but remained silent. She giggled every now and then, still apparently amused. "Cy, stop it," he spoke, glancing towards her.
"But Ryk, it was cute! I cannot unsee that, you know," she continued. He rolled his eyes at her and looked like he was trying to ignore her. She didn't seem to mind, sipping casually at her drink.
"You said they were in the guest room, in the closet?" he turned towards Ana, apparently inquiring about the ornaments. He stood, like he was going to go get them.
She nodded. “Mhm. They should be labeled ‘ornaments.’ Thank you, Eryk.”
She was sure the rest of the decorating was going to prove to be quite the adventure—but she was looking forward to it.
On any other given year, Ana usually had to haul a ladder around and supplement her own average height with her powers, but Kas and Eryk were both so tall that the only thing the ladder turned out to be necessary for was the lights outside, and she didn’t have too many of those. Ana kept the yard decorations to a minimum, since the pokémon spent so much time out there. She had strings of pale icicle lights to hang from the edges of her roof, but that was really about it.
Fortunately, Kas had volunteered to handle that, and he was currently in the middle of stringing them up. Cy was in charge of the garland, and she was trying to teach Eryk how to decorate a Christmas tree. It was a little surreal, actually.
“So, usually after the tree is set up like this, the first thing you put on is the lights. Mine are blue and white, but they come in a lot of different colors. Basically, you just want to wind them around, starting at the top and heading further down.”
He looked confused. His lips pursed just lightly enough that his expression was readable, for once. "So, do you just... how do you wind them around the tree?" he asked, glancing from her to said object. He looked to be studying it for a moment, as if it were a foreign object he'd never encountered before. Perhaps that was true considering what he mentioned of his family life. They didn't have Christmas, apparently, or at least they didn't seem to celebrate it.
"Do you just wind it, or do you have to walk around it?" he really did look so confused about it.
Ana giggled softly, shaking her head. There was something about his confusion that was… endearing, maybe. The laughter faded into a patient smile, though. “Well, you don’t have to walk all the way around if your arms are long enough, but it’s easier that way. Plus you can tell what all the sides look like. Here.” She took the end of one of the strands of lights and held it up between them.
“Take this part and set it near the very top of the tree. You don’t have to tie it to anything, but it’ll fall down again if you aren’t careful with the first few trips around.” She held the end forward so he could take it from her. Truthfully, this would go a lot faster if she just did it herself, but that wasn’t the point here.
He took the end from her, and simply stared at it for a moment. He glanced at her, then towards the tree, then back to her. Taking a deep breath, probably to steady himself, and began walking around the tree with it. Somewhere along the way, he turned the wrong way, or he must have done something wrong because the lights were beginning to circle him, not the tree. For a moment, he just stood there, eyes blinking slowly at her, and then at down at himself. He'd apparently tangled himself in the wires. How he managed to do that must have been some secret talent of his.
"It's not funny, Cy," he spoke, Cyrilla's laughter just echoing in the home. He sent her a glare, but it didn't seem to faze her much. She just continued laughing at him.
"I'm not sorry, Ryk, but how did you manage to do that to yourself?" she asked as he continued to glare at her. He looked... embarrassed?
Ana had no idea how he’d managed to make such a jumble of things. She blinked slowly, trying her best to constrain her laughter into a smile. He was obviously embarrassed by it, and he probably didn’t need anyone else making fun of him for it. So, Ana carefully stepped forward, taking the string of lights gently out of his hand. “Stand still,” she advised quietly.
Disentangling him was quite a process, but all she really had to do was follow the wires. It might have been difficult for him to get himself out of them, but she could walk around behind him and such with no particular difficulty, and she did, until the last of them fell away and he was free of entanglement.
“Here,” she said kindly. “Let’s do it together.” As she wasn’t tall enough to reach the top of the tree, she handed that part up to him again. Once it was in place, she gave him the front part of the string and indicated that he should go first. Following him around, Ana carefully unraveled the lights, letting them out gradually so he wouldn’t risk any more tie-ups. It didn’t take them too long working in tandem, and so the tree was wrapped in blue and white within a few minutes.
“Perfect.”
He didn't seem too upset about anything, now that the tree was finally wrapped in lights. He seemed happier, though. His lips weren't pursed, and his face had a sort of calm to it. He blinked before staring down at her, and just slightly, his lips quirked up a bit. It wasn't a full on smile, he wasn't capable of those, yet, but it was his own smile. The one he used around her the most, if not all the time. In a way, it might have been her smile.
"Thank you," he spoke, leaning forward just a bit. He seemed to realize something before he straightened back up, and coughed lightly into his hand. Cyrilla, who had been finished with her garland, looked like she was trying her best not to laugh at him. It wasn't working too well since her shoulders, and most of her body, was shaking. And she was snickering.
“You’re welcome,” Ana said warmly. It actually came out a little quieter than she’d meant, but—she felt suddenly a little bit off-balance somehow. Clearing her throat a bit, she tilted her head at Cyrilla, who was apparently going to quite a lot of effort not to laugh aloud. “Um… Cy? Are you okay?”
At that point, Ana heard the front door open. Within a couple more seconds, Kas had poked his head into the living room, flicking his eyes over all three of them and raising an eyebrow. “Okay… what’d I miss?”
No sooner than he asked that question, Cyrilla decided she couldn't contain her laughter anymore. Eryk gave her a look, but he didn't say anything to her. Instead, his focus went to Kas. "I don't know what you're talking about. There was nothing here," he replied. Cy only laughed harder, and from the look on her face, she was having trouble breathing somewhat.
Oh Kas, you missed it. You missed the best thing, ever," she finally managed to say between laughs. Eryk looked confused as to what it could be.
Ana was just as confused as Eryk, honestly. Kas, on the other hand, seemed to catch on immediately, a jagged smile blooming over his face. “Is that so?” he replied, crossing his arms over his chest. “Well, that’s just my luck, I suppose.”
“I’m… going to make tea,” Ana decided, sighing. Whatever it was, it seemed to be entertaining them a good deal, though she had a feeling it must have been partly at her—or at least partly at Eryk’s—expense somehow. “Then we can put up the ornaments.”
She headed to the kitchen to do just that. It wasn’t until the water was boiling and she was putting the tea ball in that she let her thoughts wander back to what had just happened. It was strange—she’d seen Eryk move out of the corner of her eye, leaning slightly towards… well, either the tree or… herself. Perhaps he’d intended a hug? He didn’t usually initiate physical contact of any kind, but he had seemed happy just then, so it was a plausible hypothesis. Perhaps Cy had found that unusual enough to be entertaining.
Satisfied with her deduction for the moment, she returned to the living room, tea-tray in-hand, and set it on the coffee table in front of the couch, glancing up at the tree.
Cyrilla was still in a fit of laughter, but it was a little more contained. Eryk was scowling at her, but his gaze flickered to Ana when she returned. Standing from her spot, Cyrilla made her way towards the couch, taking a seat after grabbing a cup. She was smiling still, over the rim of her cup, towards Eryk who seemed to be ignoring her now. He did, however, walk over towards the table as well, and took a cup, taking a seat away from Cyrilla.
"It's coming out really pretty. Do you have any ornaments for it?" she asked, glancing towards Ana and then the tree.
“A few,” Ana replied, nodding. “They’re on the shelf in the closet in my guest room, actually. I’ll have to go get them before we can use them, but we can take a break first.” She poured cup of tea, handing it off to Kas, before making another for herself, stirring a little honey into it.
“You could always let Ryk or I do that for you, Ana,” Kas said.
She supposed that was fair; it was somewhat heavy. Not that weight was really an obstacle for her, per se. “If you want to, I’d appreciate it,” she said with a nod. “There aren’t too many of them, but there should be enough for the tree.”
Eryk glanced towards Kas for a moment, and then back towards Ana. "I can go get them," he replied. He didn't move, though, probably because he was taking her suggestion. It would be better if they took a break, especially since he was still learning how to properly decorate the tree with lights. Cyrilla rolled her eyes, though, but remained silent. She giggled every now and then, still apparently amused. "Cy, stop it," he spoke, glancing towards her.
"But Ryk, it was cute! I cannot unsee that, you know," she continued. He rolled his eyes at her and looked like he was trying to ignore her. She didn't seem to mind, sipping casually at her drink.
"You said they were in the guest room, in the closet?" he turned towards Ana, apparently inquiring about the ornaments. He stood, like he was going to go get them.
She nodded. “Mhm. They should be labeled ‘ornaments.’ Thank you, Eryk.”
She was sure the rest of the decorating was going to prove to be quite the adventure—but she was looking forward to it.
Christmas was almost a week away, and Eryk was stumped. He didn't know what to get anyone, let alone her. What could he get her that would be considered a good gift? He thought about making some kind of contribution to her center, for Christmas. Something like installing a new pool for the pokémon, or maybe add an extension to her house. But he also knew she wouldn't exactly approve of it, considering she'd nearly returned a majority of his donation. Apparently, what he thought was a decent amount, wasn't quite the same for her. It wasn't like he had anything else to do with the money he made. The least he could do was invest it into something good.
He dragged a hand through his hair, smoothing some of it out before running a hand down his face. Why was this harder than it should be? He resisted the urge to lay his head on his desk. He was sure if he did, he would be unlucky enough for someone to pass by and notice him. And he definitely didn't want Cy to catch him in such a way. It was bad enough she still hadn't stopped pestering him about his incident back at Ana's house when they were decorating the tree. He still couldn't believe he almost did that. He didn't know what overcame him, but he was glad that he still had enough control to keep himself from going through with it.
He sighed, shaking his head as he leaned back in his chair, allowing his arms to dangle on the sides, and his head tilted towards the ceiling. He needed to think of something before next week, otherwise he wouldn't be getting her anything. And he knew she would be okay with it, but he wouldn't be. He needed to get her something that meant something to him, and to her, because she meant something to him.
"Fuck."
“Heh. Problems?” Kas stood in Eryk’s doorway, leaning against the frame. He wore an expression torn between amusement and sympathy, head tilted to the side to rest against the same wooden frame as his shoulder. “I know that look. You’re stressed out about Ana.” He arched a brow and pushed out a heavy exhale that sounded almost like a sigh.
“Tell me about it.”
He supposed Kas was the lesser of the two evils, and he just stared at him for a moment. "I don't know what to get her for Christmas," he finally admitted. "I want... to get her something special, but I don't know what to get. Most of the things I can think of, she won't accept. She's a simple person, I think, but I don't want to get her something simple," he continued. He really didn't want to get her something simple.
"I need help," and he really did. He just hated asking for it, but he was willing to swallow that small bout of pride in order to get this done.
Kas hummed. Surprisingly, he didn’t laugh, or even smile all that much. Maybe a little, but it was more rueful than entertained. “Welcome to the wonderful world of caring about people.” He said it a little wryly, dropping his crossed arms and moving more properly into the office. He flopped into one of the chairs, propping his feet up on the edge of Eryk’s desk. At least he was wearing shoes at this point.
“If you could get her anything you wanted, what would you pick? Don’t worry about whether she’ll accept for a second—we’ll get to that in a minute.”
Oddly enough, Eryk didn't think himself to be a sentimental person, however; if there really was one thing he could get her, it would be time. He would give her the only thing he could think of, whether she would want it or not. But that was something he couldn't give her. He had to get her something physical, something that could be hers.
"That's the problem, Kas. If I could get her anything, she would already have it. I don't know," he replied. He would give her the facility, to make it officially hers so she didn't have to worry about inspections and things like that. But that was above him. He couldn't do something like that. "Maybe," he began, stopping for a moment. She'd only been to a few places, and that, oddly, struck a cord with him. But the problem with this idea was whether or not she'd be able to.
"I want to take her somewhere she'd like to visit," and not quite the same way as going to Saffron would be.
Kas nodded. “I think that’s a good idea,” he said. “Ana has mentioned wanting to travel, but that her journey got cut a little short. So… hm. Where to pick?” He thought about that for a moment; a slow smile spread over his face. When he looked back at Eryk, he seemed genuinely delighted with whatever his idea was.
“Here’s a thought: you should take her somewhere you know really well. That way, you’ll be comfortable going out to all the interesting places, even if there are crowds, and you’ll be able to give her the authentic insider perspective.” He was clearly thinking of somewhere in particular, but he’d obviously decided to let Eryk reach the conclusion on his own.
Eryk pursed his lips together. Kas's mind must work differently than his, because he couldn't think of a single place he'd take her. "Fuchsia is the only place I know," and that would be the last place he would take her. Maybe he could just ask her where she'd like to go, and maybe buy her a ticket and go from there?
“It is,” Kas replied. He crossed his arms over his chest, leaning back slightly into the chair. His feet remained crossed on the desk. “Look, Ryk… it’s Ana. She likes you, for whatever reason.” He grinned at that. “I bet she’d love to see your hometown with you. And it’s not like you have to tell your family you’re there, you know.” He paused a moment. “Plus, it’d be a little less expensive than taking her somewhere completely new to both of you, and she’d be more likely to accept that way, right?”
He shrugged. “Totally up to you, though.”
Whether he told them or not, his family would know that he was in town. It was kind of odd now that he thought about it. He sighed, though. Kas had a point, maybe. He glanced at Kas, and stared at him for a moment, his eyes narrowing just slightly. "I suppose... I could do that, then," was not exactly what he intended to say. He said it anyway, and he sighed. Now he just had to find a good day. The next round of battles would be happening in a month or two. Maybe he could take her during the summer time? It was a fair bit cooler than this place was, but he wasn't entirely sure yet.
"I shall take her to Fuchsia, then. I suppose... I should figure out a date and a flight," he spoke. "Thanks Kas," because he wouldn't have thought about this on his own.
“Glad I could help,” Kasimir replied easily. He didn’t get up to leave, though—for several long moments, he remained where he was, silent.
“Hey Ryk, do you think—” He shook his head, sighing a bit too heavily. “You know what? Never mind.” Standing, he dusted nonexistent lint off the shoulder of his sapphire-blue sweater, then made for the door.
Eryk blinked for a moment. "What?" he called after Kas. "Do I think what?" he repeated. He was slightly curious now as to what Kas had to say. Granted, he'd never been interested or curious about anything Kas had to say or do, but that was a long time ago. He wanted to know, now, what Kas was going to say. Besides...
"I think you owe me one," he spoke, referring to the one time he'd done the same thing. Eryk had called him a brother that day.
Kas paused, one hand resting on the doorway. It was the last part that did it. He turned to look at Eryk over his shoulder, knocking the side of his thumb against the wood a couple of times. The expression on his face was hard to read—it definitely didn’t look like any of his usual ones. There was something almost… pained, about it. “Cy,” he said quietly.
His free hand reached up to knuckle at the back of his neck, and he shifted his eyes out Eryk’s office window. “There’s… I have my eye on something nice for her, you know. But… I don't want to make things… worse. I keep asking myself if I should pick something else instead, that’s all.” He shook his head minutely. “I don’t usually have trouble with this kind of thing anymore, but there it is.”
Well, he wasn't expecting that at least. Anything but that. Eryk sighed a little too heavily through his nose. "Kas," he began, staring at him for a moment. There wasn't any doubt in his mind that Kas knew about Cy's feelings for him, but perhaps he just didn't know the extent of them. It was odd, though, that he would say that. "I don't think you'll make things worse. I just..." he really wasn't good at something like this, but he couldn't exactly tell Kas. He owed her that much at least. If she wasn't going to tell him, then he'd tell Kas himself. Now, however, wasn't the time.
"You know Cy. She won't take it the wrong way. She'll just... she'll just think it's from a friend, and nothing else," but he couldn't be entirely sure about it. "I'm not as good at this as you are, I'm afraid," he huffed slightly. Really, who was he to give advice about anything?
Kas half-smiled; there was something still melancholy in his expression, though—but it was only there for a moment. “Yeah, well… good or not, you helped me make up my mind at least. I’d say it’s not bad, for a first try.” He tapped the doorframe once more, using his other hand to give a two-fingered salute. “I’ll seeya later, Ryk.”
"See you."
He dragged a hand through his hair, smoothing some of it out before running a hand down his face. Why was this harder than it should be? He resisted the urge to lay his head on his desk. He was sure if he did, he would be unlucky enough for someone to pass by and notice him. And he definitely didn't want Cy to catch him in such a way. It was bad enough she still hadn't stopped pestering him about his incident back at Ana's house when they were decorating the tree. He still couldn't believe he almost did that. He didn't know what overcame him, but he was glad that he still had enough control to keep himself from going through with it.
He sighed, shaking his head as he leaned back in his chair, allowing his arms to dangle on the sides, and his head tilted towards the ceiling. He needed to think of something before next week, otherwise he wouldn't be getting her anything. And he knew she would be okay with it, but he wouldn't be. He needed to get her something that meant something to him, and to her, because she meant something to him.
"Fuck."
“Heh. Problems?” Kas stood in Eryk’s doorway, leaning against the frame. He wore an expression torn between amusement and sympathy, head tilted to the side to rest against the same wooden frame as his shoulder. “I know that look. You’re stressed out about Ana.” He arched a brow and pushed out a heavy exhale that sounded almost like a sigh.
“Tell me about it.”
He supposed Kas was the lesser of the two evils, and he just stared at him for a moment. "I don't know what to get her for Christmas," he finally admitted. "I want... to get her something special, but I don't know what to get. Most of the things I can think of, she won't accept. She's a simple person, I think, but I don't want to get her something simple," he continued. He really didn't want to get her something simple.
"I need help," and he really did. He just hated asking for it, but he was willing to swallow that small bout of pride in order to get this done.
Kas hummed. Surprisingly, he didn’t laugh, or even smile all that much. Maybe a little, but it was more rueful than entertained. “Welcome to the wonderful world of caring about people.” He said it a little wryly, dropping his crossed arms and moving more properly into the office. He flopped into one of the chairs, propping his feet up on the edge of Eryk’s desk. At least he was wearing shoes at this point.
“If you could get her anything you wanted, what would you pick? Don’t worry about whether she’ll accept for a second—we’ll get to that in a minute.”
Oddly enough, Eryk didn't think himself to be a sentimental person, however; if there really was one thing he could get her, it would be time. He would give her the only thing he could think of, whether she would want it or not. But that was something he couldn't give her. He had to get her something physical, something that could be hers.
"That's the problem, Kas. If I could get her anything, she would already have it. I don't know," he replied. He would give her the facility, to make it officially hers so she didn't have to worry about inspections and things like that. But that was above him. He couldn't do something like that. "Maybe," he began, stopping for a moment. She'd only been to a few places, and that, oddly, struck a cord with him. But the problem with this idea was whether or not she'd be able to.
"I want to take her somewhere she'd like to visit," and not quite the same way as going to Saffron would be.
Kas nodded. “I think that’s a good idea,” he said. “Ana has mentioned wanting to travel, but that her journey got cut a little short. So… hm. Where to pick?” He thought about that for a moment; a slow smile spread over his face. When he looked back at Eryk, he seemed genuinely delighted with whatever his idea was.
“Here’s a thought: you should take her somewhere you know really well. That way, you’ll be comfortable going out to all the interesting places, even if there are crowds, and you’ll be able to give her the authentic insider perspective.” He was clearly thinking of somewhere in particular, but he’d obviously decided to let Eryk reach the conclusion on his own.
Eryk pursed his lips together. Kas's mind must work differently than his, because he couldn't think of a single place he'd take her. "Fuchsia is the only place I know," and that would be the last place he would take her. Maybe he could just ask her where she'd like to go, and maybe buy her a ticket and go from there?
“It is,” Kas replied. He crossed his arms over his chest, leaning back slightly into the chair. His feet remained crossed on the desk. “Look, Ryk… it’s Ana. She likes you, for whatever reason.” He grinned at that. “I bet she’d love to see your hometown with you. And it’s not like you have to tell your family you’re there, you know.” He paused a moment. “Plus, it’d be a little less expensive than taking her somewhere completely new to both of you, and she’d be more likely to accept that way, right?”
He shrugged. “Totally up to you, though.”
Whether he told them or not, his family would know that he was in town. It was kind of odd now that he thought about it. He sighed, though. Kas had a point, maybe. He glanced at Kas, and stared at him for a moment, his eyes narrowing just slightly. "I suppose... I could do that, then," was not exactly what he intended to say. He said it anyway, and he sighed. Now he just had to find a good day. The next round of battles would be happening in a month or two. Maybe he could take her during the summer time? It was a fair bit cooler than this place was, but he wasn't entirely sure yet.
"I shall take her to Fuchsia, then. I suppose... I should figure out a date and a flight," he spoke. "Thanks Kas," because he wouldn't have thought about this on his own.
“Glad I could help,” Kasimir replied easily. He didn’t get up to leave, though—for several long moments, he remained where he was, silent.
“Hey Ryk, do you think—” He shook his head, sighing a bit too heavily. “You know what? Never mind.” Standing, he dusted nonexistent lint off the shoulder of his sapphire-blue sweater, then made for the door.
Eryk blinked for a moment. "What?" he called after Kas. "Do I think what?" he repeated. He was slightly curious now as to what Kas had to say. Granted, he'd never been interested or curious about anything Kas had to say or do, but that was a long time ago. He wanted to know, now, what Kas was going to say. Besides...
"I think you owe me one," he spoke, referring to the one time he'd done the same thing. Eryk had called him a brother that day.
Kas paused, one hand resting on the doorway. It was the last part that did it. He turned to look at Eryk over his shoulder, knocking the side of his thumb against the wood a couple of times. The expression on his face was hard to read—it definitely didn’t look like any of his usual ones. There was something almost… pained, about it. “Cy,” he said quietly.
His free hand reached up to knuckle at the back of his neck, and he shifted his eyes out Eryk’s office window. “There’s… I have my eye on something nice for her, you know. But… I don't want to make things… worse. I keep asking myself if I should pick something else instead, that’s all.” He shook his head minutely. “I don’t usually have trouble with this kind of thing anymore, but there it is.”
Well, he wasn't expecting that at least. Anything but that. Eryk sighed a little too heavily through his nose. "Kas," he began, staring at him for a moment. There wasn't any doubt in his mind that Kas knew about Cy's feelings for him, but perhaps he just didn't know the extent of them. It was odd, though, that he would say that. "I don't think you'll make things worse. I just..." he really wasn't good at something like this, but he couldn't exactly tell Kas. He owed her that much at least. If she wasn't going to tell him, then he'd tell Kas himself. Now, however, wasn't the time.
"You know Cy. She won't take it the wrong way. She'll just... she'll just think it's from a friend, and nothing else," but he couldn't be entirely sure about it. "I'm not as good at this as you are, I'm afraid," he huffed slightly. Really, who was he to give advice about anything?
Kas half-smiled; there was something still melancholy in his expression, though—but it was only there for a moment. “Yeah, well… good or not, you helped me make up my mind at least. I’d say it’s not bad, for a first try.” He tapped the doorframe once more, using his other hand to give a two-fingered salute. “I’ll seeya later, Ryk.”
"See you."
He felt like it was burning a hole in his bag.
Kas hadn’t been completely honest with Eryk—it wasn’t like he’d just seen the gift in a shop window one day and decided it would be something to get her. He’d designed the thing himself, then put in the order. He’d chosen every facet of the design, all of them with her in mind. Some of them, he’d considered for hours, trying to make exactly the right choice. He liked the result, but he also thought it was far too personal.
Probably he’d just tell her what he told Ryk. That it was something he’d found that just so happened to suit her. That seemed like a much better option. He put it out of his mind for a while and went back to his work. Just paper shuffling at the moment—he’d taken back all of his own work a while ago, and these days he even did a fair amount of Ryk’s. Secretly, of course. He didn’t want to get a reputation for this kind of thing. But it didn’t take a genius to notice that Eryk was distracted, nor to figure out why. Since Kas thought this was a good thing, he picked up some of the slack on secret.
It doubled as a way to distract himself, anyhow.
Does everyone go around wearing the same look? Kenshin spoke. He was staring at Kas, a raised brow and a slightly amused look crossing his face. Though I think yours is probably the most distracted, he continued, glancing to the side for a moment. His eyes narrowed for a second, but he returned his attention back to Kas. Or maybe it's just that kind of season, he gave a careless shrug of his shoulders, like he wasn't entirely interested in what the reason was. He shifted slightly before making his way towards Kas. He seemed a bit bored, if lucarios could be such things.
Kas grinned. “This is just my ‘paperwork’ face,” he said with false solemnity. “I hate work, so you can understand why I might get distracted thinking about other things.” He shrugged; of course the paperwork was the distraction, but he had no desire to share that with anyone else, Kenshin included.
“But since you’re here, I have an excuse to quit working for a while, so. What brings you to my office, Ken?” He leaned back in his desk chair, propping his feet up on an empty corner of the desk and folding his hands over his stomach. “Tired of hanging around with all the buzzkills, or what?”
Kenshin scoffed, the subtle signs of a laugh escaping him. I'm not sure that's the word I'd use, but it's close enough, he replied. He looked to be contemplating something before shaking his head. Cy's gone, something about going into the town for some thing or another, and Ryk's helping Ana. You're the only one here, and I'm bored, he continued, like Kas was his last option at something. He shrugged his shoulders again, but he did look slightly bored.
And I need a distraction, though it was hard to tell from what.
“Yeesh. You don’t have to make it sound like I’m the last resort here. You could hurt a guy’s feelings that way.” Kas didn’t take any particular offense, though, only tipping his head to the side and contemplating something for a moment. Well… Ken said he needed a distraction, so why not?
“So…” he said, taking on a conspiratorial tone. “Christmas. It’s coming up, and all of us are going to be spending it together. Now, I don’t know about you, but I’m thinking this is a prime opportunity to mess around with some people a little bit. I’m thinking one person in particular—someone we both know who needs a little bit of a push. What d’you think? Wanna help?”
Something about what Kas said made Kenshin grin. It was an odd look on a lucario, and looked almost feral. I'm in, he replied a little too enthusiastically. I'm not going to pass up an opportunity like this, he continued walking so that he could take an empty chair in front of Kas. What do you have planned? Cy mentioned something about having this thing called mistletoe. I don't know why you humans are obsessive with it, he said, pausing momentarily.
But I know that it's supposed to be tradition and it means something. I also know that it means, if placed right, it can cause great reactions, he added, the grin returning to his face.
“Now you’re speaking my language,” Kas replied with a matching grin of his own. “So the first step was to make sure Ryk didn’t fuck up with the gift. Thankfully, he’d already been thinking about that on his own, and I didn’t have to push or anything. Step two is indeed mistletoe.” He tipped his head back, letting it rest on the back of his office chair, rocking slightly up and down.
“It might only result in a little step forward, but that little one is critical. Based on what Cy said on the day we were decorating, he’s already been thinking in that vein, which is good. We can’t really push so much as open the way forward—remove the excuses and the obstructions. Mistletoe is a tradition that a lot of people ignore, sure, but if he’s already thinking about it… we might get somewhere with it. It takes a lot of the potential harm out of the situation, too—if it doesn’t go well, everyone can just say it was tradition and not worry too much about it.” He shrugged. “So… relatively low risk for potentially major reward, you see?”
He shuffled his feet around so that one was crossed over the top of the other, clicking his tongue. “Now we have two obstacles here. One is that Ana doesn’t own any. I checked through her decorations—there isn’t so much as a sprig. That’s easy to fix. The second problem, though, is getting both of them under it. If Eryk spots it, he’ll avoid it like the plague… assuming he even knows what it is.” Actually, now that he got to thinking about it, Ryk might not. It wasn’t like his family was all warm and full of festive cheer or anything.
Of course, it would potentially be even more funny if he got to watch Ana stutter through an explanation of what it was. “Anyway, even if he doesn’t, Ana’s far too polite to want to stand under it voluntarily. Which means it’s going to have to move.” He looked back down, meeting eyes with Kenshin. “You know Psychic, don’t you?”
A lucario smiling is one thing, but a lucario on the verge of a large grin was another. I do, he replied, leaning forward slightly. There was an odd glimmer in his eyes, like he was thinking of something else entirely, yet still on the same page. The mistletoe shouldn't be a problem, I don't think. Humans sell it in their shops at this time of year, don't they? he stated more than he questioned. The could go buy it themselves, eventually. He seemed to be thinking as he glanced down at his paws, folded as they were.
So, the plan is basically to get Eryk and Ana underneath the mistletoe without their knowledge. I can do that. Cy taught me a few things on how to be sneaky if I have to, he spoke, relaying the plan. He seemed to be thoroughly invested in this plan, if the grin on his face was anything to go by.
“Excellent.” Kas lifted his hands, rubbing them together in an intentionally-exaggerated fashion. “Of course, there are also lots of standby plans, like making sure they get left alone together as often as possible and so on, but those will require Cy’s cooperation. I really don’t think Eryk’s going to try anything if she’s around, considering the way she laughed at him last time.” He rolled his eyes, shaking his head slightly.
“But yes, mistletoe is readily available. I’ll pick some up before the party. I’ll see what I can do about getting Ryk to dress nicely, too—Christmas parties should have a little elegance to them, I think. Wanna borrow a bow tie?” He chuckled a little as he said it.
Kenshin raised a brow at Kas's question. What is a bow tie? he asked, tilting his head in a slightly confused fashion. Are those those weird little bows that humans wear sometimes in place of an actual tie? he continued, though his eyes sparked up a bit at that. I'll wear it, if you have one to spare. He seemed a little too excited for that.
“What's your favorite color?"
Kas hadn’t been completely honest with Eryk—it wasn’t like he’d just seen the gift in a shop window one day and decided it would be something to get her. He’d designed the thing himself, then put in the order. He’d chosen every facet of the design, all of them with her in mind. Some of them, he’d considered for hours, trying to make exactly the right choice. He liked the result, but he also thought it was far too personal.
Probably he’d just tell her what he told Ryk. That it was something he’d found that just so happened to suit her. That seemed like a much better option. He put it out of his mind for a while and went back to his work. Just paper shuffling at the moment—he’d taken back all of his own work a while ago, and these days he even did a fair amount of Ryk’s. Secretly, of course. He didn’t want to get a reputation for this kind of thing. But it didn’t take a genius to notice that Eryk was distracted, nor to figure out why. Since Kas thought this was a good thing, he picked up some of the slack on secret.
It doubled as a way to distract himself, anyhow.
Does everyone go around wearing the same look? Kenshin spoke. He was staring at Kas, a raised brow and a slightly amused look crossing his face. Though I think yours is probably the most distracted, he continued, glancing to the side for a moment. His eyes narrowed for a second, but he returned his attention back to Kas. Or maybe it's just that kind of season, he gave a careless shrug of his shoulders, like he wasn't entirely interested in what the reason was. He shifted slightly before making his way towards Kas. He seemed a bit bored, if lucarios could be such things.
Kas grinned. “This is just my ‘paperwork’ face,” he said with false solemnity. “I hate work, so you can understand why I might get distracted thinking about other things.” He shrugged; of course the paperwork was the distraction, but he had no desire to share that with anyone else, Kenshin included.
“But since you’re here, I have an excuse to quit working for a while, so. What brings you to my office, Ken?” He leaned back in his desk chair, propping his feet up on an empty corner of the desk and folding his hands over his stomach. “Tired of hanging around with all the buzzkills, or what?”
Kenshin scoffed, the subtle signs of a laugh escaping him. I'm not sure that's the word I'd use, but it's close enough, he replied. He looked to be contemplating something before shaking his head. Cy's gone, something about going into the town for some thing or another, and Ryk's helping Ana. You're the only one here, and I'm bored, he continued, like Kas was his last option at something. He shrugged his shoulders again, but he did look slightly bored.
And I need a distraction, though it was hard to tell from what.
“Yeesh. You don’t have to make it sound like I’m the last resort here. You could hurt a guy’s feelings that way.” Kas didn’t take any particular offense, though, only tipping his head to the side and contemplating something for a moment. Well… Ken said he needed a distraction, so why not?
“So…” he said, taking on a conspiratorial tone. “Christmas. It’s coming up, and all of us are going to be spending it together. Now, I don’t know about you, but I’m thinking this is a prime opportunity to mess around with some people a little bit. I’m thinking one person in particular—someone we both know who needs a little bit of a push. What d’you think? Wanna help?”
Something about what Kas said made Kenshin grin. It was an odd look on a lucario, and looked almost feral. I'm in, he replied a little too enthusiastically. I'm not going to pass up an opportunity like this, he continued walking so that he could take an empty chair in front of Kas. What do you have planned? Cy mentioned something about having this thing called mistletoe. I don't know why you humans are obsessive with it, he said, pausing momentarily.
But I know that it's supposed to be tradition and it means something. I also know that it means, if placed right, it can cause great reactions, he added, the grin returning to his face.
“Now you’re speaking my language,” Kas replied with a matching grin of his own. “So the first step was to make sure Ryk didn’t fuck up with the gift. Thankfully, he’d already been thinking about that on his own, and I didn’t have to push or anything. Step two is indeed mistletoe.” He tipped his head back, letting it rest on the back of his office chair, rocking slightly up and down.
“It might only result in a little step forward, but that little one is critical. Based on what Cy said on the day we were decorating, he’s already been thinking in that vein, which is good. We can’t really push so much as open the way forward—remove the excuses and the obstructions. Mistletoe is a tradition that a lot of people ignore, sure, but if he’s already thinking about it… we might get somewhere with it. It takes a lot of the potential harm out of the situation, too—if it doesn’t go well, everyone can just say it was tradition and not worry too much about it.” He shrugged. “So… relatively low risk for potentially major reward, you see?”
He shuffled his feet around so that one was crossed over the top of the other, clicking his tongue. “Now we have two obstacles here. One is that Ana doesn’t own any. I checked through her decorations—there isn’t so much as a sprig. That’s easy to fix. The second problem, though, is getting both of them under it. If Eryk spots it, he’ll avoid it like the plague… assuming he even knows what it is.” Actually, now that he got to thinking about it, Ryk might not. It wasn’t like his family was all warm and full of festive cheer or anything.
Of course, it would potentially be even more funny if he got to watch Ana stutter through an explanation of what it was. “Anyway, even if he doesn’t, Ana’s far too polite to want to stand under it voluntarily. Which means it’s going to have to move.” He looked back down, meeting eyes with Kenshin. “You know Psychic, don’t you?”
A lucario smiling is one thing, but a lucario on the verge of a large grin was another. I do, he replied, leaning forward slightly. There was an odd glimmer in his eyes, like he was thinking of something else entirely, yet still on the same page. The mistletoe shouldn't be a problem, I don't think. Humans sell it in their shops at this time of year, don't they? he stated more than he questioned. The could go buy it themselves, eventually. He seemed to be thinking as he glanced down at his paws, folded as they were.
So, the plan is basically to get Eryk and Ana underneath the mistletoe without their knowledge. I can do that. Cy taught me a few things on how to be sneaky if I have to, he spoke, relaying the plan. He seemed to be thoroughly invested in this plan, if the grin on his face was anything to go by.
“Excellent.” Kas lifted his hands, rubbing them together in an intentionally-exaggerated fashion. “Of course, there are also lots of standby plans, like making sure they get left alone together as often as possible and so on, but those will require Cy’s cooperation. I really don’t think Eryk’s going to try anything if she’s around, considering the way she laughed at him last time.” He rolled his eyes, shaking his head slightly.
“But yes, mistletoe is readily available. I’ll pick some up before the party. I’ll see what I can do about getting Ryk to dress nicely, too—Christmas parties should have a little elegance to them, I think. Wanna borrow a bow tie?” He chuckled a little as he said it.
Kenshin raised a brow at Kas's question. What is a bow tie? he asked, tilting his head in a slightly confused fashion. Are those those weird little bows that humans wear sometimes in place of an actual tie? he continued, though his eyes sparked up a bit at that. I'll wear it, if you have one to spare. He seemed a little too excited for that.
“What's your favorite color?"
Cyrilla smiled, laughing softly to herself as she glanced at Kenshin. How Kas managed to get him to wear a bowtie, she didn't know. It was adorable, though. He was fidgeting with it, occasionally fixing it or just touching it. She rolled her eyes softly at him, but chose not to say anything about it. Everyone was dressed rather nicely, after all. Eryk, somehow, managed to fit himself into a nice suit. It wasn't a tuxedo, thankfully. That would have been too formal. He was wearing a dark, slate gray button up shirt that had been ironed out, with a black vest over it. His slacks were black as well, but she wouldn't have expected anything less from him. He wasn't Kas; he didn't wear bright colors. His shoes had been shined the day before so he looked a little less like Eryk, and more like someone completely different. Even his hair had been styled back, though it didn't look gelled.
She, however, had to go out into the town a few days beforehand to find something to wear. She didn't own anything formal, or at least nice enough for an occasion like this. The dress she had chosen was a halter top dress, and a little form fitting, if she were being honest, but it wasn't entirely so. It was loose towards her hips, making it easy to move about, and fell around her ankles. It wasn't restricting at all, and she'd chosen it for that purpose. It was a deep red color, too, though it was nice and not too formal.
"Alright, now where did I put those boxes," she spoke, rummaging through her closet. Kenshin scoffed at her from behind, and she merely pursed her lips at them. She'd put the gifts inside her closet so she wouldn't lose them, yet here she was looking for them. The sound of someone clearing their throat, however, caught her attention as she glanced towards the doorway. Eryk was leaning on it, staring at her with a raised eyebrow and a confused look. In his hands, however, were three boxes.
"You gave them to me yesterday so you wouldn't lose them," he spoke, causing her to laugh softly at herself. She'd forgotten about that. He rolled his eyes, holding the boxes out to her. He had his own gift in a box in the pocket of his vest, and she almost grinned at him. "Come on, we're going to be late," he spoke, pushing himself from the door as she nodded her head. Once they were all together, they met with Kas in the front of the building, and made their way towards Ana's. The walk was quiet for the most part, but Cyrilla didn't mind. It was nice, especially since she was excited to get to Ana's.
Once they reached her house, though, Cyrilla knocked softly on the door. She was excited, to say the least, especially with the gifts she had gotten for Ana and Kas.
Beside her, Kas shifted the boxes in his arms. There were only two, and the one on the bottom seemed to be quite heavy. Still, he could carry them in one arm, which he did, tucking them against his side and tugging at the collar of his shirt. It was a deep purple, actually—he’d worn charcoal-colored trousers with it, and rolled the sleeves up to his elbows. He didn’t elect to wear a tie; he’d actually unbuttoned the first three buttons of the shirt, creating a deep v-shape in the fabric.
It took a second for Ana to get to the door—the smell of baking cookies and other desserts in the house gave a clue as to why. When she did pull it open, she beamed at them. She’d elected to wear a dress as well. It was quite simple; just an a-line to her knees, dark green in color, with close-fitting sleeves to her elbows. The only touch of decoration was the belt cinched over it—that was a gold swath of fabric embroidered in silver.
“You all look so good!” she declared immediately, her smile growing. “I feel like we should be going somewhere much nicer than my house.” She stepped aside to let them in.
“Not sure I know anywhere nicer than your house,” Kas replied easily, stepping in first. “Can I set these under the tree?”
She nodded, gesturing to the living room. “Please do. I’ll go get the food and we can put it on the coffee table.”
"Oh, let me help," Cyrilla spoke. She set down the presents she was holding underneath the tree as well before making her way towards Ana. Eryk seemed to nod and made his way to sit, or possibly stand somewhere to the side. She didn't get to see. Once she helped Ana, she took a seat on the couch, smoothing out the bottom of her dress as she did.
"Merry Christmas, guys," she stated, glancing between her friends, even Kenshin who was standing by the tree staring down at the presents. He was probably trying to figure out what they were, though she'd already given him his present. It wasn't anything too special, but she'd given him an entire box of caramel apples. He'd been happy about that, though she had also wanted to get him something else. It wasn't finished on time, but she could give it to him later. He wouldn't care either way.
"So, what should we do first, hm?" because there were a lot of things they could do before the day ended.
Kas sat on the other side of the couch, reaching forward and snatching several cookies off one of the plates. He shrugged, as if to indicate that the order of things didn’t really make too much difference to him.
“Well,” Ana replied. “I have a few board games in my closet, so we could always dig those out. Or we could open presents now… or really whatever we want.” She looked like she might have said something else, but at that point, a flash of lightning went off; it was easily visible from the window. Patiently, Ana waited for the thunder, which indeed rumbled distantly a few seconds afterwards. “I was just about to say that most outdoor things were probably out, because there’s a storm in the forecast for the night.”
“Hey Ana. Have you got a deck of cards handy?” Kas asked. He’d been listening attentively since she mentioned games, actually.
Her brows furrowed a bit, but then she nodded. “I think there’s one up there, yes. Why—did you have a game in mind?”
The expression on Kasimir’s face was incredibly familiar to Cyrilla—he wore it when having fun at someone else’s expense. He’d used to wear it when teasing her. “I do—but it should wait until later tonight, when we break out the booze. Which we will be doing, oh people-who-skipped-wine-at-Thanksgiving.” He mock glared at all three of them.
Eryk didn't seem to mind Kas's statement, and simply ate one of the cookies. "Whatever you say, Kas," he replied. Cyrilla pursed her lips somewhat, but didn't object. She didn't drink, that was a given, but Eryk did on the rare occasion. He didn't seem too inclined to the beverages. But Kas said that would be later tonight, so for now, they could do something else. She paused in her thoughts before smiling. At least it would get this part over and done with, and it wouldn't be too awkward. She hoped it wouldn't be.
"Alright then, if we're going to play games later, we might as well exchange gifts. It'll get that out of the way," though she was a little too excited for that. "Kenny, can you bring me their gifts, please," she stated, watching as Kenshin raised a brow at her. He didn't protest, though, and did as she asked of him. She smiled when he passed her the presents, and she presented the first one to Ana.
"I really didn't know what to get you, but I thought you would like this," she spoke. It was a small box that she handed to Ana. It was a small jewelry box, and inside of it was a simple chain. The pendant that was on it, though, was made of a deep sapphire stone. It looked like a water stone, when she'd first seen it, and for some odd reason, it reminded her of Ana. Why, she didn't exactly know herself. She just knew she had to get it for her.
Ana’s eyes brightened when she saw it; she lifted the chain out of its box very carefully. She held it delicately, lifting the stone up, where it caught the light and glimmered slightly. “Oh, it’s beautiful!” she said, clearly genuinely pleased. “Thank you so much, Cy! I’m afraid my gift for you isn’t quite as nice.”
She retrieved her own boxes, though she had to move one of them along the floor with her foot—it was that big. The one she handed to Cy was a more moderate size, though. “It’s a little more practical—I hope that’s okay.” The box contained a very well-made trainer’s bag, but it looked like it had been modified somewhat. It was, generally, blue and white, a mix of soft leather and thick, sturdy fabric—it looked to be very high-quality. “It’s got extra pockets for medicine and things,” Ana explained. “I’ve put a bunch in there already—and there’s a special inside pocket for Kenshin’s prescription, so you’ll have it anywhere you go.”
"Aw, thanks Ana, I love it!" she stated, reaching over slightly to give Ana a hug. She realized, though, that she had to stand before doing so, otherwise she'd have fallen out of her seat. She cleared her throat, though, once she'd been able to give Ana a proper hug. She glanced towards Eryk who stood still for a moment. It looked like he was contemplating something, but he seemed to have made up his mind, and retrieved the present from his pocket.
He handed Ana his gift, staring at her with a soft gaze. "You said once that you had wanted to travel," he spoke softly. His hand lingered on the package for just a moment longer before he released it. "I didn't know where you wanted to go, so," he trailed off for just a second. "I got us tickets to Fuchsia for the summer," he continued. Cyrilla did her best not to laugh at him, but it was adorable the way he said it. If she didn't know any better, she would say he was embarrassed by it because he said us, and that only implied him and her. Not that she minded, of course, but it was still something to see, and she could feel her heart skip a beat at the sight.
Ana’s eyes rounded; she stared at the tickets like she couldn’t quite believe they were really there. But then she turned her eyes back up to Eryk, and her lower lip trembled slightly. “Eryk, you—” She cut herself off, unable to make the words come out quite right. After a deep breath, she shook her head several times and closed the distance between them in two steps, wrapping her arms tightly around him. “Thank you,” she breathed. “Thank you so much.”
Kas chuckled softly. “I’m afraid I can’t quite compete with that,” he said, amusement twinkling in his golden eyes. “But… mine does come with an invitation. My sister’s getting married at the end of spring—you might have heard from Harper. Well, I’m inviting all of you to the island, and I figured you might want something to wear to the ceremony, Ana.” He waited for her to detach herself from Eryk, then handed her a long, flat box.
It turned out to contain a dress, sized for Ana. The style of it was slightly similar to the one Cy was wearing; it was clearly meant to be worn somewhere warm—the neck was halter-style, meaning that there were no sleeves, and it fell a few inches above the knee, by the look of it. While the front was modest, the dress appeared to have almost no back to speak of. It was very tasteful, though—and clearly quite expensive.
“I’ve never been to a wedding,” Ana said quietly, then grinned. “Thank you, Kas.” He opened his arms for a hug, and she obliged.
“Oh, while I think about it, this big one is for you.”
Looking curious, Kasimir opened it—and then laughed uproariously. “I can’t believe you—” He snickered again, shaking his head, then turned to explain to the others. “Ana thought it was weird that someone who liked food as much as me had never tried a Rage Candy Bar. Apparently, she decided to buy me a whole case of them.”
Ana smiled, a hint of mischief in it. “They’re only made in Mahogany Town in Johto, but I have a relative everywhere. She shipped the case to me a few weeks ago. Your pokémon can eat them, too.”
Cyrilla smiled at the exchange before glancing at the present in her hands. She'd been holding it a little too tightly, perhaps because it would be his soon. She didn't know what to get Kas, mainly because what she wanted to give him wasn't exactly something she could. Plus, it wouldn't really be a gift to him, when she thought about it. She'd come across this though, and she'd fashioned it herself into something more presentable. It was an Everstone, a stone that stopped a pokémon from evolving. In some ways, she wanted to give it to him so that he would never change. She liked him how he was, and how he'd always be, she hoped. It also had another meaning, at least to her. It meant that, no matter what, she would never change, either, and neither would her feelings.
She was sure he wouldn't read too much into it, and this was like a small tiny confession that she wanted to give him. She had had it carved, though, and made into a round charm to put on the bracelet he had his Raikou on. It didn't seem too sentimental this way, and it was one gift to a friend. She sighed softly, taking a deep breath while the others were distracted. It felt, strangely, harder to breathe all of a sudden. Shaking the thought from her mind, she cleared her throat softly, and held the present out to Kas.
"I got this for you, Kas. I... it's not much, though, so," she finally spoke, trying her best not to be too nervous about it. She could almost hear Kenshin laughing at her, though he looked tranquil where he stood.
He took it from her with a strange look on his face that she couldn’t quite read; the package was small enough that his fingers accidentally brushed hers. And it was an accident, because he moved them away immediately afterwards, unwrapping the gift and studying it with that same inscrutable expression. He ran his thumb over the engraving, then turned the charm over in his hands. “Is this… made from an Everstone?” he asked, something like curiosity at the edge of his tone.
"It is," she replied, trying to steady her heartbeat. It was beating slightly faster now, but at least she managed to keep herself from blushing. "I told you it wasn't much, but," she began, pausing for just a moment to glance up at him. "I just, I figured it'd be a nice way of saying not to ever change," she continued, glancing away and staring at Eryk. He looked slightly amused by the whole thing, but he didn't say anything.
“Never change, huh?” Kas glanced up from the charm in his hand to her, tilting his head to the side. “Seems more like something I should be telling you, but I’ll take it. Thanks, Cy.” With a few moments of work, he attached it to his bracelet, so that it hung beside the other one. It didn’t match, exactly, and neither charm really went with the colorful fabric braid making up the part that went around his wrist, but that much seemed to suit Kas just fine.
He stood and returned to the tree, digging out the larger of the boxes he’d brought and handing it to Eryk. “It’s heavy,” he warned. “Don't drop it or you might put a hole in Ana’s floor.” The box proved to contain a full set of pokémon training weights, from the green power weight to the aqua-blue anklet. “I figured it’d help you train your team with a little more focus,” he said with a shrug. “Help them cover any weaknesses they have, and all that.”
Eryk scoffed slightly at the gifts. "Thanks," he spoke, shaking his head slightly. He did, however, retrieve another item from his pocket. How he'd managed to conceal it there, was something that even Cyrilla didn't know, however; she knew the object he held in his hand. It was something that only certain members of Koga's family had, and it held some sentimentality to it for Ryk to keep it. "It's something we're given when we become part of the family," he began, handing the object to Kas.
It was a beautifully decorated dagger, the hilt a silver color with emeralds and amethysts. The blade itself was slightly curved, and was more ceremonial than anything else. It had meant a lot to Ryk for some odd reason, but for him to be giving it to Kas? "Like I told you," he began, placing his hands into his pockets now, "you're the closest thing I have to a sibling."
Kas’s grin could have split his face. He handled the dagger like he was familiar with such weapons, sliding it partway out of the sheath. “Awesome,” he said, apparently quite honest in his enthusiasm. “Does this make me a ninja now?” He huffed a laugh at his own joke, but then his expression grew more serious. “Honestly, though… thanks, Ryk.”
“I think Kas and I were thinking the same thing,” Ana confessed, handing Eryk a smaller box. It was made of polished redwood—heavy-looking for its size, but not overly so. “Because I got you something to help you in the tournament.” She smiled gently, nodding at the box as if to prompt him to open it.
Inside was a simple pendant—it looked to be some kind of rainbow-colored stone set into a silver oval, creating a thin outline around the gem. Also in the box was a shiny, red-and-purple stone of a slightly larger size. Together, it was clearer what they were for. The pendant was a Key Stone, and the other one looked to be gengarite. “I’m not much good for training with,” Ana explained. “So I thought I’d find some other way to help.”
Cyrilla chuckled lightly at Eryk's expression. He looked genuinely surprised at the gifts Ana had given him, so much so that the barest hints of a smile stretched across his face. It became almost a full-fledged smile by the time he was leaning down slightly, wrapping Ana in a hug. It took a lot of effort for Cyrilla not to 'aw' at it, and she didn't. She just smiled brightly at the scene. It was the first time he'd voluntarily hugged anyone, and she had half a mind to take a picture. She decided against it, though. It would be better if it as a private thing.
"Thank you, Ana," he finally replied, releasing her in the process. "I think, Gengar would appreciate the gift as well," he added, a slightly amused tone lacing his voice.
“I thought he might,” She replied wryly.
At some point during the exchange, Kas had moved closer; while he wasn’t touching her, he was close enough that she could feel his body heat. He shifted beside her. “Sorry, Cy.”
He must have been apologizing for the fact that he was lifting her wrist in one of his hands and moving it slightly. It became clear why when he quickly clasped something over it, covering the object with his hands for a moment. It felt cool against her skin, which was a sharp contrast to the warm of his own. “For you,” he said quietly, then lifted his hands away. He was back on his side of the couch a moment later, rejoining the conversation with the other two as though he’d never left it.
The piece he’d left on her wrist was a bracelet, but it bore absolutely no resemblance to his. The chain was composed of intricate platinum links that moved together like water. Several charms hung from it—six of them were tiny little pokéballs, plated in mother-of-pearl and what looked like lapis lazuli where the red would usually be. Each of the center buttons was a little diamond. The charms in between were all of her pokémon—a lucario, an arcanine, a rapidash, an ice-type ninetales, a gyarados, and even a tiny little egg in the last spot. The pokéballs, despite their construction, actually looked… functional, if minimized. It was hard to say exactly how much he must have spent on it, but… it couldn’t have been inexpensive.
For a moment, Cyrilla just stared at it. Her hand was dangled in front of her, and she could feel a slight warmth over her face. It was so pretty, though that wasn't the right word she wanted to use. It was beautiful, and she adored it. Without so much as a thought, Cyrilla turned towards Kas, and hugged him from the side. It was awkward, but she managed to situate herself so she wasn't actually doing anything other than hugging him.
"Thanks Kas!" she spoke, finally releasing him. She could hear Kenshin laughing at her, but she didn't care. She was giving a friend a hug, and that's all it was to her. Or at least that's what she was trying to tell herself. She cleared her throat, feeling just the slightest bit awkward before moving to sit properly in her own part of the couch. She could feel her face cooling down just slightly, as she turned towards them. "Alright, what's next?" she asked. She could have sworn Eryk was giving her a sly smirk, but maybe she was just seeing things?
“Drinks,” Kas said immediately. Almost a little too quickly, maybe. He cleared his throat; his voice sounded more normal when he spoke again. “Definitely drinks. You’re all learning how to play King’s Cup. No ifs, ands, or buts.”
"Fine."
She, however, had to go out into the town a few days beforehand to find something to wear. She didn't own anything formal, or at least nice enough for an occasion like this. The dress she had chosen was a halter top dress, and a little form fitting, if she were being honest, but it wasn't entirely so. It was loose towards her hips, making it easy to move about, and fell around her ankles. It wasn't restricting at all, and she'd chosen it for that purpose. It was a deep red color, too, though it was nice and not too formal.
"Alright, now where did I put those boxes," she spoke, rummaging through her closet. Kenshin scoffed at her from behind, and she merely pursed her lips at them. She'd put the gifts inside her closet so she wouldn't lose them, yet here she was looking for them. The sound of someone clearing their throat, however, caught her attention as she glanced towards the doorway. Eryk was leaning on it, staring at her with a raised eyebrow and a confused look. In his hands, however, were three boxes.
"You gave them to me yesterday so you wouldn't lose them," he spoke, causing her to laugh softly at herself. She'd forgotten about that. He rolled his eyes, holding the boxes out to her. He had his own gift in a box in the pocket of his vest, and she almost grinned at him. "Come on, we're going to be late," he spoke, pushing himself from the door as she nodded her head. Once they were all together, they met with Kas in the front of the building, and made their way towards Ana's. The walk was quiet for the most part, but Cyrilla didn't mind. It was nice, especially since she was excited to get to Ana's.
Once they reached her house, though, Cyrilla knocked softly on the door. She was excited, to say the least, especially with the gifts she had gotten for Ana and Kas.
Beside her, Kas shifted the boxes in his arms. There were only two, and the one on the bottom seemed to be quite heavy. Still, he could carry them in one arm, which he did, tucking them against his side and tugging at the collar of his shirt. It was a deep purple, actually—he’d worn charcoal-colored trousers with it, and rolled the sleeves up to his elbows. He didn’t elect to wear a tie; he’d actually unbuttoned the first three buttons of the shirt, creating a deep v-shape in the fabric.
It took a second for Ana to get to the door—the smell of baking cookies and other desserts in the house gave a clue as to why. When she did pull it open, she beamed at them. She’d elected to wear a dress as well. It was quite simple; just an a-line to her knees, dark green in color, with close-fitting sleeves to her elbows. The only touch of decoration was the belt cinched over it—that was a gold swath of fabric embroidered in silver.
“You all look so good!” she declared immediately, her smile growing. “I feel like we should be going somewhere much nicer than my house.” She stepped aside to let them in.
“Not sure I know anywhere nicer than your house,” Kas replied easily, stepping in first. “Can I set these under the tree?”
She nodded, gesturing to the living room. “Please do. I’ll go get the food and we can put it on the coffee table.”
"Oh, let me help," Cyrilla spoke. She set down the presents she was holding underneath the tree as well before making her way towards Ana. Eryk seemed to nod and made his way to sit, or possibly stand somewhere to the side. She didn't get to see. Once she helped Ana, she took a seat on the couch, smoothing out the bottom of her dress as she did.
"Merry Christmas, guys," she stated, glancing between her friends, even Kenshin who was standing by the tree staring down at the presents. He was probably trying to figure out what they were, though she'd already given him his present. It wasn't anything too special, but she'd given him an entire box of caramel apples. He'd been happy about that, though she had also wanted to get him something else. It wasn't finished on time, but she could give it to him later. He wouldn't care either way.
"So, what should we do first, hm?" because there were a lot of things they could do before the day ended.
Kas sat on the other side of the couch, reaching forward and snatching several cookies off one of the plates. He shrugged, as if to indicate that the order of things didn’t really make too much difference to him.
“Well,” Ana replied. “I have a few board games in my closet, so we could always dig those out. Or we could open presents now… or really whatever we want.” She looked like she might have said something else, but at that point, a flash of lightning went off; it was easily visible from the window. Patiently, Ana waited for the thunder, which indeed rumbled distantly a few seconds afterwards. “I was just about to say that most outdoor things were probably out, because there’s a storm in the forecast for the night.”
“Hey Ana. Have you got a deck of cards handy?” Kas asked. He’d been listening attentively since she mentioned games, actually.
Her brows furrowed a bit, but then she nodded. “I think there’s one up there, yes. Why—did you have a game in mind?”
The expression on Kasimir’s face was incredibly familiar to Cyrilla—he wore it when having fun at someone else’s expense. He’d used to wear it when teasing her. “I do—but it should wait until later tonight, when we break out the booze. Which we will be doing, oh people-who-skipped-wine-at-Thanksgiving.” He mock glared at all three of them.
Eryk didn't seem to mind Kas's statement, and simply ate one of the cookies. "Whatever you say, Kas," he replied. Cyrilla pursed her lips somewhat, but didn't object. She didn't drink, that was a given, but Eryk did on the rare occasion. He didn't seem too inclined to the beverages. But Kas said that would be later tonight, so for now, they could do something else. She paused in her thoughts before smiling. At least it would get this part over and done with, and it wouldn't be too awkward. She hoped it wouldn't be.
"Alright then, if we're going to play games later, we might as well exchange gifts. It'll get that out of the way," though she was a little too excited for that. "Kenny, can you bring me their gifts, please," she stated, watching as Kenshin raised a brow at her. He didn't protest, though, and did as she asked of him. She smiled when he passed her the presents, and she presented the first one to Ana.
"I really didn't know what to get you, but I thought you would like this," she spoke. It was a small box that she handed to Ana. It was a small jewelry box, and inside of it was a simple chain. The pendant that was on it, though, was made of a deep sapphire stone. It looked like a water stone, when she'd first seen it, and for some odd reason, it reminded her of Ana. Why, she didn't exactly know herself. She just knew she had to get it for her.
Ana’s eyes brightened when she saw it; she lifted the chain out of its box very carefully. She held it delicately, lifting the stone up, where it caught the light and glimmered slightly. “Oh, it’s beautiful!” she said, clearly genuinely pleased. “Thank you so much, Cy! I’m afraid my gift for you isn’t quite as nice.”
She retrieved her own boxes, though she had to move one of them along the floor with her foot—it was that big. The one she handed to Cy was a more moderate size, though. “It’s a little more practical—I hope that’s okay.” The box contained a very well-made trainer’s bag, but it looked like it had been modified somewhat. It was, generally, blue and white, a mix of soft leather and thick, sturdy fabric—it looked to be very high-quality. “It’s got extra pockets for medicine and things,” Ana explained. “I’ve put a bunch in there already—and there’s a special inside pocket for Kenshin’s prescription, so you’ll have it anywhere you go.”
"Aw, thanks Ana, I love it!" she stated, reaching over slightly to give Ana a hug. She realized, though, that she had to stand before doing so, otherwise she'd have fallen out of her seat. She cleared her throat, though, once she'd been able to give Ana a proper hug. She glanced towards Eryk who stood still for a moment. It looked like he was contemplating something, but he seemed to have made up his mind, and retrieved the present from his pocket.
He handed Ana his gift, staring at her with a soft gaze. "You said once that you had wanted to travel," he spoke softly. His hand lingered on the package for just a moment longer before he released it. "I didn't know where you wanted to go, so," he trailed off for just a second. "I got us tickets to Fuchsia for the summer," he continued. Cyrilla did her best not to laugh at him, but it was adorable the way he said it. If she didn't know any better, she would say he was embarrassed by it because he said us, and that only implied him and her. Not that she minded, of course, but it was still something to see, and she could feel her heart skip a beat at the sight.
Ana’s eyes rounded; she stared at the tickets like she couldn’t quite believe they were really there. But then she turned her eyes back up to Eryk, and her lower lip trembled slightly. “Eryk, you—” She cut herself off, unable to make the words come out quite right. After a deep breath, she shook her head several times and closed the distance between them in two steps, wrapping her arms tightly around him. “Thank you,” she breathed. “Thank you so much.”
Kas chuckled softly. “I’m afraid I can’t quite compete with that,” he said, amusement twinkling in his golden eyes. “But… mine does come with an invitation. My sister’s getting married at the end of spring—you might have heard from Harper. Well, I’m inviting all of you to the island, and I figured you might want something to wear to the ceremony, Ana.” He waited for her to detach herself from Eryk, then handed her a long, flat box.
It turned out to contain a dress, sized for Ana. The style of it was slightly similar to the one Cy was wearing; it was clearly meant to be worn somewhere warm—the neck was halter-style, meaning that there were no sleeves, and it fell a few inches above the knee, by the look of it. While the front was modest, the dress appeared to have almost no back to speak of. It was very tasteful, though—and clearly quite expensive.
“I’ve never been to a wedding,” Ana said quietly, then grinned. “Thank you, Kas.” He opened his arms for a hug, and she obliged.
“Oh, while I think about it, this big one is for you.”
Looking curious, Kasimir opened it—and then laughed uproariously. “I can’t believe you—” He snickered again, shaking his head, then turned to explain to the others. “Ana thought it was weird that someone who liked food as much as me had never tried a Rage Candy Bar. Apparently, she decided to buy me a whole case of them.”
Ana smiled, a hint of mischief in it. “They’re only made in Mahogany Town in Johto, but I have a relative everywhere. She shipped the case to me a few weeks ago. Your pokémon can eat them, too.”
Cyrilla smiled at the exchange before glancing at the present in her hands. She'd been holding it a little too tightly, perhaps because it would be his soon. She didn't know what to get Kas, mainly because what she wanted to give him wasn't exactly something she could. Plus, it wouldn't really be a gift to him, when she thought about it. She'd come across this though, and she'd fashioned it herself into something more presentable. It was an Everstone, a stone that stopped a pokémon from evolving. In some ways, she wanted to give it to him so that he would never change. She liked him how he was, and how he'd always be, she hoped. It also had another meaning, at least to her. It meant that, no matter what, she would never change, either, and neither would her feelings.
She was sure he wouldn't read too much into it, and this was like a small tiny confession that she wanted to give him. She had had it carved, though, and made into a round charm to put on the bracelet he had his Raikou on. It didn't seem too sentimental this way, and it was one gift to a friend. She sighed softly, taking a deep breath while the others were distracted. It felt, strangely, harder to breathe all of a sudden. Shaking the thought from her mind, she cleared her throat softly, and held the present out to Kas.
"I got this for you, Kas. I... it's not much, though, so," she finally spoke, trying her best not to be too nervous about it. She could almost hear Kenshin laughing at her, though he looked tranquil where he stood.
He took it from her with a strange look on his face that she couldn’t quite read; the package was small enough that his fingers accidentally brushed hers. And it was an accident, because he moved them away immediately afterwards, unwrapping the gift and studying it with that same inscrutable expression. He ran his thumb over the engraving, then turned the charm over in his hands. “Is this… made from an Everstone?” he asked, something like curiosity at the edge of his tone.
"It is," she replied, trying to steady her heartbeat. It was beating slightly faster now, but at least she managed to keep herself from blushing. "I told you it wasn't much, but," she began, pausing for just a moment to glance up at him. "I just, I figured it'd be a nice way of saying not to ever change," she continued, glancing away and staring at Eryk. He looked slightly amused by the whole thing, but he didn't say anything.
“Never change, huh?” Kas glanced up from the charm in his hand to her, tilting his head to the side. “Seems more like something I should be telling you, but I’ll take it. Thanks, Cy.” With a few moments of work, he attached it to his bracelet, so that it hung beside the other one. It didn’t match, exactly, and neither charm really went with the colorful fabric braid making up the part that went around his wrist, but that much seemed to suit Kas just fine.
He stood and returned to the tree, digging out the larger of the boxes he’d brought and handing it to Eryk. “It’s heavy,” he warned. “Don't drop it or you might put a hole in Ana’s floor.” The box proved to contain a full set of pokémon training weights, from the green power weight to the aqua-blue anklet. “I figured it’d help you train your team with a little more focus,” he said with a shrug. “Help them cover any weaknesses they have, and all that.”
Eryk scoffed slightly at the gifts. "Thanks," he spoke, shaking his head slightly. He did, however, retrieve another item from his pocket. How he'd managed to conceal it there, was something that even Cyrilla didn't know, however; she knew the object he held in his hand. It was something that only certain members of Koga's family had, and it held some sentimentality to it for Ryk to keep it. "It's something we're given when we become part of the family," he began, handing the object to Kas.
It was a beautifully decorated dagger, the hilt a silver color with emeralds and amethysts. The blade itself was slightly curved, and was more ceremonial than anything else. It had meant a lot to Ryk for some odd reason, but for him to be giving it to Kas? "Like I told you," he began, placing his hands into his pockets now, "you're the closest thing I have to a sibling."
Kas’s grin could have split his face. He handled the dagger like he was familiar with such weapons, sliding it partway out of the sheath. “Awesome,” he said, apparently quite honest in his enthusiasm. “Does this make me a ninja now?” He huffed a laugh at his own joke, but then his expression grew more serious. “Honestly, though… thanks, Ryk.”
“I think Kas and I were thinking the same thing,” Ana confessed, handing Eryk a smaller box. It was made of polished redwood—heavy-looking for its size, but not overly so. “Because I got you something to help you in the tournament.” She smiled gently, nodding at the box as if to prompt him to open it.
Inside was a simple pendant—it looked to be some kind of rainbow-colored stone set into a silver oval, creating a thin outline around the gem. Also in the box was a shiny, red-and-purple stone of a slightly larger size. Together, it was clearer what they were for. The pendant was a Key Stone, and the other one looked to be gengarite. “I’m not much good for training with,” Ana explained. “So I thought I’d find some other way to help.”
Cyrilla chuckled lightly at Eryk's expression. He looked genuinely surprised at the gifts Ana had given him, so much so that the barest hints of a smile stretched across his face. It became almost a full-fledged smile by the time he was leaning down slightly, wrapping Ana in a hug. It took a lot of effort for Cyrilla not to 'aw' at it, and she didn't. She just smiled brightly at the scene. It was the first time he'd voluntarily hugged anyone, and she had half a mind to take a picture. She decided against it, though. It would be better if it as a private thing.
"Thank you, Ana," he finally replied, releasing her in the process. "I think, Gengar would appreciate the gift as well," he added, a slightly amused tone lacing his voice.
“I thought he might,” She replied wryly.
At some point during the exchange, Kas had moved closer; while he wasn’t touching her, he was close enough that she could feel his body heat. He shifted beside her. “Sorry, Cy.”
He must have been apologizing for the fact that he was lifting her wrist in one of his hands and moving it slightly. It became clear why when he quickly clasped something over it, covering the object with his hands for a moment. It felt cool against her skin, which was a sharp contrast to the warm of his own. “For you,” he said quietly, then lifted his hands away. He was back on his side of the couch a moment later, rejoining the conversation with the other two as though he’d never left it.
The piece he’d left on her wrist was a bracelet, but it bore absolutely no resemblance to his. The chain was composed of intricate platinum links that moved together like water. Several charms hung from it—six of them were tiny little pokéballs, plated in mother-of-pearl and what looked like lapis lazuli where the red would usually be. Each of the center buttons was a little diamond. The charms in between were all of her pokémon—a lucario, an arcanine, a rapidash, an ice-type ninetales, a gyarados, and even a tiny little egg in the last spot. The pokéballs, despite their construction, actually looked… functional, if minimized. It was hard to say exactly how much he must have spent on it, but… it couldn’t have been inexpensive.
For a moment, Cyrilla just stared at it. Her hand was dangled in front of her, and she could feel a slight warmth over her face. It was so pretty, though that wasn't the right word she wanted to use. It was beautiful, and she adored it. Without so much as a thought, Cyrilla turned towards Kas, and hugged him from the side. It was awkward, but she managed to situate herself so she wasn't actually doing anything other than hugging him.
"Thanks Kas!" she spoke, finally releasing him. She could hear Kenshin laughing at her, but she didn't care. She was giving a friend a hug, and that's all it was to her. Or at least that's what she was trying to tell herself. She cleared her throat, feeling just the slightest bit awkward before moving to sit properly in her own part of the couch. She could feel her face cooling down just slightly, as she turned towards them. "Alright, what's next?" she asked. She could have sworn Eryk was giving her a sly smirk, but maybe she was just seeing things?
“Drinks,” Kas said immediately. Almost a little too quickly, maybe. He cleared his throat; his voice sounded more normal when he spoke again. “Definitely drinks. You’re all learning how to play King’s Cup. No ifs, ands, or buts.”
"Fine."
About ten minutes later, they were all sitting on the floor around the coffee table, including Kenshin, though he was obviously just there to spectate. Everyone had a drink in front of them, and Kas had plenty more behind him in case anyone ran out. This game was much more fun if the players were drunk or partway there. He hadn’t played in years, but he was dusting off his custom rules for tonight, because no one would know if he modified things a little to be more entertaining. That was really the goal of any drinking game, anyway—he’d developed the maximally-entertaining version while he was at the Academy.
“Okay, so.” He put a large glass in the center of the table and started to shuffle the deck of cards Ana had retrieved from her closet. “Basically, we all take turns drawing cards from around the cup in the center here. It’s called the King’s Cup, by the way.” He bridged the deck with a crisp sound, then a series of susurrations as they all fell into place. “Each type of card means a different thing. So… if you draw an Ace, it means you’re in charge. You get to tell one other person to do something, and they either have to do it or finish whatever they have in their cup. Two is for “you,” so anyone who draws one of those picks someone else to drink. Three is “me,” so if you draw one of those, you have to drink. Four, five, and six mean you get to make up a rule that everyone has to follow until the end of the game. If someone forgets, they have to drink.”
He checked to make sure everyone was still with him. Realistically, he’d have to remind them more than once what the cards meant, but that was fine. “Seven means we have to play a round of ‘never have I ever’ with seven fingers. If you draw an eight, you have to have a staring contest with the first person you make eye contact with. Loser drinks. Nine is for rhyme, so the first person says a word and the others have to go around until someone can’t think of one. Loser drinks.” He shuffled the cards a few more times, then spread them in a circle around the cup. “Ten is draw again. Jack means all the men drink. Queen means the ladies do. And if you get the King, you have to put whatever you have in your cup in the King’s cup. When the fourth King is drawn, that person has to drink the whole thing and the round’s over.”
“That’s a lot of rules,” Ana said, dubiously glancing at the contents of her cup. “And a lot of drinking.”
“Yeah, but for most of them, a sip or two is fine,” he said. “And I’ll remind you guys of the rules as we go, so don’t worry about that. Here, I’ll draw first.” He reached forward, picking a random card out of the circle. “Okay, so I got a two. That means I pick someone else to take a drink. I pick you, Ana.” He flashed them the card so they could confirm.
Ana nodded, tipping back her cup and taking a swallow.
“Right, so, Cy’s next,” Kas said, indicating the clockwise direction.
"Alright," she spoke, reaching over to grab a card. "So... I got a three," she stated, turning it over to show them. "That means... I have to drink, right?" she said as she glanced to Kas. She sighed, though, and took a drink from her cup. She shook her head after she'd set the cup down, and glanced towards Ana. "I guess you're next?"
“Mhm.” Ana nodded, leaning forward to draw a card. “It’s a Jack. What does that do again?”
Kas grinned. “It means Ryk and I have to have a drink. Bottoms up.” He raised his glass in mock salute, then tipped it back, taking a couple of swallows before he put it back down. He wasn’t worried about being wasted before everyone else, but it’d be nice to get a good buzz going.
Eryk took a drink of his as well, not bothering to raise his glass in the same fashion. Once he set it down, he glanced at Kas, and then towards the cards. He picked one up and stared at it for a moment. "I drew an eight," he spoke, glancing at Kas and staring at him for a moment. "What does that mean?"
“…It means we’re having a staring contest right now, since I’m the first person you looked at.” Kas sighed; this could take a while. Letting his eyes go out of focus, he stared back at Ryk, folding his hands in his lap. It did indeed take a significant amount of time; a few minutes later, neither of them had relented, and Ana was clearly trying not to laugh.
“Oh for… we could be here all night. I surrender!” Kas through up his arms, blinking intentionally and raising his glass for another swallow. “My turn.” He grabbed a new card, a nine this time. “Okay, rhyming game. The word I pick is purple. First person who can’t rhyme anything with it drinks. Cy?” She was next to him, so she had to go first.
"Wurmple," she spoke almost immediately. "Purple Wurmple," she continued, laughing lightly to herself. "Ana?" she stated, turning towards said person.
She sighed. “Nothing else rhymes with purple,” she said with a frown. She took another sip of her drink. “Your turn to draw though, Cy.”
Cy looked a little sad at that, but shook her head. She pulled a card from the deck, and stared at it. She pursed her lips and glanced at Ana. "Sorry, it's a queen," she stated, showing it to Ana. She took a drink from her cup, grimacing just slightly. "You're up."
Ana set her cup back down on the table. On balance, she’d probably had more than anyone else so far; she looked to be over halfway through her glass. Kas could see her cheeks starting to stain just faintly pink. “Umm…What is seven again?” She held the seven of diamonds in her hand.
Kas barely contained a short laugh. This could get interesting pretty quickly. The game had been tame so far, but hopefully they were warming up to it now. “We have to play a game of never have I ever. Basically, everyone puts up seven fingers like this.” He raised the five on his left and two on his right. “Then we go around in a circle and when it’s your turn, you say something you’ve never done. You have to be truthful, of course. If someone says they’ve never done something, but you have, you have to put a finger down. Last one with at least a finger left is the winner—everyone else drinks. Make sense?”
Ana nodded. “I’ve never… hm. I’ve never been to Fuchsia City.” She seemed pleased with her selection; Kas figured it was a good one. Everyone but her had to drop a finger, including him.
“That’s the general idea,” he said. “Try to think of something you think everyone else has done but you haven’t. Ryk?”
"I've never poisoned someone... on purpose," he spoke, though his gaze shifted towards Cy when he did. She dropped a finger.
Kas lifted an eyebrow. “Well. Okay then. Remind me not to eat your food if I pissed you off recently,” he said lightly. “Uhh… let’s see. Never have I ever been a ninja.”
"I've never been with a woman, so," she retorted. It looked like she wanted to stick her tongue out at him, but she decided against it. She and Eryk both dropped a finger, though.
“Well. I feel unfairly singled out,” Kas said, pretending to pout but dropping a finger. That brought him down to five; the same number as Ryk. Cy was losing at four, but Ana still had all seven.
“Never have I ever… hm. I don’t want to say ‘worked for Team Rocket.’ That just seems mean. How about… never have I ever worn a uniform.”
“Same thing,” Kas said, rolling his eyes and putting down a finger. Cy and Ryk had to as well.
“Really?” she said. “I’ve never seen you wearing them, so I wasn’t sure.”
“Regular and dress,” he replied dryly.
"He wears the uniform only when he has to," Eryk stated. "I've never owned my own facility, before," he spoke, glancing towards Ana.
“Just me then? Okay…” Ana smiled, dropping to five and taking a sip from her drink even though it wasn’t strictly necessary.
“Hmm. You guys are kinda boring to play this game with because you haven’t done too many embarrassing things that I can find out about.” He knit his brows, trying to think of something that might be interesting to learn. “Never have I ever started a physical confrontation.”
Eryk dropped a finger, putting him at four. Cy still had three fingers up, though. She seemed to think on the next one. "Never have I ever ," she began, pausing for just a moment. "Never have I ever glared at someone just because," she continued, seemingly happy with her choice. Eryk was down to three fingers now.
“Never have I ever…” Ana paused. “Knocked someone out! Either on accident or on purpose.”
Kas sighed—he was down to three now.
Cy and Eryk also put a finger down. They were both down to two. "I've never owned a dratini," he spoke, giving a careless shrug of his shoulders. Either he didn't have anything to say, or he just couldn't think of anything.
Ana looked at him slightly sideways, almost pouting. It was pretty adorable, actually. Sighing, she put down a finger. Things were becoming quite even, now. “Never have I ever broken a bone,” he said. He’d pulled plenty of muscles and even dislocated a few things, but never a break.
Strangely, Ana was the first to drop a finger. “Brittle bones,” she explained, like it was no big deal. “I used to have fainting spells when I was younger. Sometimes I ended up falling wrong, and… you know.” Either the alcohol or her own attitude towards things made it so that she didn’t seem particularly troubled by this.
Cyrilla put down a finger next. She was down to one. "Broke a rib when I was younger," was the only thing she said before pursing her lips. "Never have I ever been under Hypnosis," she stated, smiling just slightly as Eryk put a finger down. They were both tied to one finger each.
That made it Ana’s turn. “Never have I ever… been electrocuted?”
Kas sighed. He was down to his last one now, too. “Meep wasn’t always great at keeping it to static,” he explained.
Cy and Ryk kept their fingers up. "Never have I ever went skinny dipping," he spoke, turning to face Cyrilla, who turned a bright shade of red.
"Ryk! You promised you wouldn't tell anyone!" she retorted. She didn't have any fingers left to hold up. Eryk merely looked like he was smirking, but it was hard to tell from the way he turned his head.
“Story,” Kas demanded. “You have to tell us that story. Also, I’m out too. Dammit.”
"No, you're not getting that story," she replied, her face still red. Ryk seemed to smirk, though, and glanced at Kas.
"Later," was the only thing he said. Cy just groaned.
“This is why you’re my best friend, Ryk.”
It was down to Ana and Eryk now. All Ana had to do was guess something Ryk had done that she hadn’t, and she’d be the winner. She thought on this for a second, then grinned. “Never have I ever had a surprise party thrown in my honor,” she declared.
"I suppose that means the three of us lost, and Ana has won," Ryk spoke, glancing towards the cup. "I guess that means we drink?" he questioned, holding his cup in his hand. Cy was already drinking out of her cup, though it looked like she was trying to drink the entirety of it.
“Yes indeedy,” Kas replied. “Finish what you’ve got; we’ll pour new ones in a second here.”
“Okay, so.” He put a large glass in the center of the table and started to shuffle the deck of cards Ana had retrieved from her closet. “Basically, we all take turns drawing cards from around the cup in the center here. It’s called the King’s Cup, by the way.” He bridged the deck with a crisp sound, then a series of susurrations as they all fell into place. “Each type of card means a different thing. So… if you draw an Ace, it means you’re in charge. You get to tell one other person to do something, and they either have to do it or finish whatever they have in their cup. Two is for “you,” so anyone who draws one of those picks someone else to drink. Three is “me,” so if you draw one of those, you have to drink. Four, five, and six mean you get to make up a rule that everyone has to follow until the end of the game. If someone forgets, they have to drink.”
He checked to make sure everyone was still with him. Realistically, he’d have to remind them more than once what the cards meant, but that was fine. “Seven means we have to play a round of ‘never have I ever’ with seven fingers. If you draw an eight, you have to have a staring contest with the first person you make eye contact with. Loser drinks. Nine is for rhyme, so the first person says a word and the others have to go around until someone can’t think of one. Loser drinks.” He shuffled the cards a few more times, then spread them in a circle around the cup. “Ten is draw again. Jack means all the men drink. Queen means the ladies do. And if you get the King, you have to put whatever you have in your cup in the King’s cup. When the fourth King is drawn, that person has to drink the whole thing and the round’s over.”
“That’s a lot of rules,” Ana said, dubiously glancing at the contents of her cup. “And a lot of drinking.”
“Yeah, but for most of them, a sip or two is fine,” he said. “And I’ll remind you guys of the rules as we go, so don’t worry about that. Here, I’ll draw first.” He reached forward, picking a random card out of the circle. “Okay, so I got a two. That means I pick someone else to take a drink. I pick you, Ana.” He flashed them the card so they could confirm.
Ana nodded, tipping back her cup and taking a swallow.
“Right, so, Cy’s next,” Kas said, indicating the clockwise direction.
"Alright," she spoke, reaching over to grab a card. "So... I got a three," she stated, turning it over to show them. "That means... I have to drink, right?" she said as she glanced to Kas. She sighed, though, and took a drink from her cup. She shook her head after she'd set the cup down, and glanced towards Ana. "I guess you're next?"
“Mhm.” Ana nodded, leaning forward to draw a card. “It’s a Jack. What does that do again?”
Kas grinned. “It means Ryk and I have to have a drink. Bottoms up.” He raised his glass in mock salute, then tipped it back, taking a couple of swallows before he put it back down. He wasn’t worried about being wasted before everyone else, but it’d be nice to get a good buzz going.
Eryk took a drink of his as well, not bothering to raise his glass in the same fashion. Once he set it down, he glanced at Kas, and then towards the cards. He picked one up and stared at it for a moment. "I drew an eight," he spoke, glancing at Kas and staring at him for a moment. "What does that mean?"
“…It means we’re having a staring contest right now, since I’m the first person you looked at.” Kas sighed; this could take a while. Letting his eyes go out of focus, he stared back at Ryk, folding his hands in his lap. It did indeed take a significant amount of time; a few minutes later, neither of them had relented, and Ana was clearly trying not to laugh.
“Oh for… we could be here all night. I surrender!” Kas through up his arms, blinking intentionally and raising his glass for another swallow. “My turn.” He grabbed a new card, a nine this time. “Okay, rhyming game. The word I pick is purple. First person who can’t rhyme anything with it drinks. Cy?” She was next to him, so she had to go first.
"Wurmple," she spoke almost immediately. "Purple Wurmple," she continued, laughing lightly to herself. "Ana?" she stated, turning towards said person.
She sighed. “Nothing else rhymes with purple,” she said with a frown. She took another sip of her drink. “Your turn to draw though, Cy.”
Cy looked a little sad at that, but shook her head. She pulled a card from the deck, and stared at it. She pursed her lips and glanced at Ana. "Sorry, it's a queen," she stated, showing it to Ana. She took a drink from her cup, grimacing just slightly. "You're up."
Ana set her cup back down on the table. On balance, she’d probably had more than anyone else so far; she looked to be over halfway through her glass. Kas could see her cheeks starting to stain just faintly pink. “Umm…What is seven again?” She held the seven of diamonds in her hand.
Kas barely contained a short laugh. This could get interesting pretty quickly. The game had been tame so far, but hopefully they were warming up to it now. “We have to play a game of never have I ever. Basically, everyone puts up seven fingers like this.” He raised the five on his left and two on his right. “Then we go around in a circle and when it’s your turn, you say something you’ve never done. You have to be truthful, of course. If someone says they’ve never done something, but you have, you have to put a finger down. Last one with at least a finger left is the winner—everyone else drinks. Make sense?”
Ana nodded. “I’ve never… hm. I’ve never been to Fuchsia City.” She seemed pleased with her selection; Kas figured it was a good one. Everyone but her had to drop a finger, including him.
“That’s the general idea,” he said. “Try to think of something you think everyone else has done but you haven’t. Ryk?”
"I've never poisoned someone... on purpose," he spoke, though his gaze shifted towards Cy when he did. She dropped a finger.
Kas lifted an eyebrow. “Well. Okay then. Remind me not to eat your food if I pissed you off recently,” he said lightly. “Uhh… let’s see. Never have I ever been a ninja.”
"I've never been with a woman, so," she retorted. It looked like she wanted to stick her tongue out at him, but she decided against it. She and Eryk both dropped a finger, though.
“Well. I feel unfairly singled out,” Kas said, pretending to pout but dropping a finger. That brought him down to five; the same number as Ryk. Cy was losing at four, but Ana still had all seven.
“Never have I ever… hm. I don’t want to say ‘worked for Team Rocket.’ That just seems mean. How about… never have I ever worn a uniform.”
“Same thing,” Kas said, rolling his eyes and putting down a finger. Cy and Ryk had to as well.
“Really?” she said. “I’ve never seen you wearing them, so I wasn’t sure.”
“Regular and dress,” he replied dryly.
"He wears the uniform only when he has to," Eryk stated. "I've never owned my own facility, before," he spoke, glancing towards Ana.
“Just me then? Okay…” Ana smiled, dropping to five and taking a sip from her drink even though it wasn’t strictly necessary.
“Hmm. You guys are kinda boring to play this game with because you haven’t done too many embarrassing things that I can find out about.” He knit his brows, trying to think of something that might be interesting to learn. “Never have I ever started a physical confrontation.”
Eryk dropped a finger, putting him at four. Cy still had three fingers up, though. She seemed to think on the next one. "Never have I ever ," she began, pausing for just a moment. "Never have I ever glared at someone just because," she continued, seemingly happy with her choice. Eryk was down to three fingers now.
“Never have I ever…” Ana paused. “Knocked someone out! Either on accident or on purpose.”
Kas sighed—he was down to three now.
Cy and Eryk also put a finger down. They were both down to two. "I've never owned a dratini," he spoke, giving a careless shrug of his shoulders. Either he didn't have anything to say, or he just couldn't think of anything.
Ana looked at him slightly sideways, almost pouting. It was pretty adorable, actually. Sighing, she put down a finger. Things were becoming quite even, now. “Never have I ever broken a bone,” he said. He’d pulled plenty of muscles and even dislocated a few things, but never a break.
Strangely, Ana was the first to drop a finger. “Brittle bones,” she explained, like it was no big deal. “I used to have fainting spells when I was younger. Sometimes I ended up falling wrong, and… you know.” Either the alcohol or her own attitude towards things made it so that she didn’t seem particularly troubled by this.
Cyrilla put down a finger next. She was down to one. "Broke a rib when I was younger," was the only thing she said before pursing her lips. "Never have I ever been under Hypnosis," she stated, smiling just slightly as Eryk put a finger down. They were both tied to one finger each.
That made it Ana’s turn. “Never have I ever… been electrocuted?”
Kas sighed. He was down to his last one now, too. “Meep wasn’t always great at keeping it to static,” he explained.
Cy and Ryk kept their fingers up. "Never have I ever went skinny dipping," he spoke, turning to face Cyrilla, who turned a bright shade of red.
"Ryk! You promised you wouldn't tell anyone!" she retorted. She didn't have any fingers left to hold up. Eryk merely looked like he was smirking, but it was hard to tell from the way he turned his head.
“Story,” Kas demanded. “You have to tell us that story. Also, I’m out too. Dammit.”
"No, you're not getting that story," she replied, her face still red. Ryk seemed to smirk, though, and glanced at Kas.
"Later," was the only thing he said. Cy just groaned.
“This is why you’re my best friend, Ryk.”
It was down to Ana and Eryk now. All Ana had to do was guess something Ryk had done that she hadn’t, and she’d be the winner. She thought on this for a second, then grinned. “Never have I ever had a surprise party thrown in my honor,” she declared.
"I suppose that means the three of us lost, and Ana has won," Ryk spoke, glancing towards the cup. "I guess that means we drink?" he questioned, holding his cup in his hand. Cy was already drinking out of her cup, though it looked like she was trying to drink the entirety of it.
“Yes indeedy,” Kas replied. “Finish what you’ve got; we’ll pour new ones in a second here.”
This King's Cup was turning out to be a weird game for Eryk, but he found it oddly enjoyable. Add to the fact he could humilate Cy somewhat, and he was having the time of his life. Of course, it didn't show. His face was slightly smoothed over with the occasional smirk or grin. Kas had poured their drinks again, and they resumed picking cards. It was his turn, and he reached over towards one. He picked one up and frowned.
"Shit," he muttered, showing he'd drawn a King. Didn't that mean he had to tell someone something? Or was it something else? "That... means my cup goes in the King's Cup, right?" that seemed about right.
Kas nodded. “Yep. I’ll refill you.” He grabbed a bottle from the pile of them and opened it, sliding it across the table to Eryk. It was also his turn.
“Oh, excellent. A four. I get to make a rule.” A jagged grin spread over his face. “I declare that all female participants have to remain in physical contact with Eryk somehow for the duration of the game. Break the contact, and you have to drink!” His eyes narrowed; he shuffled obligingly to the other side of the table so that the other two could move.
“Um… what kind of contact?” Ana asked.
Kas shrugged. “Some part of your body has to be touching some part of Eryk’s body. You pick.” He paused a second, smiling wider. “You could always just sit in his lap to be sure.”
Ana coughed; it was clearly an embarrassed reflex, considering the shade of red her cheeks were taking on. “I think I’ll just…” She moved over to his side of the table, folding her legs to one side and leaning slightly, so her shoulder touched his arm. “Is that uncomfortable?” she asked him. “I can try something else?”
Oh he hated Kas right now. So much so that he was tempted to draw a card right there and then, but it was Cy's turn. She opted to loop her leg around his, keeping it so that they were entwined somewhat. She reached over to grab a card and frowned at it. "I got a two," she spoke, placing it down to grab her drink. "Kas, I choose you," she spoke, though giggled somewhat at her own statement. It sounded like she was choosing him to go into battle like a pokémon.
“I use Happy Hour, then Swallow,” he replied, obliging her by taking a gulp from his glass.
Ana scoffed. Since it was her turn, she leaned forward to take another card, keeping her hand braced on Eryk’s shoulder since her shoulder had to break contact with him. “Another king,” she said, contributing the contents of her cup to the one in the center. Kas refilled it for her afterwards.
That made it Eryk’s turn.
Cyrilla was laughing lightly at Kas, but Eryk just rolled his eyes. He pulled a card from the deck. He pursed his lips as he stared at the card. It was a ten. That meant he had to draw again. He smirked, almost. He pulled another card from the deck and nearly grinned at the content of it. "It's a five," he stated, his lips tilting just slightly. Now he had a chance to get back at Kas, but what to do?
"Kas," he began, staring straight at him with a smoothed over expression. "Rule is as follows: you have to hold Cy's hand throughout the remainder of the game," he declared, watching as Cy's eyes went slightly wide. Two could play that game, and besides, he'd be entertaining himself at the same time. He did feel just the slightest bit bad, though since Cy's leg was still entertwined with his, and that meant she had to position herself in a different way.
"I hate you, Ryk," she whispered just low enough to where he could only hear.
“And here I was being nice,” Kas said, shaking his head slightly. “It’s on now, Ryk.” He moved again so that it wouldn’t be entirely awkward for Cy to arrange herself, then held out his left hand. “If you’d rather drink every round for not following the rule, we can,” he told her.
"No. No, we're not going to let Ryk win," she stated, apparently now against the idea. She was probably a little tipsy by now. She wasn't a heavy drinker.
Kas snorted, but closed his fingers over hers, bringing both of their hands to rest on the floor. He drew, flipping the card around to reveal the ace of spades. “Ana… give Ryk here a massage. Head and shoulders. Back if you feel like it.”
Ana blinked at him. “Uh… okay?” Strangely, she didn’t seem awkward about it—which was a bit unexpected. She shrugged. “I do this all the time with pokémon. Um… let me know if it’s not comfortable, though.” She rose to her knees and shuffled around behind him. Her fingers found the back of his neck first, threading up into his hair and rubbing gently at his scalp with obvious expertise.
Kas smirked at him—the expression was downright evil.
That was a low blow, and even Eryk knew that. He simply glared at Kas, though. It was Cy's turn to draw a card, and she did. "Oh hey, I got a three. All I have to do is drink," she seemed slightly happy about how that turned out. She took a drink from her cup, and glanced towards Ana. He'd be after her, and he was slighty hoping for a four through six, or perhaps an ace.
Ana paused long enough to draw herself a card. She frowned. “Sorry, Cy; it’s another Queen.” they both took a drink, and then she returned to what she’d been doing, dragging her knuckles down his neck to the middle of his back, pressing her fingertips into the muscle around his spine. “That doesn’t hurt, does it?” Considering how they were arranged, she was practically speaking into his ear—her breath stirred the hair at his nape. It was almost certainly not intentional.
It took a lot not to tense underneath her when she did that. Intentional or not, it still felt slightly strange. It didn't help that he was already feeling the effects of the drinks they'd been taking. "No, it doesn't," he finally replied, reaching over towards the dwindling deck. He pulled a card, and nearly smirked. "It's an ace," he spoke, the amusement in his voice as he glanced at Kas. "Cy," he spoke, a slight glimmer flashing behind his eyes. "You have to sit in Kas's lap for the remainder of this game," he spoke, glancing back towards Kas. She could still keep her foot laced with his, though, but whether she did or didn't, he didn't particularly care. He was trying to get back at Kas, now.
The only issue was, Kas didn’t seem especially uncomfortable with the idea at all. He folded his legs so as to make for a more comfortable spot, then patted his knee. When his turn came around, he drew the third King. “Uh-oh,” he said. “Next king ends the game.” He leaned forward over Cy’s shoulder to empty his cup into the one in the middle. The round moved to her.
She didn't seem particularly uncomfortable either, and that was partly because she was a little tipsy now. Of that, he was sure. Well... he'd have to make sure to step it up a notch. There was something he could do to make them both uncomfortable, but he'd save that for later. For now, Cy drew a card, and pursed her lips. "I got a Jack," she stated. Ryk only rolled his eyes slightly and took a drink from his cup.
Kas drank, too, and the turn went to Ana, who had apparently decided that the massage was over for the moment and had gone back to leaning against him to keep up with the original rule about that. She drew a six, allowing her to make a rule. “Mm…” She considered that for a second, tapping her chin with a finger. “My rule is… Kenshin gets to make a rule!” She pointed at the lucario. Her smile was slightly too wide; perhaps Cy wasn’t the only one suffering from the effects of drinking more than usual.
Kenshin blinked for a moment, pointing to himself before allowing something of a smirk to cross his features. Eryk narrowed his eyes as he watched Kenshin lean forward. You're too kind, Ana, he spoke, glancing at Cy, Kas, and allowing his gaze to fall on Ryk's. He really didn't like the look in Kenshin's eyes. For the length of a minute, Cy and Ana must place... what do they call it, a kiss? on Kas and Ryk respectively. Anywhere. They. Choose. he finally stated. This was Kenshin, right? The same Kenshin that belonged to Cyrilla, and not Kas, right?
"You're just as bad as he is, you know that," Ryk spoke, but he sighed. "You don't have to, Ana," he spoke, turning his attention to her. He didn't want things to be more awkward than they should be.
Kas mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like “traitor,” but it was hard to tell for sure.
Ana, meanwhile, looked… oddly torn. Her face was definitely still red, but it was hard to tell if the flush was embarrassment or the alcohol or just the fact that the room was warm. For a few seconds, the only sound any of them could hear was the rain coming down outside, crashing against the roof and walls of the house. Then Ana half-smiled strangely. “It’s just a game, right?” she said softly, almost as though to herself.
Slowly—presumably so that he could stop her if he wanted to—she raised one hand to his face, brushing her fingertips gently over the scar on the left side of it. Tracing down to his chin, she applied just enough pressure to turn his head that way slightly, and leaned in. Where her fingers had been, her lips approached, just centimeters from brushing against the roughened skin there. She pulled back after only a second, though, shaking her head.
“S-sorry. Um… I… can’t.” She sighed heavily, picking up her glass and downing the rest of what was inside it. She made a face as the beverage went down, scrunching her nose.
"It's alright, Ana, you didn't have to," he spoke, though he did feel a slight pressure to his chest when she said that. Cy looked like she wanted to throw something at Kenshin, though, but she didn't move or say anything. She just sat there in Kas's lap and glanced up at him. He was still considerably taller than she was, even if they were both sitting down. She bit her lower lip for a moment before she gave a sigh of defeat.
"Kas, lean down for a moment, will you? You're too tall," she stated reaching up to him. When he complied, she mimicked Ana somewhat, and turned his head sideways. She stared at him for a moment, a goofy grin on her face before she kissed his cheek. The only problem was, was that she'd missed part of his cheek and came a little closer to his chin and the side of his lips. Kas remained completely still throughout the process, as though he were doing his best imitation of a statue.
"There," she spoke, once the time was up. "Also, Kenny, you're no longer getting any caramel apples from me," she spoke, taking a drink from her glass. Eryk rolled his eyes slightly. "That makes it your turn, Ryk," she spoke, glancing at him in the process. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes again, and drew a card.
"It's a three," he grumbled somewhat and took a drink.
Kas was next; when he drew a five, he frowned. “Rule: no more outsourcing rules—especially not to Kenshin. He’s a worse troll than I am.”
“Sorry,” Ana said, staring uncomfortably down into her cup.
Eryk glanced at Ana for a moment, but decided it would be best not to say anything. It was Cy's turn, anyway, and he waited for her to draw her card. She did, and she pursed her lips into a thin line before she smiled. "I got a King! Wait, is that a good thing?" she spoke, clearly not as clear minded as she'd been when they first started this game. Eryk just shook his head.
"You have to drink the cup, Cy," he spoke watching as the smile slowly disappeared from her face.
"Really?"
"Really. That also means this round is over, right?" he stated, watching as Cy sighed heavily and took the cup.
“Yup,” Kas said. “Game over.”
Naturally, it was at exactly that moment that the lights went out.
"Shit," he muttered, showing he'd drawn a King. Didn't that mean he had to tell someone something? Or was it something else? "That... means my cup goes in the King's Cup, right?" that seemed about right.
Kas nodded. “Yep. I’ll refill you.” He grabbed a bottle from the pile of them and opened it, sliding it across the table to Eryk. It was also his turn.
“Oh, excellent. A four. I get to make a rule.” A jagged grin spread over his face. “I declare that all female participants have to remain in physical contact with Eryk somehow for the duration of the game. Break the contact, and you have to drink!” His eyes narrowed; he shuffled obligingly to the other side of the table so that the other two could move.
“Um… what kind of contact?” Ana asked.
Kas shrugged. “Some part of your body has to be touching some part of Eryk’s body. You pick.” He paused a second, smiling wider. “You could always just sit in his lap to be sure.”
Ana coughed; it was clearly an embarrassed reflex, considering the shade of red her cheeks were taking on. “I think I’ll just…” She moved over to his side of the table, folding her legs to one side and leaning slightly, so her shoulder touched his arm. “Is that uncomfortable?” she asked him. “I can try something else?”
Oh he hated Kas right now. So much so that he was tempted to draw a card right there and then, but it was Cy's turn. She opted to loop her leg around his, keeping it so that they were entwined somewhat. She reached over to grab a card and frowned at it. "I got a two," she spoke, placing it down to grab her drink. "Kas, I choose you," she spoke, though giggled somewhat at her own statement. It sounded like she was choosing him to go into battle like a pokémon.
“I use Happy Hour, then Swallow,” he replied, obliging her by taking a gulp from his glass.
Ana scoffed. Since it was her turn, she leaned forward to take another card, keeping her hand braced on Eryk’s shoulder since her shoulder had to break contact with him. “Another king,” she said, contributing the contents of her cup to the one in the center. Kas refilled it for her afterwards.
That made it Eryk’s turn.
Cyrilla was laughing lightly at Kas, but Eryk just rolled his eyes. He pulled a card from the deck. He pursed his lips as he stared at the card. It was a ten. That meant he had to draw again. He smirked, almost. He pulled another card from the deck and nearly grinned at the content of it. "It's a five," he stated, his lips tilting just slightly. Now he had a chance to get back at Kas, but what to do?
"Kas," he began, staring straight at him with a smoothed over expression. "Rule is as follows: you have to hold Cy's hand throughout the remainder of the game," he declared, watching as Cy's eyes went slightly wide. Two could play that game, and besides, he'd be entertaining himself at the same time. He did feel just the slightest bit bad, though since Cy's leg was still entertwined with his, and that meant she had to position herself in a different way.
"I hate you, Ryk," she whispered just low enough to where he could only hear.
“And here I was being nice,” Kas said, shaking his head slightly. “It’s on now, Ryk.” He moved again so that it wouldn’t be entirely awkward for Cy to arrange herself, then held out his left hand. “If you’d rather drink every round for not following the rule, we can,” he told her.
"No. No, we're not going to let Ryk win," she stated, apparently now against the idea. She was probably a little tipsy by now. She wasn't a heavy drinker.
Kas snorted, but closed his fingers over hers, bringing both of their hands to rest on the floor. He drew, flipping the card around to reveal the ace of spades. “Ana… give Ryk here a massage. Head and shoulders. Back if you feel like it.”
Ana blinked at him. “Uh… okay?” Strangely, she didn’t seem awkward about it—which was a bit unexpected. She shrugged. “I do this all the time with pokémon. Um… let me know if it’s not comfortable, though.” She rose to her knees and shuffled around behind him. Her fingers found the back of his neck first, threading up into his hair and rubbing gently at his scalp with obvious expertise.
Kas smirked at him—the expression was downright evil.
That was a low blow, and even Eryk knew that. He simply glared at Kas, though. It was Cy's turn to draw a card, and she did. "Oh hey, I got a three. All I have to do is drink," she seemed slightly happy about how that turned out. She took a drink from her cup, and glanced towards Ana. He'd be after her, and he was slighty hoping for a four through six, or perhaps an ace.
Ana paused long enough to draw herself a card. She frowned. “Sorry, Cy; it’s another Queen.” they both took a drink, and then she returned to what she’d been doing, dragging her knuckles down his neck to the middle of his back, pressing her fingertips into the muscle around his spine. “That doesn’t hurt, does it?” Considering how they were arranged, she was practically speaking into his ear—her breath stirred the hair at his nape. It was almost certainly not intentional.
It took a lot not to tense underneath her when she did that. Intentional or not, it still felt slightly strange. It didn't help that he was already feeling the effects of the drinks they'd been taking. "No, it doesn't," he finally replied, reaching over towards the dwindling deck. He pulled a card, and nearly smirked. "It's an ace," he spoke, the amusement in his voice as he glanced at Kas. "Cy," he spoke, a slight glimmer flashing behind his eyes. "You have to sit in Kas's lap for the remainder of this game," he spoke, glancing back towards Kas. She could still keep her foot laced with his, though, but whether she did or didn't, he didn't particularly care. He was trying to get back at Kas, now.
The only issue was, Kas didn’t seem especially uncomfortable with the idea at all. He folded his legs so as to make for a more comfortable spot, then patted his knee. When his turn came around, he drew the third King. “Uh-oh,” he said. “Next king ends the game.” He leaned forward over Cy’s shoulder to empty his cup into the one in the middle. The round moved to her.
She didn't seem particularly uncomfortable either, and that was partly because she was a little tipsy now. Of that, he was sure. Well... he'd have to make sure to step it up a notch. There was something he could do to make them both uncomfortable, but he'd save that for later. For now, Cy drew a card, and pursed her lips. "I got a Jack," she stated. Ryk only rolled his eyes slightly and took a drink from his cup.
Kas drank, too, and the turn went to Ana, who had apparently decided that the massage was over for the moment and had gone back to leaning against him to keep up with the original rule about that. She drew a six, allowing her to make a rule. “Mm…” She considered that for a second, tapping her chin with a finger. “My rule is… Kenshin gets to make a rule!” She pointed at the lucario. Her smile was slightly too wide; perhaps Cy wasn’t the only one suffering from the effects of drinking more than usual.
Kenshin blinked for a moment, pointing to himself before allowing something of a smirk to cross his features. Eryk narrowed his eyes as he watched Kenshin lean forward. You're too kind, Ana, he spoke, glancing at Cy, Kas, and allowing his gaze to fall on Ryk's. He really didn't like the look in Kenshin's eyes. For the length of a minute, Cy and Ana must place... what do they call it, a kiss? on Kas and Ryk respectively. Anywhere. They. Choose. he finally stated. This was Kenshin, right? The same Kenshin that belonged to Cyrilla, and not Kas, right?
"You're just as bad as he is, you know that," Ryk spoke, but he sighed. "You don't have to, Ana," he spoke, turning his attention to her. He didn't want things to be more awkward than they should be.
Kas mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like “traitor,” but it was hard to tell for sure.
Ana, meanwhile, looked… oddly torn. Her face was definitely still red, but it was hard to tell if the flush was embarrassment or the alcohol or just the fact that the room was warm. For a few seconds, the only sound any of them could hear was the rain coming down outside, crashing against the roof and walls of the house. Then Ana half-smiled strangely. “It’s just a game, right?” she said softly, almost as though to herself.
Slowly—presumably so that he could stop her if he wanted to—she raised one hand to his face, brushing her fingertips gently over the scar on the left side of it. Tracing down to his chin, she applied just enough pressure to turn his head that way slightly, and leaned in. Where her fingers had been, her lips approached, just centimeters from brushing against the roughened skin there. She pulled back after only a second, though, shaking her head.
“S-sorry. Um… I… can’t.” She sighed heavily, picking up her glass and downing the rest of what was inside it. She made a face as the beverage went down, scrunching her nose.
"It's alright, Ana, you didn't have to," he spoke, though he did feel a slight pressure to his chest when she said that. Cy looked like she wanted to throw something at Kenshin, though, but she didn't move or say anything. She just sat there in Kas's lap and glanced up at him. He was still considerably taller than she was, even if they were both sitting down. She bit her lower lip for a moment before she gave a sigh of defeat.
"Kas, lean down for a moment, will you? You're too tall," she stated reaching up to him. When he complied, she mimicked Ana somewhat, and turned his head sideways. She stared at him for a moment, a goofy grin on her face before she kissed his cheek. The only problem was, was that she'd missed part of his cheek and came a little closer to his chin and the side of his lips. Kas remained completely still throughout the process, as though he were doing his best imitation of a statue.
"There," she spoke, once the time was up. "Also, Kenny, you're no longer getting any caramel apples from me," she spoke, taking a drink from her glass. Eryk rolled his eyes slightly. "That makes it your turn, Ryk," she spoke, glancing at him in the process. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes again, and drew a card.
"It's a three," he grumbled somewhat and took a drink.
Kas was next; when he drew a five, he frowned. “Rule: no more outsourcing rules—especially not to Kenshin. He’s a worse troll than I am.”
“Sorry,” Ana said, staring uncomfortably down into her cup.
Eryk glanced at Ana for a moment, but decided it would be best not to say anything. It was Cy's turn, anyway, and he waited for her to draw her card. She did, and she pursed her lips into a thin line before she smiled. "I got a King! Wait, is that a good thing?" she spoke, clearly not as clear minded as she'd been when they first started this game. Eryk just shook his head.
"You have to drink the cup, Cy," he spoke watching as the smile slowly disappeared from her face.
"Really?"
"Really. That also means this round is over, right?" he stated, watching as Cy sighed heavily and took the cup.
“Yup,” Kas said. “Game over.”
Naturally, it was at exactly that moment that the lights went out.
“Well, that was some cinematic timing.” Kas sounded more amused than anything.
Ana sighed. She wasn’t exactly afraid of the dark, but a power outage was not the best news. The shelter building could run for a while on the small backup generator she’d had installed there, but the house had no such thing. “Um… there should be a candle around here somewhere; hold on.” Carefully, she put her hands in front of her, navigating in the total darkness towards one of the side tables.
She brushed against someone on her way. “Sorry,” she said, stepping around whoever it was and finding the arm of the couch. She was close, then. It took her a few more seconds, but her fingers eventually alighted on the jar candle there. She didn’t actually have any matches on her, but that wasn’t really an obstacle. She simply willed the wick to light, and it did, flickering to life via telekinetic friction.
It was a small amount of light, but it was something. She put it on the center of the coffee table, next to the empty King’s Cup. The dim light it cast was enough to at least make out who was where and so on. “I’m going to go check the breaker box; hopefully I can get the lights back on.”
"Do you want me to come with you?" Eryk spoke, already making his way to stand. He wobbled somewhat, probably because it was still a little dark. "I can help if you'd like," though it really didn't look like he was giving her much of a choice. He was already standing and making his way towards her.
"I'm going to stay right here. Eryk was always better in the dark than I was," Cyrilla spoke. That was probably true considering their family. They were ninjas, after all, and they kind of lived in the dark.
“A-all right.” Ana was glad it was far too dark to see her blush; she hadn’t forgotten what she’d almost done not fifteen minutes ago. He seemed to have received the whole series of events with no reaction at all; it was actually a little bit… disheartening.
But she had no right to think such things, no right to want them to be different. So she pushed them all out of her mind and focused on the present. Breaker box. She had to go look at it. “It’s not too far—just in the kitchen. We’ll be back in a minute.” She saw Kas nod, but then turned away, stepping out of the warm circle of light offered by the candle. She had more of them in the kitchen anyway, so they’d be able to see on their way back if the lights didn’t come back on.
The hallway was pitch-black; Ana’s eyes had adjusted somewhat, but not well enough to make out much here. She put one of her hands to the wall and tested each step before she took it. “Sorry… I’m a bit slow, but I think I might have left a box in the hallway and I don’t want to—”
A thud, followed by a sharp pain in her toes, alerted her to the fact that she hadn’t been slow enough to avoid hitting the box. “Well… I found it.”
A soft sigh escaped Eryk as he placed a hand on her shoulder. He pulled her back gently, first, before moving around her. "I can actually see in the dark, somewhat. If you tell me what I'm looking for, and where to go, I'll be your guide," he spoke. He seemed rather insistent that he lead, and she follow, probably so that she didn't hit anything else. "Here, this will help, too," he spoke, lacing one of his hands with hers.
"It'll be easier for me to lead you through the hallway, this way," he spoke, as if to explain why he'd grasped her hand. His hold wasn't entirely loose, though, but it wasn't exactly tight like one would expect of someone leading. It was soft and gentle, as if it were the most natural thing in the world for him to do.
“O-oh. Um… just to the kitchen. There’s a box on the wall in the back of the pantry where the circuit breakers are. I just need to get there.” Ana thought she mostly managed to keep her words in the right order—but it was honestly hard to tell.
She’d held Eryk’s hand before, and for a similar purpose—to navigate through the crowd outside of the Gym. But it wasn’t natural for her the way it was for him, because she was thinking in about a million directions at once and her heart was accelerating in her chest and it was dark and she couldn’t see at that made the contact feel more… something. More important. Like it meant something.
She swallowed, shaking her head. Her eyes were adjusting a little more to the darkness; she let him guide her around the box this time and towards the kitchen. Why was she—oh, she was never going to drink again if it made her feel this funny. Giddy-happy-terrified-nervous. Like something in her guts was fizzing around, and she might either lift off the floor or just be sick.
"Okay," he replied, moving forward at a slow pace. It wasn't too slow that they were taking baby steps or anything. He was probably trying to be mindful of both of their current conditions, and to avoid anything else that might prove to be an obstacle. He must have ran into something, because a soft 'omph' escaped him, and they stopped for a second. He'd almost lifted his hand, the one that was holding hers, but he seemed to stop. He continued forward until they made it towards the kitchen.
"You said it was in the back of the pantry?" he asked. It felt hesitant, but he eventually let go of her hand. He hadn't moved or anything, and remained where he was.
“Yeah,” Ana said, pulling a hand on the wall and feeling her way forward. She stretched an arm out and made it to the island, where there was another candle. She lit it in the same way as the one before, breathing out a sigh of relief when the kitchen came into view. She smiled slightly at Eryk, then turned to access the pantry.
Getting inside wasn’t a problem—it was a large pantry, in part because the utilities closet was through another door in the back. Ana held the candle up, opening the breaker box with her free hand and throwing the switches. Nothing.
“Looks like it’s not just a surge,” she said softly. “It’s probably out over at least this part of the island. Looks like we’re stuck in the dark for now.” She frowned. Even all the way in here, she could hear the rain lashing the house; it almost seemed to creak under the pressure of the wind. It had been easy to forget when they were all having fun, but… it seemed that the storm was a really big one.
“You guys shouldn’t go home in this. Not when it’s so far.” She turned, exiting the utility room and moving so she could properly talk to Eryk, both of their faces lit by the candle. “We can wait and see if it stops if you want, but if it doesn’t, I have the guest room. We can figure something out.”
"Agreed," he replied. "We can still make use of your candles, and if need be, I'm sure Kas has Meep on him. He could use her and the ball on her tail as a source of light," he spoke. It seemed he was still pretty lucid despite how much he'd been drinking, but perhaps he had already thought that far ahead? He moved slightly, turning his head from both sides as if looking for something.
"Do you have any more candles around?" he asked. Either he'd forgotten if she said she did have some, or he was probably looking for some more immediate in the area. "We can take them back to the others," he continued, something flashing across his face before it disappeared. And it wasn't the candle light, either.
She had no idea what it was, exactly, but that was fine. Ana nodded. “Yes. There should be some tapers in the bottom cabinet there, next to the one under the sink. I’ll go get the candelabras from the dining room, so give me just a second.” She was aware that she was taking the source of light away from him, so Ana hastened, snatching a couple of single-candle holders from the dining room table. They weren’t anything fancy—just stainless steel. But they’d do fine.
Returning to the kitchen with three of them tucked under her arm, she set them down on the island. “And there are matches in the drawer under the microwave,” she said, setting her own jar candle down to help him retrieve all of the objects in question.
“Sorry about… all this,” she said vaguely. “I mean, I guess I can’t say the storm is my fault or anything, but it’s a shame that it happened on this particular day, I guess.” She was sure he’d have liked to go home at some point, but somehow she doubted that would be an option.
“And um… thank you, really. I’m… I’m really looking forward to seeing Fuchsia, and I know your family’s there, so…” So it probably wasn’t exactly first on his list of places to go, which meant he was doing it for her. That was a little… she wasn’t sure what to make of it.
He only shook his head at her. "You don't have to thank me. And as far as my family goes," he began, his jaw tightening for a fraction of a second before it loosened again. "They are unimportant, at the moment. They will not be in the way of this, I assure you. This means a lot to... you," it almost sounded like he wanted to say something else, but he'd caught himself in time to rephrase himself. He sighed softly, grabbing a candle as well before lighting it.
"You said a while back that you wanted to travel. This is my way of repaying you for all you've done for me," he finally spoke, though his smile for her was back. It looked a bit different though, partly because they were slightly, perhaps, drunk. It almost looked softer and had a bit of tenderness to it. It looked like it contained more emotion in just that one quirk of his lips, but maybe it wasn't what it seemed?
She still didn’t feel like she’d done all that much for him, but Ana figured it was probably better not to argue. They’d had the discussion before, and she doubted stating her own position again would change his mind. If he thought of it as a repayment for some debt, then… well, she supposed that wasn’t so bad.
“Even if that’s what it is,” she said, “I’m still thanking you. Because I’m still grateful, even if I don’t have to be.” She returned his smile, the one she liked to imagine was something only she saw. She knew by now that she had one that was only his, but she was still trying to decide what she wanted that fact to mean.
But it wasn’t like she had to make up her mind today. Nothing, not even the looming knowledge of her death, could make things like that go any faster. Besides… maybe there was something enjoyable about the process of putting it all together, of figuring out the nuances of her own feelings—his were certainly complicated enough to puzzle over, too.
“Anyway… we should probably get these candles back to the others. We’ve left them alone a while; it’s probably better if we don’t worry them.”
"I'm sure they're not," he stated, a light humorous note to his voice. He nodded his head regardless, and walked a head of her. "Ana," he paused in front of her, turned to look at her, but remained silent. He seemed to study her for a moment, and it looked like he wanted to say something, but he didn't. He shook his head and continued forward. He must have decided it wasn't too important, whatever it was he was going to say. They made it back to the others, however; Kenshin was standing idly by with his arms crossed and his eyes closed. It was easy to make out that much with as much light as they had now.
You might want to look up, he spoke, causing Ryk to do as he said.
"What is that?" he spoke, glancing at the mistletoe over the both of them. It was hovering, and not hanging.
“I—where did that come from? I don’t own any mistletoe.” Ana frowned at it for a moment, before it dawned on her that technically, she and Eryk were standing under it. Her face flamed; she took a hasty step backwards. “O-oh. Um. Th-that’s mistletoe. I-it… um… it’s nothing to worry about.” If he didn’t know, she certainly wasn’t going to be the one to tell him. That would just be… no.
The smirk that had formed on Kenshin's face only seemed to grow wider when Ana stuttered. Eryk looked slightly confused, and he glanced from her to the others. It's mistletoe, Eryk, he began, glancing at Ana and back to Eryk. Cyrilla seemed to be laughing a little too much since she couldn't properly speak. Tradition states that when two people stand under it, they have to kiss, though how Kenshin knew that was a bit of a mystery. Cyrilla wouldn't have told him that, and he couldn't have learned it from any one else.
"Kiss? Tradition?" he still seemed slightly confused about it, and Kenshin rolled his eyes.
It means, Eryk, that you have to kiss Ana. It's tradition," that at least seemed to get through to him. He raised a brow, perhaps a little too high since it looked like it was stretching his skin slightly. He glanced down at Ana.
"Is it really tradition?" he seemed to ask her, causing Cyrilla to snort.
“W-well, it’s…” Ana pulled in a fortifying breath, only to sigh it back out again. “It sort of depends. I mean, there is a tradition like that, but not everyone adheres to it, and most people just, um… don’t treat it seriously, you know? If someone doesn’t want to, that’s fine, o-or if it’s just, um… on their cheek or hand or something like that.” She shook her head. “Really you don’t have to do anything. It’s not—I don’t even own these. I’d never put them up in my own house.”
There was more laughter from inside the living room; this time, it was clearly Kas chuckling. Ana wondered if he had something to do with the whole thing.
"It's still tradition, though," Cy spoke this time, her bouts of laughter seemingly contained enough for that. Eryk looked like he was actually contemplating it, though, and for a moment, he just stared at her. He narrowed his eyes just slightly, but he seemed to have made up his mind as he leaned down, pressing his lips softly against the side of her cheek, close to the corner of her mouth. He lingered there for only a few seconds, but it was warm.
Ana froze, torn between the inexplicable desire to cling on to him and the panic rising in her throat. This was—she didn’t know what this was yet, but it was delicate and she didn’t want to ruin it.
"For tradition," he simply said as he pulled away. He looked slightly pleased with himself, oddly enough, but the smile on his face seemed to grow somewhat. "It looks like I'm not the only one following tradition," he spoke, glancing at the mistletoe that had somehow floated towards Cy and Kas. Kenshin merely shrugged his shoulders, acting as if he didn't do a thing.
"Oh, you are so not getting any more caramel apples from me, Kenny," Cyrilla spoke. Eryk, however, seemed a little red in the face, or maybe that was just the glow of the candles?
Ana knew she was the color of a Razz Berry. She couldn’t be anything but, after that.
This is worth all the caramel apples in the world, Cy. All. Of. Them.
Kas smiled, but there was something… off about the expression, she thought. “You’re really not winning yourself any points with anyone today, are ya, Ken?” His tone was just as light as his smile; maybe it was only the long shadows over his face that made it all seem a little strange. Since he and Cy were still sitting near each other around the table, he simply shifted up to his knees, using one index finger under her chin to tilt her face up towards him.
For a moment, it looked almost like he was going to actually kiss her—full on the mouth—but instead he pressed his lips softly to her brow, right in the spot just above her nose. He didn’t linger, exactly, but there was something particularly tender in the gesture. Gentle.
Ana had no idea what that meant, because it could mean a lot of things.
“Okay,” she said, snatching the mistletoe out of the air. “I think we’re done with this now, don’t you?”
"Agreed," Cyrilla spoke, turning the same color as Ana was. Kenshin merely laughed, the sound a little raspy coming from a lucario, but he didn't seem to mind in the slightest.
I wasn't here for points. I was here for entertainment. I got my share, was the only thing he said. Eryk rolled his eyes but seemed to still keep the small smile on his face.
"Perhaps we should get these situated so we can see better. We'll be waiting out the storm here," he spoke, holding up the candles he'd grabbed.
“Yes, let’s,” Ana replied.
Nothing was a problem if she didn’t let it get to her, right?
Ana sighed. She wasn’t exactly afraid of the dark, but a power outage was not the best news. The shelter building could run for a while on the small backup generator she’d had installed there, but the house had no such thing. “Um… there should be a candle around here somewhere; hold on.” Carefully, she put her hands in front of her, navigating in the total darkness towards one of the side tables.
She brushed against someone on her way. “Sorry,” she said, stepping around whoever it was and finding the arm of the couch. She was close, then. It took her a few more seconds, but her fingers eventually alighted on the jar candle there. She didn’t actually have any matches on her, but that wasn’t really an obstacle. She simply willed the wick to light, and it did, flickering to life via telekinetic friction.
It was a small amount of light, but it was something. She put it on the center of the coffee table, next to the empty King’s Cup. The dim light it cast was enough to at least make out who was where and so on. “I’m going to go check the breaker box; hopefully I can get the lights back on.”
"Do you want me to come with you?" Eryk spoke, already making his way to stand. He wobbled somewhat, probably because it was still a little dark. "I can help if you'd like," though it really didn't look like he was giving her much of a choice. He was already standing and making his way towards her.
"I'm going to stay right here. Eryk was always better in the dark than I was," Cyrilla spoke. That was probably true considering their family. They were ninjas, after all, and they kind of lived in the dark.
“A-all right.” Ana was glad it was far too dark to see her blush; she hadn’t forgotten what she’d almost done not fifteen minutes ago. He seemed to have received the whole series of events with no reaction at all; it was actually a little bit… disheartening.
But she had no right to think such things, no right to want them to be different. So she pushed them all out of her mind and focused on the present. Breaker box. She had to go look at it. “It’s not too far—just in the kitchen. We’ll be back in a minute.” She saw Kas nod, but then turned away, stepping out of the warm circle of light offered by the candle. She had more of them in the kitchen anyway, so they’d be able to see on their way back if the lights didn’t come back on.
The hallway was pitch-black; Ana’s eyes had adjusted somewhat, but not well enough to make out much here. She put one of her hands to the wall and tested each step before she took it. “Sorry… I’m a bit slow, but I think I might have left a box in the hallway and I don’t want to—”
A thud, followed by a sharp pain in her toes, alerted her to the fact that she hadn’t been slow enough to avoid hitting the box. “Well… I found it.”
A soft sigh escaped Eryk as he placed a hand on her shoulder. He pulled her back gently, first, before moving around her. "I can actually see in the dark, somewhat. If you tell me what I'm looking for, and where to go, I'll be your guide," he spoke. He seemed rather insistent that he lead, and she follow, probably so that she didn't hit anything else. "Here, this will help, too," he spoke, lacing one of his hands with hers.
"It'll be easier for me to lead you through the hallway, this way," he spoke, as if to explain why he'd grasped her hand. His hold wasn't entirely loose, though, but it wasn't exactly tight like one would expect of someone leading. It was soft and gentle, as if it were the most natural thing in the world for him to do.
“O-oh. Um… just to the kitchen. There’s a box on the wall in the back of the pantry where the circuit breakers are. I just need to get there.” Ana thought she mostly managed to keep her words in the right order—but it was honestly hard to tell.
She’d held Eryk’s hand before, and for a similar purpose—to navigate through the crowd outside of the Gym. But it wasn’t natural for her the way it was for him, because she was thinking in about a million directions at once and her heart was accelerating in her chest and it was dark and she couldn’t see at that made the contact feel more… something. More important. Like it meant something.
She swallowed, shaking her head. Her eyes were adjusting a little more to the darkness; she let him guide her around the box this time and towards the kitchen. Why was she—oh, she was never going to drink again if it made her feel this funny. Giddy-happy-terrified-nervous. Like something in her guts was fizzing around, and she might either lift off the floor or just be sick.
"Okay," he replied, moving forward at a slow pace. It wasn't too slow that they were taking baby steps or anything. He was probably trying to be mindful of both of their current conditions, and to avoid anything else that might prove to be an obstacle. He must have ran into something, because a soft 'omph' escaped him, and they stopped for a second. He'd almost lifted his hand, the one that was holding hers, but he seemed to stop. He continued forward until they made it towards the kitchen.
"You said it was in the back of the pantry?" he asked. It felt hesitant, but he eventually let go of her hand. He hadn't moved or anything, and remained where he was.
“Yeah,” Ana said, pulling a hand on the wall and feeling her way forward. She stretched an arm out and made it to the island, where there was another candle. She lit it in the same way as the one before, breathing out a sigh of relief when the kitchen came into view. She smiled slightly at Eryk, then turned to access the pantry.
Getting inside wasn’t a problem—it was a large pantry, in part because the utilities closet was through another door in the back. Ana held the candle up, opening the breaker box with her free hand and throwing the switches. Nothing.
“Looks like it’s not just a surge,” she said softly. “It’s probably out over at least this part of the island. Looks like we’re stuck in the dark for now.” She frowned. Even all the way in here, she could hear the rain lashing the house; it almost seemed to creak under the pressure of the wind. It had been easy to forget when they were all having fun, but… it seemed that the storm was a really big one.
“You guys shouldn’t go home in this. Not when it’s so far.” She turned, exiting the utility room and moving so she could properly talk to Eryk, both of their faces lit by the candle. “We can wait and see if it stops if you want, but if it doesn’t, I have the guest room. We can figure something out.”
"Agreed," he replied. "We can still make use of your candles, and if need be, I'm sure Kas has Meep on him. He could use her and the ball on her tail as a source of light," he spoke. It seemed he was still pretty lucid despite how much he'd been drinking, but perhaps he had already thought that far ahead? He moved slightly, turning his head from both sides as if looking for something.
"Do you have any more candles around?" he asked. Either he'd forgotten if she said she did have some, or he was probably looking for some more immediate in the area. "We can take them back to the others," he continued, something flashing across his face before it disappeared. And it wasn't the candle light, either.
She had no idea what it was, exactly, but that was fine. Ana nodded. “Yes. There should be some tapers in the bottom cabinet there, next to the one under the sink. I’ll go get the candelabras from the dining room, so give me just a second.” She was aware that she was taking the source of light away from him, so Ana hastened, snatching a couple of single-candle holders from the dining room table. They weren’t anything fancy—just stainless steel. But they’d do fine.
Returning to the kitchen with three of them tucked under her arm, she set them down on the island. “And there are matches in the drawer under the microwave,” she said, setting her own jar candle down to help him retrieve all of the objects in question.
“Sorry about… all this,” she said vaguely. “I mean, I guess I can’t say the storm is my fault or anything, but it’s a shame that it happened on this particular day, I guess.” She was sure he’d have liked to go home at some point, but somehow she doubted that would be an option.
“And um… thank you, really. I’m… I’m really looking forward to seeing Fuchsia, and I know your family’s there, so…” So it probably wasn’t exactly first on his list of places to go, which meant he was doing it for her. That was a little… she wasn’t sure what to make of it.
He only shook his head at her. "You don't have to thank me. And as far as my family goes," he began, his jaw tightening for a fraction of a second before it loosened again. "They are unimportant, at the moment. They will not be in the way of this, I assure you. This means a lot to... you," it almost sounded like he wanted to say something else, but he'd caught himself in time to rephrase himself. He sighed softly, grabbing a candle as well before lighting it.
"You said a while back that you wanted to travel. This is my way of repaying you for all you've done for me," he finally spoke, though his smile for her was back. It looked a bit different though, partly because they were slightly, perhaps, drunk. It almost looked softer and had a bit of tenderness to it. It looked like it contained more emotion in just that one quirk of his lips, but maybe it wasn't what it seemed?
She still didn’t feel like she’d done all that much for him, but Ana figured it was probably better not to argue. They’d had the discussion before, and she doubted stating her own position again would change his mind. If he thought of it as a repayment for some debt, then… well, she supposed that wasn’t so bad.
“Even if that’s what it is,” she said, “I’m still thanking you. Because I’m still grateful, even if I don’t have to be.” She returned his smile, the one she liked to imagine was something only she saw. She knew by now that she had one that was only his, but she was still trying to decide what she wanted that fact to mean.
But it wasn’t like she had to make up her mind today. Nothing, not even the looming knowledge of her death, could make things like that go any faster. Besides… maybe there was something enjoyable about the process of putting it all together, of figuring out the nuances of her own feelings—his were certainly complicated enough to puzzle over, too.
“Anyway… we should probably get these candles back to the others. We’ve left them alone a while; it’s probably better if we don’t worry them.”
"I'm sure they're not," he stated, a light humorous note to his voice. He nodded his head regardless, and walked a head of her. "Ana," he paused in front of her, turned to look at her, but remained silent. He seemed to study her for a moment, and it looked like he wanted to say something, but he didn't. He shook his head and continued forward. He must have decided it wasn't too important, whatever it was he was going to say. They made it back to the others, however; Kenshin was standing idly by with his arms crossed and his eyes closed. It was easy to make out that much with as much light as they had now.
You might want to look up, he spoke, causing Ryk to do as he said.
"What is that?" he spoke, glancing at the mistletoe over the both of them. It was hovering, and not hanging.
“I—where did that come from? I don’t own any mistletoe.” Ana frowned at it for a moment, before it dawned on her that technically, she and Eryk were standing under it. Her face flamed; she took a hasty step backwards. “O-oh. Um. Th-that’s mistletoe. I-it… um… it’s nothing to worry about.” If he didn’t know, she certainly wasn’t going to be the one to tell him. That would just be… no.
The smirk that had formed on Kenshin's face only seemed to grow wider when Ana stuttered. Eryk looked slightly confused, and he glanced from her to the others. It's mistletoe, Eryk, he began, glancing at Ana and back to Eryk. Cyrilla seemed to be laughing a little too much since she couldn't properly speak. Tradition states that when two people stand under it, they have to kiss, though how Kenshin knew that was a bit of a mystery. Cyrilla wouldn't have told him that, and he couldn't have learned it from any one else.
"Kiss? Tradition?" he still seemed slightly confused about it, and Kenshin rolled his eyes.
It means, Eryk, that you have to kiss Ana. It's tradition," that at least seemed to get through to him. He raised a brow, perhaps a little too high since it looked like it was stretching his skin slightly. He glanced down at Ana.
"Is it really tradition?" he seemed to ask her, causing Cyrilla to snort.
“W-well, it’s…” Ana pulled in a fortifying breath, only to sigh it back out again. “It sort of depends. I mean, there is a tradition like that, but not everyone adheres to it, and most people just, um… don’t treat it seriously, you know? If someone doesn’t want to, that’s fine, o-or if it’s just, um… on their cheek or hand or something like that.” She shook her head. “Really you don’t have to do anything. It’s not—I don’t even own these. I’d never put them up in my own house.”
There was more laughter from inside the living room; this time, it was clearly Kas chuckling. Ana wondered if he had something to do with the whole thing.
"It's still tradition, though," Cy spoke this time, her bouts of laughter seemingly contained enough for that. Eryk looked like he was actually contemplating it, though, and for a moment, he just stared at her. He narrowed his eyes just slightly, but he seemed to have made up his mind as he leaned down, pressing his lips softly against the side of her cheek, close to the corner of her mouth. He lingered there for only a few seconds, but it was warm.
Ana froze, torn between the inexplicable desire to cling on to him and the panic rising in her throat. This was—she didn’t know what this was yet, but it was delicate and she didn’t want to ruin it.
"For tradition," he simply said as he pulled away. He looked slightly pleased with himself, oddly enough, but the smile on his face seemed to grow somewhat. "It looks like I'm not the only one following tradition," he spoke, glancing at the mistletoe that had somehow floated towards Cy and Kas. Kenshin merely shrugged his shoulders, acting as if he didn't do a thing.
"Oh, you are so not getting any more caramel apples from me, Kenny," Cyrilla spoke. Eryk, however, seemed a little red in the face, or maybe that was just the glow of the candles?
Ana knew she was the color of a Razz Berry. She couldn’t be anything but, after that.
This is worth all the caramel apples in the world, Cy. All. Of. Them.
Kas smiled, but there was something… off about the expression, she thought. “You’re really not winning yourself any points with anyone today, are ya, Ken?” His tone was just as light as his smile; maybe it was only the long shadows over his face that made it all seem a little strange. Since he and Cy were still sitting near each other around the table, he simply shifted up to his knees, using one index finger under her chin to tilt her face up towards him.
For a moment, it looked almost like he was going to actually kiss her—full on the mouth—but instead he pressed his lips softly to her brow, right in the spot just above her nose. He didn’t linger, exactly, but there was something particularly tender in the gesture. Gentle.
Ana had no idea what that meant, because it could mean a lot of things.
“Okay,” she said, snatching the mistletoe out of the air. “I think we’re done with this now, don’t you?”
"Agreed," Cyrilla spoke, turning the same color as Ana was. Kenshin merely laughed, the sound a little raspy coming from a lucario, but he didn't seem to mind in the slightest.
I wasn't here for points. I was here for entertainment. I got my share, was the only thing he said. Eryk rolled his eyes but seemed to still keep the small smile on his face.
"Perhaps we should get these situated so we can see better. We'll be waiting out the storm here," he spoke, holding up the candles he'd grabbed.
“Yes, let’s,” Ana replied.
Nothing was a problem if she didn’t let it get to her, right?
Cyrilla smiled a little to herself, sitting cross legged on Ana's bed. Kenshin was sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall with a smug look on his face, but she was trying her best to ignore him. He was a jerk for pulling what he did, and he knew it. It's probably why the look on his face only grew. He opened one eye to stare at her, but he didn't say anything. He didn't have to say anything, he already knew.
"Alright, so sleeping arrangements are as follows. Kas and Ryk are sharing the guest room and we are going to share your room, right? Kenny... gets to sleep on the floor because he's a jerk," she stated, sticking her tongue out at the lucario in the process. It might have been because she was slightly drunk, or possibly completely drunk. She wasn't keeping too much tabs on how much she'd consumed.
Ana nodded. “I have some pajamas you can borrow—I don’t think you’ll want to sleep in that dress, right?” She indicated the garment with a vague wave of her hand. It was, perhaps, a little too fancy to be sleeping in.
Stumbling slightly, Ana pulled open a dresser drawer, fishing out what seemed to be an oversized t-shirt and some shorts. “It’s a little big, but that’s kind of on purpose. More comfortable to sleep in that way, right?” She tossed both things onto the bed next to Cyrilla, then sighed heavily, rummaging around until she found a few more things for herself.
“Well, tonight was…” she trailed off for a moment, as though unsure exactly how she wanted to describe it.
"Fun. Fun is the word you're looking for," she replied, throwing the shirt over her dress. She pulled the shorts on afterwards, and proceeded to pull her dress off from underneath the shirt. Once she'd managed to do that, she stumbled a bit back towards the bed, having had her foot caught on the dress still. "Oops." she spoke, laughing softly as she positioned herself back onto the bed.
"It was also cute and adorable, especially since you made Eryk blush. I've never seen him do that before, and I didn't think he was capable of it," she added to her earlier statement. She really did think it was the cutest thing, but that may be because she was under the affects of alcohol. She wasn't going to say that. Shaking her head, she leaned back somewhat, and rested on the palms of her hand. "You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say he liked you, Ana," she continued, a small smile on her face. It wasn't teasing or anything like that. She genuinely believed that what she said was true.
He was noticeably happier around Ana, and he was often worried about her in some fashion or another. Even if it didn't pertain to her health, he was always worried. He never worried about someone that much, at least not in the way he'd been about her. She wasn't too sure how Ana felt, though, so she wasn't going to say anything else on that matter.
“I’d like to think—oh. You mean… the other kind of—no, I don’t think it’s like that,” Ana said, shaking her head. She cleared her throat, turning around and repeating a similar process to the one Cy had used to get changed. When that was done, she was wearing a shirt that reached almost to her knees—it was plaid and long-sleeved, and looked to be made for a man, perhaps. Underneath it, she had plain black leggings. She hung her dress in her closet with care, and then did the same for Cyrilla’s.
When she turned back, she seemed to be a little more centered; it was hard to tell if the color in her face was embarrassment, alcohol, or something else. She sat on the bed, scooting up to put her back against the headboard. It was easily big enough for the both of them to sleep in, with room to spare considering that they were both pretty small. “But, um… fun. Yes. I think—I think it was. It was just also very… different, from anything I’ve done before. That game was silly, but I enjoyed it.”
"You're wrong, you know," she spoke, chuckling lightly at Ana's statement. She might not think that, but Cyrilla did. She knew Eryk better than anyone, and she'd never seen him react the way he did when he kissed Ana's cheek. Plus, it was obvious from the way he looked at her, and interacted with her. He was always more patient and gentle with her, despite being capable of far worse. If she were being honest with herself, and a little cheesy, she would have said that Ana completed him in a way that they were both unaware of. It was really adorable, but she wasn't going to push any further than that. She wasn't Kenshin. He glanced up at her.
"King's Cup? I think it was fun too, but I don't think I'll ever play it again. Too many rules and things to keep up with, especially if you draw the seven card," she shuddered lightly at that. There were some things that were better left in the past. She inwardly groaned. She really did hope Eryk wasn't going to be that cruel and tell that story to Kas. That would be embarrassing. Maybe he forgot?
Ana giggled. “Well, it was certainly informative,” she agreed with a small smile. Pulling her legs up underneath her, she rolled her shoulders back into the wood of the headboard. “I think it could have been a lot worse, though. Kas seems like he has a lot of…” she tipped her head to the side, clearly trying to decide on the words.
“…life experience. I think he might have gone a little easy on us.”
"And I'm sure that he does," she spoke, allowing the small frown on her lips to appear. She quickly laid on her back, though, and stared up at the ceiling. "But I think that's mainly because Kas grew up in a different lifestyle than we did. He wasn't sheltered most of his life, and he wasn't trained to be part of Team Rocket. He actually had a chance to do something else with his life, which kind of makes me wonder," she paused, turning her head towards Ana.
"Why this? He could have done anything, been anything else, but he still chose this," she stated. It wasn't really a question, and she knew there wasn't any particular answer to it. Most people who joined could have done the same thing, but they didn't. They truly believed in what Team Rocket was doing, and that was something she couldn't fully bring herself to do. Sure, their ideals were painted beautifully. Liberate and free pokémon from abusive or unworthy trainers, but even that seemed a little off.
"I suppose everyone has their reasons, though," she certainly had hers.
Ana hummed thoughtfully, glancing back down at her from where she sat. “I think he’s very hard to read,” she said, her tone perhaps a little more open than usual. “Like… there’s the part that he lets us all see, the funny person who’s always smiling, but… I think there’s another part, too. A part he doesn’t show us. He…” She pursed her lips, looking hesitant about something.
“He talks to me, sometimes. When it’s just us. I don’t really know exactly what’s going on inside his head, but… he seems like a complicated person. One who doesn’t open up very easily, you know?” She shrugged slightly.
She wanted to laugh at that. It was like another Ryk, though Ryk wasn't anywhere near as open or friendly. He was the opposite. He was reserved, quiet, and very stern looking. "I do know, actually. I know someone who's almost like him," she replied, smiling somewhat. Things were just a little complicated for Eryk. He wasn't allowed to show those kinds of emotions because they were deemed inferior. They were not emotions one such as himself were allowed to have. He was supposed to be what he was today. On occasion, something would slip through, but only as of late had anything truly been expressed.
"Well, at least he opens up to you. You're really easy to talk to, but then again that's what friends do for each other, right?" though she would admit that it did sting a little. It was worse for other things that he did, but she didn't exactly have a claim on what he could and shouldn't do. She was just his co-worker, and maybe slightly his friend. She liked to hope she was his friend. She could live with that.
"It's probably why Eryk likes being around you so much, too," she spoke, a sly smile crossing her lips. She might not have wanted to push anything in particular about it, but that didn't mean she couldn't tease Ana in the process. She could have sworn Kenshin laughed at her. He wasn't a very good influence, now that she thought about.
Ana pursed her lips, as though unamused by Cyrilla’s teasing, but she didn’t seem upset, exactly. More like vaguely mystified. “If you say so,” she said, shaking her head. “I suppose if people find it easy to talk to me, that’s good. But I don’t think I do anything special. I just… ask. Sometimes I feel like I might be a little too forward with my questions, but it’s hard to know. I’m still new to the friends thing.” She smiled a little at that, but it disappeared quickly.
“Um… you’re okay, right? I mean, in the living room, with the mistletoe—and before that you were, uh… sitting pretty close. I think if it were me that might—” Ana grimaced. “I don’t know, honestly.”
Kenshin actually did laugh at that, and Cyrilla shot him a glare. He raised a brow at her, almost as if he were daring her to say or do something. "Yep, never better!" she spoke, though obviously she said it with too much chipperness. Truth was, she didn't actually know how she felt right now. Her heart was still beating pretty fast, and she could still feel her stomach swelling with butterfrees. "No, I don't know," she finally admitted, sighing softly at the confession. It was hard, but she was trying to steel her feelings for it.
"You know, Kenshin and Ryk have both tried telling me that I should just tell him, and get it over and done with, but," it wasn't as easy as that. She was still young, under the sway of something like that, and she really didn't have anyone to talk to for advice about it. Eryk was stupid in the area, but she loved him. Ana had mentioned that she didn't have experience either. That left her with no one else to ask.
"It's easier said than done. I can't just go up to him and say 'Hey Kas I love you,' and pretend that everything is okay after that. It'd be awkward, and slightly strange. I can live with it if he doesn't even remotely like me that way, but I think... I think I'm more afraid of something else," like losing his friendship entirely just because she was in love with him and he didn't even remotely care for her in that fashion.
Ana thought about that for several minutes, shifting so that she was laying down, too, crawling under the blankets and looking up at the ceiling. After a moment, she turned her head to to glance over at Cy. “He… he told me once, that he sometimes felt a little… left out, in your group. I don’t know if he still feels that way, but he said it was like you and Eryk were a unit, and you’d be perfectly fine without him, but he wasn’t so sure how he’d be without you. I think… he’s not used to the idea that someone could find him that important, besides his family.”
She hummed. “I think maybe he feels like he’s the one who does all of the… the reaching, you know? That maybe if he didn’t, the two of you wouldn’t reach out to him. I don’t know if that information helps, but… it’s the sense I get, for what’s going on. I’m not sure he’d understand what you really meant even if you did tell him you loved him, so I don’t think that’s the answer, either.” She sighed.
“I’m sorry; I’m probably not being very helpful. Maybe you could talk to Harper? She knows him better than anyone, I’m sure.”
Left out? Be perfectly fine without him? Did he really think that? Cyrilla pursed her lips together. When she thought about it, perhaps there was a little truth to it. She and Ryk practically grew up together. He was her rock and shield for most of her life, and she wouldn't entirely know where she'd be without him. She loved him like a brother because that's what he was to her. He was her brother in more ways than she'd actually care to admit. But that was due to their lifestyle. They were all they had when they were growing up, but that changed when he came into their lives. He'd become an integrated part of it, and part of her wished she could go tell him that. Without him, Ryk would fall apart and she'd... she wouldn't know where she'd be.
"Probably, but that's because she's his sister. Sisters always know their brother best," even if they weren't entirely blood siblings. This was probably more information than what she wanted to know. Now she felt a little bad about it. "I wish he didn't feel that. He doesn't realize how untrue that is. Ryk practically considers Kas family, now, and the proof of that is when he gave him that dagger. It isn't any dagger, either. Only members of the main branch of the clan receive it when they are truly accepted into the family. It shows who exactly is important, and almost acts like a family heirloom," so Ryk wouldn't have given it out so easily.
"If I remember all of this in the morning, I'll have a talk with one of the Rheinallts," she only hoped she would talk with Harper first. Well, they were all going to his sister's wedding, she could talk to her then.
"I bet Ryk will like you more once you wear that dress Kas got you for the wedding," she spoke, a sly smile forming on her lips as she did so. "He'll probably get jealous of all the eyes on you," she continued, giggling to herself. Yeah, she was drunk.
“Pff.” Ana rolled her eyes, clearly not buying it.
A couple moments later, though, she grinned. “This would be much much easier if we just liked each other, I think.” She huffed a quiet laugh. “Since we’re both not that bad at talking about our feelings to each other. Too bad, huh?”
"This is true. It would be so much easier, but then I'd have to break Eryk's heart since I'd steal you away," Kenshin was practically laughing a little too hard that Cy thought he might break something. "And I can't do that to Ryky. He'd probably make me disappear, pff, or send an endless line of challengers to my Gym, if I was a Gym Leader, like he did to Drake," she laughed in between words, but she didn't seem to mind that she let that piece of information slip.
“Wait, that was him?” Ana propped herself up on an elbow, clearly confused. “Why on earth would he do that? Poor Drake was buried under challenges for months.” She seemed to have stuck on that part of what Cyrilla had said in favor of ignoring the rest.
"You didn't know? I could have sworn he told you," she replied, rolling so she was now on her stomach as well. "Yep, Ryk sent all those challengers to Drake, though I don't know the entire reason. I think he was jealous of Drake for some reason or another, but I can't say for sure," though she was pretty sure that was most of the reason.
"But at least Drake managed to strengthen his team a bit, and he helped a lot of our Grunts improve on their battling techniques. Some of them were so happy when they actually won a Gym match. You should have seen how bright their faces were," she said as she smiled. "I think it was mostly to keep Drake from helping you out, too," she stated, the coy smile returning to her lips.
“Sometimes I think I understand all of you, and other times I’m completely confused,” Ana replied simply, flopping back down onto her pillow and yawning widely. “I’m sleepy… sorry if I nod off or something.” Her voice was fading out even then. It didn’t take long for her breathing to become steady and regular, either.
"You and me both," Cyrilla replied, yawning in unison. She threw a pillow down to Kenshin, who caught it and stared at it for a moment. He shrugged and she laid down, falling asleep next to Ana.
"Alright, so sleeping arrangements are as follows. Kas and Ryk are sharing the guest room and we are going to share your room, right? Kenny... gets to sleep on the floor because he's a jerk," she stated, sticking her tongue out at the lucario in the process. It might have been because she was slightly drunk, or possibly completely drunk. She wasn't keeping too much tabs on how much she'd consumed.
Ana nodded. “I have some pajamas you can borrow—I don’t think you’ll want to sleep in that dress, right?” She indicated the garment with a vague wave of her hand. It was, perhaps, a little too fancy to be sleeping in.
Stumbling slightly, Ana pulled open a dresser drawer, fishing out what seemed to be an oversized t-shirt and some shorts. “It’s a little big, but that’s kind of on purpose. More comfortable to sleep in that way, right?” She tossed both things onto the bed next to Cyrilla, then sighed heavily, rummaging around until she found a few more things for herself.
“Well, tonight was…” she trailed off for a moment, as though unsure exactly how she wanted to describe it.
"Fun. Fun is the word you're looking for," she replied, throwing the shirt over her dress. She pulled the shorts on afterwards, and proceeded to pull her dress off from underneath the shirt. Once she'd managed to do that, she stumbled a bit back towards the bed, having had her foot caught on the dress still. "Oops." she spoke, laughing softly as she positioned herself back onto the bed.
"It was also cute and adorable, especially since you made Eryk blush. I've never seen him do that before, and I didn't think he was capable of it," she added to her earlier statement. She really did think it was the cutest thing, but that may be because she was under the affects of alcohol. She wasn't going to say that. Shaking her head, she leaned back somewhat, and rested on the palms of her hand. "You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say he liked you, Ana," she continued, a small smile on her face. It wasn't teasing or anything like that. She genuinely believed that what she said was true.
He was noticeably happier around Ana, and he was often worried about her in some fashion or another. Even if it didn't pertain to her health, he was always worried. He never worried about someone that much, at least not in the way he'd been about her. She wasn't too sure how Ana felt, though, so she wasn't going to say anything else on that matter.
“I’d like to think—oh. You mean… the other kind of—no, I don’t think it’s like that,” Ana said, shaking her head. She cleared her throat, turning around and repeating a similar process to the one Cy had used to get changed. When that was done, she was wearing a shirt that reached almost to her knees—it was plaid and long-sleeved, and looked to be made for a man, perhaps. Underneath it, she had plain black leggings. She hung her dress in her closet with care, and then did the same for Cyrilla’s.
When she turned back, she seemed to be a little more centered; it was hard to tell if the color in her face was embarrassment, alcohol, or something else. She sat on the bed, scooting up to put her back against the headboard. It was easily big enough for the both of them to sleep in, with room to spare considering that they were both pretty small. “But, um… fun. Yes. I think—I think it was. It was just also very… different, from anything I’ve done before. That game was silly, but I enjoyed it.”
"You're wrong, you know," she spoke, chuckling lightly at Ana's statement. She might not think that, but Cyrilla did. She knew Eryk better than anyone, and she'd never seen him react the way he did when he kissed Ana's cheek. Plus, it was obvious from the way he looked at her, and interacted with her. He was always more patient and gentle with her, despite being capable of far worse. If she were being honest with herself, and a little cheesy, she would have said that Ana completed him in a way that they were both unaware of. It was really adorable, but she wasn't going to push any further than that. She wasn't Kenshin. He glanced up at her.
"King's Cup? I think it was fun too, but I don't think I'll ever play it again. Too many rules and things to keep up with, especially if you draw the seven card," she shuddered lightly at that. There were some things that were better left in the past. She inwardly groaned. She really did hope Eryk wasn't going to be that cruel and tell that story to Kas. That would be embarrassing. Maybe he forgot?
Ana giggled. “Well, it was certainly informative,” she agreed with a small smile. Pulling her legs up underneath her, she rolled her shoulders back into the wood of the headboard. “I think it could have been a lot worse, though. Kas seems like he has a lot of…” she tipped her head to the side, clearly trying to decide on the words.
“…life experience. I think he might have gone a little easy on us.”
"And I'm sure that he does," she spoke, allowing the small frown on her lips to appear. She quickly laid on her back, though, and stared up at the ceiling. "But I think that's mainly because Kas grew up in a different lifestyle than we did. He wasn't sheltered most of his life, and he wasn't trained to be part of Team Rocket. He actually had a chance to do something else with his life, which kind of makes me wonder," she paused, turning her head towards Ana.
"Why this? He could have done anything, been anything else, but he still chose this," she stated. It wasn't really a question, and she knew there wasn't any particular answer to it. Most people who joined could have done the same thing, but they didn't. They truly believed in what Team Rocket was doing, and that was something she couldn't fully bring herself to do. Sure, their ideals were painted beautifully. Liberate and free pokémon from abusive or unworthy trainers, but even that seemed a little off.
"I suppose everyone has their reasons, though," she certainly had hers.
Ana hummed thoughtfully, glancing back down at her from where she sat. “I think he’s very hard to read,” she said, her tone perhaps a little more open than usual. “Like… there’s the part that he lets us all see, the funny person who’s always smiling, but… I think there’s another part, too. A part he doesn’t show us. He…” She pursed her lips, looking hesitant about something.
“He talks to me, sometimes. When it’s just us. I don’t really know exactly what’s going on inside his head, but… he seems like a complicated person. One who doesn’t open up very easily, you know?” She shrugged slightly.
She wanted to laugh at that. It was like another Ryk, though Ryk wasn't anywhere near as open or friendly. He was the opposite. He was reserved, quiet, and very stern looking. "I do know, actually. I know someone who's almost like him," she replied, smiling somewhat. Things were just a little complicated for Eryk. He wasn't allowed to show those kinds of emotions because they were deemed inferior. They were not emotions one such as himself were allowed to have. He was supposed to be what he was today. On occasion, something would slip through, but only as of late had anything truly been expressed.
"Well, at least he opens up to you. You're really easy to talk to, but then again that's what friends do for each other, right?" though she would admit that it did sting a little. It was worse for other things that he did, but she didn't exactly have a claim on what he could and shouldn't do. She was just his co-worker, and maybe slightly his friend. She liked to hope she was his friend. She could live with that.
"It's probably why Eryk likes being around you so much, too," she spoke, a sly smile crossing her lips. She might not have wanted to push anything in particular about it, but that didn't mean she couldn't tease Ana in the process. She could have sworn Kenshin laughed at her. He wasn't a very good influence, now that she thought about.
Ana pursed her lips, as though unamused by Cyrilla’s teasing, but she didn’t seem upset, exactly. More like vaguely mystified. “If you say so,” she said, shaking her head. “I suppose if people find it easy to talk to me, that’s good. But I don’t think I do anything special. I just… ask. Sometimes I feel like I might be a little too forward with my questions, but it’s hard to know. I’m still new to the friends thing.” She smiled a little at that, but it disappeared quickly.
“Um… you’re okay, right? I mean, in the living room, with the mistletoe—and before that you were, uh… sitting pretty close. I think if it were me that might—” Ana grimaced. “I don’t know, honestly.”
Kenshin actually did laugh at that, and Cyrilla shot him a glare. He raised a brow at her, almost as if he were daring her to say or do something. "Yep, never better!" she spoke, though obviously she said it with too much chipperness. Truth was, she didn't actually know how she felt right now. Her heart was still beating pretty fast, and she could still feel her stomach swelling with butterfrees. "No, I don't know," she finally admitted, sighing softly at the confession. It was hard, but she was trying to steel her feelings for it.
"You know, Kenshin and Ryk have both tried telling me that I should just tell him, and get it over and done with, but," it wasn't as easy as that. She was still young, under the sway of something like that, and she really didn't have anyone to talk to for advice about it. Eryk was stupid in the area, but she loved him. Ana had mentioned that she didn't have experience either. That left her with no one else to ask.
"It's easier said than done. I can't just go up to him and say 'Hey Kas I love you,' and pretend that everything is okay after that. It'd be awkward, and slightly strange. I can live with it if he doesn't even remotely like me that way, but I think... I think I'm more afraid of something else," like losing his friendship entirely just because she was in love with him and he didn't even remotely care for her in that fashion.
Ana thought about that for several minutes, shifting so that she was laying down, too, crawling under the blankets and looking up at the ceiling. After a moment, she turned her head to to glance over at Cy. “He… he told me once, that he sometimes felt a little… left out, in your group. I don’t know if he still feels that way, but he said it was like you and Eryk were a unit, and you’d be perfectly fine without him, but he wasn’t so sure how he’d be without you. I think… he’s not used to the idea that someone could find him that important, besides his family.”
She hummed. “I think maybe he feels like he’s the one who does all of the… the reaching, you know? That maybe if he didn’t, the two of you wouldn’t reach out to him. I don’t know if that information helps, but… it’s the sense I get, for what’s going on. I’m not sure he’d understand what you really meant even if you did tell him you loved him, so I don’t think that’s the answer, either.” She sighed.
“I’m sorry; I’m probably not being very helpful. Maybe you could talk to Harper? She knows him better than anyone, I’m sure.”
Left out? Be perfectly fine without him? Did he really think that? Cyrilla pursed her lips together. When she thought about it, perhaps there was a little truth to it. She and Ryk practically grew up together. He was her rock and shield for most of her life, and she wouldn't entirely know where she'd be without him. She loved him like a brother because that's what he was to her. He was her brother in more ways than she'd actually care to admit. But that was due to their lifestyle. They were all they had when they were growing up, but that changed when he came into their lives. He'd become an integrated part of it, and part of her wished she could go tell him that. Without him, Ryk would fall apart and she'd... she wouldn't know where she'd be.
"Probably, but that's because she's his sister. Sisters always know their brother best," even if they weren't entirely blood siblings. This was probably more information than what she wanted to know. Now she felt a little bad about it. "I wish he didn't feel that. He doesn't realize how untrue that is. Ryk practically considers Kas family, now, and the proof of that is when he gave him that dagger. It isn't any dagger, either. Only members of the main branch of the clan receive it when they are truly accepted into the family. It shows who exactly is important, and almost acts like a family heirloom," so Ryk wouldn't have given it out so easily.
"If I remember all of this in the morning, I'll have a talk with one of the Rheinallts," she only hoped she would talk with Harper first. Well, they were all going to his sister's wedding, she could talk to her then.
"I bet Ryk will like you more once you wear that dress Kas got you for the wedding," she spoke, a sly smile forming on her lips as she did so. "He'll probably get jealous of all the eyes on you," she continued, giggling to herself. Yeah, she was drunk.
“Pff.” Ana rolled her eyes, clearly not buying it.
A couple moments later, though, she grinned. “This would be much much easier if we just liked each other, I think.” She huffed a quiet laugh. “Since we’re both not that bad at talking about our feelings to each other. Too bad, huh?”
"This is true. It would be so much easier, but then I'd have to break Eryk's heart since I'd steal you away," Kenshin was practically laughing a little too hard that Cy thought he might break something. "And I can't do that to Ryky. He'd probably make me disappear, pff, or send an endless line of challengers to my Gym, if I was a Gym Leader, like he did to Drake," she laughed in between words, but she didn't seem to mind that she let that piece of information slip.
“Wait, that was him?” Ana propped herself up on an elbow, clearly confused. “Why on earth would he do that? Poor Drake was buried under challenges for months.” She seemed to have stuck on that part of what Cyrilla had said in favor of ignoring the rest.
"You didn't know? I could have sworn he told you," she replied, rolling so she was now on her stomach as well. "Yep, Ryk sent all those challengers to Drake, though I don't know the entire reason. I think he was jealous of Drake for some reason or another, but I can't say for sure," though she was pretty sure that was most of the reason.
"But at least Drake managed to strengthen his team a bit, and he helped a lot of our Grunts improve on their battling techniques. Some of them were so happy when they actually won a Gym match. You should have seen how bright their faces were," she said as she smiled. "I think it was mostly to keep Drake from helping you out, too," she stated, the coy smile returning to her lips.
“Sometimes I think I understand all of you, and other times I’m completely confused,” Ana replied simply, flopping back down onto her pillow and yawning widely. “I’m sleepy… sorry if I nod off or something.” Her voice was fading out even then. It didn’t take long for her breathing to become steady and regular, either.
"You and me both," Cyrilla replied, yawning in unison. She threw a pillow down to Kenshin, who caught it and stared at it for a moment. He shrugged and she laid down, falling asleep next to Ana.
“All right, spill it Ryk.” Kas adjusted the pillow under his head. There’d been a small kerfuffle over who had the bed and who got the floor, but in the end, Kas had conceded. He could sleep pretty much anywhere, anyway—it wouldn’t even be uncomfortable. So he’d stolen a pillow and a blanket from the guest bed and made himself comfortable. Meep was out of her ball, providing a bit of light and some extra cuddles. That was the important part of sleeping, most of the time. Something or someone to snuggle with. Much as he liked Ryk, that wasn’t an option.
Shifting, he pulled Meep up onto his chest and looped his arms around her. She contained her static very well, so it didn’t even tingle much. “You promised me Cy’s skinny-dipping story, and I’m collecting.”
Eryk glanced at him for a moment, like he'd forgotten, before he rolled his eyes. "You would remember that, wouldn't you," he spoke, but it was light and nothing too dead panned. He shifted somewhat in his spot on the bed, and glanced down. "This was the same year she became Suicune," he started, clearly extremely comfortable to say this, or just wasted enough not to care. He yawned, stiffling it with his hand somewhat, before he blinked.
"She's not a heavy drinker, as you can tell," he continued, pointing to the obvious. "She went out to celebrate with a few of the Grunts. One thing led to another, and I found her in one of the hot springs. Her clothes... were missing, though," he continued, hesitating just slightly at the end. "I think someone took them, but I remember she said she'd done it because she was dared, and something about pride and honor," he gave a careless shrug of his shoulders at that.
“Pfft. Oh for—I can see her doing that.” Kas actually rolled his eyes. Of course she’d only done it on a dare; it wouldn’t surprise him if they’d intended to filch her clothes all along. The whole thing would be laughably easy if she were drunk. Still, that was the kind of thing you could report, if you took it badly. It was no shocker that Cy hadn’t reported—she didn’t like to make waves. At all. But at least she didn’t seem to view it as a traumatic event—just an embarrassing one. That was probably a healthy attitude.
Moving his hands up to rub Meep behind her ears, he huffed softly when the pokémon made a satisfied noise—almost like the sheep-ish equivalent of purring, or something. “And of course I remembered—I can hardly be expected to miss the opportunity to learn something embarrassing about someone else. Especially you three.” They were easily his favorite people to mess with, even if he’d cut back on it lately.
"You wouldn't say that if you were the one who caught her. She was trying to dance... in the hot spring, underneath a rock and shouting something about... something," he added, though he seemed a little hesitant at the end. It almost sounded like he was going to say something else, or what he knew that something was. "Fortunately for you, you don't seem the type to embarrass easily," there was a hint of sarcasm in that sentence as Eryk rolled his eyes.
“I don’t,” Kas agreed readily. “No shame. Not even a bit. Works out well for me, honestly.” He paused his attentions to Meep’s ears to lift himself partway off the floor so he could actually meet Ryk’s eyes directly. “Now you on the other hand… you were blushing when you kissed her. It was so cute I think I’m going to be violently ill.” He grinned jaggedly, knowing full well that Eryk would not appreciate the commentary.
Too damn bad.
He apparently didn't. At the expense of himself, Ryk threw his only pillow at Kas, as hard as he could, apparently. "Ass, that's not funny," he spoke, glaring at Kas as he did so. He didn't seem entirely ashamed of that fact, but he was slightly on edge from the way he was tensed now. "It was... awkward. And you should probably go to the doctor if something like that makes you ill," he spoke, the deadpan coming back to his voice. Sometimes he did take things too literally.
Kas laughed aloud, chucking the pillow back at Eryk. Meep didn’t even seem bothered by the movement; she was chill that way. “That much sweetness would give anyone diabetes, Ryk. And you say awkward, but I didn’t see it. Well… okay, a little awkward. But it’s like that the first time for most people.” He put careful emphasis on the words, nearly unable to stop himself from laughing again.
He shook his head. “But seriously, man… you’re not actually telling me that you’re almost twenty-nine and have never so much as kissed a woman in front of other people, are you?” This wasn’t actually something they’d ever discussed. Kas knew Eryk didn’t know shit about relationships and the way they normally worked. His life was fucked-up like that. But as Kas himself could attest, there was a huge difference between having feelings for someone and, say, getting laid.
Eryk pursed his lips slightly as if he were contemplating Kas's question. "Besides for a mission's sake?" he said lightly before shaking his head. "No, I haven't. I've never had the need or desire to do it," he continued. "It's not necessary half of the time," but of course only he would think that. Eryk fixed the pillow so it was under him, now, with an odd sort of tone to his eyes. They were almost melancholy from the looks of it, but he didn't seem inclined to continue or explain.
Well, now… it was about what Kas had expected, but that didn’t mean it was at all usual. It’d be one thing if Eryk was saying that stuff from a sort of considered position, or if he just wasn’t the kind of person who was interested in that kind of thing in general. But clearly, he was at least sometimes, so Kas was left to assume this was more of his family’s damn conditioning at work. “And this,” he said, raising an eyebrow. “Are you gonna try and tell me that this is for the mission too?”
Kas wasn’t nearly stupid enough to believe that, but there was a difference between him knowing what was going on and Eryk knowing. Him seeing what was there wouldn’t do anyone much good, really. He’d push, or—as he’d told Keshin—try and clear the path forward where he could, but he couldn’t actually walk it. He just… kind of hoped Eryk wanted to himself.
Just because Kas couldn’t quite bring himself to believe in love in his own case didn’t mean he couldn’t recognize when other people had a connection, right?
"No," he replied a little too fast, blinking slowly in surprise when he did. "That was for... tradition," but even that didn't sound right. He sighed heavily, his brows furrowing as he seemed to concentrate. Occasionally his eye would twitch, as if what he was thinking didn't seem right either, or maybe he just didn't want to admit to it. He seemed to reach some sort of conclusion as he glanced back at Kas.
"Damn this mission, and damn everything else," he finally spoke. His eyes were narrowed almost like he was glaring at Kas, but he wasn't necessarily glaring. It was too soft to be glaring, but he seemed to have realized something for him to be doing that. Somewhere down the hall, Kenshin's laugh could be heard, and that seemed to distract Eryk for a second. "This is the first time I don't want to complete a mission, but I don't know how not to go through with it," he spoke, glancing away from Kas.
"I told her aunt that I wasn't a good person, but," he paused, his eyes softening for a second, "she makes me want to be. How do I go about doing something I know nothing about?" He seemed genuinely torn about it, and it wasn't because he was drunk. He seemed sober enough.
“You don’t ask the easy questions, do you Ryk?” Kas tried to make himself sound amused, but he was pretty sure he failed. The truth was… he knew exactly what it felt like, to want to fail a mission that people were counting on him to accomplish. Some mornings, he woke up and almost managed to forget that this wasn’t really his life—that he wasn’t really here, with these people, to stay. And for a moment… he could almost see the future, with all of them in it, together and happy.
And if he’d thought he had much of a heart, he’d have said that when he really woke up and reality crashed back down, it broke. Even without one, even as ruthless and cold as he was, to lie to them all like this… Kas felt something. Maybe it was just the hole where his heart was supposed to be. Maybe the lack ached.
“I guess you… learn. You might not know how to… be a good person in the way you want, but you know people who are, right? Try to… to emulate them, maybe. To be a little more like them whenever you can manage it. Everything’s about habits and patterns, right? Do things that make you feel like you’re happier, or closer to being good, whatever that means.” Kas wasn’t entirely sure he had the best grip on right and wrong anymore.
"It would still be a lie," Eryk replied, unusually soft for someone like him to say. "Even now we can't tell her the entire truth, that the only reason we became close to her was to investigate her potential usefulness to HQ. We've lied to her from the very beginning, and if she ever found out about it," he seemed to tense at that thought, and he seemed to swallow thickly.
"If she ever found out about it, she'd leave. She would want nothing to do with me, or us," he didn't seem to care that he let that part slip out. He was really tense by the end of that statement, and he only tensed further. "Do you know that she actually makes me happy? That all she has to do is say something, anything at all, and there it is. I guess, in some ways, I know how Cy feels," he continued and relaxed the tension in his shoulders.
"The only thing that could make me a better person, is someone who I can't allow," he didn't seem to want to finish that. This was all new for him, apparently.
Kas sighed. There came a point where all the pithy advice in the world really wasn’t going to help. This was honestly probably that point. One hand still on Meep’s back, he ran the other down his face. “Can’t or won’t?” he said, quietly so he wouldn’t be mistaken for joking. “I get your concerns, Ryk—I really do. Your family’s an obstacle, but… nothing says you have to let them control you. It’s a risk. But some things… some things are worth risking a lot. Everything, maybe. And maybe this… whatever’s going on with Ana could become one of those things.”
Eryk pursed his lips together, his face a little too stern. "Can't," he finally answered. "This has nothing to do with my family," he began, sighing heavily before mimicking Kas, dragging a hand down his face. "I can't let her make me a better person, and I can't tell her anything because," he looked genuinely torn about what he was going to say. "Because if I do, her disease will eventually take her. What will become of me then?" it was a rhetorical question, and one he looked like he wasn't really expecting an answer to.
"And don't give me that bullshit 'You have to make the most of it' or that other shit. I won't do that to her. I'm not... an optimistic person, you know that," he finally rolled around on his back, staring up at the ceiling.
And then there was that. Really, if Kas had believed in fate, he probably would have been discouraging Eryk from even trying, because it sure seemed like the odds were stacked against him on this one, from the very get-go. “I dunno, man,” he said at last. “That’s a tough one, and it’s up to the two of you to decide how to handle it. But I mean… if she helps you improve, that doesn’t automatically go away if she’s gone, you know. It seems like a separate thing from whether or not you get involved. And for what it’s worth, I think you are getting better. Already.”
It was the honest truth. Kas had always liked Ryk on some level, even knowing the kind of cruelty and coldness he could be capable of. That was mostly possible because he knew, and because he was on guard for it. But over the last year or so… the difference had been remarkable. Kas wouldn’t say that being here, being around Ana, had created some new version of Eryk—that was too much. But what her influence—and perhaps the influence of the friendships he’d allowed himself to cultivate—had done was… shift the balance a little. Eryk had always had good in him, too; but the fact was that his upbringing and their job had quashed it. Nearly killed it. What Ana had done was make it important again. Breathe new life into that neglected part of him.
Maybe… maybe she’d done it for all of them, in a way, but none so much as Ryk.
Eryk just scoffed, keeping his gaze on the ceiling. "Maybe," was the only thing he said before he shifted to his side, indicating he didn't want to talk about it any longer. Maybe he would take what Kas said into consideration, or maybe he wouldn't. That was up to him.
Shifting, he pulled Meep up onto his chest and looped his arms around her. She contained her static very well, so it didn’t even tingle much. “You promised me Cy’s skinny-dipping story, and I’m collecting.”
Eryk glanced at him for a moment, like he'd forgotten, before he rolled his eyes. "You would remember that, wouldn't you," he spoke, but it was light and nothing too dead panned. He shifted somewhat in his spot on the bed, and glanced down. "This was the same year she became Suicune," he started, clearly extremely comfortable to say this, or just wasted enough not to care. He yawned, stiffling it with his hand somewhat, before he blinked.
"She's not a heavy drinker, as you can tell," he continued, pointing to the obvious. "She went out to celebrate with a few of the Grunts. One thing led to another, and I found her in one of the hot springs. Her clothes... were missing, though," he continued, hesitating just slightly at the end. "I think someone took them, but I remember she said she'd done it because she was dared, and something about pride and honor," he gave a careless shrug of his shoulders at that.
“Pfft. Oh for—I can see her doing that.” Kas actually rolled his eyes. Of course she’d only done it on a dare; it wouldn’t surprise him if they’d intended to filch her clothes all along. The whole thing would be laughably easy if she were drunk. Still, that was the kind of thing you could report, if you took it badly. It was no shocker that Cy hadn’t reported—she didn’t like to make waves. At all. But at least she didn’t seem to view it as a traumatic event—just an embarrassing one. That was probably a healthy attitude.
Moving his hands up to rub Meep behind her ears, he huffed softly when the pokémon made a satisfied noise—almost like the sheep-ish equivalent of purring, or something. “And of course I remembered—I can hardly be expected to miss the opportunity to learn something embarrassing about someone else. Especially you three.” They were easily his favorite people to mess with, even if he’d cut back on it lately.
"You wouldn't say that if you were the one who caught her. She was trying to dance... in the hot spring, underneath a rock and shouting something about... something," he added, though he seemed a little hesitant at the end. It almost sounded like he was going to say something else, or what he knew that something was. "Fortunately for you, you don't seem the type to embarrass easily," there was a hint of sarcasm in that sentence as Eryk rolled his eyes.
“I don’t,” Kas agreed readily. “No shame. Not even a bit. Works out well for me, honestly.” He paused his attentions to Meep’s ears to lift himself partway off the floor so he could actually meet Ryk’s eyes directly. “Now you on the other hand… you were blushing when you kissed her. It was so cute I think I’m going to be violently ill.” He grinned jaggedly, knowing full well that Eryk would not appreciate the commentary.
Too damn bad.
He apparently didn't. At the expense of himself, Ryk threw his only pillow at Kas, as hard as he could, apparently. "Ass, that's not funny," he spoke, glaring at Kas as he did so. He didn't seem entirely ashamed of that fact, but he was slightly on edge from the way he was tensed now. "It was... awkward. And you should probably go to the doctor if something like that makes you ill," he spoke, the deadpan coming back to his voice. Sometimes he did take things too literally.
Kas laughed aloud, chucking the pillow back at Eryk. Meep didn’t even seem bothered by the movement; she was chill that way. “That much sweetness would give anyone diabetes, Ryk. And you say awkward, but I didn’t see it. Well… okay, a little awkward. But it’s like that the first time for most people.” He put careful emphasis on the words, nearly unable to stop himself from laughing again.
He shook his head. “But seriously, man… you’re not actually telling me that you’re almost twenty-nine and have never so much as kissed a woman in front of other people, are you?” This wasn’t actually something they’d ever discussed. Kas knew Eryk didn’t know shit about relationships and the way they normally worked. His life was fucked-up like that. But as Kas himself could attest, there was a huge difference between having feelings for someone and, say, getting laid.
Eryk pursed his lips slightly as if he were contemplating Kas's question. "Besides for a mission's sake?" he said lightly before shaking his head. "No, I haven't. I've never had the need or desire to do it," he continued. "It's not necessary half of the time," but of course only he would think that. Eryk fixed the pillow so it was under him, now, with an odd sort of tone to his eyes. They were almost melancholy from the looks of it, but he didn't seem inclined to continue or explain.
Well, now… it was about what Kas had expected, but that didn’t mean it was at all usual. It’d be one thing if Eryk was saying that stuff from a sort of considered position, or if he just wasn’t the kind of person who was interested in that kind of thing in general. But clearly, he was at least sometimes, so Kas was left to assume this was more of his family’s damn conditioning at work. “And this,” he said, raising an eyebrow. “Are you gonna try and tell me that this is for the mission too?”
Kas wasn’t nearly stupid enough to believe that, but there was a difference between him knowing what was going on and Eryk knowing. Him seeing what was there wouldn’t do anyone much good, really. He’d push, or—as he’d told Keshin—try and clear the path forward where he could, but he couldn’t actually walk it. He just… kind of hoped Eryk wanted to himself.
Just because Kas couldn’t quite bring himself to believe in love in his own case didn’t mean he couldn’t recognize when other people had a connection, right?
"No," he replied a little too fast, blinking slowly in surprise when he did. "That was for... tradition," but even that didn't sound right. He sighed heavily, his brows furrowing as he seemed to concentrate. Occasionally his eye would twitch, as if what he was thinking didn't seem right either, or maybe he just didn't want to admit to it. He seemed to reach some sort of conclusion as he glanced back at Kas.
"Damn this mission, and damn everything else," he finally spoke. His eyes were narrowed almost like he was glaring at Kas, but he wasn't necessarily glaring. It was too soft to be glaring, but he seemed to have realized something for him to be doing that. Somewhere down the hall, Kenshin's laugh could be heard, and that seemed to distract Eryk for a second. "This is the first time I don't want to complete a mission, but I don't know how not to go through with it," he spoke, glancing away from Kas.
"I told her aunt that I wasn't a good person, but," he paused, his eyes softening for a second, "she makes me want to be. How do I go about doing something I know nothing about?" He seemed genuinely torn about it, and it wasn't because he was drunk. He seemed sober enough.
“You don’t ask the easy questions, do you Ryk?” Kas tried to make himself sound amused, but he was pretty sure he failed. The truth was… he knew exactly what it felt like, to want to fail a mission that people were counting on him to accomplish. Some mornings, he woke up and almost managed to forget that this wasn’t really his life—that he wasn’t really here, with these people, to stay. And for a moment… he could almost see the future, with all of them in it, together and happy.
And if he’d thought he had much of a heart, he’d have said that when he really woke up and reality crashed back down, it broke. Even without one, even as ruthless and cold as he was, to lie to them all like this… Kas felt something. Maybe it was just the hole where his heart was supposed to be. Maybe the lack ached.
“I guess you… learn. You might not know how to… be a good person in the way you want, but you know people who are, right? Try to… to emulate them, maybe. To be a little more like them whenever you can manage it. Everything’s about habits and patterns, right? Do things that make you feel like you’re happier, or closer to being good, whatever that means.” Kas wasn’t entirely sure he had the best grip on right and wrong anymore.
"It would still be a lie," Eryk replied, unusually soft for someone like him to say. "Even now we can't tell her the entire truth, that the only reason we became close to her was to investigate her potential usefulness to HQ. We've lied to her from the very beginning, and if she ever found out about it," he seemed to tense at that thought, and he seemed to swallow thickly.
"If she ever found out about it, she'd leave. She would want nothing to do with me, or us," he didn't seem to care that he let that part slip out. He was really tense by the end of that statement, and he only tensed further. "Do you know that she actually makes me happy? That all she has to do is say something, anything at all, and there it is. I guess, in some ways, I know how Cy feels," he continued and relaxed the tension in his shoulders.
"The only thing that could make me a better person, is someone who I can't allow," he didn't seem to want to finish that. This was all new for him, apparently.
Kas sighed. There came a point where all the pithy advice in the world really wasn’t going to help. This was honestly probably that point. One hand still on Meep’s back, he ran the other down his face. “Can’t or won’t?” he said, quietly so he wouldn’t be mistaken for joking. “I get your concerns, Ryk—I really do. Your family’s an obstacle, but… nothing says you have to let them control you. It’s a risk. But some things… some things are worth risking a lot. Everything, maybe. And maybe this… whatever’s going on with Ana could become one of those things.”
Eryk pursed his lips together, his face a little too stern. "Can't," he finally answered. "This has nothing to do with my family," he began, sighing heavily before mimicking Kas, dragging a hand down his face. "I can't let her make me a better person, and I can't tell her anything because," he looked genuinely torn about what he was going to say. "Because if I do, her disease will eventually take her. What will become of me then?" it was a rhetorical question, and one he looked like he wasn't really expecting an answer to.
"And don't give me that bullshit 'You have to make the most of it' or that other shit. I won't do that to her. I'm not... an optimistic person, you know that," he finally rolled around on his back, staring up at the ceiling.
And then there was that. Really, if Kas had believed in fate, he probably would have been discouraging Eryk from even trying, because it sure seemed like the odds were stacked against him on this one, from the very get-go. “I dunno, man,” he said at last. “That’s a tough one, and it’s up to the two of you to decide how to handle it. But I mean… if she helps you improve, that doesn’t automatically go away if she’s gone, you know. It seems like a separate thing from whether or not you get involved. And for what it’s worth, I think you are getting better. Already.”
It was the honest truth. Kas had always liked Ryk on some level, even knowing the kind of cruelty and coldness he could be capable of. That was mostly possible because he knew, and because he was on guard for it. But over the last year or so… the difference had been remarkable. Kas wouldn’t say that being here, being around Ana, had created some new version of Eryk—that was too much. But what her influence—and perhaps the influence of the friendships he’d allowed himself to cultivate—had done was… shift the balance a little. Eryk had always had good in him, too; but the fact was that his upbringing and their job had quashed it. Nearly killed it. What Ana had done was make it important again. Breathe new life into that neglected part of him.
Maybe… maybe she’d done it for all of them, in a way, but none so much as Ryk.
Eryk just scoffed, keeping his gaze on the ceiling. "Maybe," was the only thing he said before he shifted to his side, indicating he didn't want to talk about it any longer. Maybe he would take what Kas said into consideration, or maybe he wouldn't. That was up to him.
There was a reason he didn't like flights. People were practically crowded together, and though their seats were together, he was still elbowing people trying to get out. Add to the fact that someone's child started crying, and then another child, it was pure torture for him. Usually, he could handle things like that. He was supposed to be able to keep calm under intense situations like this, but it wasn't quite the same. At least he didn't think it was the same. All he knew was that he wanted to get away as quickly as possible from the airport as soon as they landed in Saffron. It looked like almost everyone who was attending decided to arrive all at the same time.
"Ryk, are you alright? You're glaring again," Cyrilla spoke, causing him to blink down at her. She had a raised brow and was staring at him expectantly. He shook his head, deciding it was better to not speak at the moment. She shook her head, but smiled anyway. They all grabbed their luggage, though Eryk took a little longer to find his. Someone had, apparently, taken it by accident.
"The hotel we're staying at is a few miles away. We can take a taxi, or we can walk," he spoke. It wouldn't be much trouble to walk, now that he thought about it. It would be good to take in the surroundings, he supposed, so he could learn where things were. Not only that, they could do a little sight-seeing if they wanted to. But then again, they each had a suitcase they would be carrying with them. Maybe it was wise to get a taxi instead, and then wander around?
“Don’t worry about it,” said Kas from behind him. Gone were the more muted colors he’d been wearing lately. Though it was the middle of the winter in Saffron and therefore quite cold, he was wearing a bright orange sweater with a sunshine-yellow scarf under his black tenchcoat. Predictably, his luggage was green. “The hotel’s going to send us a car. We can walk around as much as we want after we drop our stuff off.”
Kas had volunteered to handle the hotel and restaurant reservations for the week; apparently he knew people, or some other vague thing he’d used as an excuse to take over the planning from everyone else. “We’ve just got to go outside and find it.”
It didn’t take long—Kas had not mentioned that the car was a very nice SUV. It wasn’t a limousine or anything, but it was about as nice as riding in one. The driver took their bags for them and stowed them all in the trunk; Kas ushered everyone into the back two rows of the vehicle. “We may not have flown first-class,” he said, playfully glaring at Eryk, who’d booked the tickets, “but the rest of our week is going to be.”
Ana paused in her constant looking around to look a bit apprehensive. Doubtless she was concerned about the expense of that. “Umm… where are we staying?”
Kas grinned brightly, moving his sunglasses so they were on top of his head once they were all seated. “The Persimmon. It’s widely-believed to be the nicest hotel in Kanto, for the record.” He took in the look on Ana’s face and laughed. “Relax, Ana. I didn’t pay full price for this, and neither did Ryk. My mom knows tons of people in the hospitality industry, and more than one of them owes her favors. We got the rooms and everything else dirt-cheap.”
Eryk rolled his eyes. It wouldn't have been a problem even if they hadn't gotten it at such a low price, but he didn't care at the moment. "Once we drop everything off, I assume you know where we're going after?" he asked. They had just landed, and though they were heading towards the hotel, he knew they weren't going to want to stay there. The tournament didn't officially start until tomorrow, and being here now gave them the chance to take in the area. He'd been to Saffron once, but he never stayed long enough to learn the area.
Besides that, he'd actually enjoyed being here. It was odd, though, considering that Saffron City was a lively area, and full of people. "I think lunch would be good about now," he spoke. He hadn't eaten anything on the plane mainly because he hated their food. Even if they had flown first class, it would still leave a sour note in his mouth.
“We’ve got a late lunch reservation at a nice bistro mom was talking about. We’ll have to meet Melly at the hotel first, though—she’s already there and the reservation’s for five. Afterwards, we can sightsee, or go shopping, or whatever you guys want, really. Dinner’s not till seven.”
“Can we see the Saffron Theatre?” That was Ana. She’d been raptly staring out the window, but the direction of the conversation had clearly drawn her attention. “It’s the oldest one in Kanto; and it was the first to include shows that prominently featured pokémon. It’s supposed to be an amazing building.”
Kas huffed, a soft sound of amusement, and shrugged. “I don’t mind. The theatre’s smack in the middle of downtown, so there’s plenty else to do in the area afterward too.”
He'd almost forgotten that Harper was coming, too. Well, at least they were going to get lunch, eventually. He glanced towards Ana, though, when she spoke. He raised a brow slightly. Saffron Theatre? He supposed he could go with. There were plenty of other things to do, like Kas said, however; he didn't mind doing something she wanted to do. This was her first time in Saffron. He glanced towards Cy, who was oddly quiet. She was staring out the window, her elbow resting on the edge with her head in her hand.
"It can't be that boring, can it?" he asked her, watching as she slowly turned to face him. Her eyes seemed to focus back before they widened slightly.
"What? Oh, no, it's not boring, I was just thinking," she responded, offering him a smile before turning her attention back out the window. Eryk resisted the urge to roll his eyes, but didn't say anything further on the matter.
"Is there anywhere else you'd like to visit? There is supposed to be a contest between coordinators too, if I remember correctly," though he didn't particularly like contests, so to speak. They were always so flashy, and bright. He could hear Cy snort, but her attention was still outside. It was hard to tell if she was laughing at him, or something she saw outside.
“I’ve never seen a contest before,” Ana mused.
Kas snorted. “I’ll have to introduce you to Michelle. Harper’s mom. She’s a coordinator here in Saffron—or at least it’s her hobby.” He glanced down at his phone, dashing off a rapid message with his thumbs before glancing back up. “I’m sure she’ll be around for at least part of the tournament, since Melly and I are participating. She’ll love you, I promise.”
At that point, the car pulled up in front of the Persimmon. It appeared to be located right in the middle of things downtown—the building was among the tallest on the block, by the look of it, and luxury practically dripped from it. They were dropped off right at the front, where a bell-boy took their bags for them, loading them all onto one cart. Kas tipped both him and the driver generously, then gestured for the others to follow him into the building.
The lobby was a clinic in elegant interior design. It was simple, in the way that only the very expensive could be. Everything was meticulous lines and spotless cleanliness, but the color palette lent a sort of open warmth to it—dark woods and rich fabrics predominated. The counter where they checked in was a slab of granite on top of a cherry-wood block; the man and woman behind it were both dressed in sharp black suites, with a persimmon-colored blouse on the woman and a necktie in the same color on the man.
They’d gotten two rooms in total, right next to each other. Both rooms were doubles, apparently, so that wasn’t an issue. “Forty-third floor,” Kas said, reading the room key he’d been given. “Rooms 4302 and 4303. Here.” Keeping one of the ‘4303’ room cards for himself, he handed the other to Eryk and gave the others the 4302 cards.
“Might as well take a look; Harper says she’ll meet us there.” He stowed his phone in the pocket of his coat and called the elevator.
"Is there anything your family doesn't do?" he stated, sliding the card into his pocket. Coordinator and Lawyer, dojo master, top chef? Those were just a few things, and not to mention Harper who was attempting to become Kanto's Champion. He nearly scoffed at the thought. At least they were doing something they all enjoyed. He supposed the only thing left out was Gym Leader. His attention was taken by the sound of the elevator, and they piled in.
“We can't all be ninjas, Ryk."
"Forty-third floor," he muttered as he pressed the button. Once that was taken care of, he glanced at the others. Their rooms would be side by side, so at least he didn't have to worry about having to go find them. He also didn't have to worry about sharing a bed with Kas or anyone else for that matter. The night of the storm had made things awkward enough. He did feel just the slightest bit bad for Kas, though. He had to sleep on the floor, after all. Eryk blinked when the elevator came to a stop, and they made their way towards their respective rooms.
"4302 and 4303, I think these are the rooms," Cyrilla spoke, glancing at the doors that were next to each other.
"I would think that was obvious, Cy. The numbers are on the doors for a reason," he replied, earning a flat look from her. He shrugged. "Do you want to go look inside or not?" he asked, watching as she rolled her eyes.
“You two are ridiculous,” Kas said, sliding his key card into the slot on the door handle. The light on it flashed from red to green, and he pushed down on the handle, stepping forward to open the door.
The room was just as impressive as the rest of the hotel. The bed linens were persimmon and white; the rugs atop the hardwood floors were a plush taupe with gold designs on them. Off to one side, an open door led into a bathroom big enough for four people to stand in comfortably. It seemed to be made mostly of marble, and had a recessed tub and a separate, glass-paneled shower. Another door inside must have been the toilet, because that wasn’t visible, though the sink was.
One whole wall was basically a continuous window, interrupted only by support bars. It had curtains, but they were pushed to the side at the moment, opening the view to downtown. They were so high up that the people and cars below seemed tiny. Opposite the beds was a living area; it had a coffee table, a couch, and a large-screen television. A room service menu was propped on the nightstand between the beds.
“Pretty nice, right?” Kas picked up his suitcase—left just inside the door—and gave it a toss onto the bed nearest the window. “Anyway, if you guys want to get changed before we go out, now’s a good time to do that. Lunch is at a moderately-nice place, and then it sounds like we’re in for some walking. Dinner will be fancier.”
“Um… I didn’t really bring anything fancy to wear?” That was Ana.
Kas didn’t seem to find anything wrong with that. “Well… that’s what shopping’s for, Ana. There’s only about a million department stores and designer shops in this town; I’m sure we’ll find you something.”
"Oh, yes, shopping!" Cyrilla chimed in. Apparently the only words she caught were shopping. Eryk tried his best not to roll his eyes at her. "Hey, don't give me that look. I know what look that is, Ryk. I have one nice thing. One. And it's not like I do it all the time," she grumbled the last part. He definitely rolled his eyes at her this time.
"Whatever you say, Cy," was the only thing he replied. He supposed it would do some good to find something comfortable to wear. The last nice thing he had to wear, he'd worn to Ana's during Christmas. He couldn't exactly be expected to wear the same thing, right? Not that it mattered, though, in the long run. Perhaps... he mentally shook his head at himself.
"You at least have something else to wear for lunch. You can go shopping afterwards for something for dinner," he replied. He really didn't like shopping, but he could tolerate it long enough for them. At least he thought he could. It really wasn't his strong suit, and they'd probably make him hold things if they got too carried away. Luckily, he didn't have to worry about that too much... he hoped.
"Good. Kas can help you pick out something nice, too. You're... not the best at doing that, Ryk," she replied, causing him to raise his brow. He didn't dress nicely? He glanced at his attire. What was wrong with the way he dressed?
“Look at him,” Kas said with a snort. “You can see what he’s thinking. ‘What’s wrong with the way I dress?’” The last part was delivered in a monotone with a slight hint of irritation—it was actually a pretty passable imitation of Eryk’s voice.
Ana looked confused. “I don’t… I’m not sure I think there’s anything wrong either?” She blinked, then shrugged. “Maybe I don’t know enough about clothes.”
"Really, Ana?" Cyrilla spoke in a dead panned voice. She gave Ana a flat look before she chuckled lightly and walked over towards Eryk. She pointed to his shirt and glanced at Ana. "For one, he sticks out. Worse than Kas usually does, actually," she stated, glancing towards Kas for a moment before returning her attention back to Eryk. "This is not the kind of shirt you would wear to a moderately-nice place, nor for something formal. It's... basically a loose t-shirt," she continued. She wasn't entirely wrong, but it wasn't like he'd gone out to by clothes on a regular basis. Most of his shirts had collars and were always neatly pressed. He had a few long-sleeved wife-beaters, but that was to wear underneath other shirts when it got too cold. Kind of like the one he was wearing now, actually.
"And these pants, you don't wear denim pants like these to such places. I don't know much about clothes, either, but this is just common sense," she spoke as she pointed to his pants. "Even the shoes are wrong," she stated, glancing down. He was wearing a pair of semi-worn tennis shoes. They were comfortable. "He would look nice if he wore something like he did during Christmas. That was nice, and casual enough for him to be comfortable in yet formal enough for something like lunch," she tossed in. Is that really what she thought? He wouldn't deny he had been somewhat comfortable in what he'd worn, but that was because Kas had helped him choose what to wear.
"Point taken, Cy, you don't have to continue," it actually kind of hurt his pride.
“Well… that’s a little unfair,” Ana said. “We were just on a plane; I’m not exactly nicely-dressed either.” She pointed to herself; her attire was just jeans and a long-sleeved light blue shirt. “Anyway, I’m sure it will be fine. I’m going to go… find something nice enough for lunch. Maybe you can help me choose, Cy?”
Kas nodded. “Just step out into the hallway when you’re ready; Melly will be here any minute.”
"I was trying to say this is what he usually dresses like," she stated, shaking her head somewhat. "But let's go see what we can find," she spoke, agreeing with Ana as they walked towards their room.
"You," Eryk stated, pointing to Kas. He really didn't want to ask, but he did need some help. "Help me find something," he stated. It was more of a request than it was a demand, but he didn't really word it that way.
“Yes sir, boss man sir."
"Ryk, are you alright? You're glaring again," Cyrilla spoke, causing him to blink down at her. She had a raised brow and was staring at him expectantly. He shook his head, deciding it was better to not speak at the moment. She shook her head, but smiled anyway. They all grabbed their luggage, though Eryk took a little longer to find his. Someone had, apparently, taken it by accident.
"The hotel we're staying at is a few miles away. We can take a taxi, or we can walk," he spoke. It wouldn't be much trouble to walk, now that he thought about it. It would be good to take in the surroundings, he supposed, so he could learn where things were. Not only that, they could do a little sight-seeing if they wanted to. But then again, they each had a suitcase they would be carrying with them. Maybe it was wise to get a taxi instead, and then wander around?
“Don’t worry about it,” said Kas from behind him. Gone were the more muted colors he’d been wearing lately. Though it was the middle of the winter in Saffron and therefore quite cold, he was wearing a bright orange sweater with a sunshine-yellow scarf under his black tenchcoat. Predictably, his luggage was green. “The hotel’s going to send us a car. We can walk around as much as we want after we drop our stuff off.”
Kas had volunteered to handle the hotel and restaurant reservations for the week; apparently he knew people, or some other vague thing he’d used as an excuse to take over the planning from everyone else. “We’ve just got to go outside and find it.”
It didn’t take long—Kas had not mentioned that the car was a very nice SUV. It wasn’t a limousine or anything, but it was about as nice as riding in one. The driver took their bags for them and stowed them all in the trunk; Kas ushered everyone into the back two rows of the vehicle. “We may not have flown first-class,” he said, playfully glaring at Eryk, who’d booked the tickets, “but the rest of our week is going to be.”
Ana paused in her constant looking around to look a bit apprehensive. Doubtless she was concerned about the expense of that. “Umm… where are we staying?”
Kas grinned brightly, moving his sunglasses so they were on top of his head once they were all seated. “The Persimmon. It’s widely-believed to be the nicest hotel in Kanto, for the record.” He took in the look on Ana’s face and laughed. “Relax, Ana. I didn’t pay full price for this, and neither did Ryk. My mom knows tons of people in the hospitality industry, and more than one of them owes her favors. We got the rooms and everything else dirt-cheap.”
Eryk rolled his eyes. It wouldn't have been a problem even if they hadn't gotten it at such a low price, but he didn't care at the moment. "Once we drop everything off, I assume you know where we're going after?" he asked. They had just landed, and though they were heading towards the hotel, he knew they weren't going to want to stay there. The tournament didn't officially start until tomorrow, and being here now gave them the chance to take in the area. He'd been to Saffron once, but he never stayed long enough to learn the area.
Besides that, he'd actually enjoyed being here. It was odd, though, considering that Saffron City was a lively area, and full of people. "I think lunch would be good about now," he spoke. He hadn't eaten anything on the plane mainly because he hated their food. Even if they had flown first class, it would still leave a sour note in his mouth.
“We’ve got a late lunch reservation at a nice bistro mom was talking about. We’ll have to meet Melly at the hotel first, though—she’s already there and the reservation’s for five. Afterwards, we can sightsee, or go shopping, or whatever you guys want, really. Dinner’s not till seven.”
“Can we see the Saffron Theatre?” That was Ana. She’d been raptly staring out the window, but the direction of the conversation had clearly drawn her attention. “It’s the oldest one in Kanto; and it was the first to include shows that prominently featured pokémon. It’s supposed to be an amazing building.”
Kas huffed, a soft sound of amusement, and shrugged. “I don’t mind. The theatre’s smack in the middle of downtown, so there’s plenty else to do in the area afterward too.”
He'd almost forgotten that Harper was coming, too. Well, at least they were going to get lunch, eventually. He glanced towards Ana, though, when she spoke. He raised a brow slightly. Saffron Theatre? He supposed he could go with. There were plenty of other things to do, like Kas said, however; he didn't mind doing something she wanted to do. This was her first time in Saffron. He glanced towards Cy, who was oddly quiet. She was staring out the window, her elbow resting on the edge with her head in her hand.
"It can't be that boring, can it?" he asked her, watching as she slowly turned to face him. Her eyes seemed to focus back before they widened slightly.
"What? Oh, no, it's not boring, I was just thinking," she responded, offering him a smile before turning her attention back out the window. Eryk resisted the urge to roll his eyes, but didn't say anything further on the matter.
"Is there anywhere else you'd like to visit? There is supposed to be a contest between coordinators too, if I remember correctly," though he didn't particularly like contests, so to speak. They were always so flashy, and bright. He could hear Cy snort, but her attention was still outside. It was hard to tell if she was laughing at him, or something she saw outside.
“I’ve never seen a contest before,” Ana mused.
Kas snorted. “I’ll have to introduce you to Michelle. Harper’s mom. She’s a coordinator here in Saffron—or at least it’s her hobby.” He glanced down at his phone, dashing off a rapid message with his thumbs before glancing back up. “I’m sure she’ll be around for at least part of the tournament, since Melly and I are participating. She’ll love you, I promise.”
At that point, the car pulled up in front of the Persimmon. It appeared to be located right in the middle of things downtown—the building was among the tallest on the block, by the look of it, and luxury practically dripped from it. They were dropped off right at the front, where a bell-boy took their bags for them, loading them all onto one cart. Kas tipped both him and the driver generously, then gestured for the others to follow him into the building.
The lobby was a clinic in elegant interior design. It was simple, in the way that only the very expensive could be. Everything was meticulous lines and spotless cleanliness, but the color palette lent a sort of open warmth to it—dark woods and rich fabrics predominated. The counter where they checked in was a slab of granite on top of a cherry-wood block; the man and woman behind it were both dressed in sharp black suites, with a persimmon-colored blouse on the woman and a necktie in the same color on the man.
They’d gotten two rooms in total, right next to each other. Both rooms were doubles, apparently, so that wasn’t an issue. “Forty-third floor,” Kas said, reading the room key he’d been given. “Rooms 4302 and 4303. Here.” Keeping one of the ‘4303’ room cards for himself, he handed the other to Eryk and gave the others the 4302 cards.
“Might as well take a look; Harper says she’ll meet us there.” He stowed his phone in the pocket of his coat and called the elevator.
"Is there anything your family doesn't do?" he stated, sliding the card into his pocket. Coordinator and Lawyer, dojo master, top chef? Those were just a few things, and not to mention Harper who was attempting to become Kanto's Champion. He nearly scoffed at the thought. At least they were doing something they all enjoyed. He supposed the only thing left out was Gym Leader. His attention was taken by the sound of the elevator, and they piled in.
“We can't all be ninjas, Ryk."
"Forty-third floor," he muttered as he pressed the button. Once that was taken care of, he glanced at the others. Their rooms would be side by side, so at least he didn't have to worry about having to go find them. He also didn't have to worry about sharing a bed with Kas or anyone else for that matter. The night of the storm had made things awkward enough. He did feel just the slightest bit bad for Kas, though. He had to sleep on the floor, after all. Eryk blinked when the elevator came to a stop, and they made their way towards their respective rooms.
"4302 and 4303, I think these are the rooms," Cyrilla spoke, glancing at the doors that were next to each other.
"I would think that was obvious, Cy. The numbers are on the doors for a reason," he replied, earning a flat look from her. He shrugged. "Do you want to go look inside or not?" he asked, watching as she rolled her eyes.
“You two are ridiculous,” Kas said, sliding his key card into the slot on the door handle. The light on it flashed from red to green, and he pushed down on the handle, stepping forward to open the door.
The room was just as impressive as the rest of the hotel. The bed linens were persimmon and white; the rugs atop the hardwood floors were a plush taupe with gold designs on them. Off to one side, an open door led into a bathroom big enough for four people to stand in comfortably. It seemed to be made mostly of marble, and had a recessed tub and a separate, glass-paneled shower. Another door inside must have been the toilet, because that wasn’t visible, though the sink was.
One whole wall was basically a continuous window, interrupted only by support bars. It had curtains, but they were pushed to the side at the moment, opening the view to downtown. They were so high up that the people and cars below seemed tiny. Opposite the beds was a living area; it had a coffee table, a couch, and a large-screen television. A room service menu was propped on the nightstand between the beds.
“Pretty nice, right?” Kas picked up his suitcase—left just inside the door—and gave it a toss onto the bed nearest the window. “Anyway, if you guys want to get changed before we go out, now’s a good time to do that. Lunch is at a moderately-nice place, and then it sounds like we’re in for some walking. Dinner will be fancier.”
“Um… I didn’t really bring anything fancy to wear?” That was Ana.
Kas didn’t seem to find anything wrong with that. “Well… that’s what shopping’s for, Ana. There’s only about a million department stores and designer shops in this town; I’m sure we’ll find you something.”
"Oh, yes, shopping!" Cyrilla chimed in. Apparently the only words she caught were shopping. Eryk tried his best not to roll his eyes at her. "Hey, don't give me that look. I know what look that is, Ryk. I have one nice thing. One. And it's not like I do it all the time," she grumbled the last part. He definitely rolled his eyes at her this time.
"Whatever you say, Cy," was the only thing he replied. He supposed it would do some good to find something comfortable to wear. The last nice thing he had to wear, he'd worn to Ana's during Christmas. He couldn't exactly be expected to wear the same thing, right? Not that it mattered, though, in the long run. Perhaps... he mentally shook his head at himself.
"You at least have something else to wear for lunch. You can go shopping afterwards for something for dinner," he replied. He really didn't like shopping, but he could tolerate it long enough for them. At least he thought he could. It really wasn't his strong suit, and they'd probably make him hold things if they got too carried away. Luckily, he didn't have to worry about that too much... he hoped.
"Good. Kas can help you pick out something nice, too. You're... not the best at doing that, Ryk," she replied, causing him to raise his brow. He didn't dress nicely? He glanced at his attire. What was wrong with the way he dressed?
“Look at him,” Kas said with a snort. “You can see what he’s thinking. ‘What’s wrong with the way I dress?’” The last part was delivered in a monotone with a slight hint of irritation—it was actually a pretty passable imitation of Eryk’s voice.
Ana looked confused. “I don’t… I’m not sure I think there’s anything wrong either?” She blinked, then shrugged. “Maybe I don’t know enough about clothes.”
"Really, Ana?" Cyrilla spoke in a dead panned voice. She gave Ana a flat look before she chuckled lightly and walked over towards Eryk. She pointed to his shirt and glanced at Ana. "For one, he sticks out. Worse than Kas usually does, actually," she stated, glancing towards Kas for a moment before returning her attention back to Eryk. "This is not the kind of shirt you would wear to a moderately-nice place, nor for something formal. It's... basically a loose t-shirt," she continued. She wasn't entirely wrong, but it wasn't like he'd gone out to by clothes on a regular basis. Most of his shirts had collars and were always neatly pressed. He had a few long-sleeved wife-beaters, but that was to wear underneath other shirts when it got too cold. Kind of like the one he was wearing now, actually.
"And these pants, you don't wear denim pants like these to such places. I don't know much about clothes, either, but this is just common sense," she spoke as she pointed to his pants. "Even the shoes are wrong," she stated, glancing down. He was wearing a pair of semi-worn tennis shoes. They were comfortable. "He would look nice if he wore something like he did during Christmas. That was nice, and casual enough for him to be comfortable in yet formal enough for something like lunch," she tossed in. Is that really what she thought? He wouldn't deny he had been somewhat comfortable in what he'd worn, but that was because Kas had helped him choose what to wear.
"Point taken, Cy, you don't have to continue," it actually kind of hurt his pride.
“Well… that’s a little unfair,” Ana said. “We were just on a plane; I’m not exactly nicely-dressed either.” She pointed to herself; her attire was just jeans and a long-sleeved light blue shirt. “Anyway, I’m sure it will be fine. I’m going to go… find something nice enough for lunch. Maybe you can help me choose, Cy?”
Kas nodded. “Just step out into the hallway when you’re ready; Melly will be here any minute.”
"I was trying to say this is what he usually dresses like," she stated, shaking her head somewhat. "But let's go see what we can find," she spoke, agreeing with Ana as they walked towards their room.
"You," Eryk stated, pointing to Kas. He really didn't want to ask, but he did need some help. "Help me find something," he stated. It was more of a request than it was a demand, but he didn't really word it that way.
“Yes sir, boss man sir."
After lunch, Harper said a temporary goodbye; apparently she and her mother already had plans for the afternoon. With promises to meet them before the tournament started tomorrow, she headed off, leaving the four of them to explore the city. They’d decided to mostly stick to downtown today; and the first stop on the list was Saffron Theatre.
Ana couldn’t help but gawk a little bit at the building; she was sure she looked every bit the small-town girl she was right now, but she couldn’t bring herself to care. The architecture was magnificent—something from another era. The edifice was intricate, almost ostentatious with its pale stone and filigree and gothic-style steep roofs and narrow windows. But it was absolutely beautiful nevertheless.
She fidgeted the whole time they were standing in line to get inside; the theatre had been made into a museum about a decade ago, and featured several informational plaques, old photo displays, and all kinds of other things. Fortunately, there weren’t too many people inside; aside from the old show tunes filtering through the sound system, it was actually quite quiet.
“I’m going to go up into the top box,” she said. “Does anyone want to come?” She wouldn’t mind if they didn’t; this was, after all, not really everyone’s cup of tea.
Kas shook his head. “I’m just gonna go look at the photos again; there was one I wanted to ask Michelle about and I need to write down the name of the photographer. We’ll meet you outside when you’re done?”
She nodded. “That’s fine.”
"I'll come with you," Eryk stated, shrugging his shoulders somewhat. He glanced at Kas before glancing towards Cy. She was off to the side, seemingly too interested in something that she probably didn't hear. "She'll be fine on her own," Eryk spoke, nodding in her direction. "She could find us, or she'll probably find Kas first," he continued, before ushering Ana forward. "Trust me when I say that," he seemed to add.
"Was there anything in particular that you wanted to see, up here?" he asked, glancing down at her.
She glanced around; in keeping with the rest of the theater, the chairs here were upholstered in plush red velvet. The box itself overlooked the rest of the audience, but had a wonderful view of the stage, angled slightly to the right. “Well,” she said. “This is where all the wealthiest theater patrons used to sit and watch the showings. I honestly just wanted to see what the view looked like.” She smiled at him, then walked forward to the edge of the box. A waist-high banister guarded against falls; Ana leaned up against the wrought-iron rail with one hand.
“I read a whole book about this building, once,” she said with a smile. “Edgar was a stage performer for a little while when he was young; a flautist with a small orchestra. I still have his flute.” Her smile grew a little melancholy as a familiar sadness welled in her chest. Ana let it; she wasn’t one of those people who thought she had to be happy all the time or something was wrong.
“He used to talk about how much he wanted to bring us here; Auntie and I. I think he was sweet on her, though he never said it. Probably because he knew he was dying and didn’t want to make it complicated.” She hadn’t really thought about it before, but it was a situation she thought she might be able to understand, these days. She sighed.
His face pulled into a frown at her last statement. There was something almost knowing about the expression on his face, but he didn't seem to say anything about it. "Do you play his flute?" he spoke, a hint of curiosity to his voice. "I've never attempted to play anything, and I've never really heard an orchestra before," he started, shrugging his shoulders before pausing to glance at something. His face softened for just a second before he shook his head.
"But I suppose there is a first time for everything," he seemed to mutter that to himself. "If there is one while we're here, do you want to go?" he asked suddenly, glancing in her direction.
“I… yes. To both of those questions,” she said, surprised that he’d asked either. But perhaps she shouldn’t have been. Eryk was a perceptive person, in some ways. “He taught me how to play while he was still alive—and to sing, actually.” Ana might have missed out on a journey, and all the wonderful experiences that she was sure went with it, but she’d had a lot of other valuable experiences. Particularly in the arts. “I’m not sure if there would be any shows at the same time as such a major event, but I suppose we can always check to make sure. Thank you.”
She didn’t want to put too many demands on their time, especially since he and Kas both were participating in the tournament. She resolved not to ask for anything else, but also not to argue too much about this. Turning her eyes back out to the stage, Ana drank in the view for several moments, then raised her pokégear phone to take a picture. She’d forgotten her proper camera in her luggage, but that was okay.
Turning back to him, she brightened. “Well, I think that’s all I needed to see. Should we head back down?”
"If you want to," he replied. He didn't seem in too much of a hurry to return, but he must have decided it was best since he turned to follow her. "If it interferes with the match," he spoke suddenly. "I think... I'd rather skip the match in order to watch the orchestra with you," he spoke, his eyes never leaving from in front of him. "I don't expect to win the tournament, either. Perhaps a few matches, but this seems more important," he seemed to explain. His face was passive now, so he must have believed what he said.
"It wouldn't be too much trouble," he added, glancing at her from the corner of his eye.
Ana’s step faltered for a second; she took an extra one to catch up, shaking her head emphatically. “We can do both,” she said. “Orchestras play all the time. This tournament… it might not happen again. I want to watch it more than I want to see any other performance while I’m here, okay?”
She didn’t tell him that the reason she wanted to see it was because it was obviously so significant for him; he would probably use that as one more reason to push it further down the list of priorities. Ana understood a lot of things about Eryk at this point—and one of them was that, knowingly or not, he put himself last. So if she wanted to convince him to do something for himself, it was probably best to frame it as something she wanted to do, too.
He seemed to process what she said, and nodded his head. "If that's what you want," he replied. "We'll do the tournament first, and if there is a play after it, we'll go to that," he seemed satisfied with that much, at least.
They reached the landing, and headed outside, where Kas and Cy were already waiting. “Hey guys. Sorry for the wait,” Ana said. Kas shook his head, waving a hand as if to say it wasn’t a big deal.
“Anyhow… I guess we can do some shopping now?” Ana wasn’t much of a shopping person—ninety percent of her clothes were hand-me-downs from one relative or another. Actually… she’d never really been in stores this fancy-looking; most everything else she had came from an inexpensive big-box retailer or a little boutique on the island or something.
"Good, that means we can get Eryk a new wardrobe and you... a new closet," Cyrilla spoke, a large smile on her face. "Actually, Kas will go with Ryk and I'll go with you once we get to one of the stores," she seemed to correct herself on that.
"You make it sound like I'm incapable of selecting my own attire," Ryk spoke, causing Cyrilla to just stare at him. It was an expression that practically said 'we've been through this already' before she shook her head. "But it would be helpful, I suppose," he stated, grumbling towards the end.
"Great, then that's settled. C'mon Ana, let's go before Ryk gets distracted with something else," she spoke, linking both of their arms together.
“Um… okay?” Ana wasn’t exactly sure what Cyrilla anticipated Eryk getting ‘distracted’ with, but she decided to go with the flow. It didn’t take them long to reach a long row of stores; most of them had women’s clothing designs displayed in the front windows, from the professional to the sporty, depending on the store. A few of them were very clearly geared mostly towards men, though.
“So… what exactly do we do? I don’t know any of these names or what I should be looking for?”
"Well, we're looking for one of the stores that has the nicer things. The only store that I know of that has anything remotely nice is Giovanni's. It's... a little pricey, but they do have really pretty things there," Cy responded, glancing from window to window. "It has everything you could need, for both men and women so we can make just the one stop there. And please don't worry about the prices. Let me do that," she stated, stopping in front of the store.
"I don't see why we have to be here, though. We could easily have gone there," Ryk stated, pointing to a shop across from them. It was titled Abercombee, apparently named after the combee and some other thing. Cyrilla pursed her lips together as she stared at Ryk.
"Because here, we can find just about anything we need when it comes to formal dress. That monstrosity only tailors to men," she explained.
Ana thought that lots of these places had really nice things, but she wasn’t going to disagree with Cy. She didn’t have any real knowledge on the subject, and she really didn’t want to be the victim of a lecture on why her sartorial taste was bad, like poor Eryk had been this morning. So she just went along with it.
The group was approached almost immediately by a shop attendant, who asked if she could help them find anything. Kas, being the sociable person he was, Ana supposed, immediately flashed her a broad smile. “We’ve got reservations at Arnaud’s this evening—our friends here need to be dressed for the occasion.” He indicated Eryk and herself.
The attendant nodded, perhaps slightly too seriously. “I see. If you gentlemen would like to come with me, I’ll show you our selection of suits. Ladies, Georgio in the back will be happy to help you.”
"You heard the nice lady, Ana, let's go find Georgio to help us," she stated, ushering Ana towards the back. "Good luck, Kas!" she called over her shoulder, chuckling somewhat to herself. "So, we need something nice, something formal, and something that won't make Ryk too jealous at everyone staring at you," Cyrilla spoke as she turned a corner. There were a few items hanging on mannequins, ranging from regal, flowing gowns, to something simple and knee-length. They were mostly in warmer colors, with some cool colors placed in certain areas.
"Alright, what kind of dresses do you like, Ana? The longer ones or the shorter ones? I think, for this occasion, we should probably get you something longer, but something short will do, like to your knees. It just depends on what you like," she began. They hadn't run into Georgio yet. "It'll be easier to tell the attendant once we know what you're looking for," she stated, pausing in her steps to turn around and face Ana.
“Well… I don’t want to trip over the hem,” Ana said, perfectly serious. She might know how to dance, but when it came to walking around in formal wear, she didn’t want to accidentally forget what she was doing and fall over. It was winter, though.
“Well in that case, just pick the right fabric, and make sure you get a hem that hits your ankles, not the floor.” The voice from behind them was light and slightly wry; when Ana turned, she found herself looking at a slender middle-aged man with iron-grey hair and rimless glasses. He was dressed in a crisp, dark grey suit with a white shirt and maroon-colored tie. She might have found him intimidating, except that he was half-smiling at her.
“I’m Georgio. I’m assuming Beatrice told you to find me?” At Ana’s nod, his smile grew. “Excellent. I love dressing beautiful women. Are you two both looking for dresses specifically?”
"Yes we are. We have a reservation at Arnaud's, apparently, and we don't have anything to wear. We need something," she paused and leaned forward a bit. She whispered something into Georgio's ear, smiling all the while. "So it has to be something special," she stated, seemingly happy with herself. "Oh, and it has to match! Dark colors, probably greys and dark blues. Though, he could be wearing a deep red, too," she seemed to add to whatever she'd told Georgio.
"I'm sure you have something in mind, though, right?" she asked, smiling a little too widely at Georgio.
Georgio’s grin, Ana decided, was almost as broad as Kas’s; and almost as scary. She blinked when it spread over his face; he stepped forward slightly, brandishing a tape measure. “Darling, Giovanni’s is the best clothing store in Kanto; and both of you are about to learn why. Come on, now.” He ushered the both of them into a private area in the back of the store, behind another door, taking Ana’s measurements from neck to ankle, and repeated the process with Cyrilla.
“I take it you two are here with those dashing fellows Beatrice is helping?” He lifted an eyebrow; there was something vaguely suggestive about his tone.
Ana wasn’t really sure how to respond; she wasn’t used to people being so… forward? Open? Unfiltered? It wasn’t annoying or offensive or anything, just… very surprising. “Eryk and Kas,” she said. “They’re our friends.”
“Friends, huh?” Georgio smiled at her in the mirror. “We’ll see about that.”
Ana couldn’t help but gawk a little bit at the building; she was sure she looked every bit the small-town girl she was right now, but she couldn’t bring herself to care. The architecture was magnificent—something from another era. The edifice was intricate, almost ostentatious with its pale stone and filigree and gothic-style steep roofs and narrow windows. But it was absolutely beautiful nevertheless.
She fidgeted the whole time they were standing in line to get inside; the theatre had been made into a museum about a decade ago, and featured several informational plaques, old photo displays, and all kinds of other things. Fortunately, there weren’t too many people inside; aside from the old show tunes filtering through the sound system, it was actually quite quiet.
“I’m going to go up into the top box,” she said. “Does anyone want to come?” She wouldn’t mind if they didn’t; this was, after all, not really everyone’s cup of tea.
Kas shook his head. “I’m just gonna go look at the photos again; there was one I wanted to ask Michelle about and I need to write down the name of the photographer. We’ll meet you outside when you’re done?”
She nodded. “That’s fine.”
"I'll come with you," Eryk stated, shrugging his shoulders somewhat. He glanced at Kas before glancing towards Cy. She was off to the side, seemingly too interested in something that she probably didn't hear. "She'll be fine on her own," Eryk spoke, nodding in her direction. "She could find us, or she'll probably find Kas first," he continued, before ushering Ana forward. "Trust me when I say that," he seemed to add.
"Was there anything in particular that you wanted to see, up here?" he asked, glancing down at her.
She glanced around; in keeping with the rest of the theater, the chairs here were upholstered in plush red velvet. The box itself overlooked the rest of the audience, but had a wonderful view of the stage, angled slightly to the right. “Well,” she said. “This is where all the wealthiest theater patrons used to sit and watch the showings. I honestly just wanted to see what the view looked like.” She smiled at him, then walked forward to the edge of the box. A waist-high banister guarded against falls; Ana leaned up against the wrought-iron rail with one hand.
“I read a whole book about this building, once,” she said with a smile. “Edgar was a stage performer for a little while when he was young; a flautist with a small orchestra. I still have his flute.” Her smile grew a little melancholy as a familiar sadness welled in her chest. Ana let it; she wasn’t one of those people who thought she had to be happy all the time or something was wrong.
“He used to talk about how much he wanted to bring us here; Auntie and I. I think he was sweet on her, though he never said it. Probably because he knew he was dying and didn’t want to make it complicated.” She hadn’t really thought about it before, but it was a situation she thought she might be able to understand, these days. She sighed.
His face pulled into a frown at her last statement. There was something almost knowing about the expression on his face, but he didn't seem to say anything about it. "Do you play his flute?" he spoke, a hint of curiosity to his voice. "I've never attempted to play anything, and I've never really heard an orchestra before," he started, shrugging his shoulders before pausing to glance at something. His face softened for just a second before he shook his head.
"But I suppose there is a first time for everything," he seemed to mutter that to himself. "If there is one while we're here, do you want to go?" he asked suddenly, glancing in her direction.
“I… yes. To both of those questions,” she said, surprised that he’d asked either. But perhaps she shouldn’t have been. Eryk was a perceptive person, in some ways. “He taught me how to play while he was still alive—and to sing, actually.” Ana might have missed out on a journey, and all the wonderful experiences that she was sure went with it, but she’d had a lot of other valuable experiences. Particularly in the arts. “I’m not sure if there would be any shows at the same time as such a major event, but I suppose we can always check to make sure. Thank you.”
She didn’t want to put too many demands on their time, especially since he and Kas both were participating in the tournament. She resolved not to ask for anything else, but also not to argue too much about this. Turning her eyes back out to the stage, Ana drank in the view for several moments, then raised her pokégear phone to take a picture. She’d forgotten her proper camera in her luggage, but that was okay.
Turning back to him, she brightened. “Well, I think that’s all I needed to see. Should we head back down?”
"If you want to," he replied. He didn't seem in too much of a hurry to return, but he must have decided it was best since he turned to follow her. "If it interferes with the match," he spoke suddenly. "I think... I'd rather skip the match in order to watch the orchestra with you," he spoke, his eyes never leaving from in front of him. "I don't expect to win the tournament, either. Perhaps a few matches, but this seems more important," he seemed to explain. His face was passive now, so he must have believed what he said.
"It wouldn't be too much trouble," he added, glancing at her from the corner of his eye.
Ana’s step faltered for a second; she took an extra one to catch up, shaking her head emphatically. “We can do both,” she said. “Orchestras play all the time. This tournament… it might not happen again. I want to watch it more than I want to see any other performance while I’m here, okay?”
She didn’t tell him that the reason she wanted to see it was because it was obviously so significant for him; he would probably use that as one more reason to push it further down the list of priorities. Ana understood a lot of things about Eryk at this point—and one of them was that, knowingly or not, he put himself last. So if she wanted to convince him to do something for himself, it was probably best to frame it as something she wanted to do, too.
He seemed to process what she said, and nodded his head. "If that's what you want," he replied. "We'll do the tournament first, and if there is a play after it, we'll go to that," he seemed satisfied with that much, at least.
They reached the landing, and headed outside, where Kas and Cy were already waiting. “Hey guys. Sorry for the wait,” Ana said. Kas shook his head, waving a hand as if to say it wasn’t a big deal.
“Anyhow… I guess we can do some shopping now?” Ana wasn’t much of a shopping person—ninety percent of her clothes were hand-me-downs from one relative or another. Actually… she’d never really been in stores this fancy-looking; most everything else she had came from an inexpensive big-box retailer or a little boutique on the island or something.
"Good, that means we can get Eryk a new wardrobe and you... a new closet," Cyrilla spoke, a large smile on her face. "Actually, Kas will go with Ryk and I'll go with you once we get to one of the stores," she seemed to correct herself on that.
"You make it sound like I'm incapable of selecting my own attire," Ryk spoke, causing Cyrilla to just stare at him. It was an expression that practically said 'we've been through this already' before she shook her head. "But it would be helpful, I suppose," he stated, grumbling towards the end.
"Great, then that's settled. C'mon Ana, let's go before Ryk gets distracted with something else," she spoke, linking both of their arms together.
“Um… okay?” Ana wasn’t exactly sure what Cyrilla anticipated Eryk getting ‘distracted’ with, but she decided to go with the flow. It didn’t take them long to reach a long row of stores; most of them had women’s clothing designs displayed in the front windows, from the professional to the sporty, depending on the store. A few of them were very clearly geared mostly towards men, though.
“So… what exactly do we do? I don’t know any of these names or what I should be looking for?”
"Well, we're looking for one of the stores that has the nicer things. The only store that I know of that has anything remotely nice is Giovanni's. It's... a little pricey, but they do have really pretty things there," Cy responded, glancing from window to window. "It has everything you could need, for both men and women so we can make just the one stop there. And please don't worry about the prices. Let me do that," she stated, stopping in front of the store.
"I don't see why we have to be here, though. We could easily have gone there," Ryk stated, pointing to a shop across from them. It was titled Abercombee, apparently named after the combee and some other thing. Cyrilla pursed her lips together as she stared at Ryk.
"Because here, we can find just about anything we need when it comes to formal dress. That monstrosity only tailors to men," she explained.
Ana thought that lots of these places had really nice things, but she wasn’t going to disagree with Cy. She didn’t have any real knowledge on the subject, and she really didn’t want to be the victim of a lecture on why her sartorial taste was bad, like poor Eryk had been this morning. So she just went along with it.
The group was approached almost immediately by a shop attendant, who asked if she could help them find anything. Kas, being the sociable person he was, Ana supposed, immediately flashed her a broad smile. “We’ve got reservations at Arnaud’s this evening—our friends here need to be dressed for the occasion.” He indicated Eryk and herself.
The attendant nodded, perhaps slightly too seriously. “I see. If you gentlemen would like to come with me, I’ll show you our selection of suits. Ladies, Georgio in the back will be happy to help you.”
"You heard the nice lady, Ana, let's go find Georgio to help us," she stated, ushering Ana towards the back. "Good luck, Kas!" she called over her shoulder, chuckling somewhat to herself. "So, we need something nice, something formal, and something that won't make Ryk too jealous at everyone staring at you," Cyrilla spoke as she turned a corner. There were a few items hanging on mannequins, ranging from regal, flowing gowns, to something simple and knee-length. They were mostly in warmer colors, with some cool colors placed in certain areas.
"Alright, what kind of dresses do you like, Ana? The longer ones or the shorter ones? I think, for this occasion, we should probably get you something longer, but something short will do, like to your knees. It just depends on what you like," she began. They hadn't run into Georgio yet. "It'll be easier to tell the attendant once we know what you're looking for," she stated, pausing in her steps to turn around and face Ana.
“Well… I don’t want to trip over the hem,” Ana said, perfectly serious. She might know how to dance, but when it came to walking around in formal wear, she didn’t want to accidentally forget what she was doing and fall over. It was winter, though.
“Well in that case, just pick the right fabric, and make sure you get a hem that hits your ankles, not the floor.” The voice from behind them was light and slightly wry; when Ana turned, she found herself looking at a slender middle-aged man with iron-grey hair and rimless glasses. He was dressed in a crisp, dark grey suit with a white shirt and maroon-colored tie. She might have found him intimidating, except that he was half-smiling at her.
“I’m Georgio. I’m assuming Beatrice told you to find me?” At Ana’s nod, his smile grew. “Excellent. I love dressing beautiful women. Are you two both looking for dresses specifically?”
"Yes we are. We have a reservation at Arnaud's, apparently, and we don't have anything to wear. We need something," she paused and leaned forward a bit. She whispered something into Georgio's ear, smiling all the while. "So it has to be something special," she stated, seemingly happy with herself. "Oh, and it has to match! Dark colors, probably greys and dark blues. Though, he could be wearing a deep red, too," she seemed to add to whatever she'd told Georgio.
"I'm sure you have something in mind, though, right?" she asked, smiling a little too widely at Georgio.
Georgio’s grin, Ana decided, was almost as broad as Kas’s; and almost as scary. She blinked when it spread over his face; he stepped forward slightly, brandishing a tape measure. “Darling, Giovanni’s is the best clothing store in Kanto; and both of you are about to learn why. Come on, now.” He ushered the both of them into a private area in the back of the store, behind another door, taking Ana’s measurements from neck to ankle, and repeated the process with Cyrilla.
“I take it you two are here with those dashing fellows Beatrice is helping?” He lifted an eyebrow; there was something vaguely suggestive about his tone.
Ana wasn’t really sure how to respond; she wasn’t used to people being so… forward? Open? Unfiltered? It wasn’t annoying or offensive or anything, just… very surprising. “Eryk and Kas,” she said. “They’re our friends.”
“Friends, huh?” Georgio smiled at her in the mirror. “We’ll see about that.”
Cyrilla did her best not to snort and laugh at Georgio's comment about friends. It was endearing, to say the least, but it wasn't exactly going to change. They were friends; simple as that. As much as she wanted things to be otherwise, it was a fact she'd come to accept on her end. On Ana's end, though, there was some hope, and she was going to fuel that for as long as she could. Eryk and Ana didn't need to know that, though. Clearing her thoughts, she glanced towards Ana, who was currently being shown a few dresses. They were all beautiful, and picked to compliment Ana.
"They're all so nice, Georgio," she stated, smiling just slightly. "We might just have to take all of them," she continued, her lips quirking up in a mischievous way.
Georgio grinned. “Why thank you, miss. I do try.” He winked playfully.
Ana, on the other hand, looked vaguely nauseated. “All of them?” she echoed weakly. “I don’t think… that’s not a good idea. I don’t even have anywhere to wear them!” She shot Cyrilla a look that conveyed a considerable amount of awkwardness. “Um… which one do you think looks best?”
“My dear, a dress on a hanger and a dress on a body are two very different things. You should try them on. I have some for your friend as well.” He brandished another armful of gowns, chosen with a palette clearly more geared towards Cyrilla. “Why don’t you try things on at the same time? Have a little fun; I’m not so stuck up about the product that I’ll mind.” He paused, almost thoughtfully. “But you have to show me so I can help you choose, okay?”
"What's wrong with all of them? We could always find a use for them!" Cyrilla said as she tried not to laugh at Ana. She conceded, though, and nodded her head towards Georgio. "Thanks, Georgio, we'll go try them on now," she spoke, shoving Ana towards one of the dressing rooms. She blinked for a second at the gowns they were handed, holding one set in one arm, and the other set in the other arm. She lifted them up and down, trying to feel which one would be the best.
"Alright, so he gave you a green, black, purple, and pale blue dress. I think..." she paused, shifting through the dresses for one of them. Once she found it, she pulled it from the set and handed it towards Ana. "If we're doing dinner at a nice place, you want to try on the purple dress. It's more, what do they call it, tyrian? It's a darker shade of purple and it'll really compliment you," she continued and grinned.
Ana nodded slightly. “Um… there’s a red one here at the bottom, too. Maybe I should just try them all though, like Georgio said? Just in case something looks better than it seems?” She shrugged, still wearing a face best described as discombobulated, but she took the dresses Cyrilla handed her, regardless. “I… guess I’ll just work my way through the pile. You can do the same thing, and we’ll see what we like?”
"Alright, fair enough," she stated, going through her own pile. She pulled one from the middle and stared at it for a minute. It was a charcoal gray color, and she narrowed her eyes at it for a moment. It was pretty, that was for sure, but she wasn't entirely sure about the color. She held it up to her reflection and raised a brow. It was nice, but it wasn't for her. She placed it down and grabbed another one, this time, a black one. She almost snickered to herself at the thought of owning a little back dress. But she didn't want that one, either. The next one she pulled was red. She liked red, and it was a deep red color, almost crimson. She smiled softly before pulling it fully from the pile.
"Alright, how does this one look?" she stated, turning around once she'd slipped it on. It was similar to the one she'd worn for Christmas. It was a halter top dress, however; it wasn't as modest as she'd like it to be. It was a v-neck that came down a little too far, but she could easily fix that with pins on the inside. The dress itself, was long, falling almost to her feet, and it ruffled somewhat in the back.
“I’d be happy to give my opinion, but I’m a little… stuck.”
Ana appeared to be struggling with her own gown—there were quite a lot of straps involved, it seemed. One of them was under her arm when it should probably be over, and she was awkwardly shifted to the side to avoid stepping on the train. The dress itself was the pale blue one; it had a delicate pearlescent sheen to it, but any more than that was tough to tell since it wasn’t actually on properly yet.
“Help?” It was a plaintive little word.
"What did you do?" Cyrilla managed to state between laughs. "Okay, okay, give me a second," she spoke, moving to help Ana with her current predicament. Once she managed to help Ana, she managed to stifle her laughs long enough to actually glance at the dress. "You know, I think Georgio might have helped a little too much," she spoke, a large smile appearing on her face. He really did know his dresses, apparently. She glanced back towards the black one she'd just looked at and wondered, for a moment, if that was the one she should actually get, instead. She glanced back at Ana, grinning still.
"You should get that one," she started, moving to the pile of clothes again. "I'm going to get this one," she stated, holding up the black dress. Besides, it was a little more modest, and she already owned a red dress. She needed to add something different to the pile. "So, I think we should go show Georgio, and then he can help us find the shoes to go with it. Oh," she paused, slipping into the black dress, "And accessories. We need to get you a necklace and some earrings. Wait, are your ears pierced? If they're not, we can find some clip ons, or something."
“I don’t… I’m not sure,” Ana said, apparently far behind in the conversation. “I don’t feel very comfortable.” The dress was a tight bandage-style one, and the way the straps were arranged resulted in some very deep cleavage. “It’s too… too close. Maybe that one?” She held up the green; it was very modest by comparison, and loose. Probably too much of both for someone as small as Ana.
"Too close? To what? That one is pretty, and it's perfect," as in it would result in some hilarious scenes. She wondered, for a moment, how Eryk would actually react to it. Would he blush, or would he immediately start glaring at everyone who even so much as looked at her. "Fine, if you're uncomfortable, here's another one," she stated, banishing the image of Eryk glaring and rummaged through Ana's pile. She pulled one, the color almost an electric violet in color. It was pretty, and even had a silk bow on the shoulder.
"Here, try it on and see how you feel," she stated, ushering the dress towards Ana. It seemed a little more like Ana, anyway. She snickered at that thought.
Ana looked a little put-out, but she nodded and slipped into the dress. It was considerably more modest overall, but also far shorter—it ended in a loose hem just above her knees. That was a good sartorial choice for her, honestly. The shoulder without the bow was completely bare; the side with the drape sleeve was longer than that other. It looked to have two layers; a silk one underneath with a definite, structured shape, and a looser, translucent chiffon layer over that.
She looked dubiously down at her own bare legs for the moment, then sighed. “It is nice…” she mused. She looked like she wanted to say something else, but whatever the words were, she swallowed them.
“Anyway… you said something about shoes? And my ears are pierced—or they should be. I don’t think the holes have closed.”
"Told you. It's nice, it's pretty, and it looks gorgeous on you," Cyrilla spoke, grinning broadly at Ana. It really did look pretty, and Ana would probably be the only one to pop at the restaurant. Mission one, accomplished. Next mission: find Ana some earrings, a necklace, and shoes to compliment her outfit, and maybe a handbag. "Alright, now let's go show Georgio so he can finish helping us," she continued, opening the door to the dressing room. Once both of them were out, they made their way to the attendant.
"Georgio, we're back! We've decided on these, and now we need shoes and some accessories. I am putting us in your capable hands!
Georgio wolf-whistled, clearly in good fun, arching an eyebrow. “My, my—you ladies look stunning. Even I didn’t know you had legs like that, dear, or I’d have made all my selections a little shorter.” Ana turned red, and he laughed lightly. “But yes. Shoes and accessories—can do.”
He led them to the shoes first, picking out a pair of red heels and handing them to Cyrilla. “A black dress calls for a colorful shoe this season, dear. Try these.” The shoes were actually quite intricate, and had a bow that would tie at the back of the ankle.
Ana, he contemplated a little longer. “With you I think we should keep it simple. How high a heel can you walk in?”
Ana perked up, apparently actually knowing the answer to this question. “I used to dance in two-inch ones.”
He tilted his head, pursing his lips. “Let’s try for three and see how comfortable you are.” The ones he picked were champagne-silver with more than a few clear stones, but open-toed and mostly composed of thinner straps that wouldn’t contrast much with her actual skin tone.
Ana stepped into them, wobbling a bit. Georgio offered his arm for balance, and she took it. She steadied, though, and stepped away, taking a few strides back and forth with apparently little difficulty. “Honey, I know women that would kill for those calves.” He shook his head a bit, then turned to Cy. “How are you doing with those?”
She'd just finished tying the bow when he asked. "They're really nice and comfortable," she replied, rolling her ankle in the process. She stood with relative ease and glanced at Ana. "You know, you really should dress up more often, Ana," she stated, smiling a bit. She was dressed nicely, and even though this was a simple dinner between friends, she couldn't help but let a coy smile play over her lips.
"Georgio, we are coming to you from now on with all our dressing needs, especially you, Ana," she stated, laughing a little to herself. "He is working miracles for you," she continued, taking a walk around Ana in the process. Everything that was picked out was rather complimentary for Ana, and even herself, however; she was more interested in dolling Ana up for the occasion. She had plans, after all. Plans that were for Eryk's benefit, and Ana's as well. They didn't have to know that, though.
“You’ll look just as miraculous with the right pair of drop earrings,” Georgio said, a knowing smirk threatening at the corners of his mouth. “And I am, of course, happy to be of service.” The smile spread until it was almost a subdued grin, and he walked the both of them over to a jewelry table.
“That piece on your wrist is gorgeous,” Georgio said, nodding at Cyrilla’s bracelet. “I assume you had it custom-made? I can find things to match it, if you like.”
"Actually, it was a gift, from Kas," she stated, glancing down at the charm bracelet. She didn't know it was custom made, though, which actually surprised her a bit. It must have shown on her face, because she could feel her brows being pulled somewhat. "I don't plan on taking it off, so if you could help me find something to go with it," she stated a little shyly. She was never taking it off. One, it was too pretty to even think about doing that, and two, it had been a gift from Kas. Of course, it was one gift to a friend from another, she hoped. She didn't want to think on it too much for something that it obviously wasn't.
"Ah, but the earrings for you, Ana, should also match your hairstyle. Oh, Georgio," she paused momentarily to glance at him. "Is there a salon around here that can help us with that? Dinner is still at least an hour and a half, so if there's something nearby..." he would get what she was trying to say. That was, perhaps, one of the only things Giovanni's did not have in their store.
He nodded. “A few blocks down. Hair Apparent, it’s called. Bit of a silly name, if you ask me, but the owner is a gem. Miss Woods; I’ll give you my card. If you show it to her, she’ll find a few minutes to get your hair sorted out, I’m sure.” He hummed to himself, picking out a few pieces of jewelry for each of them and setting them aside.
“Also,” he said, lifting both brows and fixing Cyrilla with a serious look. “If those are functional pokéballs, and I think they are, there’s only one woman in the world who makes pieces like that. If this Kas is one of your two friends over there, I’d say my help isn’t even necessary. Nobody buys Madam Zestra’s originals for a friend. They’re not the most expensive, but they are the most difficult to acquire.”
“Why’s that?” Ana asked curiously, tilting her head to the side.
“Because she makes you do all the hard work yourself. Not the skilled work, but the hard work: designs, material collection, all of it. And that’s if you can convince her that the project is worth taking on.” He smiled. “Someone wanted to make sure you had a thing that no one else in the world has ever had, or ever will, my dear.”
Ana suddenly seemed to understand something. “I think I read a magazine article about this, once. She actually makes people grow the apricorns and smelt the minerals, right?”
Georgio nodded. “Artsy types are eccentric like that sometimes,” he said sagely. “It’s all supervised, of course, so nothing goes catastrophically wrong. But she won’t lift a finger to help until the actual craft is required. You can see why the average person wouldn’t ever bother.”
She was pretty sure her face was the color of the first dress she tried on. She could feel the sudden swelling in her heart, and the sudden loss of breath, but she simply smiled and shook her head. Maybe he just thought of her as a really good friend? "That is... well," she couldn't even form the proper words to what she wanted to say. How did this get turned on her, all of a sudden? She was supposed to be here for Ana and Eryk. They were easier. "I'll just have to make sure I give him proper thanks, next time, then," she finally managed to state.
If he'd gone through all the trouble just to make her this, then she had to do something extra special for him. But that was for another time. "So, all we have to do is find Ms. Wood's shop, Hair Apparent, and show her your card? That will make things really easy. You are the best, Georgio, you know that? We are going to make you our number one for any formal events we have. Even if we have to fly all the way back here to Saffron!" because it would be worth it to have his help and expertise.
He grinned at both of them. “Then I look forward to it. Mark my words, I’ll dress you ladies in white someday.” Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a small metal box, opening it to produce two business cards. From the breast pocket of his jacket, he removed a silver pen, scrawling a bit more information on the back side of each card. “Now… I don’t believe I got your names in all the excitement.”
“I’m Anastasia, but Ana’s fine. This is Cyrilla.”
Georgio gave her a flat look. “You have a gorgeous name like Anastasia, and you don’t even use it?” He sighed. “Really, dear. That’s tragic.” He glanced over at Cyrilla, pursing his lips. “Please tell me you at least have the sense to use your whole name.”
Cyrilla laughed at his statement. "Sometimes, yes. Most people just call me Cy," she replied, glancing away for a moment. "And maybe, Georgio, maybe, but today you're dressing us in violet and black! And you've been wonderful help. Hopefully Kas and Eryk had as much fun picking something out as we did," she said, though she knew Kas would probably be having all the fun while poor Eryk pouted. Or frowned, one of the two.
"Alright, so let's see what kind of jewelry we can find," she stated, looking through the jewelry. It was only a few minutes later when they picked out what they wanted, and Cyrilla was satisfied with what she had chosen. "Should we go check on the boys, now?" she stated, glancing towards Ana.
“Like this?” Ana looked down at herself. “Shouldn’t we change back into our other clothes first? We have to pay for everything and so on, right?”
“I’ll get you some garment bags,” Georgio said, taking leave long enough for them to put their day clothes back on. He helped them put their new dresses into the black garment bags on hangers; by the time they were ringing up everything, the others had found them.
“Ana, Cy,” Kas greeted them with a smile. “You were successful, I take it?” He had a garment bag over one shoulder, too; but he was much less burdened than Eryk, who had one of those, a shoebox, what looked like a wrapped tie, and all the other essentials.
Eryk actually didn't look too happy about it, but that was probably because Kas had helped him out. And Beatrice. "Yep, we found what we needed," she replied, flashing both Eryk and Kas a smile before glancing back at Ana. "It's going to be fun, just watch!" she spoke, watching as Eryk rolled his eyes a bit.
"You say that almost all the time."
"Have I ever been wrong?" he scoffed at that, and she did a mental victory dance. "Ana and I will be stopping at the salon, though, so they can fix our hair. If you want to meet back up?" she worded it as a question since she wasn't entirely sure. Dinner would be soon, but hopefully there would be plenty of time to get dressed.
Kas glanced dubiously at Eryk’s hair, but apparently he decided he’d pushed his friend far enough for one day, because he nodded. “Sure. You two have fun.”
"Will do!"
"They're all so nice, Georgio," she stated, smiling just slightly. "We might just have to take all of them," she continued, her lips quirking up in a mischievous way.
Georgio grinned. “Why thank you, miss. I do try.” He winked playfully.
Ana, on the other hand, looked vaguely nauseated. “All of them?” she echoed weakly. “I don’t think… that’s not a good idea. I don’t even have anywhere to wear them!” She shot Cyrilla a look that conveyed a considerable amount of awkwardness. “Um… which one do you think looks best?”
“My dear, a dress on a hanger and a dress on a body are two very different things. You should try them on. I have some for your friend as well.” He brandished another armful of gowns, chosen with a palette clearly more geared towards Cyrilla. “Why don’t you try things on at the same time? Have a little fun; I’m not so stuck up about the product that I’ll mind.” He paused, almost thoughtfully. “But you have to show me so I can help you choose, okay?”
"What's wrong with all of them? We could always find a use for them!" Cyrilla said as she tried not to laugh at Ana. She conceded, though, and nodded her head towards Georgio. "Thanks, Georgio, we'll go try them on now," she spoke, shoving Ana towards one of the dressing rooms. She blinked for a second at the gowns they were handed, holding one set in one arm, and the other set in the other arm. She lifted them up and down, trying to feel which one would be the best.
"Alright, so he gave you a green, black, purple, and pale blue dress. I think..." she paused, shifting through the dresses for one of them. Once she found it, she pulled it from the set and handed it towards Ana. "If we're doing dinner at a nice place, you want to try on the purple dress. It's more, what do they call it, tyrian? It's a darker shade of purple and it'll really compliment you," she continued and grinned.
Ana nodded slightly. “Um… there’s a red one here at the bottom, too. Maybe I should just try them all though, like Georgio said? Just in case something looks better than it seems?” She shrugged, still wearing a face best described as discombobulated, but she took the dresses Cyrilla handed her, regardless. “I… guess I’ll just work my way through the pile. You can do the same thing, and we’ll see what we like?”
"Alright, fair enough," she stated, going through her own pile. She pulled one from the middle and stared at it for a minute. It was a charcoal gray color, and she narrowed her eyes at it for a moment. It was pretty, that was for sure, but she wasn't entirely sure about the color. She held it up to her reflection and raised a brow. It was nice, but it wasn't for her. She placed it down and grabbed another one, this time, a black one. She almost snickered to herself at the thought of owning a little back dress. But she didn't want that one, either. The next one she pulled was red. She liked red, and it was a deep red color, almost crimson. She smiled softly before pulling it fully from the pile.
"Alright, how does this one look?" she stated, turning around once she'd slipped it on. It was similar to the one she'd worn for Christmas. It was a halter top dress, however; it wasn't as modest as she'd like it to be. It was a v-neck that came down a little too far, but she could easily fix that with pins on the inside. The dress itself, was long, falling almost to her feet, and it ruffled somewhat in the back.
“I’d be happy to give my opinion, but I’m a little… stuck.”
Ana appeared to be struggling with her own gown—there were quite a lot of straps involved, it seemed. One of them was under her arm when it should probably be over, and she was awkwardly shifted to the side to avoid stepping on the train. The dress itself was the pale blue one; it had a delicate pearlescent sheen to it, but any more than that was tough to tell since it wasn’t actually on properly yet.
“Help?” It was a plaintive little word.
"What did you do?" Cyrilla managed to state between laughs. "Okay, okay, give me a second," she spoke, moving to help Ana with her current predicament. Once she managed to help Ana, she managed to stifle her laughs long enough to actually glance at the dress. "You know, I think Georgio might have helped a little too much," she spoke, a large smile appearing on her face. He really did know his dresses, apparently. She glanced back towards the black one she'd just looked at and wondered, for a moment, if that was the one she should actually get, instead. She glanced back at Ana, grinning still.
"You should get that one," she started, moving to the pile of clothes again. "I'm going to get this one," she stated, holding up the black dress. Besides, it was a little more modest, and she already owned a red dress. She needed to add something different to the pile. "So, I think we should go show Georgio, and then he can help us find the shoes to go with it. Oh," she paused, slipping into the black dress, "And accessories. We need to get you a necklace and some earrings. Wait, are your ears pierced? If they're not, we can find some clip ons, or something."
“I don’t… I’m not sure,” Ana said, apparently far behind in the conversation. “I don’t feel very comfortable.” The dress was a tight bandage-style one, and the way the straps were arranged resulted in some very deep cleavage. “It’s too… too close. Maybe that one?” She held up the green; it was very modest by comparison, and loose. Probably too much of both for someone as small as Ana.
"Too close? To what? That one is pretty, and it's perfect," as in it would result in some hilarious scenes. She wondered, for a moment, how Eryk would actually react to it. Would he blush, or would he immediately start glaring at everyone who even so much as looked at her. "Fine, if you're uncomfortable, here's another one," she stated, banishing the image of Eryk glaring and rummaged through Ana's pile. She pulled one, the color almost an electric violet in color. It was pretty, and even had a silk bow on the shoulder.
"Here, try it on and see how you feel," she stated, ushering the dress towards Ana. It seemed a little more like Ana, anyway. She snickered at that thought.
Ana looked a little put-out, but she nodded and slipped into the dress. It was considerably more modest overall, but also far shorter—it ended in a loose hem just above her knees. That was a good sartorial choice for her, honestly. The shoulder without the bow was completely bare; the side with the drape sleeve was longer than that other. It looked to have two layers; a silk one underneath with a definite, structured shape, and a looser, translucent chiffon layer over that.
She looked dubiously down at her own bare legs for the moment, then sighed. “It is nice…” she mused. She looked like she wanted to say something else, but whatever the words were, she swallowed them.
“Anyway… you said something about shoes? And my ears are pierced—or they should be. I don’t think the holes have closed.”
"Told you. It's nice, it's pretty, and it looks gorgeous on you," Cyrilla spoke, grinning broadly at Ana. It really did look pretty, and Ana would probably be the only one to pop at the restaurant. Mission one, accomplished. Next mission: find Ana some earrings, a necklace, and shoes to compliment her outfit, and maybe a handbag. "Alright, now let's go show Georgio so he can finish helping us," she continued, opening the door to the dressing room. Once both of them were out, they made their way to the attendant.
"Georgio, we're back! We've decided on these, and now we need shoes and some accessories. I am putting us in your capable hands!
Georgio wolf-whistled, clearly in good fun, arching an eyebrow. “My, my—you ladies look stunning. Even I didn’t know you had legs like that, dear, or I’d have made all my selections a little shorter.” Ana turned red, and he laughed lightly. “But yes. Shoes and accessories—can do.”
He led them to the shoes first, picking out a pair of red heels and handing them to Cyrilla. “A black dress calls for a colorful shoe this season, dear. Try these.” The shoes were actually quite intricate, and had a bow that would tie at the back of the ankle.
Ana, he contemplated a little longer. “With you I think we should keep it simple. How high a heel can you walk in?”
Ana perked up, apparently actually knowing the answer to this question. “I used to dance in two-inch ones.”
He tilted his head, pursing his lips. “Let’s try for three and see how comfortable you are.” The ones he picked were champagne-silver with more than a few clear stones, but open-toed and mostly composed of thinner straps that wouldn’t contrast much with her actual skin tone.
Ana stepped into them, wobbling a bit. Georgio offered his arm for balance, and she took it. She steadied, though, and stepped away, taking a few strides back and forth with apparently little difficulty. “Honey, I know women that would kill for those calves.” He shook his head a bit, then turned to Cy. “How are you doing with those?”
She'd just finished tying the bow when he asked. "They're really nice and comfortable," she replied, rolling her ankle in the process. She stood with relative ease and glanced at Ana. "You know, you really should dress up more often, Ana," she stated, smiling a bit. She was dressed nicely, and even though this was a simple dinner between friends, she couldn't help but let a coy smile play over her lips.
"Georgio, we are coming to you from now on with all our dressing needs, especially you, Ana," she stated, laughing a little to herself. "He is working miracles for you," she continued, taking a walk around Ana in the process. Everything that was picked out was rather complimentary for Ana, and even herself, however; she was more interested in dolling Ana up for the occasion. She had plans, after all. Plans that were for Eryk's benefit, and Ana's as well. They didn't have to know that, though.
“You’ll look just as miraculous with the right pair of drop earrings,” Georgio said, a knowing smirk threatening at the corners of his mouth. “And I am, of course, happy to be of service.” The smile spread until it was almost a subdued grin, and he walked the both of them over to a jewelry table.
“That piece on your wrist is gorgeous,” Georgio said, nodding at Cyrilla’s bracelet. “I assume you had it custom-made? I can find things to match it, if you like.”
"Actually, it was a gift, from Kas," she stated, glancing down at the charm bracelet. She didn't know it was custom made, though, which actually surprised her a bit. It must have shown on her face, because she could feel her brows being pulled somewhat. "I don't plan on taking it off, so if you could help me find something to go with it," she stated a little shyly. She was never taking it off. One, it was too pretty to even think about doing that, and two, it had been a gift from Kas. Of course, it was one gift to a friend from another, she hoped. She didn't want to think on it too much for something that it obviously wasn't.
"Ah, but the earrings for you, Ana, should also match your hairstyle. Oh, Georgio," she paused momentarily to glance at him. "Is there a salon around here that can help us with that? Dinner is still at least an hour and a half, so if there's something nearby..." he would get what she was trying to say. That was, perhaps, one of the only things Giovanni's did not have in their store.
He nodded. “A few blocks down. Hair Apparent, it’s called. Bit of a silly name, if you ask me, but the owner is a gem. Miss Woods; I’ll give you my card. If you show it to her, she’ll find a few minutes to get your hair sorted out, I’m sure.” He hummed to himself, picking out a few pieces of jewelry for each of them and setting them aside.
“Also,” he said, lifting both brows and fixing Cyrilla with a serious look. “If those are functional pokéballs, and I think they are, there’s only one woman in the world who makes pieces like that. If this Kas is one of your two friends over there, I’d say my help isn’t even necessary. Nobody buys Madam Zestra’s originals for a friend. They’re not the most expensive, but they are the most difficult to acquire.”
“Why’s that?” Ana asked curiously, tilting her head to the side.
“Because she makes you do all the hard work yourself. Not the skilled work, but the hard work: designs, material collection, all of it. And that’s if you can convince her that the project is worth taking on.” He smiled. “Someone wanted to make sure you had a thing that no one else in the world has ever had, or ever will, my dear.”
Ana suddenly seemed to understand something. “I think I read a magazine article about this, once. She actually makes people grow the apricorns and smelt the minerals, right?”
Georgio nodded. “Artsy types are eccentric like that sometimes,” he said sagely. “It’s all supervised, of course, so nothing goes catastrophically wrong. But she won’t lift a finger to help until the actual craft is required. You can see why the average person wouldn’t ever bother.”
She was pretty sure her face was the color of the first dress she tried on. She could feel the sudden swelling in her heart, and the sudden loss of breath, but she simply smiled and shook her head. Maybe he just thought of her as a really good friend? "That is... well," she couldn't even form the proper words to what she wanted to say. How did this get turned on her, all of a sudden? She was supposed to be here for Ana and Eryk. They were easier. "I'll just have to make sure I give him proper thanks, next time, then," she finally managed to state.
If he'd gone through all the trouble just to make her this, then she had to do something extra special for him. But that was for another time. "So, all we have to do is find Ms. Wood's shop, Hair Apparent, and show her your card? That will make things really easy. You are the best, Georgio, you know that? We are going to make you our number one for any formal events we have. Even if we have to fly all the way back here to Saffron!" because it would be worth it to have his help and expertise.
He grinned at both of them. “Then I look forward to it. Mark my words, I’ll dress you ladies in white someday.” Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a small metal box, opening it to produce two business cards. From the breast pocket of his jacket, he removed a silver pen, scrawling a bit more information on the back side of each card. “Now… I don’t believe I got your names in all the excitement.”
“I’m Anastasia, but Ana’s fine. This is Cyrilla.”
Georgio gave her a flat look. “You have a gorgeous name like Anastasia, and you don’t even use it?” He sighed. “Really, dear. That’s tragic.” He glanced over at Cyrilla, pursing his lips. “Please tell me you at least have the sense to use your whole name.”
Cyrilla laughed at his statement. "Sometimes, yes. Most people just call me Cy," she replied, glancing away for a moment. "And maybe, Georgio, maybe, but today you're dressing us in violet and black! And you've been wonderful help. Hopefully Kas and Eryk had as much fun picking something out as we did," she said, though she knew Kas would probably be having all the fun while poor Eryk pouted. Or frowned, one of the two.
"Alright, so let's see what kind of jewelry we can find," she stated, looking through the jewelry. It was only a few minutes later when they picked out what they wanted, and Cyrilla was satisfied with what she had chosen. "Should we go check on the boys, now?" she stated, glancing towards Ana.
“Like this?” Ana looked down at herself. “Shouldn’t we change back into our other clothes first? We have to pay for everything and so on, right?”
“I’ll get you some garment bags,” Georgio said, taking leave long enough for them to put their day clothes back on. He helped them put their new dresses into the black garment bags on hangers; by the time they were ringing up everything, the others had found them.
“Ana, Cy,” Kas greeted them with a smile. “You were successful, I take it?” He had a garment bag over one shoulder, too; but he was much less burdened than Eryk, who had one of those, a shoebox, what looked like a wrapped tie, and all the other essentials.
Eryk actually didn't look too happy about it, but that was probably because Kas had helped him out. And Beatrice. "Yep, we found what we needed," she replied, flashing both Eryk and Kas a smile before glancing back at Ana. "It's going to be fun, just watch!" she spoke, watching as Eryk rolled his eyes a bit.
"You say that almost all the time."
"Have I ever been wrong?" he scoffed at that, and she did a mental victory dance. "Ana and I will be stopping at the salon, though, so they can fix our hair. If you want to meet back up?" she worded it as a question since she wasn't entirely sure. Dinner would be soon, but hopefully there would be plenty of time to get dressed.
Kas glanced dubiously at Eryk’s hair, but apparently he decided he’d pushed his friend far enough for one day, because he nodded. “Sure. You two have fun.”
"Will do!"
“Yeah. Uh-huh. I know it’s a bit of an imposition, but I’d really appreciate—yeah. Yeah, great. Thanks so much. Uh-huh. Bye.” Kas hung up the phone, feeling rather pleased with himself. It was blatantly-obvious to him what Cy was trying to do with dinner tonight, so he’d decided to make it easier on everyone—in a manner of speaking anyway. One rather unorthodox request to the restaurant later, and he’d decided he was very much going to enjoy watching the results.
That done, he approached the bathroom sink—outside the actual bathroom. He’d already showered first, so the rest of it was pretty simple. He combed his hair out, worked a little product into it, and let it fall as it naturally would. There was a bit of wave to it, but fortunately it stayed neat enough for present purposes; the fact that he’d gotten a trim before the trip helped. Tying it back at the nape of his neck, he tucked the few remnant hairs behind his ears and shrugged into the black slacks and shirt. He was basically all in black tonight, save that his tie was white. The pinstripe on his suit was different in texture rather than color—thin satin bands alternated with the ordinary fabric.
He knew how to dress when he wanted to; he was very aware that this particular sartorial selection made it extremely obvious that his eyes were golden rather than amber or brown. Other than the woven bracelet that never left his wrist, he didn’t bother with jewelry, though. His shoes were polished and black to match the suit. Sliding into the jacket, he buttoned it twice and then rolled his shoulders to help it settle properly into place.
Knocking on the bathroom door, he rolled his eyes. “Don’t tell me you drowned in there, Ryk. We’ve got ten minutes before we need to leave.” They were walking, since the restaurant wasn’t far. Plus, it would be a nice little cap on the experience of acting like they were fabulously-wealthy for a few days. It was back to business tomorrow, other than the fancy accommodations, of course.
The door opened and produced Eryk, standing slightly awkwardly in his dress. "I didn't drown, ass. I can't... get these stupid fucking things closed," he replied, fighting with his cuff links. The shirt, when he'd worn it the first time, had been tucked in differently, and the way he had them now was not. "I don't do cuff links," he added. "It's the only thing I have left to do," he continued, turning away from Kas and playing with his cuff links. His hair was, surprisingly, slicked back, somewhat. It still had a bit of spiky mess to it, but it looked calmed down, and not as shaggy.
"Could you help with these fucking things?" he stated, shoving his wrist towards Kas.
Kas snorted. “I really should charge—I’m basically your valet at this point.” But he took hold of Eryk’s cuffs anyway, hooking the links through with little difficulty. A combination of prior knowledge and not actually being the one wearing them, which meant he could use both hands.
Eryk had opted for a lighter-colored suit, with some guidance. Black was all well and good, but it could look a little harsh on him, considering the lightness of his complexion and the fact that his hair was very dark black itself. So he was dressed in a charcoal-colored shirt, with a wine-colored tie. His pants and jacket were lighter grey, almost silver. Certainly, they wouldn’t be embarrassing themselves at Arnaud’s—not on the basis of their wardrobes, anyway. The rest might be a test yet.
“There. Problem solved.” Kas stepped back, brushing a bit of lint off Eryk’s shoulder and giving him a nod. “It’s a nice suit, Ryk.”
"If you say so," he scoffed. He did seem rather pleased, though, that the cuff links were finally fixed, and he threw on the jacket portion of his outfit. He smoothed out some of the creases before staring at Kas. "I wouldn't have chosen it if it weren't for your help, so technically, you're saying that the suit you picked out is nice," he replied, but there was some jest to his tone. He rolled his eyes, though, and walked past the door, tucking in the rest of the shirt as he did.
"We should get going," he stated, grabbing his wallet and slipping it into his back pocket before slipping on a watch. It wasn't a rolex, of that he could be certain, but it was still nice. "We don't want to be late," he added after he gathered what he needed.
“Yup. Let’s collect Cy and Ana, and then we can get moving.” Kas double-checked that he had his wallet, his keys, phone, and key card, then led the way out into the hall, pausing briefly to knock on the door to 4302. “Ladies? It’s time to get going…”
Ana answered the door a few inches taller than he remembered. Her dress was a lovely bright shade of violet; in Kas’s personal opinion, she looked absolutely stunning in it. Subtle silver thread earrings hung from her lobes; she wore what looked like an engraved silver cuff necklace as well.
“Cy’s just fighting with her shoes; she’ll be a second,” she said, offering the both of them a smile. Kas’s eyes flickered to Eryk.
This, he wanted to see.
It almost looked like he forgot how to breathe. He just stared at her for a moment, until he must have realized he was staring, and glanced over her shoulder. "You look really nice, Ana," he spoke, though from the sound of it, it almost sounded embarrassed. Or maybe in slight awe? "That color looks good on you," he added, attempting to shove his hands in his pockets. It turned out he was having trouble with that, too, and ended up just wiping his hands on his pants. Kind of in the way one does when their palms are sweaty.
“Thanks,” Ana said, almost too quietly to hear. She visibly swallowed; Kas had to suppress a grin. “You, um—”
"Sorry! Sorry, I was trying to get the shoe tied, and it wasn't tying properly," Cy spoke, making her appearance and offering them an apologetic smile. She was wearing a black dress that seemed to have some sparkle to the top, but it wasn't as short as Ana's. It was longer, and would probably have reached the floor if it weren't for her shoes. The earrings she wore were basic silver hoops, matching the silver choker around her neck. "Well, they certainly did a number on you, Ryk. You look handsome!" she stated, a grin on her face as she stared at him.
"Kas helped," he spoke, still not quite looking at Ana. He shifted in his spot a little uncomfortably as Cyrilla chuckled at him.
"You look handsome, too, Kas, so don't feel left out," she stated, glancing towards Kas for a moment before looking at Ana.
Kas cleared his throat; his mouth was a little dry at the moment. He shook his head and rolled his eyes. “Of course I do,” he replied without an ounce of shame. “Now that we’ve all established that we are the best-looking people in the city tonight, perhaps we ought to take advantage and show off a little, hm?” It was, of course, his way of saying that it was time to get moving.
With a soft nudge, he offered Cy his arm, leaning down to speak softly into her ear. “When we get there, follow my lead.” He drew back immediately afterwards, before his tongue could betray him by letting slip something he thought, but didn’t want to say. It was a little easier when he reminded himself that his current prohibition on honesty was meant to protect her, and not just himself.
Eryk rolled his eyes softly, and mimicked Kas. He offered Ana his own arm, and still couldn't directly look at her. It was, in some senses, a little childish of him, but he had his reasons, probably. "Alright," Cyrilla whispered back, though she didn't seem to have any reservations on taking his arm. They began the trek towards the restaurant, Cyrilla occasionally glancing towards Eryk and Ana while Eryk had managed to finally glance at Ana every now and then.
"What kind of place is Arnaud's, anyway?" Eryk finally spoke, some hint of curiosity in his voice. "Some restaurants cater to specific things, and I've never been to Arnaud's nor even heard of it," he continued. As sheltered as his life had been, it wouldn't be too hard to believe that he'd never heard of the place.
“It specializes in Kalosian cuisine,” Kas replied, “though there are a few other types of dish available, too. The specials tend to vary depending on what Arnaud feels like cooking—the menu is limited on any given day, but everything’s really good, according to Michelle. Mom likes Arnaud, too, which is probably about as much of an endorsement as you can get without trying it for yourself. The place has four stars—and those aren’t a joke.” Even getting a single star was quite the feat for a chef.
“I don’t think I’ve ever eaten anywhere even close to that fancy,” Ana said, a little awkwardly. Her hand rested delicately in the crook of Eryk’s arm; she seemed to have noticed his on-again off-again attention. Kas figured she probably didn’t know what to make of it.
He shrugged. “Don't worry about it. The staff is there to make you happy and comfortable, not judge you. I’m sure you’ll be fine—just ask questions if you have them and don’t let it stress you out. It’s supposed to be fun.”
Eryk seemed to brighten up at the mention of the cuisine. He had liked the Kalosian soup Ana had made that one time. "Then I'm sure it'll be... interesting," he stated, seemingly more content. "It's just dinner, though," he chimed in, glancing at Ana. Cyrilla moved slightly in her hold on Kas's arm, like she wanted to do something, but didn't. She just rolled her eyes at him.
"No Ryk, it's not just dinner. We're here, celebrating and enjoying the trip. Tomorrow, you won't be saying the same thing when you're neck deep in tournament challenges without a break to go eat. At least you could say you ate somewhere nice the night before," she said as she gave him a flat look. Eryk just raised his brow and shook his head.
"You know what I meant," he simply replied. "We'll find out as soon as we get there, though," he didn't say anything after that. Cyrilla just rolled her eyes, though.
Kas listened to them nitpick at each other with a small smile. They really did act like siblings’ he should know. It didn’t take them much longer to get to the restaurant; the outer edifice was charmingly Kalosian itself, but with a clear and obvious air of elegance. To be expected from a fine dining establishment, perhaps.
He made sure he still had Cy’s hand when they entered; the important part here was to make things as natural as possible. “Reservation under Rheinallt, for four?” he asked of the hostess.
As requested, she made a show of looking in her books, then back up at them, then back down at the books again, distress growing more and more evident on her face. “Ah—Mr. Rheinallt, I’m so sorry. There appears to have been a mistake. We had you down for two, not four.” She pursed her lips, flipping a page in her seating chart. “There is a second two-seater table available, but I’m afraid all of the larger ones are reserved for the evening as well. If that is okay, we would be happy to offer you a free dessert specialty with our sincerest apologies.”
Kas wondered if this girl was an aspiring actress, because she was certainly selling it well. He’d paid for the “free” dessert in advance, of course, but no one needed to know that. Well—Ana and Ryk didn’t. He’d let Cy in on this pretty quickly, he supposed.
He decided to flex his own considerable acting chops, and pushed a breath out of his nose. “There’s really no way to seat us all together?” When the hostess shook her head uncomfortably, he pursed his lips. “Well, I suppose that’s all right. We’ll take the two separate tables. It’d be a shame if we got all dressed up for nothing, eh?” He smiled in his usual flirty way as if to reassure her that he wasn’t upset; she smiled back a little. Ryk looked considerably uncomfortable for a moment before his eyes narrowed at Kas.
“Of course. If you and the lady would come with me, Pierre can take your friends to their table.” Considering the fact that they’d entered in a way that suggested two couples, it was the natural assumption to make—which was why he’d made sure they did by offering his arm to Cy at the hotel in the first place. Ryk wasn’t that hard to predict, when it came down to it.
“Of course; thank you.” When they’d turned away from the other two, he flashed a conspiratorial grin at Cy, speaking softly.
“Am I good, or am I awesome?”
It looked like she wanted to laugh, but she was doing her best at keeping a straight face until they had walked away. "Kas, that was brilliant," she spoke, glancing up at him with a large grin on her face. She chuckled softly through her nose, it seemed, and shook her head lightly. "I can't believe that you did that. You know he's going to hate you by the end of the night, right?" she stated, looking slightly amused. "But then again he just might thank you, too. He's complicated that way, I suppose," she added, chuckling softy.
"Mission three is accomplished," she seemed to mutter to herself, looking slightly pleased. "Is our table at least somewhere close by? I want to see his face," she added, a slightly darker amused grin flashing over her face for a second before it smoothed out.
“As if I wouldn’t put us somewhere we could watch.” They followed the hostess up to a second-floor balcony; their table had been set up near the railing. It overlooked much of the restaurant below, including where Ryk and Ana were currently being seated near the back window of the restaurant, which had a view out into the building’s garden.
They could see, but not hear. That seemed like a nice compromise between his snooping tendencies and their privacy. Plus Kas could read lips—not that Ryk knew that, of course. And they’d be harder to see up here.
“Charlotte is your server tonight; she’ll be by shortly,” the hostess told them, smiling a bit and handing them both several menus. One was the extensive wine and spirit list; the other looked to be the short list of always-available food, and the third was the specialty menu.
“Thanks, Lili. Spectacular acting, by the way. They should put you onstage.”
She giggled. “I could say the same. Anyway. Please enjoy, both of you.” She left them to peruse the menus.
“So,” he said, lifting an eyebrow at Cyrilla as he flipped the wine list open. “What’s this about mission three?”
"Well, mission one was to get Ana and Eryk to at least compliment each other in their dressage. That was accomplished. Second mission was to make sure Ana had all that she needed to make Eryk speechless, and that was accomplished," she began listing things off, flipping through one of the menues. "Third mission was to somehow get them alone together, but apparently you had that taken care of already," she spoke, offering him a grin.
"So, mission three was accomplished. Mission Four... I didn't think it out that far ahead," she laughed nervously before returning her attention to the menu. "Everything is going according to plan, though. Maybe he'll actually tell her something nice," though she didn't define what nice was.
Fortunately, Kas didn’t need her to. He was quite good at reading between the lines. “We really should collude more often.” he said casually, flipping the page of the wine list. “Do you know what sorts of things you want? I can order the wine for us both, if you’re not sure.” Most of the wine listings and dishes had rather unusual names that most people from Kanto wouldn’t recognize, but the benefit to growing up around the restaurant crowd was knowing a lot about food and drinks.
"Hm," she started, glancing up at him. "I think... I'll let you decide. I don't usually drink," she said as she glanced down at the menu again. "That should be evident when we played King's Cup," she spoke with a grin, not bothering to lift her eyes from the menu. She pursed her lips as she continued reading. Something must have caught her attention, and then lost it because her eyebrow quirked for a second before receeding.
"Everything looks and sounds so good, I don't know what to get," she said, chewing on the bottom of her lip as she furrowed her brows. "I guess I should decide based on what you decide for wine. It'll help somewhat, I think," she spoke as she set the menu down to stare at him.
“Usually people do that in the other direction,” Kas said with some amusement. “Food first, and then a wine to match. But if you’re having trouble…” He glanced back down at the list for a moment, running mentally over a few possible combinations.
At that point, the waitress approached their table, a small pad and elegant silver pen in her hands. She smiled at both of them, tucking a red curl behind one ear. “Good evening. My name is Charlotte, and I’ll be your server tonight. Can I start the two of you off with something to drink?”
“We’ll both have the Riesling d'Alsace, please” Kas replied politely. “The bottle, if you’d be so kind.”
Charlotte nodded, tucking the pad and pen away in the pocket of the apron tied at her waist. “Of course, Mr. Rheinallt. I’ll be back in a few minutes with that, and to take your food order.” She dipped her chin and retreated from the table.
“It’s a semisweet white,” He told Cyrilla. “A little fruity, but more crisp than anything. It should go well with any of the pastas or bread-centered dishes.” Kas leaned forward slightly, bracing one elbow on the table and propping his chin in his hand. He elected to read her menu upside-down rather than open his own.
"Oh? If that's the case then," she trailed off, placing her index finger on the menu before gliding down with it. She stopped on one in particular, and seemed to be reading the ingredients to it. She seemed to be satisfied with them because she nodded. "I think the Pissaladière pasta sounds good, then," she spoke, nodding her head as if to agree with herself. "But so does the Tarte flambée," she continued, furrowing her brows. She contemplated both decisions for a few minutes.
"Alright, I'm going with the Tarte flambée. It sounds better," she finally seemed to decide. "What about you, Kas, what are you going to get?" she asked, raising a brow in his direction.
Kas blinked; he’d been watching her search the menu, then speak, all without really considering what he was going to eat himself. Something about the expressiveness of her face—he cut the thought off and cleared his throat. Thankfully, it didn’t take him long to recover; he knew enough to reply almost immediately. “The turbot aux beurre blanc,” he said, lifting his shoulders. “It’s on the specials menu, so it seems like a good idea to give it a try.” It would also go very well with the wine, considering the sauce it was slathered in.
Seeking to distract himself, he glanced over at the other table. “I wonder how they’re getting along down there. Ryk knows nothing about food, and I’m pretty sure Ana’s never been somewhere half this fancy in her life.” He imagined that combination would make navigating the menu a bit of an adventure. It made him happy to see them here, though—they deserved to have new and interesting experiences. That they were together only made it sweeter, from his point of view.
"Horribly, I assume," she replied, setting the menu down. "Ryk will probably end up picking something that sounds good, but won't necessarily look good. Then, he'll probably end up playing with it for a few minutes before actually trying a bite. When he does, he'll like it and then forget about everything else until he's finished," she laughed lightly to herself. She sighed, though, resting her head on one of her hands as she glanced off towards the side.
"But I'm sure they'll be fine," she added almost as an after thought. "Besides," she began, glancing at him from the corner of her eye, "Ryk isn't entirely helpless, and I'm sure Ana will recognize some of the menu items at least. She could help Ryk out if it really came down to it."
He nodded. “They compliment each other well, honestly. If she’d been anyone else…” He pursed his lips, shaking his head slightly. “Well, we’d have less of a dilemma, but… he’d be less happy, too.” Kas knew he was kind of pushy when it came to encouraging the two of them to interact more. But he wouldn’t have done it if he didn’t think they were genuinely good for each other. Not in the romantic way—his thoughts about all of that were complicated. But they were good for each other, as people. No matter what else happened… they were both getting something good out of this. Maybe that was enough, for now.
His slightly grey-toned thoughts were interrupted by Charlotte’s reappearance; she carried a bottle and two elegant wine glasses, which she set down on the table. When she went to open the bottle though, Kas shook his head. “Don’t worry; I’ll do that.”
Once they’d put in their orders for food, he uncorked the wine with the corkscrew Charlotte had left for him, letting the wine breathe a moment and then pouring Cyrilla’s glass first. He swirled his own in its glass for a moment, inhaling the crisp scent of green apples. “Shall we toast?”
"Yes, let's make a toast," she paused, smiling just softly enough to be seen as thoughtful. "Let's toast to all the good times we've had, and the ones yet to come. And," she spoke, glancing up at Kas with a strange smile, "let's toast to us and more scheming for Ryk and Ana!"
“That’s quite a lot of toasting. But let me make sure I got it all: to shenanigans, past and future. To always plotting against our friends for their own benefit. And to us: the most beautiful woman in the room and her sometimes-charming friend.” He tipped his glass forward and clinked it softly against hers, cursing his tongue all the while.
He hadn’t quite meant to put it like that. But the fact that it was accidental didn’t make it false.
She didn't seem to take it bad at all, though, and just laughed. "I wouldn't say that, exactly," she started, taking a drink from her glass. "Kas is always charming," she spoke, laughing lightly. "Anyway," she started, glancing in his direction. It looked like she wanted to say something, but remained silent. "Thanks, Kas, for all of this. I don't think I would have been able to pull it off quite the way you did," she stated, before her eyes widened somewhat.
"Oh, that reminds me," she began, lifting her hand up in the process, the one that held the bracelet he'd given her for Christmas. "Georgio told me how this was made," she spoke, her brows furrowing slightly. "I didn't know you custom made this, and he also said how hard it is, too, to convince her to make something like this," she continued, pursing her lips just slightly.
"I just... I... thank you, Kas," she finally managed to say.
Well damn. Kas suppressed the urge to sigh. “You just said it, though, right? Kas is always charming.” He mimicked her strange third-person reference with half a wry smile. “I can be a pretty convincing person, too; don’t…” he cleared his throat, still trying to downplay whatever she’d heard. Probably the truth. “There’s no need to make a big deal of it, you know? It was a couple afternoons of work. I know I don’t act like it, but I can actually do that without much trouble.” He took a slightly too-large swallow of wine, but it probably wasn’t noticeable.
"Yeah, well, still. Charming or not, hard-worker or not, it means a lot to me. Also, I didn't know that these were functional. I could be holding them all on my wrist instead of my belt. It would make it easier to carry them around," she stated all in one breath, seemingly excited about the news. "So, thank you, still, jerk. Take a compliment when it's given, though I'm not sure if that could be considered one," she laughed a little nervously at that.
He was surprised he hadn’t mentioned that. Perhaps he’d forgotten? “They detach from the ends of the charms,” he elaborated. “The main difference between the apricorns used for those and normal pokéballs, aside from the color and the fact that they’re plated in minerals is that they can size even smaller. They’re supposedly the same as a luxury ball for a pokémon, though.” He shrugged, a smile tugging at one corner of his mouth.
“I’m not sure it’s a compliment, either, but I guess I’ll take it. You’re welcome, Cy.”
That done, he approached the bathroom sink—outside the actual bathroom. He’d already showered first, so the rest of it was pretty simple. He combed his hair out, worked a little product into it, and let it fall as it naturally would. There was a bit of wave to it, but fortunately it stayed neat enough for present purposes; the fact that he’d gotten a trim before the trip helped. Tying it back at the nape of his neck, he tucked the few remnant hairs behind his ears and shrugged into the black slacks and shirt. He was basically all in black tonight, save that his tie was white. The pinstripe on his suit was different in texture rather than color—thin satin bands alternated with the ordinary fabric.
He knew how to dress when he wanted to; he was very aware that this particular sartorial selection made it extremely obvious that his eyes were golden rather than amber or brown. Other than the woven bracelet that never left his wrist, he didn’t bother with jewelry, though. His shoes were polished and black to match the suit. Sliding into the jacket, he buttoned it twice and then rolled his shoulders to help it settle properly into place.
Knocking on the bathroom door, he rolled his eyes. “Don’t tell me you drowned in there, Ryk. We’ve got ten minutes before we need to leave.” They were walking, since the restaurant wasn’t far. Plus, it would be a nice little cap on the experience of acting like they were fabulously-wealthy for a few days. It was back to business tomorrow, other than the fancy accommodations, of course.
The door opened and produced Eryk, standing slightly awkwardly in his dress. "I didn't drown, ass. I can't... get these stupid fucking things closed," he replied, fighting with his cuff links. The shirt, when he'd worn it the first time, had been tucked in differently, and the way he had them now was not. "I don't do cuff links," he added. "It's the only thing I have left to do," he continued, turning away from Kas and playing with his cuff links. His hair was, surprisingly, slicked back, somewhat. It still had a bit of spiky mess to it, but it looked calmed down, and not as shaggy.
"Could you help with these fucking things?" he stated, shoving his wrist towards Kas.
Kas snorted. “I really should charge—I’m basically your valet at this point.” But he took hold of Eryk’s cuffs anyway, hooking the links through with little difficulty. A combination of prior knowledge and not actually being the one wearing them, which meant he could use both hands.
Eryk had opted for a lighter-colored suit, with some guidance. Black was all well and good, but it could look a little harsh on him, considering the lightness of his complexion and the fact that his hair was very dark black itself. So he was dressed in a charcoal-colored shirt, with a wine-colored tie. His pants and jacket were lighter grey, almost silver. Certainly, they wouldn’t be embarrassing themselves at Arnaud’s—not on the basis of their wardrobes, anyway. The rest might be a test yet.
“There. Problem solved.” Kas stepped back, brushing a bit of lint off Eryk’s shoulder and giving him a nod. “It’s a nice suit, Ryk.”
"If you say so," he scoffed. He did seem rather pleased, though, that the cuff links were finally fixed, and he threw on the jacket portion of his outfit. He smoothed out some of the creases before staring at Kas. "I wouldn't have chosen it if it weren't for your help, so technically, you're saying that the suit you picked out is nice," he replied, but there was some jest to his tone. He rolled his eyes, though, and walked past the door, tucking in the rest of the shirt as he did.
"We should get going," he stated, grabbing his wallet and slipping it into his back pocket before slipping on a watch. It wasn't a rolex, of that he could be certain, but it was still nice. "We don't want to be late," he added after he gathered what he needed.
“Yup. Let’s collect Cy and Ana, and then we can get moving.” Kas double-checked that he had his wallet, his keys, phone, and key card, then led the way out into the hall, pausing briefly to knock on the door to 4302. “Ladies? It’s time to get going…”
Ana answered the door a few inches taller than he remembered. Her dress was a lovely bright shade of violet; in Kas’s personal opinion, she looked absolutely stunning in it. Subtle silver thread earrings hung from her lobes; she wore what looked like an engraved silver cuff necklace as well.
“Cy’s just fighting with her shoes; she’ll be a second,” she said, offering the both of them a smile. Kas’s eyes flickered to Eryk.
This, he wanted to see.
It almost looked like he forgot how to breathe. He just stared at her for a moment, until he must have realized he was staring, and glanced over her shoulder. "You look really nice, Ana," he spoke, though from the sound of it, it almost sounded embarrassed. Or maybe in slight awe? "That color looks good on you," he added, attempting to shove his hands in his pockets. It turned out he was having trouble with that, too, and ended up just wiping his hands on his pants. Kind of in the way one does when their palms are sweaty.
“Thanks,” Ana said, almost too quietly to hear. She visibly swallowed; Kas had to suppress a grin. “You, um—”
"Sorry! Sorry, I was trying to get the shoe tied, and it wasn't tying properly," Cy spoke, making her appearance and offering them an apologetic smile. She was wearing a black dress that seemed to have some sparkle to the top, but it wasn't as short as Ana's. It was longer, and would probably have reached the floor if it weren't for her shoes. The earrings she wore were basic silver hoops, matching the silver choker around her neck. "Well, they certainly did a number on you, Ryk. You look handsome!" she stated, a grin on her face as she stared at him.
"Kas helped," he spoke, still not quite looking at Ana. He shifted in his spot a little uncomfortably as Cyrilla chuckled at him.
"You look handsome, too, Kas, so don't feel left out," she stated, glancing towards Kas for a moment before looking at Ana.
Kas cleared his throat; his mouth was a little dry at the moment. He shook his head and rolled his eyes. “Of course I do,” he replied without an ounce of shame. “Now that we’ve all established that we are the best-looking people in the city tonight, perhaps we ought to take advantage and show off a little, hm?” It was, of course, his way of saying that it was time to get moving.
With a soft nudge, he offered Cy his arm, leaning down to speak softly into her ear. “When we get there, follow my lead.” He drew back immediately afterwards, before his tongue could betray him by letting slip something he thought, but didn’t want to say. It was a little easier when he reminded himself that his current prohibition on honesty was meant to protect her, and not just himself.
Eryk rolled his eyes softly, and mimicked Kas. He offered Ana his own arm, and still couldn't directly look at her. It was, in some senses, a little childish of him, but he had his reasons, probably. "Alright," Cyrilla whispered back, though she didn't seem to have any reservations on taking his arm. They began the trek towards the restaurant, Cyrilla occasionally glancing towards Eryk and Ana while Eryk had managed to finally glance at Ana every now and then.
"What kind of place is Arnaud's, anyway?" Eryk finally spoke, some hint of curiosity in his voice. "Some restaurants cater to specific things, and I've never been to Arnaud's nor even heard of it," he continued. As sheltered as his life had been, it wouldn't be too hard to believe that he'd never heard of the place.
“It specializes in Kalosian cuisine,” Kas replied, “though there are a few other types of dish available, too. The specials tend to vary depending on what Arnaud feels like cooking—the menu is limited on any given day, but everything’s really good, according to Michelle. Mom likes Arnaud, too, which is probably about as much of an endorsement as you can get without trying it for yourself. The place has four stars—and those aren’t a joke.” Even getting a single star was quite the feat for a chef.
“I don’t think I’ve ever eaten anywhere even close to that fancy,” Ana said, a little awkwardly. Her hand rested delicately in the crook of Eryk’s arm; she seemed to have noticed his on-again off-again attention. Kas figured she probably didn’t know what to make of it.
He shrugged. “Don't worry about it. The staff is there to make you happy and comfortable, not judge you. I’m sure you’ll be fine—just ask questions if you have them and don’t let it stress you out. It’s supposed to be fun.”
Eryk seemed to brighten up at the mention of the cuisine. He had liked the Kalosian soup Ana had made that one time. "Then I'm sure it'll be... interesting," he stated, seemingly more content. "It's just dinner, though," he chimed in, glancing at Ana. Cyrilla moved slightly in her hold on Kas's arm, like she wanted to do something, but didn't. She just rolled her eyes at him.
"No Ryk, it's not just dinner. We're here, celebrating and enjoying the trip. Tomorrow, you won't be saying the same thing when you're neck deep in tournament challenges without a break to go eat. At least you could say you ate somewhere nice the night before," she said as she gave him a flat look. Eryk just raised his brow and shook his head.
"You know what I meant," he simply replied. "We'll find out as soon as we get there, though," he didn't say anything after that. Cyrilla just rolled her eyes, though.
Kas listened to them nitpick at each other with a small smile. They really did act like siblings’ he should know. It didn’t take them much longer to get to the restaurant; the outer edifice was charmingly Kalosian itself, but with a clear and obvious air of elegance. To be expected from a fine dining establishment, perhaps.
He made sure he still had Cy’s hand when they entered; the important part here was to make things as natural as possible. “Reservation under Rheinallt, for four?” he asked of the hostess.
As requested, she made a show of looking in her books, then back up at them, then back down at the books again, distress growing more and more evident on her face. “Ah—Mr. Rheinallt, I’m so sorry. There appears to have been a mistake. We had you down for two, not four.” She pursed her lips, flipping a page in her seating chart. “There is a second two-seater table available, but I’m afraid all of the larger ones are reserved for the evening as well. If that is okay, we would be happy to offer you a free dessert specialty with our sincerest apologies.”
Kas wondered if this girl was an aspiring actress, because she was certainly selling it well. He’d paid for the “free” dessert in advance, of course, but no one needed to know that. Well—Ana and Ryk didn’t. He’d let Cy in on this pretty quickly, he supposed.
He decided to flex his own considerable acting chops, and pushed a breath out of his nose. “There’s really no way to seat us all together?” When the hostess shook her head uncomfortably, he pursed his lips. “Well, I suppose that’s all right. We’ll take the two separate tables. It’d be a shame if we got all dressed up for nothing, eh?” He smiled in his usual flirty way as if to reassure her that he wasn’t upset; she smiled back a little. Ryk looked considerably uncomfortable for a moment before his eyes narrowed at Kas.
“Of course. If you and the lady would come with me, Pierre can take your friends to their table.” Considering the fact that they’d entered in a way that suggested two couples, it was the natural assumption to make—which was why he’d made sure they did by offering his arm to Cy at the hotel in the first place. Ryk wasn’t that hard to predict, when it came down to it.
“Of course; thank you.” When they’d turned away from the other two, he flashed a conspiratorial grin at Cy, speaking softly.
“Am I good, or am I awesome?”
It looked like she wanted to laugh, but she was doing her best at keeping a straight face until they had walked away. "Kas, that was brilliant," she spoke, glancing up at him with a large grin on her face. She chuckled softly through her nose, it seemed, and shook her head lightly. "I can't believe that you did that. You know he's going to hate you by the end of the night, right?" she stated, looking slightly amused. "But then again he just might thank you, too. He's complicated that way, I suppose," she added, chuckling softy.
"Mission three is accomplished," she seemed to mutter to herself, looking slightly pleased. "Is our table at least somewhere close by? I want to see his face," she added, a slightly darker amused grin flashing over her face for a second before it smoothed out.
“As if I wouldn’t put us somewhere we could watch.” They followed the hostess up to a second-floor balcony; their table had been set up near the railing. It overlooked much of the restaurant below, including where Ryk and Ana were currently being seated near the back window of the restaurant, which had a view out into the building’s garden.
They could see, but not hear. That seemed like a nice compromise between his snooping tendencies and their privacy. Plus Kas could read lips—not that Ryk knew that, of course. And they’d be harder to see up here.
“Charlotte is your server tonight; she’ll be by shortly,” the hostess told them, smiling a bit and handing them both several menus. One was the extensive wine and spirit list; the other looked to be the short list of always-available food, and the third was the specialty menu.
“Thanks, Lili. Spectacular acting, by the way. They should put you onstage.”
She giggled. “I could say the same. Anyway. Please enjoy, both of you.” She left them to peruse the menus.
“So,” he said, lifting an eyebrow at Cyrilla as he flipped the wine list open. “What’s this about mission three?”
"Well, mission one was to get Ana and Eryk to at least compliment each other in their dressage. That was accomplished. Second mission was to make sure Ana had all that she needed to make Eryk speechless, and that was accomplished," she began listing things off, flipping through one of the menues. "Third mission was to somehow get them alone together, but apparently you had that taken care of already," she spoke, offering him a grin.
"So, mission three was accomplished. Mission Four... I didn't think it out that far ahead," she laughed nervously before returning her attention to the menu. "Everything is going according to plan, though. Maybe he'll actually tell her something nice," though she didn't define what nice was.
Fortunately, Kas didn’t need her to. He was quite good at reading between the lines. “We really should collude more often.” he said casually, flipping the page of the wine list. “Do you know what sorts of things you want? I can order the wine for us both, if you’re not sure.” Most of the wine listings and dishes had rather unusual names that most people from Kanto wouldn’t recognize, but the benefit to growing up around the restaurant crowd was knowing a lot about food and drinks.
"Hm," she started, glancing up at him. "I think... I'll let you decide. I don't usually drink," she said as she glanced down at the menu again. "That should be evident when we played King's Cup," she spoke with a grin, not bothering to lift her eyes from the menu. She pursed her lips as she continued reading. Something must have caught her attention, and then lost it because her eyebrow quirked for a second before receeding.
"Everything looks and sounds so good, I don't know what to get," she said, chewing on the bottom of her lip as she furrowed her brows. "I guess I should decide based on what you decide for wine. It'll help somewhat, I think," she spoke as she set the menu down to stare at him.
“Usually people do that in the other direction,” Kas said with some amusement. “Food first, and then a wine to match. But if you’re having trouble…” He glanced back down at the list for a moment, running mentally over a few possible combinations.
At that point, the waitress approached their table, a small pad and elegant silver pen in her hands. She smiled at both of them, tucking a red curl behind one ear. “Good evening. My name is Charlotte, and I’ll be your server tonight. Can I start the two of you off with something to drink?”
“We’ll both have the Riesling d'Alsace, please” Kas replied politely. “The bottle, if you’d be so kind.”
Charlotte nodded, tucking the pad and pen away in the pocket of the apron tied at her waist. “Of course, Mr. Rheinallt. I’ll be back in a few minutes with that, and to take your food order.” She dipped her chin and retreated from the table.
“It’s a semisweet white,” He told Cyrilla. “A little fruity, but more crisp than anything. It should go well with any of the pastas or bread-centered dishes.” Kas leaned forward slightly, bracing one elbow on the table and propping his chin in his hand. He elected to read her menu upside-down rather than open his own.
"Oh? If that's the case then," she trailed off, placing her index finger on the menu before gliding down with it. She stopped on one in particular, and seemed to be reading the ingredients to it. She seemed to be satisfied with them because she nodded. "I think the Pissaladière pasta sounds good, then," she spoke, nodding her head as if to agree with herself. "But so does the Tarte flambée," she continued, furrowing her brows. She contemplated both decisions for a few minutes.
"Alright, I'm going with the Tarte flambée. It sounds better," she finally seemed to decide. "What about you, Kas, what are you going to get?" she asked, raising a brow in his direction.
Kas blinked; he’d been watching her search the menu, then speak, all without really considering what he was going to eat himself. Something about the expressiveness of her face—he cut the thought off and cleared his throat. Thankfully, it didn’t take him long to recover; he knew enough to reply almost immediately. “The turbot aux beurre blanc,” he said, lifting his shoulders. “It’s on the specials menu, so it seems like a good idea to give it a try.” It would also go very well with the wine, considering the sauce it was slathered in.
Seeking to distract himself, he glanced over at the other table. “I wonder how they’re getting along down there. Ryk knows nothing about food, and I’m pretty sure Ana’s never been somewhere half this fancy in her life.” He imagined that combination would make navigating the menu a bit of an adventure. It made him happy to see them here, though—they deserved to have new and interesting experiences. That they were together only made it sweeter, from his point of view.
"Horribly, I assume," she replied, setting the menu down. "Ryk will probably end up picking something that sounds good, but won't necessarily look good. Then, he'll probably end up playing with it for a few minutes before actually trying a bite. When he does, he'll like it and then forget about everything else until he's finished," she laughed lightly to herself. She sighed, though, resting her head on one of her hands as she glanced off towards the side.
"But I'm sure they'll be fine," she added almost as an after thought. "Besides," she began, glancing at him from the corner of her eye, "Ryk isn't entirely helpless, and I'm sure Ana will recognize some of the menu items at least. She could help Ryk out if it really came down to it."
He nodded. “They compliment each other well, honestly. If she’d been anyone else…” He pursed his lips, shaking his head slightly. “Well, we’d have less of a dilemma, but… he’d be less happy, too.” Kas knew he was kind of pushy when it came to encouraging the two of them to interact more. But he wouldn’t have done it if he didn’t think they were genuinely good for each other. Not in the romantic way—his thoughts about all of that were complicated. But they were good for each other, as people. No matter what else happened… they were both getting something good out of this. Maybe that was enough, for now.
His slightly grey-toned thoughts were interrupted by Charlotte’s reappearance; she carried a bottle and two elegant wine glasses, which she set down on the table. When she went to open the bottle though, Kas shook his head. “Don’t worry; I’ll do that.”
Once they’d put in their orders for food, he uncorked the wine with the corkscrew Charlotte had left for him, letting the wine breathe a moment and then pouring Cyrilla’s glass first. He swirled his own in its glass for a moment, inhaling the crisp scent of green apples. “Shall we toast?”
"Yes, let's make a toast," she paused, smiling just softly enough to be seen as thoughtful. "Let's toast to all the good times we've had, and the ones yet to come. And," she spoke, glancing up at Kas with a strange smile, "let's toast to us and more scheming for Ryk and Ana!"
“That’s quite a lot of toasting. But let me make sure I got it all: to shenanigans, past and future. To always plotting against our friends for their own benefit. And to us: the most beautiful woman in the room and her sometimes-charming friend.” He tipped his glass forward and clinked it softly against hers, cursing his tongue all the while.
He hadn’t quite meant to put it like that. But the fact that it was accidental didn’t make it false.
She didn't seem to take it bad at all, though, and just laughed. "I wouldn't say that, exactly," she started, taking a drink from her glass. "Kas is always charming," she spoke, laughing lightly. "Anyway," she started, glancing in his direction. It looked like she wanted to say something, but remained silent. "Thanks, Kas, for all of this. I don't think I would have been able to pull it off quite the way you did," she stated, before her eyes widened somewhat.
"Oh, that reminds me," she began, lifting her hand up in the process, the one that held the bracelet he'd given her for Christmas. "Georgio told me how this was made," she spoke, her brows furrowing slightly. "I didn't know you custom made this, and he also said how hard it is, too, to convince her to make something like this," she continued, pursing her lips just slightly.
"I just... I... thank you, Kas," she finally managed to say.
Well damn. Kas suppressed the urge to sigh. “You just said it, though, right? Kas is always charming.” He mimicked her strange third-person reference with half a wry smile. “I can be a pretty convincing person, too; don’t…” he cleared his throat, still trying to downplay whatever she’d heard. Probably the truth. “There’s no need to make a big deal of it, you know? It was a couple afternoons of work. I know I don’t act like it, but I can actually do that without much trouble.” He took a slightly too-large swallow of wine, but it probably wasn’t noticeable.
"Yeah, well, still. Charming or not, hard-worker or not, it means a lot to me. Also, I didn't know that these were functional. I could be holding them all on my wrist instead of my belt. It would make it easier to carry them around," she stated all in one breath, seemingly excited about the news. "So, thank you, still, jerk. Take a compliment when it's given, though I'm not sure if that could be considered one," she laughed a little nervously at that.
He was surprised he hadn’t mentioned that. Perhaps he’d forgotten? “They detach from the ends of the charms,” he elaborated. “The main difference between the apricorns used for those and normal pokéballs, aside from the color and the fact that they’re plated in minerals is that they can size even smaller. They’re supposedly the same as a luxury ball for a pokémon, though.” He shrugged, a smile tugging at one corner of his mouth.
“I’m not sure it’s a compliment, either, but I guess I’ll take it. You’re welcome, Cy.”
There was a small voice in the back of his mind telling him he was being set up, however; he couldn't exactly tell whether or not the waitress had been serious or not until they'd actually split up. When one hostess led them away, and then another took Cy and Kas in another direction, Eryk almost wanted to glare at the person responsible for this. Unfortunately, he didn't know who that was, so he opted to unintentionally glare at the person who took them to their table. Once they were situated, and a menu was placed in front of them, he kept his gaze focused on it, instead of Ana. She looked... he couldn't even think of the proper words. She looked nice, perhaps, but that seemed to mild for the word he was looking for.
"Somehow, I think they did this on purpose, but I can't prove it," he finally said, though it wasn't exactly the way he wanted to start a conversation. He shook his head apologetically, though. "I don't mind, though," he spoke after realizing how that might have sounded. He almost sounded like it was a bad thing that they split up, however; he couldn't exactly bring himself to agree with that. It wasn't a bad thing, but he wasn't entirely sure what that meant for him at the moment.
"Do you see anything in particular that you might want to start with?" it would probably be easier if they chose an appetizer first, and then something for a main course. He didn't see anything in particular, mostly because some of the foods listed were ones he was unfamiliar with.
Across from him, Ana seemed a little more… fidgety, than usual? She was usually very still unless she had reason no to be. Peaceful, was the word. But at the moment she was shifting around as though she found her chair uncomfortable or something. It was subtle, but he knew how to notice things, so he could see it.
She stilled a bit when he spoke though, glancing down at her menu at the question. “Hmm…” She flipped back and forth through the appetizers a few times, then lifted her shoulders. “Sorry; I’m not much use at this kind of thing, I guess. Maybe we should just get bread? It says they make it fresh; I’m sure they have things to go on it as well.” She looked almost sheepish. “I guess I think the simple things are best sometimes.”
"Like a baguette?" he questioned, raising a brow at her. He shook his head softly and sighed through his nose. "Simple or not, you've never been to a place like this," he began, though to be fair, he'd never been to one like this, either. "What about the Choucroute garnie?" he suggested. He was probably butchering the name, but he didn't exactly care. He wasn't going to pretend to be someone who knew how to pronounce words when he knew that if he couldn't, he wasn't even going to try.
"It has sasuages, sauerkraut, and potatoes," he began, listing off some of the ingredients. She could see for herself what was in it if she really wanted to know.
“I’ve never tried sauerkraut,” she said thoughtfully. “Let’s do that—it’ll be something new.” She didn’t seem to mind too much either way, really. “Um… I think I’ll probably just stick to water for the drink, though… I’m not very good at holding anything strong.” She had consumed considerably less than everyone else on Christmas—that sort of made sense, considering how light she was.
"Are you sure?" he spoke, referring to the meal choice. She'd never tried sauerkraut before, and from his own experience, it was more of an acquired taste. She did have a point, though. It would be something new for her, and somewhat for him because he's never had a dish like this. He'd probably take a wine to go with his, probably a white. But then again, he wanted to enjoy his dish. Wine could help compliment it, perhaps, but he wasn't so sure he really wanted that.
"If you've never tried it before, I suppose it would be alright," he continued. He was still slightly unsure about it, but if she didn't eat hers, she could always order something else. He'd eat whatever she didn't.
She smiled at him—there was a bit of reassurance in it. “I’m not picky, really,” she said. “I like lots of things. And even if I’m not fond of this, there’s plenty more to eat—we still have to decide on what we want for the main course, right?” She looked down at the menu.
“I bet I know what you’re getting for your side though,” she said, playful amusement leaking into her tone. She reached across the table and pointed at one of the entries on his menu, under the section for salads, soups, and side dishes. It read poireaux vinaigrette. “They’re marinated leeks.”
He actually snorted at that. He did like leeks, and it wasn't a secret that she knew about it. She'd made him a few dishes before with leeks, but he suspected that someone told her. And by someone he knew it was Cy. He shook his head lightly though, but smiled somewhat. "Apparently you know me too well," he spoke, glancing at what it was. It sounded good, actually, now that he read it. "I suppose I shall get it," he spoke out loud to himself.
He fell silent after stating that, not entirely sure what to do or say next. Their waiter, or waitress, hadn't arrived yet to take their order, but it wasn't like he was in any kind of hurry. It was pleasant, to say the least, and some part of him, deep down, had to thank Kas for this. For what, exactly, he didn't know. Maybe for picking out the place? Maybe for dinner? It wasn't, surely, because he left Ana and himself alone. That was obvious... or was it? He glanced towards Ana for a moment, and sighed.
"Cy really did help you pick out a nice dress," he spoke, focusing on that instead. It seemed to bring out the blues to her eyes. It was... pretty?
Her eyes rounded slightly at the comment; she blinked at him, a shy smile stealing across her face for a moment. “We had a lot of help,” she said quietly. “But thank you. I’ve never really owned things like this before, so… more new experiences, right? I’m glad I get to have them.” Some realization seemed to dawn on her then, and she took a sip from the glass of water already at their table.
“I completely forgot to say it before, but I like your suit, too. You, um… you have such a beautiful red eye color; the grey makes it easy to tell.”
He blinked a little stupidly at her, he could feel it. He cleared his throat in an awkward fashion before glancing to the side. He wasn't entirely sure how to take that. It wasn't that people haven't said anything about his eye color before, but they've never used beautiful to describe it. It was either something scary or some other word he couldn't be bothered to remember. Intimidating is how people often found them, and it wasn't something he'd ever bothered to care about. However, when she said it like that, it made him feel... something.
"You too," he finally spoke, though he had to reel himself backwards at what he just said. "I mean, your dress does the same for your eyes, and... everything else about you," he tried to explain, but it just sounded worse when he spoke it out loud. He cleared his throat awkwardly again. He really wasn't good with words.
Ana, in the middle of another sip of water, made a small, distressed noise and put her glass back down immediately. She swallowed in a way that was clearly uncomfortable, then coughed softly into the crook of her arm. Whether it was the near-choke or something else, her face was going red, all the way down her throat and to the line of her dress.
“O-oh, um… thank you. That’s… that’s very kind of you.” She snorted softly, then giggled, her expression softening and the harsh red easing to a soft pink. “I’m sorry—I’m so horribly awkward. It’s probably not making anything simpler for you either. I have this feeling that if Kas and Cy were here, they’d be laughing at us.” She shook her head, her smile reappearing ruefully.
She braced both arms on the table and cradled her chin in her hands. “I bet other people do this all the time, right? Dress up and go out to dinner. Try new food and give each other compliments. It seems very… like something normal. I guess that makes us kind of weird.” She didn’t seem unhappy about it, though.
"Weird, indeed," he replied, taking a drink of water. "But we don't suit this kind of normalcy," he spoke, setting the glass down. "This isn't the kind of lifestyle that suits either of us, actually," he continued, allowing a small smile to appear. It really didn't. He wasn't used to this kind of thing, and he doubted she was, either. He preferred smaller, less known places simply because the food tended to taste better. They weren't made from top chefs or anything like that, but their passion was noticeable, and he believed that they made for better restaurants, instead of places like this.
"Perhaps next time we can choose a place that will be slightly... different," he added, glancing to the side for a moment. He could see just about everyone else, talking, smiling with each other and having a good time. He was having one as well, though from the feel of his face, he probably wasn't expressing it. Even though he smiled, he could still feel the slight tensing in his muscles. Maybe he was nervous? About what, he didn't know, or even understand.
"We'll just have to make the plans before Kas does," he added, pulling his attention away from his surroundings to fix it on Ana, instead. She seemed slightly more... interesting at the moment.
Her eyes were soft; her smile had transmuted into one of her rarer ones—it was smaller than some, less obviously brilliant, but there was something about it. Some quality it had that the others didn’t quite share. He’d never seen her use it on the others. Maybe it was only something she showed him?
“It’s nice here,” she said quietly. “And I’m sure the food will be excellent. I’m glad I’m here with you, but… I think you’re right. Most of the time, this isn’t the kind of place we’d be at all.” She dropped her eyes momentarily to the table, and sighed. “I think I must feel out of place nearly anywhere I’m not knee-deep in pokémon who need my attention,” she murmured. “And this color isn’t exactly subtle. I’m sure no one’s really looking at me or anything, but… I can’t help but feel a little strange about it anyway.” Ana lifted her shoulders in a shrug.
“But… I hope you don’t mind me saying so, but things like this…” She lifted her eyes again, holding his with them. “They depend more on the company than the food, so I think I got pretty lucky, all things considered.”
That wasn't true, or at least some of it wasn't. He was more perceptive than most, and though he'd glanced around at his surroundings, he did see his fair share of eyes on her. Usually, things like that were quite common, and he'd have no problem with it, however; some part of him actually didn't like it. He didn't like the stares she was receiving, but that may be in part due to the fact that some part of him was protective. That... didn't seem like the right word, though, but what else could it be?
"You are right, I suppose," he finally spoke, shifting in his seat a little uncomfortably now. "Though I think I may have to disagree on that," he added, keeping her gaze with his own. They were slightly more serious now, as though he were going to confess something. Maybe he was, but even if he did, he wouldn't exactly know what. "I believe I am the lucky one," he said, his smile for her appearing on his face.
“Maybe we both are, then.” Ana looked like she wanted to say something else, but the reappearance of their waiter stopped her. She visibly drew back, removing her elbows from the table and sitting up straighter. Once they’d put in the order for their appetizer, she returned her attention to him, but something about it was slightly different.
“Are you nervous about tomorrow?” She contemplated his face for a moment, it seemed, then shook her head. “Maybe that’s a silly question. Do you even get nervous? About anything?”
"Nervous?" he repeated, blinking slowly. There were plenty of things he was nervous about. For one, he didn't like large crowds too much. There was just something about them, the people, that he didn't necessarily like. It was still somewhat of an accomplishment how long he managed to put up with everything at the base, and everyone. Maybe that was because he'd become used to it somewhat? But more importantly, he was a little nervous, he supposed.
"Perhaps, just a bit," he spoke, nodding his head as he did so. "There are a few things I do get nervous about, such as you," he spoke without really giving it much thought. "You make me nervous most of all, though, and I often find myself wondering if you're alright, or if you need help, or if there's something you might need," he continued, still not giving much thought to what he was saying. It wasn't like it wasn't true, because it was. He just didn't think nervous was the right word he should be using, though.
She looked genuinely surprised. “Me?” she echoed, pointing an index finger at herself. Ana huffed softly. “I’m sorry—I don’t mean to. And here I thought you were just the type of person who never let anything get to him.” She tipped her head to the side; the end of her braid fell over her shoulder. Her hair was braided along the crown of her head, but she had so much of it that there was plenty left to fall down her back.
“I really just meant to ask how you felt about the tournament tomorrow,” she said. “It’s… I looked into it a little; competitive battling seems very… well, competitive. And apparently the big marquee events like this are sometimes televised.” Ana lifted both eyebrows. “I think you’ll do really well, but… I can also imagine it being very stressful.”
Eryk gave a casual shrug of his shoulders. It wasn't her fault she made him nervous. If he knew the root cause of it, then perhaps he wouldn't be so nervous. He supposed she had a point, though. The tournament did sound slightly stressful, but he didn't seem to mind it too much. It would actually be relaxing, now that he thought about it. Things at the base and with the organization were stressful, but not something like this. In a sense, this was his vacation. Being in the tournament was just a minor detail to him, though it did mean something to him.
"I think... it'll be less stressful with you all being around. Kas is part of it too, and you, Harper, and Cy will be cheering us on," he started, pausing to take another drink of his water. Funny, his throat seemed drier than usual. "I don't feel nervous at all when I think of it that way," which was true, he supposed.
“I’m glad I could help, then,” she replied easily.
Their appetizer arrived at that point; Ana sniffed curiously. Sauerkraut did have a distinctive smell, perhaps. “This should be interesting,” she mused, grinning at him across the table. “Shall we?”
"Somehow, I think they did this on purpose, but I can't prove it," he finally said, though it wasn't exactly the way he wanted to start a conversation. He shook his head apologetically, though. "I don't mind, though," he spoke after realizing how that might have sounded. He almost sounded like it was a bad thing that they split up, however; he couldn't exactly bring himself to agree with that. It wasn't a bad thing, but he wasn't entirely sure what that meant for him at the moment.
"Do you see anything in particular that you might want to start with?" it would probably be easier if they chose an appetizer first, and then something for a main course. He didn't see anything in particular, mostly because some of the foods listed were ones he was unfamiliar with.
Across from him, Ana seemed a little more… fidgety, than usual? She was usually very still unless she had reason no to be. Peaceful, was the word. But at the moment she was shifting around as though she found her chair uncomfortable or something. It was subtle, but he knew how to notice things, so he could see it.
She stilled a bit when he spoke though, glancing down at her menu at the question. “Hmm…” She flipped back and forth through the appetizers a few times, then lifted her shoulders. “Sorry; I’m not much use at this kind of thing, I guess. Maybe we should just get bread? It says they make it fresh; I’m sure they have things to go on it as well.” She looked almost sheepish. “I guess I think the simple things are best sometimes.”
"Like a baguette?" he questioned, raising a brow at her. He shook his head softly and sighed through his nose. "Simple or not, you've never been to a place like this," he began, though to be fair, he'd never been to one like this, either. "What about the Choucroute garnie?" he suggested. He was probably butchering the name, but he didn't exactly care. He wasn't going to pretend to be someone who knew how to pronounce words when he knew that if he couldn't, he wasn't even going to try.
"It has sasuages, sauerkraut, and potatoes," he began, listing off some of the ingredients. She could see for herself what was in it if she really wanted to know.
“I’ve never tried sauerkraut,” she said thoughtfully. “Let’s do that—it’ll be something new.” She didn’t seem to mind too much either way, really. “Um… I think I’ll probably just stick to water for the drink, though… I’m not very good at holding anything strong.” She had consumed considerably less than everyone else on Christmas—that sort of made sense, considering how light she was.
"Are you sure?" he spoke, referring to the meal choice. She'd never tried sauerkraut before, and from his own experience, it was more of an acquired taste. She did have a point, though. It would be something new for her, and somewhat for him because he's never had a dish like this. He'd probably take a wine to go with his, probably a white. But then again, he wanted to enjoy his dish. Wine could help compliment it, perhaps, but he wasn't so sure he really wanted that.
"If you've never tried it before, I suppose it would be alright," he continued. He was still slightly unsure about it, but if she didn't eat hers, she could always order something else. He'd eat whatever she didn't.
She smiled at him—there was a bit of reassurance in it. “I’m not picky, really,” she said. “I like lots of things. And even if I’m not fond of this, there’s plenty more to eat—we still have to decide on what we want for the main course, right?” She looked down at the menu.
“I bet I know what you’re getting for your side though,” she said, playful amusement leaking into her tone. She reached across the table and pointed at one of the entries on his menu, under the section for salads, soups, and side dishes. It read poireaux vinaigrette. “They’re marinated leeks.”
He actually snorted at that. He did like leeks, and it wasn't a secret that she knew about it. She'd made him a few dishes before with leeks, but he suspected that someone told her. And by someone he knew it was Cy. He shook his head lightly though, but smiled somewhat. "Apparently you know me too well," he spoke, glancing at what it was. It sounded good, actually, now that he read it. "I suppose I shall get it," he spoke out loud to himself.
He fell silent after stating that, not entirely sure what to do or say next. Their waiter, or waitress, hadn't arrived yet to take their order, but it wasn't like he was in any kind of hurry. It was pleasant, to say the least, and some part of him, deep down, had to thank Kas for this. For what, exactly, he didn't know. Maybe for picking out the place? Maybe for dinner? It wasn't, surely, because he left Ana and himself alone. That was obvious... or was it? He glanced towards Ana for a moment, and sighed.
"Cy really did help you pick out a nice dress," he spoke, focusing on that instead. It seemed to bring out the blues to her eyes. It was... pretty?
Her eyes rounded slightly at the comment; she blinked at him, a shy smile stealing across her face for a moment. “We had a lot of help,” she said quietly. “But thank you. I’ve never really owned things like this before, so… more new experiences, right? I’m glad I get to have them.” Some realization seemed to dawn on her then, and she took a sip from the glass of water already at their table.
“I completely forgot to say it before, but I like your suit, too. You, um… you have such a beautiful red eye color; the grey makes it easy to tell.”
He blinked a little stupidly at her, he could feel it. He cleared his throat in an awkward fashion before glancing to the side. He wasn't entirely sure how to take that. It wasn't that people haven't said anything about his eye color before, but they've never used beautiful to describe it. It was either something scary or some other word he couldn't be bothered to remember. Intimidating is how people often found them, and it wasn't something he'd ever bothered to care about. However, when she said it like that, it made him feel... something.
"You too," he finally spoke, though he had to reel himself backwards at what he just said. "I mean, your dress does the same for your eyes, and... everything else about you," he tried to explain, but it just sounded worse when he spoke it out loud. He cleared his throat awkwardly again. He really wasn't good with words.
Ana, in the middle of another sip of water, made a small, distressed noise and put her glass back down immediately. She swallowed in a way that was clearly uncomfortable, then coughed softly into the crook of her arm. Whether it was the near-choke or something else, her face was going red, all the way down her throat and to the line of her dress.
“O-oh, um… thank you. That’s… that’s very kind of you.” She snorted softly, then giggled, her expression softening and the harsh red easing to a soft pink. “I’m sorry—I’m so horribly awkward. It’s probably not making anything simpler for you either. I have this feeling that if Kas and Cy were here, they’d be laughing at us.” She shook her head, her smile reappearing ruefully.
She braced both arms on the table and cradled her chin in her hands. “I bet other people do this all the time, right? Dress up and go out to dinner. Try new food and give each other compliments. It seems very… like something normal. I guess that makes us kind of weird.” She didn’t seem unhappy about it, though.
"Weird, indeed," he replied, taking a drink of water. "But we don't suit this kind of normalcy," he spoke, setting the glass down. "This isn't the kind of lifestyle that suits either of us, actually," he continued, allowing a small smile to appear. It really didn't. He wasn't used to this kind of thing, and he doubted she was, either. He preferred smaller, less known places simply because the food tended to taste better. They weren't made from top chefs or anything like that, but their passion was noticeable, and he believed that they made for better restaurants, instead of places like this.
"Perhaps next time we can choose a place that will be slightly... different," he added, glancing to the side for a moment. He could see just about everyone else, talking, smiling with each other and having a good time. He was having one as well, though from the feel of his face, he probably wasn't expressing it. Even though he smiled, he could still feel the slight tensing in his muscles. Maybe he was nervous? About what, he didn't know, or even understand.
"We'll just have to make the plans before Kas does," he added, pulling his attention away from his surroundings to fix it on Ana, instead. She seemed slightly more... interesting at the moment.
Her eyes were soft; her smile had transmuted into one of her rarer ones—it was smaller than some, less obviously brilliant, but there was something about it. Some quality it had that the others didn’t quite share. He’d never seen her use it on the others. Maybe it was only something she showed him?
“It’s nice here,” she said quietly. “And I’m sure the food will be excellent. I’m glad I’m here with you, but… I think you’re right. Most of the time, this isn’t the kind of place we’d be at all.” She dropped her eyes momentarily to the table, and sighed. “I think I must feel out of place nearly anywhere I’m not knee-deep in pokémon who need my attention,” she murmured. “And this color isn’t exactly subtle. I’m sure no one’s really looking at me or anything, but… I can’t help but feel a little strange about it anyway.” Ana lifted her shoulders in a shrug.
“But… I hope you don’t mind me saying so, but things like this…” She lifted her eyes again, holding his with them. “They depend more on the company than the food, so I think I got pretty lucky, all things considered.”
That wasn't true, or at least some of it wasn't. He was more perceptive than most, and though he'd glanced around at his surroundings, he did see his fair share of eyes on her. Usually, things like that were quite common, and he'd have no problem with it, however; some part of him actually didn't like it. He didn't like the stares she was receiving, but that may be in part due to the fact that some part of him was protective. That... didn't seem like the right word, though, but what else could it be?
"You are right, I suppose," he finally spoke, shifting in his seat a little uncomfortably now. "Though I think I may have to disagree on that," he added, keeping her gaze with his own. They were slightly more serious now, as though he were going to confess something. Maybe he was, but even if he did, he wouldn't exactly know what. "I believe I am the lucky one," he said, his smile for her appearing on his face.
“Maybe we both are, then.” Ana looked like she wanted to say something else, but the reappearance of their waiter stopped her. She visibly drew back, removing her elbows from the table and sitting up straighter. Once they’d put in the order for their appetizer, she returned her attention to him, but something about it was slightly different.
“Are you nervous about tomorrow?” She contemplated his face for a moment, it seemed, then shook her head. “Maybe that’s a silly question. Do you even get nervous? About anything?”
"Nervous?" he repeated, blinking slowly. There were plenty of things he was nervous about. For one, he didn't like large crowds too much. There was just something about them, the people, that he didn't necessarily like. It was still somewhat of an accomplishment how long he managed to put up with everything at the base, and everyone. Maybe that was because he'd become used to it somewhat? But more importantly, he was a little nervous, he supposed.
"Perhaps, just a bit," he spoke, nodding his head as he did so. "There are a few things I do get nervous about, such as you," he spoke without really giving it much thought. "You make me nervous most of all, though, and I often find myself wondering if you're alright, or if you need help, or if there's something you might need," he continued, still not giving much thought to what he was saying. It wasn't like it wasn't true, because it was. He just didn't think nervous was the right word he should be using, though.
She looked genuinely surprised. “Me?” she echoed, pointing an index finger at herself. Ana huffed softly. “I’m sorry—I don’t mean to. And here I thought you were just the type of person who never let anything get to him.” She tipped her head to the side; the end of her braid fell over her shoulder. Her hair was braided along the crown of her head, but she had so much of it that there was plenty left to fall down her back.
“I really just meant to ask how you felt about the tournament tomorrow,” she said. “It’s… I looked into it a little; competitive battling seems very… well, competitive. And apparently the big marquee events like this are sometimes televised.” Ana lifted both eyebrows. “I think you’ll do really well, but… I can also imagine it being very stressful.”
Eryk gave a casual shrug of his shoulders. It wasn't her fault she made him nervous. If he knew the root cause of it, then perhaps he wouldn't be so nervous. He supposed she had a point, though. The tournament did sound slightly stressful, but he didn't seem to mind it too much. It would actually be relaxing, now that he thought about it. Things at the base and with the organization were stressful, but not something like this. In a sense, this was his vacation. Being in the tournament was just a minor detail to him, though it did mean something to him.
"I think... it'll be less stressful with you all being around. Kas is part of it too, and you, Harper, and Cy will be cheering us on," he started, pausing to take another drink of his water. Funny, his throat seemed drier than usual. "I don't feel nervous at all when I think of it that way," which was true, he supposed.
“I’m glad I could help, then,” she replied easily.
Their appetizer arrived at that point; Ana sniffed curiously. Sauerkraut did have a distinctive smell, perhaps. “This should be interesting,” she mused, grinning at him across the table. “Shall we?”
The morning of the tournament’s first round dawned bright sunny. Harper had been up since before daybreak anyway; after her run, she’d showered and dressed for the open-roofed stadium: long, close-fitting jeans tucked into reliable, but stylish knee-high brown boots. She stood in front of her suitcase for several minutes, debating between her three sweaters. Green, blue, or orange? This was a choice of some interest to her, in large part because she was kind of hoping to run into someone. Someone she wanted to make feel at least a little bad for not calling her.
Orange it was. That one clung pleasantly to her frame, and the wide boat-neck meant it sat low on her shoulders, making the elegance of her neck, shoulders, and collarbones evident, while still being classy. She tied a yellow silk kerchief around her neck and pulled her hair into twin tails high on her head. Was that a little too middle-school? Screw it, she liked her hair that way, and that was enough reason for her.
Throwing her bag over one shoulder, she left her room and headed down the two extra floors to where Mirmir and his friends were rooming. Eryk had a match today, which meant they were all heading down to the stadium to watch the bout. The competitors had to be there kind of early—but that would work out well for the rest of them, too, since they’d be able to get good seats in advance.
She banged on her brother’s door a few times first, then knocked with a little more kindness on the door belonging to the women in his group. “Rise and shine, kids, it’s showtime!” she called, a smile blooming over her face.
Ana was first out; she’d dressed a lot like Harper had, except her sweater was a very conservative dark blue turtleneck and her hair was tied into a large, slightly-messy bun above the nape of her neck, with little bits falling out around her face. “Good morning, Harper.”
“Morning, Ana.”
Kas joined them next, yawning widely. “Why’d they have to start the matches in the morning?” he grumbled. “What’s wrong with the afternoon?”
Harper rolled her eyes, stepping forward to adjust the lapels of his dark trenchcoat. He wore it over a maroon shirt; a darker choice than she was used to seeing on him. It looked nice, though she wasn’t planning on telling him that. Kas knew he was good-looking; there was no need to stroke his ego by confirming it.
“Because they wouldn’t be able to keep this thing to a week if they restricted the matches to the afternoons and evenings. Maybe you should go to bed earlier.”
Cyrilla came out just after Harper's comment, and chuckled slightly. "I would have thought that someone who takes plenty of naps would be okay," she muttered a little sleepily. She rubbed her eyes a bit before yawning. The only thing she wore that was similar to Harper and Ana, though, were the jeans. They were black in color, more along the lines of tights, and fitted into a pair of similar color boots that stopped to the middle of her calf. The shirt she was wearing was a long-sleeved, charcoal grey color. It fell a little long to her thighs, with the shirttail hanging slightly longer in the back. The front of the shirt had a bow collar, and it was left slightly open, exposing just the skin of her chest, no cleavage. Her hair, however, was left loose, allowed to hang at the base of her shoulders, though there were still some noticeable layers to it. It was growing long again.
"He can just nap during my battle," Eryk spoke last, the words coming out a little deadpanned. He gave Kas a flat look, but it smoothed out once he laid eyes on the girls, specifically Ana. Cyrilla looked like she wanted to roll her eyes, but settled on shaking her head. Eryk was dressed in simple clothing, or so it appeared. His shirt was a white turtle-neck, visible underneath a black jacket. His jeans were a little more comfortable than loose, and not quite close-fitting. They were black as well, but the shoes he wore were a little less winteresque and more summerish.
"It's not like you have a match today, anyway," he continued, though he looked more awake than the others did. Actually, he always looked awake, and ready for something. This awake looked more casual, though.
Overall, Harper thought, they did casual pretty well. It was a shame she hadn’t seen them all dolled up the night before; Kas had told her it had been pretty amusing. She’d have liked being a fly on the wall for that. Ah well; another time, perhaps.
“No, Ryk, I’ll nap during all the other battles, and wake up for yours. If I wasn’t going to watch your match, I wouldn’t have bothered rolling out of bed at this horrible, profane time of day. What time is it, anyway?” He checked his wrist, but there was no watch there.
“Six-thirty,” Ana replied promptly. She didn't seem to be unused to the hour; Harper supposed she was probably up early to work at the shelter.
Kas groaned. “I didn’t even know six-thirty existed. I didn’t want to know.”
Harper stared at him with a flat expression. “You’re a giant baby, Mirmir. Quit whining and let’s get going. We don’t want to make your more responsible friend late for his match because you’re whining.” She glanced over at the others and rolled her eyes, hooking her arm around her brother’s elbow and dragging him along behind her.
"I'd leave him behind, regardless."
In this way, they all made the trek to the stadium. Early as it was, only the competitors, their closest friends and family, and the really, really die-hard professional battle fans were present. She couldn’t help the fact that her eyes started automatically to scan for bright red; Harper inwardly smacked herself and shook her head. She was being ridiculous. She barely even knew him, and it was clear he wasn’t interested in that sense. Time to get over it.
They stood themselves at the end of the line; it was moving at a decent pace, but considering how many people were competing that day, it still might be a while.
"Hey guys!" a familiar voice called out to them. Drake looked like he was still on Cinnabar, dressed in a bright orange tank top with a pair of blue jeans. "I'm glad to see you all made it!" he expressed. Eryk looked, oddly, just slightly annoyed at his presence, but seemed more content at ignoring him. Cyrilla waved back, though, when Drake did, and smiled.
"Aren't you cold?" she asked, raising a brow at his dress. He glanced down at what he was wearing before glancing back up with a confused look.
"Should I be? I mean, I've lived most of my life in a volcano, I guess I'm just always warm," he replied and shrugged his shoulders. He glanced at Harper, though, and immediately he looked away. He laughed nervously and scratched his cheek as he did. "Hi, Harp. I... it's nice to see you too," he spoke, glancing at her, but not directly. It was like he was looking over her shoulder or something. Cyrilla snickered slightly and pushed him slightly so that he stumbled a bit forward.
"I meant to call you, I just... I've... I mean I did, I just..." he seemed at a loss for words on how to continue. Eryk merely rolled his eyes at the scene, like he was finding it ridiculous. He probably was. Cyrilla, however, looked like she was amused by the whole thing.
Harper wasn’t sure if it was her genetics that made her impervious to awkward or not—it was a trait she shared with Kas and Crystal both. Maybe it was just something about growing up a Rheinallt. In any case, she was able to observe Drake’s obvious awkwardness with a sort of cool detachment that let her consider her own response a little more carefully.
That wasn’t to say she felt nothing, though; she was honestly surprised to find that her mood was lifting, just a little bit, now that… well, it seemed to be just the fact that he was here now. Still… she wasn’t going to let that divert her from the plan.
“Didn’t?” she said, finishing his sentence for him. Harper arched a brow, crossing her arms just beneath her chest and letting a little amusement show through on her face, but also a touch of irritation. “Don’t sweat it, Drake. Everyone gets their hopes dashed sometimes. We learn to move on.”
Behind her, Kas let out a soft breath. “Oh, jeez… you messed up, man. She only makes that face at me when I forget an important birthday or something.”
"I... wait, what? I..." he seemed to stutter, waving his hands franctically in front of him. His face turned a deep shade of red, one that out colored his own hair, and he shook his head. "No, I did call! I just... couldn't... I couldn't..." he seemed to be digging himself in deeper. He pursed his lips together almost in a pout-like gesture, and released a deep breath before taking one in. "I did call, I really did, a couple of times, actually. I just couldn't find..."
"The courage?"
"Yeah, that! Thanks Eryk," he spoke, his face lighting up just slightly at the word. "And... I didn't know what to say," he muttered the last part, glancing away a bit sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his neck.
Harper’s perfectly-crafted expression fell apart into one of genuine surprise. “That was you?” she asked, unable to keep the surprise out of her voice. She’d received a couple hang-up calls about a month ago, close to the holidays. “I thought it was—well, that doesn’t matter.” She shook her head. She’d thought it was Derek, but there was no way she was going to say that. Kas would know what she was referring to, but no one else. That was for the better.
She pushed a sigh out of her nose, but her expression gentled considerably, almost without her permission. “I’m not that scary, am I?” Curse her overbearing personality. Maybe she should be more reserved? Ugh, no—she liked how she was. She didn’t plan to change for anyone; why was she even thinking things like that?
“Scary? More like terrifying.”
“Shut up, Mirmir. No one asked you.”
Cyrilla chuckled in the background as Drake's eyes widened slightly. "Scary? No! Not at all, I think you're really pretty I just..." he paused, having realized what he said. He sighed a little too heavily and slumped his shoulders. "I did want to call you during the holidays to say something, I just couldn't do it. And then... I remembered you said you'd probably be here and I wanted to apologize for that, but now I can't seem to get the words right," he continued, furrowing his brows just slightly and pursed his lips together.
"I mean, I understand if you're angry at me, or mad, or whatever, but it wasn't my intention to not call you. I really did," he was actually staring her in the eyes now, when he said that.
He was so earnest. Like a baby growlithe puppy or something. Harper found the last vestiges of artificial irritation fading away—she didn’t want him to feel that bad about it. Just a little bad, and just for a little while. But maybe that wasn’t the best idea—he seemed to be beating himself up about it plenty without her help. It was bizarrely flattering, in a way.
“Don’t worry about it,” she said, sighing and turning away just slightly. “It’s fine, honestly. I was just giving you a hard time.”
Drake pursed his lips together, and tilted his head. He looked like he wanted to say something, and struggled with himself to do so. Maybe it was because they were surrounded by people he knew that made him seem a little more awkward. He rubbed the back of his neck, the red on his face subsiding to a more pink color before he sighed. "No, Harper, it's not fine. I promise to make it up to you. How about..." he began, glancing back up at her. A slow smile formed on his face as though he thought of something.
"How about, after the matches today, I take you to dinner? Wherever you want to go, whatever you want to eat! And it'll be my treat," he said, the smile turning into a grin. He seemed happy with himself for suggesting it, but from the way he said it, it wasn't in a friend-date manner. He looked like he was asking her out on a date, date.
Of course, with him, it was probably wise not to assume anything. Still, it wasn’t like the difference changed her answer at all—though she might have to think about it more later. “Hm… sounds good. I think… you’ll take me to Bocelli’s.” She grinned. It was a moderately-nice place, but also a bit of a hole-in-the-wall, which meant it had really good food but also a somewhat-casual atmosphere. It also wouldn’t burn a hole in his wallet, which was good.
About then, they reached the admission counter. “Do you have a match today?” she asked him.
"Mine's actually tomorrow," he replied, stepping in line with them. "But I came to watch Eryk's match, with you guys," he continued, earning a slight scowl from Eryk. He seemed a little happier, though, as if her agreeing to go with him to Bocelli's was what made him so.
"How nice," Eryk replied, his voice as deadpan as it could get. He didn't look too happy about it, but Eryk never really looked happy about most things. Except for when it came to Ana, and on the rare occasion, Kas and Cy. Cyrilla merely rolled her eyes at Eryk and elbowed him in the side.
"You shouldn't be so mean, Ryk. Be happy people are coming to watch you, especially when they're Gym Leaders and friends," she spoke to him. He didn't seem to care too much and shrugged his shoulders. Cyrilla sighed in defeat and left his side in favor of Ana's. "Ana, tell him to stop being so mean. He's not listening to me," she spoke, but it was in good humor.
“Um..." Ana didn't seem too sure about that.
"What about you, do you have a match today?" Drake asked, drawing his attention away from the bickering and back towards Harper.
She shook her head. “I qualified out of Viridian, but my match isn’t until the day after tomorrow—last day of the opening rounds. You and Kas are both tomorrow, though, so I guess I’m spending most of that day at the stadium.” Not that she minded in the least, of course. Harper loved battling; the more competitive the venue, the better. Her pokémon all enjoyed it, too—they were competitive like she was, even the ones who seemed more laid-back.
"Well, I guess that means we'll all be here, then," he said, grinning all the while. "So we'll get to cheer you on, even if I lose," he continued, though it sounded like he didn't plan on it. Gym Leader or not, he looked almost excited about his upcoming battle. "I hope I don't, but you never know. Some of the challengers have trained for something like this, and it'll be fun to finally be able to go all out with them," he spoke, his voice getting a little too excited about it. It cracked towards the end of that sentence, and he smiled sheepishly.
"Are you really that excited?" Ryk asked, raising his brow in an amused fashion. Drake, however, didn't seem to catch on, and nodded his head.
"I am. It's not every day you get a chance like this. I may be a Gym Leader, but I was a trainer at one time, too, Ryk. I have dreams!" he spoke, his voice laced with an odd amount of confidence. Eryk looked like he was ready to either roll his eyes, or trip Drake, but didn't do either. He just shook his head.
“Don’t we all?” Harper asked rhetorically, grinning at his enthusiasm. Eryk’s response amused her, but she wondered if maybe he wasn’t looking forward to this more than he was letting on.
“Not me,” Kas replied laconically. “I only dream when I’m sleeping, and I am unfortunately not sleeping right now.” Apparently he was back on that topic; most likely, he was doing it just to annoy her.
She rolled her eyes. “How do your friends put up with you?”
“A little patience goes a long way,” Ana replied quietly, a sly little smile flickering across her face.
“Hey, now.”
Harper laughed at her brother’s pouting face. He totally deserved that.
Eryk scoffed lightly and rolled his eyes at Kas, but didn't say anything. Cyrilla just chose to laugh, apparently, at Kas's misfortune, but didn't say anything either. Drake, however, smiled somewhat and shook his head. "Apparently it's what friends do for each other, though I'm not so sure if we'd classify as anything but normal. I think we're all just a weird group of people who seem to get along perfectly fine," he spoke, causing Cyrilla to giggle before laughing.
"Drake... you do know that sounds a little corny, right? But I can't disagree with you," she stated between laughs. Drake just blinked at her and tilted his head in a confused fashion.
"Am I wrong?"
"No, not really," Eryk seemed to agree, oddly enough.
Harper was actually a little touched. The four of them were so close that she would honestly never expect to be included, but they seemed willing enough to do so. She smiled warmly at all of them. Corny or not, Drake did have a point. They were a bunch of weirdoes. “That’s an idea I could get used to,” she mused. “But for now… let’s get our abnormal selves into this stadium and see a match!”
Orange it was. That one clung pleasantly to her frame, and the wide boat-neck meant it sat low on her shoulders, making the elegance of her neck, shoulders, and collarbones evident, while still being classy. She tied a yellow silk kerchief around her neck and pulled her hair into twin tails high on her head. Was that a little too middle-school? Screw it, she liked her hair that way, and that was enough reason for her.
Throwing her bag over one shoulder, she left her room and headed down the two extra floors to where Mirmir and his friends were rooming. Eryk had a match today, which meant they were all heading down to the stadium to watch the bout. The competitors had to be there kind of early—but that would work out well for the rest of them, too, since they’d be able to get good seats in advance.
She banged on her brother’s door a few times first, then knocked with a little more kindness on the door belonging to the women in his group. “Rise and shine, kids, it’s showtime!” she called, a smile blooming over her face.
Ana was first out; she’d dressed a lot like Harper had, except her sweater was a very conservative dark blue turtleneck and her hair was tied into a large, slightly-messy bun above the nape of her neck, with little bits falling out around her face. “Good morning, Harper.”
“Morning, Ana.”
Kas joined them next, yawning widely. “Why’d they have to start the matches in the morning?” he grumbled. “What’s wrong with the afternoon?”
Harper rolled her eyes, stepping forward to adjust the lapels of his dark trenchcoat. He wore it over a maroon shirt; a darker choice than she was used to seeing on him. It looked nice, though she wasn’t planning on telling him that. Kas knew he was good-looking; there was no need to stroke his ego by confirming it.
“Because they wouldn’t be able to keep this thing to a week if they restricted the matches to the afternoons and evenings. Maybe you should go to bed earlier.”
Cyrilla came out just after Harper's comment, and chuckled slightly. "I would have thought that someone who takes plenty of naps would be okay," she muttered a little sleepily. She rubbed her eyes a bit before yawning. The only thing she wore that was similar to Harper and Ana, though, were the jeans. They were black in color, more along the lines of tights, and fitted into a pair of similar color boots that stopped to the middle of her calf. The shirt she was wearing was a long-sleeved, charcoal grey color. It fell a little long to her thighs, with the shirttail hanging slightly longer in the back. The front of the shirt had a bow collar, and it was left slightly open, exposing just the skin of her chest, no cleavage. Her hair, however, was left loose, allowed to hang at the base of her shoulders, though there were still some noticeable layers to it. It was growing long again.
"He can just nap during my battle," Eryk spoke last, the words coming out a little deadpanned. He gave Kas a flat look, but it smoothed out once he laid eyes on the girls, specifically Ana. Cyrilla looked like she wanted to roll her eyes, but settled on shaking her head. Eryk was dressed in simple clothing, or so it appeared. His shirt was a white turtle-neck, visible underneath a black jacket. His jeans were a little more comfortable than loose, and not quite close-fitting. They were black as well, but the shoes he wore were a little less winteresque and more summerish.
"It's not like you have a match today, anyway," he continued, though he looked more awake than the others did. Actually, he always looked awake, and ready for something. This awake looked more casual, though.
Overall, Harper thought, they did casual pretty well. It was a shame she hadn’t seen them all dolled up the night before; Kas had told her it had been pretty amusing. She’d have liked being a fly on the wall for that. Ah well; another time, perhaps.
“No, Ryk, I’ll nap during all the other battles, and wake up for yours. If I wasn’t going to watch your match, I wouldn’t have bothered rolling out of bed at this horrible, profane time of day. What time is it, anyway?” He checked his wrist, but there was no watch there.
“Six-thirty,” Ana replied promptly. She didn't seem to be unused to the hour; Harper supposed she was probably up early to work at the shelter.
Kas groaned. “I didn’t even know six-thirty existed. I didn’t want to know.”
Harper stared at him with a flat expression. “You’re a giant baby, Mirmir. Quit whining and let’s get going. We don’t want to make your more responsible friend late for his match because you’re whining.” She glanced over at the others and rolled her eyes, hooking her arm around her brother’s elbow and dragging him along behind her.
"I'd leave him behind, regardless."
In this way, they all made the trek to the stadium. Early as it was, only the competitors, their closest friends and family, and the really, really die-hard professional battle fans were present. She couldn’t help the fact that her eyes started automatically to scan for bright red; Harper inwardly smacked herself and shook her head. She was being ridiculous. She barely even knew him, and it was clear he wasn’t interested in that sense. Time to get over it.
They stood themselves at the end of the line; it was moving at a decent pace, but considering how many people were competing that day, it still might be a while.
"Hey guys!" a familiar voice called out to them. Drake looked like he was still on Cinnabar, dressed in a bright orange tank top with a pair of blue jeans. "I'm glad to see you all made it!" he expressed. Eryk looked, oddly, just slightly annoyed at his presence, but seemed more content at ignoring him. Cyrilla waved back, though, when Drake did, and smiled.
"Aren't you cold?" she asked, raising a brow at his dress. He glanced down at what he was wearing before glancing back up with a confused look.
"Should I be? I mean, I've lived most of my life in a volcano, I guess I'm just always warm," he replied and shrugged his shoulders. He glanced at Harper, though, and immediately he looked away. He laughed nervously and scratched his cheek as he did. "Hi, Harp. I... it's nice to see you too," he spoke, glancing at her, but not directly. It was like he was looking over her shoulder or something. Cyrilla snickered slightly and pushed him slightly so that he stumbled a bit forward.
"I meant to call you, I just... I've... I mean I did, I just..." he seemed at a loss for words on how to continue. Eryk merely rolled his eyes at the scene, like he was finding it ridiculous. He probably was. Cyrilla, however, looked like she was amused by the whole thing.
Harper wasn’t sure if it was her genetics that made her impervious to awkward or not—it was a trait she shared with Kas and Crystal both. Maybe it was just something about growing up a Rheinallt. In any case, she was able to observe Drake’s obvious awkwardness with a sort of cool detachment that let her consider her own response a little more carefully.
That wasn’t to say she felt nothing, though; she was honestly surprised to find that her mood was lifting, just a little bit, now that… well, it seemed to be just the fact that he was here now. Still… she wasn’t going to let that divert her from the plan.
“Didn’t?” she said, finishing his sentence for him. Harper arched a brow, crossing her arms just beneath her chest and letting a little amusement show through on her face, but also a touch of irritation. “Don’t sweat it, Drake. Everyone gets their hopes dashed sometimes. We learn to move on.”
Behind her, Kas let out a soft breath. “Oh, jeez… you messed up, man. She only makes that face at me when I forget an important birthday or something.”
"I... wait, what? I..." he seemed to stutter, waving his hands franctically in front of him. His face turned a deep shade of red, one that out colored his own hair, and he shook his head. "No, I did call! I just... couldn't... I couldn't..." he seemed to be digging himself in deeper. He pursed his lips together almost in a pout-like gesture, and released a deep breath before taking one in. "I did call, I really did, a couple of times, actually. I just couldn't find..."
"The courage?"
"Yeah, that! Thanks Eryk," he spoke, his face lighting up just slightly at the word. "And... I didn't know what to say," he muttered the last part, glancing away a bit sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his neck.
Harper’s perfectly-crafted expression fell apart into one of genuine surprise. “That was you?” she asked, unable to keep the surprise out of her voice. She’d received a couple hang-up calls about a month ago, close to the holidays. “I thought it was—well, that doesn’t matter.” She shook her head. She’d thought it was Derek, but there was no way she was going to say that. Kas would know what she was referring to, but no one else. That was for the better.
She pushed a sigh out of her nose, but her expression gentled considerably, almost without her permission. “I’m not that scary, am I?” Curse her overbearing personality. Maybe she should be more reserved? Ugh, no—she liked how she was. She didn’t plan to change for anyone; why was she even thinking things like that?
“Scary? More like terrifying.”
“Shut up, Mirmir. No one asked you.”
Cyrilla chuckled in the background as Drake's eyes widened slightly. "Scary? No! Not at all, I think you're really pretty I just..." he paused, having realized what he said. He sighed a little too heavily and slumped his shoulders. "I did want to call you during the holidays to say something, I just couldn't do it. And then... I remembered you said you'd probably be here and I wanted to apologize for that, but now I can't seem to get the words right," he continued, furrowing his brows just slightly and pursed his lips together.
"I mean, I understand if you're angry at me, or mad, or whatever, but it wasn't my intention to not call you. I really did," he was actually staring her in the eyes now, when he said that.
He was so earnest. Like a baby growlithe puppy or something. Harper found the last vestiges of artificial irritation fading away—she didn’t want him to feel that bad about it. Just a little bad, and just for a little while. But maybe that wasn’t the best idea—he seemed to be beating himself up about it plenty without her help. It was bizarrely flattering, in a way.
“Don’t worry about it,” she said, sighing and turning away just slightly. “It’s fine, honestly. I was just giving you a hard time.”
Drake pursed his lips together, and tilted his head. He looked like he wanted to say something, and struggled with himself to do so. Maybe it was because they were surrounded by people he knew that made him seem a little more awkward. He rubbed the back of his neck, the red on his face subsiding to a more pink color before he sighed. "No, Harper, it's not fine. I promise to make it up to you. How about..." he began, glancing back up at her. A slow smile formed on his face as though he thought of something.
"How about, after the matches today, I take you to dinner? Wherever you want to go, whatever you want to eat! And it'll be my treat," he said, the smile turning into a grin. He seemed happy with himself for suggesting it, but from the way he said it, it wasn't in a friend-date manner. He looked like he was asking her out on a date, date.
Of course, with him, it was probably wise not to assume anything. Still, it wasn’t like the difference changed her answer at all—though she might have to think about it more later. “Hm… sounds good. I think… you’ll take me to Bocelli’s.” She grinned. It was a moderately-nice place, but also a bit of a hole-in-the-wall, which meant it had really good food but also a somewhat-casual atmosphere. It also wouldn’t burn a hole in his wallet, which was good.
About then, they reached the admission counter. “Do you have a match today?” she asked him.
"Mine's actually tomorrow," he replied, stepping in line with them. "But I came to watch Eryk's match, with you guys," he continued, earning a slight scowl from Eryk. He seemed a little happier, though, as if her agreeing to go with him to Bocelli's was what made him so.
"How nice," Eryk replied, his voice as deadpan as it could get. He didn't look too happy about it, but Eryk never really looked happy about most things. Except for when it came to Ana, and on the rare occasion, Kas and Cy. Cyrilla merely rolled her eyes at Eryk and elbowed him in the side.
"You shouldn't be so mean, Ryk. Be happy people are coming to watch you, especially when they're Gym Leaders and friends," she spoke to him. He didn't seem to care too much and shrugged his shoulders. Cyrilla sighed in defeat and left his side in favor of Ana's. "Ana, tell him to stop being so mean. He's not listening to me," she spoke, but it was in good humor.
“Um..." Ana didn't seem too sure about that.
"What about you, do you have a match today?" Drake asked, drawing his attention away from the bickering and back towards Harper.
She shook her head. “I qualified out of Viridian, but my match isn’t until the day after tomorrow—last day of the opening rounds. You and Kas are both tomorrow, though, so I guess I’m spending most of that day at the stadium.” Not that she minded in the least, of course. Harper loved battling; the more competitive the venue, the better. Her pokémon all enjoyed it, too—they were competitive like she was, even the ones who seemed more laid-back.
"Well, I guess that means we'll all be here, then," he said, grinning all the while. "So we'll get to cheer you on, even if I lose," he continued, though it sounded like he didn't plan on it. Gym Leader or not, he looked almost excited about his upcoming battle. "I hope I don't, but you never know. Some of the challengers have trained for something like this, and it'll be fun to finally be able to go all out with them," he spoke, his voice getting a little too excited about it. It cracked towards the end of that sentence, and he smiled sheepishly.
"Are you really that excited?" Ryk asked, raising his brow in an amused fashion. Drake, however, didn't seem to catch on, and nodded his head.
"I am. It's not every day you get a chance like this. I may be a Gym Leader, but I was a trainer at one time, too, Ryk. I have dreams!" he spoke, his voice laced with an odd amount of confidence. Eryk looked like he was ready to either roll his eyes, or trip Drake, but didn't do either. He just shook his head.
“Don’t we all?” Harper asked rhetorically, grinning at his enthusiasm. Eryk’s response amused her, but she wondered if maybe he wasn’t looking forward to this more than he was letting on.
“Not me,” Kas replied laconically. “I only dream when I’m sleeping, and I am unfortunately not sleeping right now.” Apparently he was back on that topic; most likely, he was doing it just to annoy her.
She rolled her eyes. “How do your friends put up with you?”
“A little patience goes a long way,” Ana replied quietly, a sly little smile flickering across her face.
“Hey, now.”
Harper laughed at her brother’s pouting face. He totally deserved that.
Eryk scoffed lightly and rolled his eyes at Kas, but didn't say anything. Cyrilla just chose to laugh, apparently, at Kas's misfortune, but didn't say anything either. Drake, however, smiled somewhat and shook his head. "Apparently it's what friends do for each other, though I'm not so sure if we'd classify as anything but normal. I think we're all just a weird group of people who seem to get along perfectly fine," he spoke, causing Cyrilla to giggle before laughing.
"Drake... you do know that sounds a little corny, right? But I can't disagree with you," she stated between laughs. Drake just blinked at her and tilted his head in a confused fashion.
"Am I wrong?"
"No, not really," Eryk seemed to agree, oddly enough.
Harper was actually a little touched. The four of them were so close that she would honestly never expect to be included, but they seemed willing enough to do so. She smiled warmly at all of them. Corny or not, Drake did have a point. They were a bunch of weirdoes. “That’s an idea I could get used to,” she mused. “But for now… let’s get our abnormal selves into this stadium and see a match!”
Eryk sighed through his nose, resisting the urge to run a hand through his hair. He didn't want to admit it out loud, but he was actually a little nervous for this battle. It was a preliminary match, sort of, and he'd only be using three of his six pokémon. He'd chosen Milotic, Gengar, and Mankey, for this particular match. Why he'd chosen Mankey, though, instead of Blue or Zoroark was for his own reasons. Mankey was growing, and he wanted Mankey to keep growing. Plus, he still had a lot of energy pent up, and this would be a good way for him to release it. That, and Mankey didn't really give him a say. He'd chosen his three partly due to who wanted to battle the most.
He would admit being slightly surprised that Milotic offered. She was never much of a battle pokémon, but he wasn't going to say anything about it. If she wanted to battle, he'd let her. He glanced towards his friends, a concept he was still having trouble accepting, but did nonetheless, and sighed. They'd all be watching him, and that made him even more nervous. Why? Because he felt like if he lost this first match, then he'd have failed them somehow. He didn't like failing, especially not in front of them, her. She spoke it before, and again not to long ago, that she believed in him, and that had, oddly, sent a strange chill down his spine and his heart. He wanted to scoff at himself for that.
"My match will be soon," he finally spoke, glancing back in front of him. His match, though today, would be the third one. The first match had already finished, and the second one was on its way. He kept his eyes on the opponents, and some part of him, somewhere in the back of his mind, recognized one of them. He just couldn't tell from where. Maybe his mind was playing tricks on him? Cyrilla smiled at him, and nodded her head.
"Yeah, but for now, you get to watch these challengers. You should pay attention to their strategy, Ryk. If you do, you'll have somewhat of an advantage if you end up facing one of them. I'm sure they'll be doing the same to you," she spoke softly. He supposed that was partly true. He should probably go get ready for his match, though. They were on the second round of the second match, already. He sighed, and stood from his spot.
"If you say so," he merely stated. He glanced at his group of friends one last time, almost half expecting them to say something. He didn't want to just leave if they did.
“Good luck, Ryk,” Kas said, reaching up from his seat to clap him briefly on the shoulder. “We’re rooting for you.”
Beside him, Harper nodded. “You’ve got this.” She seemed quite confident in that, though it was hard to tell exactly where that confidence came from.
Ana, though, stood up, shuffling past Cyrilla so that she was standing directly in front of him. She glanced down at her feet for a moment, then tipped her head back to make eye contact with him. “Could you bend down a little?” she asked him, making a slight beckoning gesture with her hand. The request was almost oddly matter-of-fact.
Eryk grinned just slightly at them, however; he blinked a little confusedly at Ana's request. "Sure," he spoke, leaning down just slightly. He must have worn the confused look, because Cyrilla chuckled just lightly beneath her breath, and it took a bit for him not to roll his eyes at her. "Like this?"
“Mhm.” Ana smiled at him, then reached up with one hand, curling her fingers around the back of his neck and using it to steady herself when she rose to her toes. The reason she was doing so became clear when her lips brushed, feather-soft, over his scarred cheek. It lasted only for the briefest of moments, but she didn’t quite pull all the way back, speaking quietly instead. “You’re going to win,” she said, utterly without doubt. “So don’t worry about the rest of it.”
Landing back on her heels, Ana dropped her hand as well, smiling just a little awkwardly. “Someone told me that was something people do for luck,” she explained.
From the barely-contained amusement on Kas’s face, he was clearly that someone.
Cyrilla looked like she was barely able to contain the small bouts of laughter inside of her, since her face puffed out slightly. She was grinning, and laughing softly to herself, but Eryk decided to fix his attention on Kas. He glared at him for a moment, like he wanted to murder him. Part of him actually did, since he knew his face was a little warm. He wasn't blushing, at least not in the way most people could tell, and it took a lot of restraint not to say anything further. Instead, he offered Ana a somewhat half smile.
"Thank you, Ana," he spoke back to her, but fixed his attention on Kas. "And you're an ass, Kas," he stated before shaking his head. Drake looked a little confused, glancing between them all at what just happened, but he seemed to shrug his shoulders.
“Don’t act like I’m not brilliant,” Kas replied, entirely unfazed by the glaring. “Now get out there and win your match, Ryk. You don’t want to let that luck go to waste, do you?”
It took a lot for Eryk not to roll his eyes at Kas, but shifted so that he could walk towards the area he needed to be in. He shoved his hands into his pockets, trying to keep them a little warmer. He made it to the underpass where he needed to wait, grabbing the pokéballs from his belt. He stared at the three in his hand for a moment, contemplating whether or not he should use the ones he'd chosen. Of course, they'd volunteered, but he still felt something like this might be a little too harsh on Mankey.
"Next match is Eryk Nero vs. Blithe Summers," he heard his name being called on the speaker, looking up slightly surprised. He didn't expect the match to be on so quickly. Maybe he didn't realize how quickly the time had passed? Sighing softly, he placed the pokéballs onto his belt and walked outside, squinting his eyes just slightly at the light. Winter light wasn't as harsh as summer light, but it was still slightly brighter from where he'd been standing. He walked onto his podium and stared at his challenger. She looked to be maybe as old as he was, though unlike him, she was grinning from ear to ear.
"Alright sweetheart, give me something of a challenge, will ya?" she spoke, a thick accent spilling through. He merely raised a brow at her. Sweetheart? Did she call him sweetheart? He scoffed slightly and rolled his eyes. He didn't understand what about him made him a sweetheart to her, but he supposed it was just something people said.
"I didn't come here for chitchat," was the only thing he said, causing her to frown. He didn't really care much, as he grabbed the first pokéball and sent it out. "Let's end this quickly, Milotic," he stated, watching as the frown turned deeper on Blithe's face. She looked livid at his statement, but it really wasn't his problem how she took it.
"Some charmer you are," she replied, throwing out her own pokéball to reveal a leafeon. "Go, Sunshine, use Leaf Blade," she commanded, watching as Sunshine's tail glowed with a rather luminescent color. She charged Milotic, and Eryk just waited.
"Ice Beam," he spoke once Sunshine was close enough. Milotic looked like she smirked before releasing her attack, causing Blithe to shriek somewhat. It barely managed to hit Sunshine, but it had caught her leg, rendering it mostly useless. "Finish it, Milotic, Dragon Breath," he spoke in a casual voice, watching as Sunshine struggled to get out of the way. With one leg frozen, it was a little difficult for her to do so, and Milotic's attack connected, sending the leafeon backwards unconscious.
"Sunshine!" Blithe stated, glancing over towards her pokémon. She pursed her lips together and glared at Eryk. It almost looked like one he'd use. "Alright, you. This is it, no more playing games," she scowled at him and reached for another ball.
"I didn't realize we were playing games. I thought we were battling," he replied in a monotonous voice. He recalled Milotic and grabbed Gengar's ball.
"You really don't know how to talk to ladies, do you? Go, Puddles!" she spoke, this time, sending out a Blastoise. He raised a brow at the name, though. Who names a Blastoise Puddles? He shook his head and called out Gengar, but before he could so much as utter a command, Blastoise was already attacking with a Hydro Cannon. Gengar barely managed to dodge it, and Ryk glared at the woman.
"Hypnosis," he commanded, watching as Gengar's grin widened. Blithe seemed ready to counter the attack, though, commanding Puddles to use a Bubble Beam. Gengar jumped, but not before being clipped on the side, sending him backwards a few feet. He pursed his lips together. "Get in there and use Thunderbolt," he stated, watching as Gengar sunk into the ground. He really did like doing that just to sneak up on people, but Eryk supposed it served well in battle purposes to.
"I don't think so, Puddles, use Earthquake!" she spoke, watching as Puddles jumped into the air, landing on the ground. Eryk would have smirked if it weren't so obvious that as soon as Puddles landed, Gengar appeared behind him, and latched onto Puddles' shell. Eryk smirked as Thunderbolt went off, shocking the blastoise to the ground. "Puddles!" she nearly shouted, and it almost sounded like she was in his ear, causing him to wince slightly. He really hated when people did that. Puddles struggled to get back up, but Eryk wasn't going to let that happen.
"Sludge Bomb," he commanded, watching as Gengar sent the sludge towards Puddles. It barely missed, but it was enough to cover Puddles's face with the goo, and Blithe had to recall him. She was fuming now, from the way she was glaring at him. She was upset now, he could tell. Somehow, a small smirk formed on his face. At least he was proving his point. She wasn't really proving much of a challenge for him. He'd just won, basically, with no need to use Mankey.
"You shouldn't look so smug, asshole," she spat, causing him to actually snort. She'd just called him an asshole, and somehow, he found that funny. It must have shown because he could have sworn he heard someone in the stands mentioning it. He merely rolled his eyes, though.
"And you shouldn't be a sore loser," he replied back, leaving his spot after being declared the winner. Well, at least that was one battle down. He made his way back to the stands where the others were, and glanced at them.
"Really Ryk, really?" was the only thing Cyrilla said. He just shrugged his shoulders.
“Congratulations," Ana said, though she also looked the slightest bit amused. Neither Kas nor Harper was making any effort to conceal the fact that they'd been laughing.
“You pissed that lady off so bad," Harper said, snickering. “You should goad your opponents more often. It might make them reckless, and it's super fun to watch."
Eryk just blinked. "Goad? I wasn't goading anyone," he replied, giving Harper a flat look. He didn't goad anyone, or at least he didn't think he did. "She deserved it," he spoke, shrugging his shoulders. Cyrilla just rolled her eyes and tapped him lightly on the arm from where she sat.
"You were being an ass, Ryk. Just admit it, you were having fun," she stated, raising a brow when she did. He shrugged his shoulders again.
"If that's how you want to see it, then yes," because it was slightly true. He did have some fun, he supposed. A slight smirk crossed his features.
“I’m so proud,” Kas said with obvious humor, a grin tugging at his mouth. “Because that was totally goading.”
"Whatever you say, Kas."
He would admit being slightly surprised that Milotic offered. She was never much of a battle pokémon, but he wasn't going to say anything about it. If she wanted to battle, he'd let her. He glanced towards his friends, a concept he was still having trouble accepting, but did nonetheless, and sighed. They'd all be watching him, and that made him even more nervous. Why? Because he felt like if he lost this first match, then he'd have failed them somehow. He didn't like failing, especially not in front of them, her. She spoke it before, and again not to long ago, that she believed in him, and that had, oddly, sent a strange chill down his spine and his heart. He wanted to scoff at himself for that.
"My match will be soon," he finally spoke, glancing back in front of him. His match, though today, would be the third one. The first match had already finished, and the second one was on its way. He kept his eyes on the opponents, and some part of him, somewhere in the back of his mind, recognized one of them. He just couldn't tell from where. Maybe his mind was playing tricks on him? Cyrilla smiled at him, and nodded her head.
"Yeah, but for now, you get to watch these challengers. You should pay attention to their strategy, Ryk. If you do, you'll have somewhat of an advantage if you end up facing one of them. I'm sure they'll be doing the same to you," she spoke softly. He supposed that was partly true. He should probably go get ready for his match, though. They were on the second round of the second match, already. He sighed, and stood from his spot.
"If you say so," he merely stated. He glanced at his group of friends one last time, almost half expecting them to say something. He didn't want to just leave if they did.
“Good luck, Ryk,” Kas said, reaching up from his seat to clap him briefly on the shoulder. “We’re rooting for you.”
Beside him, Harper nodded. “You’ve got this.” She seemed quite confident in that, though it was hard to tell exactly where that confidence came from.
Ana, though, stood up, shuffling past Cyrilla so that she was standing directly in front of him. She glanced down at her feet for a moment, then tipped her head back to make eye contact with him. “Could you bend down a little?” she asked him, making a slight beckoning gesture with her hand. The request was almost oddly matter-of-fact.
Eryk grinned just slightly at them, however; he blinked a little confusedly at Ana's request. "Sure," he spoke, leaning down just slightly. He must have worn the confused look, because Cyrilla chuckled just lightly beneath her breath, and it took a bit for him not to roll his eyes at her. "Like this?"
“Mhm.” Ana smiled at him, then reached up with one hand, curling her fingers around the back of his neck and using it to steady herself when she rose to her toes. The reason she was doing so became clear when her lips brushed, feather-soft, over his scarred cheek. It lasted only for the briefest of moments, but she didn’t quite pull all the way back, speaking quietly instead. “You’re going to win,” she said, utterly without doubt. “So don’t worry about the rest of it.”
Landing back on her heels, Ana dropped her hand as well, smiling just a little awkwardly. “Someone told me that was something people do for luck,” she explained.
From the barely-contained amusement on Kas’s face, he was clearly that someone.
Cyrilla looked like she was barely able to contain the small bouts of laughter inside of her, since her face puffed out slightly. She was grinning, and laughing softly to herself, but Eryk decided to fix his attention on Kas. He glared at him for a moment, like he wanted to murder him. Part of him actually did, since he knew his face was a little warm. He wasn't blushing, at least not in the way most people could tell, and it took a lot of restraint not to say anything further. Instead, he offered Ana a somewhat half smile.
"Thank you, Ana," he spoke back to her, but fixed his attention on Kas. "And you're an ass, Kas," he stated before shaking his head. Drake looked a little confused, glancing between them all at what just happened, but he seemed to shrug his shoulders.
“Don’t act like I’m not brilliant,” Kas replied, entirely unfazed by the glaring. “Now get out there and win your match, Ryk. You don’t want to let that luck go to waste, do you?”
It took a lot for Eryk not to roll his eyes at Kas, but shifted so that he could walk towards the area he needed to be in. He shoved his hands into his pockets, trying to keep them a little warmer. He made it to the underpass where he needed to wait, grabbing the pokéballs from his belt. He stared at the three in his hand for a moment, contemplating whether or not he should use the ones he'd chosen. Of course, they'd volunteered, but he still felt something like this might be a little too harsh on Mankey.
"Next match is Eryk Nero vs. Blithe Summers," he heard his name being called on the speaker, looking up slightly surprised. He didn't expect the match to be on so quickly. Maybe he didn't realize how quickly the time had passed? Sighing softly, he placed the pokéballs onto his belt and walked outside, squinting his eyes just slightly at the light. Winter light wasn't as harsh as summer light, but it was still slightly brighter from where he'd been standing. He walked onto his podium and stared at his challenger. She looked to be maybe as old as he was, though unlike him, she was grinning from ear to ear.
"Alright sweetheart, give me something of a challenge, will ya?" she spoke, a thick accent spilling through. He merely raised a brow at her. Sweetheart? Did she call him sweetheart? He scoffed slightly and rolled his eyes. He didn't understand what about him made him a sweetheart to her, but he supposed it was just something people said.
"I didn't come here for chitchat," was the only thing he said, causing her to frown. He didn't really care much, as he grabbed the first pokéball and sent it out. "Let's end this quickly, Milotic," he stated, watching as the frown turned deeper on Blithe's face. She looked livid at his statement, but it really wasn't his problem how she took it.
"Some charmer you are," she replied, throwing out her own pokéball to reveal a leafeon. "Go, Sunshine, use Leaf Blade," she commanded, watching as Sunshine's tail glowed with a rather luminescent color. She charged Milotic, and Eryk just waited.
"Ice Beam," he spoke once Sunshine was close enough. Milotic looked like she smirked before releasing her attack, causing Blithe to shriek somewhat. It barely managed to hit Sunshine, but it had caught her leg, rendering it mostly useless. "Finish it, Milotic, Dragon Breath," he spoke in a casual voice, watching as Sunshine struggled to get out of the way. With one leg frozen, it was a little difficult for her to do so, and Milotic's attack connected, sending the leafeon backwards unconscious.
"Sunshine!" Blithe stated, glancing over towards her pokémon. She pursed her lips together and glared at Eryk. It almost looked like one he'd use. "Alright, you. This is it, no more playing games," she scowled at him and reached for another ball.
"I didn't realize we were playing games. I thought we were battling," he replied in a monotonous voice. He recalled Milotic and grabbed Gengar's ball.
"You really don't know how to talk to ladies, do you? Go, Puddles!" she spoke, this time, sending out a Blastoise. He raised a brow at the name, though. Who names a Blastoise Puddles? He shook his head and called out Gengar, but before he could so much as utter a command, Blastoise was already attacking with a Hydro Cannon. Gengar barely managed to dodge it, and Ryk glared at the woman.
"Hypnosis," he commanded, watching as Gengar's grin widened. Blithe seemed ready to counter the attack, though, commanding Puddles to use a Bubble Beam. Gengar jumped, but not before being clipped on the side, sending him backwards a few feet. He pursed his lips together. "Get in there and use Thunderbolt," he stated, watching as Gengar sunk into the ground. He really did like doing that just to sneak up on people, but Eryk supposed it served well in battle purposes to.
"I don't think so, Puddles, use Earthquake!" she spoke, watching as Puddles jumped into the air, landing on the ground. Eryk would have smirked if it weren't so obvious that as soon as Puddles landed, Gengar appeared behind him, and latched onto Puddles' shell. Eryk smirked as Thunderbolt went off, shocking the blastoise to the ground. "Puddles!" she nearly shouted, and it almost sounded like she was in his ear, causing him to wince slightly. He really hated when people did that. Puddles struggled to get back up, but Eryk wasn't going to let that happen.
"Sludge Bomb," he commanded, watching as Gengar sent the sludge towards Puddles. It barely missed, but it was enough to cover Puddles's face with the goo, and Blithe had to recall him. She was fuming now, from the way she was glaring at him. She was upset now, he could tell. Somehow, a small smirk formed on his face. At least he was proving his point. She wasn't really proving much of a challenge for him. He'd just won, basically, with no need to use Mankey.
"You shouldn't look so smug, asshole," she spat, causing him to actually snort. She'd just called him an asshole, and somehow, he found that funny. It must have shown because he could have sworn he heard someone in the stands mentioning it. He merely rolled his eyes, though.
"And you shouldn't be a sore loser," he replied back, leaving his spot after being declared the winner. Well, at least that was one battle down. He made his way back to the stands where the others were, and glanced at them.
"Really Ryk, really?" was the only thing Cyrilla said. He just shrugged his shoulders.
“Congratulations," Ana said, though she also looked the slightest bit amused. Neither Kas nor Harper was making any effort to conceal the fact that they'd been laughing.
“You pissed that lady off so bad," Harper said, snickering. “You should goad your opponents more often. It might make them reckless, and it's super fun to watch."
Eryk just blinked. "Goad? I wasn't goading anyone," he replied, giving Harper a flat look. He didn't goad anyone, or at least he didn't think he did. "She deserved it," he spoke, shrugging his shoulders. Cyrilla just rolled her eyes and tapped him lightly on the arm from where she sat.
"You were being an ass, Ryk. Just admit it, you were having fun," she stated, raising a brow when she did. He shrugged his shoulders again.
"If that's how you want to see it, then yes," because it was slightly true. He did have some fun, he supposed. A slight smirk crossed his features.
“I’m so proud,” Kas said with obvious humor, a grin tugging at his mouth. “Because that was totally goading.”
"Whatever you say, Kas."
The day had been relatively sedate after Eryk’s match finished. The six of them had left the stadium, electing to eat lunch at a casual sports grill, where the later matches were televised, along side review clips from the previous ones. It was quite strange to see a friend of hers on a broadcast that was reaching all of Kanto—and possibly beyond—but Ana was excited about it. She sat up a little straighter in her chair every time a recap segment came on, and made sure everyone was paying attention when it focused on Eryk’s match.
The commentators, apparently both professional battle analysts, praised Eryk’s use of unconventional movesets for his pokémon to deal with type advantage issues, but they also wondered whether such mismatched moves and pokémon would prove to be too underpowered to do enough against more professional fighters.
“What does he mean by that?” Ana asked. “Isn't a Thunderbolt a Thunderbolt, even if a gengar is using the move?”
“Not quite,” Kas replied, shaking his head. “Pokémon are often flexible about what they can learn to do, but an electric-type move is generally going to be stronger coming from an electric-type pokémon than from a ghost-type of the same general ability. You know about the special neuroelectrical regulation organs in electric-types, right?”
Ana nodded—pokémon physiology was fascinating. “You mean like Meep’s static inhibitors, right?”
He hummed an affirmative. “They make her electric-type moves more powerful. Gengar can generate a thunderbolt if he learns how to manifest psychic energy the right way, and it will have similar effects, but it just isn’t the same as having the right type and anatomy. Likewise, pokémon like Kenshin, who are telepathic, can use Psychic, but it’s always going to be a little better coming from a pokémon whose brain developed the right way.”
“So the commentator’s worried that Eryk’s movesets aren’t going to have the pure power to knock down pokémon he’s matched up with later, especially if there isn’t a type advantage. Gengar’s Thunderbolt helps against water types or whatever, but what if his opponent is, say, a fire-type? Then it’s not as good to have as some other ghost-type move would have been, and so it becomes a weaker option.” Harper reached across the table and stole a couple of Kas’s Kalosian fries, dipping them in honey mustard. “I mean… it’s a concern, but I think the guy is overselling it for drama.”
Ana nodded. She thought that made sense.
Eryk seemed to scoff at the statement, though. "They don't know Gengar," he spoke, absently rubbing his forearms. "But it's not just about the type match ups. A lot of it has to deal with how long and hard they've trained to make up for that. Gengar's Thunderbolt may not be as strong as an electric-type might make it, but it is as strong as a first evolution electric-type, like Meep," he spoke as though he had experience with it before. He shrugged thereafter, though, and continued eating his own fries.
"Even so, Ryk, you should still take that into consideration. It's good knowledge to have especially if you find yourself in a predicament. There are a few pokémon that know dark moves that will be effective against Gengar, even if they happen to be a water-type," Cyrilla chimed in. She pursed her lips at him, but didn't seem entirely unhappy about anything.
"Yeah, I mean, I'm a Gym Leader whose specialty is fire-types. Most of my challengers know this and try to pit their water-types first. Some of my fire pokémon know electric moves, like Blaziken. He knows Thunderpunch," Drake spoke, taking a bite from his burger. He was always eating burgers.
"I'll take that into consideration," he spoke, as if to steer the conversation a different way.
“It seems like a lot of things to keep track of,” Ana said honestly. She lifted her fork to her mouth, chewing over her broccoli mashed potatoes before continuing. “But I think it’s really amazing that they’re even talking about this kind of thing. I mean… I’ve never had friends on television before.” It was pretty amazing, honestly. She doubted Eryk saw it quite the same way, being the sort of person he was, but she was happy for him even if he wasn’t exactly happy for himself.
“Just wait until we’re a few rounds down,” Harper said wryly. “If any of us make it to the final twelve, we’ll be honestly famous—at least for a while. This tournament is apparently a huge deal in the professional pokémon world, and not just for the grand prize.”
"Well, I doubt Ryk, here, will make it that far. I'm honestly a little shocked he made it this far to begin with. What's the deal with that, Ryky boy?" a voice called out. The person in general was sliding her arms around his shoulders, and he visibly tensed. His eyes narrowed somewhat, and Cyrilla looked just as surprised. The woman leaned forward, her violet eyes staring at the others. "Well, what are you waiting for, why aren't you introducing me, Ryk, Cyrilla?" she continued, a slight frown crossing her face. Eryk moved somewhat, moving the woman's arm so that it was no longer on him, and he turned to fully glare at her.
"What the hell do you want, Jasmine?" he spoke, his focus entirely on her. She seemed to smile at that, and seemed a little too happy about being acknowledged.
"Excuse me. Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed today," she continued, poking him in the chest with an index finger. "Well if you won't introduce me to your new friends, I'll do it myself. I'm Jasmine, cousin to yours truly. So,... oh aren't you cute," she spoke, focusing on Drake. His face turned a bit of color at the statement, but he glanced away from her. "Aw, the shy ones always make for better... what's the word," she began, a sly smile crossing her face. She made her way towards Drake, placing herself on one of his sides and lifted her hands to cup his face. She forced him to stare at her, and his eyes widened slightly as a mischievous smile crossed her face. "Lovers," she finally spoke, causing Drake to sputter a moment. She pulled away, laughing all the while.
Harper frowned noticeably, but she didn’t say anything, instead watching the newcomer with a calculating stare.
"Jasmine, that wasn't... you shouldn't have done that to Drake. And why are you here? I thought you said you wanted nothing to do with us?" Cyrilla spoke, looking a little unpleased at the event. She had a rather harsh look on her face, one that wasn't typical of Cyrilla. It almost looked like she was glaring at Jasmine. Jasmine, however, merely grinned.
"Word gets around in the clan, you know that. And there was one particular rumor of Eryk actually doing something other than what he is supposed to be doing. So, they sent me to check up on him. There are a few others running around here, but I'm sure you'll see them. Oh, and by the way, don't ever talk to me like that again, Cy-Cy. You know better," she spoke, glaring at Cyrilla in the process with a smile on her face.
"Fuck off, Jasmine, and leave Cyrilla be. Need I remind you who you're talking to?" Eryk stated, his entire body tensing just slightly. It looked like he was ready to just harm her in some fashion or another. Jasmine merely shrugged her shoulders.
"Like I give a shit?" she replied, though she seemed to brighten up a bit when her eyes landed on Kas. "But then again, I might be able to be convinced," she stated, making her way towards Kas and forcing her self to sit next to him. "What do you say?"
Eryk really looked like he wanted to hurt her, but Cyrilla looked a little... sad? She didn't even look at Kas or Jasmine, and kept her focus on her fries, instead.
Kas blinked, tilting his head slightly to the side and arching an eyebrow. “While I’ve been told I’m very convincing,” he replied, letting his tone thicken with an implication that even Ana could understand, “I’m hardly shy, so if that’s the kind of co-negotiator you prefer, you may end up sorely disappointed.”
He wore a smile that nearly convinced Ana. It looked completely genuine, and rather lascivious, at that. It would have completely convinced her, except she knew exactly what he really thought of Eryk and Cyrilla’s family. So she also knew it couldn’t be what it looked like—he had to be faking it. And faking the way his finger curled around one of the strands of hair that had fallen free of her ponytail to frame her face. It was a deep purple color, and extremely beautiful. Considering she was related to Eryk and Cyrilla, Ana was hardly surprised that the rest of her was beautiful, too, but her attitude was—she bristled, but only inwardly.
“Though I have to say I do believe someone gave you the wrong impression somewhere down the line, if that’s really what you think.”
What was he playing at? Ana had no idea; she glanced to Harper, figuring she was the most likely to know. If anything, her face had darkened even further—she was openly wearing a scowl now. Her eyes flickered back and forth between her brother and the stranger, then narrowed. Whatever she thought Kas was doing drew no objections from her, though; she seemed more inclined to let it play itself out.
"Is that right?" she responded, leaning forward just slightly, her head now propped on one of her hands with her elbow on the table. "Care to show me the right impression, then?" she spoke, the suggestiveness in her tone was evident. Something dropped, and Jasmine glanced towards the sound, her eyes fixing on Cyrilla. "Still just as clumsy as ever. Honestly, I don't see how Ryk puts up with you," she spoke, causing Cyrilla to give everyone else an apologetic look.
"Sorry, I'm just going to go to the bathroom. I'll be right back," she spoke, her voice unusually soft and quiet. It was almost as if she'd whispered it. With that said, she stood from the group, picking up the fork she had dropped, and placed it on the table. She then left in the direction of the bathroom, not even sparing a glance back. Eryk, however, now looked livid.
"Jasmine. Fuck. Off. Now. Or so help me," he stated, standing from his spot. It looked like he was about to reach over towards her, however; she merely stood from her spot, and stared back at him. It looked like they were having a bit of a staring contest with each other, though she seemed to be enjoying it.
"Or you'll what? Go on, I dare you, Ryk. Show your friends who you really are," she stated, her eyes challenging to his. He twitched just slightly, however; he didn't move. Jasmine just scoffed. "That's what I thought. Now sit down like a good boy and let me have my fun. Now, where was I," she stated, turning her attention back to Kas. "Shall we?"
Kas exchanged a look with Harper that Ana didn’t comprehend. His sister nodded almost imperceptibly, and his eyes flickered back to Jasmine. “Always happy to help correct a misapprehension,” he said. There was something almost… dark, to the way he said that.
Ana no longer had any idea what was going on. What she did know was that they left the restaurant together.
No sooner were they out the door, though, then Harper was on her feet, smiling apologetically at Drake and Eryk. “Sorry, guys, but I’m gonna borrow Ana for a bit. We could be a while; feel free to finish my food.”
Ana blinked. “Me? Where are we going?”
Harper grimaced. “Bathroom. We’ve got damage control to do. Ryk, please don’t go beat up my brother. He’s an idiot, but his heart’s in the right place with this. Trust him, if you can.”
"What? O-oh, alright," Drake spoke, looking completely confused about the whole ordeal. He didn't seem to have the slightest clue as to what was going on, even he had a look of lost to his face. He merely continued eating his own food, though, and didn't say anything else. Eryk, however, looked completely pissed off, something that was only deepened by the scowl on his face as he watched Kas and Jasmine leave. He didn't seem to know what to say, however; when Harper spoke, his expression did soften somewhat. He only sighed.
"Whether or not it's in the right place, I don't think he realizes how much harm it's actually doing," he finally spoke, sitting down and slumping in his chair. He must have been extremely tense if he looked somewhat relieved. "Just... go do your damage control. We'll be here when you come back" he spoke, picking at his plate now, seemingly uninterested.
Harper nodded, making eye contact with Ana and gesturing towards the bathroom. Still feeling about as confused as Drake looked, she followed. Harper pushed open the door to the ladies’ room and stepped inside, holding the door for as long as it took Ana to do the same, then letting it fall closed.
“Rilla? It’s Ana and Harper,” she said, bending down presumably to check for feet behind the stall doors. There was only one pair—at least there wasn’t anyone else around.
Something like the sound of sniffling being erased behind an arm, made its way out before Cyrilla opened the stall door. She blinked slowly at them, though her eyes weren't red. She hadn't been crying, but she did look a little sad. She smiled at them somewhat. "I just..." she began, though it seemed a little hard for her to say something. She glanced down and shook her head. "It's... never easy, is it?" she spoke, her voice still just as quiet as it'd been when she left. She took a slow breath before letting out just as slowly.
"But... I'm good, see?" she stated, forcing the smile on her face as she tried to be convincing. It wasn't working too well in her favor, though.
Harper snorted. “Yeah, I’m so convinced,” she said flatly, not sounding convinced at all.
Ana tried to be a little more gentle about it, but the truth was, she wasn’t convinced, either. “I don’t think… that was what it looked like,” she said, her tone just as soft as Cyrilla’s own. “Is Jasmine—she didn’t seem to like you very much. Or Eryk.” Her eyebrows knit. She’d never imagined their family as kind. She’d even thought they must be harsh. But that… Jasmine had been downright hateful.
“You can say it, Ana. She was totally a bitch to them. And everyone else.”
Cyrilla sighed a little too heavily as she leaned on the side of the stall. She folded her arms beneath her and glanced anywhere but at Ana and Harper. "No one in our clan likes us. They don't like Eryk because he was Grandpa Koga's favorite, and they don't like me because of how close I am with Eryk. They just don't... approve. They... even thought once that I was just trying to get close to him so that my parents could arrange a marriage between us. That was just... it was disgusting to think about it. I mean, technically, we are distantly related, but we're not technically related," she spoke, pulling her arms tighter around us.
"It's not an uncommon thing in our clan, you see," she continued. She finally glanced up at them, but there was something missing behind her eyes. They weren't their usual bright or happy tones. "So, whenever we get recognized for something, or if we do something on our own, they have to make our lives difficult. To remind us exactly what it is that they are capable of. I'm surprised... it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be, but," she seemed to swallow a little thickly.
"I think Jasmine just has it out for us, me in particular. Next to Katia, I think she hates us the most," though it looked like she couldn't fully explain why. Maybe she didn't really know?
Ana pursed her lips. She wasn’t sure what to say to that. The extended family part, she understood; that much she was familiar with. But… clan marriages? Politics over who liked whom more? None of that was anything she ever had to deal with. Like everyone, she got along better with some of her relatives than others, but…
“Well then she’s a stupid, catty brat and you shouldn’t worry about her,” Harper said decisively. Her expression softened then, and she sighed. “He was doing that to get her off your case, you know. Kas was. He’s probably sweet-talking all her plans and intentions out of her right now. If anyone can out-subtle a ninja, it’s him.” She crossed her arms, shaking her head.
“I’ve got a bullshit detector calibrated just to him, and he was definitely bullshitting with that lady. So don’t—don’t let it get to you, okay?”
Cyrilla actually laughed at that. "I... can't say that I know, because I didn't, but," she began once she was able to actually smile somewhat. It was soft, but it was still there. "I shouldn't act like this. I mean... there's nothing between us, and it's not like I'm with him. I shouldn't get jealous or angry or upset over something like this. I don't have a right to," she spoke, sighing somewhat. "But... I guess, I should be a little happy that he did that for us," she continued, shaking her head somewhat.
"Thanks Ana, Harper," she stated, grabbing both of them into a hug. It looked a little difficult since Harper was the tallest of the three.
Harper sighed like there was something she still wanted to say, but whatever it might have been, she kept it to herself. Instead, she adjusted her positioning so that the hug was slightly less awkward. “I guess I can check ‘hugging it out in a public restroom’ off my bucket list.”
“It was on your bucket list?” Ana asked, incredulous.
“No… but ‘having friends to talk about girl stuff’ with is. I figure this counts.”
Ana supposed it did.
The commentators, apparently both professional battle analysts, praised Eryk’s use of unconventional movesets for his pokémon to deal with type advantage issues, but they also wondered whether such mismatched moves and pokémon would prove to be too underpowered to do enough against more professional fighters.
“What does he mean by that?” Ana asked. “Isn't a Thunderbolt a Thunderbolt, even if a gengar is using the move?”
“Not quite,” Kas replied, shaking his head. “Pokémon are often flexible about what they can learn to do, but an electric-type move is generally going to be stronger coming from an electric-type pokémon than from a ghost-type of the same general ability. You know about the special neuroelectrical regulation organs in electric-types, right?”
Ana nodded—pokémon physiology was fascinating. “You mean like Meep’s static inhibitors, right?”
He hummed an affirmative. “They make her electric-type moves more powerful. Gengar can generate a thunderbolt if he learns how to manifest psychic energy the right way, and it will have similar effects, but it just isn’t the same as having the right type and anatomy. Likewise, pokémon like Kenshin, who are telepathic, can use Psychic, but it’s always going to be a little better coming from a pokémon whose brain developed the right way.”
“So the commentator’s worried that Eryk’s movesets aren’t going to have the pure power to knock down pokémon he’s matched up with later, especially if there isn’t a type advantage. Gengar’s Thunderbolt helps against water types or whatever, but what if his opponent is, say, a fire-type? Then it’s not as good to have as some other ghost-type move would have been, and so it becomes a weaker option.” Harper reached across the table and stole a couple of Kas’s Kalosian fries, dipping them in honey mustard. “I mean… it’s a concern, but I think the guy is overselling it for drama.”
Ana nodded. She thought that made sense.
Eryk seemed to scoff at the statement, though. "They don't know Gengar," he spoke, absently rubbing his forearms. "But it's not just about the type match ups. A lot of it has to deal with how long and hard they've trained to make up for that. Gengar's Thunderbolt may not be as strong as an electric-type might make it, but it is as strong as a first evolution electric-type, like Meep," he spoke as though he had experience with it before. He shrugged thereafter, though, and continued eating his own fries.
"Even so, Ryk, you should still take that into consideration. It's good knowledge to have especially if you find yourself in a predicament. There are a few pokémon that know dark moves that will be effective against Gengar, even if they happen to be a water-type," Cyrilla chimed in. She pursed her lips at him, but didn't seem entirely unhappy about anything.
"Yeah, I mean, I'm a Gym Leader whose specialty is fire-types. Most of my challengers know this and try to pit their water-types first. Some of my fire pokémon know electric moves, like Blaziken. He knows Thunderpunch," Drake spoke, taking a bite from his burger. He was always eating burgers.
"I'll take that into consideration," he spoke, as if to steer the conversation a different way.
“It seems like a lot of things to keep track of,” Ana said honestly. She lifted her fork to her mouth, chewing over her broccoli mashed potatoes before continuing. “But I think it’s really amazing that they’re even talking about this kind of thing. I mean… I’ve never had friends on television before.” It was pretty amazing, honestly. She doubted Eryk saw it quite the same way, being the sort of person he was, but she was happy for him even if he wasn’t exactly happy for himself.
“Just wait until we’re a few rounds down,” Harper said wryly. “If any of us make it to the final twelve, we’ll be honestly famous—at least for a while. This tournament is apparently a huge deal in the professional pokémon world, and not just for the grand prize.”
"Well, I doubt Ryk, here, will make it that far. I'm honestly a little shocked he made it this far to begin with. What's the deal with that, Ryky boy?" a voice called out. The person in general was sliding her arms around his shoulders, and he visibly tensed. His eyes narrowed somewhat, and Cyrilla looked just as surprised. The woman leaned forward, her violet eyes staring at the others. "Well, what are you waiting for, why aren't you introducing me, Ryk, Cyrilla?" she continued, a slight frown crossing her face. Eryk moved somewhat, moving the woman's arm so that it was no longer on him, and he turned to fully glare at her.
"What the hell do you want, Jasmine?" he spoke, his focus entirely on her. She seemed to smile at that, and seemed a little too happy about being acknowledged.
"Excuse me. Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed today," she continued, poking him in the chest with an index finger. "Well if you won't introduce me to your new friends, I'll do it myself. I'm Jasmine, cousin to yours truly. So,... oh aren't you cute," she spoke, focusing on Drake. His face turned a bit of color at the statement, but he glanced away from her. "Aw, the shy ones always make for better... what's the word," she began, a sly smile crossing her face. She made her way towards Drake, placing herself on one of his sides and lifted her hands to cup his face. She forced him to stare at her, and his eyes widened slightly as a mischievous smile crossed her face. "Lovers," she finally spoke, causing Drake to sputter a moment. She pulled away, laughing all the while.
Harper frowned noticeably, but she didn’t say anything, instead watching the newcomer with a calculating stare.
"Jasmine, that wasn't... you shouldn't have done that to Drake. And why are you here? I thought you said you wanted nothing to do with us?" Cyrilla spoke, looking a little unpleased at the event. She had a rather harsh look on her face, one that wasn't typical of Cyrilla. It almost looked like she was glaring at Jasmine. Jasmine, however, merely grinned.
"Word gets around in the clan, you know that. And there was one particular rumor of Eryk actually doing something other than what he is supposed to be doing. So, they sent me to check up on him. There are a few others running around here, but I'm sure you'll see them. Oh, and by the way, don't ever talk to me like that again, Cy-Cy. You know better," she spoke, glaring at Cyrilla in the process with a smile on her face.
"Fuck off, Jasmine, and leave Cyrilla be. Need I remind you who you're talking to?" Eryk stated, his entire body tensing just slightly. It looked like he was ready to just harm her in some fashion or another. Jasmine merely shrugged her shoulders.
"Like I give a shit?" she replied, though she seemed to brighten up a bit when her eyes landed on Kas. "But then again, I might be able to be convinced," she stated, making her way towards Kas and forcing her self to sit next to him. "What do you say?"
Eryk really looked like he wanted to hurt her, but Cyrilla looked a little... sad? She didn't even look at Kas or Jasmine, and kept her focus on her fries, instead.
Kas blinked, tilting his head slightly to the side and arching an eyebrow. “While I’ve been told I’m very convincing,” he replied, letting his tone thicken with an implication that even Ana could understand, “I’m hardly shy, so if that’s the kind of co-negotiator you prefer, you may end up sorely disappointed.”
He wore a smile that nearly convinced Ana. It looked completely genuine, and rather lascivious, at that. It would have completely convinced her, except she knew exactly what he really thought of Eryk and Cyrilla’s family. So she also knew it couldn’t be what it looked like—he had to be faking it. And faking the way his finger curled around one of the strands of hair that had fallen free of her ponytail to frame her face. It was a deep purple color, and extremely beautiful. Considering she was related to Eryk and Cyrilla, Ana was hardly surprised that the rest of her was beautiful, too, but her attitude was—she bristled, but only inwardly.
“Though I have to say I do believe someone gave you the wrong impression somewhere down the line, if that’s really what you think.”
What was he playing at? Ana had no idea; she glanced to Harper, figuring she was the most likely to know. If anything, her face had darkened even further—she was openly wearing a scowl now. Her eyes flickered back and forth between her brother and the stranger, then narrowed. Whatever she thought Kas was doing drew no objections from her, though; she seemed more inclined to let it play itself out.
"Is that right?" she responded, leaning forward just slightly, her head now propped on one of her hands with her elbow on the table. "Care to show me the right impression, then?" she spoke, the suggestiveness in her tone was evident. Something dropped, and Jasmine glanced towards the sound, her eyes fixing on Cyrilla. "Still just as clumsy as ever. Honestly, I don't see how Ryk puts up with you," she spoke, causing Cyrilla to give everyone else an apologetic look.
"Sorry, I'm just going to go to the bathroom. I'll be right back," she spoke, her voice unusually soft and quiet. It was almost as if she'd whispered it. With that said, she stood from the group, picking up the fork she had dropped, and placed it on the table. She then left in the direction of the bathroom, not even sparing a glance back. Eryk, however, now looked livid.
"Jasmine. Fuck. Off. Now. Or so help me," he stated, standing from his spot. It looked like he was about to reach over towards her, however; she merely stood from her spot, and stared back at him. It looked like they were having a bit of a staring contest with each other, though she seemed to be enjoying it.
"Or you'll what? Go on, I dare you, Ryk. Show your friends who you really are," she stated, her eyes challenging to his. He twitched just slightly, however; he didn't move. Jasmine just scoffed. "That's what I thought. Now sit down like a good boy and let me have my fun. Now, where was I," she stated, turning her attention back to Kas. "Shall we?"
Kas exchanged a look with Harper that Ana didn’t comprehend. His sister nodded almost imperceptibly, and his eyes flickered back to Jasmine. “Always happy to help correct a misapprehension,” he said. There was something almost… dark, to the way he said that.
Ana no longer had any idea what was going on. What she did know was that they left the restaurant together.
No sooner were they out the door, though, then Harper was on her feet, smiling apologetically at Drake and Eryk. “Sorry, guys, but I’m gonna borrow Ana for a bit. We could be a while; feel free to finish my food.”
Ana blinked. “Me? Where are we going?”
Harper grimaced. “Bathroom. We’ve got damage control to do. Ryk, please don’t go beat up my brother. He’s an idiot, but his heart’s in the right place with this. Trust him, if you can.”
"What? O-oh, alright," Drake spoke, looking completely confused about the whole ordeal. He didn't seem to have the slightest clue as to what was going on, even he had a look of lost to his face. He merely continued eating his own food, though, and didn't say anything else. Eryk, however, looked completely pissed off, something that was only deepened by the scowl on his face as he watched Kas and Jasmine leave. He didn't seem to know what to say, however; when Harper spoke, his expression did soften somewhat. He only sighed.
"Whether or not it's in the right place, I don't think he realizes how much harm it's actually doing," he finally spoke, sitting down and slumping in his chair. He must have been extremely tense if he looked somewhat relieved. "Just... go do your damage control. We'll be here when you come back" he spoke, picking at his plate now, seemingly uninterested.
Harper nodded, making eye contact with Ana and gesturing towards the bathroom. Still feeling about as confused as Drake looked, she followed. Harper pushed open the door to the ladies’ room and stepped inside, holding the door for as long as it took Ana to do the same, then letting it fall closed.
“Rilla? It’s Ana and Harper,” she said, bending down presumably to check for feet behind the stall doors. There was only one pair—at least there wasn’t anyone else around.
Something like the sound of sniffling being erased behind an arm, made its way out before Cyrilla opened the stall door. She blinked slowly at them, though her eyes weren't red. She hadn't been crying, but she did look a little sad. She smiled at them somewhat. "I just..." she began, though it seemed a little hard for her to say something. She glanced down and shook her head. "It's... never easy, is it?" she spoke, her voice still just as quiet as it'd been when she left. She took a slow breath before letting out just as slowly.
"But... I'm good, see?" she stated, forcing the smile on her face as she tried to be convincing. It wasn't working too well in her favor, though.
Harper snorted. “Yeah, I’m so convinced,” she said flatly, not sounding convinced at all.
Ana tried to be a little more gentle about it, but the truth was, she wasn’t convinced, either. “I don’t think… that was what it looked like,” she said, her tone just as soft as Cyrilla’s own. “Is Jasmine—she didn’t seem to like you very much. Or Eryk.” Her eyebrows knit. She’d never imagined their family as kind. She’d even thought they must be harsh. But that… Jasmine had been downright hateful.
“You can say it, Ana. She was totally a bitch to them. And everyone else.”
Cyrilla sighed a little too heavily as she leaned on the side of the stall. She folded her arms beneath her and glanced anywhere but at Ana and Harper. "No one in our clan likes us. They don't like Eryk because he was Grandpa Koga's favorite, and they don't like me because of how close I am with Eryk. They just don't... approve. They... even thought once that I was just trying to get close to him so that my parents could arrange a marriage between us. That was just... it was disgusting to think about it. I mean, technically, we are distantly related, but we're not technically related," she spoke, pulling her arms tighter around us.
"It's not an uncommon thing in our clan, you see," she continued. She finally glanced up at them, but there was something missing behind her eyes. They weren't their usual bright or happy tones. "So, whenever we get recognized for something, or if we do something on our own, they have to make our lives difficult. To remind us exactly what it is that they are capable of. I'm surprised... it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be, but," she seemed to swallow a little thickly.
"I think Jasmine just has it out for us, me in particular. Next to Katia, I think she hates us the most," though it looked like she couldn't fully explain why. Maybe she didn't really know?
Ana pursed her lips. She wasn’t sure what to say to that. The extended family part, she understood; that much she was familiar with. But… clan marriages? Politics over who liked whom more? None of that was anything she ever had to deal with. Like everyone, she got along better with some of her relatives than others, but…
“Well then she’s a stupid, catty brat and you shouldn’t worry about her,” Harper said decisively. Her expression softened then, and she sighed. “He was doing that to get her off your case, you know. Kas was. He’s probably sweet-talking all her plans and intentions out of her right now. If anyone can out-subtle a ninja, it’s him.” She crossed her arms, shaking her head.
“I’ve got a bullshit detector calibrated just to him, and he was definitely bullshitting with that lady. So don’t—don’t let it get to you, okay?”
Cyrilla actually laughed at that. "I... can't say that I know, because I didn't, but," she began once she was able to actually smile somewhat. It was soft, but it was still there. "I shouldn't act like this. I mean... there's nothing between us, and it's not like I'm with him. I shouldn't get jealous or angry or upset over something like this. I don't have a right to," she spoke, sighing somewhat. "But... I guess, I should be a little happy that he did that for us," she continued, shaking her head somewhat.
"Thanks Ana, Harper," she stated, grabbing both of them into a hug. It looked a little difficult since Harper was the tallest of the three.
Harper sighed like there was something she still wanted to say, but whatever it might have been, she kept it to herself. Instead, she adjusted her positioning so that the hug was slightly less awkward. “I guess I can check ‘hugging it out in a public restroom’ off my bucket list.”
“It was on your bucket list?” Ana asked, incredulous.
“No… but ‘having friends to talk about girl stuff’ with is. I figure this counts.”
Ana supposed it did.
Drake fidgeted with his shirt for a moment, trying to make sure it was pressed neatly. It was a dark blue color, though the jacket he wore on top of it was a little more silver, or was it gray? He couldn't even tell what the color was; he was nervous for some reason. Oh, that's right, he thought to himself. He's going on a date... with Harper. Granted, he didn't actually ask properly, but the way he had said it made the implication pretty clear. Add to the fact that he didn't really have anything nice to wear to Bocelli's, he had to resort to asking. The only person who could lend him anything, though, had been Ryk. He was the closest in height to Drake, being taller by two inches.
He also seemed to have a nicer wardrobe than Drake, but now wasn't the time to comment on that. He had thanked Eryk, but there was something odd behind his eyes. It almost looked sly, like he knew something Drake didn't. Regardless, he didn't say anything about it. He knew by now it was pointless to ask Ryk about anything, and so he didn't. Instead, he stood outside Harper's door, his palms sweaty, and his body trembling just lightly. He really was nervous. He tried to run a hand through his hair before remembering he'd actually styled it. He pulled it into a ponytail but his bangs were being somewhat uncooperative. He had to get help from Cy and Ana to tame it down a bit.
Once they had done that, he glanced back at the door. Smiling nervously, he knocked on it, waiting patiently for Harper to answer it. He only knew where she was staying because she'd told him before hand, that way he wouldn't get lost.
Fortunately, it was only a couple floors away from the others, so he was a few minutes early. It took a few seconds, but the door eventually opened from the other side. Harper smiled at him, apparently still working on getting ready. She was balanced on one foot, stepping into a black ballet flat-style shoe. She’d kept the yellow neckerchief from earlier in the day, but swapped out her jeans and sweater for a knee-length green dress and black tights. Stylistically, it was simple; modest even.
Tapping her toe on the ground to secure the shoe, she tilted her head to the side. “Heh. Looks like this is a date after all. You weren’t exactly the model of clarity when you asked.” She seemed the furthest thing from upset, though. “You look good, Drake. Let me grab my bag; I’ll be right with you.”
She disappeared back inside her hotel room for a moment, returning with a small grey messenger bag slung over one shoulder. “Okay. Shall we?”
He stuttered for a moment, slightly grateful that she went to go get her bag. He coughed awkwardly into the crease of his arm before glancing back up at her. "You look nice, too, Harper," he finally managed to speak, slightly happy that his voice didn't crack. "Yes, let's," he stated, perhaps a little too enthusiastically. He laughed nervously at her. He wondered, for a moment, why he was. Did his grandfather get like this when he met his grandmother? Maybe. He blinked, reeling himself backwards in that thought. He did not mean to go there, but he couldn't help it now. His face turned a shade of red, he knew that because he could feel it.
"So, uh," he tried to speak, but found it was a little more difficult to do so. "So Bocelli's? Have you been there before?" he asked, slightly cursing himself for not being able to pick a better topic.
From the sympathetic smile on her face, she was at least partially aware of his inner monologue. “I’ve never been,” she said. “Mom and Sheena—that’s Kas’s mom—both recommend it, so it’s pretty much a sure thing.” Her eyes narrowed slightly, flickering with something that might have been amusement. “They probably even have burgers, if you’re afraid of expanding your horizons a little.”
They exited the hotel and found themselves back on downtown sidewalk—Saffron really was a huge city. Occasionally, Drake got recognized; such were the perils of being a Gym Leader. For the most part, though, people were respectful enough to at least not approach.
Of course, some fans were a little too young to understand that.
“It’s Drake; mommy, it’s Drake!” A little boy, maybe six or seven years old, tore free of his mother’s grip and sprinted up towards them. “It’s you! You’re my favorite Gym Leader! I want to be a trainer like you some day; fire types are the coolest!” It was hard to tell how he got all of that out in one breath, but he did.
Beside him, Harper hid a grin behind her hand. “Sounds like you’ve got some competition in the making, Drake. What’s your name, future fire-dude?” She crouched so that they were closer to the same height.
The boy seemed a little dazzled by Harper; his grey eyes went wide. “Cooper!” he said, a little too loudly. Harper didn’t so much as flinch.
Instead, she glanced up at him for a moment, smiling slightly. “Well, I bet if you ask really nicely, Drake here will give you his autograph. Wouldn’t that be cool, huh?”
This idea obviously met with Cooper’s approval; he bounced his gaze back to Drake. “Really? Would you please please please with a cherry on top?” It seemed to be his version of asking nicely.
Drake blinked a little owlishly at the kid. He wanted an autograph? But... he was just a Gym Leader. There was nothing special about him. If he were the Champion, he could understand. Hell, he would rather he were the Champion, then he could justify the kid wanting an autograph. He laughed nervously as he glanced at Harper, and then back at Cooper. "I mean, if that's what you want, sure," he finally spoke reaching for a pen. He realized he didn't have a pen, though, and glanced around. He couldn't just ask for one, though. Why, he didn't know. It just felt a little strange.
"I don't have a pen," he muttered softly. He didn't want to disappoint Cooper though. "Ah, I know," he stated, pulling his wallet from his pocket. He rummaged through it for a moment, looking for what he knew he could give instead. "Ah ha!" he stated, pulling the pin from his wallet. He kept it on him for just in case moments. "Here, I can give you this. Now, you have to promise that you'll come by when you're old enough to earn the real one, yeah?" he stated, giving him a mock volcano badge. He'd actually made it out of a bottle cap when he was younger, but Cooper didn't have to know that.
It was, somewhat, sentimental to him, so he hoped it would do instead of an autograph. "Alright?" he added. Cooper looked like a good kid, so maybe he'd be a good trainer when he got older. "Like Harper here, she earned her Volcano badge a few months ago," he stated, jabbing his finger in her direction. "Though... don't..." cheat? That didn't seem right to tell a kid. And to be fair, she didn't really cheat. She just knew how strategize, is all. Still felt like she cheated, though.
“Forget to work hard and earn your other badges first,” she finished smoothly, shooting him a sly side glance that seemed to suggest that she knew what he’d almost said.
Cooper reverently took his mock badge, looking from it up to Drake back down to it again. “Thank you!” he exclaimed, turning around to show his mom. “Mommy, look! I got a badge!” His mother shot them a grateful smile, then ushered him off in the direction they’d been heading at first.
Once they were gone, Harper snorted softly. “Okay, that was adorable. But you clearly don’t leave your island very often, do you?” She arched an eyebrow at him as they resumed walking, side-by-side but not touching. “I could see it in the deerling-in-the-headlights look you got. It might be different since Cinnabar is so small, but… Gym Leaders are kind of celebrities. Don’t you ever get press asking you for interviews and things?”
"Yeah, sometimes, I mean," he replied, frowning just a bit. Did he really look that caught off guard? He must have, otherwise she wouldn't be making the comment. "We don't get interviewed as often as the Champion does. Besides, I kind of fell off the radar when I stopped implementing my grandfather's ridiculous riddles in the Gym. It was getting difficult for the trainers to keep up and most of them would give up before they ever got to challenge me. So, I guess... that's what happened," he spoke, rubbing his neck sheepishly. It was mostly true, after all. After he stopped with the riddles, the Gym wasn't as popular as when his grandfather ran it.
"But, if it makes you feel better, you could say you're friends with a celebrity!" he spoke, laughing softly at himself. "O-or you know, you went on date with one," he added, glancing down a little embarrassed by what he just said. This was, after all, a date... right? She said so, he said so, so that's what it was, right?
She laughed a little, then shook her head; he could see the end of one of her twintails flutter from the corner of his eye. “I’d rather say I went on a date with a charmingly-awkward sweetheart,” she replied quietly. “And fortunately, I think I get to.”
They reached the restaurant then; it wasn’t all that much to look at from the outside, blending into the brick buildings on either side of it. It was sandwiched between a bistro on one side and a bookshop on the other, it seemed. The interior was a little more interesting—it appeared to be an eclectic mixture of décor from around the world; colorful event posters and live music advertisements from decades ago lined the walls. The lights over the different booths were all unique and therefore mismatched; the whole place had an atmosphere of cozy eccentricity. A small band played in a corner near the bar, the music lively but not too loud to hear anyone speak.
They were seated right away despite lacking a reservation, and then left to peruse the menus at their leisure. There appeared to be a wise selection of things on offer—including, indeed, various kinds of burger.
He could feel the smile following him into the building, and even as he read the menu, the smile didn't quite fade. "And it looks like you were right, they have burgers," he stated, laughing slightly at the menu. There were other things, too, and he supposed he might as well try something different. It was bad enough that they made fun of him for not having a wider palate. He wanted to expand that, now that he was here. He glanced over it, pursing his lips together. He really didn't know what to get. He glanced up at Harper, and watched as she looked over her own menu.
"Alright, Harp, time to expand my horizons. What do you suggest? What you choose is what I'll get, how about that?" he stated. It was one way to try something different. Plus, he would have chosen the one that looked and sounded remotely like a burger. Like the one that said sriracha sauce-based burger with a fried-egg on top. It sounded really good, but he would not be tempted by it.
Harper grinned. “My choice, huh? Okay, well… I know you don’t like seafood, so I’ll keep it strictly to the 'turf' side of 'surf and turf'…” She scanned over the menu a few times, pulling her lower lip between her teeth and chewing thoughtfully. “I don’t want to throw you way into the other end of things right away, so… try the turkey bacon avocado sandwich. It sounds delicious.” She glanced back up at him.
“And save room for dessert. I hear the ganache is really something to write home about.”
At that point, their waitress approached. She seemed to recognize Drake, too, from the way she blinked, but she recovered with admirable professionalism and didn’t so much as mention it. They put in their orders; Harper went with some kind of spicy pasta dish that was hard to pronounce. Arabi-something.
When their server had taken down their orders and retreated to the kitchen to put them in, Harper returned her attention to him, leaning forward to prop her chin in a hand. “So, leader-man. Tell me a little more about yourself. I know what Gym you run and what pokémon you train, and a fair bit about your grandfather, for that matter, but not so much about you. Did you always want to take over the Gym? Or was it something you decided to do later?”
He blinked. That actually did sound pretty good, and he'd been caught up in the thought of it, even as the waitress took their order, that he almost didn't hear Harper speak. He contemplated it for a moment. "Well, not in the same sense, no. I didn't want to be a Gym Leader; I actually wanted to be the Champion when I was younger. I even started out with Blaziken as my starter. He was a torchic at the time, though," as if that wasn't obvious. He chuckled lightly.
"But Gramps was the one who showed me how awesome it could be to actually help other trainers reach that goal. Don't get me wrong, it was awesome when I was traveling, but I found that I ended up missing home a little too much. Gramps trained me afterwards, to take over the Gym for when he retired. It's been this ever since," he said, taking a drink of the water that had been set down as a courtesy for them. Why he was here, though, making a challenge, he didn't quite know. Maybe it was for old time's sake? Maybe it was because they were here, and that also meant she was here. He coughed a little awkwardly.
"I also, at one time, wanted to be a coordinator," he mumbled just beneath his breath. It was something that had caught his interest a while back, right before he took over the Gym.
“Yeah?” she asked, apparently interested in that detail. “My mom coordinates. It’s her hobby, believe it or not—I guess it’s somehow less stressful than her actual job.” She shook her head like she didn't quite believe it. With her straw, Harper stirred the ice in her glass of water for a moment. “I think it’s cool, though—being a Gym Leader. Being able to battle well is one thing. But you have to be able to do that, and teach people things, and manage the actual facility. Select your apprentice trainers, work with them, deal with challengers pretty much constantly, and all that, too.”
She ticked the items off on the fingers of her free hand, closing them over when she was done. “I think it’s pretty amazing, actually. Compared to that, being a normal trainer is pretty much a cakewalk.” She flashed a smile; there was a hint of mild self-effacement to it. “Sometimes I feel like I started my journey way too late to ever make it to something impressive like that.”
"I don't think so at all," he replied, almost too quickly. He cleared his throat a bit so that he could adjust himself to what he wanted to say. "I don't think age should really factor into what makes a trainer great or not. Sure, some people can be considered prodigies at a young age, but I think that's because the talent they have shows up there. I think... a trainer can still be considered a prodigy if they discover they are good at something, like really good, without ever having been trained on it, y'know?" he spoke, though he hoped he was making some sense. He did, however, believe that trainers should be a little older before they actually made their journey. Kids as young as ten who made the journey was a little scary to think of.
He couldn't count how many times he'd been scared when he was younger, though he knew his pokémon would help keep him safe. Hell, he wasn't so sure if he ever had a child, that he'd send them on a journey at that age. He'd probably keep them until they were at least in their mid to late teen years. That seemed safer to him. He shook his head, though, getting a head of himself. He glanced back up at her, and smiled brightly.
"Besides, you've turned out to be an amazing trainer. I mean, you've collected most of the badges already, and not just anyone can say that. Some trainers take years before they can even collect at least four or five. For what it's worth," he continued, the smile turning into a grin. "I really do think that you've done an amazing job so far, and are amazing yourself," he spoke, his face warming up just slightly. That... sounded corny, and he knew it. But it was the truth, at least to him.
She smiled, though—apparently she didn’t mind that it was cheesy. “Thanks, Drake,” she said, the smile staying in place. “There were a few times I almost… I almost gave up, actually. But I’m glad I didn’t. It’s taken me a lot of interesting places. And I’ve met a lot of great people.” She inclined her head, taking a sip of her water at the same time.
“So… any previous girlfriends I should know about? Pet peeves? Dirty secrets?” She was evidently teasing him now—it was easy to tell by the particular kind of smile she wore.
He was sure he wouldn't get out of this alive. Or at least without much dignity left. He didn't mind too much, though, he supposed, and laughed a little at her. "Past girlfriends, no. I don't think you have to worry about them too much. They all left me, so," he stated, rubbing the back of his neck. He supposed because he was too nice as one of them put it. It's not like that would change, though. He was who he was, and if someone thought that he was too nice, well that was fine by him. It broke his heart, sure, but he had gotten over it. The other ones were just about the same, now that he thought about it.
"No, no pet peeves... I don't think," he started. He was unsure if anything really irritated him, though there was that one thing. "Besides the fact that I received an influx of new challenges last year, I don't think there is much to go on. I'm the odd psyduck out, I suppose," he spoke. A smile, however, broke over his lips as he thought about something. "Well, if you really want to know my dirty secrets, you'll have to lean closer so I can whisper them to you," he stated, leaning forward just slightly. He was wearing a grin, he could feel it, laced with a hint of mischievousness to it.
She laughed, a delighted sound, and gave him a sly sort of look that suggested she was onto him somehow. “Oh really?” she said, drawing out the last word. She did, however, lean forward, quirking an eyebrow at him. “Don't let me wait too long, Mr. Nice Guy.”
Drake snorted, but managed to keep himself in place. "Well, the woman doesn't want to be kept for too long, so I won't keep her much longer," he stated, leaning over the rest of the way to brush his lips against her cheek. "There, that's for the times that I called and hung up on you," he spoke, reeling back, his face feeling like it was on fire now.
“Consider yourself forgiven,” she said, her lips curling into a soft smile. She moved back just in time for their food to arrive; as soon as it was in front of them, she tucked in with enthusiasm, twirling pasta around her fork. “Just maybe actually say something next time, okay?”
"I promise," he replied, biting into his sandwich. He blinked. Maybe he'd let her choose all of his food if it came out this good.
He also seemed to have a nicer wardrobe than Drake, but now wasn't the time to comment on that. He had thanked Eryk, but there was something odd behind his eyes. It almost looked sly, like he knew something Drake didn't. Regardless, he didn't say anything about it. He knew by now it was pointless to ask Ryk about anything, and so he didn't. Instead, he stood outside Harper's door, his palms sweaty, and his body trembling just lightly. He really was nervous. He tried to run a hand through his hair before remembering he'd actually styled it. He pulled it into a ponytail but his bangs were being somewhat uncooperative. He had to get help from Cy and Ana to tame it down a bit.
Once they had done that, he glanced back at the door. Smiling nervously, he knocked on it, waiting patiently for Harper to answer it. He only knew where she was staying because she'd told him before hand, that way he wouldn't get lost.
Fortunately, it was only a couple floors away from the others, so he was a few minutes early. It took a few seconds, but the door eventually opened from the other side. Harper smiled at him, apparently still working on getting ready. She was balanced on one foot, stepping into a black ballet flat-style shoe. She’d kept the yellow neckerchief from earlier in the day, but swapped out her jeans and sweater for a knee-length green dress and black tights. Stylistically, it was simple; modest even.
Tapping her toe on the ground to secure the shoe, she tilted her head to the side. “Heh. Looks like this is a date after all. You weren’t exactly the model of clarity when you asked.” She seemed the furthest thing from upset, though. “You look good, Drake. Let me grab my bag; I’ll be right with you.”
She disappeared back inside her hotel room for a moment, returning with a small grey messenger bag slung over one shoulder. “Okay. Shall we?”
He stuttered for a moment, slightly grateful that she went to go get her bag. He coughed awkwardly into the crease of his arm before glancing back up at her. "You look nice, too, Harper," he finally managed to speak, slightly happy that his voice didn't crack. "Yes, let's," he stated, perhaps a little too enthusiastically. He laughed nervously at her. He wondered, for a moment, why he was. Did his grandfather get like this when he met his grandmother? Maybe. He blinked, reeling himself backwards in that thought. He did not mean to go there, but he couldn't help it now. His face turned a shade of red, he knew that because he could feel it.
"So, uh," he tried to speak, but found it was a little more difficult to do so. "So Bocelli's? Have you been there before?" he asked, slightly cursing himself for not being able to pick a better topic.
From the sympathetic smile on her face, she was at least partially aware of his inner monologue. “I’ve never been,” she said. “Mom and Sheena—that’s Kas’s mom—both recommend it, so it’s pretty much a sure thing.” Her eyes narrowed slightly, flickering with something that might have been amusement. “They probably even have burgers, if you’re afraid of expanding your horizons a little.”
They exited the hotel and found themselves back on downtown sidewalk—Saffron really was a huge city. Occasionally, Drake got recognized; such were the perils of being a Gym Leader. For the most part, though, people were respectful enough to at least not approach.
Of course, some fans were a little too young to understand that.
“It’s Drake; mommy, it’s Drake!” A little boy, maybe six or seven years old, tore free of his mother’s grip and sprinted up towards them. “It’s you! You’re my favorite Gym Leader! I want to be a trainer like you some day; fire types are the coolest!” It was hard to tell how he got all of that out in one breath, but he did.
Beside him, Harper hid a grin behind her hand. “Sounds like you’ve got some competition in the making, Drake. What’s your name, future fire-dude?” She crouched so that they were closer to the same height.
The boy seemed a little dazzled by Harper; his grey eyes went wide. “Cooper!” he said, a little too loudly. Harper didn’t so much as flinch.
Instead, she glanced up at him for a moment, smiling slightly. “Well, I bet if you ask really nicely, Drake here will give you his autograph. Wouldn’t that be cool, huh?”
This idea obviously met with Cooper’s approval; he bounced his gaze back to Drake. “Really? Would you please please please with a cherry on top?” It seemed to be his version of asking nicely.
Drake blinked a little owlishly at the kid. He wanted an autograph? But... he was just a Gym Leader. There was nothing special about him. If he were the Champion, he could understand. Hell, he would rather he were the Champion, then he could justify the kid wanting an autograph. He laughed nervously as he glanced at Harper, and then back at Cooper. "I mean, if that's what you want, sure," he finally spoke reaching for a pen. He realized he didn't have a pen, though, and glanced around. He couldn't just ask for one, though. Why, he didn't know. It just felt a little strange.
"I don't have a pen," he muttered softly. He didn't want to disappoint Cooper though. "Ah, I know," he stated, pulling his wallet from his pocket. He rummaged through it for a moment, looking for what he knew he could give instead. "Ah ha!" he stated, pulling the pin from his wallet. He kept it on him for just in case moments. "Here, I can give you this. Now, you have to promise that you'll come by when you're old enough to earn the real one, yeah?" he stated, giving him a mock volcano badge. He'd actually made it out of a bottle cap when he was younger, but Cooper didn't have to know that.
It was, somewhat, sentimental to him, so he hoped it would do instead of an autograph. "Alright?" he added. Cooper looked like a good kid, so maybe he'd be a good trainer when he got older. "Like Harper here, she earned her Volcano badge a few months ago," he stated, jabbing his finger in her direction. "Though... don't..." cheat? That didn't seem right to tell a kid. And to be fair, she didn't really cheat. She just knew how strategize, is all. Still felt like she cheated, though.
“Forget to work hard and earn your other badges first,” she finished smoothly, shooting him a sly side glance that seemed to suggest that she knew what he’d almost said.
Cooper reverently took his mock badge, looking from it up to Drake back down to it again. “Thank you!” he exclaimed, turning around to show his mom. “Mommy, look! I got a badge!” His mother shot them a grateful smile, then ushered him off in the direction they’d been heading at first.
Once they were gone, Harper snorted softly. “Okay, that was adorable. But you clearly don’t leave your island very often, do you?” She arched an eyebrow at him as they resumed walking, side-by-side but not touching. “I could see it in the deerling-in-the-headlights look you got. It might be different since Cinnabar is so small, but… Gym Leaders are kind of celebrities. Don’t you ever get press asking you for interviews and things?”
"Yeah, sometimes, I mean," he replied, frowning just a bit. Did he really look that caught off guard? He must have, otherwise she wouldn't be making the comment. "We don't get interviewed as often as the Champion does. Besides, I kind of fell off the radar when I stopped implementing my grandfather's ridiculous riddles in the Gym. It was getting difficult for the trainers to keep up and most of them would give up before they ever got to challenge me. So, I guess... that's what happened," he spoke, rubbing his neck sheepishly. It was mostly true, after all. After he stopped with the riddles, the Gym wasn't as popular as when his grandfather ran it.
"But, if it makes you feel better, you could say you're friends with a celebrity!" he spoke, laughing softly at himself. "O-or you know, you went on date with one," he added, glancing down a little embarrassed by what he just said. This was, after all, a date... right? She said so, he said so, so that's what it was, right?
She laughed a little, then shook her head; he could see the end of one of her twintails flutter from the corner of his eye. “I’d rather say I went on a date with a charmingly-awkward sweetheart,” she replied quietly. “And fortunately, I think I get to.”
They reached the restaurant then; it wasn’t all that much to look at from the outside, blending into the brick buildings on either side of it. It was sandwiched between a bistro on one side and a bookshop on the other, it seemed. The interior was a little more interesting—it appeared to be an eclectic mixture of décor from around the world; colorful event posters and live music advertisements from decades ago lined the walls. The lights over the different booths were all unique and therefore mismatched; the whole place had an atmosphere of cozy eccentricity. A small band played in a corner near the bar, the music lively but not too loud to hear anyone speak.
They were seated right away despite lacking a reservation, and then left to peruse the menus at their leisure. There appeared to be a wise selection of things on offer—including, indeed, various kinds of burger.
He could feel the smile following him into the building, and even as he read the menu, the smile didn't quite fade. "And it looks like you were right, they have burgers," he stated, laughing slightly at the menu. There were other things, too, and he supposed he might as well try something different. It was bad enough that they made fun of him for not having a wider palate. He wanted to expand that, now that he was here. He glanced over it, pursing his lips together. He really didn't know what to get. He glanced up at Harper, and watched as she looked over her own menu.
"Alright, Harp, time to expand my horizons. What do you suggest? What you choose is what I'll get, how about that?" he stated. It was one way to try something different. Plus, he would have chosen the one that looked and sounded remotely like a burger. Like the one that said sriracha sauce-based burger with a fried-egg on top. It sounded really good, but he would not be tempted by it.
Harper grinned. “My choice, huh? Okay, well… I know you don’t like seafood, so I’ll keep it strictly to the 'turf' side of 'surf and turf'…” She scanned over the menu a few times, pulling her lower lip between her teeth and chewing thoughtfully. “I don’t want to throw you way into the other end of things right away, so… try the turkey bacon avocado sandwich. It sounds delicious.” She glanced back up at him.
“And save room for dessert. I hear the ganache is really something to write home about.”
At that point, their waitress approached. She seemed to recognize Drake, too, from the way she blinked, but she recovered with admirable professionalism and didn’t so much as mention it. They put in their orders; Harper went with some kind of spicy pasta dish that was hard to pronounce. Arabi-something.
When their server had taken down their orders and retreated to the kitchen to put them in, Harper returned her attention to him, leaning forward to prop her chin in a hand. “So, leader-man. Tell me a little more about yourself. I know what Gym you run and what pokémon you train, and a fair bit about your grandfather, for that matter, but not so much about you. Did you always want to take over the Gym? Or was it something you decided to do later?”
He blinked. That actually did sound pretty good, and he'd been caught up in the thought of it, even as the waitress took their order, that he almost didn't hear Harper speak. He contemplated it for a moment. "Well, not in the same sense, no. I didn't want to be a Gym Leader; I actually wanted to be the Champion when I was younger. I even started out with Blaziken as my starter. He was a torchic at the time, though," as if that wasn't obvious. He chuckled lightly.
"But Gramps was the one who showed me how awesome it could be to actually help other trainers reach that goal. Don't get me wrong, it was awesome when I was traveling, but I found that I ended up missing home a little too much. Gramps trained me afterwards, to take over the Gym for when he retired. It's been this ever since," he said, taking a drink of the water that had been set down as a courtesy for them. Why he was here, though, making a challenge, he didn't quite know. Maybe it was for old time's sake? Maybe it was because they were here, and that also meant she was here. He coughed a little awkwardly.
"I also, at one time, wanted to be a coordinator," he mumbled just beneath his breath. It was something that had caught his interest a while back, right before he took over the Gym.
“Yeah?” she asked, apparently interested in that detail. “My mom coordinates. It’s her hobby, believe it or not—I guess it’s somehow less stressful than her actual job.” She shook her head like she didn't quite believe it. With her straw, Harper stirred the ice in her glass of water for a moment. “I think it’s cool, though—being a Gym Leader. Being able to battle well is one thing. But you have to be able to do that, and teach people things, and manage the actual facility. Select your apprentice trainers, work with them, deal with challengers pretty much constantly, and all that, too.”
She ticked the items off on the fingers of her free hand, closing them over when she was done. “I think it’s pretty amazing, actually. Compared to that, being a normal trainer is pretty much a cakewalk.” She flashed a smile; there was a hint of mild self-effacement to it. “Sometimes I feel like I started my journey way too late to ever make it to something impressive like that.”
"I don't think so at all," he replied, almost too quickly. He cleared his throat a bit so that he could adjust himself to what he wanted to say. "I don't think age should really factor into what makes a trainer great or not. Sure, some people can be considered prodigies at a young age, but I think that's because the talent they have shows up there. I think... a trainer can still be considered a prodigy if they discover they are good at something, like really good, without ever having been trained on it, y'know?" he spoke, though he hoped he was making some sense. He did, however, believe that trainers should be a little older before they actually made their journey. Kids as young as ten who made the journey was a little scary to think of.
He couldn't count how many times he'd been scared when he was younger, though he knew his pokémon would help keep him safe. Hell, he wasn't so sure if he ever had a child, that he'd send them on a journey at that age. He'd probably keep them until they were at least in their mid to late teen years. That seemed safer to him. He shook his head, though, getting a head of himself. He glanced back up at her, and smiled brightly.
"Besides, you've turned out to be an amazing trainer. I mean, you've collected most of the badges already, and not just anyone can say that. Some trainers take years before they can even collect at least four or five. For what it's worth," he continued, the smile turning into a grin. "I really do think that you've done an amazing job so far, and are amazing yourself," he spoke, his face warming up just slightly. That... sounded corny, and he knew it. But it was the truth, at least to him.
She smiled, though—apparently she didn’t mind that it was cheesy. “Thanks, Drake,” she said, the smile staying in place. “There were a few times I almost… I almost gave up, actually. But I’m glad I didn’t. It’s taken me a lot of interesting places. And I’ve met a lot of great people.” She inclined her head, taking a sip of her water at the same time.
“So… any previous girlfriends I should know about? Pet peeves? Dirty secrets?” She was evidently teasing him now—it was easy to tell by the particular kind of smile she wore.
He was sure he wouldn't get out of this alive. Or at least without much dignity left. He didn't mind too much, though, he supposed, and laughed a little at her. "Past girlfriends, no. I don't think you have to worry about them too much. They all left me, so," he stated, rubbing the back of his neck. He supposed because he was too nice as one of them put it. It's not like that would change, though. He was who he was, and if someone thought that he was too nice, well that was fine by him. It broke his heart, sure, but he had gotten over it. The other ones were just about the same, now that he thought about it.
"No, no pet peeves... I don't think," he started. He was unsure if anything really irritated him, though there was that one thing. "Besides the fact that I received an influx of new challenges last year, I don't think there is much to go on. I'm the odd psyduck out, I suppose," he spoke. A smile, however, broke over his lips as he thought about something. "Well, if you really want to know my dirty secrets, you'll have to lean closer so I can whisper them to you," he stated, leaning forward just slightly. He was wearing a grin, he could feel it, laced with a hint of mischievousness to it.
She laughed, a delighted sound, and gave him a sly sort of look that suggested she was onto him somehow. “Oh really?” she said, drawing out the last word. She did, however, lean forward, quirking an eyebrow at him. “Don't let me wait too long, Mr. Nice Guy.”
Drake snorted, but managed to keep himself in place. "Well, the woman doesn't want to be kept for too long, so I won't keep her much longer," he stated, leaning over the rest of the way to brush his lips against her cheek. "There, that's for the times that I called and hung up on you," he spoke, reeling back, his face feeling like it was on fire now.
“Consider yourself forgiven,” she said, her lips curling into a soft smile. She moved back just in time for their food to arrive; as soon as it was in front of them, she tucked in with enthusiasm, twirling pasta around her fork. “Just maybe actually say something next time, okay?”
"I promise," he replied, biting into his sandwich. He blinked. Maybe he'd let her choose all of his food if it came out this good.
Kas sighed heavily, hitting the button for the forty-third floor. He hadn’t been able to shake his barnacle till past midnight, and he had a match tomorrow. Oh well—that was the price he paid for getting what he wanted out of the meeting. And avoiding what he really didn’t want.
He felt like an asshole, and there was really no reason for it. This wasn’t something he’d never done before. Probably he’d have to do it again, too. Probably he’d have to do worse. That was the nature of his work, both for Team Rocket and for the KPSF. He did this kind of shit so that the others didn’t have to. It wasn’t like it could traumatize him or anything.
Running both hands down his face, he chose to avoid thinking about what he’d learned for now. With any luck, Ryk would already be asleep when he got back to the room to shower, and no one would ever mention this again. He didn’t trust much to his luck—if no one else confronted him about the whole thing, Harper would. The best he could hope for was that the only person he needed to explain himself to would be her. She’d always understood him better than anyone. Better than he could let anyone else.
The elevator doors opened, spitting him out on the right floor, and he stepped out, rummaging in his coat pocket until he found his card key. He swiped it through the door. Please let Ryk be asleep, please let Ryk be asleep…
Of course, as his luck would have it, Ryk wasn't asleep. He was sitting in one of the chairs, flipping through a book. An encyclopedia from the looks of it. What he was doing with one, though, was a bit odd. Maybe he just needed something to occupy his mind with? "Kas," he greeted, but didn't glance up from the book in his hand. He looked a little less tense than when Kas had left them, but there was something in the tightness of his jaw that said otherwise.
"I take it Jasmine was entertained?" he spoke, though he didn't say it in a tone that said anything bad. It sounded almost understanding, but he seemed a little hesitant. "You had your reasons," he spoke, finally setting the book down. He just glanced at Kas, though, like he wanted to say more, but wasn't really going to. He didn't even look like he wanted an explanation, but perhaps something else?
For once, Kas had no idea what the fuck was going on in his friend’s head. He snorted, though, at Ryk’s choice of words. That was one way to put it, he supposed. “Yeah,” he said aloud, tossing his bag onto his bed and pulling his suitcase up so he could rummage through it. Might as well get things sorted out for tonight and tomorrow both. He had to battle tomorrow; hopefully he’d feel like it a little more by then. Right now, all he wanted to do was sleep.
“What’s with the reference book?” he asked, jerking his chin towards Ryk’s choice of reading material. Shrugging out of his trenchcoat, he tossed it over one of the free armchairs and raised the collar of his sweater to sniff it. He just barely avoided wincing, and peeled it off. He folded it before stuffing it in a bag at the bottom of his suitcase for dirty laundry.
"Couldn't sleep," he finally replied. "It was the first thing I grabbed, and it's been..." he didn't seem to know how to finish that sentence. He sighed, though, and shook his head. "Your sister," he began, speaking a little slowly as if he were unsure of what he said next was something he should. He blinked a little slowly, and looked almost like a noctowl with the way he was staring at Kas.
"She told me to trust you, Kas, and also not to try and beat you up. I'm... unsure as to why she would say that, but I think I have some inclination," he continued, his voice just as monotone as the stare he was giving Kas. "I just... I want to say that I do trust you, and... though I may not necessarily agree how you chose to deal with her, I'm glad you did," he stated, leaning back into his chair. It didn't make much sense, at least to Eryk because he still looked a little off. Maybe that wasn't what he was trying to say?
Kas paused, blinking dully at him for a second. He supposed Harper would try to smooth things over. Probably what he got for not explaining himself at the time. Not that there’d really been an opportunity.
“She’s not going to report anything bad to your family,” he said at last, glancing down at his suitcase. He pulled out a soft lilac-colored shirt for the next day, rolling the sleeves up in advance so they’d lay flat. “And she’s going to make sure no one else does, either. She’s competitive, so I’m pretty sure about that last part.” He didn’t explain any further than that.
Maybe… maybe he would, if Ryk asked. But he wasn’t in the habit of sharing the details of things like this with anyone. Especially not the way it started to wear after you’d done it enough times. He was Kas, the easygoing, lackadaisical one. Who came from a normal family and had normal problems. He wasn’t supposed to shove any more problems on them. They had enough of their own. His job was to smile even when it sucked, crack a joke when nothing was funny. And he was damn good at his job.
Ryk merely stared at Kas. There was no expression, no hint of anything behind the stare. It was empty. Kind of like he used to wear it, only this one had a sort of emptiness that could be filled in the right way. "She's always been competitive, she was like that when we were kids," he spoke finally, rolling his eyes somewhat. He seemed far too awake for this hour for someone who looked far too awake at six-thirty. "But even so, she's a known liar who says whatever she wants to get what she wants," he added, almost like he didn't believe Kas for a moment.
"I'm not saying I don't believe you, I just don't trust her," he spoke, his jaw clenching just slightly.
“I kinda figured that part out,” Kas agreed mildly, cracking the smile because he had to. “That’s why I got leverage. I make tongues slip for a living, Ryk—you know that.” In the field anyway. It was why he cased places, went undercover when someone had to, and was usually the only contact persons of interest had with the Three Beasts.
“Everyone’s got a secret sin or two, even her. Everyone has something they don’t want certain people to know. Certain people for you guys is the clan. I solved for x.” It was chess, really—and Kas was usually two or three moves ahead.
Of course, winning chess also meant being able to make the right strategic sacrifices.
Eryk shook his head and scoffed lightly. "You know Kas, you didn't have to do that. We've dealt with our family for years. We... would have been fine," he spoke, something like gratitude leaking into his voice. "Though, I'm not entirely sure how much you've done was more for her than it was for me. Maybe I misread the situation, though," he spoke, giving a careless shrug of his shoulders.
"But just so you know, Jasmine isn't liked by all of the members. Even if you could get her to be silent, someone somewhere wouldn't agree with her. Sin or not, it's just a chance we have to take, I guess," he spoke. It didn't sound like he doubted Kas at all, but more he was hesitant to accept that Jasmine would, indeed, be quiet. "I can deal with the repercussions the Clan will deal to me, but," he paused, sighing a little heavily. "You're... I know I've said this before, but I want you to know that I actually mean it, Kas," he began, staring him in the eyes.
"No ordinary friend would have gone through that much trouble, especially with Jasmine. You're a good friend to have," he spoke, keeping eye contact with Kas.
No he wasn’t.
Kas pulled his mouth into a half-smile, arching an eyebrow. “I do what I can. Maybe it’ll work, maybe it won’t, but… I saw the opportunity to take a crack at it and figured I should. Even if she just quits harassing you guys while you’re here, that’s better than dealing with her, right?” It sure as hell had to be better for Cyrilla—she had not taken Jasmine’s appearance well.
He probably owed her some kind of apology or something. He probably owed her an apology for existing, let along having the gall to do so in her life.
"If you say so," he replied, pulling himself up from the chair. "Just so you know," he spoke, standing to face his bed. He seemed to contemplate for a moment, before shaking his head. "You should probably get some sleep, Kas. You have a match in the morning, and I don't think you want to disappoint your fans if you fall asleep during it," he spoke, a somewhat humorous tone to his voice.
"You do realize that it goes both ways, though, right? If... I'm not good at helping people out, you know that. But... if it helps just to vent, or if you need a sparring match," he said, glancing back towards Kas. "I'll do what I can."
Kas snorted. “Sentiment, Ryk? You have changed.” But it wasn’t a bad thing at all. For just a moment, he didn’t have to force himself to smile, and he dipped his head.
“I’d hate to disappoint, then.”
He felt like an asshole, and there was really no reason for it. This wasn’t something he’d never done before. Probably he’d have to do it again, too. Probably he’d have to do worse. That was the nature of his work, both for Team Rocket and for the KPSF. He did this kind of shit so that the others didn’t have to. It wasn’t like it could traumatize him or anything.
Running both hands down his face, he chose to avoid thinking about what he’d learned for now. With any luck, Ryk would already be asleep when he got back to the room to shower, and no one would ever mention this again. He didn’t trust much to his luck—if no one else confronted him about the whole thing, Harper would. The best he could hope for was that the only person he needed to explain himself to would be her. She’d always understood him better than anyone. Better than he could let anyone else.
The elevator doors opened, spitting him out on the right floor, and he stepped out, rummaging in his coat pocket until he found his card key. He swiped it through the door. Please let Ryk be asleep, please let Ryk be asleep…
Of course, as his luck would have it, Ryk wasn't asleep. He was sitting in one of the chairs, flipping through a book. An encyclopedia from the looks of it. What he was doing with one, though, was a bit odd. Maybe he just needed something to occupy his mind with? "Kas," he greeted, but didn't glance up from the book in his hand. He looked a little less tense than when Kas had left them, but there was something in the tightness of his jaw that said otherwise.
"I take it Jasmine was entertained?" he spoke, though he didn't say it in a tone that said anything bad. It sounded almost understanding, but he seemed a little hesitant. "You had your reasons," he spoke, finally setting the book down. He just glanced at Kas, though, like he wanted to say more, but wasn't really going to. He didn't even look like he wanted an explanation, but perhaps something else?
For once, Kas had no idea what the fuck was going on in his friend’s head. He snorted, though, at Ryk’s choice of words. That was one way to put it, he supposed. “Yeah,” he said aloud, tossing his bag onto his bed and pulling his suitcase up so he could rummage through it. Might as well get things sorted out for tonight and tomorrow both. He had to battle tomorrow; hopefully he’d feel like it a little more by then. Right now, all he wanted to do was sleep.
“What’s with the reference book?” he asked, jerking his chin towards Ryk’s choice of reading material. Shrugging out of his trenchcoat, he tossed it over one of the free armchairs and raised the collar of his sweater to sniff it. He just barely avoided wincing, and peeled it off. He folded it before stuffing it in a bag at the bottom of his suitcase for dirty laundry.
"Couldn't sleep," he finally replied. "It was the first thing I grabbed, and it's been..." he didn't seem to know how to finish that sentence. He sighed, though, and shook his head. "Your sister," he began, speaking a little slowly as if he were unsure of what he said next was something he should. He blinked a little slowly, and looked almost like a noctowl with the way he was staring at Kas.
"She told me to trust you, Kas, and also not to try and beat you up. I'm... unsure as to why she would say that, but I think I have some inclination," he continued, his voice just as monotone as the stare he was giving Kas. "I just... I want to say that I do trust you, and... though I may not necessarily agree how you chose to deal with her, I'm glad you did," he stated, leaning back into his chair. It didn't make much sense, at least to Eryk because he still looked a little off. Maybe that wasn't what he was trying to say?
Kas paused, blinking dully at him for a second. He supposed Harper would try to smooth things over. Probably what he got for not explaining himself at the time. Not that there’d really been an opportunity.
“She’s not going to report anything bad to your family,” he said at last, glancing down at his suitcase. He pulled out a soft lilac-colored shirt for the next day, rolling the sleeves up in advance so they’d lay flat. “And she’s going to make sure no one else does, either. She’s competitive, so I’m pretty sure about that last part.” He didn’t explain any further than that.
Maybe… maybe he would, if Ryk asked. But he wasn’t in the habit of sharing the details of things like this with anyone. Especially not the way it started to wear after you’d done it enough times. He was Kas, the easygoing, lackadaisical one. Who came from a normal family and had normal problems. He wasn’t supposed to shove any more problems on them. They had enough of their own. His job was to smile even when it sucked, crack a joke when nothing was funny. And he was damn good at his job.
Ryk merely stared at Kas. There was no expression, no hint of anything behind the stare. It was empty. Kind of like he used to wear it, only this one had a sort of emptiness that could be filled in the right way. "She's always been competitive, she was like that when we were kids," he spoke finally, rolling his eyes somewhat. He seemed far too awake for this hour for someone who looked far too awake at six-thirty. "But even so, she's a known liar who says whatever she wants to get what she wants," he added, almost like he didn't believe Kas for a moment.
"I'm not saying I don't believe you, I just don't trust her," he spoke, his jaw clenching just slightly.
“I kinda figured that part out,” Kas agreed mildly, cracking the smile because he had to. “That’s why I got leverage. I make tongues slip for a living, Ryk—you know that.” In the field anyway. It was why he cased places, went undercover when someone had to, and was usually the only contact persons of interest had with the Three Beasts.
“Everyone’s got a secret sin or two, even her. Everyone has something they don’t want certain people to know. Certain people for you guys is the clan. I solved for x.” It was chess, really—and Kas was usually two or three moves ahead.
Of course, winning chess also meant being able to make the right strategic sacrifices.
Eryk shook his head and scoffed lightly. "You know Kas, you didn't have to do that. We've dealt with our family for years. We... would have been fine," he spoke, something like gratitude leaking into his voice. "Though, I'm not entirely sure how much you've done was more for her than it was for me. Maybe I misread the situation, though," he spoke, giving a careless shrug of his shoulders.
"But just so you know, Jasmine isn't liked by all of the members. Even if you could get her to be silent, someone somewhere wouldn't agree with her. Sin or not, it's just a chance we have to take, I guess," he spoke. It didn't sound like he doubted Kas at all, but more he was hesitant to accept that Jasmine would, indeed, be quiet. "I can deal with the repercussions the Clan will deal to me, but," he paused, sighing a little heavily. "You're... I know I've said this before, but I want you to know that I actually mean it, Kas," he began, staring him in the eyes.
"No ordinary friend would have gone through that much trouble, especially with Jasmine. You're a good friend to have," he spoke, keeping eye contact with Kas.
No he wasn’t.
Kas pulled his mouth into a half-smile, arching an eyebrow. “I do what I can. Maybe it’ll work, maybe it won’t, but… I saw the opportunity to take a crack at it and figured I should. Even if she just quits harassing you guys while you’re here, that’s better than dealing with her, right?” It sure as hell had to be better for Cyrilla—she had not taken Jasmine’s appearance well.
He probably owed her some kind of apology or something. He probably owed her an apology for existing, let along having the gall to do so in her life.
"If you say so," he replied, pulling himself up from the chair. "Just so you know," he spoke, standing to face his bed. He seemed to contemplate for a moment, before shaking his head. "You should probably get some sleep, Kas. You have a match in the morning, and I don't think you want to disappoint your fans if you fall asleep during it," he spoke, a somewhat humorous tone to his voice.
"You do realize that it goes both ways, though, right? If... I'm not good at helping people out, you know that. But... if it helps just to vent, or if you need a sparring match," he said, glancing back towards Kas. "I'll do what I can."
Kas snorted. “Sentiment, Ryk? You have changed.” But it wasn’t a bad thing at all. For just a moment, he didn’t have to force himself to smile, and he dipped his head.
“I’d hate to disappoint, then.”
She hadn't been able to sleep that night. She'd tossed so many times in one setting that she lost count of how many times she'd actually laid still. She couldn't help it, though. Her mind was restless, and she just couldn't unsee the events that had played out yesterday. Everytime she thought about it, her chest felt like it was constricting on itself, and it was hard to breathe. But... she had no right to feel like that nor to have acted the way she did. Like she'd told Harper and Ana, she wasn't with him, so she had no right to act like that. It didn't mean it hurt any less, though, to see him do the things he did, to hear the things he said. She wasn't stupid, and she wasn't naive. She knew the implications in his tone. Even though Harper said he was probably just sweet-talking her out of her plans, some part of Cyrilla felt... like it might have been something more.
She sighed softly, pushing the blanket off of her. It was still at least an hour before the alarm was supposed to go off, and she glanced towards the other side where Ana lay. She was still asleep, it seemed. That was good, she didn't want to accidentally wake her. She made her way through the dark, navigating as if it were actually light inside, and finding her bag with clothes. She grabbed what she needed, and headed towards the bathroom. She decided a long, hot bath was in order. She stood under the water for what seemed like hours, though, and managed to pull herself out of it. Once she was properly dried, and not slightly shivering from how cold it was, she managed to dress herself.
She decided something simple, like a pair of slightly loose pants that hugged her hips. They were looser towards her thighs and knees, flowing out somewhat towards the bottom. She pulled on a white, long-sleeved turtle neck shirt before pulling a black puffer vest over it. She'd just pulled her hair into a short ponytail, since it was long enough to do that, now. Maybe she should trim it again? She scoffed a bit. She could almost hear the disappointment in Kenshin's voice. Shaking her thoughts, she opened the door just in time as the alarm went off, and she smiled sheepishly towards Ana.
"Good morning, Ana. Do you want some coffee? Or tea? Or something caffeniated to wake you up?" she offered. She could at least do that much while Ana got dressed. It wouldn't be long before Eryk and Kas's alarm went off, too, since it was Kas's match today. She could probably make them coffee as well, and Harper and Drake. Well, she'd make them all drinks if Ana wanted coffee. If Ana wanted tea, though, everyone was getting tea.
Ana lifted her head from her pillow, blinking blearily at Cyrilla. She slept with her hair braided, but more than a bit of it had fallen out overnight, and was now sticking up at odd angles. It took her a few seconds to register the question, and then apparently a few more to get to the point of formulating an answer, but then she nodded. “Uh… tea would be nice. Thank you.”
She rolled out of the bed, twisting herself so that her feet hit the ground first, then pushed herself up into a standing position. She caught sight of herself in one of the room’s mirrors and grimaced, then sighed. “Maybe I should cut my hair, too…” she seemed to be speaking to herself more than Cyrilla, but it was kind of hard to say for sure.
Cyrilla laughed lightly at Ana's appearance, but went to start the tea. She paused for a second at Ana's statement, though, and turned to give her a raised brow. "But, it's so pretty and long, and Eryk likes it the way it is," she spoke, perhaps a little too fast. She realized what she said, and for a moment, was glad Ana had just woken up. Maybe she didn't catch that part? "I mean, we all like it, I just... I don't think we'd like it any less if it were short, too. If you do decide to make it short, just let me know! I... am not good with scissors like you, but we can probably make an appointment at Hair Apparent before we leave," she suggested.
They had done an amazing job on their hair for dinner, and she supposed that they could work wonders again for Ana if she really wanted to cut her hair. "I... nearly regretted mine, so just make sure you really, really want to cut your hair. If you just want to cut it because of the way it looks in the morning, at least you don't look like Ryk. He has it worse," she spoke, laughing lightly. Eryk looked like his namesake, Entei. At least in the shaggy appearance. Though, really he looked more like a luxray in the morning with his hair every odd direction. She wondered, for a moment, if Kas didn't poke fun of him for it.
Ana half-smiled wryly; it was clear she wasn’t really fully awake yet. “I probably won’t. I’m too scared to change it, I think. But it is a pain.” She sighed, loosening the tie and letting it fall out. She had to shake it out a little to get the braid to come all the way undone, which just made the flyaways worse.
“I bet it’s fluffy,” she muttered; apparently in belated response to Cyrilla’s comment about Eryk. Yawning, Ana glanced at the bathroom door. “I’m gonna go shower; I shouldn’t be too long if you wanted tea now.”
"Very fluffy," Cyrilla called out after Ana. She chuckled lightly, and continued watching the tea. She was half tempted to tell Ana she should run her hands through it one day. That would cause a great reaction for him, at least. And Cyrilla would get her daily dose of amusement, probably a year's worth, just to watch the reaction. She pursed her lips though, and sighed. Why couldn't it be that easy? She blinked somewhat to herself. How was that any easier? Maybe because they actually like each other even though they don't quite know it, the little voice in her head spoke, causing her to frown. She shook her head to clear her thoughts. Now was not the time to be thinking like that.
When is it ever a good time, though? it continued. She had half a mind to go drown it out with something, but Ana was in the shower now, and she'd probably have to settle with standing outside on the balcony. Maybe she should do that? Once the tea was finished, she set aside a few cups. Luckily, there were paper cups laying about, and she poured the tea all into five separate cups. One for Ana, Harper, Eryk, Kas, and Drake. Once those were poured, and a lid on top, she took hers to the balcony, and just stared outside. She must have been out there for the duration of Ana's bath, because she heard the door open. She didn't turn around, though, instead, letting her eyes focus over the railing. People were already walking out on the streets and sidewalks.
"People look so tiny from up here. They almost look like Joltiks," she mused out loud to herself. "What do you think?" she stated, turning around to face Ana.
Ana was squeezing water out of her mass of pinkish hair, already dressed in a similar fashion to the day before. At the question, she moved to the edge of the balcony, looking down at the same angle Cyrilla had. “I’m not sure,” she replied; she sounded a little more awake already. “On the one hand… I think it can be good to remember that we’re pretty small, next to the world. On the other… each one of those tiny people has dreams, and ambitions, and people they love… it seems like the sort of thing we shouldn’t forget.”
She lowered the towel from her locks, now a tangled mess. “But maybe I’m not the person to ask, all things considered.”
Cyrilla merely smiled at Ana's words. That was one way of putting it. She'd simply said it to take her mind off of things, but when she looked at it from a new perspective? She shook her head and pushed herself away from the balcony. "Well, I suppose so. Your tea is ready, though, and I packed away a few more cups for the others. Should we go see if Kas and Ryk are ready, after you fix your hair? I didn't hear their alarm clock go off, but maybe it was drowned out with your shower?" she stated, glancing towards the door, and the cups that were set on the counter.
“Sure,” Ana agreed, heading back inside. “Just give me a few minutes…” Eventually, she won the battle with her mane, disciplining it back into a long ponytail, and the two of them carried the cups out the door and over one to the next room.
When they knocked, Kas answered. He looked… exhausted. Like he hadn’t slept much at all. There were dark rings under his eyes, and he clearly hadn’t gotten around to fixing his own hair yet, because it fell around his shoulders in messy waves. He brightened slightly upon sight of them—or maybe just their beverages. “My heroes,” he murmured, taking one of the cups from Cyrilla’s hand. His fingers brushed lightly over hers, but he didn’t seem to notice. Either that, or he was completely indifferent to the fact.
“Hey Ryk,” he called back into the room. “There’s tea. Come get it before it’s cold.” He opened the door a little wider. “You can come wait inside, you know. We’re decent and all.”
Cyrilla chose not to think too much on it, and nodded her head. She walked passed Kas, cups still in her hand, and sat on one of the chairs. Eryk was, apparently, still in the bathroom, though. From the sounds of it, it sounded like he was trying to put on something, or fix something. When he came out, it was apparent that he was trying to fix his hair. Cyrilla just smiled and shook her head. He still had a ways to go before he could manage his hair on his own, but she was slightly proud of him that he was actually doing something with it now.
"I heard something about tea," he spoke, glancing at both Cyrilla and Ana. Cyrilla, however, gestured her head towards Ana, and watched as Eryk walked towards her, grabbing the cup, gently, from her hand, and nearly chugged the whole thing in one go. Either he was thirsty, or he was just as tired as Kas had been. It was hard to tell with Ryk, sometimes. "Thanks," he muttered, holding the cup in his hand as he stood still for a moment.
"So," she began, trying to get her mind off of things. "I take it everyone's having a bad hair day," she muttered out loud, nodding her head towards Eryk and then Kas. "Glad I'm not the only one," she spoke, though she really didn't have much trouble with hers. She took a sip of her tea, though, and raised a brow at the two of them.
Kas snorted. “Are you saying my hair looks bad? That hurts me, Cy. Deep down inside.” He took another few sips of his tea, apparently disinclined to chug it like Eryk had. “But actually I just haven’t fixed it yet. I need a few minutes. He needs… help.” He lifted an eyebrow at Eryk and shook his head. “Ana, be a dear and help him sort it out, will you?”
She blinked, glancing between them. “I can if you want,” she affirmed, though she seemed reluctant to simply assume it was okay. “Cy and I did Drake’s yesterday, actually—I think it turned out pretty well.”
Kas was clearly hiding a smile behind his cup, but he set it down to go take his turn in the bathroom, it seemed.
"That was you two?" Eryk seemed a little... shocked? That sounded right, or maybe he looked slightly surprised. "He came by to borrow something to wear since he didn't have anything. And here I thought," he trailed off towards the end. Cyrilla didn't keep the smile off her face, though. It was funny that he would react that way. She merely shook her head at him though. "And what's wrong with my hair?" he spoke, finally realizing what Kas had said.
"Ryk... how many times have we been through this? Your hair can't be like that out in public. It's messy, and it scares people. You're an intimidating person, though mostly I think it's the hair," she spoke, chuckling softly. "Alright Ana, you've got the magic fingers, work them on Ryk's hair," she said, pointing towards Eryk.
"If you don't mind, Ana," he spoke, sighing just softly in a sign of defeat. "It'll get them off my case," he seemed to add, sitting down in one of the chairs so it would be easier for her. Cyrilla just chuckled lightly. At least this was putting her in a better mood.
“It’s no problem,” she said mildly, taking the brush from his hand and holding it in one of hers. She ran her fingers through the dark strands a few times to put them in the places she wanted, then laughed softly. “It is fluffy,” she remarked, humming in a pleased sort of way and combing out a few more tangles with her hands. “I figured it might be, actually.”
She worked the brush through carefully, starting at the ends and holding each strand so it wouldn’t pull. Gradually, she worked her way up, smoothing with her free hand as she went. By the time Kas emerged from the bathroom, Eryk actually looked… neat. Put-together. Ana adjusted a few of the strands near his part, huffing softly when they wouldn’t stay quite where she wanted them. “You have,” she said, pausing to giggle slightly when a particularly-stubborn lock flicked back into its former position. “You have this cowlick, and it won’t move.” This seemed to amuse her more than anything.
"Really?" Cyrilla spoke the words that Eryk must have been thinking, because he gave her a similar look. She stood from her chair to walk over towards Ana's side, and glanced at it. She chuckled lightly. "Yep, you do, Ryk. You have a cowlick that won't move. Sorry, you're kind of stuck with it," she stated as he frowned somewhat. At least the rest of him looked neat, right?
"Whatever you say, Cy," was the only thing he spoke, standing from his spot as he did so. He glanced towards Kas, and his frown deepened. "Can we go now? I don't need them making fun of my hair," though there was something strange in the way he said it. Cyrilla almost thought he was whining about it, but there was a hint of amusement laced in his tone, as though he were more amused by the fact. He really was changing, in the smallest of ways. She smiled a little softly at that. She was glad.
"Oh come on Ryk, it's not that bad. And it's his battle, not yours. You're not the one who's going to be late," she spoke, nudging him with her fist, softly, on his forearm.
At that point, there was a knock at the door. “That’ll be Melly,” Kas said, shrugging into his trench coat. He looked a little more alive at the moment; presumably the chance to finish his morning routine had helped. “So yes. We can go now.”
"Good," Eryk replied. Cyrilla just shook her head, following after them as they exited the room.
She sighed softly, pushing the blanket off of her. It was still at least an hour before the alarm was supposed to go off, and she glanced towards the other side where Ana lay. She was still asleep, it seemed. That was good, she didn't want to accidentally wake her. She made her way through the dark, navigating as if it were actually light inside, and finding her bag with clothes. She grabbed what she needed, and headed towards the bathroom. She decided a long, hot bath was in order. She stood under the water for what seemed like hours, though, and managed to pull herself out of it. Once she was properly dried, and not slightly shivering from how cold it was, she managed to dress herself.
She decided something simple, like a pair of slightly loose pants that hugged her hips. They were looser towards her thighs and knees, flowing out somewhat towards the bottom. She pulled on a white, long-sleeved turtle neck shirt before pulling a black puffer vest over it. She'd just pulled her hair into a short ponytail, since it was long enough to do that, now. Maybe she should trim it again? She scoffed a bit. She could almost hear the disappointment in Kenshin's voice. Shaking her thoughts, she opened the door just in time as the alarm went off, and she smiled sheepishly towards Ana.
"Good morning, Ana. Do you want some coffee? Or tea? Or something caffeniated to wake you up?" she offered. She could at least do that much while Ana got dressed. It wouldn't be long before Eryk and Kas's alarm went off, too, since it was Kas's match today. She could probably make them coffee as well, and Harper and Drake. Well, she'd make them all drinks if Ana wanted coffee. If Ana wanted tea, though, everyone was getting tea.
Ana lifted her head from her pillow, blinking blearily at Cyrilla. She slept with her hair braided, but more than a bit of it had fallen out overnight, and was now sticking up at odd angles. It took her a few seconds to register the question, and then apparently a few more to get to the point of formulating an answer, but then she nodded. “Uh… tea would be nice. Thank you.”
She rolled out of the bed, twisting herself so that her feet hit the ground first, then pushed herself up into a standing position. She caught sight of herself in one of the room’s mirrors and grimaced, then sighed. “Maybe I should cut my hair, too…” she seemed to be speaking to herself more than Cyrilla, but it was kind of hard to say for sure.
Cyrilla laughed lightly at Ana's appearance, but went to start the tea. She paused for a second at Ana's statement, though, and turned to give her a raised brow. "But, it's so pretty and long, and Eryk likes it the way it is," she spoke, perhaps a little too fast. She realized what she said, and for a moment, was glad Ana had just woken up. Maybe she didn't catch that part? "I mean, we all like it, I just... I don't think we'd like it any less if it were short, too. If you do decide to make it short, just let me know! I... am not good with scissors like you, but we can probably make an appointment at Hair Apparent before we leave," she suggested.
They had done an amazing job on their hair for dinner, and she supposed that they could work wonders again for Ana if she really wanted to cut her hair. "I... nearly regretted mine, so just make sure you really, really want to cut your hair. If you just want to cut it because of the way it looks in the morning, at least you don't look like Ryk. He has it worse," she spoke, laughing lightly. Eryk looked like his namesake, Entei. At least in the shaggy appearance. Though, really he looked more like a luxray in the morning with his hair every odd direction. She wondered, for a moment, if Kas didn't poke fun of him for it.
Ana half-smiled wryly; it was clear she wasn’t really fully awake yet. “I probably won’t. I’m too scared to change it, I think. But it is a pain.” She sighed, loosening the tie and letting it fall out. She had to shake it out a little to get the braid to come all the way undone, which just made the flyaways worse.
“I bet it’s fluffy,” she muttered; apparently in belated response to Cyrilla’s comment about Eryk. Yawning, Ana glanced at the bathroom door. “I’m gonna go shower; I shouldn’t be too long if you wanted tea now.”
"Very fluffy," Cyrilla called out after Ana. She chuckled lightly, and continued watching the tea. She was half tempted to tell Ana she should run her hands through it one day. That would cause a great reaction for him, at least. And Cyrilla would get her daily dose of amusement, probably a year's worth, just to watch the reaction. She pursed her lips though, and sighed. Why couldn't it be that easy? She blinked somewhat to herself. How was that any easier? Maybe because they actually like each other even though they don't quite know it, the little voice in her head spoke, causing her to frown. She shook her head to clear her thoughts. Now was not the time to be thinking like that.
When is it ever a good time, though? it continued. She had half a mind to go drown it out with something, but Ana was in the shower now, and she'd probably have to settle with standing outside on the balcony. Maybe she should do that? Once the tea was finished, she set aside a few cups. Luckily, there were paper cups laying about, and she poured the tea all into five separate cups. One for Ana, Harper, Eryk, Kas, and Drake. Once those were poured, and a lid on top, she took hers to the balcony, and just stared outside. She must have been out there for the duration of Ana's bath, because she heard the door open. She didn't turn around, though, instead, letting her eyes focus over the railing. People were already walking out on the streets and sidewalks.
"People look so tiny from up here. They almost look like Joltiks," she mused out loud to herself. "What do you think?" she stated, turning around to face Ana.
Ana was squeezing water out of her mass of pinkish hair, already dressed in a similar fashion to the day before. At the question, she moved to the edge of the balcony, looking down at the same angle Cyrilla had. “I’m not sure,” she replied; she sounded a little more awake already. “On the one hand… I think it can be good to remember that we’re pretty small, next to the world. On the other… each one of those tiny people has dreams, and ambitions, and people they love… it seems like the sort of thing we shouldn’t forget.”
She lowered the towel from her locks, now a tangled mess. “But maybe I’m not the person to ask, all things considered.”
Cyrilla merely smiled at Ana's words. That was one way of putting it. She'd simply said it to take her mind off of things, but when she looked at it from a new perspective? She shook her head and pushed herself away from the balcony. "Well, I suppose so. Your tea is ready, though, and I packed away a few more cups for the others. Should we go see if Kas and Ryk are ready, after you fix your hair? I didn't hear their alarm clock go off, but maybe it was drowned out with your shower?" she stated, glancing towards the door, and the cups that were set on the counter.
“Sure,” Ana agreed, heading back inside. “Just give me a few minutes…” Eventually, she won the battle with her mane, disciplining it back into a long ponytail, and the two of them carried the cups out the door and over one to the next room.
When they knocked, Kas answered. He looked… exhausted. Like he hadn’t slept much at all. There were dark rings under his eyes, and he clearly hadn’t gotten around to fixing his own hair yet, because it fell around his shoulders in messy waves. He brightened slightly upon sight of them—or maybe just their beverages. “My heroes,” he murmured, taking one of the cups from Cyrilla’s hand. His fingers brushed lightly over hers, but he didn’t seem to notice. Either that, or he was completely indifferent to the fact.
“Hey Ryk,” he called back into the room. “There’s tea. Come get it before it’s cold.” He opened the door a little wider. “You can come wait inside, you know. We’re decent and all.”
Cyrilla chose not to think too much on it, and nodded her head. She walked passed Kas, cups still in her hand, and sat on one of the chairs. Eryk was, apparently, still in the bathroom, though. From the sounds of it, it sounded like he was trying to put on something, or fix something. When he came out, it was apparent that he was trying to fix his hair. Cyrilla just smiled and shook her head. He still had a ways to go before he could manage his hair on his own, but she was slightly proud of him that he was actually doing something with it now.
"I heard something about tea," he spoke, glancing at both Cyrilla and Ana. Cyrilla, however, gestured her head towards Ana, and watched as Eryk walked towards her, grabbing the cup, gently, from her hand, and nearly chugged the whole thing in one go. Either he was thirsty, or he was just as tired as Kas had been. It was hard to tell with Ryk, sometimes. "Thanks," he muttered, holding the cup in his hand as he stood still for a moment.
"So," she began, trying to get her mind off of things. "I take it everyone's having a bad hair day," she muttered out loud, nodding her head towards Eryk and then Kas. "Glad I'm not the only one," she spoke, though she really didn't have much trouble with hers. She took a sip of her tea, though, and raised a brow at the two of them.
Kas snorted. “Are you saying my hair looks bad? That hurts me, Cy. Deep down inside.” He took another few sips of his tea, apparently disinclined to chug it like Eryk had. “But actually I just haven’t fixed it yet. I need a few minutes. He needs… help.” He lifted an eyebrow at Eryk and shook his head. “Ana, be a dear and help him sort it out, will you?”
She blinked, glancing between them. “I can if you want,” she affirmed, though she seemed reluctant to simply assume it was okay. “Cy and I did Drake’s yesterday, actually—I think it turned out pretty well.”
Kas was clearly hiding a smile behind his cup, but he set it down to go take his turn in the bathroom, it seemed.
"That was you two?" Eryk seemed a little... shocked? That sounded right, or maybe he looked slightly surprised. "He came by to borrow something to wear since he didn't have anything. And here I thought," he trailed off towards the end. Cyrilla didn't keep the smile off her face, though. It was funny that he would react that way. She merely shook her head at him though. "And what's wrong with my hair?" he spoke, finally realizing what Kas had said.
"Ryk... how many times have we been through this? Your hair can't be like that out in public. It's messy, and it scares people. You're an intimidating person, though mostly I think it's the hair," she spoke, chuckling softly. "Alright Ana, you've got the magic fingers, work them on Ryk's hair," she said, pointing towards Eryk.
"If you don't mind, Ana," he spoke, sighing just softly in a sign of defeat. "It'll get them off my case," he seemed to add, sitting down in one of the chairs so it would be easier for her. Cyrilla just chuckled lightly. At least this was putting her in a better mood.
“It’s no problem,” she said mildly, taking the brush from his hand and holding it in one of hers. She ran her fingers through the dark strands a few times to put them in the places she wanted, then laughed softly. “It is fluffy,” she remarked, humming in a pleased sort of way and combing out a few more tangles with her hands. “I figured it might be, actually.”
She worked the brush through carefully, starting at the ends and holding each strand so it wouldn’t pull. Gradually, she worked her way up, smoothing with her free hand as she went. By the time Kas emerged from the bathroom, Eryk actually looked… neat. Put-together. Ana adjusted a few of the strands near his part, huffing softly when they wouldn’t stay quite where she wanted them. “You have,” she said, pausing to giggle slightly when a particularly-stubborn lock flicked back into its former position. “You have this cowlick, and it won’t move.” This seemed to amuse her more than anything.
"Really?" Cyrilla spoke the words that Eryk must have been thinking, because he gave her a similar look. She stood from her chair to walk over towards Ana's side, and glanced at it. She chuckled lightly. "Yep, you do, Ryk. You have a cowlick that won't move. Sorry, you're kind of stuck with it," she stated as he frowned somewhat. At least the rest of him looked neat, right?
"Whatever you say, Cy," was the only thing he spoke, standing from his spot as he did so. He glanced towards Kas, and his frown deepened. "Can we go now? I don't need them making fun of my hair," though there was something strange in the way he said it. Cyrilla almost thought he was whining about it, but there was a hint of amusement laced in his tone, as though he were more amused by the fact. He really was changing, in the smallest of ways. She smiled a little softly at that. She was glad.
"Oh come on Ryk, it's not that bad. And it's his battle, not yours. You're not the one who's going to be late," she spoke, nudging him with her fist, softly, on his forearm.
At that point, there was a knock at the door. “That’ll be Melly,” Kas said, shrugging into his trench coat. He looked a little more alive at the moment; presumably the chance to finish his morning routine had helped. “So yes. We can go now.”
"Good," Eryk replied. Cyrilla just shook her head, following after them as they exited the room.
The process of getting into the stadium was easier on the second day than the first. Kas and Drake had matches today; Harper’s would be on the last day of the first round, which was tomorrow. After that, things condensed considerably. The next two rounds would happen within the following two days, with round two on the Wednesday and round three on Thursday. After that, the top twelve competitors would have Friday to rest their pokémon, with the final rounds taking place over Saturday and Sunday. Since it was a single-elimination tournament, even one loss meant you were out for good.
Theoretically, that made every match as important as every other one, but after this first round, everyone would be seeded according to how well they’d done. The idea was to make sure that the twelve best trainers made it into the finals by not matching them up with each other too early. Kas probably should have cared more about this upcoming match, then, since it along with his qualifying performance would determine his seed rank, but he honestly couldn’t be bothered much one way or another.
He was just finishing his second cup of tea when his name was called; he tossed the paper cup into the labeled bin and sighed heavily. “Well… here goes nothing, I guess.”
“Gee, try not to sound too excited there, Mirmir,” Harper said dryly, lifting an eyebrow at him.
He shrugged. It wasn’t like he had some big stake in the outcome. Actually, it might be most advantageous to lose now, so he could have the rest of the week off. Too bad his pokémon would never let him get away with it. His friends might not be too happy either, actually; Harper would probably yell at him about self-respect or something.
Ha. Right.
“Good luck, Kas,” Ana said cheerily, and he almost felt better.
At least better enough to make a joke. “What, no good luck kiss for me? I see where your loyalties lie, Ana.”
She blushed; it was predictably adorable. “I mean, if you really…?”
He barked a short laugh. “No thanks; I prefer my head attached to my shoulders. I’ll take your well-wishes though; thank you.” He smiled gently at her confused expression and suppressed a sigh. Sometimes he felt like the only emotionally-intelligent person in the lot. Well, besides Harper.
And really, he shouldn’t count as emotionally-intelligent. Aware, maybe, but definitely not smart enough to keep himself out of certain predicaments.
“Good luck, stupid. Don’t lose; I want to beat you later.”
“Thanks, Melly.” His voice was as dry as hers had been earlier.
Eryk merely stared at him, and seemed hesitant to say anything at all. "You don't need luck," he said, just giving him a blank stare. "You'll win, but just don't over do it," he added, a subtle sign of a smirk appearing across his lips. "Besides, I don't think you want to disappoint your sister, there," he added with a light shrug of his shoulders. Either he really didn't care, or he just didn't think Kas was going to lose.
"Good luck, Kas," Cyrilla spoke next, offering him a half-smile, as if her mind wasn't completely there at the moment. She blinked slowly, as if realizing this, and shook her head softly. "You'll do great, so don't listen to Ryk," she said as she offered him a different smile. It was brighter, more awake. Eryk seemed to roll his eyes at the statement, though.
Smiling back, Kas gave them all a jaunty salute, then headed towards the arena. It was actually a bit of a production in the back areas; there were cameras all over the place, and several people checked him over before they let him go: one for wardrobe, another to make sure he was the right person, and still another to check that his pokémon were the ones he’d registered to use. Once everything was set, they let him out, just as his name was being announced.
Stepping up to the podium, he glanced across the ring to his opponent, already announced and having taken her spot. She was a young woman, maybe Harper’s age, with shoulder-length red hair and adorable freckles. She caught his eyes and grinned.
“Heya, handsome.”
Well then. This was a game he could play. “Must be my lucky day.”
She laughed, pinching a pokéball off her belt. “We’ll see about that. Shall we?” The commentator called for the match to begin, and she gave the ball a toss, putting a dragonair on the field. The temptation to match with Jaws was there, but Kas elected for something less straightforward; when he tossed his own pokéball, his metang appeared.
His opponent began with a head-on Dragon Breath attack.
“Iron Defense.” Sledge closed his arms in front of him, protecting his face from the blast; he was barely even singed by the time the stream of hot breath ended.
“Wrap!”
Not too worried about Sledge getting caught in that, Kas elected to meet the attack instead of trying to avoid it. “Sludge Bomb.” The purplish gunk hit the dragonair near the center of its length, weighing it down. “Finish it—Meteor Mash.”
Earning his name, Sledge brought down both massive arms in a powerful slam; enough to crack the arena’s packed-earth floor. It was a direct hit—Dragonair didn’t move afterwards, knocked unconscious by the impact.
Its trainer seemed to take this in stride, smiling wryly and recalling the pokémon. “More than a cute face, aren’t ya? Now I feel unlucky.”
“I am sorry,” he said with some amusement, tossing his next ball. “If it were just me, I’d go a little easier. But I’ve got some friends I can’t disappoint.” His eyes slid to their spot in the stands for a moment as Lily emerged from her pokéball. The kirlia looked ready to go; his opponent chose a marowak.
Lily started with an easy opener—Calm Mind. Marowak, however, jumped right into action, charging in with a Bone Rush.
“Hold it… hold it,” he urged, letting Lily build power until the last moment. Just when marowak was right there, nearly on top of her, Kas narrowed his eyes. “Magical Leaf.”
The multicolored leaves appeared in the air around Lily; she shot them forward with a burst of psychic energy. The waiting had paid off—it was clearly an especially powerful hit. Marowak dropped with its bone cudgel an inch from Lily’s face.
The crowd roared. Letting a grin stretch across his face, Kas bowed theatrically. Across the ring, his opponent shook her head in a good-natured sort of way.
After a few minutes of the obligatory victory announcement and waving, he departed the podium and made his way back into the stands. Harper hugged him first, then Ana did the same. Kas patted her on the head as she stepped away. “Well, looks like I’m stuck participating for another few days, at least.”
"You make it sound like it's a bad thing," Ryk spoke, looking rather bored at the whole thing. Maybe he was, or maybe he was just as tired as Kas had been. They didn't exactly go to sleep early, and it was hard to tell sometimes if Ryk was tired or not. "I would congratulate you, but it seems Ana and Harper already have," he spoke, huffing just slightly.
"Congratulations, Kas!" Drake spoke. He'd made his way towards the bleachers during the middle of the match, and was now sitting with the rest of the group. He smiled brightly at Kas, though, the smile turning into something of a grin. Cyrilla just laughed lightly and shook her head. She did, however, manage to give Kas a quick hug as well, before she settled back down.
"Well, it looks like there's only one match left to see," she spoke, glancing towards Drake.
"Yeah, but mine's the one after this one," he spoke, nodding his head in the direction of the current match that had just began.
“Now’s the time to get concessions, I guess,” Kas said. “Anyone want anything? I can make the trip.”
Ana looked thoughtful for a moment, then nodded. “I saw that they had pink lemonade here—I’d like to try it, if you don’t mind.”
“Not at all. A pink lemonade for the lady. Anything else?”
“Nachos and a soda. Thanks, Mirmir.” Harper assumed, correctly, that he’d assent, though he sighed with false weariness.
“How about the rest of you?”
"I'll take a regular lemonade, oh, and burger if they have one!" Drake chimed in. Eryk just gave Drake a blank stare.
"Same as Harper," he finally spoke. He must have wanted nachos too, apparently.
"Well, that's going to be a lot to carry back by yourself, do you... want me to come with to help? I mean, if not, I'll take what Ana's getting," Cyrilla spoke, shifting somewhat in her spot. She didn't look nervous or anything, but more-so like she was getting ready to stand if he needed the help.
Kas shrugged. “I wouldn’t say no to a little assistance. I have pretty big arms, but maybe not that big.” He almost offered his hand to help her up, but refrained. It wasn’t like she needed it—though he did feel like a bit of a jerk for not offering something he would have done so casually for Ana or Harper.
Cyrilla snorted softly at his statement, and nodded her head. She stood from her spot, and glanced down towards the others. "It shouldn't be long. Hopefully we'll make it back in time so you can eat your burger, Drake," she stated, chuckling softly. She then glanced back towards Kas and offered him a grin. "Shall we?" she spoke, making her way so that she could stand next to him.
"Oh, are you sure all you want are nachos, Ryk?" she stated, glancing back towards Ryk. He narrowed his eyes slightly as if he were thinking about it.
"Fine, get me nachos, a burger, a hot dog, and those waffle fries if they have them," he finally spoke. Cyrilla smiled and nodded her head. It looked like she was trying not to laugh at him.
“There’s the bottomless pit we all know and love. I was almost afraid you’d developed restraint somewhere along the way.” Rolling his eyes, Kas started climbing the stadium stairs, Cyrilla behind him. There was a bit of a line at the concessions, predictably.
Less predictably, the person in front of them turned out to be his opponent from the match. Her eyes widened a little when she noticed them; she immediately turned around and stuck out a hand. “Well hello again! Nice to talk to you without having to shout. Congratulations, by the way—your pokémon are terrific.”
Kasimir took the hand she offered, shaking firmly, but gently. He was conscious of his own strength, after all. Her eyes narrowed a little with the force of her smile. “Veronica Dale. Nice to meet you.”
“Charmed,” he said, returning the smile. “I’m Kasimir Rheinallt. This is Cyrilla Niav.” Aware that he might very well be blocking their view of each other, he stepped slightly to the side.
Veronica glanced between the two of them with evident curiosity. “It’s nice to meet you, too,” she said, offering the same hand to Cyrilla with no less friendliness. “You two make such an adorable pair—complementary opposites.”
Kas huffed, letting a small smile tug at his mouth. He didn’t bother to correct the misapprehension implied by Veronica’s words. It would take too much time; Cyrilla could explain their actual relationship if she wanted to, but he didn’t mind either way. Let her decide what to do.
"It's nice to meet you, too, Veronica," Cyrilla spoke, taking Veronica's hand and shaking it as well. She huffed slightly, and shook her head, though. "Kas is actually just a good friend of mine, and we're also co-workers," she spoke, smiling just a tad bit. "Both he and another friend of ours are here for the challenges, and we came to cheer them on," she continued, glancing up at Kas for a moment before turning her attention back to Veronica.
"But you put up a good battle, too," she seemed content on driving the conversation just slightly away. "I'm surprised Kas actually won, though," she continued, giving Kas somewhat of a coy grin before turning her attention towards Veronica.
Veronica looked slightly more confused now, but she shrugged, clearly happy to take Cyrilla’s word for it
Kas, for his part, dramatically mimed at clutching his chest. “See how little I am loved? No one believes in me. They’re all here for Eryk, I swear. I am, as ever, the mere afterthought.” He sighed dramatically.
Still, he supposed it was a good thing, really. He’d have been a little worried if she didn’t set Veronica straight. Cyrilla was a bit of an optimist, but she was also honest to a fault—apparently to everyone but him. Likely for the best, considering how dishonest he was with her.
The redhead laughed. “It was hardly a fight,” she said, waving her hand. “And I know that, but it’s okay. I was chuffed to make it to the big tournament in the first place. But I’ve got someone to pull for in the later rounds now, so I can say I lost to the winner.” She winked playfully. “No ifs, ands, or afterthoughts about it.” It was her turn to order, though, so she tossed them both a wave goodbye and moved off to one of the counter attendants.
Kas huffed under his breath, shaking his head slightly. “Well, that was… interesting.” He flicked his eyes up to the menu, though, contemplating it for a second. “You sure you only want a pink lemonade? They have cotton candy, it seems.” He knew she had a soft spot for sweet things.
Cyrilla waved goodbye to Veronica, but she seemed to light up at the prospect of cotton candy. "Oh, they do," she muttered back, glancing at the menu as well. She pursed her lips together, her eyes moving to read the lines. "Oo, they have razz berry flavored cotton candy," she spoke out, shifting in her spot just slightly. She seemed excited about it. "Pink lemonade and razz berry cotton candy, it is," she spoke, glancing back towards Kas.
"I suppose we're going to have a lot of things to carry back. Between nachos and burgers, and drinks, I guess it's a good thing I came along," she spoke, nodding her head somewhat. "Though I think most of the food's going to be Ryk's. I'm surprised he didn't want more," she spoke casually. She still looked a little distracted though. She glanced back up at him, though, and offered a grin.
"You know..." she began, somewhat of a sly smile covering her face. "There are a lot of people here. A drink, or two, might end up being swapped with straws to be shared in the same cup," she spoke in a suggestive tone. "I'm sure Ana and Ryk would enjoy that," she added, the smile never quite leaving her face.
Kas snorted. “Somehow I feel like I’m going to get all the blame for that, as usual. Okay, fine, but you’re going to have to sit next to me on the far side so no one suggests you and Ana share.” They’d ordered the same thing, after all—they’d have to be impractically far apart for that not to be the obvious suggestion.
“Deal?”
"Deal."
Theoretically, that made every match as important as every other one, but after this first round, everyone would be seeded according to how well they’d done. The idea was to make sure that the twelve best trainers made it into the finals by not matching them up with each other too early. Kas probably should have cared more about this upcoming match, then, since it along with his qualifying performance would determine his seed rank, but he honestly couldn’t be bothered much one way or another.
He was just finishing his second cup of tea when his name was called; he tossed the paper cup into the labeled bin and sighed heavily. “Well… here goes nothing, I guess.”
“Gee, try not to sound too excited there, Mirmir,” Harper said dryly, lifting an eyebrow at him.
He shrugged. It wasn’t like he had some big stake in the outcome. Actually, it might be most advantageous to lose now, so he could have the rest of the week off. Too bad his pokémon would never let him get away with it. His friends might not be too happy either, actually; Harper would probably yell at him about self-respect or something.
Ha. Right.
“Good luck, Kas,” Ana said cheerily, and he almost felt better.
At least better enough to make a joke. “What, no good luck kiss for me? I see where your loyalties lie, Ana.”
She blushed; it was predictably adorable. “I mean, if you really…?”
He barked a short laugh. “No thanks; I prefer my head attached to my shoulders. I’ll take your well-wishes though; thank you.” He smiled gently at her confused expression and suppressed a sigh. Sometimes he felt like the only emotionally-intelligent person in the lot. Well, besides Harper.
And really, he shouldn’t count as emotionally-intelligent. Aware, maybe, but definitely not smart enough to keep himself out of certain predicaments.
“Good luck, stupid. Don’t lose; I want to beat you later.”
“Thanks, Melly.” His voice was as dry as hers had been earlier.
Eryk merely stared at him, and seemed hesitant to say anything at all. "You don't need luck," he said, just giving him a blank stare. "You'll win, but just don't over do it," he added, a subtle sign of a smirk appearing across his lips. "Besides, I don't think you want to disappoint your sister, there," he added with a light shrug of his shoulders. Either he really didn't care, or he just didn't think Kas was going to lose.
"Good luck, Kas," Cyrilla spoke next, offering him a half-smile, as if her mind wasn't completely there at the moment. She blinked slowly, as if realizing this, and shook her head softly. "You'll do great, so don't listen to Ryk," she said as she offered him a different smile. It was brighter, more awake. Eryk seemed to roll his eyes at the statement, though.
Smiling back, Kas gave them all a jaunty salute, then headed towards the arena. It was actually a bit of a production in the back areas; there were cameras all over the place, and several people checked him over before they let him go: one for wardrobe, another to make sure he was the right person, and still another to check that his pokémon were the ones he’d registered to use. Once everything was set, they let him out, just as his name was being announced.
Stepping up to the podium, he glanced across the ring to his opponent, already announced and having taken her spot. She was a young woman, maybe Harper’s age, with shoulder-length red hair and adorable freckles. She caught his eyes and grinned.
“Heya, handsome.”
Well then. This was a game he could play. “Must be my lucky day.”
She laughed, pinching a pokéball off her belt. “We’ll see about that. Shall we?” The commentator called for the match to begin, and she gave the ball a toss, putting a dragonair on the field. The temptation to match with Jaws was there, but Kas elected for something less straightforward; when he tossed his own pokéball, his metang appeared.
His opponent began with a head-on Dragon Breath attack.
“Iron Defense.” Sledge closed his arms in front of him, protecting his face from the blast; he was barely even singed by the time the stream of hot breath ended.
“Wrap!”
Not too worried about Sledge getting caught in that, Kas elected to meet the attack instead of trying to avoid it. “Sludge Bomb.” The purplish gunk hit the dragonair near the center of its length, weighing it down. “Finish it—Meteor Mash.”
Earning his name, Sledge brought down both massive arms in a powerful slam; enough to crack the arena’s packed-earth floor. It was a direct hit—Dragonair didn’t move afterwards, knocked unconscious by the impact.
Its trainer seemed to take this in stride, smiling wryly and recalling the pokémon. “More than a cute face, aren’t ya? Now I feel unlucky.”
“I am sorry,” he said with some amusement, tossing his next ball. “If it were just me, I’d go a little easier. But I’ve got some friends I can’t disappoint.” His eyes slid to their spot in the stands for a moment as Lily emerged from her pokéball. The kirlia looked ready to go; his opponent chose a marowak.
Lily started with an easy opener—Calm Mind. Marowak, however, jumped right into action, charging in with a Bone Rush.
“Hold it… hold it,” he urged, letting Lily build power until the last moment. Just when marowak was right there, nearly on top of her, Kas narrowed his eyes. “Magical Leaf.”
The multicolored leaves appeared in the air around Lily; she shot them forward with a burst of psychic energy. The waiting had paid off—it was clearly an especially powerful hit. Marowak dropped with its bone cudgel an inch from Lily’s face.
The crowd roared. Letting a grin stretch across his face, Kas bowed theatrically. Across the ring, his opponent shook her head in a good-natured sort of way.
After a few minutes of the obligatory victory announcement and waving, he departed the podium and made his way back into the stands. Harper hugged him first, then Ana did the same. Kas patted her on the head as she stepped away. “Well, looks like I’m stuck participating for another few days, at least.”
"You make it sound like it's a bad thing," Ryk spoke, looking rather bored at the whole thing. Maybe he was, or maybe he was just as tired as Kas had been. They didn't exactly go to sleep early, and it was hard to tell sometimes if Ryk was tired or not. "I would congratulate you, but it seems Ana and Harper already have," he spoke, huffing just slightly.
"Congratulations, Kas!" Drake spoke. He'd made his way towards the bleachers during the middle of the match, and was now sitting with the rest of the group. He smiled brightly at Kas, though, the smile turning into something of a grin. Cyrilla just laughed lightly and shook her head. She did, however, manage to give Kas a quick hug as well, before she settled back down.
"Well, it looks like there's only one match left to see," she spoke, glancing towards Drake.
"Yeah, but mine's the one after this one," he spoke, nodding his head in the direction of the current match that had just began.
“Now’s the time to get concessions, I guess,” Kas said. “Anyone want anything? I can make the trip.”
Ana looked thoughtful for a moment, then nodded. “I saw that they had pink lemonade here—I’d like to try it, if you don’t mind.”
“Not at all. A pink lemonade for the lady. Anything else?”
“Nachos and a soda. Thanks, Mirmir.” Harper assumed, correctly, that he’d assent, though he sighed with false weariness.
“How about the rest of you?”
"I'll take a regular lemonade, oh, and burger if they have one!" Drake chimed in. Eryk just gave Drake a blank stare.
"Same as Harper," he finally spoke. He must have wanted nachos too, apparently.
"Well, that's going to be a lot to carry back by yourself, do you... want me to come with to help? I mean, if not, I'll take what Ana's getting," Cyrilla spoke, shifting somewhat in her spot. She didn't look nervous or anything, but more-so like she was getting ready to stand if he needed the help.
Kas shrugged. “I wouldn’t say no to a little assistance. I have pretty big arms, but maybe not that big.” He almost offered his hand to help her up, but refrained. It wasn’t like she needed it—though he did feel like a bit of a jerk for not offering something he would have done so casually for Ana or Harper.
Cyrilla snorted softly at his statement, and nodded her head. She stood from her spot, and glanced down towards the others. "It shouldn't be long. Hopefully we'll make it back in time so you can eat your burger, Drake," she stated, chuckling softly. She then glanced back towards Kas and offered him a grin. "Shall we?" she spoke, making her way so that she could stand next to him.
"Oh, are you sure all you want are nachos, Ryk?" she stated, glancing back towards Ryk. He narrowed his eyes slightly as if he were thinking about it.
"Fine, get me nachos, a burger, a hot dog, and those waffle fries if they have them," he finally spoke. Cyrilla smiled and nodded her head. It looked like she was trying not to laugh at him.
“There’s the bottomless pit we all know and love. I was almost afraid you’d developed restraint somewhere along the way.” Rolling his eyes, Kas started climbing the stadium stairs, Cyrilla behind him. There was a bit of a line at the concessions, predictably.
Less predictably, the person in front of them turned out to be his opponent from the match. Her eyes widened a little when she noticed them; she immediately turned around and stuck out a hand. “Well hello again! Nice to talk to you without having to shout. Congratulations, by the way—your pokémon are terrific.”
Kasimir took the hand she offered, shaking firmly, but gently. He was conscious of his own strength, after all. Her eyes narrowed a little with the force of her smile. “Veronica Dale. Nice to meet you.”
“Charmed,” he said, returning the smile. “I’m Kasimir Rheinallt. This is Cyrilla Niav.” Aware that he might very well be blocking their view of each other, he stepped slightly to the side.
Veronica glanced between the two of them with evident curiosity. “It’s nice to meet you, too,” she said, offering the same hand to Cyrilla with no less friendliness. “You two make such an adorable pair—complementary opposites.”
Kas huffed, letting a small smile tug at his mouth. He didn’t bother to correct the misapprehension implied by Veronica’s words. It would take too much time; Cyrilla could explain their actual relationship if she wanted to, but he didn’t mind either way. Let her decide what to do.
"It's nice to meet you, too, Veronica," Cyrilla spoke, taking Veronica's hand and shaking it as well. She huffed slightly, and shook her head, though. "Kas is actually just a good friend of mine, and we're also co-workers," she spoke, smiling just a tad bit. "Both he and another friend of ours are here for the challenges, and we came to cheer them on," she continued, glancing up at Kas for a moment before turning her attention back to Veronica.
"But you put up a good battle, too," she seemed content on driving the conversation just slightly away. "I'm surprised Kas actually won, though," she continued, giving Kas somewhat of a coy grin before turning her attention towards Veronica.
Veronica looked slightly more confused now, but she shrugged, clearly happy to take Cyrilla’s word for it
Kas, for his part, dramatically mimed at clutching his chest. “See how little I am loved? No one believes in me. They’re all here for Eryk, I swear. I am, as ever, the mere afterthought.” He sighed dramatically.
Still, he supposed it was a good thing, really. He’d have been a little worried if she didn’t set Veronica straight. Cyrilla was a bit of an optimist, but she was also honest to a fault—apparently to everyone but him. Likely for the best, considering how dishonest he was with her.
The redhead laughed. “It was hardly a fight,” she said, waving her hand. “And I know that, but it’s okay. I was chuffed to make it to the big tournament in the first place. But I’ve got someone to pull for in the later rounds now, so I can say I lost to the winner.” She winked playfully. “No ifs, ands, or afterthoughts about it.” It was her turn to order, though, so she tossed them both a wave goodbye and moved off to one of the counter attendants.
Kas huffed under his breath, shaking his head slightly. “Well, that was… interesting.” He flicked his eyes up to the menu, though, contemplating it for a second. “You sure you only want a pink lemonade? They have cotton candy, it seems.” He knew she had a soft spot for sweet things.
Cyrilla waved goodbye to Veronica, but she seemed to light up at the prospect of cotton candy. "Oh, they do," she muttered back, glancing at the menu as well. She pursed her lips together, her eyes moving to read the lines. "Oo, they have razz berry flavored cotton candy," she spoke out, shifting in her spot just slightly. She seemed excited about it. "Pink lemonade and razz berry cotton candy, it is," she spoke, glancing back towards Kas.
"I suppose we're going to have a lot of things to carry back. Between nachos and burgers, and drinks, I guess it's a good thing I came along," she spoke, nodding her head somewhat. "Though I think most of the food's going to be Ryk's. I'm surprised he didn't want more," she spoke casually. She still looked a little distracted though. She glanced back up at him, though, and offered a grin.
"You know..." she began, somewhat of a sly smile covering her face. "There are a lot of people here. A drink, or two, might end up being swapped with straws to be shared in the same cup," she spoke in a suggestive tone. "I'm sure Ana and Ryk would enjoy that," she added, the smile never quite leaving her face.
Kas snorted. “Somehow I feel like I’m going to get all the blame for that, as usual. Okay, fine, but you’re going to have to sit next to me on the far side so no one suggests you and Ana share.” They’d ordered the same thing, after all—they’d have to be impractically far apart for that not to be the obvious suggestion.
“Deal?”
"Deal."
Somehow, they had all made it to the semi-finals. Harper had won her match rather quickly, but Eryk supposed that was because she was a decent trainer. For a Gym Leader, though, Drake looked like he was struggling. Maybe that's just how he perceived it to be, but the fact remained the same. Drake had almost lost his battle, having won the first match-up, but lost the second one. If he'd lost the third one, he'd have been disqualified. Eryk didn't really care either way. If Drake had lost, then he'd have lost, but since he won, that meant that he'd be in the semi-finals with Eryk and Kas. Eryk almost smirked at that. Maybe they'd pit him against Drake, but knowing his luck, he'd probably have to battle Kas.
He hoped that wasn't the case. As much as he might have enjoyed their practice battles, he didn't necessarily feel like fighting his friend. Today, however, was a day of rest. Friday was the day they were allowed to rest their pokémon, and they themselves would be getting some rest. Kas was probably sleeping since he hadn't seemed to get much sleep the days prior. He wasn't going to bother him if that were the case. Instead, he found himself outside on the balcony, the one downstairs in the lobby. It was still private, or private enough that no one seemed to bother him save for Cyrilla. She'd been down earlier to check up on him. She hadn't stayed very long, saying something about making lunch for everyone or some other nonsense.
He really wasn't paying attention. She'd been acting strange ever since the incident with Jasmine, and then the day of Kas's and Drake's battle. He couldn't pinpoint what it was, exactly, but he supposed it had something to do with either Jasmine, or Kas. He was going to say it was the former. Harper was somewhere with Drake, he assumed. Or maybe it was the other way around? That seemed more likely. Ana, he supposed, was upstairs in her room or with Cyrilla, or maybe with Harper and Drake. He didn't seem to keep tabs on anyone, today. It wasn't his job at the moment. But he could at least use this opportunity to clear his mind and think of a strategy for the upcoming battle.
And what he'd likely do after. If he won his next battle, then that meant he'd be going on to the finals. He didn't actually think he'd make it this far, however; something in the back of his mind told him he'd be disappointing someone if he did. Who this someone was, though, was someone he didn't know. Or maybe it was? Maybe he'd be letting himself down for ever getting his hopes up at doing something like this for himself, without the say of his family. Strange it was, though, that they were still here to plague him. Jasmine hadn't been around in some time, but he supposed that was a good thing. Chris, however, he'd had the unfortunate luck to run into, yesterday. Apparently he lost his battle the day before, but he was still hanging around.
So much for thinking about strategy. He huffed a slight puff of air, watching as the smoke floated away before disappearing.
A slight, deliberate noise from behind him clued him into the fact that he was no longer alone; not more than five seconds later, a pokémon hopped easily up onto the balcony rail. The umbreon’s breath made little clouds in the chill air just like Eryk’s did; the pokémon settled itself in a comfortable sitting position about a foot or so from where Eryk leaned against the railing.
It blinked its large red eyes slowly at him, the rings on its body brightening and dimming slightly with the steady motion of its lungs. It had a small scar beneath one of its eyes; the mark identified it—him—as Nova, Ana’s umbreon, but his trainer was nowhere to be seen.
Eryk merely blinked slowly at Nova, as if to greet the umbreon. He shifted slightly so that he could fully stare at the pokémon. He didn't see Ana anywhere, so he supposed Nova was let out of his pokéball to stretch his legs. If that were the case, it would explain why he was here, and not with Ana.
"Nova," he finally greeted, speaking to the umbreon. He reached over slowly to pat the pokémon on the head, and retracted his hand once he was finished. "Bored, I take it?" he asked. It wasn't uncommon to speak with a pokémon, after all. He spoke to his most of the time.
Nova flicked one of his ears when Eryk’s hand drew away; his eyes narrowed in what might have been amusement. Quite, sounded a voice in Eryk’s head. That was strange—umbreons were not normally a telepathic species; perhaps it was because of Eryk’s own talent that he could communicate to him? They were known to be intelligent, so it wasn’t exactly shocking that he had orderly thoughts to convey.
Ana wanted me to remind you that you have to leave for your interview soon. She said you probably were not looking forward to it, but that she would come with you if you wanted company. Apparently, some of the paperwork they’d signed in advance of the tournament had obligated them to do television interviews if they made it to the top twelve, as Eryk, Kas, Drake, and Harper all had.
Eryk visibly frowned. He'd been avoiding those because he hated interviews more than anything. Mostly because they were too personal, or at least the questions they asked were. Eryk had no intention of answering them, so it was pointless to attend to them. But... he had to do it because that was part of doing this challenge. If he didn't do the interview, then he'd basically be saying that he's wasting his time here, and wasn't fully invested in it. Not that he wasn't, because he was. He sighed softly, and pushed himself away from the balcony. He really didn't want to do this.
"She is correct, I am not looking forward to this," he replied, though it wasn't with any irritation. He wasn't looking forward to it, but he wasn't irritated by the thought. Well, it would probably be easier on him if someone was around. Kas, he didn't trust too much, and he was probably still asleep. He'd probably have an interview too, so maybe he was awake? Either way, he didn't want Kas to go along. Cy, he didn't trust her either. She might say something that he'd regret.
"Shall we go collect Ana, then?" because that seemed the more logical choice, or at least to him it did.
Nova inclined his head, hopping off the banister and trotting to the elevator.
As it turned out, Ana was waiting for them already; she leaned against the wall in the hallway, her head tipped back to rest against it as well. She looked almost tired for a moment, but as soon as they were clear of the elevator, she abruptly straightened, glancing down the hallway to where they were approaching with a smile.
Nova paused just in front of her; it looked like some silent exchange was taking place. Ana nodded, and the umbreon leaped up into her arms. She caught him, and he settled on one of her shoulders, curling his back legs and torso around her neck like some kind of living stole. She blinked up at Eryk. “Are you ready?”
He pursed his lips together and frowned. He didn't exactly know how to respond to that. "No," he found himself saying, instead. "I don't understand why I have to do this," he spoke, though he was a little grumpy about it. He could tell he was, because the tone leaked into his voice sounded grumpy. He sighed. He didn't mean to, but he couldn't help the way he felt.
"Why do they insist that we do this?" he asked, though he knew she wouldn't really know the answer to it. He began walking, slowly so that she could keep up.
Ana hummed thoughtfully. “Well… just like professional coordinating, high-level battling like this is considered a major spectator sport,” she said, a thoughtful expression crossing her face. She walked close to him on the sidewalk, probably because there was serious danger of being separated by the crowd otherwise. “So… fans of the sport want to know more about the participants, just like some people are interested in actors or gym leaders.”
She pursed her lips slightly. “I’ve seen a few segments like I think they’ll be doing with you; the best ones ask more questions about your pokémon than anything.” It must have been recently that she’d seen them; Ana had previously mentioned knowing almost nothing about battling. “You might get a few about yourself, especially if they know who your family is, but… unless someone told them, I don’t think they would. Occasionally the reporters as more silly things, like about rivalries or… personal matters, but,” she paused. “I don’t think it’s that common.”
He really wasn't expecting an answer, but now that he got one, he let the information sink in. A spectator sport to where they wanted to know about the trainers? Hopefully, they would all stick to just the pokémon. If they did that, he could probably get through the interviews without giving too much information about himself. If they knew about his family, then that wouldn't exactly be a problem. The problem would be that his family would know about this, and he wasn't entirely sure he wanted them to know about it. Partly because it was none of their Arceus-damn business. Mostly, he just didn't want to deal with them at the moment. He was, oddly, enjoying himself here with his friends. He didn't want them to ruin that, and he knew they would try.
"As long as they don't ask anything too personal," he finally spoke, realizing he'd been quite for some time. "If they'd let me, I'd have someone else do my interview," he mumbled. If he did that, though, there was a chance that someone might say something that wasn't true, or something that was grossly exaggerated. He didn't need either of those things. He glanced down at Ana for a moment. He wondered how she would feel under the spotlight, so to speak.
"Would you feel comfortable doing interviews like that?" he found himself asking out loud. He didn't mean to say what he was thinking, but it seemed that it always seemed to slip around her.
She pursed her lips for a moment, then shook her head slowly. “I don’t think so,” she said quietly. “I… I try not to act like it, but talking to people can be difficult for me, sometimes. I’d be afraid of messing up or saying something stupid in front of all those people.” She sighed. “I didn’t even have friends before the three of you, though, so it’s not like I’m the normal case. For what it’s worth, I think you’ll do well. You might come off a little scary, but I think it’s obvious how much you care about and consider your pokémon, so if the questions stick to that, it should be a really great interview.”
"Do I really come off as scary?" he asked. He missed most of what she said to focus on that one word. Intimidating, sure. He'd been told that before, but he'd never been told he was scary, even if it was just a little bit. He huffed slightly and shrugged his shoulders. Maybe he did come off as a little scary? He held a sigh in, and instead, just released it slowly. It would have been hard to tell he was even breathing out if it weren't for the stream of air that came out with it. He shook his head, though. He had an interview to do, whether he liked it or not.
"Do I scare you?" he asked, suddenly. His eyes found hers for a moment. Some part of him hoped he didn't. He wasn't sure why it mattered, but it did. If he scared her... he wasn't sure what he could do to remedy that.
She shook her head slowly, meeting his eyes without fear. “No,” she said, her voice quiet in the crowd of pedestrians. “Actually, you…” Ana cleared her throat a bit, her eyes falling away to land on the sidewalk in front of them. “Actually, you make me feel… safe. Warm. Like… like everything’s going to be okay. I really…” her words halted for a moment; it seemed a bit like she was struggling with them.
“I really like that about you.”
He felt... relieved? That didn't sound right. She wasn't scared of him, and he made her feel safe. That was unsual, even for him, for someone to tell him that. "Thank... you," he spoke, though that wasn't quite what he wanted to say. He opened his mouth to say something else, but he felt he couldn't find the proper words. Whatever he might say, just didn't form correctly for him, and he was left walking like a gaping magikarp. He shook his head softly.
"For what it's worth, you... do something similar for me," he spoke, because it was true. While she didn't necessarily make him feel safe, she did make him feel warm, and important. That was something he actually kind of liked. To feel important and appreciated to someone was a new experience for him, and he found himself willing to part with it, less and less. If he could, he would've stayed with Ana longer when he helped out at her center, but he never could. Work would always call him back, or some other thing. He sighed, realizing he was lost in his thoughts.
"I appreciate it," he spoke, offering her a short smile. There were too many people around, and he didn't exactly want them to see that smile for her.
She smiled back, but then turned her attention forward. It looked like they’d reached the television studio where the interviews would be recorded. Ana did most of the talking, perhaps in light of his reluctance to be there. Even if she said she was uncomfortable with it, she did have the kind of demeanor that tended to put other people at ease, which was probably considerably better than what he’d have managed in the same situation.
Eventually, they were shuffled back to a waiting room. Chairs were set against the walls; a large T.V. set on one of them was apparently set to broadcast coverage of the tournaments. They were replaying matches from the day before, it looked like. He caught a glimpse of Harper’s liepard before the camera switched to something else.
There were a couple people already in the room; other finalists, it looked like. One or two of them were by themselves, but the others had company as well, so Ana didn’t seem out-of-place, really. It took a while, but eventually the others filed in, too: Kas showed up next, with Harper. They sat themselves down next to Eryk and Ana, both looking perfectly comfortable with the situation, though Kas was always kind of hard to read.
The next to show up were Drake and Cyrilla, though he expected them to be last, or least Drake. Cy was fussing with his hair, though, and it looked like he'd actually put in some effort to style it. What for, Eryk didn't know. He hadn't even bothered to fix his own hair, allowing it to remain as it always did: shaggy. He puffed a slight gust of air as he glanced at the group.
"We're the last ones," Drake spoke before Eryk could say a word. He gave Drake a 'that's obvious' stare, causing Cyrilla to shake her head with a smile. "It looks like they haven't started yet, that's good," he continued.
"Even if they had, you'd still be alright. Your interview isn't until after Kas's," if he remembered correctly. Or was it after his? Why was he even thinking about it?
“Can we have Mr. Nero, please?” The new voice came from a slightly-harassed-looking woman with a clipboard. She stood in a different doorway to the one they’d entered through—she must have opened it just now. “If you have friends or family, they can come, too, but only one person, please.”
Ana glanced between Eryk and Cyrilla, then shrugged. It seemed she was perfectly willing to let him take his cousin with, if he preferred to do so.
But he had already decided he wasn't going to. Instead, he stood up and offered her his hand. "Would you come? I'd feel... better if it were you," he spoke. He could almost see the amusement dancing behind Cyrilla's eyes, but oddly enough, she seemed to contain it in a knowing smile. Whatever that meant.
Ana used his hand to help herself up, then nodded. “Okay,” she replied, nodding a bit.
The woman, who introduced her self as Hannah, took them back into what looked like a small studio. There was a setup with one chair on one side and two on the other. The two were already occupied; there was a serious-looking blonde woman with glasses in one, and a jovially-smiling middle-aged man in the other.
“Okay then. Ana, if you’d remain here, Eryk can take the empty chair and we’ll get started. The questions are a mix of things; remember that if something goes wrong, we can always edit, so feel free to be candid. We’re after your actual personality here, so don’t feel like you have to be anything in particular.” It sounded like something she’d said many, many times already; she probably did this a lot.
“Good luck,” Ana whispered, giving his hand a soft squeeze before she released it.
He was going to need it. If they wanted his personality, then he was going to disappoint them. He didn't have a personality, so to speak. And they shouldn't exactly tell him to be candid. He was as blunt and forward as they came, and he didn't hesitate in his words, however; maybe he should at least take into consideration at how this would affect not only him, but everyone else. They were, after all, all seen together. It was assumed that they were all together as friends, at least. If they'd misinterpret that as anything more, then they were stupid. He hadn't realized he hadn't let go of Ana's hand yet, and he gave a small squeeze back before taking a seat on the empty chair.
He really didn't like it.
"When does this start?" was the first question out of his mouth.
The woman lifted her eyebrows, but she didn’t seem particularly surprised by his brusqueness. “As soon as the producer tells us the camera is rolling,” She replied. “I’m Diane, this is Mark. Since we already know who you are, I suppose that takes care of the introductions.”
Mark glanced askance at her. “Really, Diane, you’re far too serious. Lighten up a little, will you?” He adjusted the cuffs on his shirt; a tiny line appeared between her eyebrows.
“We’re rolling,” a voice called from the back, just as Ana moved into Eryk’s field of vision. She was standing outside the filming area, visible just over Mark’s shoulder. She waved slightly, but didn’t say anything, of course.
“And we’re here with Eryk Nero, our fifth-seed qualifier for the second half of the Kanto National Battle Tournament,” Mark said smoothly, inclining his head slightly at Eryk. “You had a pretty impressive showing in the early rounds—enough to qualify ahead of some established names despite being a complete newcomer to the professional battling world. Is this something you’ve been wanting to do for a while, or was it a spontaneous decision?”
He had to resist the urge to wave his hand back at Ana when she waved. The camera was, apparently, rolling. His eyes flickered to Mark, though, when the questions started. He narrowed his eyes slightly at Mark before answering. "Both," because it had been a little of both, he supposed. It wasn't something he'd been wanting to do for a while, but it was something of a spontaneous decision. Partly because Drake had challenged his ability as a trainer, and partly because this had been something of a dream of his when he was allowed to have dreams. That was until he was seven.
"Could you elaborate on that?"
He really didn't want to, but he supposed he didn't have much of a choice. "Not really, no," he replied. He could almost feel Cyrilla shaking her head at him, but it wasn't like he could. "It's a bit of both, but not entirely an easy thing to elaborate on," he decided to clarify. Why did he have to do this? Why couldn't Kas have gone first?
"Then why are you here?" Diane spoke this time, causing Eryk to give her a flat look.
"Does it really matter?"
"Yes."
He sighed.
"I'm here because..." he paused, glancing towards Ana. "I'm here, because it used to be something of a plan of mine when I was younger," he finally stated, though plan wasn't exactly the right word he should have used.
“A childhood dream, then,” Mark said, nodding like he understood. He didn’t really give Eryk any time to respond before he moved on, though. “But to pick something like that up again after so much time… what changed?”
“Was there some shift in circumstances that made you think coming back to this was a good idea?” Diane was a little more specific with her question.
This was why he hated being interviewed, especially in public. He had to resist the urge to roll his eyes, though. That would have been... something. He couldn't think of the right word with the questions he was asked. "You could say that," he answered, shrugging his shoulders. It wasn't like he'd actually planned on doing something like this again, at least not until them.
"What was the circumstance?"
That was something a little personal. Did people really tell either people things like this? Was it considered normal to divulge all this information about themeselves? "A friend," he spoke, but he would not elaborate. That was where he was crossing the line.
"Was this a special friend?" he could almost hear what was being insinuated, and Eryk just gave them a flat look.
"No, it was just a friend," he spoke, pursing his lips. He could feel his brows furrowing slightly as he stared at the reporters.
Over Mark’s shoulder, Ana flinched slightly, though it was hard to say exactly why.
Diane seemed to sense that a change in topic would be best. “Tell us a little about your team,” she requested, shifting to sit up a little straighter. “Have all of you been together for a long time, or were there more recent additions to your lineup?”
"I've had all of them for a long time, except for Mankey. He was a gift, the newest addition to my team a few months ago," he found it relatively easier to at least speak about them. "Milotic was my first," he added.
"Have they all been the same, or has your lineup changed throughout the years?"
"It's been the same. I've never needed to change them or acquire more than I have already," he replied. His team was fine the way it was, even though he might have two unevolved pokémon. Meowth didn't seem intent on evolving, and Mankey was still pretty young despite showcasing his ability on the field.
"Who gave you Mankey?" the question went back a bit.
"Anastasia," he responded a bit too quickly. He blinked, though, realizing he'd actually used her full name rather than calling her 'Ana'.
Mark seemed especially interested by this piece of information. Perhaps that was why Diane cut in front of his question with one of her own. “A friend of yours, or a family member…?” Mark looked slightly peevish, but he must have been especially conscious of the camera, because he didn’t attempt to override the question with one of his own. Behind him, Ana was smiling again—one of her softer ones.
"She's a close friend," he replied without really thinking about it. She was a friend, and she'd gotten considerably closer over the months. He didn't quite understand why Mark was staring at him with a strange smile, but it became apparent when he asked his question.
"How close?" he asked. Eryk just stared at the man for a moment, before shifting his gaze to behind Mark towards Ana. How close? How close what? Was she to being his friend? He'd say pretty close, but the way Mark said it was suggesting something else. At least, that's what he thought it was doing.
"She's... a good friend, I'll leave it at that," he didn't want to answer any more of these questions, and he was half tempted to just stand up and leave. He actually should, then the interview would be over.
“One last topic: it says here that you’re a member of the Koga clan,” Diane noted, glancing down at the papers she held. “That’s a fairly famous family in the pokémon world, of course. Does your family support your entry here, or is it something you decided to do on your own?” She didn’t even try to hide the fact that she was glaring at Mark; presumably they’d have to edit that part out eventually.
He almost winced at that. He should have known they'd find that out. He sighed, closing his eyes for a brief moment. "It's something I did on my own. They have no part in this," he almost continued talking for a moment. It was a good thing he didn't, because he would have said something that might have angered the clan somehow. That was the last thing he wanted to do, after all. Who was to say that they wouldn't actually do something now? He'd practically acted out against them when he joined this tournament. It wouldn't have been so bad if he'd at least notified them. At least then they'd have some proof that he'd told them of his plans.
There was a few more questions after that, but he wasn't really paying much attention to them. The interview was finally over, and with it concluded, he stood abruptly from his chair. He didn't even glance back at the reporters, and left the stage. He hoped that he didn't have to do this again.
Ana met him when he stepped off of the set. “You did well,” she said softly. Her brows furrowed briefly, and she glanced for a moment at the reporters. “Some of those questions were really unnecessarily personal; I probably would have started stuttering if someone had just asked me things like that out of nowhere.” She shook her head.
“Anyway, you’re done now. Should we go back out to the waiting room until the others finish, or would you rather get out of here?” It seemed she was perfectly willing to leave immediately, if he’d rather be further away from all this.
"Now would be a good time," he responded, offering her his hand. He'd rather be anywhere else right now than here. Of that, he was certain.
He hoped that wasn't the case. As much as he might have enjoyed their practice battles, he didn't necessarily feel like fighting his friend. Today, however, was a day of rest. Friday was the day they were allowed to rest their pokémon, and they themselves would be getting some rest. Kas was probably sleeping since he hadn't seemed to get much sleep the days prior. He wasn't going to bother him if that were the case. Instead, he found himself outside on the balcony, the one downstairs in the lobby. It was still private, or private enough that no one seemed to bother him save for Cyrilla. She'd been down earlier to check up on him. She hadn't stayed very long, saying something about making lunch for everyone or some other nonsense.
He really wasn't paying attention. She'd been acting strange ever since the incident with Jasmine, and then the day of Kas's and Drake's battle. He couldn't pinpoint what it was, exactly, but he supposed it had something to do with either Jasmine, or Kas. He was going to say it was the former. Harper was somewhere with Drake, he assumed. Or maybe it was the other way around? That seemed more likely. Ana, he supposed, was upstairs in her room or with Cyrilla, or maybe with Harper and Drake. He didn't seem to keep tabs on anyone, today. It wasn't his job at the moment. But he could at least use this opportunity to clear his mind and think of a strategy for the upcoming battle.
And what he'd likely do after. If he won his next battle, then that meant he'd be going on to the finals. He didn't actually think he'd make it this far, however; something in the back of his mind told him he'd be disappointing someone if he did. Who this someone was, though, was someone he didn't know. Or maybe it was? Maybe he'd be letting himself down for ever getting his hopes up at doing something like this for himself, without the say of his family. Strange it was, though, that they were still here to plague him. Jasmine hadn't been around in some time, but he supposed that was a good thing. Chris, however, he'd had the unfortunate luck to run into, yesterday. Apparently he lost his battle the day before, but he was still hanging around.
So much for thinking about strategy. He huffed a slight puff of air, watching as the smoke floated away before disappearing.
A slight, deliberate noise from behind him clued him into the fact that he was no longer alone; not more than five seconds later, a pokémon hopped easily up onto the balcony rail. The umbreon’s breath made little clouds in the chill air just like Eryk’s did; the pokémon settled itself in a comfortable sitting position about a foot or so from where Eryk leaned against the railing.
It blinked its large red eyes slowly at him, the rings on its body brightening and dimming slightly with the steady motion of its lungs. It had a small scar beneath one of its eyes; the mark identified it—him—as Nova, Ana’s umbreon, but his trainer was nowhere to be seen.
Eryk merely blinked slowly at Nova, as if to greet the umbreon. He shifted slightly so that he could fully stare at the pokémon. He didn't see Ana anywhere, so he supposed Nova was let out of his pokéball to stretch his legs. If that were the case, it would explain why he was here, and not with Ana.
"Nova," he finally greeted, speaking to the umbreon. He reached over slowly to pat the pokémon on the head, and retracted his hand once he was finished. "Bored, I take it?" he asked. It wasn't uncommon to speak with a pokémon, after all. He spoke to his most of the time.
Nova flicked one of his ears when Eryk’s hand drew away; his eyes narrowed in what might have been amusement. Quite, sounded a voice in Eryk’s head. That was strange—umbreons were not normally a telepathic species; perhaps it was because of Eryk’s own talent that he could communicate to him? They were known to be intelligent, so it wasn’t exactly shocking that he had orderly thoughts to convey.
Ana wanted me to remind you that you have to leave for your interview soon. She said you probably were not looking forward to it, but that she would come with you if you wanted company. Apparently, some of the paperwork they’d signed in advance of the tournament had obligated them to do television interviews if they made it to the top twelve, as Eryk, Kas, Drake, and Harper all had.
Eryk visibly frowned. He'd been avoiding those because he hated interviews more than anything. Mostly because they were too personal, or at least the questions they asked were. Eryk had no intention of answering them, so it was pointless to attend to them. But... he had to do it because that was part of doing this challenge. If he didn't do the interview, then he'd basically be saying that he's wasting his time here, and wasn't fully invested in it. Not that he wasn't, because he was. He sighed softly, and pushed himself away from the balcony. He really didn't want to do this.
"She is correct, I am not looking forward to this," he replied, though it wasn't with any irritation. He wasn't looking forward to it, but he wasn't irritated by the thought. Well, it would probably be easier on him if someone was around. Kas, he didn't trust too much, and he was probably still asleep. He'd probably have an interview too, so maybe he was awake? Either way, he didn't want Kas to go along. Cy, he didn't trust her either. She might say something that he'd regret.
"Shall we go collect Ana, then?" because that seemed the more logical choice, or at least to him it did.
Nova inclined his head, hopping off the banister and trotting to the elevator.
As it turned out, Ana was waiting for them already; she leaned against the wall in the hallway, her head tipped back to rest against it as well. She looked almost tired for a moment, but as soon as they were clear of the elevator, she abruptly straightened, glancing down the hallway to where they were approaching with a smile.
Nova paused just in front of her; it looked like some silent exchange was taking place. Ana nodded, and the umbreon leaped up into her arms. She caught him, and he settled on one of her shoulders, curling his back legs and torso around her neck like some kind of living stole. She blinked up at Eryk. “Are you ready?”
He pursed his lips together and frowned. He didn't exactly know how to respond to that. "No," he found himself saying, instead. "I don't understand why I have to do this," he spoke, though he was a little grumpy about it. He could tell he was, because the tone leaked into his voice sounded grumpy. He sighed. He didn't mean to, but he couldn't help the way he felt.
"Why do they insist that we do this?" he asked, though he knew she wouldn't really know the answer to it. He began walking, slowly so that she could keep up.
Ana hummed thoughtfully. “Well… just like professional coordinating, high-level battling like this is considered a major spectator sport,” she said, a thoughtful expression crossing her face. She walked close to him on the sidewalk, probably because there was serious danger of being separated by the crowd otherwise. “So… fans of the sport want to know more about the participants, just like some people are interested in actors or gym leaders.”
She pursed her lips slightly. “I’ve seen a few segments like I think they’ll be doing with you; the best ones ask more questions about your pokémon than anything.” It must have been recently that she’d seen them; Ana had previously mentioned knowing almost nothing about battling. “You might get a few about yourself, especially if they know who your family is, but… unless someone told them, I don’t think they would. Occasionally the reporters as more silly things, like about rivalries or… personal matters, but,” she paused. “I don’t think it’s that common.”
He really wasn't expecting an answer, but now that he got one, he let the information sink in. A spectator sport to where they wanted to know about the trainers? Hopefully, they would all stick to just the pokémon. If they did that, he could probably get through the interviews without giving too much information about himself. If they knew about his family, then that wouldn't exactly be a problem. The problem would be that his family would know about this, and he wasn't entirely sure he wanted them to know about it. Partly because it was none of their Arceus-damn business. Mostly, he just didn't want to deal with them at the moment. He was, oddly, enjoying himself here with his friends. He didn't want them to ruin that, and he knew they would try.
"As long as they don't ask anything too personal," he finally spoke, realizing he'd been quite for some time. "If they'd let me, I'd have someone else do my interview," he mumbled. If he did that, though, there was a chance that someone might say something that wasn't true, or something that was grossly exaggerated. He didn't need either of those things. He glanced down at Ana for a moment. He wondered how she would feel under the spotlight, so to speak.
"Would you feel comfortable doing interviews like that?" he found himself asking out loud. He didn't mean to say what he was thinking, but it seemed that it always seemed to slip around her.
She pursed her lips for a moment, then shook her head slowly. “I don’t think so,” she said quietly. “I… I try not to act like it, but talking to people can be difficult for me, sometimes. I’d be afraid of messing up or saying something stupid in front of all those people.” She sighed. “I didn’t even have friends before the three of you, though, so it’s not like I’m the normal case. For what it’s worth, I think you’ll do well. You might come off a little scary, but I think it’s obvious how much you care about and consider your pokémon, so if the questions stick to that, it should be a really great interview.”
"Do I really come off as scary?" he asked. He missed most of what she said to focus on that one word. Intimidating, sure. He'd been told that before, but he'd never been told he was scary, even if it was just a little bit. He huffed slightly and shrugged his shoulders. Maybe he did come off as a little scary? He held a sigh in, and instead, just released it slowly. It would have been hard to tell he was even breathing out if it weren't for the stream of air that came out with it. He shook his head, though. He had an interview to do, whether he liked it or not.
"Do I scare you?" he asked, suddenly. His eyes found hers for a moment. Some part of him hoped he didn't. He wasn't sure why it mattered, but it did. If he scared her... he wasn't sure what he could do to remedy that.
She shook her head slowly, meeting his eyes without fear. “No,” she said, her voice quiet in the crowd of pedestrians. “Actually, you…” Ana cleared her throat a bit, her eyes falling away to land on the sidewalk in front of them. “Actually, you make me feel… safe. Warm. Like… like everything’s going to be okay. I really…” her words halted for a moment; it seemed a bit like she was struggling with them.
“I really like that about you.”
He felt... relieved? That didn't sound right. She wasn't scared of him, and he made her feel safe. That was unsual, even for him, for someone to tell him that. "Thank... you," he spoke, though that wasn't quite what he wanted to say. He opened his mouth to say something else, but he felt he couldn't find the proper words. Whatever he might say, just didn't form correctly for him, and he was left walking like a gaping magikarp. He shook his head softly.
"For what it's worth, you... do something similar for me," he spoke, because it was true. While she didn't necessarily make him feel safe, she did make him feel warm, and important. That was something he actually kind of liked. To feel important and appreciated to someone was a new experience for him, and he found himself willing to part with it, less and less. If he could, he would've stayed with Ana longer when he helped out at her center, but he never could. Work would always call him back, or some other thing. He sighed, realizing he was lost in his thoughts.
"I appreciate it," he spoke, offering her a short smile. There were too many people around, and he didn't exactly want them to see that smile for her.
She smiled back, but then turned her attention forward. It looked like they’d reached the television studio where the interviews would be recorded. Ana did most of the talking, perhaps in light of his reluctance to be there. Even if she said she was uncomfortable with it, she did have the kind of demeanor that tended to put other people at ease, which was probably considerably better than what he’d have managed in the same situation.
Eventually, they were shuffled back to a waiting room. Chairs were set against the walls; a large T.V. set on one of them was apparently set to broadcast coverage of the tournaments. They were replaying matches from the day before, it looked like. He caught a glimpse of Harper’s liepard before the camera switched to something else.
There were a couple people already in the room; other finalists, it looked like. One or two of them were by themselves, but the others had company as well, so Ana didn’t seem out-of-place, really. It took a while, but eventually the others filed in, too: Kas showed up next, with Harper. They sat themselves down next to Eryk and Ana, both looking perfectly comfortable with the situation, though Kas was always kind of hard to read.
The next to show up were Drake and Cyrilla, though he expected them to be last, or least Drake. Cy was fussing with his hair, though, and it looked like he'd actually put in some effort to style it. What for, Eryk didn't know. He hadn't even bothered to fix his own hair, allowing it to remain as it always did: shaggy. He puffed a slight gust of air as he glanced at the group.
"We're the last ones," Drake spoke before Eryk could say a word. He gave Drake a 'that's obvious' stare, causing Cyrilla to shake her head with a smile. "It looks like they haven't started yet, that's good," he continued.
"Even if they had, you'd still be alright. Your interview isn't until after Kas's," if he remembered correctly. Or was it after his? Why was he even thinking about it?
“Can we have Mr. Nero, please?” The new voice came from a slightly-harassed-looking woman with a clipboard. She stood in a different doorway to the one they’d entered through—she must have opened it just now. “If you have friends or family, they can come, too, but only one person, please.”
Ana glanced between Eryk and Cyrilla, then shrugged. It seemed she was perfectly willing to let him take his cousin with, if he preferred to do so.
But he had already decided he wasn't going to. Instead, he stood up and offered her his hand. "Would you come? I'd feel... better if it were you," he spoke. He could almost see the amusement dancing behind Cyrilla's eyes, but oddly enough, she seemed to contain it in a knowing smile. Whatever that meant.
Ana used his hand to help herself up, then nodded. “Okay,” she replied, nodding a bit.
The woman, who introduced her self as Hannah, took them back into what looked like a small studio. There was a setup with one chair on one side and two on the other. The two were already occupied; there was a serious-looking blonde woman with glasses in one, and a jovially-smiling middle-aged man in the other.
“Okay then. Ana, if you’d remain here, Eryk can take the empty chair and we’ll get started. The questions are a mix of things; remember that if something goes wrong, we can always edit, so feel free to be candid. We’re after your actual personality here, so don’t feel like you have to be anything in particular.” It sounded like something she’d said many, many times already; she probably did this a lot.
“Good luck,” Ana whispered, giving his hand a soft squeeze before she released it.
He was going to need it. If they wanted his personality, then he was going to disappoint them. He didn't have a personality, so to speak. And they shouldn't exactly tell him to be candid. He was as blunt and forward as they came, and he didn't hesitate in his words, however; maybe he should at least take into consideration at how this would affect not only him, but everyone else. They were, after all, all seen together. It was assumed that they were all together as friends, at least. If they'd misinterpret that as anything more, then they were stupid. He hadn't realized he hadn't let go of Ana's hand yet, and he gave a small squeeze back before taking a seat on the empty chair.
He really didn't like it.
"When does this start?" was the first question out of his mouth.
The woman lifted her eyebrows, but she didn’t seem particularly surprised by his brusqueness. “As soon as the producer tells us the camera is rolling,” She replied. “I’m Diane, this is Mark. Since we already know who you are, I suppose that takes care of the introductions.”
Mark glanced askance at her. “Really, Diane, you’re far too serious. Lighten up a little, will you?” He adjusted the cuffs on his shirt; a tiny line appeared between her eyebrows.
“We’re rolling,” a voice called from the back, just as Ana moved into Eryk’s field of vision. She was standing outside the filming area, visible just over Mark’s shoulder. She waved slightly, but didn’t say anything, of course.
“And we’re here with Eryk Nero, our fifth-seed qualifier for the second half of the Kanto National Battle Tournament,” Mark said smoothly, inclining his head slightly at Eryk. “You had a pretty impressive showing in the early rounds—enough to qualify ahead of some established names despite being a complete newcomer to the professional battling world. Is this something you’ve been wanting to do for a while, or was it a spontaneous decision?”
He had to resist the urge to wave his hand back at Ana when she waved. The camera was, apparently, rolling. His eyes flickered to Mark, though, when the questions started. He narrowed his eyes slightly at Mark before answering. "Both," because it had been a little of both, he supposed. It wasn't something he'd been wanting to do for a while, but it was something of a spontaneous decision. Partly because Drake had challenged his ability as a trainer, and partly because this had been something of a dream of his when he was allowed to have dreams. That was until he was seven.
"Could you elaborate on that?"
He really didn't want to, but he supposed he didn't have much of a choice. "Not really, no," he replied. He could almost feel Cyrilla shaking her head at him, but it wasn't like he could. "It's a bit of both, but not entirely an easy thing to elaborate on," he decided to clarify. Why did he have to do this? Why couldn't Kas have gone first?
"Then why are you here?" Diane spoke this time, causing Eryk to give her a flat look.
"Does it really matter?"
"Yes."
He sighed.
"I'm here because..." he paused, glancing towards Ana. "I'm here, because it used to be something of a plan of mine when I was younger," he finally stated, though plan wasn't exactly the right word he should have used.
“A childhood dream, then,” Mark said, nodding like he understood. He didn’t really give Eryk any time to respond before he moved on, though. “But to pick something like that up again after so much time… what changed?”
“Was there some shift in circumstances that made you think coming back to this was a good idea?” Diane was a little more specific with her question.
This was why he hated being interviewed, especially in public. He had to resist the urge to roll his eyes, though. That would have been... something. He couldn't think of the right word with the questions he was asked. "You could say that," he answered, shrugging his shoulders. It wasn't like he'd actually planned on doing something like this again, at least not until them.
"What was the circumstance?"
That was something a little personal. Did people really tell either people things like this? Was it considered normal to divulge all this information about themeselves? "A friend," he spoke, but he would not elaborate. That was where he was crossing the line.
"Was this a special friend?" he could almost hear what was being insinuated, and Eryk just gave them a flat look.
"No, it was just a friend," he spoke, pursing his lips. He could feel his brows furrowing slightly as he stared at the reporters.
Over Mark’s shoulder, Ana flinched slightly, though it was hard to say exactly why.
Diane seemed to sense that a change in topic would be best. “Tell us a little about your team,” she requested, shifting to sit up a little straighter. “Have all of you been together for a long time, or were there more recent additions to your lineup?”
"I've had all of them for a long time, except for Mankey. He was a gift, the newest addition to my team a few months ago," he found it relatively easier to at least speak about them. "Milotic was my first," he added.
"Have they all been the same, or has your lineup changed throughout the years?"
"It's been the same. I've never needed to change them or acquire more than I have already," he replied. His team was fine the way it was, even though he might have two unevolved pokémon. Meowth didn't seem intent on evolving, and Mankey was still pretty young despite showcasing his ability on the field.
"Who gave you Mankey?" the question went back a bit.
"Anastasia," he responded a bit too quickly. He blinked, though, realizing he'd actually used her full name rather than calling her 'Ana'.
Mark seemed especially interested by this piece of information. Perhaps that was why Diane cut in front of his question with one of her own. “A friend of yours, or a family member…?” Mark looked slightly peevish, but he must have been especially conscious of the camera, because he didn’t attempt to override the question with one of his own. Behind him, Ana was smiling again—one of her softer ones.
"She's a close friend," he replied without really thinking about it. She was a friend, and she'd gotten considerably closer over the months. He didn't quite understand why Mark was staring at him with a strange smile, but it became apparent when he asked his question.
"How close?" he asked. Eryk just stared at the man for a moment, before shifting his gaze to behind Mark towards Ana. How close? How close what? Was she to being his friend? He'd say pretty close, but the way Mark said it was suggesting something else. At least, that's what he thought it was doing.
"She's... a good friend, I'll leave it at that," he didn't want to answer any more of these questions, and he was half tempted to just stand up and leave. He actually should, then the interview would be over.
“One last topic: it says here that you’re a member of the Koga clan,” Diane noted, glancing down at the papers she held. “That’s a fairly famous family in the pokémon world, of course. Does your family support your entry here, or is it something you decided to do on your own?” She didn’t even try to hide the fact that she was glaring at Mark; presumably they’d have to edit that part out eventually.
He almost winced at that. He should have known they'd find that out. He sighed, closing his eyes for a brief moment. "It's something I did on my own. They have no part in this," he almost continued talking for a moment. It was a good thing he didn't, because he would have said something that might have angered the clan somehow. That was the last thing he wanted to do, after all. Who was to say that they wouldn't actually do something now? He'd practically acted out against them when he joined this tournament. It wouldn't have been so bad if he'd at least notified them. At least then they'd have some proof that he'd told them of his plans.
There was a few more questions after that, but he wasn't really paying much attention to them. The interview was finally over, and with it concluded, he stood abruptly from his chair. He didn't even glance back at the reporters, and left the stage. He hoped that he didn't have to do this again.
Ana met him when he stepped off of the set. “You did well,” she said softly. Her brows furrowed briefly, and she glanced for a moment at the reporters. “Some of those questions were really unnecessarily personal; I probably would have started stuttering if someone had just asked me things like that out of nowhere.” She shook her head.
“Anyway, you’re done now. Should we go back out to the waiting room until the others finish, or would you rather get out of here?” It seemed she was perfectly willing to leave immediately, if he’d rather be further away from all this.
"Now would be a good time," he responded, offering her his hand. He'd rather be anywhere else right now than here. Of that, he was certain.
Kas sighed heavily. Somehow, it was way more exhausting being charming on television than it was normally. Maybe it was because he had to pretend not to be annoyed with all the intrusive questions? Still… he’d stuck around for Harper’s interview afterwards, and it was even worse. He figured that might be because she was a girl, and significantly younger than him and therefore the reporters. Diane wasn’t so bad, but Mark actually verged on creepy. Particularly when asking her about the fact that she’d been seen out with one of the other finalists—Drake.
She’d handled it admirably, telling him that she had no intention of answering questions of that sort, and that she’d much rather focus on pokémon and battling. Diane had handled most of the rest of the interview after that. Still, Drake was up next, and they were bound to ask him the same questions. Oh well.
“I’m gonna warn him,” Harper said, shaking her head. “It’s stupid enough that someone took a picture of us; they shouldn’t be able to blindside him with it.” Unspoken was the obvious: it was impossible to know whether he’d handle it with the same grace if it surprised him. Kas thought he was as likely to blush and stammer as anything—an understandable reaction, but definitely not an ideal one.
“Probably a good idea,” he agreed. They made it back out to the waiting room, where Drake and Cy were. Ryk and Ana hadn’t stuck around after his interview; knowing Ryk, he’d wanted to get the hell away from here as fast as possible. Kas couldn’t claim he didn’t understand.
While Harper spoke in a private tone to Drake, Kas wandered over to stand next to Cy. He probably wouldn’t have, considering how awkward she’d been acting around him recently, but he actually did have a reason to talk to her.
“So I was thinking,” he said, sliding his hands into his pockets. “They’re airing a tournament-so-far T.V. special on the network tonight. We could do a little thing for it, maybe have everyone over to one of the rooms, with popcorn and everything. Make fun of each others’ stupid interviews, that kind of a thing. You wanna help me plan it, or do you have other stuff you’d like to do with your afternoon?”
He’d understand if she did, honestly.
She blinked at him for a moment, almost in a confused fashion. "Oh, um," she began, smiling somewhat. "I don't have anything planned, no. That... actually sounds fun, let's do that," she stated, fidgeting in her spot before taking on a more comfortable position. "Sorry, I've been sitting down for a while, now, and my butt hurts," she spoke. She turned the slightest bit pink at the realization of what she just said.
"I mean, it's numb... I mean... dammit," she muttered beneath her breath and glanced away from him, the pink turning into a noticeable red. "So, popcorn and everything," she seemed to focus back on the question at hand.
Kas constrained his amusement into a grin; his eyes narrowed a bit. He’d nearly laughed at her, but she was clearly having some difficulty getting her words out right, and that wouldn’t have helped much, no doubt. “Popcorn and everything,” he confirmed. “There’s a supermarket a few blocks north of here; I checked a map during Melly’s interview. I’m sure she can keep Drake company, so let’s get to it, shall we? It’ll be more fun if it’s a surprise.”
He waved to Harper, who met his eyes over Drake’s shoulder and nodded, and then they headed outside.
“So, how have you found your first few days in the biggest city in Kanto?” he asked, glancing down at her and arching an eyebrow. “Certain events notwithstanding, of course.” The location could hardly be blamed for the horror that was interacting with her family members.
She seemed more than ready, and happy, to leave the building. Maybe she didn't like them as much as Ryk did? She blinked, however, at his question, and tilted her head up to meet his gaze. She pursed her lips together, before she grinned. "I like it here, though I'm not sure if I'd ever want to live here. Some places are worth visiting, but that's about it. Here, there's too much... life? Not that it's a bad thing, but I kind of like where we are. There's only a handful of people and it feels more... personal, I suppose," she answered, truthfully it seems. She gave a light shrug of her shoulders, but that was about it.
"How about you? I'm not sure if you'd rather be here, or somewhere else, napping. I seem to recall a certain someone taking a nap every chance he got," she asked, laughing lightly.
Well, he supposed that was a fair enough question. He did like to nap, and in truth he hadn’t been sleeping too well for the last couple of days. Nevertheless, he didn’t feel the lack especially badly at the moment. “Much as I love a good nap,” he said wryly, “I’m perfectly happy where I am right now.” He half smiled, but didn’t elaborate further.
At that point, they reached the grocery store, entering past the sliding glass doors to a bubble of much warmer air. Though the cold didn’t bother Kas too much despite his partially-tropical upbringing, it was nice to be out of the chill. The layout was open and inviting, with produce off to the right and isles full of dry foods to the left.
“Well? What do you want to get?”
She seemed to contemplate his question for a moment, her brows furrowing in thought. She even let out a light, 'hm' and continued staring at a few of the isles. "Well, let's see. If we're just going to watch the T.V. recall, then perhaps we should get something a little light?" she questioned more than asked. That didn't seem right to her, because she shook her head.
"Actually, we'll have to get a few bags of popcorn. Between you and Ryk, you'd both eat it all before any of us could get any. Then there's the question of drinks," she trailed off, walking down one of the chip isles. She brightened up at something as she glanced up at him. "Let's get popcorn, chips, guacamole, some soda, and... some sweets. They don't have cotton candy, obviously, but how about..." she trailed off, glancing at the selection they had.
"How about we get something sour? Like these," she said, holding up a pack of sour lemon candies.
He huffed a little, expelling a breath that stirred the loose hair around his face. “That will almost certainly result in a contest to see who can eat the most of those at once. But what the hell? I’ve never prioritized acting like an adult anyway.” Childish? Certainly. But things like that were also fun, and he hated the way that the common conception of being an adult was not having fun anymore. Or only having certain kinds of fun. Why limit yourself?
If he wanted to stuff his face with candy and popcorn and crack jokes at the expense of his friends and family on television, he was damn well going to do it. “There’s a small kitchen in your suite, right? We could buy the stuff for cookies or something, too.”
"Oh that's right. Our suite came with a kitchen. Oh, I could probably make them from scratch, or even a cake," she stated, listing off the potential things she could make. "No, a cake would take too long, but cookies won't. Alright, so, we'll do cookies, popcorn, sour lemon candies, which I would win that contest by the way, and soda. Hm, maybe throw in some hot dogs just to keep everyone from getting a sugar high," she added. She chewed the bottom of her lip for a moment, narrowing her eyes in a thoughtful manner.
"Oh, and chips, guacamole, and salsa. I think that should just about cover it, unless there's anything you want to add," she stated, still looking at the rows of candy in front of her.
He forgot, sometimes, how accustomed she was to feeding someone who ate as much as Ryk did. Kas knew he was almost as bad, but even he boggled a little bit at the sheer amount of stuff she was suggesting. “Heh. You know, you could plan events for a living. Do parties and weddings and stuff. You’d be really good at it.” Not that she wasn’t good at what she did already. Not that she had a choice. They didn’t live in a world so kind as that. Maybe he shouldn’t have said it.
“But… yeah. I think that’s probably enough. Let’s grab it all and go before my wallet starts to hemorrhage.” He was joking, of course; a bunch of snacks was hardly anything next to what he’d laid down for his suit the other day, and he hadn’t even needed to think twice about that. The perks of an executive position, he supposed.
"Well... maybe one day," she spoke with a sort of hopeful note to her voice. It was a little out of place, though, as if she believed that maybe she could do that one day. "Oh, I almost forgot," she stated, straightening up for a second. She glanced around and disappeared around a corner. A moment later, she came back holding a box for brownie mix. "Eryk doesn't like sweets too much, so I might as well get him some brownies with dark chocolate mix," she spoke, a satisfied grin on her face.
"Alright, let's go so we, or I, can start on making the things to get the things ready," she spoke a little too fast and couldn't seem to find the right words to use.
Kas sighed. Part of him wanted to have a proper conversation with her, one where he dug at the reasons for this persistent awkwardness until she revealed them properly. But he didn’t want to force her to do anything she didn’t want to. And besides… he already knew enough of what the problem was, and he didn’t want to explain himself. She wouldn’t understand it the same way Ryk had. And he didn’t want… what?
He didn’t want her to know him for what he really was, that was what. Even this was better than the truth.
“I can help, you know,” he said, but it was more of a request than anything. “I’m the one who thought of the idea; it’s unfair to make you do all the work for it.” They headed for the checkout line, filing in behind an elderly man with a basket. He was clearly struggling with it; it was weighed down with cans of vegetables.
Shifting their basket into one hand, Kas cleared his throat to get the man’s attention. “Excuse me, sir—can I hold that for you? Just until it’s your turn?”
The man looked reluctant for a moment; Kas smiled mildly, trying to present himself as nonthreatening. Probably Cy’s presence did more to help his case than anything. There were downsides to being built like he was, after all. In the end, the man conceded, handing his basket to Kas.
“Thank you, lad. I’m afraid I’m not what I used to be.”
Kas tipped his head to the side. “But I bet you’re smarter than you used to be, right?”
That got a smile out of him, and a short huff of laughter. “Smarter? Maybe. Definitely wiser.” He paused a moment. “Can I ask your names?”
“Kasimir. I’d shake your hand, but I’m afraid mine are a bit full at the moment.”
Cyrilla laughed lightly at the man's statement, and smiled at him. "I'm Cyrilla," she introduced herself. She glanced up at Kas for a moment, and something like a soft expression crossed her face before she turned towards the old man. "It's a pleasure to meet you Mr...." she spoke, obviously waiting for an introduction from the old man himself.
“Stone,” he replied with a small smile. “My name is Steven Stone.”
Kas’s eyes went wide. “The head of Devon Corporation?” They were based in Hoenn, and developed technology much like Silph did, except without the dirty history of being involved with the past iteration of Team Rocket. Several Devon scientists had been on the team that developed the Halcyon Generator.
“Well, not anymore. I leave all that to my son these days. Still, I’m flattered that you heard of me.”
“Heard of you? Your work on fossil DNA recovery was groundbreaking. Much better than anything we had before.”
That Kas knew enough to say that apparently pleased Mr. Stone, but he smiled and shook his head. “All I did was improve upon the old technology. And I certainly wasn’t the only one working on that project, but… thank you.” He reached the front of the line, and Kas helped him unload his items onto the conveyor for the cashier.
Something seemed to amuse Cy since she snorted a bit, but she didn't say anything until Kas and Steven were finished talking with each other. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that Kas, here, idolizes you, Mr. Stone," Cyrilla spoke, something of a sly smile crossing her face quickly. It disappeared just as quickly, and returned to a smaller, polite smile. "I think I might be a little jealous," she stated, though there was a hint of teasing behind her voice, the same one she used with Eryk.
"But honestly, it sounds like you've accomplished a lot of amazing things in your youth," she added, giving a polite nod of her head.
Kas pursed his lips; he could actually feel, of all things, his face heating up a bit. He glanced away for a moment, raising his now-free hand to rub at the back of his neck. “Sorry—I suppose I probably made things awkward by getting excited like that.”
“Not at all,” Mr. Stone replied. “I enjoy speaking to people who are familiar with the work. And I thank you, young lady, for the compliment." The bagger finished putting his items away, and he took the bags in each hand, testing the weight of them. “Ah, this will do much better. Thank you for your help. And… good luck, in the later rounds of the tournament this weekend. I believe I’ll be pulling for you, if I may?”
Kas blinked. “O-of course.” Well, there went his plan to lose on purpose in the next round.
Once Mr. Stone was gone, he pushed out a sigh and reached for his wallet to swipe his card and pay for his own groceries. “That wasn’t very nice of you, Cy,” he told her, arching an eyebrow. “Haven’t we tried to teach Eryk about being too honest?”
"Hey, that's Eryk, and when have I ever been too honest? Besides, Mr. Stone is going to be cheering for you. I think... that's actually pretty amazing, Kas. It's not every day someone gets to meet their idol, you know. You got to meet Steven Stone, the Steven Stone. I didn't know that you were such a..." she paused, apparently looking for the right word. "I didn't know you were such a nerd about things like that. I think it's cute, honestly," she spoke, shrugging her shoulders lightly. "And besides, it's not every day I get to see Kas swooning," she added, though it wasn't exactly swooning.
"Also, I got to meet someone who you idolized," this time she spoke a little lower, and glanced away from him.
“I didn’t swoon,” he groused. And it was hardly a meeting, really. But… he was happy it had occurred, so he supposed that counted for something. “And don’t call me a nerd.” He nearly flinched at his own tone—it sounded clearly like he was pouting. Real cool, Kas.
He sighed, taking his bags from the checker with a halfhearted smile. “Anyway, we better go. Lots of things to do before tonight, and all that.” He cleared his throat and led the way out of the store.
She’d handled it admirably, telling him that she had no intention of answering questions of that sort, and that she’d much rather focus on pokémon and battling. Diane had handled most of the rest of the interview after that. Still, Drake was up next, and they were bound to ask him the same questions. Oh well.
“I’m gonna warn him,” Harper said, shaking her head. “It’s stupid enough that someone took a picture of us; they shouldn’t be able to blindside him with it.” Unspoken was the obvious: it was impossible to know whether he’d handle it with the same grace if it surprised him. Kas thought he was as likely to blush and stammer as anything—an understandable reaction, but definitely not an ideal one.
“Probably a good idea,” he agreed. They made it back out to the waiting room, where Drake and Cy were. Ryk and Ana hadn’t stuck around after his interview; knowing Ryk, he’d wanted to get the hell away from here as fast as possible. Kas couldn’t claim he didn’t understand.
While Harper spoke in a private tone to Drake, Kas wandered over to stand next to Cy. He probably wouldn’t have, considering how awkward she’d been acting around him recently, but he actually did have a reason to talk to her.
“So I was thinking,” he said, sliding his hands into his pockets. “They’re airing a tournament-so-far T.V. special on the network tonight. We could do a little thing for it, maybe have everyone over to one of the rooms, with popcorn and everything. Make fun of each others’ stupid interviews, that kind of a thing. You wanna help me plan it, or do you have other stuff you’d like to do with your afternoon?”
He’d understand if she did, honestly.
She blinked at him for a moment, almost in a confused fashion. "Oh, um," she began, smiling somewhat. "I don't have anything planned, no. That... actually sounds fun, let's do that," she stated, fidgeting in her spot before taking on a more comfortable position. "Sorry, I've been sitting down for a while, now, and my butt hurts," she spoke. She turned the slightest bit pink at the realization of what she just said.
"I mean, it's numb... I mean... dammit," she muttered beneath her breath and glanced away from him, the pink turning into a noticeable red. "So, popcorn and everything," she seemed to focus back on the question at hand.
Kas constrained his amusement into a grin; his eyes narrowed a bit. He’d nearly laughed at her, but she was clearly having some difficulty getting her words out right, and that wouldn’t have helped much, no doubt. “Popcorn and everything,” he confirmed. “There’s a supermarket a few blocks north of here; I checked a map during Melly’s interview. I’m sure she can keep Drake company, so let’s get to it, shall we? It’ll be more fun if it’s a surprise.”
He waved to Harper, who met his eyes over Drake’s shoulder and nodded, and then they headed outside.
“So, how have you found your first few days in the biggest city in Kanto?” he asked, glancing down at her and arching an eyebrow. “Certain events notwithstanding, of course.” The location could hardly be blamed for the horror that was interacting with her family members.
She seemed more than ready, and happy, to leave the building. Maybe she didn't like them as much as Ryk did? She blinked, however, at his question, and tilted her head up to meet his gaze. She pursed her lips together, before she grinned. "I like it here, though I'm not sure if I'd ever want to live here. Some places are worth visiting, but that's about it. Here, there's too much... life? Not that it's a bad thing, but I kind of like where we are. There's only a handful of people and it feels more... personal, I suppose," she answered, truthfully it seems. She gave a light shrug of her shoulders, but that was about it.
"How about you? I'm not sure if you'd rather be here, or somewhere else, napping. I seem to recall a certain someone taking a nap every chance he got," she asked, laughing lightly.
Well, he supposed that was a fair enough question. He did like to nap, and in truth he hadn’t been sleeping too well for the last couple of days. Nevertheless, he didn’t feel the lack especially badly at the moment. “Much as I love a good nap,” he said wryly, “I’m perfectly happy where I am right now.” He half smiled, but didn’t elaborate further.
At that point, they reached the grocery store, entering past the sliding glass doors to a bubble of much warmer air. Though the cold didn’t bother Kas too much despite his partially-tropical upbringing, it was nice to be out of the chill. The layout was open and inviting, with produce off to the right and isles full of dry foods to the left.
“Well? What do you want to get?”
She seemed to contemplate his question for a moment, her brows furrowing in thought. She even let out a light, 'hm' and continued staring at a few of the isles. "Well, let's see. If we're just going to watch the T.V. recall, then perhaps we should get something a little light?" she questioned more than asked. That didn't seem right to her, because she shook her head.
"Actually, we'll have to get a few bags of popcorn. Between you and Ryk, you'd both eat it all before any of us could get any. Then there's the question of drinks," she trailed off, walking down one of the chip isles. She brightened up at something as she glanced up at him. "Let's get popcorn, chips, guacamole, some soda, and... some sweets. They don't have cotton candy, obviously, but how about..." she trailed off, glancing at the selection they had.
"How about we get something sour? Like these," she said, holding up a pack of sour lemon candies.
He huffed a little, expelling a breath that stirred the loose hair around his face. “That will almost certainly result in a contest to see who can eat the most of those at once. But what the hell? I’ve never prioritized acting like an adult anyway.” Childish? Certainly. But things like that were also fun, and he hated the way that the common conception of being an adult was not having fun anymore. Or only having certain kinds of fun. Why limit yourself?
If he wanted to stuff his face with candy and popcorn and crack jokes at the expense of his friends and family on television, he was damn well going to do it. “There’s a small kitchen in your suite, right? We could buy the stuff for cookies or something, too.”
"Oh that's right. Our suite came with a kitchen. Oh, I could probably make them from scratch, or even a cake," she stated, listing off the potential things she could make. "No, a cake would take too long, but cookies won't. Alright, so, we'll do cookies, popcorn, sour lemon candies, which I would win that contest by the way, and soda. Hm, maybe throw in some hot dogs just to keep everyone from getting a sugar high," she added. She chewed the bottom of her lip for a moment, narrowing her eyes in a thoughtful manner.
"Oh, and chips, guacamole, and salsa. I think that should just about cover it, unless there's anything you want to add," she stated, still looking at the rows of candy in front of her.
He forgot, sometimes, how accustomed she was to feeding someone who ate as much as Ryk did. Kas knew he was almost as bad, but even he boggled a little bit at the sheer amount of stuff she was suggesting. “Heh. You know, you could plan events for a living. Do parties and weddings and stuff. You’d be really good at it.” Not that she wasn’t good at what she did already. Not that she had a choice. They didn’t live in a world so kind as that. Maybe he shouldn’t have said it.
“But… yeah. I think that’s probably enough. Let’s grab it all and go before my wallet starts to hemorrhage.” He was joking, of course; a bunch of snacks was hardly anything next to what he’d laid down for his suit the other day, and he hadn’t even needed to think twice about that. The perks of an executive position, he supposed.
"Well... maybe one day," she spoke with a sort of hopeful note to her voice. It was a little out of place, though, as if she believed that maybe she could do that one day. "Oh, I almost forgot," she stated, straightening up for a second. She glanced around and disappeared around a corner. A moment later, she came back holding a box for brownie mix. "Eryk doesn't like sweets too much, so I might as well get him some brownies with dark chocolate mix," she spoke, a satisfied grin on her face.
"Alright, let's go so we, or I, can start on making the things to get the things ready," she spoke a little too fast and couldn't seem to find the right words to use.
Kas sighed. Part of him wanted to have a proper conversation with her, one where he dug at the reasons for this persistent awkwardness until she revealed them properly. But he didn’t want to force her to do anything she didn’t want to. And besides… he already knew enough of what the problem was, and he didn’t want to explain himself. She wouldn’t understand it the same way Ryk had. And he didn’t want… what?
He didn’t want her to know him for what he really was, that was what. Even this was better than the truth.
“I can help, you know,” he said, but it was more of a request than anything. “I’m the one who thought of the idea; it’s unfair to make you do all the work for it.” They headed for the checkout line, filing in behind an elderly man with a basket. He was clearly struggling with it; it was weighed down with cans of vegetables.
Shifting their basket into one hand, Kas cleared his throat to get the man’s attention. “Excuse me, sir—can I hold that for you? Just until it’s your turn?”
The man looked reluctant for a moment; Kas smiled mildly, trying to present himself as nonthreatening. Probably Cy’s presence did more to help his case than anything. There were downsides to being built like he was, after all. In the end, the man conceded, handing his basket to Kas.
“Thank you, lad. I’m afraid I’m not what I used to be.”
Kas tipped his head to the side. “But I bet you’re smarter than you used to be, right?”
That got a smile out of him, and a short huff of laughter. “Smarter? Maybe. Definitely wiser.” He paused a moment. “Can I ask your names?”
“Kasimir. I’d shake your hand, but I’m afraid mine are a bit full at the moment.”
Cyrilla laughed lightly at the man's statement, and smiled at him. "I'm Cyrilla," she introduced herself. She glanced up at Kas for a moment, and something like a soft expression crossed her face before she turned towards the old man. "It's a pleasure to meet you Mr...." she spoke, obviously waiting for an introduction from the old man himself.
“Stone,” he replied with a small smile. “My name is Steven Stone.”
Kas’s eyes went wide. “The head of Devon Corporation?” They were based in Hoenn, and developed technology much like Silph did, except without the dirty history of being involved with the past iteration of Team Rocket. Several Devon scientists had been on the team that developed the Halcyon Generator.
“Well, not anymore. I leave all that to my son these days. Still, I’m flattered that you heard of me.”
“Heard of you? Your work on fossil DNA recovery was groundbreaking. Much better than anything we had before.”
That Kas knew enough to say that apparently pleased Mr. Stone, but he smiled and shook his head. “All I did was improve upon the old technology. And I certainly wasn’t the only one working on that project, but… thank you.” He reached the front of the line, and Kas helped him unload his items onto the conveyor for the cashier.
Something seemed to amuse Cy since she snorted a bit, but she didn't say anything until Kas and Steven were finished talking with each other. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that Kas, here, idolizes you, Mr. Stone," Cyrilla spoke, something of a sly smile crossing her face quickly. It disappeared just as quickly, and returned to a smaller, polite smile. "I think I might be a little jealous," she stated, though there was a hint of teasing behind her voice, the same one she used with Eryk.
"But honestly, it sounds like you've accomplished a lot of amazing things in your youth," she added, giving a polite nod of her head.
Kas pursed his lips; he could actually feel, of all things, his face heating up a bit. He glanced away for a moment, raising his now-free hand to rub at the back of his neck. “Sorry—I suppose I probably made things awkward by getting excited like that.”
“Not at all,” Mr. Stone replied. “I enjoy speaking to people who are familiar with the work. And I thank you, young lady, for the compliment." The bagger finished putting his items away, and he took the bags in each hand, testing the weight of them. “Ah, this will do much better. Thank you for your help. And… good luck, in the later rounds of the tournament this weekend. I believe I’ll be pulling for you, if I may?”
Kas blinked. “O-of course.” Well, there went his plan to lose on purpose in the next round.
Once Mr. Stone was gone, he pushed out a sigh and reached for his wallet to swipe his card and pay for his own groceries. “That wasn’t very nice of you, Cy,” he told her, arching an eyebrow. “Haven’t we tried to teach Eryk about being too honest?”
"Hey, that's Eryk, and when have I ever been too honest? Besides, Mr. Stone is going to be cheering for you. I think... that's actually pretty amazing, Kas. It's not every day someone gets to meet their idol, you know. You got to meet Steven Stone, the Steven Stone. I didn't know that you were such a..." she paused, apparently looking for the right word. "I didn't know you were such a nerd about things like that. I think it's cute, honestly," she spoke, shrugging her shoulders lightly. "And besides, it's not every day I get to see Kas swooning," she added, though it wasn't exactly swooning.
"Also, I got to meet someone who you idolized," this time she spoke a little lower, and glanced away from him.
“I didn’t swoon,” he groused. And it was hardly a meeting, really. But… he was happy it had occurred, so he supposed that counted for something. “And don’t call me a nerd.” He nearly flinched at his own tone—it sounded clearly like he was pouting. Real cool, Kas.
He sighed, taking his bags from the checker with a halfhearted smile. “Anyway, we better go. Lots of things to do before tonight, and all that.” He cleared his throat and led the way out of the store.
Cyrilla felt a little proud of herself, humming slightly as she moved from one side of the kitchen to the other. She'd learned something about Kas, who was on the other side helping where he could. She found out that he idolized Steven Stone. If she had known that sooner, she might have gotten him something that related to it, for Christmas, or something. Anything would have been better than the Everstone charm that he currently still had. She shook her head slightly, before moving on to the next object that needed her attention. The others would be over soon, and if she remembered correctly, Ana was still with Eryk. She'd sent Ryk a message to let him know about the T.V. session and what not, and he'd replied that he'd be by in time before it started.
Granted, it was still at least an hour or so before it began, which left her plenty of time to get things ready. She'd even started on the brownie mix for Eryk and had set aside some oatmeal cookies just for him. She knew he loved those, and wouldn't really share them with anyone else. Unless of course he shared with Ana. She snickered at that thought, blinking slowly as she grabbed the jar of guacamole and a small bowl.
"Hey Kas, how are you doing back there? Everything alright?" she called over her shoulder, keeping her eyes on the guacamole as she poured it into the bowl. "They'll be here soon," hopefully. If not, then she'd have to go hunt them down.
“Yup, I’m fine here.” Kas had elected to make salsa from scratch rather than just buying a jar of it, and he was in the process of transferring it into one of the glass bowls that had been provided in the kitchen. It smelled pleasant, with more than a faint hint of spice. He moved efficiently from scraping it out of the pan to washing the dishes, including the ones she’d left behind in the process of cooking. “Oven to three-fifty, right? For the brownies?”
"Yup," she spoke, glancing every now and then towards him as she continued pouring the guacamole. She wasn't entirely sure why she was pouring it so slow, only that she knew that she was. Once it was completely in the bowl, she tossed the jar aside, reaching for the bag of chips to place on the side. Once that was finished, she began setting up the table. She'd managed to get one of the lobby tables, the ones that folded out, and brought it up to the room. Of course, she'd asked permission first, if she could take it.
"Alright, that's done. Now, on to the..." she paused, taking a moment. She forgot what she was doing for a second. Blinking to herself, she shook her head. "I think mostly everything else is done. The hot dogs are in the rotisserie. They come out better that way, and the dips and chips are all set up. Soda! That's what we need," she exclaimed suddenly, grabbing the bag that held the different varieties. She'd even gotten a pink lemonade one because Ana seemed to have liked the flavor. And so did Eryk, now that she thought about it. She had to keep herself from snickering out loud at that thought.
"I do believe we are finished, and with some time to spare," she stated. The brownies were cooking, the cookies were already done and set aside. She even had Eryk's own pile of cookies set aside for him.
“So we are.” Kas put the rest of the dishes on the drying rack, wiping his hands on the dish towel looped through the fridge door handle. He sounded almost… uncertain of something. For a moment, he looked at her like he was contemplating something, his eyes locked unmistakably onto hers.
His lips parted, as though he were about to speak, but it seemed to take him an extra try before any sound came out. That was extremely unusual for him—he always seemed to know what he was doing. “Cyrilla.”That was rare by itself, Kas using her full first name. Usually it was just Cy. “Have I… done something wrong? You seem… distracted. If I’m making you uncomfortable, I can… not be here.” His hand found the back of his neck; he looked completely serious about it.
Her eyes widened just a fraction before she could fully show the surprise on her face. She wasn't expecting him to say something like that. She will admit that ever since Jasmine decided to show up, she has been acting a little strange, especially around him. It's not that she meant to, but some part of her just couldn't help it. She opened her mouth to say something, but found she couldn't. She wanted to say something, she really did, but she didn't know what to say. Slowly, she took a deep breath to steady her thoughts. He wasn't at fault for how she was feeling, and how she was acting, at least not entirely.
"No, Kas. I mean, I'm distracted, yes, but it's... not something you've done," she replied honestly. It wasn't his fault that Jasmine came on to him and it certainly wasn't his fault that he'd left with her to wherever it was they went to. The only reason she'd actually known they left together was because he wasn't there when Harper and Ana managed to bring her back from the restroom. All it took was a look from Ryk, and she knew. He was... he was allowed to do that because he was just her friend, and nothing else. She'd contemplated on talking to Harper about how to actually go about and telling him, but she never seemed to find the courage nor the time to ask. She certainly couldn't say anything right now, even if she wanted to.
"I promise it's nothing that you've done. I just, I can't seem to get my psyducks in a row, lately, is all," she spoke, sighing softly and offering him a reassuring smile. Part of it was true, at least. "Besides, you said you were going to watch the reel with us. Why would I not want you here? I'm not going to shoo you away just because I can't admit..." she paused quickly, realizing what she was about to say. She had to fix that fast, at least. "I'm distracted by everything that's going on," she spoke. She hoped that would appease him for now. He never pushed before, so she had that to go on.
He looked like he didn’t believe her even slightly, but true to pattern, he didn’t press her on the matter, either. “Okay,” he said slowly. He paused a moment, then dropped his eyes away. “But Cy… if I ever do… something you don’t agree with, tell me so. Even friends have that right, and I’m not a mind reader. I might usually have an idea of what you’re thinking, but not always, you know?” He offered a half-smile, but that seemed to close the topic to his satisfaction.
“Anyway… I’m going to go set the T.V. to the right channel.” He turned and started for the living room of the suite.
She released a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. She could feel her arm twitching just slightly, and the sudden urge to go forward was there. Almost in a way that said 'hug', but she managed to keep herself in place. He was wrong, though. She couldn't tell him because then it would just be her selfishness keeping him from doing something he had every right to. He had a right to do whatever he wanted, with whomever he wanted. Who was she to tell him otherwise? His friend, maybe, but that was it. She wanted to groan, but she couldn't. She really should talk to Harper soon. Hopefully that would help put her mind at ease and make this situation a little more bearable.
Now that she thought about it, she supposed the thing she was frightened of more wasn't the fact that he might not feel the same way, but more-so that he would misunderstand what she wanted to say. Harper would be the only one who could help her do it so that he wouldn't. She sighed and shook her head. Someday she was going to tell him, it just wasn't going to be today. She glanced towards the clock and allowed her eyes to settle on it for a moment. She needed to at least rectify something. The others would probably be showing up any minute, and she'd rather not leave on an awkward note. Maybe she was the only one who felt awkward right now? She followed after Kas and made it to the living room. Taking a seat, she glanced at him, somewhat of a sly smile on her face. She could do that.
"So, Steven Stone, huh," she began. "Do you really idolize him?" because it really looked like he did. Maybe she was just seeing something that wasn't there?
Kas shrugged. It was hard to tell if the indifference was real or feigned—he had the ability to give off whatever impression he wanted, really. “I mean… I don’t know if idolize is the right word. I don’t think I’ve ever really idolized anyone. That would imply thinking that they’re beyond my reach forever. Did I want to be like him? Sure—he's a brilliant inventor and a pokémon champion to boot. I wanted to be those things, too, once upon a time.”
He hit a few buttons on the remote, landing on what looked like the right channel and hitting the mute. He turned his head so that he was making eye contact with her. “But things don’t usually work out the way you plan when you’re a kid—I’m sure you of all people understand that. I found other things to be.” There was a momentary pause; or had she just imagined the way his expression shifted ever so slightly, making his eyes look darker?
“Other things to want.”
She didn't know what to make of that, but she did glance away for a second. Sometimes it was hard keeping eye contact with him, but she supposed he had a point. Things don't always work out the way you plan, and that was something she accepted a long time ago, though there were times she thought that maybe she shouldn't accept it. They certainly made her want to be something other than what she was, that was for sure.
"I suppose, though I guess for me there are still things I want, and want to be. I just... can't," she spoke it more to herself just for some odd sense of reassurance. "You... would have been good, I bet," she continued. "I mean, you're good with the computers, and you're good at making things like the flash grenades Eryk used," she listed just a couple of things she knew. There were probably more, but she was finding it rather difficult to think straight again. Damn it.
"I guess you could say he was your role model, then, and not exactly your idol. I think... that's the right word to use here," she decided to say. She swallowed a little thickly and turned her attention to the T.V.
“Yeah,” he said nonchalantly. “I guess so. It’s not like I still want to do any of that, but it was cool to meet him, even for a bit.”
At that point, there was a knock at the door. Kas went to answer it, pulling it open to admit all four of the others at once. “All right,” he said, returning to his usual boisterous demeanor all at once. “It’s party time. I think we’re gonna have some fun with this.”
“With what?” Ana asked, apparently genuinely surprised to find him in her hotel suite. Fair enough, perhaps.
“Stuffing our faces and mocking Ryk for making a mess of his interview, mostly,” Kas replied with a shrug.
"I did no such thing," Ryk replied almost immediately, his eyes narrowing slightly at Kas.
"Don't forget Drake's dramatic pose," Cyrilla chimed in. Drake looked lost for a second.
"What pose?" he seemed slightly shocked at the news. Cyrilla just smiled, shook her head, and glanced at Kas for a second. She sighed. Yeah, she'd need to speak with Harper... soon.
Granted, it was still at least an hour or so before it began, which left her plenty of time to get things ready. She'd even started on the brownie mix for Eryk and had set aside some oatmeal cookies just for him. She knew he loved those, and wouldn't really share them with anyone else. Unless of course he shared with Ana. She snickered at that thought, blinking slowly as she grabbed the jar of guacamole and a small bowl.
"Hey Kas, how are you doing back there? Everything alright?" she called over her shoulder, keeping her eyes on the guacamole as she poured it into the bowl. "They'll be here soon," hopefully. If not, then she'd have to go hunt them down.
“Yup, I’m fine here.” Kas had elected to make salsa from scratch rather than just buying a jar of it, and he was in the process of transferring it into one of the glass bowls that had been provided in the kitchen. It smelled pleasant, with more than a faint hint of spice. He moved efficiently from scraping it out of the pan to washing the dishes, including the ones she’d left behind in the process of cooking. “Oven to three-fifty, right? For the brownies?”
"Yup," she spoke, glancing every now and then towards him as she continued pouring the guacamole. She wasn't entirely sure why she was pouring it so slow, only that she knew that she was. Once it was completely in the bowl, she tossed the jar aside, reaching for the bag of chips to place on the side. Once that was finished, she began setting up the table. She'd managed to get one of the lobby tables, the ones that folded out, and brought it up to the room. Of course, she'd asked permission first, if she could take it.
"Alright, that's done. Now, on to the..." she paused, taking a moment. She forgot what she was doing for a second. Blinking to herself, she shook her head. "I think mostly everything else is done. The hot dogs are in the rotisserie. They come out better that way, and the dips and chips are all set up. Soda! That's what we need," she exclaimed suddenly, grabbing the bag that held the different varieties. She'd even gotten a pink lemonade one because Ana seemed to have liked the flavor. And so did Eryk, now that she thought about it. She had to keep herself from snickering out loud at that thought.
"I do believe we are finished, and with some time to spare," she stated. The brownies were cooking, the cookies were already done and set aside. She even had Eryk's own pile of cookies set aside for him.
“So we are.” Kas put the rest of the dishes on the drying rack, wiping his hands on the dish towel looped through the fridge door handle. He sounded almost… uncertain of something. For a moment, he looked at her like he was contemplating something, his eyes locked unmistakably onto hers.
His lips parted, as though he were about to speak, but it seemed to take him an extra try before any sound came out. That was extremely unusual for him—he always seemed to know what he was doing. “Cyrilla.”That was rare by itself, Kas using her full first name. Usually it was just Cy. “Have I… done something wrong? You seem… distracted. If I’m making you uncomfortable, I can… not be here.” His hand found the back of his neck; he looked completely serious about it.
Her eyes widened just a fraction before she could fully show the surprise on her face. She wasn't expecting him to say something like that. She will admit that ever since Jasmine decided to show up, she has been acting a little strange, especially around him. It's not that she meant to, but some part of her just couldn't help it. She opened her mouth to say something, but found she couldn't. She wanted to say something, she really did, but she didn't know what to say. Slowly, she took a deep breath to steady her thoughts. He wasn't at fault for how she was feeling, and how she was acting, at least not entirely.
"No, Kas. I mean, I'm distracted, yes, but it's... not something you've done," she replied honestly. It wasn't his fault that Jasmine came on to him and it certainly wasn't his fault that he'd left with her to wherever it was they went to. The only reason she'd actually known they left together was because he wasn't there when Harper and Ana managed to bring her back from the restroom. All it took was a look from Ryk, and she knew. He was... he was allowed to do that because he was just her friend, and nothing else. She'd contemplated on talking to Harper about how to actually go about and telling him, but she never seemed to find the courage nor the time to ask. She certainly couldn't say anything right now, even if she wanted to.
"I promise it's nothing that you've done. I just, I can't seem to get my psyducks in a row, lately, is all," she spoke, sighing softly and offering him a reassuring smile. Part of it was true, at least. "Besides, you said you were going to watch the reel with us. Why would I not want you here? I'm not going to shoo you away just because I can't admit..." she paused quickly, realizing what she was about to say. She had to fix that fast, at least. "I'm distracted by everything that's going on," she spoke. She hoped that would appease him for now. He never pushed before, so she had that to go on.
He looked like he didn’t believe her even slightly, but true to pattern, he didn’t press her on the matter, either. “Okay,” he said slowly. He paused a moment, then dropped his eyes away. “But Cy… if I ever do… something you don’t agree with, tell me so. Even friends have that right, and I’m not a mind reader. I might usually have an idea of what you’re thinking, but not always, you know?” He offered a half-smile, but that seemed to close the topic to his satisfaction.
“Anyway… I’m going to go set the T.V. to the right channel.” He turned and started for the living room of the suite.
She released a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. She could feel her arm twitching just slightly, and the sudden urge to go forward was there. Almost in a way that said 'hug', but she managed to keep herself in place. He was wrong, though. She couldn't tell him because then it would just be her selfishness keeping him from doing something he had every right to. He had a right to do whatever he wanted, with whomever he wanted. Who was she to tell him otherwise? His friend, maybe, but that was it. She wanted to groan, but she couldn't. She really should talk to Harper soon. Hopefully that would help put her mind at ease and make this situation a little more bearable.
Now that she thought about it, she supposed the thing she was frightened of more wasn't the fact that he might not feel the same way, but more-so that he would misunderstand what she wanted to say. Harper would be the only one who could help her do it so that he wouldn't. She sighed and shook her head. Someday she was going to tell him, it just wasn't going to be today. She glanced towards the clock and allowed her eyes to settle on it for a moment. She needed to at least rectify something. The others would probably be showing up any minute, and she'd rather not leave on an awkward note. Maybe she was the only one who felt awkward right now? She followed after Kas and made it to the living room. Taking a seat, she glanced at him, somewhat of a sly smile on her face. She could do that.
"So, Steven Stone, huh," she began. "Do you really idolize him?" because it really looked like he did. Maybe she was just seeing something that wasn't there?
Kas shrugged. It was hard to tell if the indifference was real or feigned—he had the ability to give off whatever impression he wanted, really. “I mean… I don’t know if idolize is the right word. I don’t think I’ve ever really idolized anyone. That would imply thinking that they’re beyond my reach forever. Did I want to be like him? Sure—he's a brilliant inventor and a pokémon champion to boot. I wanted to be those things, too, once upon a time.”
He hit a few buttons on the remote, landing on what looked like the right channel and hitting the mute. He turned his head so that he was making eye contact with her. “But things don’t usually work out the way you plan when you’re a kid—I’m sure you of all people understand that. I found other things to be.” There was a momentary pause; or had she just imagined the way his expression shifted ever so slightly, making his eyes look darker?
“Other things to want.”
She didn't know what to make of that, but she did glance away for a second. Sometimes it was hard keeping eye contact with him, but she supposed he had a point. Things don't always work out the way you plan, and that was something she accepted a long time ago, though there were times she thought that maybe she shouldn't accept it. They certainly made her want to be something other than what she was, that was for sure.
"I suppose, though I guess for me there are still things I want, and want to be. I just... can't," she spoke it more to herself just for some odd sense of reassurance. "You... would have been good, I bet," she continued. "I mean, you're good with the computers, and you're good at making things like the flash grenades Eryk used," she listed just a couple of things she knew. There were probably more, but she was finding it rather difficult to think straight again. Damn it.
"I guess you could say he was your role model, then, and not exactly your idol. I think... that's the right word to use here," she decided to say. She swallowed a little thickly and turned her attention to the T.V.
“Yeah,” he said nonchalantly. “I guess so. It’s not like I still want to do any of that, but it was cool to meet him, even for a bit.”
At that point, there was a knock at the door. Kas went to answer it, pulling it open to admit all four of the others at once. “All right,” he said, returning to his usual boisterous demeanor all at once. “It’s party time. I think we’re gonna have some fun with this.”
“With what?” Ana asked, apparently genuinely surprised to find him in her hotel suite. Fair enough, perhaps.
“Stuffing our faces and mocking Ryk for making a mess of his interview, mostly,” Kas replied with a shrug.
"I did no such thing," Ryk replied almost immediately, his eyes narrowing slightly at Kas.
"Don't forget Drake's dramatic pose," Cyrilla chimed in. Drake looked lost for a second.
"What pose?" he seemed slightly shocked at the news. Cyrilla just smiled, shook her head, and glanced at Kas for a second. She sighed. Yeah, she'd need to speak with Harper... soon.
Ana contemplated the seating for a moment. “Um… should we try dragging in some of the furniture from the other room?”
Their suite had come with a three-seater couch and a one-person chair. That was all well and good for two or even four people, but six was two too many. They could feasibly fit four on the couch, though it’d be a bit of a squeeze; the chair was simply not going to fit two people, however. She didn’t want to make anyone sit on the floor—perhaps she would simply need to volunteer. But maybe they could move the furniture? She wasn’t sure if even an armchair would fit through the doors, though. But surely they had to have moved them in somehow?
She glanced at the others.
Kasimir shrugged. “We can make it work… if two people share the chair.”
Ana didn’t think even she and Cy, the two smallest people, could do that without being half on top of one another. She supposed she wouldn’t mind exactly, but it would be inconvenient to eat that way, wouldn’t it?
"Dibs," Cyrilla spoke, making a dive for the couch. She almost crashed into Drake on her way to the couch, and he looked slightly confused. She actually managed, however, to drag him with her and invited Harper to sit with them. "So, it looks like Kas, Ana, and Ryk are left," she spoke once she was comfortable. Drake still looked vaguely confused, but didn't say anything. Ryk, however, looked a little livid.
Kas shrugged. “Ryk and I are not going to fit in that chair,” he said flatly.
Ana figured that was very true. “It’s no problem,” she said. “One of you can have the chair, the other can squeeze on the couch, and I’ll sit on the floor or an arm or something.” It wasn’t like it bothered her to do so; the floor did have carpet on it. As long as she could lean herself up against something, she’d be fine.
“You sure?” Kas asked.
Ana nodded; he shrugged again and took the last spot on the couch, wedging himself between Cy and the left arm of the sofa. “Sorry,” he told her, shifting so that he was in as little contact as possible, it looked like.
"No problem," she replied to Kas, shifting a little to make more room for Kas, or as much room as she could, it looked like. Eryk, however, seemed to be glaring at Cy, his eyes narrowed somewhat and his brows furrowed deeply. He glanced at Ana, though, and his expression softened just somewhat to where it looked like he wasn't glaring anymore.
"No, Ana, you won't sit on the floor. You take the chair, I'll take the floor," he spoke, moving so that he could do as he said. Cy snickered somewhat, but cleared her throat.
"You know, it would probably be easier if you both shared the chair. You both would fit. I mean, look at us. I'm the shortest person on the couch and there's at least two of us here, that are at or passed six feet," she spoke, glancing at Drake and Kas. Kas was, obviously, the taller one. Harper was pretty tall, too, though not quite six foot tall. Eryk, however, actually seemed to contemplate Cy's suggestion.
"Wouldn't that be easier, too? Then we'd all be able to see the T.V. without accidentally kicking anyone on the floor," Drake chimed in.
Ana sighed. She had the sense they were doing this on purpose, probably to make Eryk uncomfortable, but the point about accidental kicking at least was a good one. “Go ahead and sit in the chair, Eryk,” she insisted. “I’m small enough to balance on the arm no problem. I’ll be in your way a little bit, but I don’t think it’ll be too bad.” The program was bound to start soon; Ana wanted to be situated when it did.
"Alright," he spoke. He didn't even ask if she was sure, which was something he did often. He took a seat on the chair, and moved in a way so that Ana could perch herself wherever she wanted to. She would at least be comfortable. Somewhere on the couch, there was a soft snickering, but it was hard to tell who it came from. Cyrilla was smiling along with Drake, but it seemed that they were just smiling and waiting for the show to start.
"You know... I bet it would be a good drinking game. Every time Ryk glared, someone should take have to take a shot," Cyrilla spoke, chuckling lightly to her face.
"Would that even be considered a fair game?" Drake replied a little too earnestly, as if he were actually buying it. Cyrilla just blinked at him for a moment. "What? I mean, would it really be fair? Look! He's glaring at me right now!" Drake stated, pointing towards Ryk, who was, indeed, glaring at Drake.
"I suppose you have a point there. Everyone would be two sheets to the wind by the time the show ended," Cyrilla spoke, raising an amused brow, though.
“I think the expression you want is three sheets to the wind, Rilla.” Harper corrected Cy’s idiom with some amusement. She was tucked between Drake and the other side of the couch, but she didn’t seem to mind the fact that she brushed against him whenever she moved. She did seem to be a rather more tactile person than most; Kas was like that, too.
Ana sat on one arm of the chair, leaning forward to dip a chip in the guacamole on the coffee table. As if on cue, her bite into it coincided with the opening music for the television program. The camera faded in to a small panel of people, including Mark and Diane from the interviews, as well as Marcia, one of the battle commentators Ana recognized from previous recap segments. Sitting next to them was an older man she didn’t recognize; maybe he was a special guest of some kind?
“Welcome, everyone, to the first ever Kanto Battle Royale. I’m your host, Mark Sampson, and with me today is my cohost Diane Oppenheimer. We also have our guest panelists, longtime battle commentator Marcia Graves, and our special guest—former Pokémon Champion and head of Devon Corporation, Mr. Steven Stone.”
Steven Stone? So that’s who he was—Ana had heard of him, but hadn’t had the faintest idea what he looked like or anything.
“Thank you, Mark, it’s a pleasure to be here today,” Marcia said, shuffling a few of the notes on her desk and tucking a strand of brown hair behind her ear. “And of course I’m honored to be co-presenting with the legendary Mr. Stone.” She smiled at him as though they knew each other; his affable nod seemed to indicate the same thing.
“You’re too kind, Marcia,” he replied. Ana decided she would probably like him if she met him—he was very famous, but seemed to have a certain humility about him.
“So as we all know, but those at home may not, the tournament has moved now into its final twelve competitors. This is an unusual number for a single-elimination tournament, of course, as we’d typically expect sixteen.”
Marcia nodded. “Right. That’s because of the bye system being used. The top four seeds overall don’t have to participate in the first round of the finals, so only seeds five through twelve will be competing early tomorrow morning. Once those eight are whittled to four, they’ll be matched up against the trainers who got a bye in the afternoon matches. That will bring us down to the top four, who will then compete in the evening to determine which two trainers make it to the final match on Sunday.”
“That’s quite the strenuous day of battle,” Mark observed. Ana thought that was a rather obvious thing to be saying, but she supposed they had to spell it out for those who weren’t as familiar with pokémon in any capacity.
Mr. Stone nodded. “It is, but of course there will be plenty of certified health professionals standing by to heal the pokémon after every match. It’s significantly less draining than some days can be on the road, though of course the competition is bound to be tougher.”
“I didn’t know you guys had to battle three round in one day,” she said, turning slightly where she sat so that she could see all of them.
“That’s kind of optimistic, Ana—it’s unlikely that we’re the final four, fun as it would be.”
Harper snorted. “Plus Mirmir qualified in fourth place, so he gets a bye in the morning.”
Kas grinned. “Sweet, sweet sleep.”
Ana knew he was joking. Kas might make a big deal out of how much he liked napping, but there was no way he wouldn’t be there to watch his friends and sister in the morning rounds, especially at this stage of the tournament.
"Could you imagine, though? If all four of us were in the final four?" Drake spoke, a hint of awe in his voice. He'd leaned forward slightly, brushing just past Harper and glanced at her. "Sorry," he spoke softly, turning just the slightest bit red. During all the news segment, it appeared he hadn't been paying too much attention to when Harper brushed against him. Maybe he didn't mind it when she did it?
"I'd drop out," Eryk almost said immediately afterward. His expression was flat, so it was hard to tell if he was being serious or not. He probably wasn't too serious about it. After all, he'd been somewhat excited to be here.
"You say that now, Ryk, but if you were in the top four, you'd continue," Cyrilla stated. Eryk just didn't seem to care because he didn't say anything or even look in her direction. He just took a bite out of his oatmeal cookie and proceeded to watch the T.V.
Ana tuned back in as well. It looked like they were starting with the people who would be in the first matches tomorrow morning. Since Eryk was the fifth seed, he had the best positioning of them—his match would be against the twelfth seed, so they appeared to be running the interviews side-by-side, sort of.
Eryk’s had been pretty heavily edited, with more of his conversational parts highlighted and the questions he’d refused to answer not really aired. But there was a bit of an odd moment when they played the part where he’d mentioned her—she couldn’t believe they’d actually put that there!
“D’aww,” Kas said, putting his hand to his heart with a rather theatrical flourish. “Be still, my beating heart! Eryk’s being sentimental.”
Eryk rolled his eyes, but he seemed to glare at Kas. "Ass," he spoke, his gaze never leaving Kas. Eventually, though, he turned away and stared back at the T.V. just in time to see another segment. His eyes narrowed slightly at what they were playing. It was still on the part about Ana, though the question was directed at how close he was to her. He didn't seem to like it during the interview, and now as it was being replayed.
"You just might break the screen with all the glaring you are doing, Ryk," Cyrilla spoke, causing Ryk to blink. Maybe he didn't realize he was doing it? He turned towards her for a moment before going back to the screen. "I think you handled it pretty well," she added, her smile turning just the slightest bit into a smirk. He didn't seem to think so because he rolled his eyes at her.
"They were asking stupid questions," he muttered back, though he did seem the slightest bit upset about it. Maybe because they'd gotten a little personal? Speaking of personal, another segment came up, talking about his involvement with Koga's clan. He'd been a little hesistant to answer those questions, probably for good reason. He still answered them, though, but perhaps with a little more restraint. It certainly looked like he was restraining himself.
"Wow, I didn't know you were Koga's great grandson," Drake spoke, turning slightly towards Eryk. "Gramps used to talk about him a lot, actually, but I can almost see the resemblance now," he added. Eryk didn't seem willing to say anything about it, however; Cyrilla managed to give him a nudge in the side and gave him a look. Apparently, Drake understood it as he reeled back somewhat. "Anyways, I'm going to go get a drink. Anyone want one?" he asked, glancing around for a second. Eryk just looked at Drake.
"I think he's good, and I'm good too. Thanks for the offer," Cyrilla spoke. Drake glanced at the other two before glancing towards Ana.
She smiled politely. “I’m not thirsty now, but thank you.”
Kas indicated that he wasn’t, either. Harper asked for a soda, and Drake left just as the commercials started to play for the first time.
“The battle clips were really cool,” Ana said, mostly to Eryk. “Even if the interview was a little awkward, it was really neat seeing the whole thing put together.” They’d played Eryk’s answer to the questions about his pokémon over film from the first two rounds of him battling with them against his opponents. It was neat to hear all the affection and trust for them in his words while watching that same trust pay off in the rounds.
Drake arrived back in the room at about the same time as Harper’s interview started playing. They did a similar rundown with her about her team, though Harper’s was longer, probably because she’d stuck around for more questions and started talking strategy with Diane, it seemed.
“Of course,” Mark said over voiceover, “Harper has notable connections with other top-twelve finalists. She’s related to fourth-seed Kasimir Rheinallt.”
The camera switched back to the interview room; Harper must just have gotten a question about Kas, because she grinned and rolled her eyes. “Him? Yeah, he’s my half-brother. You could say we grew up together, but only because it took him so long to grow up, you know?” She grinned; there was a bit of laughter from the interviewers.
Ana snorted. “I think she just called you immature on national television, Kasimir.”
Kas didn’t seem all that concerned, shrugging between bites of chips and salsa. “Pretty sure they’ll play my interview eventually, and then everyone will know that anyway.”
Ana’s smile grew; she turned back to the show, shifting on the arm of the chair. It wasn’t exactly comfortable, but she had no intention of complaining.
“How does it feel now, to be competing against a family member?”
Harper shrugged. Ana thought it was really something, how composed and elegant she was, even sitting in the studio under that bright light and facing down two reporters. “Honestly? Pretty much like always. I’m a competitive person, and I’ve been trying to catch up to Mirmir since I realized how far ahead of me he was… so for most of my life now.”
“But that’s not the only connection you have to the other competitors, is it?” Mark pressed. “You were spotted just the other day out on the town with one Drake Bellamy, Cinnabar Gym Leader and fellow finalist, right? Are the two of you seeing each other?”
Harper looked slightly surprised for a second, but she let her smile turn a bit coy and raised an eyebrow. “An awfully personal question you’re asking there, Mark.”
Mark grinned; Ana personally thought there was something a little discomfiting about it. He looked too interested in Harper’s personal life, or something. “Well, it’s the kind of thing people naturally want to ask about. There you are, two very skilled battlers, obviously, one brand-new to the scene and another a respected Gym Leader. Isn’t it only natural to wonder if there might be a power couple in the making here?”
“Maybe,” Harper conceded, “but I think I’m going to have to leave you hanging on that one.” It was perhaps the most graceful way of refusing to answer Ana could think of. Drake sputtered a bit on his drink.
The rest of the interview was thankfully back to the topic, mostly Diane asking the questions, then it cut to commercial again.
"That... was adorable," Cyrilla spoke once the commercials started. She glanced at Drake who looked a little flustered. His face had taken on a bit of a pink hue, and he scratched his cheek a bit. "No need to be so modest, Drake," she continued, nudging him in the side a bit. He laughed nervously, but seemed to be taking the teasing pretty well.
"I... well you know," he began, but couldn't seem to say anything else. He must have been a little too embarrassed to say anything further. Luckily for him, or maybe not so much, but the commercials had finished. The voiceover introduced Drake, and the segment that first showed had him in the interview room, looking about as bright and bubbly as he typically did. He had a large grin on his face, and seemed more than willing to answer the questions they'd asked him.
"So Drake, how's your great grandfather doing these days?" they'd asked him, referring to Blaine. They had started out pretty simple, it seemed, keeping it to his family.
"Oh you know, the old man's still alive and well. He was talking about taking over the Gym again, but I think he was just reminiscing about it," he had responded. They had continued down that route for a few more moments before another voice over began.
"And what about you, Drake? Is there anyone special in your life?" the question was asked with a bit of a sly undertone, but Drake didn't seem at all to understand the suggestion. He'd just blinked and smiled.
"Well I have a few, actually," he had answered, and the look on Mark's face was a little sly and curious.
"Special ladies, I take it?" at that point Drake looked horrified, both on screen and next to Cyrilla and Harper.
"Oh. OH! No, not like that, I mean," he'd spoken a little too fast. "I mean, I think there might be one, but I'm not entirely sure yet," he'd replied, his expression softening for a split second. Even now, his expression was soft, but his face had taken on a deeper shade of red.
"Is it someone you were recently spotted out with?" the question seemed to have caught Drake off guard and he'd nearly fallen out of his chair. Eryk almost sounded like he laughed at that part. Cyrilla just snorted.
"I... yes... I mean no! I mean..." they had effectively embarrassed him on national television, and aired it. At that point, they started showing battle clips of his challenges, and cut to commercials.
"Really Drake?" spoke, laughing lightly at Drake. If it were possible, he would have blushed darker, but it seemed his face was only capable of a certain shade of red. Eryk barely looked like he could contain his amusement.
Kas was laughing outright. Even Ana giggled. It was a little too funny not to.
“They got you blushing and stuttering on national television,” Kas crowed, a grin splitting his face. “Oh man, I hope the old guy saw that.” He had to have been referring to Blaine.
Harper, on the other hand, seemed content to say nothing at all. She wore a secretive little smile on her face, like she was onto something that no one had yet seen. Ana wondered if maybe that was true. She knew the obvious implications of the line of questioning, especially since it matched the same question in Harper’s interview, but what was actually going on was harder to say. There were, after all, many kinds of relationships.
“Kas is on,” Harper said at last, redirecting their attention from poor Drake to the screen.
“We move now to the top four seeds in the tournament. These are the trainers who performed well enough in the initial rounds to earn themselves a bye in the first round tomorrow. Three of them are pretty familiar contenders—we have Vermilion City’s Lieutenant Major Iona Surge, current scion of her family’s electric-type Gym, Mariana Lopez and Frederick Asterbury, two of professional battling’s most celebrated trainers, and a complete newcomer to the scene—brother of another finalist—Kasimir Rheinallt.” That was Marcia, back in the live broadcast room.
There was a little discussion of the other three, who were the top three seeds in the tournament but familiar faces to most, and then the panel brought up Kas. Mr. Stone spoke first.
“Actually, in a bit of coincidence, I ran into Kasimir in the grocery store not four hours ago—I must say he has quite a bit of charisma.”
Kas made an awkward coughing sound, reaching over Cyrilla and Drake to snatch Harper’s soda and chug it.
“You met Mr. Stone this afternoon?” Ana asked. He hadn’t mentioned it; but then, there hadn’t been much time after she got here before the show started.
He nodded, but his eyes remained fixed on the screen.
Diane actually cracked a rare smile at that. “I’d say the same. He’s certainly a charming personality—and his battle strategy is unconventional compared to the other top seeds.”
Marcia nodded her agreement. “The moves are reasonable sets for the pokémon he has, but the creativity with which they’re applied is something to watch out for. I think an especially memorable moment was his use of a Sludge Bomb to deliberately slow an opponent down. Most trainers make their pokémon aim those at an opponent’s face to increase the chance of poisoning. He had his aim it for the opponent’s lower mass to tangle them in it.”
“Do we have a segment from his interviews about that?”
The screen switched to Kas in the studio. He looked as relaxed and nonchalant as Harper had—like he belonged in that situation and knew it. Ana found that really impressive; the way he lounged in his chair and kept an easy smile on his face.
They put the parts where he talked about his pokémon first—he even let Meep out of her ball for the interview and pulled her up onto his lap. She blinked at the camera, then turned away from it and buried her head in Kas’s abdomen. He wrapped his arms around her and grinned at the reporters. “I guess she’s a little camera-shy.”
“Aww,” Ana said, almost under her breath. She turned slightly to Kas. “I didn’t think Meep would be shy around strangers.”
“Oh my god, Kas,” Harper said, sighing and rolling her eyes. “Half the people watching this just fell in love with you. Why are you so good at that?”
“Fell in love with Meep, you mean,” he muttered by way of reply, stuffing a cookie in his mouth. Ana thought he seemed almost… embarrassed?
Eryk snorted at Kas's statement. It looked like he was going to say something, but he glanced at Cyrilla and didn't say anything at all. "Meep was, adorable," Cyrilla chimed in, shrugging her shoulders just slightly so as to not bother Kas or Drake.
"Yeah, no I'm going to have to agree with Harp, though," Drake replied, glancing at Harper, and then Kas. "I think she's right. Half the people watching this might have just fallen in love with you. Meep might have just added to that," he continued, but took a drink of his soda. Eryk was clearly amused at something, but had a cookie in his mouth. If he was going to say something, he would have before, not after he stuffed it into his mouth.
Kas rolled his eyes, but remained focused on his food. Onscreen, they seemed to have moved into the part of the interview where Mark took over, so much the worse for anything useful.
“So is it only pokémon that have your heart, or is there some lucky person out there calling you theirs?”
Unlike Harper or Drake, Kas didn’t look the least bit surprised at the question. He ruffled Meep’s coat with one hand, scratching behind one of her striped ears with the other. “Why, Mark? Feeling a little lonely?” He grinned slyly, then ruined the effect by laughing. Diane was visibly barely constraining her amusement. Mark didn’t look quite as charmed.
“No,” he said, a tad more sharply. He seemed almost offended. “But people ask these questions, you know? They want to know more about the top-ranked rookie in the tournament.”
Kas waved a hand. “I know, I know.” Lowering the hand back to Meep’s fluff, he shrugged. “No, I’m not seeing anyone right now.”
“Ah, so single and available then; I’m sure that won’t be true for long.”
Kas shook his head. “You misunderstand. I said I’m not seeing anyone right now. Unfortunately, I’m also not available. I do apologize to anyone who was hoping otherwise.” He looked slightly self-effacing at the last, as though he didn’t quite believe the news would disappoint anyone.
That was… peculiar. Ana knew enough about Kas’s personal life to have expected the opposite (and perhaps slightly scandalous) answer: that he was seeing people, but not exclusively, and therefore available in that sense. The interview finished with a few more questions, mostly abut his title as regional martial arts champion and his father’s dojo, before it concluded, and the show went to commercial again.
Cy and Eryk both looked slightly confused, but it immediately vanished from both of their faces. "Well that was... unusual," Drake was the only one who seemed to say anything after the first commercial. He glanced towards Kas, a slightly confused look on his face. Unlike Cy or Eryk, he wore his visibly. "So, you're not seeing anyone, but you're not available? Does that mean you're just... ow, what was that for," he spoke, glancing to his side. Someone must have pinched him, but he couldn't tell if it was Harper, or Cyrilla.
"I don't think anything was unusual as much as you striking your poses," Eryk seemed to divert the question to something else, glancing at Drake as he did so. "You're the only person who does that. Who in their right mind throws out their arm when they're in a battle," he stated, a look crossing his face before it disappeared. Cyrilla just laughed lightly.
"Jealous that you can't do that?" she shot back. Eryk didn't look amused.
"What... are you guys talking about?" Drake just sounded even more confused.
"You know, that dramatic pose you take whenever you get excited about a battle," Cyrilla responded. She tried throwing out her arm in the same way Drake usually does, but it didn't quite work out for her. She accidentally hit Kas's shoulder with her arm. "Pff, sorry Kas. Trying to imitate Drake, here," she spoke, causing Drake to raise a brow.
"Do I really do that?" he asked.
“Totally,” Harper replied. “You did it during our Gym match, and every match you’ve had here. At least you don’t salute like the Lieutenant Major.”
Kas snorted. “She’s, uh… pretty distinctive. And really, really into it. Maybe she’s like you and doesn’t notice,” he mused.
“Those were fun,” Ana said of the interviews as a whole. “I feel like I really learned something about all of you.” Not, of course, necessarily because of the answers to the questions themselves. Maybe more of the way they were answered.
"R-really?" Drake sputtered out. Cyrilla was laughing by this time, and Ryk just shook his head.
"Yes, really." Eryk replied, shifting just slightly in his chair. He hadn't moved during the entire thing until now. His legs must have been numb. He seemed to furrow his brows at Ana's statement, though. He merely shook his head and glanced back at the television.
"Yeah, well you learn something new everyday, Ana," Cyrilla spoke, grinning slightly. "Besides, if you wanted to know more, I'm sure Ryk would be happy to tell you if you just asked," she continued, speaking her sentence like it was the most natural thing in the world. There wasn't an ounce of mischievousness in the tone, perhaps because it was in her eyes.
Ana shrugged, smiling a little. “I’m sure you’ve all had enough questions for one day,” she pointed out. “Let’s eat instead. Maybe when the show is over, we can put in a movie?”
Their suite had come with a three-seater couch and a one-person chair. That was all well and good for two or even four people, but six was two too many. They could feasibly fit four on the couch, though it’d be a bit of a squeeze; the chair was simply not going to fit two people, however. She didn’t want to make anyone sit on the floor—perhaps she would simply need to volunteer. But maybe they could move the furniture? She wasn’t sure if even an armchair would fit through the doors, though. But surely they had to have moved them in somehow?
She glanced at the others.
Kasimir shrugged. “We can make it work… if two people share the chair.”
Ana didn’t think even she and Cy, the two smallest people, could do that without being half on top of one another. She supposed she wouldn’t mind exactly, but it would be inconvenient to eat that way, wouldn’t it?
"Dibs," Cyrilla spoke, making a dive for the couch. She almost crashed into Drake on her way to the couch, and he looked slightly confused. She actually managed, however, to drag him with her and invited Harper to sit with them. "So, it looks like Kas, Ana, and Ryk are left," she spoke once she was comfortable. Drake still looked vaguely confused, but didn't say anything. Ryk, however, looked a little livid.
Kas shrugged. “Ryk and I are not going to fit in that chair,” he said flatly.
Ana figured that was very true. “It’s no problem,” she said. “One of you can have the chair, the other can squeeze on the couch, and I’ll sit on the floor or an arm or something.” It wasn’t like it bothered her to do so; the floor did have carpet on it. As long as she could lean herself up against something, she’d be fine.
“You sure?” Kas asked.
Ana nodded; he shrugged again and took the last spot on the couch, wedging himself between Cy and the left arm of the sofa. “Sorry,” he told her, shifting so that he was in as little contact as possible, it looked like.
"No problem," she replied to Kas, shifting a little to make more room for Kas, or as much room as she could, it looked like. Eryk, however, seemed to be glaring at Cy, his eyes narrowed somewhat and his brows furrowed deeply. He glanced at Ana, though, and his expression softened just somewhat to where it looked like he wasn't glaring anymore.
"No, Ana, you won't sit on the floor. You take the chair, I'll take the floor," he spoke, moving so that he could do as he said. Cy snickered somewhat, but cleared her throat.
"You know, it would probably be easier if you both shared the chair. You both would fit. I mean, look at us. I'm the shortest person on the couch and there's at least two of us here, that are at or passed six feet," she spoke, glancing at Drake and Kas. Kas was, obviously, the taller one. Harper was pretty tall, too, though not quite six foot tall. Eryk, however, actually seemed to contemplate Cy's suggestion.
"Wouldn't that be easier, too? Then we'd all be able to see the T.V. without accidentally kicking anyone on the floor," Drake chimed in.
Ana sighed. She had the sense they were doing this on purpose, probably to make Eryk uncomfortable, but the point about accidental kicking at least was a good one. “Go ahead and sit in the chair, Eryk,” she insisted. “I’m small enough to balance on the arm no problem. I’ll be in your way a little bit, but I don’t think it’ll be too bad.” The program was bound to start soon; Ana wanted to be situated when it did.
"Alright," he spoke. He didn't even ask if she was sure, which was something he did often. He took a seat on the chair, and moved in a way so that Ana could perch herself wherever she wanted to. She would at least be comfortable. Somewhere on the couch, there was a soft snickering, but it was hard to tell who it came from. Cyrilla was smiling along with Drake, but it seemed that they were just smiling and waiting for the show to start.
"You know... I bet it would be a good drinking game. Every time Ryk glared, someone should take have to take a shot," Cyrilla spoke, chuckling lightly to her face.
"Would that even be considered a fair game?" Drake replied a little too earnestly, as if he were actually buying it. Cyrilla just blinked at him for a moment. "What? I mean, would it really be fair? Look! He's glaring at me right now!" Drake stated, pointing towards Ryk, who was, indeed, glaring at Drake.
"I suppose you have a point there. Everyone would be two sheets to the wind by the time the show ended," Cyrilla spoke, raising an amused brow, though.
“I think the expression you want is three sheets to the wind, Rilla.” Harper corrected Cy’s idiom with some amusement. She was tucked between Drake and the other side of the couch, but she didn’t seem to mind the fact that she brushed against him whenever she moved. She did seem to be a rather more tactile person than most; Kas was like that, too.
Ana sat on one arm of the chair, leaning forward to dip a chip in the guacamole on the coffee table. As if on cue, her bite into it coincided with the opening music for the television program. The camera faded in to a small panel of people, including Mark and Diane from the interviews, as well as Marcia, one of the battle commentators Ana recognized from previous recap segments. Sitting next to them was an older man she didn’t recognize; maybe he was a special guest of some kind?
“Welcome, everyone, to the first ever Kanto Battle Royale. I’m your host, Mark Sampson, and with me today is my cohost Diane Oppenheimer. We also have our guest panelists, longtime battle commentator Marcia Graves, and our special guest—former Pokémon Champion and head of Devon Corporation, Mr. Steven Stone.”
Steven Stone? So that’s who he was—Ana had heard of him, but hadn’t had the faintest idea what he looked like or anything.
“Thank you, Mark, it’s a pleasure to be here today,” Marcia said, shuffling a few of the notes on her desk and tucking a strand of brown hair behind her ear. “And of course I’m honored to be co-presenting with the legendary Mr. Stone.” She smiled at him as though they knew each other; his affable nod seemed to indicate the same thing.
“You’re too kind, Marcia,” he replied. Ana decided she would probably like him if she met him—he was very famous, but seemed to have a certain humility about him.
“So as we all know, but those at home may not, the tournament has moved now into its final twelve competitors. This is an unusual number for a single-elimination tournament, of course, as we’d typically expect sixteen.”
Marcia nodded. “Right. That’s because of the bye system being used. The top four seeds overall don’t have to participate in the first round of the finals, so only seeds five through twelve will be competing early tomorrow morning. Once those eight are whittled to four, they’ll be matched up against the trainers who got a bye in the afternoon matches. That will bring us down to the top four, who will then compete in the evening to determine which two trainers make it to the final match on Sunday.”
“That’s quite the strenuous day of battle,” Mark observed. Ana thought that was a rather obvious thing to be saying, but she supposed they had to spell it out for those who weren’t as familiar with pokémon in any capacity.
Mr. Stone nodded. “It is, but of course there will be plenty of certified health professionals standing by to heal the pokémon after every match. It’s significantly less draining than some days can be on the road, though of course the competition is bound to be tougher.”
“I didn’t know you guys had to battle three round in one day,” she said, turning slightly where she sat so that she could see all of them.
“That’s kind of optimistic, Ana—it’s unlikely that we’re the final four, fun as it would be.”
Harper snorted. “Plus Mirmir qualified in fourth place, so he gets a bye in the morning.”
Kas grinned. “Sweet, sweet sleep.”
Ana knew he was joking. Kas might make a big deal out of how much he liked napping, but there was no way he wouldn’t be there to watch his friends and sister in the morning rounds, especially at this stage of the tournament.
"Could you imagine, though? If all four of us were in the final four?" Drake spoke, a hint of awe in his voice. He'd leaned forward slightly, brushing just past Harper and glanced at her. "Sorry," he spoke softly, turning just the slightest bit red. During all the news segment, it appeared he hadn't been paying too much attention to when Harper brushed against him. Maybe he didn't mind it when she did it?
"I'd drop out," Eryk almost said immediately afterward. His expression was flat, so it was hard to tell if he was being serious or not. He probably wasn't too serious about it. After all, he'd been somewhat excited to be here.
"You say that now, Ryk, but if you were in the top four, you'd continue," Cyrilla stated. Eryk just didn't seem to care because he didn't say anything or even look in her direction. He just took a bite out of his oatmeal cookie and proceeded to watch the T.V.
Ana tuned back in as well. It looked like they were starting with the people who would be in the first matches tomorrow morning. Since Eryk was the fifth seed, he had the best positioning of them—his match would be against the twelfth seed, so they appeared to be running the interviews side-by-side, sort of.
Eryk’s had been pretty heavily edited, with more of his conversational parts highlighted and the questions he’d refused to answer not really aired. But there was a bit of an odd moment when they played the part where he’d mentioned her—she couldn’t believe they’d actually put that there!
“D’aww,” Kas said, putting his hand to his heart with a rather theatrical flourish. “Be still, my beating heart! Eryk’s being sentimental.”
Eryk rolled his eyes, but he seemed to glare at Kas. "Ass," he spoke, his gaze never leaving Kas. Eventually, though, he turned away and stared back at the T.V. just in time to see another segment. His eyes narrowed slightly at what they were playing. It was still on the part about Ana, though the question was directed at how close he was to her. He didn't seem to like it during the interview, and now as it was being replayed.
"You just might break the screen with all the glaring you are doing, Ryk," Cyrilla spoke, causing Ryk to blink. Maybe he didn't realize he was doing it? He turned towards her for a moment before going back to the screen. "I think you handled it pretty well," she added, her smile turning just the slightest bit into a smirk. He didn't seem to think so because he rolled his eyes at her.
"They were asking stupid questions," he muttered back, though he did seem the slightest bit upset about it. Maybe because they'd gotten a little personal? Speaking of personal, another segment came up, talking about his involvement with Koga's clan. He'd been a little hesistant to answer those questions, probably for good reason. He still answered them, though, but perhaps with a little more restraint. It certainly looked like he was restraining himself.
"Wow, I didn't know you were Koga's great grandson," Drake spoke, turning slightly towards Eryk. "Gramps used to talk about him a lot, actually, but I can almost see the resemblance now," he added. Eryk didn't seem willing to say anything about it, however; Cyrilla managed to give him a nudge in the side and gave him a look. Apparently, Drake understood it as he reeled back somewhat. "Anyways, I'm going to go get a drink. Anyone want one?" he asked, glancing around for a second. Eryk just looked at Drake.
"I think he's good, and I'm good too. Thanks for the offer," Cyrilla spoke. Drake glanced at the other two before glancing towards Ana.
She smiled politely. “I’m not thirsty now, but thank you.”
Kas indicated that he wasn’t, either. Harper asked for a soda, and Drake left just as the commercials started to play for the first time.
“The battle clips were really cool,” Ana said, mostly to Eryk. “Even if the interview was a little awkward, it was really neat seeing the whole thing put together.” They’d played Eryk’s answer to the questions about his pokémon over film from the first two rounds of him battling with them against his opponents. It was neat to hear all the affection and trust for them in his words while watching that same trust pay off in the rounds.
Drake arrived back in the room at about the same time as Harper’s interview started playing. They did a similar rundown with her about her team, though Harper’s was longer, probably because she’d stuck around for more questions and started talking strategy with Diane, it seemed.
“Of course,” Mark said over voiceover, “Harper has notable connections with other top-twelve finalists. She’s related to fourth-seed Kasimir Rheinallt.”
The camera switched back to the interview room; Harper must just have gotten a question about Kas, because she grinned and rolled her eyes. “Him? Yeah, he’s my half-brother. You could say we grew up together, but only because it took him so long to grow up, you know?” She grinned; there was a bit of laughter from the interviewers.
Ana snorted. “I think she just called you immature on national television, Kasimir.”
Kas didn’t seem all that concerned, shrugging between bites of chips and salsa. “Pretty sure they’ll play my interview eventually, and then everyone will know that anyway.”
Ana’s smile grew; she turned back to the show, shifting on the arm of the chair. It wasn’t exactly comfortable, but she had no intention of complaining.
“How does it feel now, to be competing against a family member?”
Harper shrugged. Ana thought it was really something, how composed and elegant she was, even sitting in the studio under that bright light and facing down two reporters. “Honestly? Pretty much like always. I’m a competitive person, and I’ve been trying to catch up to Mirmir since I realized how far ahead of me he was… so for most of my life now.”
“But that’s not the only connection you have to the other competitors, is it?” Mark pressed. “You were spotted just the other day out on the town with one Drake Bellamy, Cinnabar Gym Leader and fellow finalist, right? Are the two of you seeing each other?”
Harper looked slightly surprised for a second, but she let her smile turn a bit coy and raised an eyebrow. “An awfully personal question you’re asking there, Mark.”
Mark grinned; Ana personally thought there was something a little discomfiting about it. He looked too interested in Harper’s personal life, or something. “Well, it’s the kind of thing people naturally want to ask about. There you are, two very skilled battlers, obviously, one brand-new to the scene and another a respected Gym Leader. Isn’t it only natural to wonder if there might be a power couple in the making here?”
“Maybe,” Harper conceded, “but I think I’m going to have to leave you hanging on that one.” It was perhaps the most graceful way of refusing to answer Ana could think of. Drake sputtered a bit on his drink.
The rest of the interview was thankfully back to the topic, mostly Diane asking the questions, then it cut to commercial again.
"That... was adorable," Cyrilla spoke once the commercials started. She glanced at Drake who looked a little flustered. His face had taken on a bit of a pink hue, and he scratched his cheek a bit. "No need to be so modest, Drake," she continued, nudging him in the side a bit. He laughed nervously, but seemed to be taking the teasing pretty well.
"I... well you know," he began, but couldn't seem to say anything else. He must have been a little too embarrassed to say anything further. Luckily for him, or maybe not so much, but the commercials had finished. The voiceover introduced Drake, and the segment that first showed had him in the interview room, looking about as bright and bubbly as he typically did. He had a large grin on his face, and seemed more than willing to answer the questions they'd asked him.
"So Drake, how's your great grandfather doing these days?" they'd asked him, referring to Blaine. They had started out pretty simple, it seemed, keeping it to his family.
"Oh you know, the old man's still alive and well. He was talking about taking over the Gym again, but I think he was just reminiscing about it," he had responded. They had continued down that route for a few more moments before another voice over began.
"And what about you, Drake? Is there anyone special in your life?" the question was asked with a bit of a sly undertone, but Drake didn't seem at all to understand the suggestion. He'd just blinked and smiled.
"Well I have a few, actually," he had answered, and the look on Mark's face was a little sly and curious.
"Special ladies, I take it?" at that point Drake looked horrified, both on screen and next to Cyrilla and Harper.
"Oh. OH! No, not like that, I mean," he'd spoken a little too fast. "I mean, I think there might be one, but I'm not entirely sure yet," he'd replied, his expression softening for a split second. Even now, his expression was soft, but his face had taken on a deeper shade of red.
"Is it someone you were recently spotted out with?" the question seemed to have caught Drake off guard and he'd nearly fallen out of his chair. Eryk almost sounded like he laughed at that part. Cyrilla just snorted.
"I... yes... I mean no! I mean..." they had effectively embarrassed him on national television, and aired it. At that point, they started showing battle clips of his challenges, and cut to commercials.
"Really Drake?" spoke, laughing lightly at Drake. If it were possible, he would have blushed darker, but it seemed his face was only capable of a certain shade of red. Eryk barely looked like he could contain his amusement.
Kas was laughing outright. Even Ana giggled. It was a little too funny not to.
“They got you blushing and stuttering on national television,” Kas crowed, a grin splitting his face. “Oh man, I hope the old guy saw that.” He had to have been referring to Blaine.
Harper, on the other hand, seemed content to say nothing at all. She wore a secretive little smile on her face, like she was onto something that no one had yet seen. Ana wondered if maybe that was true. She knew the obvious implications of the line of questioning, especially since it matched the same question in Harper’s interview, but what was actually going on was harder to say. There were, after all, many kinds of relationships.
“Kas is on,” Harper said at last, redirecting their attention from poor Drake to the screen.
“We move now to the top four seeds in the tournament. These are the trainers who performed well enough in the initial rounds to earn themselves a bye in the first round tomorrow. Three of them are pretty familiar contenders—we have Vermilion City’s Lieutenant Major Iona Surge, current scion of her family’s electric-type Gym, Mariana Lopez and Frederick Asterbury, two of professional battling’s most celebrated trainers, and a complete newcomer to the scene—brother of another finalist—Kasimir Rheinallt.” That was Marcia, back in the live broadcast room.
There was a little discussion of the other three, who were the top three seeds in the tournament but familiar faces to most, and then the panel brought up Kas. Mr. Stone spoke first.
“Actually, in a bit of coincidence, I ran into Kasimir in the grocery store not four hours ago—I must say he has quite a bit of charisma.”
Kas made an awkward coughing sound, reaching over Cyrilla and Drake to snatch Harper’s soda and chug it.
“You met Mr. Stone this afternoon?” Ana asked. He hadn’t mentioned it; but then, there hadn’t been much time after she got here before the show started.
He nodded, but his eyes remained fixed on the screen.
Diane actually cracked a rare smile at that. “I’d say the same. He’s certainly a charming personality—and his battle strategy is unconventional compared to the other top seeds.”
Marcia nodded her agreement. “The moves are reasonable sets for the pokémon he has, but the creativity with which they’re applied is something to watch out for. I think an especially memorable moment was his use of a Sludge Bomb to deliberately slow an opponent down. Most trainers make their pokémon aim those at an opponent’s face to increase the chance of poisoning. He had his aim it for the opponent’s lower mass to tangle them in it.”
“Do we have a segment from his interviews about that?”
The screen switched to Kas in the studio. He looked as relaxed and nonchalant as Harper had—like he belonged in that situation and knew it. Ana found that really impressive; the way he lounged in his chair and kept an easy smile on his face.
They put the parts where he talked about his pokémon first—he even let Meep out of her ball for the interview and pulled her up onto his lap. She blinked at the camera, then turned away from it and buried her head in Kas’s abdomen. He wrapped his arms around her and grinned at the reporters. “I guess she’s a little camera-shy.”
“Aww,” Ana said, almost under her breath. She turned slightly to Kas. “I didn’t think Meep would be shy around strangers.”
“Oh my god, Kas,” Harper said, sighing and rolling her eyes. “Half the people watching this just fell in love with you. Why are you so good at that?”
“Fell in love with Meep, you mean,” he muttered by way of reply, stuffing a cookie in his mouth. Ana thought he seemed almost… embarrassed?
Eryk snorted at Kas's statement. It looked like he was going to say something, but he glanced at Cyrilla and didn't say anything at all. "Meep was, adorable," Cyrilla chimed in, shrugging her shoulders just slightly so as to not bother Kas or Drake.
"Yeah, no I'm going to have to agree with Harp, though," Drake replied, glancing at Harper, and then Kas. "I think she's right. Half the people watching this might have just fallen in love with you. Meep might have just added to that," he continued, but took a drink of his soda. Eryk was clearly amused at something, but had a cookie in his mouth. If he was going to say something, he would have before, not after he stuffed it into his mouth.
Kas rolled his eyes, but remained focused on his food. Onscreen, they seemed to have moved into the part of the interview where Mark took over, so much the worse for anything useful.
“So is it only pokémon that have your heart, or is there some lucky person out there calling you theirs?”
Unlike Harper or Drake, Kas didn’t look the least bit surprised at the question. He ruffled Meep’s coat with one hand, scratching behind one of her striped ears with the other. “Why, Mark? Feeling a little lonely?” He grinned slyly, then ruined the effect by laughing. Diane was visibly barely constraining her amusement. Mark didn’t look quite as charmed.
“No,” he said, a tad more sharply. He seemed almost offended. “But people ask these questions, you know? They want to know more about the top-ranked rookie in the tournament.”
Kas waved a hand. “I know, I know.” Lowering the hand back to Meep’s fluff, he shrugged. “No, I’m not seeing anyone right now.”
“Ah, so single and available then; I’m sure that won’t be true for long.”
Kas shook his head. “You misunderstand. I said I’m not seeing anyone right now. Unfortunately, I’m also not available. I do apologize to anyone who was hoping otherwise.” He looked slightly self-effacing at the last, as though he didn’t quite believe the news would disappoint anyone.
That was… peculiar. Ana knew enough about Kas’s personal life to have expected the opposite (and perhaps slightly scandalous) answer: that he was seeing people, but not exclusively, and therefore available in that sense. The interview finished with a few more questions, mostly abut his title as regional martial arts champion and his father’s dojo, before it concluded, and the show went to commercial again.
Cy and Eryk both looked slightly confused, but it immediately vanished from both of their faces. "Well that was... unusual," Drake was the only one who seemed to say anything after the first commercial. He glanced towards Kas, a slightly confused look on his face. Unlike Cy or Eryk, he wore his visibly. "So, you're not seeing anyone, but you're not available? Does that mean you're just... ow, what was that for," he spoke, glancing to his side. Someone must have pinched him, but he couldn't tell if it was Harper, or Cyrilla.
"I don't think anything was unusual as much as you striking your poses," Eryk seemed to divert the question to something else, glancing at Drake as he did so. "You're the only person who does that. Who in their right mind throws out their arm when they're in a battle," he stated, a look crossing his face before it disappeared. Cyrilla just laughed lightly.
"Jealous that you can't do that?" she shot back. Eryk didn't look amused.
"What... are you guys talking about?" Drake just sounded even more confused.
"You know, that dramatic pose you take whenever you get excited about a battle," Cyrilla responded. She tried throwing out her arm in the same way Drake usually does, but it didn't quite work out for her. She accidentally hit Kas's shoulder with her arm. "Pff, sorry Kas. Trying to imitate Drake, here," she spoke, causing Drake to raise a brow.
"Do I really do that?" he asked.
“Totally,” Harper replied. “You did it during our Gym match, and every match you’ve had here. At least you don’t salute like the Lieutenant Major.”
Kas snorted. “She’s, uh… pretty distinctive. And really, really into it. Maybe she’s like you and doesn’t notice,” he mused.
“Those were fun,” Ana said of the interviews as a whole. “I feel like I really learned something about all of you.” Not, of course, necessarily because of the answers to the questions themselves. Maybe more of the way they were answered.
"R-really?" Drake sputtered out. Cyrilla was laughing by this time, and Ryk just shook his head.
"Yes, really." Eryk replied, shifting just slightly in his chair. He hadn't moved during the entire thing until now. His legs must have been numb. He seemed to furrow his brows at Ana's statement, though. He merely shook his head and glanced back at the television.
"Yeah, well you learn something new everyday, Ana," Cyrilla spoke, grinning slightly. "Besides, if you wanted to know more, I'm sure Ryk would be happy to tell you if you just asked," she continued, speaking her sentence like it was the most natural thing in the world. There wasn't an ounce of mischievousness in the tone, perhaps because it was in her eyes.
Ana shrugged, smiling a little. “I’m sure you’ve all had enough questions for one day,” she pointed out. “Let’s eat instead. Maybe when the show is over, we can put in a movie?”
Eryk pursed his lips together, running a hand down his face. This wasn't exactly what he wanted to be doing, at the moment. He'd been up much earlier than usual, making sure everything was where it was supposed to be. He'd even gone down to the stadium, the part that acted as a Gym so he could let all of his pokémon out. Cyrilla had joined him, but she seemed to still be half asleep. She was curled up next to Lithe, at the moment, sitting on the floor to the side. He could see her dozing off every now and then, but Lithe was wide awake. He glanced at Eryk for a moment before nodding his head.
Out of all of his pokémon, Gengar was the one to give him the most trouble. He had actually planned on using his gift during his upcoming battle, the one Ana had given him for Christmas. He hadn't used it used it yet, but he wanted to this time around. Mainly because this was the semi-finals. He wanted, oddly enough, to make it to the finals. Even if Gengar proved to be a little more trouble than what he was worth, Eryk still relied on him. He'd had Gengar ever since he was just a Gastly, and he was, technically, the second pokémon he'd ever owned.
"I'll be back, Cy. Make sure no one else disappears," he spoke, glancing towards Cyrilla. She mumbled something back to him, though it was incoherent. Her eyes were closed, and she was leaning further into Lithe. Mankey was also with her, curled on her lap sleeping just as happily away. He rolled his eyes before giving Lithe the same look he'd just given Cyrilla. The arcanine just nodded back. Once that was taken care of, he left the building in search of his gengar.
He couldn't have gotten too far. The city was large, but there weren't too many places he could be... right?
He’d been searching for the better part of half an hour before his phone rang. The caller I.D. identified it as a number originating in Lavender Town—the only person he knew who might have that area code was Ana.
"Ana," he'd answered. It wasn't like he had the need to say hello, after all. He knew who it was.
“Hello Eryk.” It was, in fact, Ana. “Um… where are you right now? I made breakfast this morning, and since you aren’t here, I thought I might bring it to you so you can eat before the match gets started? I know you’ve only got an hour or so before you have to be there, but I think it should be enough time—it’s just pancakes and such.”
There was another voice on her side of the line. “Oh, one second.” She must have taken the phone away from her ear, because whatever she responded with was too quiet to hear. A moment later, her voice was back. “Harper and Drake just left, actually. Should Kas and I just meet you at the stadium?”
He sighed softly. He didn't have any clues as to where Gengar was, and he could continue his search if he didn't go back. He had to go back, though. Ana made them breakfast, and he couldn't exactly not take it. She was a good cook. He sighed again, realizing he hadn't responded yet, and sighed once more. "We'll be in the training room," he responded finally. "If... you could bring a spare blanket, I think Cy would appreciate it. Mankey and Lithe are warm enough, but she won't be able to use them for heat once the battle starts," he asked. At least she could still keep warm, and sleep through his match if she wanted to. Plus, he needed Mankey.
Once that was done, he hung up the phone and shoved it back into his pocket. "Fuck," he spoke out loud. A person who'd just walked passed him, gave him a skeptical look before they continued walking ahead. He didn't have much of a choice, now. If he didn't find Gengar in the hour, he could, ultimately, get disqualified from the match. This one, and the finals, required all six of his pokémon. He only had five at the current moment. With that in mind, he turned around and walked back to the stadium. It only took him a few minutes to get there. He made his way towards the room, and spotted Cyrilla still sleeping. He rolled his eyes. Kas and Ana would be there soon, then, if he made it back before they did.
Indeed, it was only a few more minutes before they arrived, both laden slightly with portable breakfast dishes and other items. Ana had a small backpack, probably to account for the fact that she’d be spending most of the day in the stands. Kas had a blanket slung over his forearm. He gave Eryk a small nod and went over to Cyrilla, setting her breakfast down to one side before unfolding the blanket and draping it carefully over she and the pokémon.
Ana, on the other hand, approached him, handing him a plate covered over with aluminum foil. “Pancakes, eggs, and bacon,” she informed him. The small smile she was wearing fell away when she glanced up at his face, though.
“Eryk? Is something the matter? You look…” she didn’t seem sure how to finish the sentence.
He blinked slowly at her. "Gengar's missing," he spoke without missing a beat. He frowned when he realized he said it out loud, and looked at the plate. He was hungry, but Gengar was still missing. He suddenly felt less hungry. "If I don't find him, I'll be disqualified," he spoke, moving a bit so that he could unwrap the plate of food. He knew he didn't seem worried about it, and that was what he intended. They didn't have to know whether or not if he was or wasn't. He made it this far, and if he had to be disqualified because of something that happened, well... he could always try again some other time. That was, of course, assuming they held something like this again.
He doubted it.
She blinked. For a moment, Ana’s eyes almost seemed to go out-of-focus, as though she were looking through him rather than at him; she closed them for a second, almost like she were trying to collect her thoughts. “He’s safe,” she murmured, like she was sure of it somehow. Her mouth turned down into a frown, and she shook her head a bit.
“Um… give me a few minutes, okay?” She left him with his breakfast and headed back out the door, though why or to where, he had no idea.
“What’s that all about?” Kas asked, approaching from the other side of the room. He had a slightly-puzzled look on his face, but his eyes narrowed in the direction Ana had hurried away.
Eryk just shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. I just told her I couldn't find Gengar, and that I'd be disqualified if I didn't. She just left after that," he replied. He honestly didn't know if it were anything else. Maybe it was something he said? "What do you think?" though he honestly didn't know why he was asking Kas. It wasn't like he would know, either.
Kas shook his head, confirming what Eryk suspected.
About ten minutes later, Ana reappeared. She was holding a pokéball in one of her hands, slinging her bag over her shoulder as she went. She approached, stopping a polite distance from him and offering a tentative half-smile. “Um… you don’t have to be disqualified. Not if you don’t want to be.” She took a deep breath, almost as though bracing herself or something similar.
“I’m not… I’m not a world-class trainer by any stretch of the imagination, and I know that your team is important to you, because they’re your team. And I don’t mean to say that any replacement would be just as good, or that it doesn’t matter that Gengar isn’t here and won’t be here for the round. But—” she pursed her lips. “But you don’t have to forfeit and I don’t think Gengar would want you to, so…” She held out the pokéball towards him.
“Nova volunteered to battle with you today. I think he likes you, and he’s always been more of a battler than my others.” She cleared her throat. “I mean, of course I’d understand if you wanted to borrow a pokémon from Cyrilla instead; hers are probably more suited, since you’re both in Team Rocket and all. But—but Nova’s a good pokémon. He won’t let you down. And both of us… both of us want you to get as far as you can, so…” Ana seemed finally to have run out of words.
"No... no Eryk can't use mine," Cyrilla muttered from the comfort of her blanket. She was eating her breakfast a little slowly, but she glanced up at him and Ana. "Mine are off... limits," she added. It was still apparent she was half asleep. Eryk rolled his eyes at her, but glanced back at Ana. She was offering him Nova, her umbreon. He was honestly a little surprised at that. He wasn't expecting her to even do such a thing, but then again, perhaps he was underestimating her and her kindness. Was that even the right word for it? Slowly, he took Nova's ball and stared at it.
"Thank you, Ana. You didn't have to," but some little part of him was happy that she did. He twitched just slightly forward, and before he registered what he was doing, he leaned forward to give Ana a hug. Somewhere in the corner, Cyrilla was laughing at him before she accidentally choked on a piece of food.
She wound her arms around his back after a moment of what must have been surprise. “It’s no problem,” she murmured, quietly enough that only he could hear. “Good luck today.” She pulled away slowly—was it reluctantly, or was he only imagining that?
After a step back, Ana folded her hands in front of her. “I’m sure Nova can tell you all about his moveset and things; he’s very realistic about what he’s capable of, so if you can trust him, please do.” She glanced down at the small watch on her wrist and pursed her lips. “We should probably get going if we want good seats. Cy?”
"Oh, hold on," she replied, shoving the last piece of food into her mouth before standing up. She recalled Lithe into his ball, and placed it in her pocket. She hadn't used the pokéballs on her charm bracelet, yet. He wondered if she actually would, any time soon. "Alright, I'm good," she stated as she pulled the blanket a little closer around. She made her way towards Ana and himself, staring at him for a moment. He sighed. He knew that look. He mimicked his earlier motion with Ana, allowing Cyrilla to wrap him partially in the blanket as she hugged him, giving him a quick kiss on his cheek. "Since Ana didn't do it for luck," she spoke, grinning slightly at Ana.
"Really, Cy?" he rolled his eyes. One of these days, his eyes wouldn't roll back. They'd be permanently stuck behind his skull because of them. "Just go already," he spoke, making an effort to push her a little. He glanced at Ana for a moment. "I'll do my best to keep Nova from too much harm," because he didn't exactly want to get Nova hurt, intentionally. That, and he'd never battled with Nova before. He didn't exactly know how to, but if she was right, Nova would tell him when it came to it.
Ana nodded, and the two of them departed.
“Huh,” Kas said, sounding for once genuinely surprised. “Now isn’t that something?” He shook his head a bit and moved his eyes to Eryk. “Might want to have that consultation of yours pretty soon; Harper’s match is about to start—which means there are only three more until yours.”
Eryk blinked at Kas for a moment, raising a brow. He glanced at the pokéball in his hand and then back towards Kas. He had a point. He could at least get somewhat familiar with Nova before the match started. If he was lucky, he could get the hang of it, and it would be a lot easier for him to keep Nova out of harm, for Ana's sake. Without much thought, he tossed the pokéball into the air, watching as it released Nova. For a moment, he just stared at Nova, his brow slightly raised, before glancing at Kas.
"Nova," he greeted the pokémon and glanced towards Kas. This felt a little awkward, to say the least. He'd spoken to his pokémon before, but they were his, and not hers. Or anyone else's for that matter. "Ana said you volunteered to take Gengar's place," he stated more than questioned.
Yes, the umbreon replied, flicking one of his ears. I have been trained to battle; before I met Anastasia, it was my… area of expertise, I suppose one would say. I have not forgotten how.
From the fact that Kas tilted his head slightly, it would seem he could hear that half of the conversation as well.
Is there something in particular you would like to know?
He supposed that was fair. Nova was an umbreon, after all, and had a scar to prove it. Or maybe he could have received it some other way. Eryk shook the thought from his mind thought a moment. "Your battling technique, actually. I don't want to command something of you that wouldn't necessarily work," he spoke. "I'd rather have some idea of how you operate rather than assuming that you battle like any other of my pokémon," he added. Not all pokémon battled the same, after all. He was used to the way his pokémon battled, so he could tell them just about anything without too much worry.
Nova, however, wasn't his. He belonged to Ana, and the last thing Eryk wanted to do was get Nova injured that it would wear on her.
Nova appeared to consider this for a moment; the mental link was silent. Overall, my strategy is flexible, he said after a bit. I tend in two directions: either I use my size and quickness to end a battle quickly and precisely, or… in more drawn out conflicts, I fall back on my resistance and ability to heal myself. Ana taught me the Heal Bell technique—this is not ordinary in one of my kind, that I know of, so if I’m injured and can get a bit of breathing room, I can potentially last longer than someone expects.
“Do you prefer physical attacks or special techniques?” Kas inquired.
I know both. My approach is more tricky than straightforward, though. I’m not the strongest—even my Iron Tail isn’t a knockout move on its own. But set up properly, I can do a lot. It’s better to let me hit often than count on any one strike to be the end of a match.
“Victory by a thousand cuts,” Kas said with some amusement. “I like it.”
Kas might like it, but Eryk wasn't entirely sure. All of his pokémon knew attacks that could, theoretically, end a match in one or two well placed moves. They were, in essence, power hitters. He didn't like drawing out a match longer than it needed to be. Whether they caught on or not, Eryk cared a great deal about his pokémon and their health. He didn't want them in a battle for any longer than necessary. But if he could implement Nova and the way he was comfortable with, perhaps it wouldn't be so bad.
"So, better to end it quickly than to draw it out," he supposed he could do that. "I appreciate you doing this, Nova. I take it you were just bored enough," he stated, rather than asking. He'd said so himself not that long ago. If Nova wanted to battle, and was bored enough to take on Gengar's place, Eryk wasn't exactly going to deny him that. "I can't promise this will cure your boredom, but I will do my best."
This? No. Nova said it quite certainly, though his mental tone—if it could be called that—didn’t vary much. This, I’m doing to thank you.
Eryk was confused, and he was sure he was showing it. His brow raised a bit. What could Nova possibly be thanking him for? Eryk actually searched his memory for what it could possibly be. He was drawing a blank. "I don't know what you're thanking me for, but if you say so, then... you're welcome," he replied. He was sure it was clear that he was still confused about it.
The umbreon blinked at him for a moment, shook his head, then glanced at Kas. He must have said something only to the latter, because Eryk’s friend laughed a second later.
“You get used to it,” he said.
It’s no matter, Nova continued so Eryk could pick up on it. I’m sure it will come to you eventually. Now… I believe we should be going.
Eryk was still confused, but shrugged his shoulders, recalling Nova before following Kas out to the stadium.
Out of all of his pokémon, Gengar was the one to give him the most trouble. He had actually planned on using his gift during his upcoming battle, the one Ana had given him for Christmas. He hadn't used it used it yet, but he wanted to this time around. Mainly because this was the semi-finals. He wanted, oddly enough, to make it to the finals. Even if Gengar proved to be a little more trouble than what he was worth, Eryk still relied on him. He'd had Gengar ever since he was just a Gastly, and he was, technically, the second pokémon he'd ever owned.
"I'll be back, Cy. Make sure no one else disappears," he spoke, glancing towards Cyrilla. She mumbled something back to him, though it was incoherent. Her eyes were closed, and she was leaning further into Lithe. Mankey was also with her, curled on her lap sleeping just as happily away. He rolled his eyes before giving Lithe the same look he'd just given Cyrilla. The arcanine just nodded back. Once that was taken care of, he left the building in search of his gengar.
He couldn't have gotten too far. The city was large, but there weren't too many places he could be... right?
He’d been searching for the better part of half an hour before his phone rang. The caller I.D. identified it as a number originating in Lavender Town—the only person he knew who might have that area code was Ana.
"Ana," he'd answered. It wasn't like he had the need to say hello, after all. He knew who it was.
“Hello Eryk.” It was, in fact, Ana. “Um… where are you right now? I made breakfast this morning, and since you aren’t here, I thought I might bring it to you so you can eat before the match gets started? I know you’ve only got an hour or so before you have to be there, but I think it should be enough time—it’s just pancakes and such.”
There was another voice on her side of the line. “Oh, one second.” She must have taken the phone away from her ear, because whatever she responded with was too quiet to hear. A moment later, her voice was back. “Harper and Drake just left, actually. Should Kas and I just meet you at the stadium?”
He sighed softly. He didn't have any clues as to where Gengar was, and he could continue his search if he didn't go back. He had to go back, though. Ana made them breakfast, and he couldn't exactly not take it. She was a good cook. He sighed again, realizing he hadn't responded yet, and sighed once more. "We'll be in the training room," he responded finally. "If... you could bring a spare blanket, I think Cy would appreciate it. Mankey and Lithe are warm enough, but she won't be able to use them for heat once the battle starts," he asked. At least she could still keep warm, and sleep through his match if she wanted to. Plus, he needed Mankey.
Once that was done, he hung up the phone and shoved it back into his pocket. "Fuck," he spoke out loud. A person who'd just walked passed him, gave him a skeptical look before they continued walking ahead. He didn't have much of a choice, now. If he didn't find Gengar in the hour, he could, ultimately, get disqualified from the match. This one, and the finals, required all six of his pokémon. He only had five at the current moment. With that in mind, he turned around and walked back to the stadium. It only took him a few minutes to get there. He made his way towards the room, and spotted Cyrilla still sleeping. He rolled his eyes. Kas and Ana would be there soon, then, if he made it back before they did.
Indeed, it was only a few more minutes before they arrived, both laden slightly with portable breakfast dishes and other items. Ana had a small backpack, probably to account for the fact that she’d be spending most of the day in the stands. Kas had a blanket slung over his forearm. He gave Eryk a small nod and went over to Cyrilla, setting her breakfast down to one side before unfolding the blanket and draping it carefully over she and the pokémon.
Ana, on the other hand, approached him, handing him a plate covered over with aluminum foil. “Pancakes, eggs, and bacon,” she informed him. The small smile she was wearing fell away when she glanced up at his face, though.
“Eryk? Is something the matter? You look…” she didn’t seem sure how to finish the sentence.
He blinked slowly at her. "Gengar's missing," he spoke without missing a beat. He frowned when he realized he said it out loud, and looked at the plate. He was hungry, but Gengar was still missing. He suddenly felt less hungry. "If I don't find him, I'll be disqualified," he spoke, moving a bit so that he could unwrap the plate of food. He knew he didn't seem worried about it, and that was what he intended. They didn't have to know whether or not if he was or wasn't. He made it this far, and if he had to be disqualified because of something that happened, well... he could always try again some other time. That was, of course, assuming they held something like this again.
He doubted it.
She blinked. For a moment, Ana’s eyes almost seemed to go out-of-focus, as though she were looking through him rather than at him; she closed them for a second, almost like she were trying to collect her thoughts. “He’s safe,” she murmured, like she was sure of it somehow. Her mouth turned down into a frown, and she shook her head a bit.
“Um… give me a few minutes, okay?” She left him with his breakfast and headed back out the door, though why or to where, he had no idea.
“What’s that all about?” Kas asked, approaching from the other side of the room. He had a slightly-puzzled look on his face, but his eyes narrowed in the direction Ana had hurried away.
Eryk just shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. I just told her I couldn't find Gengar, and that I'd be disqualified if I didn't. She just left after that," he replied. He honestly didn't know if it were anything else. Maybe it was something he said? "What do you think?" though he honestly didn't know why he was asking Kas. It wasn't like he would know, either.
Kas shook his head, confirming what Eryk suspected.
About ten minutes later, Ana reappeared. She was holding a pokéball in one of her hands, slinging her bag over her shoulder as she went. She approached, stopping a polite distance from him and offering a tentative half-smile. “Um… you don’t have to be disqualified. Not if you don’t want to be.” She took a deep breath, almost as though bracing herself or something similar.
“I’m not… I’m not a world-class trainer by any stretch of the imagination, and I know that your team is important to you, because they’re your team. And I don’t mean to say that any replacement would be just as good, or that it doesn’t matter that Gengar isn’t here and won’t be here for the round. But—” she pursed her lips. “But you don’t have to forfeit and I don’t think Gengar would want you to, so…” She held out the pokéball towards him.
“Nova volunteered to battle with you today. I think he likes you, and he’s always been more of a battler than my others.” She cleared her throat. “I mean, of course I’d understand if you wanted to borrow a pokémon from Cyrilla instead; hers are probably more suited, since you’re both in Team Rocket and all. But—but Nova’s a good pokémon. He won’t let you down. And both of us… both of us want you to get as far as you can, so…” Ana seemed finally to have run out of words.
"No... no Eryk can't use mine," Cyrilla muttered from the comfort of her blanket. She was eating her breakfast a little slowly, but she glanced up at him and Ana. "Mine are off... limits," she added. It was still apparent she was half asleep. Eryk rolled his eyes at her, but glanced back at Ana. She was offering him Nova, her umbreon. He was honestly a little surprised at that. He wasn't expecting her to even do such a thing, but then again, perhaps he was underestimating her and her kindness. Was that even the right word for it? Slowly, he took Nova's ball and stared at it.
"Thank you, Ana. You didn't have to," but some little part of him was happy that she did. He twitched just slightly forward, and before he registered what he was doing, he leaned forward to give Ana a hug. Somewhere in the corner, Cyrilla was laughing at him before she accidentally choked on a piece of food.
She wound her arms around his back after a moment of what must have been surprise. “It’s no problem,” she murmured, quietly enough that only he could hear. “Good luck today.” She pulled away slowly—was it reluctantly, or was he only imagining that?
After a step back, Ana folded her hands in front of her. “I’m sure Nova can tell you all about his moveset and things; he’s very realistic about what he’s capable of, so if you can trust him, please do.” She glanced down at the small watch on her wrist and pursed her lips. “We should probably get going if we want good seats. Cy?”
"Oh, hold on," she replied, shoving the last piece of food into her mouth before standing up. She recalled Lithe into his ball, and placed it in her pocket. She hadn't used the pokéballs on her charm bracelet, yet. He wondered if she actually would, any time soon. "Alright, I'm good," she stated as she pulled the blanket a little closer around. She made her way towards Ana and himself, staring at him for a moment. He sighed. He knew that look. He mimicked his earlier motion with Ana, allowing Cyrilla to wrap him partially in the blanket as she hugged him, giving him a quick kiss on his cheek. "Since Ana didn't do it for luck," she spoke, grinning slightly at Ana.
"Really, Cy?" he rolled his eyes. One of these days, his eyes wouldn't roll back. They'd be permanently stuck behind his skull because of them. "Just go already," he spoke, making an effort to push her a little. He glanced at Ana for a moment. "I'll do my best to keep Nova from too much harm," because he didn't exactly want to get Nova hurt, intentionally. That, and he'd never battled with Nova before. He didn't exactly know how to, but if she was right, Nova would tell him when it came to it.
Ana nodded, and the two of them departed.
“Huh,” Kas said, sounding for once genuinely surprised. “Now isn’t that something?” He shook his head a bit and moved his eyes to Eryk. “Might want to have that consultation of yours pretty soon; Harper’s match is about to start—which means there are only three more until yours.”
Eryk blinked at Kas for a moment, raising a brow. He glanced at the pokéball in his hand and then back towards Kas. He had a point. He could at least get somewhat familiar with Nova before the match started. If he was lucky, he could get the hang of it, and it would be a lot easier for him to keep Nova out of harm, for Ana's sake. Without much thought, he tossed the pokéball into the air, watching as it released Nova. For a moment, he just stared at Nova, his brow slightly raised, before glancing at Kas.
"Nova," he greeted the pokémon and glanced towards Kas. This felt a little awkward, to say the least. He'd spoken to his pokémon before, but they were his, and not hers. Or anyone else's for that matter. "Ana said you volunteered to take Gengar's place," he stated more than questioned.
Yes, the umbreon replied, flicking one of his ears. I have been trained to battle; before I met Anastasia, it was my… area of expertise, I suppose one would say. I have not forgotten how.
From the fact that Kas tilted his head slightly, it would seem he could hear that half of the conversation as well.
Is there something in particular you would like to know?
He supposed that was fair. Nova was an umbreon, after all, and had a scar to prove it. Or maybe he could have received it some other way. Eryk shook the thought from his mind thought a moment. "Your battling technique, actually. I don't want to command something of you that wouldn't necessarily work," he spoke. "I'd rather have some idea of how you operate rather than assuming that you battle like any other of my pokémon," he added. Not all pokémon battled the same, after all. He was used to the way his pokémon battled, so he could tell them just about anything without too much worry.
Nova, however, wasn't his. He belonged to Ana, and the last thing Eryk wanted to do was get Nova injured that it would wear on her.
Nova appeared to consider this for a moment; the mental link was silent. Overall, my strategy is flexible, he said after a bit. I tend in two directions: either I use my size and quickness to end a battle quickly and precisely, or… in more drawn out conflicts, I fall back on my resistance and ability to heal myself. Ana taught me the Heal Bell technique—this is not ordinary in one of my kind, that I know of, so if I’m injured and can get a bit of breathing room, I can potentially last longer than someone expects.
“Do you prefer physical attacks or special techniques?” Kas inquired.
I know both. My approach is more tricky than straightforward, though. I’m not the strongest—even my Iron Tail isn’t a knockout move on its own. But set up properly, I can do a lot. It’s better to let me hit often than count on any one strike to be the end of a match.
“Victory by a thousand cuts,” Kas said with some amusement. “I like it.”
Kas might like it, but Eryk wasn't entirely sure. All of his pokémon knew attacks that could, theoretically, end a match in one or two well placed moves. They were, in essence, power hitters. He didn't like drawing out a match longer than it needed to be. Whether they caught on or not, Eryk cared a great deal about his pokémon and their health. He didn't want them in a battle for any longer than necessary. But if he could implement Nova and the way he was comfortable with, perhaps it wouldn't be so bad.
"So, better to end it quickly than to draw it out," he supposed he could do that. "I appreciate you doing this, Nova. I take it you were just bored enough," he stated, rather than asking. He'd said so himself not that long ago. If Nova wanted to battle, and was bored enough to take on Gengar's place, Eryk wasn't exactly going to deny him that. "I can't promise this will cure your boredom, but I will do my best."
This? No. Nova said it quite certainly, though his mental tone—if it could be called that—didn’t vary much. This, I’m doing to thank you.
Eryk was confused, and he was sure he was showing it. His brow raised a bit. What could Nova possibly be thanking him for? Eryk actually searched his memory for what it could possibly be. He was drawing a blank. "I don't know what you're thanking me for, but if you say so, then... you're welcome," he replied. He was sure it was clear that he was still confused about it.
The umbreon blinked at him for a moment, shook his head, then glanced at Kas. He must have said something only to the latter, because Eryk’s friend laughed a second later.
“You get used to it,” he said.
It’s no matter, Nova continued so Eryk could pick up on it. I’m sure it will come to you eventually. Now… I believe we should be going.
Eryk was still confused, but shrugged his shoulders, recalling Nova before following Kas out to the stadium.
Harper stretched her legs out in front of her, crossing her ankles one over the other. With a little adjustment, her tall boots sat comfortably on her legs again, and she leaned her head back against the wall. This chair in the participants’ lounge wasn’t exactly comfortable, but it was better than bleachers, and closer to where they were patching up her pokémon.
All three of them had passed the round, putting them in the top eight along with Kas. They were still waiting for official matchups for the next round; Harper was pretty sure she was going to end up matched against the top seed—Frederick Asterbury. He was famous enough in the battle world that she’d heard of him more than once over the course of her journey. Rumor had it that he’d be challenging the Elite Four pretty soon, and this tournament was basically practice for that.
Anyone who thought of this as practice was probably better than her, to be honest. Harper pushed a sigh through her nose. Late start or not, she sometimes felt like she should be a little better than she was at this.
Drake was sitting to her side, glancing every now and then in her direction, and then back up to the boards. He looked a little anxious to see the match ups as well, but he finally seemed to focus back on her. "Hey, you alright?" he asked, suddenly. Eryk gave Drake an arched brow, but didn't say anything, instead, keeping his focus on everyone else. Cyrilla was sitting next to him and Ana, smiling somewhat as she fidgeted with the hem of her shirt. Kas was nowhere to be seen.
"'Cause I'm not sure I am," he added, laughing just slightly to himself. He'd been twitching somewhat, but it wasn't anything out of the ordinary. He was nervous, and that much was obvious.
Harper pursed her lips. “I don’t know,” she said at last. “I think I need a short walk.” She studied his uncomfortable shifting around for a moment, then shook her head. “You look like you could use one too, actually. Would you like to come with me? Just outside a short way.” She didn’t intend to leave her pokémon completely unattended, but she knew the others would call her if they came out of their checkups before she got back, so it wasn’t a major concern.
"Yeah, I could use one too," he replied a little too quickly, and stood up just as fast. He almost pitched forward due to how fast he stood, but he seemed to catch himself. Once he was standing properly, he glanced towards the others before glancing at Harper. "We'll be right back, guys," he told them, offering his hand towards Harper to help her up. Cyrilla nodded her head, and Eryk didn't so much as even move. He just stared at Drake, and then went back to looking at everything else.
"We'll call you guys when the pokémon come back," Cyrilla spoke, making shooing motions with her hands.
Harper nodded, clasping Drake’s hand with her own. It was warm and lightly-callused. She knew he helped at Ana’s shelter a lot; being around pokémon and training them was a lot of hard work, too, but it didn’t usually give a person tougher hands. Hers were still very soft. She liked that his weren’t, she decided. It was a nice feeling.
They headed outside, but instead of letting go of his hand, Harper shifted hers so that their fingers were laced together. “Is this okay?” she asked quietly. She might have liked to tease him, but she was careful about where to draw the line on that kind of thing. Using her words was okay, as long as she didn’t say anything cruel. Using the rest of herself was much more case-by-case.
His face did turn the slightest bit pink, but it wasn't as bad as it used to be. He smiled at her though, and nodded his head. "It's... fine," he replied, shifting slightly. His arm seemed to tense a bit, and he kept it oddly still. "Sorry, I'm trying not to swing my arm. It's... an old habit I used to have with my mom when I was a kid. We used to swing our hands, kind of like this," he explained, moving his arm just the slightest bit back, and then bringing it forward in a slow rhythm. "I know it seems childish, but I never really outgrew it," he added, scratching his cheek with his free hand.
"Oh, but I can stop if it bothers you!" he quickly spoke, looking just the slightest bit mortified. Maybe he thought he offended her somehow?
Harper laughed; it wasn’t an uproarious one, just a chuckle, really. But she did feel her mood lift a little, which was nice.
“Swing all you want; I don’t mind.”
Since the trainers’ lounge was part of the stadium complex, there wasn’t really a lot of interesting walking to be done; if they went properly outside they’d be in the parking lot, so Harper stuck to the hallways; the stadium was really more of an event center, so there were plenty of indoor rooms not in use right now.
“Those were some matches this morning,” she said truthfully. Harper had been the only one against a seed higher than herself; she’d only qualified in ninth, so her opponent had been the eighth. She was the lowest number left now. It wasn’t unimpressive, considering the competition, but she was still pretty nervous about what came next. No matter how they arranged things, she’d be against someone expected to beat her. Even earlier, she’d only barely scraped out a victory: the match had gone three-three, which meant a sudden death round with one of the pokémon that had already fought. Shaolin really saved her butt on that one, beating her opponent’s steelix mostly by type advantage and sheer grit.
"Yeah, they were," he seemed to agree. He continued swinging their hands, but it was lighter than it was, as if they were just moving in sync with their walking. "You did really good, especially during the last pull," he continued, glancing at her from the corner of his eyes. He offered her a smile, though, and glanced back forward. "I'm..." he spoke, swallowing rather thickly that she could actually see his throat move with the motion. His hand gripped hers a little tighter, before it relaxed again, and he seemed to have gathered his thoughts properly.
"I'm proud of you, you know. You did really good, and you didn't cheat," he spoke, offering her a lopsided grin. He was poking fun at her, that was obvious, but it looked like he meant it in good fun.
Harper snorted. “It wasn’t cheating the first time, either,” she corrected, her tone light like his. “I just told my pokémon to use a perfectly respectable, perfectly legal, move. If it was so distracting, well that’s the fault of the other party, isn’t it?” She left it rather ambiguous whether she was talking about she and him or their respective pyroars.
“Thanks, though,” she amended. “I used to think… I’d never make it this far. That I’d get scared somewhere along the way, or give up, and… well, that certain people would be right about me. But I made it.” There was still far to go, of course, and half the time she felt like she wasn’t going fast enough, but… she was going. She needed to keep remembering that.
He laughed lightly at her first response but it died down a little quickly at her second. He fixed her with a slightly serious look, one that was slightly off even on his usually easy-going face. He stared at her for a moment, stopping with enough force to make her stop as well. He didn't speak yet, and just continued staring at her. He looked to be contemplating something. His lips were pursed, and his brows were furrowed deeply. It almost looked like he was glaring at her, but he wasn't really glaring. His eyes were too soft for that.
"I don't think..." he began slowly, as if he were still unsure of the words he wanted to speak. "I don't think that certain people really know you, then," he finally spoke. "I admit, that I don't know you very well, either, but I'd like to think I know you somewhat. You're a hard worker, Harper. When I first battled you, I could tell you were someone who was dedicated to what she was doing. I was, actually, in awe," he continued a little nervously. He seemed to pull back slightly, but it was just to adjust himself again.
"But I also think you should get scared, because something like this isn't easy. You're working hard towards a goal that you want to accomplish. I also think that it's okay to feel that you want to give up, but don't. Let yourself feel like that, but also remind yourself for what your fighting for. You want to make something of yourself, to prove to yourself and no one else that you can do this. I mean, you shouldn't have to prove anything to anyone. I think you're an amazing person just as you are, but..." he spoke, his eyes still focused on her. It was clear he wasn't really good at saying things like this, but it looked like he was trying.
"I also think you're an amazing person to have such a drive for this dream you have. I know what I'm saying might not make sense, and I don't know if I'm making any sense at all because I'm actually nervous and rambling now, but if you'd..." he paused, swallowing thickly again. He rubbed the back of his neck, and finally glanced away from her for a second. "If you'd let me, I'd like to know more about you and your dreams," he finally stated, staring back at her and holding her gaze.
Harper nearly spilled her guts to him right there. She knew he’d picked up on the fact that there were things she wasn’t saying; what he said was so sweet and earnest that she almost blurted it all out without thinking. But… it wasn’t the kind of thing you just told someone, no matter if they were kind and wonderful or not. As he pointed out, there were plenty of things they didn’t know about each other yet.
“Do you want to go to Crystal’s wedding with me?” she said abruptly, suppressing a wince. Apparently she’d had to say something, and that was what had come out, since she couldn’t tell him the rest. But maybe… maybe she could try and let him in. Just piece by piece. Into her life. And then one day, he’d be there, and she’d need to talk about it, and… it would be all right, then. It wouldn’t be too heavy a conversation for what they were.
She could see that version of the future very clearly in this moment. And maybe it was barely a chance. An outside possibility that they were that compatible. But there was a chance. And dammit, she wanted to take it.
“I mean… if you want to know about me, then… you should probably meet the crazy people I call my family, right? You already know Kas, but he’s only part of the story. We’ll put you up while you’re on-island, and even fly you out, if you want. I don’t have a date for it yet… and I want to take you, if you want to come.” She paused, smiling wryly and amending.
“You’re still invited even if you don’t want to be my date, I mean. I think your rambling is contagious—I’m never like this.”
Drake snorted softly at her comment. "Well that makes two of us," he spoke, his whole body relaxing suddenly. Apparently he'd tensed up during her rambling. "I'd like that, if it means getting to know you better. And... I think I can handle your family. You don't know my gramps," he spoke, muttering the last part slightly. "You have my number, and I have yours, so you can just message me the date when you find out. Oh, and you don't have to put me up, I can do that. I'm just... glad you invited me," he replied, his face tinging just the slightest bit red.
“Just don’t forget to talk this time. As much as I enjoyed your apology, I’d like to talk a little more often, okay?” Life was pretty hectic and busy for both of them, and she had no plans to halt her journey now, so that would have to be how they kept in touch for now.
"I told you I was nervous!" he responded almost too loudly. He cleared his throat awkwardly as he glanced around, apparently making sure no one saw that, or heard. "I promise I will say at least something next time," he spoke, bringing her hand to his lips for the briefest moment. Apparently he did it without realizing it, almost like it was natural, because his eyes widened after. "Sorry! Sorry, I didn't... mean it?" he seemed confused. Maybe he did mean it?
“That’s a shame,” Harper replied with a sly smile. “I wish you had.” Amusement lit her eyes; she took half a step closer to him, so that they were only a few inches apart. Raising the hand that wasn’t in his, she brushed the pad of her thumb over his lower lip, narrowing her eyes.
“I’m looking forward to getting to know you, too, you know.” She let her voice sit low and smoky in her diaphragm, widening her smile for a moment before she stepped back out of his personal space.
“C’mon. We should probably get back to the others.”
"Oh, that's so not fair," he managed to grumble behind her as they left. It sounded like he was a little disappointed?
Harper smiled to herself.
All three of them had passed the round, putting them in the top eight along with Kas. They were still waiting for official matchups for the next round; Harper was pretty sure she was going to end up matched against the top seed—Frederick Asterbury. He was famous enough in the battle world that she’d heard of him more than once over the course of her journey. Rumor had it that he’d be challenging the Elite Four pretty soon, and this tournament was basically practice for that.
Anyone who thought of this as practice was probably better than her, to be honest. Harper pushed a sigh through her nose. Late start or not, she sometimes felt like she should be a little better than she was at this.
Drake was sitting to her side, glancing every now and then in her direction, and then back up to the boards. He looked a little anxious to see the match ups as well, but he finally seemed to focus back on her. "Hey, you alright?" he asked, suddenly. Eryk gave Drake an arched brow, but didn't say anything, instead, keeping his focus on everyone else. Cyrilla was sitting next to him and Ana, smiling somewhat as she fidgeted with the hem of her shirt. Kas was nowhere to be seen.
"'Cause I'm not sure I am," he added, laughing just slightly to himself. He'd been twitching somewhat, but it wasn't anything out of the ordinary. He was nervous, and that much was obvious.
Harper pursed her lips. “I don’t know,” she said at last. “I think I need a short walk.” She studied his uncomfortable shifting around for a moment, then shook her head. “You look like you could use one too, actually. Would you like to come with me? Just outside a short way.” She didn’t intend to leave her pokémon completely unattended, but she knew the others would call her if they came out of their checkups before she got back, so it wasn’t a major concern.
"Yeah, I could use one too," he replied a little too quickly, and stood up just as fast. He almost pitched forward due to how fast he stood, but he seemed to catch himself. Once he was standing properly, he glanced towards the others before glancing at Harper. "We'll be right back, guys," he told them, offering his hand towards Harper to help her up. Cyrilla nodded her head, and Eryk didn't so much as even move. He just stared at Drake, and then went back to looking at everything else.
"We'll call you guys when the pokémon come back," Cyrilla spoke, making shooing motions with her hands.
Harper nodded, clasping Drake’s hand with her own. It was warm and lightly-callused. She knew he helped at Ana’s shelter a lot; being around pokémon and training them was a lot of hard work, too, but it didn’t usually give a person tougher hands. Hers were still very soft. She liked that his weren’t, she decided. It was a nice feeling.
They headed outside, but instead of letting go of his hand, Harper shifted hers so that their fingers were laced together. “Is this okay?” she asked quietly. She might have liked to tease him, but she was careful about where to draw the line on that kind of thing. Using her words was okay, as long as she didn’t say anything cruel. Using the rest of herself was much more case-by-case.
His face did turn the slightest bit pink, but it wasn't as bad as it used to be. He smiled at her though, and nodded his head. "It's... fine," he replied, shifting slightly. His arm seemed to tense a bit, and he kept it oddly still. "Sorry, I'm trying not to swing my arm. It's... an old habit I used to have with my mom when I was a kid. We used to swing our hands, kind of like this," he explained, moving his arm just the slightest bit back, and then bringing it forward in a slow rhythm. "I know it seems childish, but I never really outgrew it," he added, scratching his cheek with his free hand.
"Oh, but I can stop if it bothers you!" he quickly spoke, looking just the slightest bit mortified. Maybe he thought he offended her somehow?
Harper laughed; it wasn’t an uproarious one, just a chuckle, really. But she did feel her mood lift a little, which was nice.
“Swing all you want; I don’t mind.”
Since the trainers’ lounge was part of the stadium complex, there wasn’t really a lot of interesting walking to be done; if they went properly outside they’d be in the parking lot, so Harper stuck to the hallways; the stadium was really more of an event center, so there were plenty of indoor rooms not in use right now.
“Those were some matches this morning,” she said truthfully. Harper had been the only one against a seed higher than herself; she’d only qualified in ninth, so her opponent had been the eighth. She was the lowest number left now. It wasn’t unimpressive, considering the competition, but she was still pretty nervous about what came next. No matter how they arranged things, she’d be against someone expected to beat her. Even earlier, she’d only barely scraped out a victory: the match had gone three-three, which meant a sudden death round with one of the pokémon that had already fought. Shaolin really saved her butt on that one, beating her opponent’s steelix mostly by type advantage and sheer grit.
"Yeah, they were," he seemed to agree. He continued swinging their hands, but it was lighter than it was, as if they were just moving in sync with their walking. "You did really good, especially during the last pull," he continued, glancing at her from the corner of his eyes. He offered her a smile, though, and glanced back forward. "I'm..." he spoke, swallowing rather thickly that she could actually see his throat move with the motion. His hand gripped hers a little tighter, before it relaxed again, and he seemed to have gathered his thoughts properly.
"I'm proud of you, you know. You did really good, and you didn't cheat," he spoke, offering her a lopsided grin. He was poking fun at her, that was obvious, but it looked like he meant it in good fun.
Harper snorted. “It wasn’t cheating the first time, either,” she corrected, her tone light like his. “I just told my pokémon to use a perfectly respectable, perfectly legal, move. If it was so distracting, well that’s the fault of the other party, isn’t it?” She left it rather ambiguous whether she was talking about she and him or their respective pyroars.
“Thanks, though,” she amended. “I used to think… I’d never make it this far. That I’d get scared somewhere along the way, or give up, and… well, that certain people would be right about me. But I made it.” There was still far to go, of course, and half the time she felt like she wasn’t going fast enough, but… she was going. She needed to keep remembering that.
He laughed lightly at her first response but it died down a little quickly at her second. He fixed her with a slightly serious look, one that was slightly off even on his usually easy-going face. He stared at her for a moment, stopping with enough force to make her stop as well. He didn't speak yet, and just continued staring at her. He looked to be contemplating something. His lips were pursed, and his brows were furrowed deeply. It almost looked like he was glaring at her, but he wasn't really glaring. His eyes were too soft for that.
"I don't think..." he began slowly, as if he were still unsure of the words he wanted to speak. "I don't think that certain people really know you, then," he finally spoke. "I admit, that I don't know you very well, either, but I'd like to think I know you somewhat. You're a hard worker, Harper. When I first battled you, I could tell you were someone who was dedicated to what she was doing. I was, actually, in awe," he continued a little nervously. He seemed to pull back slightly, but it was just to adjust himself again.
"But I also think you should get scared, because something like this isn't easy. You're working hard towards a goal that you want to accomplish. I also think that it's okay to feel that you want to give up, but don't. Let yourself feel like that, but also remind yourself for what your fighting for. You want to make something of yourself, to prove to yourself and no one else that you can do this. I mean, you shouldn't have to prove anything to anyone. I think you're an amazing person just as you are, but..." he spoke, his eyes still focused on her. It was clear he wasn't really good at saying things like this, but it looked like he was trying.
"I also think you're an amazing person to have such a drive for this dream you have. I know what I'm saying might not make sense, and I don't know if I'm making any sense at all because I'm actually nervous and rambling now, but if you'd..." he paused, swallowing thickly again. He rubbed the back of his neck, and finally glanced away from her for a second. "If you'd let me, I'd like to know more about you and your dreams," he finally stated, staring back at her and holding her gaze.
Harper nearly spilled her guts to him right there. She knew he’d picked up on the fact that there were things she wasn’t saying; what he said was so sweet and earnest that she almost blurted it all out without thinking. But… it wasn’t the kind of thing you just told someone, no matter if they were kind and wonderful or not. As he pointed out, there were plenty of things they didn’t know about each other yet.
“Do you want to go to Crystal’s wedding with me?” she said abruptly, suppressing a wince. Apparently she’d had to say something, and that was what had come out, since she couldn’t tell him the rest. But maybe… maybe she could try and let him in. Just piece by piece. Into her life. And then one day, he’d be there, and she’d need to talk about it, and… it would be all right, then. It wouldn’t be too heavy a conversation for what they were.
She could see that version of the future very clearly in this moment. And maybe it was barely a chance. An outside possibility that they were that compatible. But there was a chance. And dammit, she wanted to take it.
“I mean… if you want to know about me, then… you should probably meet the crazy people I call my family, right? You already know Kas, but he’s only part of the story. We’ll put you up while you’re on-island, and even fly you out, if you want. I don’t have a date for it yet… and I want to take you, if you want to come.” She paused, smiling wryly and amending.
“You’re still invited even if you don’t want to be my date, I mean. I think your rambling is contagious—I’m never like this.”
Drake snorted softly at her comment. "Well that makes two of us," he spoke, his whole body relaxing suddenly. Apparently he'd tensed up during her rambling. "I'd like that, if it means getting to know you better. And... I think I can handle your family. You don't know my gramps," he spoke, muttering the last part slightly. "You have my number, and I have yours, so you can just message me the date when you find out. Oh, and you don't have to put me up, I can do that. I'm just... glad you invited me," he replied, his face tinging just the slightest bit red.
“Just don’t forget to talk this time. As much as I enjoyed your apology, I’d like to talk a little more often, okay?” Life was pretty hectic and busy for both of them, and she had no plans to halt her journey now, so that would have to be how they kept in touch for now.
"I told you I was nervous!" he responded almost too loudly. He cleared his throat awkwardly as he glanced around, apparently making sure no one saw that, or heard. "I promise I will say at least something next time," he spoke, bringing her hand to his lips for the briefest moment. Apparently he did it without realizing it, almost like it was natural, because his eyes widened after. "Sorry! Sorry, I didn't... mean it?" he seemed confused. Maybe he did mean it?
“That’s a shame,” Harper replied with a sly smile. “I wish you had.” Amusement lit her eyes; she took half a step closer to him, so that they were only a few inches apart. Raising the hand that wasn’t in his, she brushed the pad of her thumb over his lower lip, narrowing her eyes.
“I’m looking forward to getting to know you, too, you know.” She let her voice sit low and smoky in her diaphragm, widening her smile for a moment before she stepped back out of his personal space.
“C’mon. We should probably get back to the others.”
"Oh, that's so not fair," he managed to grumble behind her as they left. It sounded like he was a little disappointed?
Harper smiled to herself.
Drake had a stupid grin on his face, and he knew he did. They'd made it back to the waiting room a few minutes before the pokémon came back. They still hadn't announced the match ups yet, but he didn't seem to be focused on it too much. He was... happy. Stupidly so, of course. That was mostly due to Harper, though, and it was something he was well aware of. Still, he managed to settle back down on the chair he'd previously occupied, and kept the smile on his face. Cyrilla fixed him with a strange stare.
"Did I miss something?" she spoke, glancing between him and Harper. He tilted his head to the side. Miss something? Like what? He blinked and glanced at Harper, and then back at Cy. Eryk was reading a magazine, apparently, and didn't seem too interested in what was going on. He flipped the pages too casually to even care, it appeared.
"I don't know what you're talking about, Cy," he replied. She scoffed at him slightly and shook her head. "I think we should be the ones asking that, actually. We were gone for a few minutes," he replied. Was she referring to that? Oh... OH. She was referring... it took him a minute to catch on. She was referring to the stupid smile on his face. Of course she was. "Ahem, no, I mean, you didn't miss anything," he replied.
"Uh, huh," she replied, her brow still raised in a slight manner that said she didn't believe him.
"Cy, leave Drake alone," Ryk actually spoke. He blinked at Ryk. Did he just defend him? He... that was unexpected.
“They haven’t announced anything yet,” Ana said, somewhat more helpfully. “The pokémon are almost done with their checkups, though.”
Harper nodded, settling into the chair next to Drake as before. She seemed a little more relaxed now, though. Less troubled than she had been before. The little line between her eyebrows was gone.
A couple minutes later, Kas strode in. It was hard to tell where he’d been; they hadn’t stumbled across him on their walk. Maybe he’d gone outside or something. He was holding a piece of paper in his hand, though, and when he got close enough he held it up for the rest of them. “Matchups are out,” He said, waving the paper like a small flag. “Melly, you have to battle Asterbury. Drake, you’re against the Lieutenant-Major. Eryk… you’re stuck with me.”
“Damn. That’ll be one hell of a match.” Harper didn’t seem too excited about her matchup… but then they’d put her against someone with more than triple her years of experience, and also the tournament favorite. It was going to be tough for her, for sure.
Eryk actually lifted his gaze to look at Kas, however; once the matchup was read, he furrowed his brows deeply. He wasn't too happy, or didn't look it. Drake, however, shrugged his shoulders. Iona he'd met a while back. All Gym Leaders eventually met and had a get together, however; the last time he'd seen her was almost about two years ago. He'd never battled her, of course, but he actually looked forward to it. He wasn't upset by his matchup at all, however; Harper's matchup... that didn't seem quite fair. It was bound to happen eventually, though, if she managed to place high enough. Maybe she could beat him? Yeah, he had to believe that.
"Great," Eryk finally spoke, though it was hard to tell if he was being serious. From the way it looked, he didn't seem serious at all. He actually looked mad. "Of course I'd get pitted against you," he spoke, sighing heavily as he leaned back into the chair. Drake didn't know what that was about, but he supposed it had something to do with the fact that they were friends.
"Hey, don't be like that, Ryk. It was bound to happen eventually. At least you both have training against each other with all the practice you both did before we came here," Cyrilla spoke, glancing between Eryk and Kas. Eryk didn't seem too fazed by it, and glanced towards Ana for a moment. "Plus, you'll both give everyone a match they'll remember. I'm sure it'll be more spectacular with the both of you," she spoke. It seemed she was trying to cheer Ryk up, somehow, but he didn't seem to buy it. He just shrugged his shoulders.
"I don't think that really matters. If I win, I win. If he wins, he wins. It's not like it'll make any difference," he spoke with an uncanny neutrality to his voice. He didn't seem too bitter about the match up, at least not anymore.
“I could forfeit, if you want,” it was hard to tell if Kas was joking or not. He smiled though. “Eighth place is more than enough to appease whatever shreds of dignity and pride I have left.”
Harper snorted. “Yeah, but not Eryk’s,” Harper said, rolling her eyes. “No one but you would be happy to win or lose by forfeit, Mirmir.” She shook her head slightly. “Besides, I need you to wear each other out so that whoever wins is tired for the round after, when they face me.” Somehow, it was easy to tell that Harper’s apparent confidence was complete bravado. Maybe just because she’d told him almost as much earlier?
“Is that how the bracket works?” Ana asked, taking the paper when Kas handed it to her. “So… the winner of Eryk and Kas’s match battles the winner from Harper’s match, and the winner from Drake’s match battles the winner of Ms. Lopez’s.”
“That’ll be Mariana,” Harper said with certainty. “She’s not quite as good as Asterbury, but she’s so close that any given battle is a toss-up.”
"Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if it ended up between her and Asterbury," he replied. They were both really good, and even he had doubts that he'd be able to win against either of them. He didn't mean to say it that way, though, given Harper's earlier predicament, but he was being a little honest. He wouldn't be surprised if it came down to the two of them, but he also wouldn't be too surprised if either Kas, Eryk, or Harper, also made it. They were working hard for this, or at least Harper and Eryk were. He wasn't too sure about Kas, though.
"I think Kas just insulted me," Ryk spoke, blinking somewhat, but it was apparent he didn't actually mean it. Cyrilla rolled her eyes, but leaned back into her chair. "I guess we'll find out soon who wins and who doesn't," he finally added, putting the magazine he'd been reading back into its place.
"Don't sound too excited, Ryk. You all have a good chance of winning this just as much as the others do," Cyrilla spoke, pursing her lips together.
"Yeah, we do, huh? At least we could say we got to have fun in the end. And we got to experience something that doesn't happen too often in our lifetime," Drake added. These tournaments were rare, he supposed, but it was fun. "Plus, we could consider this all training that we all needed," he tried to brighten up the moods a bit. He wasn't doing a good job, apparently, since Ryk just stared at him, and Cyrilla shook her head.
Kas shrugged; he hadn’t looked to be in a bad mood to begin with. Harper laid her hand on his forearm and gave a brief squeeze, but didn’t reply.
“Looks like the pokémon are done,” Kas said, nodding towards the doors to the clinic setup. “Might want to go get them; our match is first up this afternoon. Shouldn’t be more than a half hour before they’re expecting us, I think.”
"Seems like a good idea. The rest of us can go find some seats until our match ups," Drake replied. "And maybe get some refreshments. I'm kind of hungry," he added, causing Cyrilla to chuckle.
"I swear, sometimes you're just like these two," she spoke, pointing to both Kas and Eryk. He just shrugged his shoulders.
"Unlike some people, I didn't get to eat breakfast this morning," he replied back. It was a wonder how he managed to even think straight without eating. And he was hungry. Eryk didn't say anything, instead, just standing from his seat. "Seriously, though, I'd like to get something before I have to battle again. If I don't, I might actually lose," not that he had a great chance to win, either. It was just better to think on a full stomach rather than an empty one.
“Then by all means," Kas said. “You four go find some seats and get the starving man something to eat.” He grinned. “You’ll see us soon enough.”
Harper nodded, pausing to give Kas a brief hug before she left. “Don’t slack off. You’re gonna need everything you’ve got to have a chance.” She pulled back, then nodded to Eryk. “Have a good match; and don’t let this dumbass get away with anything but his best.”
Ana stepped up next, hugging Kas as well. Her hug with Eryk lasted longer, though, and there was a soft murmur of sound, almost like she was saying something too quietly for anyone else to hear. “Good luck, both of you.”
Eryk returned her hug, but didn't say anything. Cyrilla looked a little out of place for a second before she gave Ryk a hug, and then Kas. She didn't say anything to either of them, though, and just gave them a bright smile. "Alright, let's go get Drake something to eat," she spoke, shoving Drake out the door a little too quickly.
"Hey, hey! You're pushing me the wrong way. I'm going to fall!"
"Did I miss something?" she spoke, glancing between him and Harper. He tilted his head to the side. Miss something? Like what? He blinked and glanced at Harper, and then back at Cy. Eryk was reading a magazine, apparently, and didn't seem too interested in what was going on. He flipped the pages too casually to even care, it appeared.
"I don't know what you're talking about, Cy," he replied. She scoffed at him slightly and shook her head. "I think we should be the ones asking that, actually. We were gone for a few minutes," he replied. Was she referring to that? Oh... OH. She was referring... it took him a minute to catch on. She was referring to the stupid smile on his face. Of course she was. "Ahem, no, I mean, you didn't miss anything," he replied.
"Uh, huh," she replied, her brow still raised in a slight manner that said she didn't believe him.
"Cy, leave Drake alone," Ryk actually spoke. He blinked at Ryk. Did he just defend him? He... that was unexpected.
“They haven’t announced anything yet,” Ana said, somewhat more helpfully. “The pokémon are almost done with their checkups, though.”
Harper nodded, settling into the chair next to Drake as before. She seemed a little more relaxed now, though. Less troubled than she had been before. The little line between her eyebrows was gone.
A couple minutes later, Kas strode in. It was hard to tell where he’d been; they hadn’t stumbled across him on their walk. Maybe he’d gone outside or something. He was holding a piece of paper in his hand, though, and when he got close enough he held it up for the rest of them. “Matchups are out,” He said, waving the paper like a small flag. “Melly, you have to battle Asterbury. Drake, you’re against the Lieutenant-Major. Eryk… you’re stuck with me.”
“Damn. That’ll be one hell of a match.” Harper didn’t seem too excited about her matchup… but then they’d put her against someone with more than triple her years of experience, and also the tournament favorite. It was going to be tough for her, for sure.
Eryk actually lifted his gaze to look at Kas, however; once the matchup was read, he furrowed his brows deeply. He wasn't too happy, or didn't look it. Drake, however, shrugged his shoulders. Iona he'd met a while back. All Gym Leaders eventually met and had a get together, however; the last time he'd seen her was almost about two years ago. He'd never battled her, of course, but he actually looked forward to it. He wasn't upset by his matchup at all, however; Harper's matchup... that didn't seem quite fair. It was bound to happen eventually, though, if she managed to place high enough. Maybe she could beat him? Yeah, he had to believe that.
"Great," Eryk finally spoke, though it was hard to tell if he was being serious. From the way it looked, he didn't seem serious at all. He actually looked mad. "Of course I'd get pitted against you," he spoke, sighing heavily as he leaned back into the chair. Drake didn't know what that was about, but he supposed it had something to do with the fact that they were friends.
"Hey, don't be like that, Ryk. It was bound to happen eventually. At least you both have training against each other with all the practice you both did before we came here," Cyrilla spoke, glancing between Eryk and Kas. Eryk didn't seem too fazed by it, and glanced towards Ana for a moment. "Plus, you'll both give everyone a match they'll remember. I'm sure it'll be more spectacular with the both of you," she spoke. It seemed she was trying to cheer Ryk up, somehow, but he didn't seem to buy it. He just shrugged his shoulders.
"I don't think that really matters. If I win, I win. If he wins, he wins. It's not like it'll make any difference," he spoke with an uncanny neutrality to his voice. He didn't seem too bitter about the match up, at least not anymore.
“I could forfeit, if you want,” it was hard to tell if Kas was joking or not. He smiled though. “Eighth place is more than enough to appease whatever shreds of dignity and pride I have left.”
Harper snorted. “Yeah, but not Eryk’s,” Harper said, rolling her eyes. “No one but you would be happy to win or lose by forfeit, Mirmir.” She shook her head slightly. “Besides, I need you to wear each other out so that whoever wins is tired for the round after, when they face me.” Somehow, it was easy to tell that Harper’s apparent confidence was complete bravado. Maybe just because she’d told him almost as much earlier?
“Is that how the bracket works?” Ana asked, taking the paper when Kas handed it to her. “So… the winner of Eryk and Kas’s match battles the winner from Harper’s match, and the winner from Drake’s match battles the winner of Ms. Lopez’s.”
“That’ll be Mariana,” Harper said with certainty. “She’s not quite as good as Asterbury, but she’s so close that any given battle is a toss-up.”
"Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if it ended up between her and Asterbury," he replied. They were both really good, and even he had doubts that he'd be able to win against either of them. He didn't mean to say it that way, though, given Harper's earlier predicament, but he was being a little honest. He wouldn't be surprised if it came down to the two of them, but he also wouldn't be too surprised if either Kas, Eryk, or Harper, also made it. They were working hard for this, or at least Harper and Eryk were. He wasn't too sure about Kas, though.
"I think Kas just insulted me," Ryk spoke, blinking somewhat, but it was apparent he didn't actually mean it. Cyrilla rolled her eyes, but leaned back into her chair. "I guess we'll find out soon who wins and who doesn't," he finally added, putting the magazine he'd been reading back into its place.
"Don't sound too excited, Ryk. You all have a good chance of winning this just as much as the others do," Cyrilla spoke, pursing her lips together.
"Yeah, we do, huh? At least we could say we got to have fun in the end. And we got to experience something that doesn't happen too often in our lifetime," Drake added. These tournaments were rare, he supposed, but it was fun. "Plus, we could consider this all training that we all needed," he tried to brighten up the moods a bit. He wasn't doing a good job, apparently, since Ryk just stared at him, and Cyrilla shook her head.
Kas shrugged; he hadn’t looked to be in a bad mood to begin with. Harper laid her hand on his forearm and gave a brief squeeze, but didn’t reply.
“Looks like the pokémon are done,” Kas said, nodding towards the doors to the clinic setup. “Might want to go get them; our match is first up this afternoon. Shouldn’t be more than a half hour before they’re expecting us, I think.”
"Seems like a good idea. The rest of us can go find some seats until our match ups," Drake replied. "And maybe get some refreshments. I'm kind of hungry," he added, causing Cyrilla to chuckle.
"I swear, sometimes you're just like these two," she spoke, pointing to both Kas and Eryk. He just shrugged his shoulders.
"Unlike some people, I didn't get to eat breakfast this morning," he replied back. It was a wonder how he managed to even think straight without eating. And he was hungry. Eryk didn't say anything, instead, just standing from his seat. "Seriously, though, I'd like to get something before I have to battle again. If I don't, I might actually lose," not that he had a great chance to win, either. It was just better to think on a full stomach rather than an empty one.
“Then by all means," Kas said. “You four go find some seats and get the starving man something to eat.” He grinned. “You’ll see us soon enough.”
Harper nodded, pausing to give Kas a brief hug before she left. “Don’t slack off. You’re gonna need everything you’ve got to have a chance.” She pulled back, then nodded to Eryk. “Have a good match; and don’t let this dumbass get away with anything but his best.”
Ana stepped up next, hugging Kas as well. Her hug with Eryk lasted longer, though, and there was a soft murmur of sound, almost like she was saying something too quietly for anyone else to hear. “Good luck, both of you.”
Eryk returned her hug, but didn't say anything. Cyrilla looked a little out of place for a second before she gave Ryk a hug, and then Kas. She didn't say anything to either of them, though, and just gave them a bright smile. "Alright, let's go get Drake something to eat," she spoke, shoving Drake out the door a little too quickly.
"Hey, hey! You're pushing me the wrong way. I'm going to fall!"
Kas stood on the edge of the podium, facing Eryk across the ring. Honestly, if he could have avoided this particular consequence of entering the tournament, he would have. It was something of a bind: he didn’t actually know in advance which of them was going to win. When he’d first joined Team Rocket, he would have said Eryk, hands down. But he’d been taking his own training much more seriously than he used to for years now, and it wasn’t arrogant of him to say that it had really paid off.
He might be able to win. But he didn’t want to: this kind of thing was Ryk’s dream, not his, and Kas felt like he was just standing in the way now. Of something pretty important. But if he let up even a little, Ryk would be able to tell. He knew how Kas was when he wasn’t serious, which was most of the damn time. And it would be an insult to him not to put his best foot forward in the match.
Well… it seemed like he’d just have to see what happened. All six pokémon, with ties to be resolved in a sudden death round. It may well come to that. Who knew?
The crowd was quiet, waiting for the match to begin. Kas saw the green light go on that meant they were allowed to start. “Ready, Ryk?” he called over the distance. The microphones they both had attached to them so their pokémon could hear over the crowd also made it possible for them to speak with each other, after all.
Eryk scoffed slightly, but there was a bit of a smirk on his face. "Whenever you are," he replied, tossing his pokéball out onto the field. He'd sent out Zoroark, first. It wasn't a bad call, perhaps. Zoroark was one of Eryk's more power hitters than the others. In actuality, it was Zoroark and Milotic who were his strongest, followed by Gengar. Blue and the others were strong as well, but if he'd used only a few pokémon, it would have been those three.
"Ready, Zoroark?" he called out to his pokémon. Zoroark glanced over his shoulder towards Ryk and gave him a grin, before glancing at Kas.
Kas knew Eryk’s team as well as Eryk knew his. That was a lot, considering how often they trained against each other. He had a few decent options against Zoroark, but he also wanted to keep his strongest in reserve, in case of the need for a sudden death match. This one, he wanted to win, but it didn’t have to be by a lot. With that in mind, he counted back three pokéballs on his belt, detaching the one he reached and expanding it before giving it a toss.
“Kaiser.”
“Now there’s an interesting matchup,” the announcer commented over the loudspeakers. “A zoroark versus an absol. Both are single-type, dark-type pokémon, but both of these competitors are known for unconventional movesets, which could make this match quite unconventional.”
Kas smiled over at Eryk, then let his eyes drop to Kaiser. “Hone Claws.”
Kaiser kneaded the ground with the obsidian-black claws usually retracted in his paws—absol were like feline pokémon that way. They were incredibly tough, scraping against the hard-packed earth of the ring and breaking it rather than being broken. Both Kaiser and Kas kept their eyes steadily on Zoroark, waiting patiently.
Eryk, surprisingly, allowed a semblance of a smirk to cross his features. His eyes were focused on Kaiser, but they did glance towards Kas for a split second. "Zoroark," he began, pausing only briefly to glance at the said pokémon. Zoroark didn't even glance up at Ryk, and instead, planted all four feet on the ground. "Dig," he finally commanded. Zoroark immediately made his way underground and stayed there for a moment. Eryk didn't seem like he was contemplating anything else after the first move. Zoroark didn't have too many different attacks, and one of them was completely useless against Kaiser. There were two he could potentially use, but they wouldn't leave much damage behind.
The only other two attacks Zoroark knew, were Dig and Flamethrower, that could do much damage against Kaiser. Apparently, that was the strategy Ryk was going for. "Do it," he simply stated, watching as Zoroark reappeared behind Kaiser. There were flames in the zoroark's mouth, already spewing towards Kaiser.
“Water Pulse.” Rather than trying to get out of the way of the sudden attack—which Kaiser might have been able to do—Kas elected to have him cancel it head-on, which he obviously could.
A jet of water met the flamethrower in midair, hissing sharply and causing a cloud of steam to billow outwards from the point of contact—a heated mist that made it difficult, though not impossible, to see what was going on in the ring.
“And there we have a demonstration, folks, as these dark-types open battle with an out-of-the-box elemental clash that covers the arena in fog!”
Kas distantly registered the commentary keeping up with the match, but he didn’t devote any of his attention to it. “Show ‘em your Megahorn, Kaiser.”
The fog rippled as Kaiser leapt into motion—the thing about absols was, they were extremely quick on their feet. It didn’t take him long to recover from the steam cloud, and he charged for Zoroark with purpose.
Zoroark seemed ready for it, however; he tried to dodge it. Kaiser's Megahorn caught Zoroark in the leg, sending him spinning for a minute. Zoroark was barely able to recover, however; when he did, he lunged back at Kaiser. "Zoroark, Shadow Ball," Eryk stated, though it really wouldn't have much affect on Kaiser. Shadow Ball was a ghost-type move, and dark pokémon were slightly resistant to such attacks. Zoroark complied, though, sending a large black ball towards Kaiser.
“Left.” It might not have been an effective mod type, but there was no reason to take damage if it wasn’t part of some larger strategy. “Now Water Pulse again.” Megahorn tended to need a little setup; it would be better if they could throw Zoroark off-balance so he wouldn’t be able to recover in time to get out of the way of the follow-up.
"Dig" Eryk spoke, watching as Zoroark dug back underground. He glanced towards Kaiser, and then towards Kas. There was something off about the glance, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he remained silent for a moment before glancing back towards the hole Zoroark had dug. "Night Slash," he finally commanded, watching as Zoroark popped up behind Kaiser, his red claws now glowing a slightly darker color.
“You, too, Kaiser. Try and pin him!” Night Slash was also a move that Kaiser knew, and bringing them in that close to each other was generally a good idea for Kas at the moment. Kaiser adjusted his balance, then sprang, meeting Zoroark in midair. They tumbled to the ground in a heap, each trying to get claws into the other.
"Flamethrower," Eryk spoke. They were in close quarters with each other, and the way they had each other pinned, it would be direct hit if Kaiser didn't get away. Of course, that also meant Zoroark was vulnerable too, being so close.
“Megahorn.”
Both attacks were direct hits. They had to be, that close. Kaiser jumped away in the aftermath, rolling on the ground to put out the flames still smoldering in his white fur. He was singed, no doubt—it had been an effective hit. But he wasn’t down.
Unfortunately for Zoroark, however, the attack had landed. He was out for the count since dark types were weak to bug-type attacks. Add to the close proximity he and Kaiser had been, and it looked to be a critical hit. Eryk just sighed, and recalled Zoroark, glancing at the pokéball before hooking it to his belt. He pulled another one, and gave it a toss. The soft call of Milotic filled the area, and she seemed rather content to be on the field. Her tail swished back and forth, and her eyes were extremely focused.
Kas was—rightly he thought—a little worried about this one, but he knew he had to approach it from a strategic point of view. He hesitated for a moment before pursing his lips and removing the first ball in his line of them. When it cracked open, the light formed into Meep’s shape; static electricity crackled along her wool. The light ball at the end of her tail flickered erratically, a sure sign of her enthusiasm.
With Meep, it was important to create favorable battle conditions. Because she wasn’t evolved, her moves weren’t, in general, as powerful as other electric-types would be. Fortunately, Kas had a way around that, at least partially.
“Electric Terrain.”
Meep gathered static in her wool, puffing it up until it was almost comically-large, then discharged it all at once, creating a crackling field over the ground.
Eryk didn't seem too concerned, and instead, glanced at Milotic. She seemed to nod her head at him, a silent communication perhaps, and her eyes glowed a bit softly. "Hypnosis," he finally spoke. It was a soft command, almost like he were a bit concerned. Not for Milotic, because she was a strong pokémon, however; his gaze was on Meep. Maybe he was worried about hurting Meep? But that didn't seem right, either. They'd battled plenty of times before with Meep and the other pokémon. Maybe it was more concern because she was still a first evolution, and they typically weren't strong. They could be, but they generally weren't.
“Uh-oh…” Kas really didn’t want to open this round with Meep falling asleep. Not with Milotic free to just do whatever she wanted in the meantime. Time to make the best of a bad situation, he supposed. “Confuse Ray.” Meep was just able to let off the attack before the Hypnosis took over and she dropped into an induced slumber. She rolled onto her back, sticking her legs up in the air, which was how she usually slept if not with him; he heard a few ‘awws’ from the crowd and snorted under his breath.
It was pretty adorable.
Eryk just glared at Kas as he glanced at Milotic. She was swaying slightly, having been hit by the Confuse Ray. He sighed softly. "Milotic, Dragon Breath," he seemed to try and get Milotic to attack, however; she ended up glancing at Ryk and did nothing. She really did a good job at looking confused, despite the fact that she was. Eryk shook his head. "Draw?" he spoke towards Kas, arching a brow just slightly. He already had his pokéball in hand, ready to recall Milotic.
Kas was surprised by that, blinking a few times. “Sure.” He made the hand-signal for a mutually-acknowledged draw and recalled Meep. That was honestly probably the best option. If they really got down to it, it’d come down to which of them managed to shake off their status effect first, and then they’d have to use a move or two on a pokémon not in much position to fight back. Probably better avoided, if they agreed to the result.
This time, he chose first, summoning Lily to the field.
Eryk stared at Lily before tossing a ball into the field. The silhouette revealed Meowth, and she appeared, sitting in her spot. Her tail swayed just slightly, like a light twitch, as she glanced over her shoulder towards Ryk. She mewled softly as he rolled his eyes. They had a short staring contest before Meowth turned her attention towards Lily. She stood on all four paws and mewled again.
"Aerial Ace, and follow up with Toxic," he commanded. Meowth seemed to smile as she charged Lily.
“Calm Mind.” The Aerial Ace landed while Lily was meditating, but Kas was aware of the follow-up, and didn’t want to risk letting it hit. “Now Psychic.”
Before Meowth could quite generate and sling the poison, she was picked up off the ground and flung by a powerful blast of telekinetic energy; the Toxic attack splashed harmlessly on the ground.
She shook her head slightly, and hissed at Lily. Apparently she didn't like being flung. It looked for a moment like Eryk chuckled at her, but his face smoothed over just as quickly. "Keep your distance, Meowth, and use Thunderbolt," he spoke. She mewled at him and turned towards Lily. Her fur began to crackle before she sent the bolt towards Lily.
Lily tried to avoid the Thunderbolt, but wasn’t quite able to get out of the way in time. It wound up striking her at center mass; unluckily, her movements slowed immediately afterwards. Kas cursed under his breath.
“A fantastic demonstration of yet another benefit to unusual movesets,” the announcer claimed over the general enthusiasm of the crowd. “Lily the kirlia appears to be paralyzed!”
“No shit,” Kas said softly. That narrowed his options pretty significantly. “Magical Leaf!” Those, at least, had range. They appeared in the air, the colors shifting and changing, and shot forward for Meowth.
"Counter it with Toxic," Eryk replied, watching as Meowth built up the purple goo in her mouth before shooting it towards the leaves. If she was lucky, it'd cancel them out. If not, she'd be hit.
She managed to knock a few out of the air, but a few swerved past the Toxic, controlled even at a distance by Lily’s power. None hit dead-on; but a few nicked her legs and one got her tail.
“Psychic.”
The blast was a mere ripple in the air, distorting the space around it like a traveling mirage. It headed directly for Meowth.
"Dodge it with Dig," Eryk spoke. Meowth dug into one of the holes previously left by Zoroark, and barely avoided Lily's attack. Eryk glanced at the hole Meowth disappeared into, for a moment, before glancing at Kas. A small smirk appeared on his Meowth as Meowth reappeared suddenly, a new hole freshly dug, and latched onto Lily. "Thunderbolt," he spoke as Meowth's fur crackled once more. The attack was a direct hit. Since Lily was still partially paralyzed, the attack did some extra damage.
"Hypnosis," Eryk spoke, using one last attack on Lily, putting her to sleep. Meowth seemed proud of herself, and just huffed in Kas's direction in a haughty manner. "I didn't teach her that," Eryk spoke, pursing his lips slightly.
“Bet I know who did,” Kas replied, amused. He recalled Lily with a smile and shifted to the next pokéball on his belt. They were at a victory each, and a tie.
His next choice was Jaws, who immediately glanced around the field, gnashing his teeth and seeking his opponent.
Eryk rolled his eyes at Jaws, but pulled a ball from his belt as well. He tossed it out onto the field, and released Nova, Ana's umbreon. "Nova," he called out, glancing at the umbreon. He pursed his lips together, but shook his head. "Swift," he called out.
Well, Swift would make his usual opening move—Double Team—entirely useless, so Kas decided to have Jaws tank the hit in order to get close in near Nova. “Iron Tail.” At such close range, there was almost no way the attack was going to miss, but Kas didn’t know Nova as well as he knew Ryk’s pokémon—not even after their strategy discussion earlier that morning.
"Take it, and then use Payback," Eryk spoke. Nova could probably take the hit, but if he did, and used Payback, the damage to Jaws would be double. Maybe Ryk knew what he was doing with Nova despite just taking council with him.
The Payback strike hit Jaws hard—Kas had to crack a smile. His pokémon’s own high attack power and speed were working against him here. Nova really was a sly one; despite Eryk’s own preference for more straightforward fighting, he was adapting well. Jaws was already disoriented—one more hit like that, and he was out.
“Get some distance, then use Earthquake.” He didn’t want to be in range for another Payback if this landed, that was for sure.
Eryk winced a bit at the choice of attack, but he seemed to shake it off. "Dodge it, Nova," he spoke to the umbreon. Earthquake would set Nova off balance if it landed, but Nova seemed to avoid most of it. The attack had managed to upset Nova's balance a bit, but Nova was able to recover quickly enough to stand properly again. "Get in close and use Iron Tail," Eryk spoke, nodding somewhat towards Nova.
"An follow it up with a Swift attack," he added. Iron Tail could probably be avoided, but Swift was a sure attack.
Jaws scrambled out of the way of the Iron Tail, but the Swift caught him unaware. He fell, unconscious. “That was impressive,” he said honestly, recalling Jaws into his ball.
The fifth battle was short by comparison—the type matchup was interesting, but Sledge had enough heavy-hitting psychic moves that Mankey ultimately didn’t have too much of a chance. That brought them to a tie, and their last pokémon each. Kas’s remaining battler was his oldest pokémon and the anchor of his team.
“Let’s do it, Princess.”
She emerged from her ball with a roar, stretching her wings to their full span and shooting a jet of nearly-blue flames from her mouth. The crowd went nuts, and she soaked it in like a sponge.
Kas rolled his eyes. “Drama queen.”
"You raised her," Eryk replied back, shaking his head softly before tossing out his remaining ball. Blue wasn't as old as Charizard was, but he was still one of Eryk's top three. He emerged from his ball, floating a little too happily. He glanced around the arena, towards the crowd, towards Eryk, until his gaze landed on Cinders. It was almost funny how immediate the reaction was. Blue nearly screeched and flew towards Ryk. Ryk didn't look too happy about it, though.
"Blue," he spoke, using the only tone he'd ever used for the altaria. Still, Blue shook slightly before he chirped some choice words to Eryk. Ryk just rolled his eyes. "You have an advantage Blue, use it," he spoke. Blue just seemed to pout before he made his way back, staring at the charizard. "Use Dazzling Gleam," he spoke. Blue began glowing brightly before the light was released towards Princess Cinders.
“Get in the air and dodge it,” Kas said. Princess turned her head to look back at him almost incredulously, and did no such thing. The attack hit her, but given the type matchup and her own strength, it didn’t seem to do much of anything. Only then did she take to the air.
He sighed. She’s was always a bit more temperamental than the others—and that was even after considering that she never listened to anyone but him. “Or not. Whatever. Ancient Power.”
That, she seemed more than willing to do. Her eyes glowed bright red for a moment; she roared. Large slabs of stone rose up from the ground, easy to pull out because of the earlier earthquake by Jaws. She threw the rocks for Blue, smoke curling from her nostrils as she ascended.
Blue seemed to panic for a moment, moving a little too fast to dodge the attack without Eryk even telling him to. He was clipped by a few of the stones, and winced. "Aerial Ace, Blue," he spoke. It did help boost Blue's speed, but it looked like Eryk wasn't using it to attack. It looked like he was using it to help Blue dodge. A substitute for Agility, apparently. "Now, Aerial Ace on Cinders," he spoke. Blue looked really, really hesitant at that, but did it anyway.
They were both in the air at the moment, so Kas went with the logical counter. “Air Cutter, then Iron Tail.” With a wide slashing motion, Princess Cinders disturbed the air in front of her, the shockwave heading right towards the incoming Blue. She followed it, her flaming tail glowing as the scales on it hardened in preparation for use as a cudgel.
Blue went down, and seemed to stay down. He wasn't unconscious, but he looked like he didn't want to get back up, either. Eryk just stared at Blue for a moment, shook his head, and pulled Blue's ball from his belt. He seemed to mutter something, but it was too low to be heard. Even with the mic, Eryk still couldn't be heard. He probably cursed, if the look on his face was anything to go by. He recalled Blue to his pokéball and glanced up at Kas. It was there, just the faintest of smiles. No one else seemed to see it, but Kas was accustomed to Eryk's subtleness.
"Congrats, ass," he spoke. "Cinders scares Blue too much, though I don't know why," he spoke, completely serious it seems as he stared at the charizard. Eryk didn't look upset, though, that he just lost.
“Thanks, Ryk,” Kas replied, smiling a bit himself. It had been a damn good match, but luck was on his side, it seemed. At least for now.
“And the winner of this match is Kasimir Rheinallt!” The announcer called it officially, and Kas took a bow to the sound of applause.
One match down, one to go, it seemed.
He might be able to win. But he didn’t want to: this kind of thing was Ryk’s dream, not his, and Kas felt like he was just standing in the way now. Of something pretty important. But if he let up even a little, Ryk would be able to tell. He knew how Kas was when he wasn’t serious, which was most of the damn time. And it would be an insult to him not to put his best foot forward in the match.
Well… it seemed like he’d just have to see what happened. All six pokémon, with ties to be resolved in a sudden death round. It may well come to that. Who knew?
The crowd was quiet, waiting for the match to begin. Kas saw the green light go on that meant they were allowed to start. “Ready, Ryk?” he called over the distance. The microphones they both had attached to them so their pokémon could hear over the crowd also made it possible for them to speak with each other, after all.
Eryk scoffed slightly, but there was a bit of a smirk on his face. "Whenever you are," he replied, tossing his pokéball out onto the field. He'd sent out Zoroark, first. It wasn't a bad call, perhaps. Zoroark was one of Eryk's more power hitters than the others. In actuality, it was Zoroark and Milotic who were his strongest, followed by Gengar. Blue and the others were strong as well, but if he'd used only a few pokémon, it would have been those three.
"Ready, Zoroark?" he called out to his pokémon. Zoroark glanced over his shoulder towards Ryk and gave him a grin, before glancing at Kas.
Kas knew Eryk’s team as well as Eryk knew his. That was a lot, considering how often they trained against each other. He had a few decent options against Zoroark, but he also wanted to keep his strongest in reserve, in case of the need for a sudden death match. This one, he wanted to win, but it didn’t have to be by a lot. With that in mind, he counted back three pokéballs on his belt, detaching the one he reached and expanding it before giving it a toss.
“Kaiser.”
“Now there’s an interesting matchup,” the announcer commented over the loudspeakers. “A zoroark versus an absol. Both are single-type, dark-type pokémon, but both of these competitors are known for unconventional movesets, which could make this match quite unconventional.”
Kas smiled over at Eryk, then let his eyes drop to Kaiser. “Hone Claws.”
Kaiser kneaded the ground with the obsidian-black claws usually retracted in his paws—absol were like feline pokémon that way. They were incredibly tough, scraping against the hard-packed earth of the ring and breaking it rather than being broken. Both Kaiser and Kas kept their eyes steadily on Zoroark, waiting patiently.
Eryk, surprisingly, allowed a semblance of a smirk to cross his features. His eyes were focused on Kaiser, but they did glance towards Kas for a split second. "Zoroark," he began, pausing only briefly to glance at the said pokémon. Zoroark didn't even glance up at Ryk, and instead, planted all four feet on the ground. "Dig," he finally commanded. Zoroark immediately made his way underground and stayed there for a moment. Eryk didn't seem like he was contemplating anything else after the first move. Zoroark didn't have too many different attacks, and one of them was completely useless against Kaiser. There were two he could potentially use, but they wouldn't leave much damage behind.
The only other two attacks Zoroark knew, were Dig and Flamethrower, that could do much damage against Kaiser. Apparently, that was the strategy Ryk was going for. "Do it," he simply stated, watching as Zoroark reappeared behind Kaiser. There were flames in the zoroark's mouth, already spewing towards Kaiser.
“Water Pulse.” Rather than trying to get out of the way of the sudden attack—which Kaiser might have been able to do—Kas elected to have him cancel it head-on, which he obviously could.
A jet of water met the flamethrower in midair, hissing sharply and causing a cloud of steam to billow outwards from the point of contact—a heated mist that made it difficult, though not impossible, to see what was going on in the ring.
“And there we have a demonstration, folks, as these dark-types open battle with an out-of-the-box elemental clash that covers the arena in fog!”
Kas distantly registered the commentary keeping up with the match, but he didn’t devote any of his attention to it. “Show ‘em your Megahorn, Kaiser.”
The fog rippled as Kaiser leapt into motion—the thing about absols was, they were extremely quick on their feet. It didn’t take him long to recover from the steam cloud, and he charged for Zoroark with purpose.
Zoroark seemed ready for it, however; he tried to dodge it. Kaiser's Megahorn caught Zoroark in the leg, sending him spinning for a minute. Zoroark was barely able to recover, however; when he did, he lunged back at Kaiser. "Zoroark, Shadow Ball," Eryk stated, though it really wouldn't have much affect on Kaiser. Shadow Ball was a ghost-type move, and dark pokémon were slightly resistant to such attacks. Zoroark complied, though, sending a large black ball towards Kaiser.
“Left.” It might not have been an effective mod type, but there was no reason to take damage if it wasn’t part of some larger strategy. “Now Water Pulse again.” Megahorn tended to need a little setup; it would be better if they could throw Zoroark off-balance so he wouldn’t be able to recover in time to get out of the way of the follow-up.
"Dig" Eryk spoke, watching as Zoroark dug back underground. He glanced towards Kaiser, and then towards Kas. There was something off about the glance, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he remained silent for a moment before glancing back towards the hole Zoroark had dug. "Night Slash," he finally commanded, watching as Zoroark popped up behind Kaiser, his red claws now glowing a slightly darker color.
“You, too, Kaiser. Try and pin him!” Night Slash was also a move that Kaiser knew, and bringing them in that close to each other was generally a good idea for Kas at the moment. Kaiser adjusted his balance, then sprang, meeting Zoroark in midair. They tumbled to the ground in a heap, each trying to get claws into the other.
"Flamethrower," Eryk spoke. They were in close quarters with each other, and the way they had each other pinned, it would be direct hit if Kaiser didn't get away. Of course, that also meant Zoroark was vulnerable too, being so close.
“Megahorn.”
Both attacks were direct hits. They had to be, that close. Kaiser jumped away in the aftermath, rolling on the ground to put out the flames still smoldering in his white fur. He was singed, no doubt—it had been an effective hit. But he wasn’t down.
Unfortunately for Zoroark, however, the attack had landed. He was out for the count since dark types were weak to bug-type attacks. Add to the close proximity he and Kaiser had been, and it looked to be a critical hit. Eryk just sighed, and recalled Zoroark, glancing at the pokéball before hooking it to his belt. He pulled another one, and gave it a toss. The soft call of Milotic filled the area, and she seemed rather content to be on the field. Her tail swished back and forth, and her eyes were extremely focused.
Kas was—rightly he thought—a little worried about this one, but he knew he had to approach it from a strategic point of view. He hesitated for a moment before pursing his lips and removing the first ball in his line of them. When it cracked open, the light formed into Meep’s shape; static electricity crackled along her wool. The light ball at the end of her tail flickered erratically, a sure sign of her enthusiasm.
With Meep, it was important to create favorable battle conditions. Because she wasn’t evolved, her moves weren’t, in general, as powerful as other electric-types would be. Fortunately, Kas had a way around that, at least partially.
“Electric Terrain.”
Meep gathered static in her wool, puffing it up until it was almost comically-large, then discharged it all at once, creating a crackling field over the ground.
Eryk didn't seem too concerned, and instead, glanced at Milotic. She seemed to nod her head at him, a silent communication perhaps, and her eyes glowed a bit softly. "Hypnosis," he finally spoke. It was a soft command, almost like he were a bit concerned. Not for Milotic, because she was a strong pokémon, however; his gaze was on Meep. Maybe he was worried about hurting Meep? But that didn't seem right, either. They'd battled plenty of times before with Meep and the other pokémon. Maybe it was more concern because she was still a first evolution, and they typically weren't strong. They could be, but they generally weren't.
“Uh-oh…” Kas really didn’t want to open this round with Meep falling asleep. Not with Milotic free to just do whatever she wanted in the meantime. Time to make the best of a bad situation, he supposed. “Confuse Ray.” Meep was just able to let off the attack before the Hypnosis took over and she dropped into an induced slumber. She rolled onto her back, sticking her legs up in the air, which was how she usually slept if not with him; he heard a few ‘awws’ from the crowd and snorted under his breath.
It was pretty adorable.
Eryk just glared at Kas as he glanced at Milotic. She was swaying slightly, having been hit by the Confuse Ray. He sighed softly. "Milotic, Dragon Breath," he seemed to try and get Milotic to attack, however; she ended up glancing at Ryk and did nothing. She really did a good job at looking confused, despite the fact that she was. Eryk shook his head. "Draw?" he spoke towards Kas, arching a brow just slightly. He already had his pokéball in hand, ready to recall Milotic.
Kas was surprised by that, blinking a few times. “Sure.” He made the hand-signal for a mutually-acknowledged draw and recalled Meep. That was honestly probably the best option. If they really got down to it, it’d come down to which of them managed to shake off their status effect first, and then they’d have to use a move or two on a pokémon not in much position to fight back. Probably better avoided, if they agreed to the result.
This time, he chose first, summoning Lily to the field.
Eryk stared at Lily before tossing a ball into the field. The silhouette revealed Meowth, and she appeared, sitting in her spot. Her tail swayed just slightly, like a light twitch, as she glanced over her shoulder towards Ryk. She mewled softly as he rolled his eyes. They had a short staring contest before Meowth turned her attention towards Lily. She stood on all four paws and mewled again.
"Aerial Ace, and follow up with Toxic," he commanded. Meowth seemed to smile as she charged Lily.
“Calm Mind.” The Aerial Ace landed while Lily was meditating, but Kas was aware of the follow-up, and didn’t want to risk letting it hit. “Now Psychic.”
Before Meowth could quite generate and sling the poison, she was picked up off the ground and flung by a powerful blast of telekinetic energy; the Toxic attack splashed harmlessly on the ground.
She shook her head slightly, and hissed at Lily. Apparently she didn't like being flung. It looked for a moment like Eryk chuckled at her, but his face smoothed over just as quickly. "Keep your distance, Meowth, and use Thunderbolt," he spoke. She mewled at him and turned towards Lily. Her fur began to crackle before she sent the bolt towards Lily.
Lily tried to avoid the Thunderbolt, but wasn’t quite able to get out of the way in time. It wound up striking her at center mass; unluckily, her movements slowed immediately afterwards. Kas cursed under his breath.
“A fantastic demonstration of yet another benefit to unusual movesets,” the announcer claimed over the general enthusiasm of the crowd. “Lily the kirlia appears to be paralyzed!”
“No shit,” Kas said softly. That narrowed his options pretty significantly. “Magical Leaf!” Those, at least, had range. They appeared in the air, the colors shifting and changing, and shot forward for Meowth.
"Counter it with Toxic," Eryk replied, watching as Meowth built up the purple goo in her mouth before shooting it towards the leaves. If she was lucky, it'd cancel them out. If not, she'd be hit.
She managed to knock a few out of the air, but a few swerved past the Toxic, controlled even at a distance by Lily’s power. None hit dead-on; but a few nicked her legs and one got her tail.
“Psychic.”
The blast was a mere ripple in the air, distorting the space around it like a traveling mirage. It headed directly for Meowth.
"Dodge it with Dig," Eryk spoke. Meowth dug into one of the holes previously left by Zoroark, and barely avoided Lily's attack. Eryk glanced at the hole Meowth disappeared into, for a moment, before glancing at Kas. A small smirk appeared on his Meowth as Meowth reappeared suddenly, a new hole freshly dug, and latched onto Lily. "Thunderbolt," he spoke as Meowth's fur crackled once more. The attack was a direct hit. Since Lily was still partially paralyzed, the attack did some extra damage.
"Hypnosis," Eryk spoke, using one last attack on Lily, putting her to sleep. Meowth seemed proud of herself, and just huffed in Kas's direction in a haughty manner. "I didn't teach her that," Eryk spoke, pursing his lips slightly.
“Bet I know who did,” Kas replied, amused. He recalled Lily with a smile and shifted to the next pokéball on his belt. They were at a victory each, and a tie.
His next choice was Jaws, who immediately glanced around the field, gnashing his teeth and seeking his opponent.
Eryk rolled his eyes at Jaws, but pulled a ball from his belt as well. He tossed it out onto the field, and released Nova, Ana's umbreon. "Nova," he called out, glancing at the umbreon. He pursed his lips together, but shook his head. "Swift," he called out.
Well, Swift would make his usual opening move—Double Team—entirely useless, so Kas decided to have Jaws tank the hit in order to get close in near Nova. “Iron Tail.” At such close range, there was almost no way the attack was going to miss, but Kas didn’t know Nova as well as he knew Ryk’s pokémon—not even after their strategy discussion earlier that morning.
"Take it, and then use Payback," Eryk spoke. Nova could probably take the hit, but if he did, and used Payback, the damage to Jaws would be double. Maybe Ryk knew what he was doing with Nova despite just taking council with him.
The Payback strike hit Jaws hard—Kas had to crack a smile. His pokémon’s own high attack power and speed were working against him here. Nova really was a sly one; despite Eryk’s own preference for more straightforward fighting, he was adapting well. Jaws was already disoriented—one more hit like that, and he was out.
“Get some distance, then use Earthquake.” He didn’t want to be in range for another Payback if this landed, that was for sure.
Eryk winced a bit at the choice of attack, but he seemed to shake it off. "Dodge it, Nova," he spoke to the umbreon. Earthquake would set Nova off balance if it landed, but Nova seemed to avoid most of it. The attack had managed to upset Nova's balance a bit, but Nova was able to recover quickly enough to stand properly again. "Get in close and use Iron Tail," Eryk spoke, nodding somewhat towards Nova.
"An follow it up with a Swift attack," he added. Iron Tail could probably be avoided, but Swift was a sure attack.
Jaws scrambled out of the way of the Iron Tail, but the Swift caught him unaware. He fell, unconscious. “That was impressive,” he said honestly, recalling Jaws into his ball.
The fifth battle was short by comparison—the type matchup was interesting, but Sledge had enough heavy-hitting psychic moves that Mankey ultimately didn’t have too much of a chance. That brought them to a tie, and their last pokémon each. Kas’s remaining battler was his oldest pokémon and the anchor of his team.
“Let’s do it, Princess.”
She emerged from her ball with a roar, stretching her wings to their full span and shooting a jet of nearly-blue flames from her mouth. The crowd went nuts, and she soaked it in like a sponge.
Kas rolled his eyes. “Drama queen.”
"You raised her," Eryk replied back, shaking his head softly before tossing out his remaining ball. Blue wasn't as old as Charizard was, but he was still one of Eryk's top three. He emerged from his ball, floating a little too happily. He glanced around the arena, towards the crowd, towards Eryk, until his gaze landed on Cinders. It was almost funny how immediate the reaction was. Blue nearly screeched and flew towards Ryk. Ryk didn't look too happy about it, though.
"Blue," he spoke, using the only tone he'd ever used for the altaria. Still, Blue shook slightly before he chirped some choice words to Eryk. Ryk just rolled his eyes. "You have an advantage Blue, use it," he spoke. Blue just seemed to pout before he made his way back, staring at the charizard. "Use Dazzling Gleam," he spoke. Blue began glowing brightly before the light was released towards Princess Cinders.
“Get in the air and dodge it,” Kas said. Princess turned her head to look back at him almost incredulously, and did no such thing. The attack hit her, but given the type matchup and her own strength, it didn’t seem to do much of anything. Only then did she take to the air.
He sighed. She’s was always a bit more temperamental than the others—and that was even after considering that she never listened to anyone but him. “Or not. Whatever. Ancient Power.”
That, she seemed more than willing to do. Her eyes glowed bright red for a moment; she roared. Large slabs of stone rose up from the ground, easy to pull out because of the earlier earthquake by Jaws. She threw the rocks for Blue, smoke curling from her nostrils as she ascended.
Blue seemed to panic for a moment, moving a little too fast to dodge the attack without Eryk even telling him to. He was clipped by a few of the stones, and winced. "Aerial Ace, Blue," he spoke. It did help boost Blue's speed, but it looked like Eryk wasn't using it to attack. It looked like he was using it to help Blue dodge. A substitute for Agility, apparently. "Now, Aerial Ace on Cinders," he spoke. Blue looked really, really hesitant at that, but did it anyway.
They were both in the air at the moment, so Kas went with the logical counter. “Air Cutter, then Iron Tail.” With a wide slashing motion, Princess Cinders disturbed the air in front of her, the shockwave heading right towards the incoming Blue. She followed it, her flaming tail glowing as the scales on it hardened in preparation for use as a cudgel.
Blue went down, and seemed to stay down. He wasn't unconscious, but he looked like he didn't want to get back up, either. Eryk just stared at Blue for a moment, shook his head, and pulled Blue's ball from his belt. He seemed to mutter something, but it was too low to be heard. Even with the mic, Eryk still couldn't be heard. He probably cursed, if the look on his face was anything to go by. He recalled Blue to his pokéball and glanced up at Kas. It was there, just the faintest of smiles. No one else seemed to see it, but Kas was accustomed to Eryk's subtleness.
"Congrats, ass," he spoke. "Cinders scares Blue too much, though I don't know why," he spoke, completely serious it seems as he stared at the charizard. Eryk didn't look upset, though, that he just lost.
“Thanks, Ryk,” Kas replied, smiling a bit himself. It had been a damn good match, but luck was on his side, it seemed. At least for now.
“And the winner of this match is Kasimir Rheinallt!” The announcer called it officially, and Kas took a bow to the sound of applause.
One match down, one to go, it seemed.
“Will the challenger please make a selection?” The loudspeaker system made the announcer’s voice tinny, almost genderless, but it was a woman. She sounded impatient.
Harper drew in a deep breath through her nose. Her hands tightened on the rail of the podium she stood on to direct her pokémon. The metal was cool underneath her fingers; it was a welcome relief to her sweaty palms. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying not to panic. Her heart beat a sledgehammer pattern in her chest; she had to swallow past the bile rising in her throat.
She licked her lips, tasting the salt of her sweat. It was the middle of winter, but she was sweltering under her light jacket. Tugging down the zipper, she hastily shrugged out of it, leaving her with her thin pinstriped vest over a long sleeved shirt. She basically had to peel the collar away from her neck.
Everyone was waiting. She knew that. Two of her pokémon had fallen quickly to Asterbury’s team, both within seconds. She was outmatched. Hopelessly outclassed. It was a wonder she’d even made it this far.
Look at you. You’ll never get anywhere without me, stupid bitch.
She swallowed.
“Will the challenger please make a selection? You have thirty seconds remaining.”
You’re not worth the effort anyway. Get out of here before I change my mind.
She shouldn’t do this. She should just forfeit now, and walk out of here with her tail between her legs. He was right—she didn’t belong here. She wasn’t good enough alone. She didn’t have whatever it took to succeed here.
She straightened, nearly ready to raise her hand in the forfeiting motion—never mind what she’d told Kas about that—but her hand brushed against her belt in the process, and her fingers caught on a pokéball. She paused in her motion, covering it with her palm. She might have been imagining it, but it felt warm to her—like she could feel the heat from the creature inside it.
Well, Melly… I guess you just have to decide what to do with your fear.
“You have ten seconds to make a selection, or you will forfeit the match.”
Harper’s jaw tightened. She closed her fingers over the pokéball, not even sure which one it was. There was a Nidoking on the other side of the ring, but Torrent and Kelpie were both already out, so her type matchups were pretty irrelevant. With a quick toss, she threw it into the ring.
She wasn’t alone, and she wasn’t going to forfeit. No matter what he said.
The ball burst open; Una appeared, her tail lashing back and forth. Asterbury, according to pattern, did not waste time, immediately going in for the knockout.
“Earthquake!”
Not on her watch. “Get off the ground! Aerial Ace!” Harper was distantly surprised by the ferocity in her own voice; Una reacted to it immediately, launching herself into the air even as the ground cracked beneath her. “Night Slash!”
Coming down from the aerial maneuvers directly on Nidoking’s back, Una dug her claws in, raking them down Nidoking’s spine. The marks they left were only shallow; its hide was extremely thick, apparently.
“Poison Jab, then Megahorn!”
“No, go left!” If Una got hit by that Megahorn, it was all over.
She responded at once, shoving off Nidoking’s back. The poisonous barbs on his skin tore into her paws, but even considering the pain she must have been in, Una kept running, making a tight turn in enough time to see Nidoking lumbering after her in a charge.
Normally, Harper might have let her keep doing that—using her superior speed to stay out of the way and tire him out—but the poison made that impossible. They had to face him head-on. “Sand Attack!”
It was a risky move—Una had to wait until Nidoking was almost on her to kick up the dirt in his face. Fortunately, the earlier earthquake meant there was plenty of loose soil around. The attack hit him right in the eyes, and Una slid to the side as he loosed the Megahorn charge.
“Now Aerial Ace!”
Asterbury commanded Nidoking to use Megahorn again, but he still couldn’t see very well. Una, timing her strike just right, leaped into the air just as he thrust forward blindly, landing on the back of his neck, claws extended. Gravity did most of the damage, though, bringing Nidoking to the ground.
“And in a stunning turn of events, a runaway victory has become a contested match!” The announcer was practically shouting into the loudspeakers, but Harper barely heard. Slowly, a smile spread over her face; she called Una back to her ball.
“Thanks, girl.” she murmured, reattaching the ball to her belt. She was back in the game now.
Much to everyone’s surprise, she pulled out another narrow win, too, when Shaolin took out Asterbury’s Machamp.
The fourth match went to him, though—his Dusknoir knocked out Pyrrha with a well-placed Shadow Ball.
That meant this round was do-or-die for Harper. If she lost, the match was his. He knew that as well, of course, and it was hardly surprising to her that he chose his anchor pokémon for the match. His Abomasnow was not only formidable on his own, but also had a Mega-Evolution, and those were legal in this tournament.
A localized hail storm started to fall on the ring; Harper thought at least it was nice because it cooled her down a little, but she knew her pokémon were not likely to feel the same way. Throwing the last ball on her belt, she summoned her own anchor pokémon to the field—Argent.
The sylveon was her oldest pokémon; she’d been with her through all of it. Harper had met her when she was only fourteen, and her big brother had been leaving the house for good. She’d begged him not to go, knowing she’d be lonely without him, until she was red-faced and snotty-nosed. Mirmir had… taken pity on her, most likely, and left her with an eevee “to keep her company.” The rest was history.
She had to believe they could do this. And even if they couldn’t… they were going to give this giant yeti of a pokémon a damn good fight.
Asterbury wasted no time mega-evolving Abomasnow.
Harper had to use the time she was given. “Light Screen!” The shield went up just in time for Abomasnow to hurl a Blizzard attack. The screen buckled and shattered under the weight, but much of the damage was averted.
“Now Moonblast!”
The attack was a direct hit, but Abomasnow seemed mostly to shrug it off, following up with a Wood Hammer attack that caught Argent in the middle of attempting a swift, knocking her heavily into one of the sides of the ring.
Harper flinched. “Draining Kiss!” Argent needed to recover some damage, and badly.
It landed; Asterbury smiled though. Harper figured that was a bad sign. “Get out of there, Argent!” she called, but it was too late.
“Sheer Cold.”
Dammit, dammit, dammit. That was a one-hit knockout move, and Argent was so close that it landed easily. Her eyes glazed over, and she collapsed to the ground in front of Abomasnow.
“The winner is Frederick Asterbury!”
The crowd roared so loud Harper could hear nothing else, not even her own voice when she recalled Argent. That had been a really, really tough match… and maybe for that reason, she couldn’t help but feel disappointed in the outcome. But… she was even more disappointed that she’d almost given up.
Sighing deeply, she made her way down the stands, dropping her injured pokémon off with a stadium attendant and following them to the trainers’ lounge. Once she reached it, she fell heavily into a chair, rubbing her temples with the heels of her hands.
Kas was the first of the others to get there. He sat down next to her, slinging an arm over her shoulders and pulling her sideways to prop his chin on top of her head. “You did good, Melly. That was one hell of a fight you put up.”
“I almost forfeited,” she admitted softly.
“But you didn’t,” he said, just as quietly. “It would have been easier. Safer. But you didn’t. When did my baby sister get so strong, huh?”
She huffed, a small smile curling her mouth. “I had to, if I’m gonna beat you someday.”
He dropped a kiss on the crown of her head. “I guess I really better watch out then, because that was some master-class pokémon battling out there. I think everyone else would agree with me.”
"I'd say Kas wouldn't stand a chance, but I lost to him, so," Ryk spoke, having been the next to arrive. It looked like he caught just the tail end of their conversation, and shrugged his shoulders. "You did... good out there," he stated, though, and gave her a blank stare. It looked like he was trying to congratulate her, but Eryk was awkward that way. Even if he said something nice, it was always phrased as something unsure.
The others entered just a second later, Drake had a sympathetic smile on his face. He knew this battle meant a lot to her. "You did good, Harper," he spoke, laying a hand on her shoulder before allowing it to fall away. He took a seat on the other side of her. Cyrilla piled in after him, smiling somewhat as she congratulated Harper as well. She took a seat next to Ryk, though, who still seemed unsure of what else to say.
Ana was last, but she made up for it by entering with a cold can of lemonade, which she handed to Harper. “I was really impressed by how you held it together,” she offered with a shy smile. “If something like those first two rounds had happened to me, I don’t think I would have been able to recover.”
Harper popped the tab on the lemonade, taking a sip and sighing. It was a relief to her overheated self. She smiled at the others, even Eryk. Awkward was totally something she knew how to handle. “Thanks, guys. I’m glad I did this, even if I still have to challenge the League the old-fashioned way.” She knew Kas wasn’t in the tournament for the prize, but it had been pretty enticing to her. “Just one Gym Battle and Victory Road left, anyway.”
Kas grinned. “You’ll have that done within a couple months, I’m sure. If you’re not the champ in a year from now, I’ll eat… something Eryk cooked.”
Harper actually laughed at that.
Cyrilla joined Harper in laughing as Eryk gave Kas a strange look. It looked like Eryk was caught between a glare, and something of a confused gaze. "The hell's that supposed to mean, ass?" Eryk spoke. Cyrilla just shook her head and Drake looked just as confused as Eryk did.
"It means you can't cook, Ryk. Don't act surprised, you know you can't," Cyrilla seemed to explain. Drake looked somewhat less confused, now, but Eryk just gave Cyrilla a blank stare. She shrugged her shoulders. "Remember that one time you cooked something? And how it nearly melted through the pot?" she spoke. "What about that one time you tried making something and subjected poor Josh to taste testing? He nearly spent a whole month in the hospital for just food poisioning. Not to mention he requested a transfer after the incident," she continued. Eryk seemed to recall since it looked like it finally clicked for him.
"Remind me not to eat anything he makes," Drake muttered.
“We won’t need to,” Kas replied. “You’ll know just from the way it smells.”
Harper smacked him lightly on the arm. “It’s a wonder you have any friends, Mirmir. You’re a jerk.” She didn’t really think so though, and her tone made it obvious. She did feel slightly bad for Eryk, though—it was pretty much two against one, and everyone else was a neutral party.
“Ouch, Melly. I’m wounded. You wound me.”
She rolled her eyes, but her smile didn’t fade.
Harper drew in a deep breath through her nose. Her hands tightened on the rail of the podium she stood on to direct her pokémon. The metal was cool underneath her fingers; it was a welcome relief to her sweaty palms. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying not to panic. Her heart beat a sledgehammer pattern in her chest; she had to swallow past the bile rising in her throat.
She licked her lips, tasting the salt of her sweat. It was the middle of winter, but she was sweltering under her light jacket. Tugging down the zipper, she hastily shrugged out of it, leaving her with her thin pinstriped vest over a long sleeved shirt. She basically had to peel the collar away from her neck.
Everyone was waiting. She knew that. Two of her pokémon had fallen quickly to Asterbury’s team, both within seconds. She was outmatched. Hopelessly outclassed. It was a wonder she’d even made it this far.
Look at you. You’ll never get anywhere without me, stupid bitch.
She swallowed.
“Will the challenger please make a selection? You have thirty seconds remaining.”
You’re not worth the effort anyway. Get out of here before I change my mind.
She shouldn’t do this. She should just forfeit now, and walk out of here with her tail between her legs. He was right—she didn’t belong here. She wasn’t good enough alone. She didn’t have whatever it took to succeed here.
She straightened, nearly ready to raise her hand in the forfeiting motion—never mind what she’d told Kas about that—but her hand brushed against her belt in the process, and her fingers caught on a pokéball. She paused in her motion, covering it with her palm. She might have been imagining it, but it felt warm to her—like she could feel the heat from the creature inside it.
Well, Melly… I guess you just have to decide what to do with your fear.
“You have ten seconds to make a selection, or you will forfeit the match.”
Harper’s jaw tightened. She closed her fingers over the pokéball, not even sure which one it was. There was a Nidoking on the other side of the ring, but Torrent and Kelpie were both already out, so her type matchups were pretty irrelevant. With a quick toss, she threw it into the ring.
She wasn’t alone, and she wasn’t going to forfeit. No matter what he said.
The ball burst open; Una appeared, her tail lashing back and forth. Asterbury, according to pattern, did not waste time, immediately going in for the knockout.
“Earthquake!”
Not on her watch. “Get off the ground! Aerial Ace!” Harper was distantly surprised by the ferocity in her own voice; Una reacted to it immediately, launching herself into the air even as the ground cracked beneath her. “Night Slash!”
Coming down from the aerial maneuvers directly on Nidoking’s back, Una dug her claws in, raking them down Nidoking’s spine. The marks they left were only shallow; its hide was extremely thick, apparently.
“Poison Jab, then Megahorn!”
“No, go left!” If Una got hit by that Megahorn, it was all over.
She responded at once, shoving off Nidoking’s back. The poisonous barbs on his skin tore into her paws, but even considering the pain she must have been in, Una kept running, making a tight turn in enough time to see Nidoking lumbering after her in a charge.
Normally, Harper might have let her keep doing that—using her superior speed to stay out of the way and tire him out—but the poison made that impossible. They had to face him head-on. “Sand Attack!”
It was a risky move—Una had to wait until Nidoking was almost on her to kick up the dirt in his face. Fortunately, the earlier earthquake meant there was plenty of loose soil around. The attack hit him right in the eyes, and Una slid to the side as he loosed the Megahorn charge.
“Now Aerial Ace!”
Asterbury commanded Nidoking to use Megahorn again, but he still couldn’t see very well. Una, timing her strike just right, leaped into the air just as he thrust forward blindly, landing on the back of his neck, claws extended. Gravity did most of the damage, though, bringing Nidoking to the ground.
“And in a stunning turn of events, a runaway victory has become a contested match!” The announcer was practically shouting into the loudspeakers, but Harper barely heard. Slowly, a smile spread over her face; she called Una back to her ball.
“Thanks, girl.” she murmured, reattaching the ball to her belt. She was back in the game now.
Much to everyone’s surprise, she pulled out another narrow win, too, when Shaolin took out Asterbury’s Machamp.
The fourth match went to him, though—his Dusknoir knocked out Pyrrha with a well-placed Shadow Ball.
That meant this round was do-or-die for Harper. If she lost, the match was his. He knew that as well, of course, and it was hardly surprising to her that he chose his anchor pokémon for the match. His Abomasnow was not only formidable on his own, but also had a Mega-Evolution, and those were legal in this tournament.
A localized hail storm started to fall on the ring; Harper thought at least it was nice because it cooled her down a little, but she knew her pokémon were not likely to feel the same way. Throwing the last ball on her belt, she summoned her own anchor pokémon to the field—Argent.
The sylveon was her oldest pokémon; she’d been with her through all of it. Harper had met her when she was only fourteen, and her big brother had been leaving the house for good. She’d begged him not to go, knowing she’d be lonely without him, until she was red-faced and snotty-nosed. Mirmir had… taken pity on her, most likely, and left her with an eevee “to keep her company.” The rest was history.
She had to believe they could do this. And even if they couldn’t… they were going to give this giant yeti of a pokémon a damn good fight.
Asterbury wasted no time mega-evolving Abomasnow.
Harper had to use the time she was given. “Light Screen!” The shield went up just in time for Abomasnow to hurl a Blizzard attack. The screen buckled and shattered under the weight, but much of the damage was averted.
“Now Moonblast!”
The attack was a direct hit, but Abomasnow seemed mostly to shrug it off, following up with a Wood Hammer attack that caught Argent in the middle of attempting a swift, knocking her heavily into one of the sides of the ring.
Harper flinched. “Draining Kiss!” Argent needed to recover some damage, and badly.
It landed; Asterbury smiled though. Harper figured that was a bad sign. “Get out of there, Argent!” she called, but it was too late.
“Sheer Cold.”
Dammit, dammit, dammit. That was a one-hit knockout move, and Argent was so close that it landed easily. Her eyes glazed over, and she collapsed to the ground in front of Abomasnow.
“The winner is Frederick Asterbury!”
The crowd roared so loud Harper could hear nothing else, not even her own voice when she recalled Argent. That had been a really, really tough match… and maybe for that reason, she couldn’t help but feel disappointed in the outcome. But… she was even more disappointed that she’d almost given up.
Sighing deeply, she made her way down the stands, dropping her injured pokémon off with a stadium attendant and following them to the trainers’ lounge. Once she reached it, she fell heavily into a chair, rubbing her temples with the heels of her hands.
Kas was the first of the others to get there. He sat down next to her, slinging an arm over her shoulders and pulling her sideways to prop his chin on top of her head. “You did good, Melly. That was one hell of a fight you put up.”
“I almost forfeited,” she admitted softly.
“But you didn’t,” he said, just as quietly. “It would have been easier. Safer. But you didn’t. When did my baby sister get so strong, huh?”
She huffed, a small smile curling her mouth. “I had to, if I’m gonna beat you someday.”
He dropped a kiss on the crown of her head. “I guess I really better watch out then, because that was some master-class pokémon battling out there. I think everyone else would agree with me.”
"I'd say Kas wouldn't stand a chance, but I lost to him, so," Ryk spoke, having been the next to arrive. It looked like he caught just the tail end of their conversation, and shrugged his shoulders. "You did... good out there," he stated, though, and gave her a blank stare. It looked like he was trying to congratulate her, but Eryk was awkward that way. Even if he said something nice, it was always phrased as something unsure.
The others entered just a second later, Drake had a sympathetic smile on his face. He knew this battle meant a lot to her. "You did good, Harper," he spoke, laying a hand on her shoulder before allowing it to fall away. He took a seat on the other side of her. Cyrilla piled in after him, smiling somewhat as she congratulated Harper as well. She took a seat next to Ryk, though, who still seemed unsure of what else to say.
Ana was last, but she made up for it by entering with a cold can of lemonade, which she handed to Harper. “I was really impressed by how you held it together,” she offered with a shy smile. “If something like those first two rounds had happened to me, I don’t think I would have been able to recover.”
Harper popped the tab on the lemonade, taking a sip and sighing. It was a relief to her overheated self. She smiled at the others, even Eryk. Awkward was totally something she knew how to handle. “Thanks, guys. I’m glad I did this, even if I still have to challenge the League the old-fashioned way.” She knew Kas wasn’t in the tournament for the prize, but it had been pretty enticing to her. “Just one Gym Battle and Victory Road left, anyway.”
Kas grinned. “You’ll have that done within a couple months, I’m sure. If you’re not the champ in a year from now, I’ll eat… something Eryk cooked.”
Harper actually laughed at that.
Cyrilla joined Harper in laughing as Eryk gave Kas a strange look. It looked like Eryk was caught between a glare, and something of a confused gaze. "The hell's that supposed to mean, ass?" Eryk spoke. Cyrilla just shook her head and Drake looked just as confused as Eryk did.
"It means you can't cook, Ryk. Don't act surprised, you know you can't," Cyrilla seemed to explain. Drake looked somewhat less confused, now, but Eryk just gave Cyrilla a blank stare. She shrugged her shoulders. "Remember that one time you cooked something? And how it nearly melted through the pot?" she spoke. "What about that one time you tried making something and subjected poor Josh to taste testing? He nearly spent a whole month in the hospital for just food poisioning. Not to mention he requested a transfer after the incident," she continued. Eryk seemed to recall since it looked like it finally clicked for him.
"Remind me not to eat anything he makes," Drake muttered.
“We won’t need to,” Kas replied. “You’ll know just from the way it smells.”
Harper smacked him lightly on the arm. “It’s a wonder you have any friends, Mirmir. You’re a jerk.” She didn’t really think so though, and her tone made it obvious. She did feel slightly bad for Eryk, though—it was pretty much two against one, and everyone else was a neutral party.
“Ouch, Melly. I’m wounded. You wound me.”
She rolled her eyes, but her smile didn’t fade.
A soft sigh escaped Drake's lips. He'd lost his battle against Mariana. It looked like he was going to win since they were almost evenly matched, but she managed to pull forward with a last resort, and took out his Pyroar with her Raichu. He looked pretty upset about it, too, but he seemed to take it all in good stride. Cyrilla merely offered her condolences, but Eryk seemed a little smug that Drake had lost. She'd fixed him with a look, but he seemed unfazed by it. It took a lot not to smack him in the arm, but she'd managed.
"Well, all of you did amazingly well. If I had joined, I don't think I would have made it quite as far as you guys did," she stated, trying to at least lighten the mood. Kas didn't seem too upset about his loss to Asterbury, but she supposed he wasn't in this like Eryk had been. Eryk had resigned himself to insulting Kas whenever he could, probably because he was still upset he lost to Kas by, technically, a fault. Blue was scared of Princess Cinders, and there really wasn't much he could have done about it. Gengar would have been Eryk's best chance against the charizard, but he'd disappeared. He'd returned after Eryk's loss, though, but didn't say where he'd been.
"Yeah, I suppose so. Besides, I'm a Gym Leader; I don't need to challenge the League," Drake spoke, seemingly trying to cheer himself up. Cyrilla shook her head as Eryk looked unamused by the statement. But she supposed Drake had a point. He didn't really want to challenge the League, after all.
"We still have a day to ourselves," Eryk spoke, shrugging his shoulders just lightly. The last match was going to be between Mariana and Asterbury. They didn't really have to stay for that match. "I think..." he paused, seemingly confused as to what he was going to say. Cyrilla only smiled.
"We should go get celebratory meals!" she suggested. "I mean, you guys did win most of your battles. You all deserve some compensation for it," though that didn't seem like quite the word she could have used. They deserved to spend the evening together, though. "Or you know, we could all just take one more walk around the town before we have to leave," she suggested.
“I’d be up for some food,” Harper said. Kas and Ana agreed as well, and so they found their way to a pretty nice—but not too nice—barbeque place. Getting seated was a bit of a wait; lots of people had come out to the bars and restaurants with big T.V.s to watch the last match, though they were still a bit early for that.
Once they were seated and had ordered their food, they were left mostly alone for a while. The restaurant had given the six of them a round table, allowing them to sit in such a way that conversation was much easier.
“It’s been really fun here,” Ana said at one point. “So, um… thanks again for letting me come along.” She hadn’t after all, been a participant in the battles—though she was more involved than she’d probably expected to be, considering Nova’s last-minute substitution.
"We're glad you came along," Eryk spoke, earning a slight smile from Cyrilla. He'd glanced towards Ana. She was on one side of him. Cyrilla shook her head softly and took a sip of her drink. "But... it has been fun," he added. It sounded like he actually serious about it, but she supposed that was partly true. He's never really had fun and he didn't exactly know what fun was.
"I'm glad you actually participated," she spoke, shoving her shoulder into his softly. She had been sitting next to him so it was easy for her to do that. He just scoffed lightly and took a drink from his cup. She chuckled softly to herself.
"It was a good experience, maybe you guys can participate next time. Assuming they have another one, of course," Drake suggested. Eryk just raised a brow at him, but shook his head. Cyrilla shook hers, too. She wasn't exactly a battle-savvy trainer. She could battle since it was expected of her, but if she could avoid it, she generally did. Tournaments and Gym Challenges were something of Ryk's specialty. He was a far better trainer than she was, and she'd like to leave that to him.
"No thanks, but I'd come see you all battle again, though," she replied. She would, assuming they'd be able to. Who was to say something would happen, and they'd all be separate? But she could still keep in touch with them, right? That way... it wouldn't be so bad.
"I think I've had my share of tournaments, thank you," Eryk stated, setting his cup down to glance at the television. Cyrilla smiled softly before she snorted. Of course he'd say something like that. He just didn't like the interview part of it, nor the interaction with so many people. He'd have to get over that, eventually, but he could take his time if he wanted to.
“You mean you’ve had enough of people asking you uncomfortable questions,” Kas said, unknowingly echoing Cyrilla’s thoughts. “It’s not so bad, once you learn to avoid them in the right way.”
“No,” Harper disagreed, setting her beer bottle back down on the table. She was officially of legal age to drink, but only just. “It’s still shitty. You just give less of a fuck.” She side-eyed Eryk, arching her brow. “This one still cares, even if he doesn’t act like it.” Her mouth turned up at the corner, but then she sighed, flopping back in her chair.
Their appetizers arrived, then—the whole table had just ordered a couple of things to share. Kas dug into the spiced onion immediately; Harper seemed more interested in the fried calamari. Ana nibbled at a bit of everything.
“Hands down funniest part was watching Blue and Princess battle though,” Harper said after a bit. “He was scared out of his little bird mind, poor guy.”
Kas rolled his eyes. “I can’t blame him. She’s a scary lady.”
Eryk rolled his eyes and shook his head. "I think it's because he likes her but he's too scared of her to say anything," Eryk replied casually, as if he knew what he was talking about. Cyrilla snorted somewhat, wincing just slightly as she did so. She was taking a drink of her soda and it went up her nose when he said that. It hurt, but she found it a little funny. It wasn't too uncommon. An altaria and a charizard could, theoretically, breed. Also, it sounded a lot like the current predicament she was in.
"Yeah, well I still think he was scared. I've never seen an altaria move as fast as he did to avoid her," Drake chimed in, somewhat amused. "I have to agree on that part, though," he added. Eryk shook his head and looked like he was about to glare at Drake, but must have decided against it. He took a piece of the fried calamari and just nibbled on it.
"Aw, I think Ryk is pouting," Cyrilla spoke, staring at Ryk with a smile on her face. It really did look like he was, because he never ate his food in small bites. He always ate it whole, if he could, or in two bites. He just shot her a glare, though.
“Nova did well, though,” Harper said, leaning back and a little to the side. Her shoulder came into contact with Drake’s, and she let it stay there, casual as ever. “Did you teach him to battle, Ana?”
She shook her head. “Not exactly. He used to be with a trainer who was very battle-focused. Too much so. He was just an eevee then, though. After he evolved, I helped him learn a few new moves because he seemed interested, but I don’t really know much about battling, myself. His strategy and everything was all him—and Eryk, of course.”
“He’s really sharp,” Kas agreed. “And Ryk did well to be able to improvise a strategy with him on the fly like that. They did a number on Jaws and I.” He grinned, apparently having no hard feelings about that. Then again, Cyrilla had never known Kas to have hard feelings about anything.
Eryk shrugged his shoulders a bit, still nibbling on the fried calamari. "He is a good pokémon," he spoke finally, grabbing another piece of calamari and began nibbling on it again. "I think... he'd make a good battle pokémon if he really wanted to be one," Eryk spoke. Cyrilla would agree with that. Nova was really good at what he did, especially to take down Jaws the way he did.
"Maybe you should start training with him? You know, that way he'll be able to battle whenever he feels like it. You could pit him against your mankey. It'll give them a good way to burn off any extra energy they might have. Of course, that's up to you too, Ana," Drake spoke. He didn't seem too embarrassed by Harper's shoulder on his, but he did seem to move a little closer to her. He must not have realized it, because he was still smiling. It was cute, actually.
“Um… actually.” Ana looked a tad nervous, pulling her lower lip between her teeth. “I talked to him about it, and a couple of the others as well. It… seems to be something they’re interested in, but I don’t know much about battling, so I was wondering if maybe you could teach me?” She seemed to be directing the question generally, but her eyes landed lastly on Eryk, and remained there.
It was obvious she wasn’t aware of the way her body language always ended up orienting towards him eventually, but it did.
Eryk blinked slowly, a piece of calamari hanging from his mouth as he stared back at Ana. Cyrilla stifled a laugh, though, as it seemed he was contemplating something. It was just as adorable how Ana always did that, but she wasn't going to say it out loud. Eryk seemed confused, though, and glanced around the table. No one said anything, and instead, it looked like everyone was focused on Eryk to say something. He glanced back at Ana, though, and titled his head just slightly.
"If that's what you want, then I'll help you," he finally replied. Cyrilla just wiped the piece of calamari from his face. He glanced at her for a second before she showed it to him, and he shrugged. "When we get home, I can help you then," he continued.
"Or when we go camping," Cyrilla added, a small smile forming on her lips. Drake blinked a little confusedly for a moment and glanced at them.
"You're all going camping? Why weren't we invited?" he asked, a little skeptical. "You hear that, Harp, they didn't invite us," he almost pouted.
Harper rolled her eyes. “Don’t you have a Gym to run, Drake?” she asked, raising an eyebrow at him. “If you really want to go camping, though, I can bring a tent down to Cinnabar sometime and you can go with me, hm?”
Kas half-snorted, half-choked on his drink. “That’s a different kind of camping, Melly.”
“Is it?” she asked, smiling coyly.
Drake looked slightly confused for a second before his entire face turned red. He sputtered some incoherent words, and even Eryk looked like he wanted to laugh. It was strange, but it was there. Cyrilla, however, snorted into her hand, trying not to laugh at Drake's current predicament. He didn't seem so interested in camping, now, and she didn't blame him.
"How about next time, when we go camping, we'll invite you along? Just make sure you have someone to watch your Gym for a while," Cyrilla spoke, still laughing lightly at Drake.
"Y-Y-Yeah," he managed to get out. It was funny, but he still didn't move too far from Harper. "I'll do that," he continued, coughing awkwardly in his hand.
“You have no idea what you’re getting into, do you?” Kas asked him, shaking his head with obvious amusement. “Anyway, food’s here. Everyone grab your drinks; I want to toast.” He waited until everyone was holding a beverage of some description, then raised his own a little.
“To friends, old and new, and to branching out a little with their help.”
Ana smiled. “And to new experiences.”
Harper’s smile was more of a grin; she clinked her glass against the others'. “Hear, hear.”
This moment had to be one of the best experiences of her life, and Cyrilla was glad she was with good friends. Even Eryk looked slightly happier as he joined in and clinked his glass with the others, a subtle smile on his face.
"Well, all of you did amazingly well. If I had joined, I don't think I would have made it quite as far as you guys did," she stated, trying to at least lighten the mood. Kas didn't seem too upset about his loss to Asterbury, but she supposed he wasn't in this like Eryk had been. Eryk had resigned himself to insulting Kas whenever he could, probably because he was still upset he lost to Kas by, technically, a fault. Blue was scared of Princess Cinders, and there really wasn't much he could have done about it. Gengar would have been Eryk's best chance against the charizard, but he'd disappeared. He'd returned after Eryk's loss, though, but didn't say where he'd been.
"Yeah, I suppose so. Besides, I'm a Gym Leader; I don't need to challenge the League," Drake spoke, seemingly trying to cheer himself up. Cyrilla shook her head as Eryk looked unamused by the statement. But she supposed Drake had a point. He didn't really want to challenge the League, after all.
"We still have a day to ourselves," Eryk spoke, shrugging his shoulders just lightly. The last match was going to be between Mariana and Asterbury. They didn't really have to stay for that match. "I think..." he paused, seemingly confused as to what he was going to say. Cyrilla only smiled.
"We should go get celebratory meals!" she suggested. "I mean, you guys did win most of your battles. You all deserve some compensation for it," though that didn't seem like quite the word she could have used. They deserved to spend the evening together, though. "Or you know, we could all just take one more walk around the town before we have to leave," she suggested.
“I’d be up for some food,” Harper said. Kas and Ana agreed as well, and so they found their way to a pretty nice—but not too nice—barbeque place. Getting seated was a bit of a wait; lots of people had come out to the bars and restaurants with big T.V.s to watch the last match, though they were still a bit early for that.
Once they were seated and had ordered their food, they were left mostly alone for a while. The restaurant had given the six of them a round table, allowing them to sit in such a way that conversation was much easier.
“It’s been really fun here,” Ana said at one point. “So, um… thanks again for letting me come along.” She hadn’t after all, been a participant in the battles—though she was more involved than she’d probably expected to be, considering Nova’s last-minute substitution.
"We're glad you came along," Eryk spoke, earning a slight smile from Cyrilla. He'd glanced towards Ana. She was on one side of him. Cyrilla shook her head softly and took a sip of her drink. "But... it has been fun," he added. It sounded like he actually serious about it, but she supposed that was partly true. He's never really had fun and he didn't exactly know what fun was.
"I'm glad you actually participated," she spoke, shoving her shoulder into his softly. She had been sitting next to him so it was easy for her to do that. He just scoffed lightly and took a drink from his cup. She chuckled softly to herself.
"It was a good experience, maybe you guys can participate next time. Assuming they have another one, of course," Drake suggested. Eryk just raised a brow at him, but shook his head. Cyrilla shook hers, too. She wasn't exactly a battle-savvy trainer. She could battle since it was expected of her, but if she could avoid it, she generally did. Tournaments and Gym Challenges were something of Ryk's specialty. He was a far better trainer than she was, and she'd like to leave that to him.
"No thanks, but I'd come see you all battle again, though," she replied. She would, assuming they'd be able to. Who was to say something would happen, and they'd all be separate? But she could still keep in touch with them, right? That way... it wouldn't be so bad.
"I think I've had my share of tournaments, thank you," Eryk stated, setting his cup down to glance at the television. Cyrilla smiled softly before she snorted. Of course he'd say something like that. He just didn't like the interview part of it, nor the interaction with so many people. He'd have to get over that, eventually, but he could take his time if he wanted to.
“You mean you’ve had enough of people asking you uncomfortable questions,” Kas said, unknowingly echoing Cyrilla’s thoughts. “It’s not so bad, once you learn to avoid them in the right way.”
“No,” Harper disagreed, setting her beer bottle back down on the table. She was officially of legal age to drink, but only just. “It’s still shitty. You just give less of a fuck.” She side-eyed Eryk, arching her brow. “This one still cares, even if he doesn’t act like it.” Her mouth turned up at the corner, but then she sighed, flopping back in her chair.
Their appetizers arrived, then—the whole table had just ordered a couple of things to share. Kas dug into the spiced onion immediately; Harper seemed more interested in the fried calamari. Ana nibbled at a bit of everything.
“Hands down funniest part was watching Blue and Princess battle though,” Harper said after a bit. “He was scared out of his little bird mind, poor guy.”
Kas rolled his eyes. “I can’t blame him. She’s a scary lady.”
Eryk rolled his eyes and shook his head. "I think it's because he likes her but he's too scared of her to say anything," Eryk replied casually, as if he knew what he was talking about. Cyrilla snorted somewhat, wincing just slightly as she did so. She was taking a drink of her soda and it went up her nose when he said that. It hurt, but she found it a little funny. It wasn't too uncommon. An altaria and a charizard could, theoretically, breed. Also, it sounded a lot like the current predicament she was in.
"Yeah, well I still think he was scared. I've never seen an altaria move as fast as he did to avoid her," Drake chimed in, somewhat amused. "I have to agree on that part, though," he added. Eryk shook his head and looked like he was about to glare at Drake, but must have decided against it. He took a piece of the fried calamari and just nibbled on it.
"Aw, I think Ryk is pouting," Cyrilla spoke, staring at Ryk with a smile on her face. It really did look like he was, because he never ate his food in small bites. He always ate it whole, if he could, or in two bites. He just shot her a glare, though.
“Nova did well, though,” Harper said, leaning back and a little to the side. Her shoulder came into contact with Drake’s, and she let it stay there, casual as ever. “Did you teach him to battle, Ana?”
She shook her head. “Not exactly. He used to be with a trainer who was very battle-focused. Too much so. He was just an eevee then, though. After he evolved, I helped him learn a few new moves because he seemed interested, but I don’t really know much about battling, myself. His strategy and everything was all him—and Eryk, of course.”
“He’s really sharp,” Kas agreed. “And Ryk did well to be able to improvise a strategy with him on the fly like that. They did a number on Jaws and I.” He grinned, apparently having no hard feelings about that. Then again, Cyrilla had never known Kas to have hard feelings about anything.
Eryk shrugged his shoulders a bit, still nibbling on the fried calamari. "He is a good pokémon," he spoke finally, grabbing another piece of calamari and began nibbling on it again. "I think... he'd make a good battle pokémon if he really wanted to be one," Eryk spoke. Cyrilla would agree with that. Nova was really good at what he did, especially to take down Jaws the way he did.
"Maybe you should start training with him? You know, that way he'll be able to battle whenever he feels like it. You could pit him against your mankey. It'll give them a good way to burn off any extra energy they might have. Of course, that's up to you too, Ana," Drake spoke. He didn't seem too embarrassed by Harper's shoulder on his, but he did seem to move a little closer to her. He must not have realized it, because he was still smiling. It was cute, actually.
“Um… actually.” Ana looked a tad nervous, pulling her lower lip between her teeth. “I talked to him about it, and a couple of the others as well. It… seems to be something they’re interested in, but I don’t know much about battling, so I was wondering if maybe you could teach me?” She seemed to be directing the question generally, but her eyes landed lastly on Eryk, and remained there.
It was obvious she wasn’t aware of the way her body language always ended up orienting towards him eventually, but it did.
Eryk blinked slowly, a piece of calamari hanging from his mouth as he stared back at Ana. Cyrilla stifled a laugh, though, as it seemed he was contemplating something. It was just as adorable how Ana always did that, but she wasn't going to say it out loud. Eryk seemed confused, though, and glanced around the table. No one said anything, and instead, it looked like everyone was focused on Eryk to say something. He glanced back at Ana, though, and titled his head just slightly.
"If that's what you want, then I'll help you," he finally replied. Cyrilla just wiped the piece of calamari from his face. He glanced at her for a second before she showed it to him, and he shrugged. "When we get home, I can help you then," he continued.
"Or when we go camping," Cyrilla added, a small smile forming on her lips. Drake blinked a little confusedly for a moment and glanced at them.
"You're all going camping? Why weren't we invited?" he asked, a little skeptical. "You hear that, Harp, they didn't invite us," he almost pouted.
Harper rolled her eyes. “Don’t you have a Gym to run, Drake?” she asked, raising an eyebrow at him. “If you really want to go camping, though, I can bring a tent down to Cinnabar sometime and you can go with me, hm?”
Kas half-snorted, half-choked on his drink. “That’s a different kind of camping, Melly.”
“Is it?” she asked, smiling coyly.
Drake looked slightly confused for a second before his entire face turned red. He sputtered some incoherent words, and even Eryk looked like he wanted to laugh. It was strange, but it was there. Cyrilla, however, snorted into her hand, trying not to laugh at Drake's current predicament. He didn't seem so interested in camping, now, and she didn't blame him.
"How about next time, when we go camping, we'll invite you along? Just make sure you have someone to watch your Gym for a while," Cyrilla spoke, still laughing lightly at Drake.
"Y-Y-Yeah," he managed to get out. It was funny, but he still didn't move too far from Harper. "I'll do that," he continued, coughing awkwardly in his hand.
“You have no idea what you’re getting into, do you?” Kas asked him, shaking his head with obvious amusement. “Anyway, food’s here. Everyone grab your drinks; I want to toast.” He waited until everyone was holding a beverage of some description, then raised his own a little.
“To friends, old and new, and to branching out a little with their help.”
Ana smiled. “And to new experiences.”
Harper’s smile was more of a grin; she clinked her glass against the others'. “Hear, hear.”
This moment had to be one of the best experiences of her life, and Cyrilla was glad she was with good friends. Even Eryk looked slightly happier as he joined in and clinked his glass with the others, a subtle smile on his face.
The campsite Kas had chosen was significantly outside of Saffron city, in the wilds that stretched between it and Cerulean. The relatively northern location guaranteed snow, which was nice, but not so much cold that they’d be in serious trouble. He’d made sure to stock up on thermal gear and equipment before they left the city.
Harper had parted from them about an hour ago, headed towards Cerulean itself, but they struck farther into the woods. It was mostly coniferous forest here—the deciduous trees didn’t have any new leaves yet. The air was definitely crisp, but Ana had reassured him that cold weather was no particular irritant to her, so he wasn’t too worried about it.
They broke through the trees into a small clearing after another hour or so of hiking. “This looks good, don’t you think?” he asked the others, nodding to the spot. Shrugging the large backpack—which included one of their two tents—off his shoulders, he set it down on a bed of fallen pine needles. The ground was mostly clear under them—no huge snowdrifts or anything, and relatively soft due to the needle cover. It shouldn’t be uncomfortable to sleep on, and the area was far enough away from the trees that a campfire wasn’t too risky.
“I’m no expert, but it looks nice to me,” Ana said, easing her own backpack off and setting it gently on the ground. Her cheeks were pink from the chill, but she smiled brightly, adjusting her red knit hat on her head. “So… how do we set up a camp? I want to help.”
Eryk shrugged off his pack, setting it to the side while Cyrilla blew into her hands. "Depends on what you want to do first," Eryk spoke first. He put his pack far enough so it wouldn't be in the way, and stood next to Ana. "We should set up the tents, first, though," he continued, glancing towards Kas as he did so. "If all else fails, we'll at least have some shelter," he stated as if to clarify the reason.
"You say it like we've never set up camp, before," Cyrilla spoke, giving Eryk a blank stare. He shrugged his shoulders, though.
"We have, but she hasn't," Eryk replied, nodding his head towards Ana. It made sense, given that their missions for Team Rocket often had them camping out on stake outs and other such outings. "And she wants to help, so," he continued, moving back towards Kas. Cyrilla smiled and shook her head.
"Well let's pitch a tent, then," she replied, making her way towards Ana. "It's not as difficult as it seems, really," she spoke to her, as Eryk retreived the other tent. "First thing we have to do is make sure we stake the corners of the tent down," she began. Eryk shook his head.
"You have to put the tarp down first, Cy. If you don't, you might end up tearing the bottom of the tent," he spoke.
“This part?” Ana held up what was, indeed, the tarp.
Kas nodded. “It’s also sometimes called the footprint, or groundcloth, for obvious reasons.”
She unfolded it, handing one end to Cy so that they could spread it over the ground smoothly. “Should we lay out everything else at once so we can reach it all?”
“Sure,” he replied. “Then you’re going to want to thread the poles through the frame, raise the tent itself, and then hammer the pegs.” Since Eryk already knew what he was doing, Kas left him to do the other tent and helped Ana sort out which poles went where. It was a pretty standard a-frame tent, so thankfully it wasn’t that complicated.
They had it up within about ten minutes, though Eryk had finished with the other one in about five. “There.”
“We pitched a tent,” Ana said, apparently quite pleased with this fact.
“So we did.”
"Now we have tents," Eryk seemed to echo their words, glancing between the two. "Next, we should make a pit for a fire, at least," he began.
"That way we can stay warm through the night until we fall asleep. It'll also keep most of the pokémon at bay. Oh, well, we could also let ours out so they can roam around," Cyrilla suggested, but shrugged her shoulders. Eryk just quirked a brow. "It'll be good for them to stretch their legs," she added, but she glanced at Kas and Ana.
"One thing at a time, Cy," Eryk spoke, shaking his head lightly. "We could make the pit, and then go find wood or something to make the fire with," he spoke. Between them, there were plenty of pokémon who could help create the fire without the need of any sticks or stones, or even matches.
“There is a solution to this problem,” Kas declared, giving Jaws’s pokéball a light toss. When the gabite appeared, he sniffed the area, then turned around to face his trainer, cocking his head inquisitively. “Okay, buddy. We need a small fire pit. Right… there.” He eyeballed the best spot, then pointed to it.
With a sound of enthusiastic acknowledgement, Jaws went to work, digging out a reasonably-sized pit. It wasn’t exactly small, but it didn’t have to be. Kas just made his request more modest because Jaws would overdo it no matter what he said. This way, they actually got something useable.
He let out the rest of his pokémon as well, telling them they were free to explore, and reminding Princess Cinders not to set the forest on fire, even a little bit. She gave him a flat look and huffed.
Ana giggled, following his lead and releasing her pokémon as well. None of them was especially large, but they all seemed willing enough to help with firewood collection. She scooped the pichu off the ground immediately and set him on her shoulder, however. Probably for the best, if they wanted to avoid accidental fires.
Eryk shook his head a bit, but followed after them. He'd released all of his pokémon except for Milotic. She would probably be too cold in the lake. She probably wouldn't be, but she was also one of Eryk's high maintenance pokémon. Gengar, as usual, made his way towards Ana, hovering just barely on her spare shoulder. He didn't seem to put any weight on her, though. He had his grin on his face, though. Cyrilla released hers as well, though like Eryk, she kept Gyarados in his pokéball. That was probably for the best. Lithe, however, immediately jogged towards Cy, and attempted to coil himself around her.
"No, Lithe, not right now," he spoke. Snow, her alolan ninetales, seemed to huff towards them, and sat on Kas's left side. She didn't seem to want to interact too much with the other pokémon. She probably wasn't as bad as Princess Cinders, but there was enough there to compare them. Kenshin, who'd actually been in his pokéball for once, glanced around before allowing his eyes to settle on the group.
I feel like I missed something, he spoke. Cyrilla just shrugged her shoulders. Blue, however, was no where to be seen. As soon as Eryk had released him, he'd immediately recalled himself back into his ball. Apparently even knowing Princess was around was enough to scare him. Eryk rolled his eyes, and shoved the pokéball back onto his belt.
"You didn't miss anything, Kenshin. You can help them gather the fire wood if you want to do something, though," Eryk spoke towards the lucario. Kenshin merely shrugged, but sat down where he was at. He didn't seem to want to do anything, really.
I'll stay here and guard the site, he spoke as if it really needed guarding.
“Guess we should start gathering firewood, then,” Kas said, glancing between the other three. Why the hell not, really? “Actually, probably Cy and I can take care of that, right Cy? I seem to recall Eryk promising to teach Ana to battle or something; probably better to do that before it gets dark.”
“Oh, that can wait a while,” Ana said by way of protest. “Really, it’s not like I’m going to learn everything in a day; the firewood seems more urgent.”
I'll go, Kenshin spoke, immediately getting up. Sudden change of heart, that one. He seemed to catch on just slightly, and Cyrilla nodded her head.
"See, even Kenshin wants to help, now. Don't worry about it, Ana, Kas and I can get the wood. It's not like we really need a whole lot of it. With Kenny, it'll be easier to carry back. Plus, we won't be in your way. Ryk is a better teacher without too many eyes on him," Cyrilla spoke, giving Eryk a smile before turning it on Ana.
"What are you trying to say?"
That you teach better when no one else is around.
"What Kenny said."
Eryk looked slightly confused for a moment before shaking his head. "It won't be too much trouble, Ana. Besides, it'll be better if you start now, rather than later. You are right, you won't learn everything in a day, but at least you'll have some things to go on when we get back," he seemed to concede. He didn't look too upset, though, so maybe that was a good thing.
“All right then,” Ana seemed willing enough to concede. So helpfully agreeable, that one. She nodded, and Kas gave them both a jaunty salute.
“We’ll get to it then. See you guys in a while… but not too soon, eh?” He grinned, at Ryk in particular.
"F...Screw you, Kas," Eryk replied. Cyrilla snorted at his own censorship, it seems.
"Just don't... just take it easy will you? You get a little too excited sometimes about training, Ryk. Remember Ana's not like you when it comes to training, alright?" Cyrilla spoke. Eryk just waved them off.
"Begone already," he spoke, though it sounded like he was his usual grumpy self.
Kas laughed all the way out of the clearing.
That never got old.
Harper had parted from them about an hour ago, headed towards Cerulean itself, but they struck farther into the woods. It was mostly coniferous forest here—the deciduous trees didn’t have any new leaves yet. The air was definitely crisp, but Ana had reassured him that cold weather was no particular irritant to her, so he wasn’t too worried about it.
They broke through the trees into a small clearing after another hour or so of hiking. “This looks good, don’t you think?” he asked the others, nodding to the spot. Shrugging the large backpack—which included one of their two tents—off his shoulders, he set it down on a bed of fallen pine needles. The ground was mostly clear under them—no huge snowdrifts or anything, and relatively soft due to the needle cover. It shouldn’t be uncomfortable to sleep on, and the area was far enough away from the trees that a campfire wasn’t too risky.
“I’m no expert, but it looks nice to me,” Ana said, easing her own backpack off and setting it gently on the ground. Her cheeks were pink from the chill, but she smiled brightly, adjusting her red knit hat on her head. “So… how do we set up a camp? I want to help.”
Eryk shrugged off his pack, setting it to the side while Cyrilla blew into her hands. "Depends on what you want to do first," Eryk spoke first. He put his pack far enough so it wouldn't be in the way, and stood next to Ana. "We should set up the tents, first, though," he continued, glancing towards Kas as he did so. "If all else fails, we'll at least have some shelter," he stated as if to clarify the reason.
"You say it like we've never set up camp, before," Cyrilla spoke, giving Eryk a blank stare. He shrugged his shoulders, though.
"We have, but she hasn't," Eryk replied, nodding his head towards Ana. It made sense, given that their missions for Team Rocket often had them camping out on stake outs and other such outings. "And she wants to help, so," he continued, moving back towards Kas. Cyrilla smiled and shook her head.
"Well let's pitch a tent, then," she replied, making her way towards Ana. "It's not as difficult as it seems, really," she spoke to her, as Eryk retreived the other tent. "First thing we have to do is make sure we stake the corners of the tent down," she began. Eryk shook his head.
"You have to put the tarp down first, Cy. If you don't, you might end up tearing the bottom of the tent," he spoke.
“This part?” Ana held up what was, indeed, the tarp.
Kas nodded. “It’s also sometimes called the footprint, or groundcloth, for obvious reasons.”
She unfolded it, handing one end to Cy so that they could spread it over the ground smoothly. “Should we lay out everything else at once so we can reach it all?”
“Sure,” he replied. “Then you’re going to want to thread the poles through the frame, raise the tent itself, and then hammer the pegs.” Since Eryk already knew what he was doing, Kas left him to do the other tent and helped Ana sort out which poles went where. It was a pretty standard a-frame tent, so thankfully it wasn’t that complicated.
They had it up within about ten minutes, though Eryk had finished with the other one in about five. “There.”
“We pitched a tent,” Ana said, apparently quite pleased with this fact.
“So we did.”
"Now we have tents," Eryk seemed to echo their words, glancing between the two. "Next, we should make a pit for a fire, at least," he began.
"That way we can stay warm through the night until we fall asleep. It'll also keep most of the pokémon at bay. Oh, well, we could also let ours out so they can roam around," Cyrilla suggested, but shrugged her shoulders. Eryk just quirked a brow. "It'll be good for them to stretch their legs," she added, but she glanced at Kas and Ana.
"One thing at a time, Cy," Eryk spoke, shaking his head lightly. "We could make the pit, and then go find wood or something to make the fire with," he spoke. Between them, there were plenty of pokémon who could help create the fire without the need of any sticks or stones, or even matches.
“There is a solution to this problem,” Kas declared, giving Jaws’s pokéball a light toss. When the gabite appeared, he sniffed the area, then turned around to face his trainer, cocking his head inquisitively. “Okay, buddy. We need a small fire pit. Right… there.” He eyeballed the best spot, then pointed to it.
With a sound of enthusiastic acknowledgement, Jaws went to work, digging out a reasonably-sized pit. It wasn’t exactly small, but it didn’t have to be. Kas just made his request more modest because Jaws would overdo it no matter what he said. This way, they actually got something useable.
He let out the rest of his pokémon as well, telling them they were free to explore, and reminding Princess Cinders not to set the forest on fire, even a little bit. She gave him a flat look and huffed.
Ana giggled, following his lead and releasing her pokémon as well. None of them was especially large, but they all seemed willing enough to help with firewood collection. She scooped the pichu off the ground immediately and set him on her shoulder, however. Probably for the best, if they wanted to avoid accidental fires.
Eryk shook his head a bit, but followed after them. He'd released all of his pokémon except for Milotic. She would probably be too cold in the lake. She probably wouldn't be, but she was also one of Eryk's high maintenance pokémon. Gengar, as usual, made his way towards Ana, hovering just barely on her spare shoulder. He didn't seem to put any weight on her, though. He had his grin on his face, though. Cyrilla released hers as well, though like Eryk, she kept Gyarados in his pokéball. That was probably for the best. Lithe, however, immediately jogged towards Cy, and attempted to coil himself around her.
"No, Lithe, not right now," he spoke. Snow, her alolan ninetales, seemed to huff towards them, and sat on Kas's left side. She didn't seem to want to interact too much with the other pokémon. She probably wasn't as bad as Princess Cinders, but there was enough there to compare them. Kenshin, who'd actually been in his pokéball for once, glanced around before allowing his eyes to settle on the group.
I feel like I missed something, he spoke. Cyrilla just shrugged her shoulders. Blue, however, was no where to be seen. As soon as Eryk had released him, he'd immediately recalled himself back into his ball. Apparently even knowing Princess was around was enough to scare him. Eryk rolled his eyes, and shoved the pokéball back onto his belt.
"You didn't miss anything, Kenshin. You can help them gather the fire wood if you want to do something, though," Eryk spoke towards the lucario. Kenshin merely shrugged, but sat down where he was at. He didn't seem to want to do anything, really.
I'll stay here and guard the site, he spoke as if it really needed guarding.
“Guess we should start gathering firewood, then,” Kas said, glancing between the other three. Why the hell not, really? “Actually, probably Cy and I can take care of that, right Cy? I seem to recall Eryk promising to teach Ana to battle or something; probably better to do that before it gets dark.”
“Oh, that can wait a while,” Ana said by way of protest. “Really, it’s not like I’m going to learn everything in a day; the firewood seems more urgent.”
I'll go, Kenshin spoke, immediately getting up. Sudden change of heart, that one. He seemed to catch on just slightly, and Cyrilla nodded her head.
"See, even Kenshin wants to help, now. Don't worry about it, Ana, Kas and I can get the wood. It's not like we really need a whole lot of it. With Kenny, it'll be easier to carry back. Plus, we won't be in your way. Ryk is a better teacher without too many eyes on him," Cyrilla spoke, giving Eryk a smile before turning it on Ana.
"What are you trying to say?"
That you teach better when no one else is around.
"What Kenny said."
Eryk looked slightly confused for a moment before shaking his head. "It won't be too much trouble, Ana. Besides, it'll be better if you start now, rather than later. You are right, you won't learn everything in a day, but at least you'll have some things to go on when we get back," he seemed to concede. He didn't look too upset, though, so maybe that was a good thing.
“All right then,” Ana seemed willing enough to concede. So helpfully agreeable, that one. She nodded, and Kas gave them both a jaunty salute.
“We’ll get to it then. See you guys in a while… but not too soon, eh?” He grinned, at Ryk in particular.
"F...Screw you, Kas," Eryk replied. Cyrilla snorted at his own censorship, it seems.
"Just don't... just take it easy will you? You get a little too excited sometimes about training, Ryk. Remember Ana's not like you when it comes to training, alright?" Cyrilla spoke. Eryk just waved them off.
"Begone already," he spoke, though it sounded like he was his usual grumpy self.
Kas laughed all the way out of the clearing.
That never got old.
Eryk swore Kas was doing this on purpose. He likely was. Everything Kas did was on purpose, and he should've known that by now. He sighed deeply, resisting the urge to rub his temples. Still, Kas managed to give him a headache. Sighing a little softer, he turned towards Ana and just stared at her for a moment. She wanted to learn how to battle, but he wasn't so sure he'd actually be able to teach her. He wasn't really good at telling people things like this, but he supposed he could try for her sake. He whistled lowly, calling Meowth to him as he did so. He lifted her up and allowed her to dangle freely from his arms. She didn't seem to mind, actually, and remained limp in his arms.
"Learning how to battle isn't entirely, easy," he began. "There are different things and strategies to use. Most people use type match-ups and choose pokémon who are either stronger than the type of their opponents, or have a resistance to it. I'll start with Meowth," he began, holding out the pokémon in his arms. She mewled towards Ana, though.
"She's also strong enough to stand up to some of your evolved pokémon like Nova and Luna," he continued. She was probably close to evolving into a persian, but she also seemed like she wasn't exactly ready to evolve. She'd probably remain a meowth for the rest of her lifetime, but it's not like he was going to force her to evolve.
Nova approached at the sound of his name, sitting down next to Ana’s feet. I believe I might be of some assistance here, he said. From the way Ana looked down at him, he’d probably said it to her, too.
She nodded slightly. “I’m familiar with the concept of type matchups, though I might not know all of them right off hand. Some of them aren’t quite symmetrical, right? Like… fairy moves are bad against fire pokémon, but fire moves aren’t particularly strong against fairy pokémon. I think that’s where I start to lose track of things,” she confessed, smiling a little wryly.
“But you don’t have to teach me all of those. I can memorize them at some other point. Just, um… how do you decide who chooses their pokémon first in a battle? Because it seems like it would be an advantage to choose second, for type match-ups, right?”
"Typically, yes. Choosing second is more of an advantage to the trainer who does, however; as far as choosing, it's usually up to the trainers," he replied, glancing towards Nova and nodding his head. "The way it is traditionally done is the challenger chooses his or her pokémon first. The person who is challenged usually sends their pokémon out second. Sometimes, trainers use the pokémon that is in the ball closest to their hand," he spoke, reaching down to his side where his pokéballs were.
"They usually set up their pokémon in a way that they typically send out the first pokémon in their team that's easier to reach," he continued. He never really did that, though. He set up his team usually by who was the oldest. In this case, his line up went Milotic, Blue, Gengar, Zoroark, Meowth, and Mankey. It was easier for him to keep track of them, that way.
"You can also decide before a match, through a coin toss. It's not a traditional method, but it has been done a few times," and that was usually between indecisive trainers. They usually weren't battle-ready trainers, and were probably getting the hang of battling themselves. Typically, children used coin tosses.
Ana hummed, an indication of her understanding, dipping her chin. “Okay, so… can we try a short mock battle, maybe? Just using Nova and Meowth?” She looked down at Nova, who blinked his red eyes back at her.
That is fine with me if Meowth has no objections either. We can use our moves at low power, or pull hits before they land, if you prefer.
She nodded. “That seems best. I don’t want anyone to get hurt because I don’t know what I’m doing. I have first aid supplies, but… we’re pretty far away from a real Pokémon Center.”
Meowth didn't seem to have any objections because she jumped from his arms, and sat on the ground. Eryk just shook his head, but turned his attention back on Nova and Ana. "A mock battle sounds fine. Low powered moves sounds ideal at this moment," he spoke. Even if they weren't close to a Center, it would give Ana some life experience. Even if she never left Cinnabar, a trainer had to learn what to do with their pokémon in case there wasn't nearby help. She didn't look like she'd have that much trouble, though, since she was a Joy, after all.
"We'll start off slow," which also meant that he'd refrain from using Toxic. There was always a chance that it could poison Nova, and he'd rather not. "I'll start off Meowth with a Thunderbolt," he spoke, watching as Meowth's fur crackled a bit. It was more static than an actual bolt, though.
“Oh, um…” Ana hesitated; Nova jumped out of the way of the small bolt on his own. “Payback? No, that’s only if you actually get hit… Swift!”
Nova nodded; the rings on his coat glowed dully for a moment before he shot several weak beams of light towards Meowth. It was still a sure hit attack, of course, but it probably wouldn’t do much.
Meowth, however, being the little dramatic pokémon she was, rolled over on her side when she was hit, mewling like she was in pain. Eryk rolled his eyes at her. "Meowth, knock it off," he spoke, watching as she rolled back over and stared at him. "You're not helping," he added, and she just mewled at him. "Use Aerial Ace," he spoke, but she just sat down. He stared at her.
"I'll use Mankey if I have to, Meowth," he spoke. She looked slightly offended, though. Mankey, having heard his name apparently, sat in a nearby tree and snorted at Meowth. "Aerial Ace," he spoke, watching as she stood and made her way towards Nova. She wasn't moving very fast, though.
“Oh wait, I know this one. Um… Dark Pulse?” It wasn’t a bad instinct. A ranged attack like that could theoretically intercept a pokémon in midair for an aerial ace attack.
Nova only used one pulse, and it was quite weak, but the general effect was roughly the same, considering that Meowth was hardly putting in any effort, either.
Meowth looked like she was shocked by the attack, but stopped what she was doing anyway. It was a good instinct for Ana to have. Perhaps he should up it a little more? "You have good reaction for the attacks. I'm going to give you something a little more difficult," though it wasn't too difficult, really. "Dig," he commanded. Meowth nodded her head and buried underground.
"This one requires a bit of guessing and anticipation. You don't really know where she'll pop out from, however; most people who command Dig, usually have their pokémon appear behind their opponent's pokémon," he explained.
“Behind, huh?” Ana looked unsure for a moment, but then her expression brightened. “Um… ready an Iron Tail.”
Nova’s tail started to glow; he looked quite ready to fend off an attack from any direction, now.
Eryk waited for Meowth to reappear, however; she never did. Eryk blinked for a moment before glancing towards Ana and Nova. "Meowth," he called out to her, but he received no answer. He pursed his lips together, walking over towards the hole she had dug, and peered down. He couldn't see her, but he knew she was down there. "Meowth," he called again, but again, there was no answer. He sighed heavily.
"I believe she's not going to reappear," which made this inconvenient for them. He was trying to teach Ana how to battle. "And I also believe that means you've won by default," though really, in an actual battle, this would not have happened.
Ana laughed; it seemed she found this development quite amusing. “I think she might be asleep in there,” she said, walking over to stand beside Eryk and glance down into the hole as well. “I think… I’ll call it a draw.” She glanced up at him through the corner of an eye and smiled.
“I guess that ends today’s lesson. Do you… want to take a walk instead? Explore the forest a little?” She sounded a bit hesitant, as though she was unsure whether he’d be interested.
He blinked somewhat. It couldn't hurt, really. "Sure," he replied, glancing one last time back in the hole. "Perhaps, when we get back, Meowth will be out of her hole," otherwise he'd just have Milotic fill it up with water and push her out. Of course, he wouldn't do that entirely. He didn't want to drown his Meowth, after all.
"It'll be nice," though he wasn't sure nice would be the best word for it.
Ana nodded, striking off to the east. Why that direction in particular was unclear; perhaps she’d simply chosen at random. Their boots crunched in the snow underfoot; there was more of it on the ground around this part of the area. She fell back to walk beside him, folding her hands behind her back. Her breath made little clouds when she exhaled; it would likely only get colder as night drew closer, but she didn’t seem to be too chilly yet.
“It beautiful out here,” she mused, tipping her head back to look up at the trees overhead. “Even though I lived in Lavender for so long, I’ve never been someplace like this, you know?” She sighed, dropping her eyes back down to the path in front of her. “Though I guess it’s probably nothing new to you; the three of you have obviously been camping before.”
"I wouldn't call it camping, really," because camping implied they had fun when they did it. His voice remained as passive as his face did, he was sure. Besides, he could hear it in his own tone. "We didn't have much of a choice in whether or not we learned to camp. This is the first time we've been camping just for the hell of it," he continued, being a little earnest. He didn't necessarily say anything more than that, but it's not like he couldn't tell her they'd been doing stakeouts and things like that. She knew they worked for Team Rocket, and they weren't exactly the most pristine organization.
"But I can think of other places that are more beautiful than this," because honestly, this place they'd chosen paled in comparison to being home. He wasn't entirely sure what that meant, but he'd figure it out eventually.
“Well, then… it’s another first for us both, I guess.” She seemed pleased by that for some reason. Fortunately, she didn’t leave him to try and puzzle out her meaning—she was just as direct with him as he usually was with other people. “I’m happy when I get to share the new things with you, you know. It makes me feel like… I’m giving a little bit back. I know you don’t think so, but I think you’ve done a lot for me, so…” She shrugged.
It was like a never ending cycle, really. She'd say that, he'd say almost the same thing. He answered with a shrug as well. It wasn't a bad thing, as he'd been finding out, but it made him wonder if she knew just how much she'd done for him. He glanced down at her for a moment, just staring at her as they walked. He could feel his hand twitching just slightly. He wanted to take hold of hers, but he wasn't entirely sure how she'd feel about that. He'd actually missed holding her hand, odd as it was. When the power went out during Christmas, he'd been slightly reluctant to let it go. He hadn't held her hand ever since then. He shook his head at himself.
"Ana," he paused, stopping momentarily and waited for her to do the same. He continued staring at her for a moment, a sudden lump growing in his throat. He wasn't entirely sure how he wanted to say this, or if he even wanted to say it. Part of him wanted to, and some other part of him didn't want him to. He was at ends with himself, but he also didn't want to be like his cousin. He'd seen what it did to her mindset, and he wasn't exactly going to let the same happen to him.
"There is... something I'd like to say," he finally spoke, swallowing thickly.
She stopped, turning around to face him. She looked… torn about something for a moment, then swallowed visibly. “Um… I do, too, actually. You can go first though, if you want to?” She blinked at him—she certainly didn’t look like she knew what he planned to tell her. If anything, she looked a little nervous.
"Perhaps... it is best if you went first," because it looked like what she wanted to say was just a little more important than what he wanted to say.
“Uh… right. Okay.” She expelled a breath in a little puff, licking her lips in what seemed like an anxious way.
“I don’t want you to think I’ve been hiding this from you,” she said abruptly. Her expression pulled into a grimace. “Because I haven’t. Not on purpose. It just… it’s never come up, and we’ve known each other for so long now that it seems… weird, that you still don’t know.” She sighed again; something like frustration tinged it this time.
She shook her head, stirring the end of her braid under her hat. “They really never teach you how to tell someone this. I’m just… I’m going to show you, and then I’ll answer any questions you have, I guess.” She paused. “Please don’t… well, I guess you’re not really the ‘freaking out’ type, but please don’t be alarmed. It’s perfectly safe.”
She pulled in a deep lungful of air, turning her head so that she was staring quite intently at what looked like a stone in their pathway. After a couple of seconds, she slowly let out the breath. Her eyes, ordinarily a bright, almost-teal blue, lit up seemingly from behind, just a bit.
A corresponding blue light encircled the stone, and it lifted delicately from the ground, floating over towards them as though it were no heavier than dandelion fluff. Ana stretched out her hand; the stone dropped into her palm. It actually looked to be a chunk of geode; one side was pale crystals. She half-smiled, holding it out towards him.
“I… I guess I’m what you’d call a psychic. It’s really not that big of a deal; I don’t use it very much in my everyday life. But… I wanted you to know, is all.”
Well... shit. He really wasn't expecting that. Anything but that. This wasn't good, at all. She'd just confirmed what they had suspected, but now he wasn't entirely sure how to write it off. He couldn't exactly not say he didn't know, because there was some speculation when Kas had mentioned it. Now that she confirmed it... what was he supposed to do now? He couldn't leave it out of the report, and he knew that if he sent it, they'd probably come down and take her. That actually caused his chest to tighten somewhat.
"I... don't really have any questions about it," he spoke, because he really didn't. His father was a psychic so he wasn't completely oblivious to what they were and what they could do. Fuck. He didn't like this one bit. "My father is a psychic, actually," he could say that much, at least. "I suppose, in some ways, I would have been one too, however," he paused. His powers never fully manifested. The most he could do was telepathy.
"I am only capable of using telepathy. With people or pokémon," he continued. This was not good. Not one bit. Fuck.
“Oh, I can do that too,” she said, clearly surprised to learn that the same was true of him. “I usually don’t, of course—being in someone’s mind without their permission seems rude, even if they don’t know it’s happening. Perhaps especially then.”
Her mild smile faded, though, replaced by an expression of concern. “Eryk, are you… you seem a little distressed?” Her eyes widened. “I’ve never read your mind, I promise!”
Eryk just blinked at her for a minute. He would have known if she did. Not exactly, but he would have felt it. He may not be a psychic, but he was a telepath so he would know. He just shook his head, though. "It's fine, Ana. There's nothing wrong," though there clearly was. "We should go back. Cy and Kas are probably back by now," he spoke. This was not good, and he didn't like it, not one bit.
What the hell was he supposed to do now?
"Learning how to battle isn't entirely, easy," he began. "There are different things and strategies to use. Most people use type match-ups and choose pokémon who are either stronger than the type of their opponents, or have a resistance to it. I'll start with Meowth," he began, holding out the pokémon in his arms. She mewled towards Ana, though.
"She's also strong enough to stand up to some of your evolved pokémon like Nova and Luna," he continued. She was probably close to evolving into a persian, but she also seemed like she wasn't exactly ready to evolve. She'd probably remain a meowth for the rest of her lifetime, but it's not like he was going to force her to evolve.
Nova approached at the sound of his name, sitting down next to Ana’s feet. I believe I might be of some assistance here, he said. From the way Ana looked down at him, he’d probably said it to her, too.
She nodded slightly. “I’m familiar with the concept of type matchups, though I might not know all of them right off hand. Some of them aren’t quite symmetrical, right? Like… fairy moves are bad against fire pokémon, but fire moves aren’t particularly strong against fairy pokémon. I think that’s where I start to lose track of things,” she confessed, smiling a little wryly.
“But you don’t have to teach me all of those. I can memorize them at some other point. Just, um… how do you decide who chooses their pokémon first in a battle? Because it seems like it would be an advantage to choose second, for type match-ups, right?”
"Typically, yes. Choosing second is more of an advantage to the trainer who does, however; as far as choosing, it's usually up to the trainers," he replied, glancing towards Nova and nodding his head. "The way it is traditionally done is the challenger chooses his or her pokémon first. The person who is challenged usually sends their pokémon out second. Sometimes, trainers use the pokémon that is in the ball closest to their hand," he spoke, reaching down to his side where his pokéballs were.
"They usually set up their pokémon in a way that they typically send out the first pokémon in their team that's easier to reach," he continued. He never really did that, though. He set up his team usually by who was the oldest. In this case, his line up went Milotic, Blue, Gengar, Zoroark, Meowth, and Mankey. It was easier for him to keep track of them, that way.
"You can also decide before a match, through a coin toss. It's not a traditional method, but it has been done a few times," and that was usually between indecisive trainers. They usually weren't battle-ready trainers, and were probably getting the hang of battling themselves. Typically, children used coin tosses.
Ana hummed, an indication of her understanding, dipping her chin. “Okay, so… can we try a short mock battle, maybe? Just using Nova and Meowth?” She looked down at Nova, who blinked his red eyes back at her.
That is fine with me if Meowth has no objections either. We can use our moves at low power, or pull hits before they land, if you prefer.
She nodded. “That seems best. I don’t want anyone to get hurt because I don’t know what I’m doing. I have first aid supplies, but… we’re pretty far away from a real Pokémon Center.”
Meowth didn't seem to have any objections because she jumped from his arms, and sat on the ground. Eryk just shook his head, but turned his attention back on Nova and Ana. "A mock battle sounds fine. Low powered moves sounds ideal at this moment," he spoke. Even if they weren't close to a Center, it would give Ana some life experience. Even if she never left Cinnabar, a trainer had to learn what to do with their pokémon in case there wasn't nearby help. She didn't look like she'd have that much trouble, though, since she was a Joy, after all.
"We'll start off slow," which also meant that he'd refrain from using Toxic. There was always a chance that it could poison Nova, and he'd rather not. "I'll start off Meowth with a Thunderbolt," he spoke, watching as Meowth's fur crackled a bit. It was more static than an actual bolt, though.
“Oh, um…” Ana hesitated; Nova jumped out of the way of the small bolt on his own. “Payback? No, that’s only if you actually get hit… Swift!”
Nova nodded; the rings on his coat glowed dully for a moment before he shot several weak beams of light towards Meowth. It was still a sure hit attack, of course, but it probably wouldn’t do much.
Meowth, however, being the little dramatic pokémon she was, rolled over on her side when she was hit, mewling like she was in pain. Eryk rolled his eyes at her. "Meowth, knock it off," he spoke, watching as she rolled back over and stared at him. "You're not helping," he added, and she just mewled at him. "Use Aerial Ace," he spoke, but she just sat down. He stared at her.
"I'll use Mankey if I have to, Meowth," he spoke. She looked slightly offended, though. Mankey, having heard his name apparently, sat in a nearby tree and snorted at Meowth. "Aerial Ace," he spoke, watching as she stood and made her way towards Nova. She wasn't moving very fast, though.
“Oh wait, I know this one. Um… Dark Pulse?” It wasn’t a bad instinct. A ranged attack like that could theoretically intercept a pokémon in midair for an aerial ace attack.
Nova only used one pulse, and it was quite weak, but the general effect was roughly the same, considering that Meowth was hardly putting in any effort, either.
Meowth looked like she was shocked by the attack, but stopped what she was doing anyway. It was a good instinct for Ana to have. Perhaps he should up it a little more? "You have good reaction for the attacks. I'm going to give you something a little more difficult," though it wasn't too difficult, really. "Dig," he commanded. Meowth nodded her head and buried underground.
"This one requires a bit of guessing and anticipation. You don't really know where she'll pop out from, however; most people who command Dig, usually have their pokémon appear behind their opponent's pokémon," he explained.
“Behind, huh?” Ana looked unsure for a moment, but then her expression brightened. “Um… ready an Iron Tail.”
Nova’s tail started to glow; he looked quite ready to fend off an attack from any direction, now.
Eryk waited for Meowth to reappear, however; she never did. Eryk blinked for a moment before glancing towards Ana and Nova. "Meowth," he called out to her, but he received no answer. He pursed his lips together, walking over towards the hole she had dug, and peered down. He couldn't see her, but he knew she was down there. "Meowth," he called again, but again, there was no answer. He sighed heavily.
"I believe she's not going to reappear," which made this inconvenient for them. He was trying to teach Ana how to battle. "And I also believe that means you've won by default," though really, in an actual battle, this would not have happened.
Ana laughed; it seemed she found this development quite amusing. “I think she might be asleep in there,” she said, walking over to stand beside Eryk and glance down into the hole as well. “I think… I’ll call it a draw.” She glanced up at him through the corner of an eye and smiled.
“I guess that ends today’s lesson. Do you… want to take a walk instead? Explore the forest a little?” She sounded a bit hesitant, as though she was unsure whether he’d be interested.
He blinked somewhat. It couldn't hurt, really. "Sure," he replied, glancing one last time back in the hole. "Perhaps, when we get back, Meowth will be out of her hole," otherwise he'd just have Milotic fill it up with water and push her out. Of course, he wouldn't do that entirely. He didn't want to drown his Meowth, after all.
"It'll be nice," though he wasn't sure nice would be the best word for it.
Ana nodded, striking off to the east. Why that direction in particular was unclear; perhaps she’d simply chosen at random. Their boots crunched in the snow underfoot; there was more of it on the ground around this part of the area. She fell back to walk beside him, folding her hands behind her back. Her breath made little clouds when she exhaled; it would likely only get colder as night drew closer, but she didn’t seem to be too chilly yet.
“It beautiful out here,” she mused, tipping her head back to look up at the trees overhead. “Even though I lived in Lavender for so long, I’ve never been someplace like this, you know?” She sighed, dropping her eyes back down to the path in front of her. “Though I guess it’s probably nothing new to you; the three of you have obviously been camping before.”
"I wouldn't call it camping, really," because camping implied they had fun when they did it. His voice remained as passive as his face did, he was sure. Besides, he could hear it in his own tone. "We didn't have much of a choice in whether or not we learned to camp. This is the first time we've been camping just for the hell of it," he continued, being a little earnest. He didn't necessarily say anything more than that, but it's not like he couldn't tell her they'd been doing stakeouts and things like that. She knew they worked for Team Rocket, and they weren't exactly the most pristine organization.
"But I can think of other places that are more beautiful than this," because honestly, this place they'd chosen paled in comparison to being home. He wasn't entirely sure what that meant, but he'd figure it out eventually.
“Well, then… it’s another first for us both, I guess.” She seemed pleased by that for some reason. Fortunately, she didn’t leave him to try and puzzle out her meaning—she was just as direct with him as he usually was with other people. “I’m happy when I get to share the new things with you, you know. It makes me feel like… I’m giving a little bit back. I know you don’t think so, but I think you’ve done a lot for me, so…” She shrugged.
It was like a never ending cycle, really. She'd say that, he'd say almost the same thing. He answered with a shrug as well. It wasn't a bad thing, as he'd been finding out, but it made him wonder if she knew just how much she'd done for him. He glanced down at her for a moment, just staring at her as they walked. He could feel his hand twitching just slightly. He wanted to take hold of hers, but he wasn't entirely sure how she'd feel about that. He'd actually missed holding her hand, odd as it was. When the power went out during Christmas, he'd been slightly reluctant to let it go. He hadn't held her hand ever since then. He shook his head at himself.
"Ana," he paused, stopping momentarily and waited for her to do the same. He continued staring at her for a moment, a sudden lump growing in his throat. He wasn't entirely sure how he wanted to say this, or if he even wanted to say it. Part of him wanted to, and some other part of him didn't want him to. He was at ends with himself, but he also didn't want to be like his cousin. He'd seen what it did to her mindset, and he wasn't exactly going to let the same happen to him.
"There is... something I'd like to say," he finally spoke, swallowing thickly.
She stopped, turning around to face him. She looked… torn about something for a moment, then swallowed visibly. “Um… I do, too, actually. You can go first though, if you want to?” She blinked at him—she certainly didn’t look like she knew what he planned to tell her. If anything, she looked a little nervous.
"Perhaps... it is best if you went first," because it looked like what she wanted to say was just a little more important than what he wanted to say.
“Uh… right. Okay.” She expelled a breath in a little puff, licking her lips in what seemed like an anxious way.
“I don’t want you to think I’ve been hiding this from you,” she said abruptly. Her expression pulled into a grimace. “Because I haven’t. Not on purpose. It just… it’s never come up, and we’ve known each other for so long now that it seems… weird, that you still don’t know.” She sighed again; something like frustration tinged it this time.
She shook her head, stirring the end of her braid under her hat. “They really never teach you how to tell someone this. I’m just… I’m going to show you, and then I’ll answer any questions you have, I guess.” She paused. “Please don’t… well, I guess you’re not really the ‘freaking out’ type, but please don’t be alarmed. It’s perfectly safe.”
She pulled in a deep lungful of air, turning her head so that she was staring quite intently at what looked like a stone in their pathway. After a couple of seconds, she slowly let out the breath. Her eyes, ordinarily a bright, almost-teal blue, lit up seemingly from behind, just a bit.
A corresponding blue light encircled the stone, and it lifted delicately from the ground, floating over towards them as though it were no heavier than dandelion fluff. Ana stretched out her hand; the stone dropped into her palm. It actually looked to be a chunk of geode; one side was pale crystals. She half-smiled, holding it out towards him.
“I… I guess I’m what you’d call a psychic. It’s really not that big of a deal; I don’t use it very much in my everyday life. But… I wanted you to know, is all.”
Well... shit. He really wasn't expecting that. Anything but that. This wasn't good, at all. She'd just confirmed what they had suspected, but now he wasn't entirely sure how to write it off. He couldn't exactly not say he didn't know, because there was some speculation when Kas had mentioned it. Now that she confirmed it... what was he supposed to do now? He couldn't leave it out of the report, and he knew that if he sent it, they'd probably come down and take her. That actually caused his chest to tighten somewhat.
"I... don't really have any questions about it," he spoke, because he really didn't. His father was a psychic so he wasn't completely oblivious to what they were and what they could do. Fuck. He didn't like this one bit. "My father is a psychic, actually," he could say that much, at least. "I suppose, in some ways, I would have been one too, however," he paused. His powers never fully manifested. The most he could do was telepathy.
"I am only capable of using telepathy. With people or pokémon," he continued. This was not good. Not one bit. Fuck.
“Oh, I can do that too,” she said, clearly surprised to learn that the same was true of him. “I usually don’t, of course—being in someone’s mind without their permission seems rude, even if they don’t know it’s happening. Perhaps especially then.”
Her mild smile faded, though, replaced by an expression of concern. “Eryk, are you… you seem a little distressed?” Her eyes widened. “I’ve never read your mind, I promise!”
Eryk just blinked at her for a minute. He would have known if she did. Not exactly, but he would have felt it. He may not be a psychic, but he was a telepath so he would know. He just shook his head, though. "It's fine, Ana. There's nothing wrong," though there clearly was. "We should go back. Cy and Kas are probably back by now," he spoke. This was not good, and he didn't like it, not one bit.
What the hell was he supposed to do now?
Kas bent down, scooping Meep up off the ground and carrying her under one arm. He knew, of course, that she was perfectly capable of walking around on her own, but she was far too cute for him not to want to hug her as often as possible. Fortunately, she seemed to enjoy the attention in any case, and was perfectly fine with being tucked against his side, stubby legs dangling freely in the air. He supposed being that tall was rather impossible for her otherwise.
She was more than strong enough to evolve, and he was leaving it to her discretion whether she wanted to or not, but he could admit, if only to himself, that he would miss this if she did. All the more reason to make the most of it while she was still mostly fluff.
It made it slightly awkward to gather wood, but he could still carry plenty if Cyrilla handed it to him. He glanced at her from the corner of his eye, resisting the urge to sigh. He’d really fucked up somewhere along the line here—he couldn’t pretend he was dumb enough not to know where, either. But confronting that can of wurmples could potentially make things even worse, and he knew he didn’t want that.
“So,” he said, politely acting oblivious to her continued awkwardness around him, “bets on whether Ryk gets up the guts to tell Ana how he feels at some point during this camping trip? I’ll take whatever you don’t, but we should wager something interesting.”
"Well that seems hardly fair," she replied, glancing up at him. She frowned somewhat, and shook her head. "You know he'll do it, but it's more of a matter when. When will he tell her? Sometime during this trip, so," she paused, humming softly to herself as she looked a little thoughtful. Her brows furrowed along with her eyes as she remained silent.
"I'll wager that he tells her at the end of the trip," she finally stated, glancing back up at him. There was a soft smile on her face, but it wasn't one she usually wore. It was just there. Probably because things were awkward, and she was still somewhat awkward. "But as to what to wager, I don't know, hm," she continued, glancing away from him again.
"There aren't too many things I can think of," she muttered. She remained in thought for a moment before she pursed her lips together. "How about, I'll wager... a weeks worth of chores?"
Light weight, Kenshin spoke, glancing towards Cy. She merely frowned at him.
"What? I'm not creative enough to make wagers, you know that," she replied back.
Kas sighed. “Cy, I hate to say this, but you’re boring.” He grinned, though, to show he didn’t mean it. “How about this? The camping trip is three days. If he tells her on the third day, I will do anything and everything you tell me to for an entire day when we get back, though you’ll probably be lame and make me do lots of chores.” He rolled his eyes.
“If he tells her by the end of tomorrow, the second day, then I win, and… you have to answer one question for me, honestly and completely, no matter how embarrassing or personal it is, okay?” He knew she definitely wouldn’t agree to the same condition he gave himself, so he made it considerably less bad. It was also what he actually wanted if he won, so that was a nice bonus.
He really didn’t think she’d be able to make him do anything that he didn’t want to—she was far too considerate. The worst he’d get was paperwork, or making her coffee or something.
See, he's better at it, Kenshin spoke. Cyrilla just gave him a flat look, but turned her attention back to Kas. She gave him the same look, though.
"I'm not lame, and alright, deal," she replied, sticking out her hand. "Shake on it," she spoke. Kenshin rolled his eyes at the antic and stopped a few feet away, stooping to pick up a stick, it looked like. He didn't seem to like it much because he tossed it to the side.
His arms were kind of full; rather than put down the bundle of wood he was carrying, he gently let Meep down to the ground. He took her hand carefully in his; it was more than he’d touched her in… since Christmas, actually. Her hand was tiny compared to his. He shook it once, then released it. His fingers trailed along her palm for a second too long—it was almost difficult to pull it away.
“Deal.”
"Alright, good," she seemed satisfied with the outcome. Whether she noticed his hand lingering a second longer, she didn't make show of it. Instead, she turned towards Kenshin and grinned. "Alright, so, we need firewood. Did you find anything useful, yet?" she questioned the lucario. Kenshin gave her the same flat look she'd given him.
No, because all of these are just twigs, he replied, picking up another stick before throwing it to the side again. Cyrilla rolled her eyes at him.
"That's because you're thinking of logs, for firewood. We don't need logs, Kenny. We just need wood," she replied, earning a soft snort from Kenshin. She looked slightly confused, though, but shrugged. "I think... we might actually have enough, though. It's not like we need a lot, and if we need more tomorrow, Lithe and the others can find more," she spoke, pointing to the bundle Kas had.
"I think it's enough for a fire, and then some to keep feeding it if it gets too low."
He shrugged. “Fair enough. Let’s head back, then.” They’d wandered pretty far afield in their search for useable wood; though he had a few thicker branches, for the most part they hadn’t found too much but sticks. It’d do well enough for now.
Kas led the way back to camp, trudging back into the clearing at about the same time as Ryk and Ana arrived. From the looks on their faces, Ryk had definitely not just confessed his feelings. In fact, he looked distraught if anything—though of course on Ryk, ‘distraught’ looked kinda pissed. Much like many of his other emotions. Ana seemed vaguely confused and distressed; Kas blinked. Those were not the faces they usually wore around each other.
Something about the look on Ryk’s face indicated that he shouldn’t ask about it right now, so Kas pretended to be clueless, setting the lumber he’d gathered down a fair distance from the fire pit and breaking it down into useable lengths.
“How was the battle lesson, Ana?”
He must have startled her from her thoughts; she actually jumped a little bit before turning to blink at him. A couple seconds later, he saw the question properly register on her face. “Oh! Um, it was good. I’m not very quick, but Eryk is a good teacher. It went well, until Meowth fell asleep on us.”
Kenshin snorted. You should have known better than to have used her, he spoke, shrugging his shoulders as he walked off. Eryk glanced up from his spot but didn't seem to want to say anything.
"Really? She fell asleep on you?" Cyrilla spoke, raising an amused brow. Eryk, seemingly trying to retain some of his composure, rolled his eyes lightly.
"I think she's still in the hole if you don't believe it," he spoke, pointing to one of the holes where the practice battle was probably held. Cyrilla glanced in the same direction he'd pointed towards, but shook her head.
"Oh no, I believe you. Anyway, we have firewood, who wants to help set it up?" she asked. Either she hadn't noticed Eryk and Ana's faces, or she was trying just as hard not to. It was probably the latter.
“I’d like to learn how,” Ana replied.
Kas nodded. “Sure. Come sit here next to me.” He patted the ground next to where he was kneeling. When she was settled in her spot, he moved the initial pile of sticks and brush he had closer to himself. “Okay, so what’s important at first is getting something that will catch fire. Dried-out brush and smaller twigs and sticks tend to burn easier, but faster.”
“Because they have less water inside, right?”
He supposed she would know a lot about biology, being a certified nurse and all. “Yeah. That’s why it’s also important to keep your firewood dry. The wet stuff will burn if you work hard enough, but it makes a lot of smoke, which we don’t want. So. Little stuff first.”
Kas leaned down into the fire pit. Ana helped him make a decent pile of brush; he picked up one of the twigs and handed it to her. “See how I made most of these the same length? We’re going to make them into kind of a cone-shape over the brush.”
“Like a little tent?” She smiled, amusement flickering over her expression.
He huffed a laugh. “Kind of. Hopefully that’s the only tent that burns today, though. Anyway, help me get these set up here…” They had a neat little cone of twigs within a few minutes.
“Normally the next part could be kind of tricky, depending on whether you had matches or a lighter, but we have fire pokémon, so this is no big deal. Uh… not Princess though, unless we all want to be toasty.”
Ana glanced to the tree line for a moment, focusing quite intently. “Aithne can do it.” Her vulpix appeared only a few seconds later, picking her way over towards the fire pit like she knew exactly what they’d just discussed. Kas’s eyebrows ascended his forehead. That was kind of unusual.
“Yeah, just get her to light the brush; the twigs will catch on their own if we did it right.”
Aithne got her head right down in the pit, breathing a few embers onto the scrub. It was burning merrily within moments; both of them sat back to inspect their handiwork.
“Great; well done. Now we can cook things on it.”
"Hey, they have a fire going," Cyrilla spoke. She'd been with Eryk, it seemed, talking with him. What they were talking about was unknown. They had stayed out of earshot. "Yes, we can cook things on it," she seemed to agree with Kas. Eryk remained silent, though, and only nodded his head as if to agree. Something must have really been bothering him if he wasn't really talking. Eryk always talked in some fashion or another.
"You and I can take care of that portion, Ana," she added, glancing towards Ana with a grin. "But for now, I think we should just settle around the fire and keep warm," she continued.
"Or you could go skinny dipping in the river like you did the last time you were near a river," Eryk shot back, almost seemingly amused by the statement. He seemed to be doing better now, if he was willing to state that. Cyrilla turned a bright red, and threw a stick at him, though.
"You're a jerk, you know that?"
"So I've been told."
“I think it would be far too cold for that,” Ana said, apparently quite seriously.
A beat of time passed; Kas narrowed his eyes slightly. “Is that… the only problem?” He kind of figured Ana would find the idea as ridiculously embarrassing as Cy seemed to.
She seemed to completely miss the implication, though. “Well, I suppose it would be a bad idea if the water was contaminated or there were leeches, but I don’t think that would be a problem in this environment. I could be wrong, though.” She shrugged.
Kas laughed, letting it fade into a lascivious grin. “I guess we’ll have to come back in summer, then.”
"No... no Kas, we are not coming back in the summer. You can come back and skinny dip all you want, but we're not. Ana... you shouldn't say things like that. I mean... unless you want all of us to be around when it happens," Cyrilla spoke, her face still just as red. Eryk, however, was just staring at Kas with an incredulous look.
"And she calls me the jerk," was the only thing he said.
“Good grief, you’re all sticks in the mud. If Ana doesn’t have any problems skinny dipping in the river, why am I a jerk to suggest it?” He arched an eyebrow.
It was about at this point that Ana cleared her throat, a bit awkwardly. “I didn’t mean—” she sighed. “Oh, never mind.”
Kas reached across and patted her on the head. “Don’t let the repressed losers get you down, Ana. There’s no reason to be ashamed of your body or insist on someone else’s idea of modesty if you don’t want to.”
Her lips pulled into a flat line. “Well, no, but I didn’t mean everyone at the same time or anything.” She was turning pink, now.
He decided to put the final nail in it, so to speak. “I know, but a man can dream, can’t he?”
She sputtered and went red as a beet; Kas dissolved into laughter.
Eryk looked like he was about ready to throw something at Kas. Luckily, there wasn't anything around that he could. Otherwise he'd have to throw one of the sticks from the fire pit. Eryk wouldn't do that, of course, unless burning his hand would be worth it. It didn't look like it would be since he just continued to glare at Kas.
"See what you did, Ryk? This is all your fault," Cyrilla spoke, her face still red, but it looked like she was trying not to laugh. "You know he has a way of turning things around," she continued, pointing to Kas.
"Remind me next time to drown him, instead," he spoke, still glaring at Kas.
But you're all friends, right? I thought friends did everything together? Shouldn't that mean you all should go skinny dipping together? Kenshin added, seemingly catching on to the conversation. He had an amused brow raised, though. Eryk actually seemed to contemplate the idea, but didn't say anything. Cyrilla just hid her face behind her hand and shook her head.
“Thank you!” Kas said, nodding toward Kenshin. “That’s exactly what I’m saying here. I mean, if Cy and Ryk are just going to be pansies about it, Ana and I could just go by ourselves, hm?”
By this point, his humor was over the top enough that Ana was laughing, while also still apparently embarrassed. It was sort of adorable, actually. Her eyes glittered with mirth. “I dunno, Kas. Can I trust you that much?”
“You wound me,” he replied, holding a hand to his heart. “When have I ever been anything but the perfect gentleman? I’d be good—unless you didn’t want me to, of course.” He winked at her.
She shook her head. “You’re t-terrible.”
His smile inched wider. “Unless it’s not me you want to go skinny-dipping with, hm?” He leaned forward, putting himself in her personal space and getting just close enough to violate most standards of decorum. “How ‘bout it, Ana? Is there someone else? Some gentleman you want to not be so good? Hm?”
She sputtered, leaning back slightly away from him. He almost felt sorry for her, but he was having too much fun to call it quits now.
Kenshin seemed to be laughing, the raspy sound the only indication, really. Eryk looked like he was about to stand and drag Kas away, however; there was the faintest hint of curiosity on his face. Maybe he wanted to know? He was glancing between the two of them, though, as if expecting something. Cyrilla was just shaking her head, though it looked like she was smiling and trying not to laugh at Ana's expense.
"Kas, you are a horrible human being, you know that? Teasing poor Ana like that," she managed to state. Kenshin rolled his eyes somewhat, but continued laughing lightly.
"That's because Kas is an ass," Ryk spoke.
“Better than having a stick up mine,” he quipped. Leaning even further forward, he spoke into Ana’s ear directly, far too softly for the others to hear.
“I bet he’d do it, if you asked.”
She actually squeaked, falling over backwards in her crosslegged position. Poor thing—he must have embarrassed her half to death. But oh, was it such delicious fun. Chuckling, he drew away, flicking a sly glance at both of the other two. Ana stayed where she was sprawled out for a moment, covering her extremely red face and glaring balefully at him. Of course, it was Ana, so she succeeded in looking about as mean as a wet buneary.
“No need to be ashamed, Ana. Those are perfectly normal feelings to have.”
“I hate you,” she said with no venom. It sounded more like she was pouting than anything.
He snorted. “No you don’t.”
She didn’t have any rebuttal for that.
Eryk looked confused now as did Cyrilla. They didn't say anything though, but the look of curiosity on Eryk's face was undeniable. He wanted to know what Kas said, and he'd likely ask him when they were alone. Kenshin was staring at the scene unfold, though, and looked highly amused at everything.
I think everyone has them, those feelings I mean. I know a few people, Kenshin decided to add, glancing subtly towards Eryk and Cy. Maybe you all should go take a dip. We can all watch and guard the campsite. You are all supposed to be relaxing, right? he added, referring to himself and the other pokémon.
"How is it that you're even my pokémon? Are you sure you don't belong to Kas?" Cyrilla spoke. Kenshin just shrugged.
I mean, if you don't want me anymore, I'm sure Kas would take me in. But then, it'd just be horrible for you because then I can tell him all the embarrassing things you've done. Like that one time... he began, but he didn't get to finish since Cyrilla actually threw her shoe at him.
“I mean, I hear people dip in cold water all the time. It’s supposed to be invigorating. So if anyone wants to go, just say the word. I’ve got nothing to be ashamed of.” Kas shrugged loosely, smiling at Kenshin but backing out of Ana’s space.
She sat herself back up, sighing heavily and shaking her head. “That’s unfair, only being mean to me.”
He chuckled. She was right, in a sense—and if circumstances were different, he’d be doing no less to Cy. But that wasn’t possible right now. “You really wanna see me do that to Ryk? I didn’t know you were into that, Ana.”
"I would kill you, first."
“You’re impossible,” she said flatly.
“You love it. Both of you.” That, at least, got a smile out of her.
She was more than strong enough to evolve, and he was leaving it to her discretion whether she wanted to or not, but he could admit, if only to himself, that he would miss this if she did. All the more reason to make the most of it while she was still mostly fluff.
It made it slightly awkward to gather wood, but he could still carry plenty if Cyrilla handed it to him. He glanced at her from the corner of his eye, resisting the urge to sigh. He’d really fucked up somewhere along the line here—he couldn’t pretend he was dumb enough not to know where, either. But confronting that can of wurmples could potentially make things even worse, and he knew he didn’t want that.
“So,” he said, politely acting oblivious to her continued awkwardness around him, “bets on whether Ryk gets up the guts to tell Ana how he feels at some point during this camping trip? I’ll take whatever you don’t, but we should wager something interesting.”
"Well that seems hardly fair," she replied, glancing up at him. She frowned somewhat, and shook her head. "You know he'll do it, but it's more of a matter when. When will he tell her? Sometime during this trip, so," she paused, humming softly to herself as she looked a little thoughtful. Her brows furrowed along with her eyes as she remained silent.
"I'll wager that he tells her at the end of the trip," she finally stated, glancing back up at him. There was a soft smile on her face, but it wasn't one she usually wore. It was just there. Probably because things were awkward, and she was still somewhat awkward. "But as to what to wager, I don't know, hm," she continued, glancing away from him again.
"There aren't too many things I can think of," she muttered. She remained in thought for a moment before she pursed her lips together. "How about, I'll wager... a weeks worth of chores?"
Light weight, Kenshin spoke, glancing towards Cy. She merely frowned at him.
"What? I'm not creative enough to make wagers, you know that," she replied back.
Kas sighed. “Cy, I hate to say this, but you’re boring.” He grinned, though, to show he didn’t mean it. “How about this? The camping trip is three days. If he tells her on the third day, I will do anything and everything you tell me to for an entire day when we get back, though you’ll probably be lame and make me do lots of chores.” He rolled his eyes.
“If he tells her by the end of tomorrow, the second day, then I win, and… you have to answer one question for me, honestly and completely, no matter how embarrassing or personal it is, okay?” He knew she definitely wouldn’t agree to the same condition he gave himself, so he made it considerably less bad. It was also what he actually wanted if he won, so that was a nice bonus.
He really didn’t think she’d be able to make him do anything that he didn’t want to—she was far too considerate. The worst he’d get was paperwork, or making her coffee or something.
See, he's better at it, Kenshin spoke. Cyrilla just gave him a flat look, but turned her attention back to Kas. She gave him the same look, though.
"I'm not lame, and alright, deal," she replied, sticking out her hand. "Shake on it," she spoke. Kenshin rolled his eyes at the antic and stopped a few feet away, stooping to pick up a stick, it looked like. He didn't seem to like it much because he tossed it to the side.
His arms were kind of full; rather than put down the bundle of wood he was carrying, he gently let Meep down to the ground. He took her hand carefully in his; it was more than he’d touched her in… since Christmas, actually. Her hand was tiny compared to his. He shook it once, then released it. His fingers trailed along her palm for a second too long—it was almost difficult to pull it away.
“Deal.”
"Alright, good," she seemed satisfied with the outcome. Whether she noticed his hand lingering a second longer, she didn't make show of it. Instead, she turned towards Kenshin and grinned. "Alright, so, we need firewood. Did you find anything useful, yet?" she questioned the lucario. Kenshin gave her the same flat look she'd given him.
No, because all of these are just twigs, he replied, picking up another stick before throwing it to the side again. Cyrilla rolled her eyes at him.
"That's because you're thinking of logs, for firewood. We don't need logs, Kenny. We just need wood," she replied, earning a soft snort from Kenshin. She looked slightly confused, though, but shrugged. "I think... we might actually have enough, though. It's not like we need a lot, and if we need more tomorrow, Lithe and the others can find more," she spoke, pointing to the bundle Kas had.
"I think it's enough for a fire, and then some to keep feeding it if it gets too low."
He shrugged. “Fair enough. Let’s head back, then.” They’d wandered pretty far afield in their search for useable wood; though he had a few thicker branches, for the most part they hadn’t found too much but sticks. It’d do well enough for now.
Kas led the way back to camp, trudging back into the clearing at about the same time as Ryk and Ana arrived. From the looks on their faces, Ryk had definitely not just confessed his feelings. In fact, he looked distraught if anything—though of course on Ryk, ‘distraught’ looked kinda pissed. Much like many of his other emotions. Ana seemed vaguely confused and distressed; Kas blinked. Those were not the faces they usually wore around each other.
Something about the look on Ryk’s face indicated that he shouldn’t ask about it right now, so Kas pretended to be clueless, setting the lumber he’d gathered down a fair distance from the fire pit and breaking it down into useable lengths.
“How was the battle lesson, Ana?”
He must have startled her from her thoughts; she actually jumped a little bit before turning to blink at him. A couple seconds later, he saw the question properly register on her face. “Oh! Um, it was good. I’m not very quick, but Eryk is a good teacher. It went well, until Meowth fell asleep on us.”
Kenshin snorted. You should have known better than to have used her, he spoke, shrugging his shoulders as he walked off. Eryk glanced up from his spot but didn't seem to want to say anything.
"Really? She fell asleep on you?" Cyrilla spoke, raising an amused brow. Eryk, seemingly trying to retain some of his composure, rolled his eyes lightly.
"I think she's still in the hole if you don't believe it," he spoke, pointing to one of the holes where the practice battle was probably held. Cyrilla glanced in the same direction he'd pointed towards, but shook her head.
"Oh no, I believe you. Anyway, we have firewood, who wants to help set it up?" she asked. Either she hadn't noticed Eryk and Ana's faces, or she was trying just as hard not to. It was probably the latter.
“I’d like to learn how,” Ana replied.
Kas nodded. “Sure. Come sit here next to me.” He patted the ground next to where he was kneeling. When she was settled in her spot, he moved the initial pile of sticks and brush he had closer to himself. “Okay, so what’s important at first is getting something that will catch fire. Dried-out brush and smaller twigs and sticks tend to burn easier, but faster.”
“Because they have less water inside, right?”
He supposed she would know a lot about biology, being a certified nurse and all. “Yeah. That’s why it’s also important to keep your firewood dry. The wet stuff will burn if you work hard enough, but it makes a lot of smoke, which we don’t want. So. Little stuff first.”
Kas leaned down into the fire pit. Ana helped him make a decent pile of brush; he picked up one of the twigs and handed it to her. “See how I made most of these the same length? We’re going to make them into kind of a cone-shape over the brush.”
“Like a little tent?” She smiled, amusement flickering over her expression.
He huffed a laugh. “Kind of. Hopefully that’s the only tent that burns today, though. Anyway, help me get these set up here…” They had a neat little cone of twigs within a few minutes.
“Normally the next part could be kind of tricky, depending on whether you had matches or a lighter, but we have fire pokémon, so this is no big deal. Uh… not Princess though, unless we all want to be toasty.”
Ana glanced to the tree line for a moment, focusing quite intently. “Aithne can do it.” Her vulpix appeared only a few seconds later, picking her way over towards the fire pit like she knew exactly what they’d just discussed. Kas’s eyebrows ascended his forehead. That was kind of unusual.
“Yeah, just get her to light the brush; the twigs will catch on their own if we did it right.”
Aithne got her head right down in the pit, breathing a few embers onto the scrub. It was burning merrily within moments; both of them sat back to inspect their handiwork.
“Great; well done. Now we can cook things on it.”
"Hey, they have a fire going," Cyrilla spoke. She'd been with Eryk, it seemed, talking with him. What they were talking about was unknown. They had stayed out of earshot. "Yes, we can cook things on it," she seemed to agree with Kas. Eryk remained silent, though, and only nodded his head as if to agree. Something must have really been bothering him if he wasn't really talking. Eryk always talked in some fashion or another.
"You and I can take care of that portion, Ana," she added, glancing towards Ana with a grin. "But for now, I think we should just settle around the fire and keep warm," she continued.
"Or you could go skinny dipping in the river like you did the last time you were near a river," Eryk shot back, almost seemingly amused by the statement. He seemed to be doing better now, if he was willing to state that. Cyrilla turned a bright red, and threw a stick at him, though.
"You're a jerk, you know that?"
"So I've been told."
“I think it would be far too cold for that,” Ana said, apparently quite seriously.
A beat of time passed; Kas narrowed his eyes slightly. “Is that… the only problem?” He kind of figured Ana would find the idea as ridiculously embarrassing as Cy seemed to.
She seemed to completely miss the implication, though. “Well, I suppose it would be a bad idea if the water was contaminated or there were leeches, but I don’t think that would be a problem in this environment. I could be wrong, though.” She shrugged.
Kas laughed, letting it fade into a lascivious grin. “I guess we’ll have to come back in summer, then.”
"No... no Kas, we are not coming back in the summer. You can come back and skinny dip all you want, but we're not. Ana... you shouldn't say things like that. I mean... unless you want all of us to be around when it happens," Cyrilla spoke, her face still just as red. Eryk, however, was just staring at Kas with an incredulous look.
"And she calls me the jerk," was the only thing he said.
“Good grief, you’re all sticks in the mud. If Ana doesn’t have any problems skinny dipping in the river, why am I a jerk to suggest it?” He arched an eyebrow.
It was about at this point that Ana cleared her throat, a bit awkwardly. “I didn’t mean—” she sighed. “Oh, never mind.”
Kas reached across and patted her on the head. “Don’t let the repressed losers get you down, Ana. There’s no reason to be ashamed of your body or insist on someone else’s idea of modesty if you don’t want to.”
Her lips pulled into a flat line. “Well, no, but I didn’t mean everyone at the same time or anything.” She was turning pink, now.
He decided to put the final nail in it, so to speak. “I know, but a man can dream, can’t he?”
She sputtered and went red as a beet; Kas dissolved into laughter.
Eryk looked like he was about ready to throw something at Kas. Luckily, there wasn't anything around that he could. Otherwise he'd have to throw one of the sticks from the fire pit. Eryk wouldn't do that, of course, unless burning his hand would be worth it. It didn't look like it would be since he just continued to glare at Kas.
"See what you did, Ryk? This is all your fault," Cyrilla spoke, her face still red, but it looked like she was trying not to laugh. "You know he has a way of turning things around," she continued, pointing to Kas.
"Remind me next time to drown him, instead," he spoke, still glaring at Kas.
But you're all friends, right? I thought friends did everything together? Shouldn't that mean you all should go skinny dipping together? Kenshin added, seemingly catching on to the conversation. He had an amused brow raised, though. Eryk actually seemed to contemplate the idea, but didn't say anything. Cyrilla just hid her face behind her hand and shook her head.
“Thank you!” Kas said, nodding toward Kenshin. “That’s exactly what I’m saying here. I mean, if Cy and Ryk are just going to be pansies about it, Ana and I could just go by ourselves, hm?”
By this point, his humor was over the top enough that Ana was laughing, while also still apparently embarrassed. It was sort of adorable, actually. Her eyes glittered with mirth. “I dunno, Kas. Can I trust you that much?”
“You wound me,” he replied, holding a hand to his heart. “When have I ever been anything but the perfect gentleman? I’d be good—unless you didn’t want me to, of course.” He winked at her.
She shook her head. “You’re t-terrible.”
His smile inched wider. “Unless it’s not me you want to go skinny-dipping with, hm?” He leaned forward, putting himself in her personal space and getting just close enough to violate most standards of decorum. “How ‘bout it, Ana? Is there someone else? Some gentleman you want to not be so good? Hm?”
She sputtered, leaning back slightly away from him. He almost felt sorry for her, but he was having too much fun to call it quits now.
Kenshin seemed to be laughing, the raspy sound the only indication, really. Eryk looked like he was about to stand and drag Kas away, however; there was the faintest hint of curiosity on his face. Maybe he wanted to know? He was glancing between the two of them, though, as if expecting something. Cyrilla was just shaking her head, though it looked like she was smiling and trying not to laugh at Ana's expense.
"Kas, you are a horrible human being, you know that? Teasing poor Ana like that," she managed to state. Kenshin rolled his eyes somewhat, but continued laughing lightly.
"That's because Kas is an ass," Ryk spoke.
“Better than having a stick up mine,” he quipped. Leaning even further forward, he spoke into Ana’s ear directly, far too softly for the others to hear.
“I bet he’d do it, if you asked.”
She actually squeaked, falling over backwards in her crosslegged position. Poor thing—he must have embarrassed her half to death. But oh, was it such delicious fun. Chuckling, he drew away, flicking a sly glance at both of the other two. Ana stayed where she was sprawled out for a moment, covering her extremely red face and glaring balefully at him. Of course, it was Ana, so she succeeded in looking about as mean as a wet buneary.
“No need to be ashamed, Ana. Those are perfectly normal feelings to have.”
“I hate you,” she said with no venom. It sounded more like she was pouting than anything.
He snorted. “No you don’t.”
She didn’t have any rebuttal for that.
Eryk looked confused now as did Cyrilla. They didn't say anything though, but the look of curiosity on Eryk's face was undeniable. He wanted to know what Kas said, and he'd likely ask him when they were alone. Kenshin was staring at the scene unfold, though, and looked highly amused at everything.
I think everyone has them, those feelings I mean. I know a few people, Kenshin decided to add, glancing subtly towards Eryk and Cy. Maybe you all should go take a dip. We can all watch and guard the campsite. You are all supposed to be relaxing, right? he added, referring to himself and the other pokémon.
"How is it that you're even my pokémon? Are you sure you don't belong to Kas?" Cyrilla spoke. Kenshin just shrugged.
I mean, if you don't want me anymore, I'm sure Kas would take me in. But then, it'd just be horrible for you because then I can tell him all the embarrassing things you've done. Like that one time... he began, but he didn't get to finish since Cyrilla actually threw her shoe at him.
“I mean, I hear people dip in cold water all the time. It’s supposed to be invigorating. So if anyone wants to go, just say the word. I’ve got nothing to be ashamed of.” Kas shrugged loosely, smiling at Kenshin but backing out of Ana’s space.
She sat herself back up, sighing heavily and shaking her head. “That’s unfair, only being mean to me.”
He chuckled. She was right, in a sense—and if circumstances were different, he’d be doing no less to Cy. But that wasn’t possible right now. “You really wanna see me do that to Ryk? I didn’t know you were into that, Ana.”
"I would kill you, first."
“You’re impossible,” she said flatly.
“You love it. Both of you.” That, at least, got a smile out of her.
"So, when are you going to tell her?"
"Tell who what?"
"Ana. When are you going to tell Ana you like her?" Eryk just stared at Cyrilla for a moment. Yesterday had been interesting, to say the least, but Eryk hadn't told Ana anything yet. Now that she could pull Eryk to the side, alone, she wanted to ask him. She didn't have much weighing on this wager between her and Kas, or at least it didn't seem like it. Maybe she did? Eryk just looked at her in a confused manner before it registered what she was saying, and he pursed his lips together.
"That is none of your concern. I'll tell her when I'm ready," he replied back, and Cyrilla sighed softly, shaking her head. If this continued on the same course, he probably wouldn't tell her until after they got back from this trip. If he told her today, though, Kas would win that bet. She didn't necessarily want him to win, but she wasn't going to say that, either.
"Oh come on, Eryk. You know you like Ana, and you know you want to tell her. It's written all on your face," she replied.
"Just like you?" he shot back.
"Hey, my situation is complicated, alright. Yours, isn't," at least she didn't think it was. Eryk just shook his head softly at her.
"I was planning on telling her today, but..." he began, pausing just lightly. He glanced at her for a moment, seemingly contemplating his answer. "It's not that easy with there being so many people around," he spoke. Cyrilla gave him a flat look.
"People, Eryk? Really, that's what we are to you?"
"You know what I meant."
"I do. Oh, hey, Ana, Kas!" she spoke, waving towards the other two to cut the conversation off. If he planned on telling Ana today, then she had to stop it somehow. She blinked slowly at herself. Now where did that come from? It shouldn't matter, the wager. The only thing that should was making sure Eryk confessed. She sighed. Now she had to make sure he did.
Ana and Kas were both burdened down with more firewood; they were approaching evening on the second day, and so after the day’s hike and other activities, things were winding down. Both of them dropped their wood in the pile; Ana waved back.
“Come on over,” Kas said, gesturing them in his direction. “Ana’s going to try making hot chocolate, apparently.”
“Dark chocolate,” she clarified. “With cinnamon, so it’s not too sweet.” She spared Eryk a quick smile before making her way back to the tent she shared with Cyrilla and tugging her backpack out of it. “I looked up a recipe before we left; it’s supposed to be good, but I’ve never made it before…”
"Oh, that sounds good," she spoke, sparing Eryk a glance. His face softened somewhat, and it caused Cyrilla to smile. He always wore that expression for her, and she wondered for a moment, if he was even aware he did that. A small smile wormed its way onto her face as they approached Kas and Ana.
"You looked up a recipe for dark chocolate... for camping?" Eryk asked, but it didn't seem like he was saying it in a condescending manner. He merely looked surprised. Cyrilla shook her head at him, but didn't say anything about it. It was a little adorable, actually, the way he said it, and the way he was just looking at Ana. It caused her own smile to falter for a second before she shook her head.
“Dark hot chocolate,” Ana clarified. “And yes. I did.”
"Hey, Kas, lemme borrow you for a second," she spoke, glancing over her shoulder towards Ana and Ryk. She smiled, reassuring them she wasn't going too far. She just wanted to pull Kas to the side to discuss strategy for a second.
He looked slightly surprised by the request, but with a quick glance at the other two, he shrugged and nodded. “Sure.” He pushed himself up off the ground with his usual easy grace and abled toward her. “Something specific, or are we just leaving them alone again?” He inquired quietly. Of necessity, he bent himself slightly in her direction, preventing his voice from carrying back to the others, and arched an eyebrow.
She shook her head at him. "Neither, actually," she spoke, though really it was kind of an odd situation. They would have to leave them alone in order for Eryk to confess, but she really didn't want to miss it. "Eryk plans on confessing to Ana today, but he won't do it if we're around," she whispered, shifting her gaze back towards them.
"But you can't expect us to miss something like that," she added, nodding her head in their direction.
“Cyrilla Niav,” he said, straightening slightly to look down on her from his full height—and he really was tall, especially this close. His tone was a blend of amusement and… admiration? Was that wishful thinking? “Are you suggesting we spy on our friends? How wicked of you.” The sly smile on his face suggested he approved of this particular wickedness.
"Well, I never said I was nice when it came to Ryk," she replied, coughing just slightly in an awkward manner. "But yes, yes I am suggesting that, because you cannot tell me watching Eryk squirm under that kind of pressure wouldn't be hilarious to see," not to mention it would be really adorable to see Ana's reaction, too.
"But Eryk's really good at knowing when there are people around, so we have to fool him somehow into thinking we're gone," and she'd never really been that good at fooling Eryk, before. Kas, maybe could, but she couldn't.
“Hm…” he seemed to give that some thought. For a minute, he snorted, humor flickering over his expression before it disappeared again. He glanced at her for a moment and shook his head, almost as if to himself. “Well, we need a plausible reason to be gone, first off. He’s not going to believe any old lame excuse. And it can’t be right this second—that’s too suspicious.”
That was true, she supposed. Eryk would get suspicious if they both just left for some silly thing, especially since he'd just told her he was planning on confessing. He probably wouldn't if they left right away. They had plenty of firewood, so they couldn't use the excuse to go gather more. She pursed her lips together for a moment. What could they do to disappear for Ryk?
You could ask nicely and maybe I'll help, Kenshin spoke only to them. He raised a brow in their direction. Apparently he'd been within earshot to hear the conversation, and from the looks of it, he wanted in.
"Kenny, what could you do?" she asked.
Whatever you needed me to, was his simple reply. She shook her head at him.
"Well, I guess we have a decoy?" though she wasn't sure if decoy was the right word she wanted to use. It also had to be slightly convincing if it were just the two of them leaving. Eryk knew how delicate her situation was, so he really wouldn't believe it if they were just going for a walk. She sighed.
You could always ask Princess Cinders to burn your entire reserve of wood bundles if it's too much work, Kenshin suggested, shrugging his shoulders lightly. That wasn't a bad idea, but she wasn't really willing to risk burning the entire place down.
“I’d really rather not set the forest on fire, thanks,” Kas said dryly. He frowned thoughtfully, then tilted his head to the side. “We could always just act like we want to sleep earlier than them, or something. Or you could pretend to be tired, and I could go check on the pokémon. Maybe Ken could act like Princess was doing something dangerous that I had to go deal with? Then you can slip out the back of your tent and we can circle back around.”
You should really let him plan all the things, Kenshin spoke, giving Cyrilla a flat look. She returned it, but she did agree. It would probably be best to do something like that. A slow grin formed on her lips at the thought.
"Alright, you go check on the pokémon and I'll turn in early for the night. Oh, you know what? Get Lithe to go with you and make some kind of scene to make it believable that Princess Cinders is doing something dangerous. Eryk'd definitely believe you if something happened like that," because Eryk didn't trust Kenshin too much, either. At least with Lithe, he could set a small bout of fire somewhere and keep it contained.
Deal, he spoke before walking away towards the arcanine.
"Alright, now that we have that figured out, let's go back before he starts getting suspicious. I can already feel him glaring at my back," she spoke, glancing over her shoulder to spot Eryk, who was indeed, glaring at her. She offered a smile and a wave.
Kas grinned. “Yeah, but he always does that.”
"Tell who what?"
"Ana. When are you going to tell Ana you like her?" Eryk just stared at Cyrilla for a moment. Yesterday had been interesting, to say the least, but Eryk hadn't told Ana anything yet. Now that she could pull Eryk to the side, alone, she wanted to ask him. She didn't have much weighing on this wager between her and Kas, or at least it didn't seem like it. Maybe she did? Eryk just looked at her in a confused manner before it registered what she was saying, and he pursed his lips together.
"That is none of your concern. I'll tell her when I'm ready," he replied back, and Cyrilla sighed softly, shaking her head. If this continued on the same course, he probably wouldn't tell her until after they got back from this trip. If he told her today, though, Kas would win that bet. She didn't necessarily want him to win, but she wasn't going to say that, either.
"Oh come on, Eryk. You know you like Ana, and you know you want to tell her. It's written all on your face," she replied.
"Just like you?" he shot back.
"Hey, my situation is complicated, alright. Yours, isn't," at least she didn't think it was. Eryk just shook his head softly at her.
"I was planning on telling her today, but..." he began, pausing just lightly. He glanced at her for a moment, seemingly contemplating his answer. "It's not that easy with there being so many people around," he spoke. Cyrilla gave him a flat look.
"People, Eryk? Really, that's what we are to you?"
"You know what I meant."
"I do. Oh, hey, Ana, Kas!" she spoke, waving towards the other two to cut the conversation off. If he planned on telling Ana today, then she had to stop it somehow. She blinked slowly at herself. Now where did that come from? It shouldn't matter, the wager. The only thing that should was making sure Eryk confessed. She sighed. Now she had to make sure he did.
Ana and Kas were both burdened down with more firewood; they were approaching evening on the second day, and so after the day’s hike and other activities, things were winding down. Both of them dropped their wood in the pile; Ana waved back.
“Come on over,” Kas said, gesturing them in his direction. “Ana’s going to try making hot chocolate, apparently.”
“Dark chocolate,” she clarified. “With cinnamon, so it’s not too sweet.” She spared Eryk a quick smile before making her way back to the tent she shared with Cyrilla and tugging her backpack out of it. “I looked up a recipe before we left; it’s supposed to be good, but I’ve never made it before…”
"Oh, that sounds good," she spoke, sparing Eryk a glance. His face softened somewhat, and it caused Cyrilla to smile. He always wore that expression for her, and she wondered for a moment, if he was even aware he did that. A small smile wormed its way onto her face as they approached Kas and Ana.
"You looked up a recipe for dark chocolate... for camping?" Eryk asked, but it didn't seem like he was saying it in a condescending manner. He merely looked surprised. Cyrilla shook her head at him, but didn't say anything about it. It was a little adorable, actually, the way he said it, and the way he was just looking at Ana. It caused her own smile to falter for a second before she shook her head.
“Dark hot chocolate,” Ana clarified. “And yes. I did.”
"Hey, Kas, lemme borrow you for a second," she spoke, glancing over her shoulder towards Ana and Ryk. She smiled, reassuring them she wasn't going too far. She just wanted to pull Kas to the side to discuss strategy for a second.
He looked slightly surprised by the request, but with a quick glance at the other two, he shrugged and nodded. “Sure.” He pushed himself up off the ground with his usual easy grace and abled toward her. “Something specific, or are we just leaving them alone again?” He inquired quietly. Of necessity, he bent himself slightly in her direction, preventing his voice from carrying back to the others, and arched an eyebrow.
She shook her head at him. "Neither, actually," she spoke, though really it was kind of an odd situation. They would have to leave them alone in order for Eryk to confess, but she really didn't want to miss it. "Eryk plans on confessing to Ana today, but he won't do it if we're around," she whispered, shifting her gaze back towards them.
"But you can't expect us to miss something like that," she added, nodding her head in their direction.
“Cyrilla Niav,” he said, straightening slightly to look down on her from his full height—and he really was tall, especially this close. His tone was a blend of amusement and… admiration? Was that wishful thinking? “Are you suggesting we spy on our friends? How wicked of you.” The sly smile on his face suggested he approved of this particular wickedness.
"Well, I never said I was nice when it came to Ryk," she replied, coughing just slightly in an awkward manner. "But yes, yes I am suggesting that, because you cannot tell me watching Eryk squirm under that kind of pressure wouldn't be hilarious to see," not to mention it would be really adorable to see Ana's reaction, too.
"But Eryk's really good at knowing when there are people around, so we have to fool him somehow into thinking we're gone," and she'd never really been that good at fooling Eryk, before. Kas, maybe could, but she couldn't.
“Hm…” he seemed to give that some thought. For a minute, he snorted, humor flickering over his expression before it disappeared again. He glanced at her for a moment and shook his head, almost as if to himself. “Well, we need a plausible reason to be gone, first off. He’s not going to believe any old lame excuse. And it can’t be right this second—that’s too suspicious.”
That was true, she supposed. Eryk would get suspicious if they both just left for some silly thing, especially since he'd just told her he was planning on confessing. He probably wouldn't if they left right away. They had plenty of firewood, so they couldn't use the excuse to go gather more. She pursed her lips together for a moment. What could they do to disappear for Ryk?
You could ask nicely and maybe I'll help, Kenshin spoke only to them. He raised a brow in their direction. Apparently he'd been within earshot to hear the conversation, and from the looks of it, he wanted in.
"Kenny, what could you do?" she asked.
Whatever you needed me to, was his simple reply. She shook her head at him.
"Well, I guess we have a decoy?" though she wasn't sure if decoy was the right word she wanted to use. It also had to be slightly convincing if it were just the two of them leaving. Eryk knew how delicate her situation was, so he really wouldn't believe it if they were just going for a walk. She sighed.
You could always ask Princess Cinders to burn your entire reserve of wood bundles if it's too much work, Kenshin suggested, shrugging his shoulders lightly. That wasn't a bad idea, but she wasn't really willing to risk burning the entire place down.
“I’d really rather not set the forest on fire, thanks,” Kas said dryly. He frowned thoughtfully, then tilted his head to the side. “We could always just act like we want to sleep earlier than them, or something. Or you could pretend to be tired, and I could go check on the pokémon. Maybe Ken could act like Princess was doing something dangerous that I had to go deal with? Then you can slip out the back of your tent and we can circle back around.”
You should really let him plan all the things, Kenshin spoke, giving Cyrilla a flat look. She returned it, but she did agree. It would probably be best to do something like that. A slow grin formed on her lips at the thought.
"Alright, you go check on the pokémon and I'll turn in early for the night. Oh, you know what? Get Lithe to go with you and make some kind of scene to make it believable that Princess Cinders is doing something dangerous. Eryk'd definitely believe you if something happened like that," because Eryk didn't trust Kenshin too much, either. At least with Lithe, he could set a small bout of fire somewhere and keep it contained.
Deal, he spoke before walking away towards the arcanine.
"Alright, now that we have that figured out, let's go back before he starts getting suspicious. I can already feel him glaring at my back," she spoke, glancing over her shoulder to spot Eryk, who was indeed, glaring at her. She offered a smile and a wave.
Kas grinned. “Yeah, but he always does that.”
Ana leaned back against the log behind her, cradling her hands around the tin mug in her grip. Campware really was different—but of course it made sense to have things made of metal and plastic that wouldn’t break, unlike ceramic. Heat seeped through the tin—enough to warm, but not burn.
The dark hot chocolate was actually as good as the recipe promised, at least to her. The others seemed to enjoy it as well. She could feel a little sleepiness closing in on her, but she fought to stay awake. It was a nice night despite the cold, and around the campfire, she couldn’t even really feel too much of it, besides. Maybe in a little while she’d need to go get another blanket or something, but for now she was happy in just her jacket and the sweater underneath it.
Taking another sip of the hot chocolate, she shifted her eyes up. It was really remarkable, how many stars were out here. There were a lot on the island, too, if you went to the right place, but the constellations visible from this part of the region were slightly different. Probably because they were much further north overall. Stretching her legs out in front of her, she crossed her legs at the ankles, warm and content.
Eryk would occasionally glance to her, and then towards Cy and Kas. He wasn't saying much today, and he didn't say much yesterday, either, when she'd told him she was basically a psychic. Either he was still digesting the news, proper, or there was something else on his mind. It would seem like the latter if it weren't so blatantly obvious that it wasn't. Maybe it was something else, entirely?
"You chose a good recipe," he finally spoke, clearing his throat softly. "I was expecting it to still be somewhat sweet, but it wasn't," he continued. Cyrilla just smiled behind her cup, and yawned. It looked like she was tired, too, but she wasn't getting up to leave yet. "You should keep it for later, and maybe next year," he added, holding his cup in his lap.
"I agree with Eryk, it is really good, Ana," Cyrilla spoke, glancing towards Ryk and smiling somewhat. "But I think it's also putting me to sleep. Warm chocolate and cold weather make for perfect sleeping weather. I think I'm going to turn in for the night. If you decide you need anything, though, I'm a heavy sleeper so I might not wake up," she spoke, standing from her spot with her empty cup.
"She could sleep through a thunderstorm," Eryk replied, but he didn't seem too bothered by the fact that she was going to sleep a little early. "There is a spare blanket in the pack by the entrance if you need it," he spoke, nodding his head in the direction of the tents. Cyrilla thanked him, spared a glance to Ana, and said her goodnights to them.
“Good night, Cyrilla,” Ana called softly after her, adding to Kas’s more casual night, Cy.
He didn’t look especially tired either, so she figured it’d be the three of them for a while. Everyone was a little quieter than usual right now, actually; maybe it was just the time of day and all the walking and other activity they’d been up to during the day.
She couldn’t help but wonder about Eryk’s use of next year, though. Personally, it didn’t seem entirely wise to plan so far ahead as that, all things considered, but… “I’ll make sure Cy has it, too,” she said softly, glancing down into her cup. Just in case.
Eryk looked like he winced just slightly, but didn't say anything about it. "Yeah," he replied, though, and glanced down at his cup. There was something really weighing on him, apparently, because he was abnormally quiet. He was quiet sometimes, but he'd always say something. He just looked like he was at a loss for words. It looked, though, like he was going to say something when a distant explosion went off. It was too far for it to be exceptionally loud, but there was a faint glow in the distance. A few minutes later, Kenshin appeared, looking rather grim.
Kas, your charizard has problems, he spoke. He was probably referring to the explosion a few minutes ago. And before you say anything, no, I didn't prod her. I don't have a death wish, thank you, he shrugged his shoulders. Eryk just seemed to stare at Kenshin for a moment.
"What happened?" he asked, waiting for a reply. Kenshin just shrugged his shoulders. Apparently he didn't know. "Should we go see?" he spoke, glancing towards Kas. It was, after all, Kas's charizard.
Kas grimaced, his mouth pulling to one side. “Oh, for—” he sighed, then waved his hand at the both of them. “I’ll handle it. She only listens to me anyway, the brat.” With a roll of his eyes, he pushed himself up off the ground, setting his mug down in the spot he’d vacated.
“This could be a while; I’ll see you guys whenever. Don’t wait up or anything.” He turned to Kenshin. “Wanna show me the way, or should I guess?”
As much as I'd like not to be in the same vicinity as her, showing you might be better, he replied, giving Eryk a glance before nodding in Ana's direction. He began walking towards the light in the distance, not sparing another glance to see if Kas was following or not. When they were both gone, Eryk looked slightly more uncomfortable than he'd ever been. He was wiping his hand on his leg every once and awhile.
"I think we chose a good spot to make camp," he finally spoke, glancing up towards the sky. It didn't seem like quite what he wanted to say, but maybe he didn't even know what to say? He looked... nervous? He never seemed nervous, at least not in the way he was now.
“I’m no expert,” Ana agreed, “but I think so, too.” She dropped her eyes to him for a moment, pursing her lips. This had all started when she’d shown him her powers. She wasn’t sure what about them could possibly make him seem nervous, especially since he shared the part of them that usually made people uncomfortable to think about. If he was worried about her reading his mind, she would have been able to understand—it would have hurt that he was suspicious of her, but she’d have at least understood.
But this… she had no idea what it was all about. And somehow, she was worried about it. Debating with herself for a moment about whether she’d just be making things worse, Ana sighed softly, picking herself up off the ground and taking up the blanket on the log behind her. The extra distance from the fire did indeed hit her with a chill; she unfolded the fabric and wrapped part of it over her shoulders. It was far too big.
Repositioning herself, she sat so she was closer to him—maybe a foot away or so. She wanted to sit closer, but there was still a chance that she was somehow responsible for his discomfort, and she didn’t want to make it worse. “There,” she said quietly, glancing over in his direction. “Now I have exactly the same view as you.” She could actually see the entirety of a few constellations from here.
“Do you know the names of the stars?” she asked him softly.
He glanced up towards the sky, tilting his head slightly. "I think... one of them was supposed to be named after Ursaring, but I'm not entirely sure," he spoke. He probably never got to see the stars like this, all things considered. "It was never considered important to know what the names of the stars were. The only one we were told to keep watch of was the north star so we wouldn't get lost," he added, shifting his gaze back to her. There was something a little more intense about it, but it flickered over quickly to something more soft, and he glanced away.
He turned back to her, and opened his mouth to say something. Nothing came out, though, and he just shook his head. It looked like he wanted to say something, but he just couldn't, it seemed. His nervousness was really radiating from him. Perhaps, he just needed a little more time to adjust?
Ana knew a few things about Eryk by this point. The first was that he was usually a very blunt person, and if he had something to say, he said it, in his own time, in his own way. The second was that asking him if he was okay or otherwise calling attention to his distress wasn’t going to help much, if at all. So she decided to try and act like she didn’t notice it, and maybe he’d come around to saying whatever was on his mind.
Instead, she moved a little closer, still wrapped in the blanket, and raised her hand to point out a specific part of the sky. “Ursaring Major,” she said, naming the constellation. “And that one’s Ursaring Minor, sometimes called Teddiursa, depending on where you’re from.” She smiled at him, then moved her hand so she was pointing at a particularly bright star; it was beside two other bright ones.
“See those three together? Those are the three beast stars. That’s Suicune on the left, and Raikou on the right. The one in the middle’s my favorite—Entei. Isn’t he bright?” She dropped her arm back to her side, feeling a little silly.
“Stargazing doesn’t take a lot of energy,” she said, stating the obvious. “So… it was one of the things I could do as a kid, even during an episode. I knew all the names, once, though I’m sure I’ve forgotten a few.”
"Entei's your favorite, is it?" he spoke, seeming a little more amused than anything. He shook his head lightly, and took another sip from his drink before he set it down. It was empty now, so he didn't need to hold it anymore. He glanced up from where he was, though, as if he were checking out their surroundings. His head moved left, and then right, as if he were checking for something. Once he seemed satisfied, he turned his attention back to Ana. The amusement had disappeared from his face completely, and his face took on a stern look.
"Ana," he began, his voice low, as if he were afraid anyone else would hear him say it. He took a deep breath, and looked to be struggling less and less with what he wanted to say. "There is... something I'd like to tell you," he spoke, moving just the faintest bit closer to her. "I do not want to alarm you, though, so," he continued, glancing away for a second.
"I'd like your permission," he spoke, completely serious.
She blinked at him; her stomach lurched. Something about the look on his face—Ana swallowed. “My permission to… tell me something?” she repeated. The words came out much breathier than she’d intended, and she cleared her throat awkwardly. It seemed it was her turn to be nervous. What could he possibly have to say that was so serious? It couldn’t be… could it? Dare she hope it was?
“O-okay, what is it?” she asked, swallowing again. There was a lump in her throat that she couldn’t seem to get around.
He remained quiet for a moment, studying her face as if she'd just told him no. He took a deep breath, though, and seemed to steel himself. "I... don't, I'm not sure how to say this," he spoke, seemingly torn. He wasn't good at expressing himself, at least not in the ways he intended. That was a given, considering who he was. He didn't move his gaze from her though, and leaned slightly forward. They were close enough that he was staring directly at her, and only just a polite distance away, but still close enough that she could see every detail of his face.
"I've never been good at expressing things, however," he began pausing slightly. He took another breath, this one low and soft. "There are things that you make me feel that make it seem like expressing anything else wouldn't be good enough. I... don't understand why," he spoke, though he seemed a little lost at what he was saying. He shook his head softly.
"There is no doubt that... what I feel for you is not quite the same thing that I feel for Cyrilla or Kas. They are my friends, and my family, but you," he paused, lifting his hand just slightly to rest against her cheek. It was the most forward he'd ever been, especially the way he was holding her cheek. "There is something different in the way I feel for you," he spoke, dropping his hand away and sighing heavily.
"I just... there isn't a proper way to explain it, because like doesn't quite seem like the word that would do it justice," he continued. He shook his head as if it weren't exactly what he was trying to say, but it looked like he didn't know how to say it, either. "I don't want you to think any less of me for saying it, but I do like you Anastasia, perhaps more than I should," and with that, he closed his eyes softly. He didn't open them, though.
Ana breathed out; with her breath, all her tension left her; she felt an incredible lightness that she hadn’t really known before. It was like she might lift off the ground and float away at any moment, though of course that wasn’t likely at all.
“Eryk,” she said softly, feeling a tender smile creep over her face. “I could never think less of you, not for something like that. And even if you don’t know the right word, or aren’t quite sure what it is that you feel… that’s okay. We can figure it out.” She included herself in the statement very intentionally, rising up onto her knees and placing her hands on either side of his face.
Holding her breath, Ana drew closer to his face. His eyes were still closed—actually, she could…
Banishing the thought, she straightened a little further and pressed her lips to his brow, in the spot right above his nose. “I feel… different about you, too,” she confessed. The word she wanted was easier to her tongue, but she didn’t know if it was the same word, and for now it seemed better to accept what she’d been given and not try to make anything of it that it wasn’t. “And I’m so—” her voice cracked slightly with the force of her emotion.
“I’m so glad I met you.”
His eyes opened almost immediately after that. She was still holding his face, and there was the strange intent expression on his face. He leaned forward, though, raising his hand to cradle the back of her head and pulled her a little towards him. "I don't need to figure it out. I know what it is, but it is hard to explain into words," he spoke, his voice completely serious and more expressive than it ever was. He took a slow breath, releasing it just as slowly. He closed his eyes for a moment, keeping their faces just inches apart.
"Perhaps, it is better that I show you," he finally spoke after a minute of silence. He opened his eyes and closed the remaining distance between them, placing a very tender and soft kiss on her lips. There was some hesitation about it, as if he were afraid that she'd pull away or something. He didn't linger for more than a few seconds, and put a polite distance between them.
Ana swore her heart stopped. She definitely forgot to breathe for a second. At the same time as it finally registered what he’d done—about the same time as he pulled away—one of the logs in the fire split with a loud crack, and the entire thing flared upwards a few feet. Fortunately they were far enough away that it wasn’t anything other than a wave of heat; the fire pit was constructed well enough to handle it.
She blinked at him, lips slightly parted, with the distinct feeling that her face was burning anyway. “S-sorry,” she stammered, glancing towards the fire for a moment. “That was m-my f-fault. It’s, um… emotion. My powers are—” she cleared her throat, looking down, then leaned forward. Polite distance was… polite, she supposed, by definition. But it wasn’t anything she wanted right now.
She was embarrassed and giddy and elated and very, very much hoping that the kiss would repeat itself sometime in the near future, but perhaps for now, it was enough as it was. Another first, a moment she’d never forget—she wanted to keep it perfect and crystalline in her memory. Sighing, Ana leaned her forehead against Eryk’s shoulder. It was easier to speak when she didn’t have to look at him. “It used to be that really strong emotions would… cause things to happen around me. It hasn’t happened since I was a child, though.” But she knew she’d caused it—she’d felt herself do it, though it hadn’t been intentional.
He seemed somewhat relieved, or at least he looked relieved. His shoulders weren't tense; they were more relaxed now, and he shifted slightly to make it more comfortable. He leaned over just slightly so that his head could rest gently on hers, despite how awkward it might have seemed.
"Then it is, perhaps, best that I didn't inherit those talents," he spoke, almost as if he were joking. He let out a content sigh, and said nothing further.
The dark hot chocolate was actually as good as the recipe promised, at least to her. The others seemed to enjoy it as well. She could feel a little sleepiness closing in on her, but she fought to stay awake. It was a nice night despite the cold, and around the campfire, she couldn’t even really feel too much of it, besides. Maybe in a little while she’d need to go get another blanket or something, but for now she was happy in just her jacket and the sweater underneath it.
Taking another sip of the hot chocolate, she shifted her eyes up. It was really remarkable, how many stars were out here. There were a lot on the island, too, if you went to the right place, but the constellations visible from this part of the region were slightly different. Probably because they were much further north overall. Stretching her legs out in front of her, she crossed her legs at the ankles, warm and content.
Eryk would occasionally glance to her, and then towards Cy and Kas. He wasn't saying much today, and he didn't say much yesterday, either, when she'd told him she was basically a psychic. Either he was still digesting the news, proper, or there was something else on his mind. It would seem like the latter if it weren't so blatantly obvious that it wasn't. Maybe it was something else, entirely?
"You chose a good recipe," he finally spoke, clearing his throat softly. "I was expecting it to still be somewhat sweet, but it wasn't," he continued. Cyrilla just smiled behind her cup, and yawned. It looked like she was tired, too, but she wasn't getting up to leave yet. "You should keep it for later, and maybe next year," he added, holding his cup in his lap.
"I agree with Eryk, it is really good, Ana," Cyrilla spoke, glancing towards Ryk and smiling somewhat. "But I think it's also putting me to sleep. Warm chocolate and cold weather make for perfect sleeping weather. I think I'm going to turn in for the night. If you decide you need anything, though, I'm a heavy sleeper so I might not wake up," she spoke, standing from her spot with her empty cup.
"She could sleep through a thunderstorm," Eryk replied, but he didn't seem too bothered by the fact that she was going to sleep a little early. "There is a spare blanket in the pack by the entrance if you need it," he spoke, nodding his head in the direction of the tents. Cyrilla thanked him, spared a glance to Ana, and said her goodnights to them.
“Good night, Cyrilla,” Ana called softly after her, adding to Kas’s more casual night, Cy.
He didn’t look especially tired either, so she figured it’d be the three of them for a while. Everyone was a little quieter than usual right now, actually; maybe it was just the time of day and all the walking and other activity they’d been up to during the day.
She couldn’t help but wonder about Eryk’s use of next year, though. Personally, it didn’t seem entirely wise to plan so far ahead as that, all things considered, but… “I’ll make sure Cy has it, too,” she said softly, glancing down into her cup. Just in case.
Eryk looked like he winced just slightly, but didn't say anything about it. "Yeah," he replied, though, and glanced down at his cup. There was something really weighing on him, apparently, because he was abnormally quiet. He was quiet sometimes, but he'd always say something. He just looked like he was at a loss for words. It looked, though, like he was going to say something when a distant explosion went off. It was too far for it to be exceptionally loud, but there was a faint glow in the distance. A few minutes later, Kenshin appeared, looking rather grim.
Kas, your charizard has problems, he spoke. He was probably referring to the explosion a few minutes ago. And before you say anything, no, I didn't prod her. I don't have a death wish, thank you, he shrugged his shoulders. Eryk just seemed to stare at Kenshin for a moment.
"What happened?" he asked, waiting for a reply. Kenshin just shrugged his shoulders. Apparently he didn't know. "Should we go see?" he spoke, glancing towards Kas. It was, after all, Kas's charizard.
Kas grimaced, his mouth pulling to one side. “Oh, for—” he sighed, then waved his hand at the both of them. “I’ll handle it. She only listens to me anyway, the brat.” With a roll of his eyes, he pushed himself up off the ground, setting his mug down in the spot he’d vacated.
“This could be a while; I’ll see you guys whenever. Don’t wait up or anything.” He turned to Kenshin. “Wanna show me the way, or should I guess?”
As much as I'd like not to be in the same vicinity as her, showing you might be better, he replied, giving Eryk a glance before nodding in Ana's direction. He began walking towards the light in the distance, not sparing another glance to see if Kas was following or not. When they were both gone, Eryk looked slightly more uncomfortable than he'd ever been. He was wiping his hand on his leg every once and awhile.
"I think we chose a good spot to make camp," he finally spoke, glancing up towards the sky. It didn't seem like quite what he wanted to say, but maybe he didn't even know what to say? He looked... nervous? He never seemed nervous, at least not in the way he was now.
“I’m no expert,” Ana agreed, “but I think so, too.” She dropped her eyes to him for a moment, pursing her lips. This had all started when she’d shown him her powers. She wasn’t sure what about them could possibly make him seem nervous, especially since he shared the part of them that usually made people uncomfortable to think about. If he was worried about her reading his mind, she would have been able to understand—it would have hurt that he was suspicious of her, but she’d have at least understood.
But this… she had no idea what it was all about. And somehow, she was worried about it. Debating with herself for a moment about whether she’d just be making things worse, Ana sighed softly, picking herself up off the ground and taking up the blanket on the log behind her. The extra distance from the fire did indeed hit her with a chill; she unfolded the fabric and wrapped part of it over her shoulders. It was far too big.
Repositioning herself, she sat so she was closer to him—maybe a foot away or so. She wanted to sit closer, but there was still a chance that she was somehow responsible for his discomfort, and she didn’t want to make it worse. “There,” she said quietly, glancing over in his direction. “Now I have exactly the same view as you.” She could actually see the entirety of a few constellations from here.
“Do you know the names of the stars?” she asked him softly.
He glanced up towards the sky, tilting his head slightly. "I think... one of them was supposed to be named after Ursaring, but I'm not entirely sure," he spoke. He probably never got to see the stars like this, all things considered. "It was never considered important to know what the names of the stars were. The only one we were told to keep watch of was the north star so we wouldn't get lost," he added, shifting his gaze back to her. There was something a little more intense about it, but it flickered over quickly to something more soft, and he glanced away.
He turned back to her, and opened his mouth to say something. Nothing came out, though, and he just shook his head. It looked like he wanted to say something, but he just couldn't, it seemed. His nervousness was really radiating from him. Perhaps, he just needed a little more time to adjust?
Ana knew a few things about Eryk by this point. The first was that he was usually a very blunt person, and if he had something to say, he said it, in his own time, in his own way. The second was that asking him if he was okay or otherwise calling attention to his distress wasn’t going to help much, if at all. So she decided to try and act like she didn’t notice it, and maybe he’d come around to saying whatever was on his mind.
Instead, she moved a little closer, still wrapped in the blanket, and raised her hand to point out a specific part of the sky. “Ursaring Major,” she said, naming the constellation. “And that one’s Ursaring Minor, sometimes called Teddiursa, depending on where you’re from.” She smiled at him, then moved her hand so she was pointing at a particularly bright star; it was beside two other bright ones.
“See those three together? Those are the three beast stars. That’s Suicune on the left, and Raikou on the right. The one in the middle’s my favorite—Entei. Isn’t he bright?” She dropped her arm back to her side, feeling a little silly.
“Stargazing doesn’t take a lot of energy,” she said, stating the obvious. “So… it was one of the things I could do as a kid, even during an episode. I knew all the names, once, though I’m sure I’ve forgotten a few.”
"Entei's your favorite, is it?" he spoke, seeming a little more amused than anything. He shook his head lightly, and took another sip from his drink before he set it down. It was empty now, so he didn't need to hold it anymore. He glanced up from where he was, though, as if he were checking out their surroundings. His head moved left, and then right, as if he were checking for something. Once he seemed satisfied, he turned his attention back to Ana. The amusement had disappeared from his face completely, and his face took on a stern look.
"Ana," he began, his voice low, as if he were afraid anyone else would hear him say it. He took a deep breath, and looked to be struggling less and less with what he wanted to say. "There is... something I'd like to tell you," he spoke, moving just the faintest bit closer to her. "I do not want to alarm you, though, so," he continued, glancing away for a second.
"I'd like your permission," he spoke, completely serious.
She blinked at him; her stomach lurched. Something about the look on his face—Ana swallowed. “My permission to… tell me something?” she repeated. The words came out much breathier than she’d intended, and she cleared her throat awkwardly. It seemed it was her turn to be nervous. What could he possibly have to say that was so serious? It couldn’t be… could it? Dare she hope it was?
“O-okay, what is it?” she asked, swallowing again. There was a lump in her throat that she couldn’t seem to get around.
He remained quiet for a moment, studying her face as if she'd just told him no. He took a deep breath, though, and seemed to steel himself. "I... don't, I'm not sure how to say this," he spoke, seemingly torn. He wasn't good at expressing himself, at least not in the ways he intended. That was a given, considering who he was. He didn't move his gaze from her though, and leaned slightly forward. They were close enough that he was staring directly at her, and only just a polite distance away, but still close enough that she could see every detail of his face.
"I've never been good at expressing things, however," he began pausing slightly. He took another breath, this one low and soft. "There are things that you make me feel that make it seem like expressing anything else wouldn't be good enough. I... don't understand why," he spoke, though he seemed a little lost at what he was saying. He shook his head softly.
"There is no doubt that... what I feel for you is not quite the same thing that I feel for Cyrilla or Kas. They are my friends, and my family, but you," he paused, lifting his hand just slightly to rest against her cheek. It was the most forward he'd ever been, especially the way he was holding her cheek. "There is something different in the way I feel for you," he spoke, dropping his hand away and sighing heavily.
"I just... there isn't a proper way to explain it, because like doesn't quite seem like the word that would do it justice," he continued. He shook his head as if it weren't exactly what he was trying to say, but it looked like he didn't know how to say it, either. "I don't want you to think any less of me for saying it, but I do like you Anastasia, perhaps more than I should," and with that, he closed his eyes softly. He didn't open them, though.
Ana breathed out; with her breath, all her tension left her; she felt an incredible lightness that she hadn’t really known before. It was like she might lift off the ground and float away at any moment, though of course that wasn’t likely at all.
“Eryk,” she said softly, feeling a tender smile creep over her face. “I could never think less of you, not for something like that. And even if you don’t know the right word, or aren’t quite sure what it is that you feel… that’s okay. We can figure it out.” She included herself in the statement very intentionally, rising up onto her knees and placing her hands on either side of his face.
Holding her breath, Ana drew closer to his face. His eyes were still closed—actually, she could…
Banishing the thought, she straightened a little further and pressed her lips to his brow, in the spot right above his nose. “I feel… different about you, too,” she confessed. The word she wanted was easier to her tongue, but she didn’t know if it was the same word, and for now it seemed better to accept what she’d been given and not try to make anything of it that it wasn’t. “And I’m so—” her voice cracked slightly with the force of her emotion.
“I’m so glad I met you.”
His eyes opened almost immediately after that. She was still holding his face, and there was the strange intent expression on his face. He leaned forward, though, raising his hand to cradle the back of her head and pulled her a little towards him. "I don't need to figure it out. I know what it is, but it is hard to explain into words," he spoke, his voice completely serious and more expressive than it ever was. He took a slow breath, releasing it just as slowly. He closed his eyes for a moment, keeping their faces just inches apart.
"Perhaps, it is better that I show you," he finally spoke after a minute of silence. He opened his eyes and closed the remaining distance between them, placing a very tender and soft kiss on her lips. There was some hesitation about it, as if he were afraid that she'd pull away or something. He didn't linger for more than a few seconds, and put a polite distance between them.
Ana swore her heart stopped. She definitely forgot to breathe for a second. At the same time as it finally registered what he’d done—about the same time as he pulled away—one of the logs in the fire split with a loud crack, and the entire thing flared upwards a few feet. Fortunately they were far enough away that it wasn’t anything other than a wave of heat; the fire pit was constructed well enough to handle it.
She blinked at him, lips slightly parted, with the distinct feeling that her face was burning anyway. “S-sorry,” she stammered, glancing towards the fire for a moment. “That was m-my f-fault. It’s, um… emotion. My powers are—” she cleared her throat, looking down, then leaned forward. Polite distance was… polite, she supposed, by definition. But it wasn’t anything she wanted right now.
She was embarrassed and giddy and elated and very, very much hoping that the kiss would repeat itself sometime in the near future, but perhaps for now, it was enough as it was. Another first, a moment she’d never forget—she wanted to keep it perfect and crystalline in her memory. Sighing, Ana leaned her forehead against Eryk’s shoulder. It was easier to speak when she didn’t have to look at him. “It used to be that really strong emotions would… cause things to happen around me. It hasn’t happened since I was a child, though.” But she knew she’d caused it—she’d felt herself do it, though it hadn’t been intentional.
He seemed somewhat relieved, or at least he looked relieved. His shoulders weren't tense; they were more relaxed now, and he shifted slightly to make it more comfortable. He leaned over just slightly so that his head could rest gently on hers, despite how awkward it might have seemed.
"Then it is, perhaps, best that I didn't inherit those talents," he spoke, almost as if he were joking. He let out a content sigh, and said nothing further.
Eryk felt strangely happy. He wasn't entirely sure what to make of it, though. He'd never had a reason to be happy before, but now there seemed to be. Last night, he didn't think he'd take it that far. He'd only intended to tell her how he felt, but somewhere, he had to show her. He didn't want her to misunderstand what he had been saying. It seemed that she was, if only for a moment, but he was glad that he'd clarified it. Today was the last day of their camping trip, but he wasn't so sure he wanted it to end, exactly.
They had all started packing things up, including taking down the tents to put them away, however; Cyrilla would often give him a look, one that he couldn't exactly explain. He was suspicious of it, and he'd tried asking her about it. She didn't say anything though, and remained stubbornly quiet about it. He sighed, placing the last peg into the pack before shifting around. They didn't have to leave quite yet, so there was still some free time.
"What should we do now?" he questioned. He was still unsure of how to do anything remotely fun for camping, after all.
Kas, of course, looked like he knew exactly what had happened. He probably did—he always seemed to know things he should have no way of finding out, and Eryk hadn’t told him. But he also wasn’t prying for it, so overall it was mostly the same as usual with him. He shrugged. “We could go down to the lake. Skinny-dipping jokes aside, it’s not too far, and it’s nice—I saw it yesterday.”
“I wouldn’t mind,” Ana replied. She’d been quiet all morning, but it seemed to be a peaceful sort of quiet. She’d had a thoughtful look on her face for most of the time they’d been breaking camp that morning, but she was smiling now.
Eryk shrugged. It wasn't a bad idea, and it's not like they were going swimming in it. It was a little too cold for swimming, though he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to swim even if the others did. With that in mind, he tugged the jacket a little closer to himself, glancing towards Cyrilla, and then towards the others. Cyrilla nodded her head in agreement, and finished packing away her things before she stood.
"Well, let's go see the lake for a minute. I'm sure Milotic and Gyarados would like an extra swim before we go, too," she spoke. She'd recalled all of her pokémon back into their pokéballs except for Kenshin. She'd likely recall him before they had to board the plane, so there wasn't much to worry about. Eryk had done the same with his pokémon, however; he'd opted to keep Mankey out. Mankey still had a lot of energy to burn and he figured since they were still hanging around, this would be a good time.
Said pokémon was currently hanging on Cyrilla's shoulders, though, glancing between Eryk and Ana. If Mankey's could wear smug looks, Eryk was sure his Mankey would be wearing one. He wasn't entirely sure what Mankey was so smug about, but he decided not to pursue the thought any further than necessary. Mankey was one of his weirder pokémon, and that was saying something considering Gengar.
"Alright, let's go to the lake, then," he finally spoke, pushing forward, though he didn't go too far ahead. He knew where the lake was, but he wasn't really in a rush to get there. The walk would be just as interesting, he supposed.
They all started towards the lake, leaving most of the supplies behind since they’d have to come back in the same direction anyway. Ana’s pokémon had been safely returned to their balls as well, except for Aithne, who ranged slightly ahead of the group, sniffing curiously at this or that.
The trail down to the lake was relatively well-worn, if thin enough that they had to bunch together a bit. Kas drifted towards the front of the group, perhaps due to his natural lengthy stride. Ana gravitated toward Eryk, glancing up him almost furtively a few times. When she spoke, it was so softly he could hardly hear.
“Is it okay if I…” she trailed off, glancing away, but her meaning became clear when her hand, small and soft, closed over his. The touch was tentative, almost feathery, but it lingered.
Eryk blinked a few times as he glanced down at her. He nodded his head, though, and allowed her hand to hold his. He'd held her hand last time, during Christmas, and now he was holding it in the same manner. It was firm, but still light enough that if she wanted to, she could pull away. It was so strange at how natural it felt, like it was meant to be there. He didn't dislike it, and in fact, preferred it this way. Cyrilla was behind them, though, and he spared her a glance. She shook her head and only smiled at him. He pursed his lips; he wasn't expecting that, honestly. He was expecting to see her grinning at him, or even hear her snickering. She didn't, though, so he didn't think any further on it.
"It's fine," he finally spoke, glancing down towards her. He offered her a softer expression, but he didn't completely smile. It wasn't that he didn't want to smile, because he did, but it just felt a little more... embarrassing? That didn't seem right. He'd put it down as to whatever strange feeling that was, and fix it later. "How are you feeling?" he decided to ask. It wasn't that he didn't know what to say, but rather, he just wanted to know how she felt. She hadn't looked too sickly recently, but he still... worried.
“I’m… good,” she said slowly, nodding a little as if to confirm it. She didn’t seem to have the same reservations about smiling, though it was a good guess that this was still a little embarrassing for her as well, because her cheekbones were dusted pink. “Really good, actually.”
At that point, Kas glanced back to make sure they were following still. His eyes clearly fell to where Eryk’s hand was linked with Ana’s. A fleeting smile crossed his face before he turned to face forward again.
“Almost there,” he informed them. “The lake’s just through these trees here.”
It was about another five minutes of walking before the treeline gave way, spitting them out onto a grassy area which gradually sloped down towards a small sandy area. That in turn fed into the lakebed. The most extraordinary thing, though, was that the lake had at its bottom many multicolored stones, from bright red through brilliant green, and the water was clear enough to see them all. The sun reflected off the glassy surface of the water, brightening everything beneath. Apparently, it was warm enough not to have frozen.
“Nice, right?” Kas walked all the way up to the water, though he didn’t go in.
“It’s beautiful,” Ana agreed, still not letting go of Eryk’s hand.
"Really beautiful, actually," Cyrilla spoke in slight awe. She moved a little bit aways from them, heading straight to the water's edge. Eryk shook his head faintly, but he did have to agree. It was nice out here, nicer than he'd like to admit.
"You should have brought a camera," he, oddly, suggested. That way, she could have another photo for her album.
“There’s one on my phone,” she replied, reaching into a pocket with her free hand. Once she had it, she was forced to relinquish her grip on Eryk to hold it. For a moment, looking at the screen, Ana paused, tilting her head to the side, then clicked the button at what seemed like an odd angle. Her second picture was obviously directly of the lake; she pressed the screen a few times, bringing up the first she’d taken, then tilting the screen so he could see it, a faint smile on her face.
It was an image of Cy and Kas, he could see now. They both faced the lake, standing relatively, but not especially close. The sunlight filtering in put them in silhouette, though; the difference in their height was sharp, but of most interest was the fact that—only barely—they seemed to be leaning slightly towards each other. It was so subtle it was difficult to notice, and perhaps from any other angle but Ana’s, it would have been impossible to spot.
Eryk almost snorted at the image, shaking his slightly at the image. "That's a good angle," he spoke, nodding his head towards the image. "Do you want to take a picture with all of us?" he suggested. It wouldn't be impossible. Kenshin could probably take the picture for them, if they asked. And it wasn't like Kenshin had to be in the picture. If he really wanted to, they could take two sets of pictures.
"That way, you'll have something with all of us for your album," he added, glancing in Ana's direction.
She seemed to brighten at the prospect, nodding and minimizing the image so as to bring up the camera screen again. “Kenshin?” she asked, getting the lucario’s attention. “Do you think you’d be able to take a picture of us all with this?” She held up the phone. It was a fair question—Kenshin essentially had paws that were slightly more flexible than usual, not hands in the same way a human did.
A what? he asked in a confused manner. He glanced at Ana's phone and took it. Oh, a picture, he spoke once the phone was in his paws. He fumbled with it for a moment before he managed to turn it in the proper way and held it up. Oops, he spoke, holding the phone towards Ana of the picture he accidentally took. Eryk's face looked rather passive, but he was slightly glancing at Ana from the corners of his eyes. It caused Eryk to just roll his eyes, though.
"You did that on purpose, Kenshin. Now take a proper picture. I know you know how to use the camera function on the phone," he spoke. Kenshin just smirked at him, though, and waved his paw at him.
Then go stand by the two idiots over there, he spoke, shoving his paw towards Kas and Cy. Let me know when you all have settled on your poses, he continued.
“Hey now,” Kas said, smiling easily. “There’s only one idiot over here, and we all know it isn’t Cy.”
Ana laughed softly, shaking her head. “Maybe we can all stand together this time?” she asked, positioning herself at the water’s edge. Once the others were kind of in the right area, she wrapped an arm around Cy’s waist and held out her other one for Eryk to step into. “Like this? You two have to be on the outside and lean in a little or it’ll be hard to see us all.” She smiled, tipping her head back a little to indicate that the comment was about their height, particularly in contrast to herself and Cyrilla, who were only of average height for women.
Kenshin rolled his eyes at Kas's comment, but didn't say anything. Eryk shook his head and stepped into Ana's outstretched arm. He glanced towards Kas, and then towards Ana, staring down at her for a moment. "Are you all ready?" he asked. Cyrilla moved a little closer towards Ana so that she could make a bit more room. Once she was settled, she nodded her head. Eryk rolled his eyes, and glanced towards the other two.
You have five seconds before I take this picture, Kenshin spoke, though from where Eryk could see, one of Kenshin's fingers moved just slightly. He must have been taking pictures as they were all getting ready.
Kas stepped in a little closer, placing a hand around Cyrilla’s shoulders almost tentatively; though with him it was always a little hard to tell. He definitely had the kind of smile that translated to pictures though; he seemed to be able to produce it from nowhere. Ana found hers as well, turning toward Kenshin and the camera with a bright, soft grin on her face.
“Cheese, I guess?”
Kenshin seemed to smile as Eryk did the same to Ana. His hand hung loosely around Ana's shoulders, though, so it wasn't too awkward. He didn't think it made it awkward, but he couldn't exactly tell, either. Cheese works, but so does 'Kenshin is awesome for taking this picture for us' Kenshin spoke, earning a snort from Cyrilla. Eryk rolled his eyes again, and waited for Kenshin to take the picture. When he did, he turned the phone towards Ana and handed it back to her.
"Who would have thought that Kenshin was capable of taking a good photo," Eryk spoke, inspecting Kenshin's work.
"You do realize that he's taken pictures before, right? He should know how to take a good photo. Otherwise, Kenshin, I'd be disappointed in you," Cyrilla spoke, though there was a smile on her face that said otherwise. Kenshin just shrugged his shoulders.
You can get Mankey to take the picture for you, next time, then, he simply spoke before walking off. Eryk just shook his head.
“That would have… interesting results, I think,” Ana said. She looked like she was actually thinking about it for a second, then shrugged. “We could give him paints, though. Some of the shelter pokémon use them, sometimes; I think mostly I end up painted, in the end.”
She smiled down at the picture on the screen, then closed it out and returned her phone to her pocket. “I’ve enjoyed this trip a lot, but I’m kind of looking forward to going home, too.”
"I don't think Mankey would have returned your phone," he spoke, being completely serious. Mankey was... odd just didn't seem like the right word to use. Mankey was eccentric that way, he supposed. He'd probably end up breaking Ana's phone, too. "If you give Mankey paint, give it to him outside," he stated. He didn't want to think of what his office would look like if Mankey was allowed to have paint in there.
"I bet he'd try to paint a pretty picture for you, Ryk," Cyrilla spoke, earning a flat gaze from him.
"We'll leave that for another time. I think going home now, sounds like a better idea," he still found it odd how naturally it sounded to claim Cinnabar Island as home.
Kas nodded. “Let’s go do one last check of the site, and grab our stuff so we can get going. We’ve still got a bit of walking to do before we reach the airport, obviously.”
He almost forgot about that. Huh.
They had all started packing things up, including taking down the tents to put them away, however; Cyrilla would often give him a look, one that he couldn't exactly explain. He was suspicious of it, and he'd tried asking her about it. She didn't say anything though, and remained stubbornly quiet about it. He sighed, placing the last peg into the pack before shifting around. They didn't have to leave quite yet, so there was still some free time.
"What should we do now?" he questioned. He was still unsure of how to do anything remotely fun for camping, after all.
Kas, of course, looked like he knew exactly what had happened. He probably did—he always seemed to know things he should have no way of finding out, and Eryk hadn’t told him. But he also wasn’t prying for it, so overall it was mostly the same as usual with him. He shrugged. “We could go down to the lake. Skinny-dipping jokes aside, it’s not too far, and it’s nice—I saw it yesterday.”
“I wouldn’t mind,” Ana replied. She’d been quiet all morning, but it seemed to be a peaceful sort of quiet. She’d had a thoughtful look on her face for most of the time they’d been breaking camp that morning, but she was smiling now.
Eryk shrugged. It wasn't a bad idea, and it's not like they were going swimming in it. It was a little too cold for swimming, though he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to swim even if the others did. With that in mind, he tugged the jacket a little closer to himself, glancing towards Cyrilla, and then towards the others. Cyrilla nodded her head in agreement, and finished packing away her things before she stood.
"Well, let's go see the lake for a minute. I'm sure Milotic and Gyarados would like an extra swim before we go, too," she spoke. She'd recalled all of her pokémon back into their pokéballs except for Kenshin. She'd likely recall him before they had to board the plane, so there wasn't much to worry about. Eryk had done the same with his pokémon, however; he'd opted to keep Mankey out. Mankey still had a lot of energy to burn and he figured since they were still hanging around, this would be a good time.
Said pokémon was currently hanging on Cyrilla's shoulders, though, glancing between Eryk and Ana. If Mankey's could wear smug looks, Eryk was sure his Mankey would be wearing one. He wasn't entirely sure what Mankey was so smug about, but he decided not to pursue the thought any further than necessary. Mankey was one of his weirder pokémon, and that was saying something considering Gengar.
"Alright, let's go to the lake, then," he finally spoke, pushing forward, though he didn't go too far ahead. He knew where the lake was, but he wasn't really in a rush to get there. The walk would be just as interesting, he supposed.
They all started towards the lake, leaving most of the supplies behind since they’d have to come back in the same direction anyway. Ana’s pokémon had been safely returned to their balls as well, except for Aithne, who ranged slightly ahead of the group, sniffing curiously at this or that.
The trail down to the lake was relatively well-worn, if thin enough that they had to bunch together a bit. Kas drifted towards the front of the group, perhaps due to his natural lengthy stride. Ana gravitated toward Eryk, glancing up him almost furtively a few times. When she spoke, it was so softly he could hardly hear.
“Is it okay if I…” she trailed off, glancing away, but her meaning became clear when her hand, small and soft, closed over his. The touch was tentative, almost feathery, but it lingered.
Eryk blinked a few times as he glanced down at her. He nodded his head, though, and allowed her hand to hold his. He'd held her hand last time, during Christmas, and now he was holding it in the same manner. It was firm, but still light enough that if she wanted to, she could pull away. It was so strange at how natural it felt, like it was meant to be there. He didn't dislike it, and in fact, preferred it this way. Cyrilla was behind them, though, and he spared her a glance. She shook her head and only smiled at him. He pursed his lips; he wasn't expecting that, honestly. He was expecting to see her grinning at him, or even hear her snickering. She didn't, though, so he didn't think any further on it.
"It's fine," he finally spoke, glancing down towards her. He offered her a softer expression, but he didn't completely smile. It wasn't that he didn't want to smile, because he did, but it just felt a little more... embarrassing? That didn't seem right. He'd put it down as to whatever strange feeling that was, and fix it later. "How are you feeling?" he decided to ask. It wasn't that he didn't know what to say, but rather, he just wanted to know how she felt. She hadn't looked too sickly recently, but he still... worried.
“I’m… good,” she said slowly, nodding a little as if to confirm it. She didn’t seem to have the same reservations about smiling, though it was a good guess that this was still a little embarrassing for her as well, because her cheekbones were dusted pink. “Really good, actually.”
At that point, Kas glanced back to make sure they were following still. His eyes clearly fell to where Eryk’s hand was linked with Ana’s. A fleeting smile crossed his face before he turned to face forward again.
“Almost there,” he informed them. “The lake’s just through these trees here.”
It was about another five minutes of walking before the treeline gave way, spitting them out onto a grassy area which gradually sloped down towards a small sandy area. That in turn fed into the lakebed. The most extraordinary thing, though, was that the lake had at its bottom many multicolored stones, from bright red through brilliant green, and the water was clear enough to see them all. The sun reflected off the glassy surface of the water, brightening everything beneath. Apparently, it was warm enough not to have frozen.
“Nice, right?” Kas walked all the way up to the water, though he didn’t go in.
“It’s beautiful,” Ana agreed, still not letting go of Eryk’s hand.
"Really beautiful, actually," Cyrilla spoke in slight awe. She moved a little bit aways from them, heading straight to the water's edge. Eryk shook his head faintly, but he did have to agree. It was nice out here, nicer than he'd like to admit.
"You should have brought a camera," he, oddly, suggested. That way, she could have another photo for her album.
“There’s one on my phone,” she replied, reaching into a pocket with her free hand. Once she had it, she was forced to relinquish her grip on Eryk to hold it. For a moment, looking at the screen, Ana paused, tilting her head to the side, then clicked the button at what seemed like an odd angle. Her second picture was obviously directly of the lake; she pressed the screen a few times, bringing up the first she’d taken, then tilting the screen so he could see it, a faint smile on her face.
It was an image of Cy and Kas, he could see now. They both faced the lake, standing relatively, but not especially close. The sunlight filtering in put them in silhouette, though; the difference in their height was sharp, but of most interest was the fact that—only barely—they seemed to be leaning slightly towards each other. It was so subtle it was difficult to notice, and perhaps from any other angle but Ana’s, it would have been impossible to spot.
Eryk almost snorted at the image, shaking his slightly at the image. "That's a good angle," he spoke, nodding his head towards the image. "Do you want to take a picture with all of us?" he suggested. It wouldn't be impossible. Kenshin could probably take the picture for them, if they asked. And it wasn't like Kenshin had to be in the picture. If he really wanted to, they could take two sets of pictures.
"That way, you'll have something with all of us for your album," he added, glancing in Ana's direction.
She seemed to brighten at the prospect, nodding and minimizing the image so as to bring up the camera screen again. “Kenshin?” she asked, getting the lucario’s attention. “Do you think you’d be able to take a picture of us all with this?” She held up the phone. It was a fair question—Kenshin essentially had paws that were slightly more flexible than usual, not hands in the same way a human did.
A what? he asked in a confused manner. He glanced at Ana's phone and took it. Oh, a picture, he spoke once the phone was in his paws. He fumbled with it for a moment before he managed to turn it in the proper way and held it up. Oops, he spoke, holding the phone towards Ana of the picture he accidentally took. Eryk's face looked rather passive, but he was slightly glancing at Ana from the corners of his eyes. It caused Eryk to just roll his eyes, though.
"You did that on purpose, Kenshin. Now take a proper picture. I know you know how to use the camera function on the phone," he spoke. Kenshin just smirked at him, though, and waved his paw at him.
Then go stand by the two idiots over there, he spoke, shoving his paw towards Kas and Cy. Let me know when you all have settled on your poses, he continued.
“Hey now,” Kas said, smiling easily. “There’s only one idiot over here, and we all know it isn’t Cy.”
Ana laughed softly, shaking her head. “Maybe we can all stand together this time?” she asked, positioning herself at the water’s edge. Once the others were kind of in the right area, she wrapped an arm around Cy’s waist and held out her other one for Eryk to step into. “Like this? You two have to be on the outside and lean in a little or it’ll be hard to see us all.” She smiled, tipping her head back a little to indicate that the comment was about their height, particularly in contrast to herself and Cyrilla, who were only of average height for women.
Kenshin rolled his eyes at Kas's comment, but didn't say anything. Eryk shook his head and stepped into Ana's outstretched arm. He glanced towards Kas, and then towards Ana, staring down at her for a moment. "Are you all ready?" he asked. Cyrilla moved a little closer towards Ana so that she could make a bit more room. Once she was settled, she nodded her head. Eryk rolled his eyes, and glanced towards the other two.
You have five seconds before I take this picture, Kenshin spoke, though from where Eryk could see, one of Kenshin's fingers moved just slightly. He must have been taking pictures as they were all getting ready.
Kas stepped in a little closer, placing a hand around Cyrilla’s shoulders almost tentatively; though with him it was always a little hard to tell. He definitely had the kind of smile that translated to pictures though; he seemed to be able to produce it from nowhere. Ana found hers as well, turning toward Kenshin and the camera with a bright, soft grin on her face.
“Cheese, I guess?”
Kenshin seemed to smile as Eryk did the same to Ana. His hand hung loosely around Ana's shoulders, though, so it wasn't too awkward. He didn't think it made it awkward, but he couldn't exactly tell, either. Cheese works, but so does 'Kenshin is awesome for taking this picture for us' Kenshin spoke, earning a snort from Cyrilla. Eryk rolled his eyes again, and waited for Kenshin to take the picture. When he did, he turned the phone towards Ana and handed it back to her.
"Who would have thought that Kenshin was capable of taking a good photo," Eryk spoke, inspecting Kenshin's work.
"You do realize that he's taken pictures before, right? He should know how to take a good photo. Otherwise, Kenshin, I'd be disappointed in you," Cyrilla spoke, though there was a smile on her face that said otherwise. Kenshin just shrugged his shoulders.
You can get Mankey to take the picture for you, next time, then, he simply spoke before walking off. Eryk just shook his head.
“That would have… interesting results, I think,” Ana said. She looked like she was actually thinking about it for a second, then shrugged. “We could give him paints, though. Some of the shelter pokémon use them, sometimes; I think mostly I end up painted, in the end.”
She smiled down at the picture on the screen, then closed it out and returned her phone to her pocket. “I’ve enjoyed this trip a lot, but I’m kind of looking forward to going home, too.”
"I don't think Mankey would have returned your phone," he spoke, being completely serious. Mankey was... odd just didn't seem like the right word to use. Mankey was eccentric that way, he supposed. He'd probably end up breaking Ana's phone, too. "If you give Mankey paint, give it to him outside," he stated. He didn't want to think of what his office would look like if Mankey was allowed to have paint in there.
"I bet he'd try to paint a pretty picture for you, Ryk," Cyrilla spoke, earning a flat gaze from him.
"We'll leave that for another time. I think going home now, sounds like a better idea," he still found it odd how naturally it sounded to claim Cinnabar Island as home.
Kas nodded. “Let’s go do one last check of the site, and grab our stuff so we can get going. We’ve still got a bit of walking to do before we reach the airport, obviously.”
He almost forgot about that. Huh.
Ana smiled to herself, inhaling the delicate smell of the sauce bubbling merrily away on her stovetop. It had been wonderful to get off the island for a while and see so many new things—not to mention all the other things that had changed during that time—but it was nice to be home again, as well. Her aunt had taken good care of the shelter in her absence, of course—she’d never been worried about that to begin with. But it was home for her, and she was glad to be safely ensconced here again.
Of course, it wasn’t because she was home that she couldn’t keep the smile off her face. Even now, completely by herself save for Aithne in the pokémon bed in the corner, she felt happy and completely silly at the same time. It wasn’t all she could think about—Ana still went about her day much as before—but every time she didn’t need to be thinking about something else, her thoughts would naturally carry her back to it.
The kiss.
It basically had capital-letter status in her recollection, but she didn’t let herself quite go that far, else she’d feel like a complete fool instead of just most of one. Oh, but she was a fool, wasn’t she? What was she even doing, getting into something like this in her situation? Part of her knew already that it couldn’t, wouldn’t end well, but… the rest said that it was worth doing anyway.
Was it completely selfish of her, to want to be as happy as she could in the time she had left? Eryk knew everything significant about her, and he was the one who’d… she sighed; she’d been doing a lot of that in the last couple of days as well. This one was a tad melancholy though, and she felt the smile slip away for just a moment. She stirred the sauce absently, tapping the spoon on the edge of the pan and setting it aside.
She’d actually forgotten, for a glorious week and a few days. But she could feel the reminder now—a subtle itch in her lungs that would become a cough before too many more days were past. Much as she hated to consider it… any such warning could be the last one she had. But… but she’d been doing so well, lately. Her body felt healthier than it ever had. Surely… surely this one would not be the last.
There was a gentle knock on her front door, though. From the shuffling outside, it sounded like there were two people, however; a voice managed to filter through. It was Kenshin's voice, and more than likely it was Cyrilla who was with him. "Don't rush me, I'm looking for the keys. Hey, you're the one who knocked," it was definitely her. The front door was pushed open and both Kenshin and Cyrilla stepped through.
"Ana! I brought you something," she spoke, appearing in the kitchen with Kenshin. She was holding what looked like a small tray, but it was covered with a cloth. "Kenshin and I made you banana bread. He wanted to try his hand at baking, but I think he got the hang of it after the seventh loaf," she stated, placing the pan on Ana's table. "Oh, and I have some other news," she continued, turning so that she was facing Ana completely.
Eryk's birthday is in a week, and she wants to know if you want to help her plan something for it. Also, she wants to know if you want to join them at the base for lunch since you've never been there, Kenshin spoke, earning a flat look from Cyrilla. He just shrugged his shoulders.
"What Kenny just said, but first, it looks like you're already making something," she spoke, nodding her head towards the pan. "I mean, we could always take lunch to them, too, if you wanted," she added.
That was rather a lot at once. Ana held her tongue, though, until she was fairly sure that they’d both said everything they planned on saying. “Um.” The word came out like a sentence by itself, perhaps because she was attempting to figure out what order to take that in. Probably about the same as it had been given.
“Thank you, for the banana bread,” she said with a smile, dipping her head at Kenshin. “I’ll have to eat it for dessert tonight.” She paused. “I’d be happy to help you plan something for Eryk’s birthday, of course.” Though she was completely stumped about what she was going to get him. The mega stone had been her only idea, and she really couldn’t afford another one quite so soon, so she’d have to think about that. But there was still a little time, at least.
“And if you’re sure it’s okay for me to go to the base, I’d be glad to. I was making pasta, but there’s probably enough for everyone, so we could just put it all in containers and take it over?” She thought she’d covered everything.
"Oh good," Cyrilla looked a bit relieved at Ana's statement, and she glanced towards Kenshin. "It'll be fine since we're only going into the lobby portion of it. There's a nice cafeteria, and then there's a spot just for the three of us when we want to be in private quarters. I guess you could call it the VIP room? Lounge?" she didn't seem quite sure what word she was looking for, but she didn't seem too concerned about it, either.
You're welcome, Kenshin added, glancing towards Aithne and nodding towards her. He shifted his attention back to Ana, though. I'll help you take the containers, too, he offered. He didn't seem particularly inclined to do anything, really, but he was still offering.
"Oh, also, you know you don't have to get Eryk anything for his birthday, right? He... really doesn't like getting gifts for that particular day. I think, spending time with us will be more than enough," she added. "Just let me know when you're ready, and we'll put everything away and we'll go!"
Within a few minutes, they’d packed several containers full of all the food—Ana seemed to make large quantities of everything automatically these days. There was really no way to know which meals she’d have company for, and leftovers never went to waste, either, so it wasn’t a problem.
When they were out on the road to the base, Ana ventured the question she’d been wondering about over the past few minutes. “Is there… a reason Eryk doesn’t like gifts on his birthday? He seemed okay with getting them for Christmas…” A potential answer struck her almost immediately. “Is it something to do with your family?” She shifted the box she was carrying so it sat more comfortably on her hip.
Cyrilla flinched slightly at the question, but she seemed to recover a bit, and sighed. "You could say that," she answered, her tone a little low. "Eryk's never had the best birthdays. His mother wasn't exactly the epitome of a loving mother, either. Every year for his birthday, she would get him something that dealt with the clan, or something that... a child really shouldn't possess. I think... the last straw was when she'd tried to make him deal out the punishment on someone, and he refused. He associates his birthday and getting gifts with things he has to do that don't make him comfortable and with her. I've tried really hard to change that for him, but," she'd began, pausing towards the end to take a breath. She shook her head.
"It's buried really deep. I've managed to at least get him to celebrate it, somewhat. I think... this year just might be a little different, though, and a little more special," she spoke, shaking her head somewhat before smiling in Ana's direction. "With your help, of course," she added the last part a little slyly, though.
"One day I'll get him to stop associating his birthday with bad things, and I think this year might be the step forward he needs."
Ana looked down at her feet, continuing forward on the path with her lips pursed. His whole life… she had difficulty even imagining what that would be like. For her at least, birthdays had always been a bright spot in the years, a reminder that for all the odds were stacked against her, she’d made it to another year of being alive. To have something like that so… twisted was almost unimaginable.
“Definitely nothing practical, then,” she mused, shaking her head a little. It was probably a good thing she didn’t have enough money around to have already gone out and bought a stone or something. As symbolic as she liked to think it had been the first time—of her support for his rediscovery of battling as a pastime—it was practical, in a certain sense, something that could have a use for something he was required to do. Clearly, it was better to stay away from all that.
She sighed. “I guess I’d better take your advice and not get anything at all, though it does make me feel bad.”
"Oh, don't feel bad, Ana. I think that, even if you did get him something, he might actually appreciate it because it came from you. I don't know if you've noticed, but you're a really bright spot for him. He might actually appreciate a gift from you, but don't feel obligated to get him one. That's all I was trying to say," she spoke, offering her a reassuring smile. She glanced forward, and the walk remained relatively peaceful. At least until the approached the base, and Cyrilla stopped immediately in her tracks. The color from her face seemed to disappear completely, and even Kenshin wore a grim appearance.
Eryk was standing outside, and the expression on his face was something new. It wasn't grim; it seemed far too dark for it to be so. There was a woman standing in front of him, but her back was turned towards Cyrilla and Ana. It was definitely a woman, though, and her hair was extremely long. It fell to the back of her knees, almost, though there was on occasional white streak through it. She must have been older, but she still looked a little young, from behind at least. There was a slightly taller man standing beside her, though he looked to be around Drake's age. He was an inch shorter than Eryk, though, and unlike Eryk, his hair wasn't dark. It was a deep, rich emerald color that seemed to be pulled into a high tail.
"Oh no," Cyrilla finally spoke. "Oh, this isn't good," she continued. She didn't move, but it was apparent that Cyrilla was shaking a bit. "What is she doing here," she muttered. Either she forgot she was standing next to Ana, or she might have been completely focused on what was going on in front. Eryk, however, noticed them and his expression seemed to darken more.
"I think... we should go back," she spoke, giving Ana a slightly worried look. The woman hadn't noticed them yet, so maybe that was a good thing?
“Cy-cyrilla?” Ana was alarmed by the state her friend was clearly in; she pulled in a sharp breath. It almost became a cough, but she forced it down, swallowing the discomfort to lay a hand as gently as possible on Cy’s shoulder. “Are you okay?” She kept her voice to a soft whisper, since apparently it was better if they weren’t noticed by this person, whoever she was.
It was at this point that the woman turned around, seemingly interested in what caught Eryk's attention. She raised a brow in their direction, before mouthing something to Eryk. He tensed considerably, but shook his head. He mouthed something back to her, glanced towards Cyrilla, and hesitantly motioned them forward. Cyrilla glanced towards Ana, and for a moment, she gave her an apologetic look. She turned her attention back towards Eryk, though, and waved to him.
"Whatever she does, whatever she says, don't... don't pay attention to it. That's Marah, Eryk's mother," she pursed her lips together further when the man beside her, turned around as well. She tensed considerably. "And that's... that's Lukas. What are they doing here, though?" she spoke the last portion lowly, as if she were talking to herself. She glanced back at Ana, though, and opened her mouth to say something, however; Marah spoke.
"Cyrilla Niav, get over here and stop making me wait," she spoke, her tone of voice was just as monotonous as Eryk once had. There was something harsh to it, though, and Cyrilla sighed. "Now, Cyrilla," she continued. She offered Ana another apologetic smile before making her way towards Eryk and Marah. When they were within range, Marah seemed to narrow her eyes at Cyrilla, but then turned her attention towards Ana. She did a quick glance over and turned towards Eryk.
"A Joy? Really, Eryk? You made friends with a Joy?"
"Her name is Anastasia, mother. And yes, she is just a friend," he spoke, putting an emphasis on the just part. She didn't seem too convinced, but didn't say anything, and instead turned back on Ana.
"Well now, girl, don't just stand there, say something. Are you mute, too?" she spoke. Eryk's jaw tensed considerably, but he didn't say anything. His mother gave a disapproving shake of her head, though. Lukas kept his gaze fixated on Cyrilla, occasionally glancing towards Ana. He hadn't said anything, though, probably because Marah was speaking.
Ana wasn’t exactly sure what it was about her family that had seemingly offended this woman, but she supposed some people were simply inclined to be offended. She didn’t let her expression change at Eryk’s clarification of the situation; she certainly believed that what he’d told her was more likely to be true than what he told his obviously-irritated mother. So it was with no doubt in her mind that she faced down the situation.
Of course, handling such a situation with grace did not often mean trying to be more pithy or clever, or to imply insult in return. So Ana did none of those things, drawing up a smile from some quiet, calm place inside herself and wearing it. “No, ma’am. I was simply waiting for my turn to speak. As Eryk said, I’m Ana. It is nice to meet you…?” She trailed off, politely flagging the fact that the woman had yet to introduce herself or the man standing next to her. Of course, she knew their names because of what Cyrilla had just said, but that was a far cry from an introduction.
Marah didn't seem too impressed by anything Ana said. She just gave her a flat look, her eyes narrowing every so often. She glanced towards Eryk, though, when Ana asked her name. "How is that you don't even speak of your mother to other people. Honestly, Ryk, sometimes I wonder if you have rocks for brains," she spoke fairly casually. Eryk just gave her the same flat look she'd been wearing, but didn't say anything in particular. It was clear that he wasn't entirely comfortable with her being here, with the subtle tensing of his jaw, and his posture.
"You didn't come here to insult my intelligence, Marah, what do you want?" Eryk spoke, his voice unusually calm and level. She just narrowed her eyes at him, and turned towards Ana, instead.
"Marah. You will address me as such, and nothing more," Marah spoke finally. Her gaze never left Ana, though, almost as if she were sizing Ana up. It almost looked like she was doing a one-over of Ana, kind of like how a man would do a particularly attractive woman, however; Marah didn't seem too pleased by what she saw.
"You didn't say why you're here, mother," Eryk spoke, though there was a hint of irritation to his voice. Marah turned towards him, slightly, and smiled. It seemed more wicked than anything, like she knew something that Eryk didn't want to know.
"I came to check on my son, is there something wrong with that? I've heard some disturbing things, and I came to see if they were true. Also, there is an announcement to make for that one," she spoke, nodding her head towards Cyrilla. Cyrilla flinched, though whether or not it was voluntary or not, was hard to tell. She didn't look like she was expecting good news from Marah, though.
"We should discuss it inside, though I'm perfectly fine saying it out loud, here."
"Ana, if you don't want to come inside, or if you'd like to come back another day, you can. You don't have to be here if you don't want to, right now," Cyrilla spoke, giving Ana a sympathetic smile.
"Nonsense. She's your friend, too, right. I'm sure she'll want to hear this news," Marah spoke. Whether or not she was being genuine or not, didn't play across her face. She just wore one Eryk used to wear. It was blank, with nothing there.
Ana blinked once, slowly, before she inclined her head in a nod. “I should set this food down in any case,” she said to Cy. “There’s no point in letting it go to waste.” She couldn’t say she was especially eager to remain in the company of someone so unpleasant, but it seemed like both Eryk and Cy were having… difficulty, and she wanted to be there for them while it was happening.
The group made their way inside the building; several employees in the front of the large bullpen area immediately looked up; a few glanced back down right away again afterwards. Perhaps they had already dealt with visits from Eryk and Cyrilla’s family before?
It didn’t take more than a half a minute for Kas to appear; she hadn’t seen anyone get up to go tell him what was happening, but Ana supposed it might well have happened. His brows arched upon seeing them; the only reason she knew the smile on his face was false was because he’d told her already how much he despised the clan. If she hadn’t known that one fact, she’d have taken him for the only person enjoying himself in this situation.
“Marah; lovely to see you again. You’ve not changed a bit—it’s like the years never went by.” He spared the man—Lukas, apparently—a glance, but didn’t address him directly. Perhaps they were unacquainted? Eryk and Cy seemed to have a lot of family.
Marah rolled her eyes at Kas. "Oh shut up, Kasimir," she replied, not looking so enthused by his appearance. Eryk frowned at her, though. It didn't look like he was going to say anything, though, and Marah just stared at Kas. "You're a pain in the ass, and you know flattery gets you nowhere with me," she replied in a deadpan voice. She rolled out her shoulders slightly, as Eryk shook his head behind her. Lukas was staying pretty quiet, but it looked like he wanted to say something to Eryk. Eryk must have caught on, though, and glared right at the emerald-haired man.
"We're inside, now what is it that's so important that you have to be here. And why is Lukas here? Last I checked, he was supposed to be in Johto," Eryk spoke, glancing at said man. He merely gave Eryk a sly smirk. There was something else behind it, something that looked malicious, almost.
"The announcement involves me, too, Eryk. Though I can't say who's getting the better bargain here, me or her," he finally spoke, glancing at Cyrilla as he did so. His smirk widened into a strange smile, and Cyrilla seemed to shrink beneath it. She must have unknowingly took a step back, and closer towards Eryk when he did.
"What is he talking about?" Eryk seemed confused now, as did Cyrilla.
"He's her fiancé," Marah replied casually, as if it weren't a big deal. Cyrilla's eyes widened considerably, and Eryk looked like he was having trouble swallowing. "You honestly didn't think she was going to have a choice in the matter, did you?" she spoke, her smile returning to her face.
"You... you can't be serious," Cyrilla didn't seem to believe what Marah had just said. Marah just stared back at her.
"When have I ever not been serious," she shot back. Lukas didn't seem to waste too much time, and moved so that he was standing in front of Cyrilla, the same malicious smile on his face.
"It was a mutual agreement by both of our parents. I still think I'm getting the better end of the bargain, here," he spoke, leaning forward just slightly. He wasn't too close to her face, but he was close enough that it looked like Cyrilla was uncomfortable.
It was certainly quite the way to break rather life-changing news. Ana felt herself bristle; this was every bit as bad as she’d expected, the more she learned about Cyrilla and Eryk’s family and their histories.
From the corner of her eye, she saw Kas tense when Lukas moved impolitely close to Cyrilla, but he remained still. Ana, on the other hand, did not—it was clear to her that Cy was uncomfortable, and clearer still that she was unlikely to do anything about it. Marah clearly had her cowed, and perhaps that wasn’t unreasonable. But… she certainly had no control over what Ana did.
“Excuse me,” she said, still politely. Gently, she tugged Cyrilla backwards by the elbow, placing herself halfway between her and Lukas—though she maintained a decorous distance quite purposefully. “But this seems like a discussion best had somewhere that isn’t so…” Her eyes flickered to the employees in the bullpen, many of whom—to their credit—seemed to be trying very hard not to hear what was taking place.
“Public.”
Lukas didn't seem to mind Ana taking Cyrilla, however; Cyrilla looked extremely grateful. Marah just let out a raspy snort. "You honestly think I care where this discussion takes place?" she spoke, staring at Ana. Eryk looked like he was going to say something, but Marah shot him a look. He narrowed his eyes at her.
"She's right. This is family business; the others do not need to hear this. Plus, I have a say in what goes on in my family," he spoke. Eryk looked rather angry, but perhaps he was containing what he was really feeling. For the sake of everyone around them. "There is a room over here we can go into," he spoke. Marah shrugged her shoulders, uttering a 'fine' and allowed Eryk to lead them towards the room. Eryk didn't waste any time speaking once they were in the room, though.
"What the hell is he talking about, and why the fuck did no one call me about it?" he spoke. It was clear he was livid, and the color of his eyes seemed to darken considerably. Marah just met his gaze, and furrowed her brows.
"Don't you fucking take that tone with me. What goes on between her family, and his family is none of your business. There isn't anything you can do about it, even if you are Koga's favorite. You don't have a claim on her life, Eryk," Marah spoke, clearly just as livid with Eryk.
"It's for the best, really. She'll be leaving this base and moving back with me to Johto once the ceremony is over," Lukas spoke. Unfortunately, the room they were in wasn't quite so big, and he was already beside Cyrilla, slinging an arm around her shoulders. Eryk shot him a glare.
"If you don't move your arm, Lukas, I'm going to break it," he spoke, completely serious.
"No you won't, Eryk. You'll do no such thing. That is his fiancé and he has every right to do what he wants. You know the rules," Marah shot back, standing almost in an intimidating manner. For a small woman, she seemed to intimidate pretty well. At least for Eryk. "You and I have a lot to discuss, but right now, you need to congratulate those two. Once that is done, your friends can leave and we'll all have a proper discussion about it," Marah wasn't backing down.
“Hey,” Ana said, feeling her mouth pull down into a rare scowl. “This isn’t hundreds of years ago. Cyrilla isn’t a piece of property, she’s a person—and if she doesn’t want someone touching her, it’s assault to do it anyway.” There wasn’t much she could physically do right now to stop it from happening, but Cinnabar did have a national guard outpost distinct from this Team Rocket base.
What she couldn’t understand was why literally no one but her was apparently aware of this.
“Ana,” Kas said; she blinked at him when she registered the note of warning in his voice. But how could he simply stand by and watch this happen? Cyrilla was her friend, her best friend, and all of this was simply too ridiculous to be believed. If no one else was going to say it, then she had to.
Reaching into her pocket with her free hand, she pulled out her phone. “I have the captain’s number. Please take your hand off my friend, or I will dial it.”
Marah rolled her eyes. "You sure know how to pick them, Eryk. Lukas, take your hand off the brat before the other brat causes a major headache," she spoke. Lukas, reluctantly, removed his arm, though, but didn't exactly move a polite distance away. "Just so you know," she spoke, leaning a little closer towards Ana. "There isn't much they can do. You'd be wasting your time, little girl," she spoke in a hushed voice. The only ones who could have heard it were Ana and Cyrilla, maybe Lukas too, since they were closer to her.
"And technically, you're wrong. Cyrilla is property now. You don't know the mechanics of our family, so it's only natural that an outsider such as yourself wouldn't understand," Lukas spoke, his smile worming its way back on his face.
"You have no idea what you're stepping into here, Lukas. Neither do you, mother," Eryk spoke, his voice dripping with anger. "Their engagement will not last; I will make sure of it even if I have to go back to Fuchsia to take it up with him," he spoke in a threatening manner. It did, however, cause Marah to narrow her eyes at him.
"Don't you threaten me with your great grandfather," she hissed back. "I'm here for the remainder of the week, just so you know. I'd watch your tongue, if I were you," she continued in a threatening manner. Eryk just glared back at her.
Ana huffed; it was about as close as she’d come to glaring at anyone in more time than she could remember; she had a feeling it wouldn’t look all that glare-like if she tried, though. Instead, she pursed her lips, sliding her phone back into her pocket and taking a steadying breath.
“Well!” Kas said with false cheer, clapping his hands together to punctuate. “As much fun as it’s been seeing you, and as certain as I am that we’ll be gifted with so much more of your charming presences over the course of the week, it’s dinnertime, and it seems as though Ana’s only made enough for four. Shame, that; you’ll have to excuse us, since it would be so rude for us to turn her away now. She was, after all, an expected guest.”
He made a vague shooing motion with both his hands. “Until later then; it was a pleasure as always, Marah. Lukas.”
Marah just rolled her eyes. "Whatever, Kasimir. You're still a pain in the ass, and you'll always be a pain in the ass," she spoke. Eryk just kept his glare on her, though, as she grabbed Lukas by the arm. "Expected or not, we come before anyone else, however; I'll be gracious enough to allow you all one last meal together. You won't be getting this opportunity in the coming days," she spoke. With that said, she and Lukas left.
"Fuck," Eryk spoke once they were gone. He glanced towards Cyrilla and Ana, his expression softening for just a fraction of a second. "Cy," he began, reaching out just slightly, however; Cyrilla pulled back from him.
"Don't. Don't Ryk, please don't," she spoke, shaking her head. Eryk dropped his hand, and didn't say anything. "Let's... let's just enjoy dinner, okay?" she spoke, glancing up at them. There was a soft smile on her face, though it was easy to tell that she was in the middle of a break down. She was holding it together pretty well, despite that.
"Ana, I apologize," Eryk spoke, glancing towards her and shaking his head. "You... should not have seen that."
Ana shook her head. “I would rather have seen it now than make one of you tell me later,” she replied honestly. She couldn’t imagine the story would be much more fun to tell than it was to live through the first time, and certainly she didn’t want to put any of them through it.
With a heavy sigh, she put the containers of food she’d been carrying the whole time down on the table in the middle of the room. With only four people in it now, it was significantly less-crowded.
Now that Marah and Lukas were gone, Kas’s expression was no longer happy. The strange, enforced neutrality of it was, if anything, more disconcerting. Kas pretending to be more cheerful than he felt was… normal, to a degree. Kas not even bothering to pretend was something she’d only seen a few times. She didn’t really want to know what he’d look like if he expressed what he was actually feeling.
“I guess they didn’t really believe Jasmine,” he said flatly, running a hand through the loose strands of hair on either side of his face, pulling them back over his crown. “Maybe I should’ve tried to get to the others in Saffron, too…” He seemed to be speaking more to himself than them; Ana wasn’t precisely sure what he meant.
Unless Harper had been right all along, and Kas had left the restaurant that day with the intention only of getting Jasmine to do something for him—like mislead her family about Eryk and Cy somehow.
"They probably threatened her with The Closet," Eryk replied in a flat tone, sighing heavily as he took a seat in one of the chairs. Cyrilla remained quiet, not bothering to look up much, and just seemed to wallow in her chair. Eryk sighed once more before shaking his head. "I think that, even if they did believe her, Marah would have still come down. I was on national television for the tournament. That alone would have gotten her attention," Eryk sounded like he was trying to take some of the blame.
"Perhaps, it is best not to think of it right now. We'll sort everything out tomorrow morning, but for now," he spoke, glancing towards Ana. "Let's enjoy the dinner. What is it that you made?" he questioned. It didn't seem like he was trying to change the subject, only avoid it for the moment.
She accepted the sidestep with a small nod. “Nothing special, unfortunately. Just soba—there’s leeks, sweet onions, eggs, and a sauce.” She slid one of the containers across the table to him, then another large one to Kas. The more normally-sized ones, she split between Cyrilla and herself.
“So… I guess this means I shouldn’t expect too much of any of you this week, either?” Ana tried to keep the disappointment out of her tone—she didn’t really have the right to expect that they’d keep their normal schedules with their family around, and that wasn’t their fault. Still… it was a little unfortunate. More importantly, she knew she’d worry about them constantly until the week was up.
"No, we'll still be around. She won't keep us from doing what we do. It just... might be earlier than usual. Marah does not keep to a morning schedule. She doesn't like mornings," Eryk replied, completely serious. It would be natural for him to keep up with his mother's sleep patterns, perhaps. "She is sort of retired, so she doesn't need to be constantly ready in the morning," he continued explaining.
"If we don't... we will at least attempt to tell you. We'll call you, or,"
"Kenshin will go tell you," Cyrilla finally spoke, taking her half of the soba. "I'm sure he'll enjoy the walk, too," she offered a half-smile before taking a bite of her food.
"You will be told one way or another, is what I am trying to say," Eryk stated, glancing down towards his bowl, it seemed.
“Okay,” she said, dipping her chin. “If… if at some point, any of you need to get away for a while… you’re welcome at my house, any time day or night.” They already knew that, of course, but the offer seemed especially salient right now.
With that, she turned her attention to her noodles, hoping that somehow, this wouldn’t go as badly as it seemed.
Of course, it wasn’t because she was home that she couldn’t keep the smile off her face. Even now, completely by herself save for Aithne in the pokémon bed in the corner, she felt happy and completely silly at the same time. It wasn’t all she could think about—Ana still went about her day much as before—but every time she didn’t need to be thinking about something else, her thoughts would naturally carry her back to it.
The kiss.
It basically had capital-letter status in her recollection, but she didn’t let herself quite go that far, else she’d feel like a complete fool instead of just most of one. Oh, but she was a fool, wasn’t she? What was she even doing, getting into something like this in her situation? Part of her knew already that it couldn’t, wouldn’t end well, but… the rest said that it was worth doing anyway.
Was it completely selfish of her, to want to be as happy as she could in the time she had left? Eryk knew everything significant about her, and he was the one who’d… she sighed; she’d been doing a lot of that in the last couple of days as well. This one was a tad melancholy though, and she felt the smile slip away for just a moment. She stirred the sauce absently, tapping the spoon on the edge of the pan and setting it aside.
She’d actually forgotten, for a glorious week and a few days. But she could feel the reminder now—a subtle itch in her lungs that would become a cough before too many more days were past. Much as she hated to consider it… any such warning could be the last one she had. But… but she’d been doing so well, lately. Her body felt healthier than it ever had. Surely… surely this one would not be the last.
There was a gentle knock on her front door, though. From the shuffling outside, it sounded like there were two people, however; a voice managed to filter through. It was Kenshin's voice, and more than likely it was Cyrilla who was with him. "Don't rush me, I'm looking for the keys. Hey, you're the one who knocked," it was definitely her. The front door was pushed open and both Kenshin and Cyrilla stepped through.
"Ana! I brought you something," she spoke, appearing in the kitchen with Kenshin. She was holding what looked like a small tray, but it was covered with a cloth. "Kenshin and I made you banana bread. He wanted to try his hand at baking, but I think he got the hang of it after the seventh loaf," she stated, placing the pan on Ana's table. "Oh, and I have some other news," she continued, turning so that she was facing Ana completely.
Eryk's birthday is in a week, and she wants to know if you want to help her plan something for it. Also, she wants to know if you want to join them at the base for lunch since you've never been there, Kenshin spoke, earning a flat look from Cyrilla. He just shrugged his shoulders.
"What Kenny just said, but first, it looks like you're already making something," she spoke, nodding her head towards the pan. "I mean, we could always take lunch to them, too, if you wanted," she added.
That was rather a lot at once. Ana held her tongue, though, until she was fairly sure that they’d both said everything they planned on saying. “Um.” The word came out like a sentence by itself, perhaps because she was attempting to figure out what order to take that in. Probably about the same as it had been given.
“Thank you, for the banana bread,” she said with a smile, dipping her head at Kenshin. “I’ll have to eat it for dessert tonight.” She paused. “I’d be happy to help you plan something for Eryk’s birthday, of course.” Though she was completely stumped about what she was going to get him. The mega stone had been her only idea, and she really couldn’t afford another one quite so soon, so she’d have to think about that. But there was still a little time, at least.
“And if you’re sure it’s okay for me to go to the base, I’d be glad to. I was making pasta, but there’s probably enough for everyone, so we could just put it all in containers and take it over?” She thought she’d covered everything.
"Oh good," Cyrilla looked a bit relieved at Ana's statement, and she glanced towards Kenshin. "It'll be fine since we're only going into the lobby portion of it. There's a nice cafeteria, and then there's a spot just for the three of us when we want to be in private quarters. I guess you could call it the VIP room? Lounge?" she didn't seem quite sure what word she was looking for, but she didn't seem too concerned about it, either.
You're welcome, Kenshin added, glancing towards Aithne and nodding towards her. He shifted his attention back to Ana, though. I'll help you take the containers, too, he offered. He didn't seem particularly inclined to do anything, really, but he was still offering.
"Oh, also, you know you don't have to get Eryk anything for his birthday, right? He... really doesn't like getting gifts for that particular day. I think, spending time with us will be more than enough," she added. "Just let me know when you're ready, and we'll put everything away and we'll go!"
Within a few minutes, they’d packed several containers full of all the food—Ana seemed to make large quantities of everything automatically these days. There was really no way to know which meals she’d have company for, and leftovers never went to waste, either, so it wasn’t a problem.
When they were out on the road to the base, Ana ventured the question she’d been wondering about over the past few minutes. “Is there… a reason Eryk doesn’t like gifts on his birthday? He seemed okay with getting them for Christmas…” A potential answer struck her almost immediately. “Is it something to do with your family?” She shifted the box she was carrying so it sat more comfortably on her hip.
Cyrilla flinched slightly at the question, but she seemed to recover a bit, and sighed. "You could say that," she answered, her tone a little low. "Eryk's never had the best birthdays. His mother wasn't exactly the epitome of a loving mother, either. Every year for his birthday, she would get him something that dealt with the clan, or something that... a child really shouldn't possess. I think... the last straw was when she'd tried to make him deal out the punishment on someone, and he refused. He associates his birthday and getting gifts with things he has to do that don't make him comfortable and with her. I've tried really hard to change that for him, but," she'd began, pausing towards the end to take a breath. She shook her head.
"It's buried really deep. I've managed to at least get him to celebrate it, somewhat. I think... this year just might be a little different, though, and a little more special," she spoke, shaking her head somewhat before smiling in Ana's direction. "With your help, of course," she added the last part a little slyly, though.
"One day I'll get him to stop associating his birthday with bad things, and I think this year might be the step forward he needs."
Ana looked down at her feet, continuing forward on the path with her lips pursed. His whole life… she had difficulty even imagining what that would be like. For her at least, birthdays had always been a bright spot in the years, a reminder that for all the odds were stacked against her, she’d made it to another year of being alive. To have something like that so… twisted was almost unimaginable.
“Definitely nothing practical, then,” she mused, shaking her head a little. It was probably a good thing she didn’t have enough money around to have already gone out and bought a stone or something. As symbolic as she liked to think it had been the first time—of her support for his rediscovery of battling as a pastime—it was practical, in a certain sense, something that could have a use for something he was required to do. Clearly, it was better to stay away from all that.
She sighed. “I guess I’d better take your advice and not get anything at all, though it does make me feel bad.”
"Oh, don't feel bad, Ana. I think that, even if you did get him something, he might actually appreciate it because it came from you. I don't know if you've noticed, but you're a really bright spot for him. He might actually appreciate a gift from you, but don't feel obligated to get him one. That's all I was trying to say," she spoke, offering her a reassuring smile. She glanced forward, and the walk remained relatively peaceful. At least until the approached the base, and Cyrilla stopped immediately in her tracks. The color from her face seemed to disappear completely, and even Kenshin wore a grim appearance.
Eryk was standing outside, and the expression on his face was something new. It wasn't grim; it seemed far too dark for it to be so. There was a woman standing in front of him, but her back was turned towards Cyrilla and Ana. It was definitely a woman, though, and her hair was extremely long. It fell to the back of her knees, almost, though there was on occasional white streak through it. She must have been older, but she still looked a little young, from behind at least. There was a slightly taller man standing beside her, though he looked to be around Drake's age. He was an inch shorter than Eryk, though, and unlike Eryk, his hair wasn't dark. It was a deep, rich emerald color that seemed to be pulled into a high tail.
"Oh no," Cyrilla finally spoke. "Oh, this isn't good," she continued. She didn't move, but it was apparent that Cyrilla was shaking a bit. "What is she doing here," she muttered. Either she forgot she was standing next to Ana, or she might have been completely focused on what was going on in front. Eryk, however, noticed them and his expression seemed to darken more.
"I think... we should go back," she spoke, giving Ana a slightly worried look. The woman hadn't noticed them yet, so maybe that was a good thing?
“Cy-cyrilla?” Ana was alarmed by the state her friend was clearly in; she pulled in a sharp breath. It almost became a cough, but she forced it down, swallowing the discomfort to lay a hand as gently as possible on Cy’s shoulder. “Are you okay?” She kept her voice to a soft whisper, since apparently it was better if they weren’t noticed by this person, whoever she was.
It was at this point that the woman turned around, seemingly interested in what caught Eryk's attention. She raised a brow in their direction, before mouthing something to Eryk. He tensed considerably, but shook his head. He mouthed something back to her, glanced towards Cyrilla, and hesitantly motioned them forward. Cyrilla glanced towards Ana, and for a moment, she gave her an apologetic look. She turned her attention back towards Eryk, though, and waved to him.
"Whatever she does, whatever she says, don't... don't pay attention to it. That's Marah, Eryk's mother," she pursed her lips together further when the man beside her, turned around as well. She tensed considerably. "And that's... that's Lukas. What are they doing here, though?" she spoke the last portion lowly, as if she were talking to herself. She glanced back at Ana, though, and opened her mouth to say something, however; Marah spoke.
"Cyrilla Niav, get over here and stop making me wait," she spoke, her tone of voice was just as monotonous as Eryk once had. There was something harsh to it, though, and Cyrilla sighed. "Now, Cyrilla," she continued. She offered Ana another apologetic smile before making her way towards Eryk and Marah. When they were within range, Marah seemed to narrow her eyes at Cyrilla, but then turned her attention towards Ana. She did a quick glance over and turned towards Eryk.
"A Joy? Really, Eryk? You made friends with a Joy?"
"Her name is Anastasia, mother. And yes, she is just a friend," he spoke, putting an emphasis on the just part. She didn't seem too convinced, but didn't say anything, and instead turned back on Ana.
"Well now, girl, don't just stand there, say something. Are you mute, too?" she spoke. Eryk's jaw tensed considerably, but he didn't say anything. His mother gave a disapproving shake of her head, though. Lukas kept his gaze fixated on Cyrilla, occasionally glancing towards Ana. He hadn't said anything, though, probably because Marah was speaking.
Ana wasn’t exactly sure what it was about her family that had seemingly offended this woman, but she supposed some people were simply inclined to be offended. She didn’t let her expression change at Eryk’s clarification of the situation; she certainly believed that what he’d told her was more likely to be true than what he told his obviously-irritated mother. So it was with no doubt in her mind that she faced down the situation.
Of course, handling such a situation with grace did not often mean trying to be more pithy or clever, or to imply insult in return. So Ana did none of those things, drawing up a smile from some quiet, calm place inside herself and wearing it. “No, ma’am. I was simply waiting for my turn to speak. As Eryk said, I’m Ana. It is nice to meet you…?” She trailed off, politely flagging the fact that the woman had yet to introduce herself or the man standing next to her. Of course, she knew their names because of what Cyrilla had just said, but that was a far cry from an introduction.
Marah didn't seem too impressed by anything Ana said. She just gave her a flat look, her eyes narrowing every so often. She glanced towards Eryk, though, when Ana asked her name. "How is that you don't even speak of your mother to other people. Honestly, Ryk, sometimes I wonder if you have rocks for brains," she spoke fairly casually. Eryk just gave her the same flat look she'd been wearing, but didn't say anything in particular. It was clear that he wasn't entirely comfortable with her being here, with the subtle tensing of his jaw, and his posture.
"You didn't come here to insult my intelligence, Marah, what do you want?" Eryk spoke, his voice unusually calm and level. She just narrowed her eyes at him, and turned towards Ana, instead.
"Marah. You will address me as such, and nothing more," Marah spoke finally. Her gaze never left Ana, though, almost as if she were sizing Ana up. It almost looked like she was doing a one-over of Ana, kind of like how a man would do a particularly attractive woman, however; Marah didn't seem too pleased by what she saw.
"You didn't say why you're here, mother," Eryk spoke, though there was a hint of irritation to his voice. Marah turned towards him, slightly, and smiled. It seemed more wicked than anything, like she knew something that Eryk didn't want to know.
"I came to check on my son, is there something wrong with that? I've heard some disturbing things, and I came to see if they were true. Also, there is an announcement to make for that one," she spoke, nodding her head towards Cyrilla. Cyrilla flinched, though whether or not it was voluntary or not, was hard to tell. She didn't look like she was expecting good news from Marah, though.
"We should discuss it inside, though I'm perfectly fine saying it out loud, here."
"Ana, if you don't want to come inside, or if you'd like to come back another day, you can. You don't have to be here if you don't want to, right now," Cyrilla spoke, giving Ana a sympathetic smile.
"Nonsense. She's your friend, too, right. I'm sure she'll want to hear this news," Marah spoke. Whether or not she was being genuine or not, didn't play across her face. She just wore one Eryk used to wear. It was blank, with nothing there.
Ana blinked once, slowly, before she inclined her head in a nod. “I should set this food down in any case,” she said to Cy. “There’s no point in letting it go to waste.” She couldn’t say she was especially eager to remain in the company of someone so unpleasant, but it seemed like both Eryk and Cy were having… difficulty, and she wanted to be there for them while it was happening.
The group made their way inside the building; several employees in the front of the large bullpen area immediately looked up; a few glanced back down right away again afterwards. Perhaps they had already dealt with visits from Eryk and Cyrilla’s family before?
It didn’t take more than a half a minute for Kas to appear; she hadn’t seen anyone get up to go tell him what was happening, but Ana supposed it might well have happened. His brows arched upon seeing them; the only reason she knew the smile on his face was false was because he’d told her already how much he despised the clan. If she hadn’t known that one fact, she’d have taken him for the only person enjoying himself in this situation.
“Marah; lovely to see you again. You’ve not changed a bit—it’s like the years never went by.” He spared the man—Lukas, apparently—a glance, but didn’t address him directly. Perhaps they were unacquainted? Eryk and Cy seemed to have a lot of family.
Marah rolled her eyes at Kas. "Oh shut up, Kasimir," she replied, not looking so enthused by his appearance. Eryk frowned at her, though. It didn't look like he was going to say anything, though, and Marah just stared at Kas. "You're a pain in the ass, and you know flattery gets you nowhere with me," she replied in a deadpan voice. She rolled out her shoulders slightly, as Eryk shook his head behind her. Lukas was staying pretty quiet, but it looked like he wanted to say something to Eryk. Eryk must have caught on, though, and glared right at the emerald-haired man.
"We're inside, now what is it that's so important that you have to be here. And why is Lukas here? Last I checked, he was supposed to be in Johto," Eryk spoke, glancing at said man. He merely gave Eryk a sly smirk. There was something else behind it, something that looked malicious, almost.
"The announcement involves me, too, Eryk. Though I can't say who's getting the better bargain here, me or her," he finally spoke, glancing at Cyrilla as he did so. His smirk widened into a strange smile, and Cyrilla seemed to shrink beneath it. She must have unknowingly took a step back, and closer towards Eryk when he did.
"What is he talking about?" Eryk seemed confused now, as did Cyrilla.
"He's her fiancé," Marah replied casually, as if it weren't a big deal. Cyrilla's eyes widened considerably, and Eryk looked like he was having trouble swallowing. "You honestly didn't think she was going to have a choice in the matter, did you?" she spoke, her smile returning to her face.
"You... you can't be serious," Cyrilla didn't seem to believe what Marah had just said. Marah just stared back at her.
"When have I ever not been serious," she shot back. Lukas didn't seem to waste too much time, and moved so that he was standing in front of Cyrilla, the same malicious smile on his face.
"It was a mutual agreement by both of our parents. I still think I'm getting the better end of the bargain, here," he spoke, leaning forward just slightly. He wasn't too close to her face, but he was close enough that it looked like Cyrilla was uncomfortable.
It was certainly quite the way to break rather life-changing news. Ana felt herself bristle; this was every bit as bad as she’d expected, the more she learned about Cyrilla and Eryk’s family and their histories.
From the corner of her eye, she saw Kas tense when Lukas moved impolitely close to Cyrilla, but he remained still. Ana, on the other hand, did not—it was clear to her that Cy was uncomfortable, and clearer still that she was unlikely to do anything about it. Marah clearly had her cowed, and perhaps that wasn’t unreasonable. But… she certainly had no control over what Ana did.
“Excuse me,” she said, still politely. Gently, she tugged Cyrilla backwards by the elbow, placing herself halfway between her and Lukas—though she maintained a decorous distance quite purposefully. “But this seems like a discussion best had somewhere that isn’t so…” Her eyes flickered to the employees in the bullpen, many of whom—to their credit—seemed to be trying very hard not to hear what was taking place.
“Public.”
Lukas didn't seem to mind Ana taking Cyrilla, however; Cyrilla looked extremely grateful. Marah just let out a raspy snort. "You honestly think I care where this discussion takes place?" she spoke, staring at Ana. Eryk looked like he was going to say something, but Marah shot him a look. He narrowed his eyes at her.
"She's right. This is family business; the others do not need to hear this. Plus, I have a say in what goes on in my family," he spoke. Eryk looked rather angry, but perhaps he was containing what he was really feeling. For the sake of everyone around them. "There is a room over here we can go into," he spoke. Marah shrugged her shoulders, uttering a 'fine' and allowed Eryk to lead them towards the room. Eryk didn't waste any time speaking once they were in the room, though.
"What the hell is he talking about, and why the fuck did no one call me about it?" he spoke. It was clear he was livid, and the color of his eyes seemed to darken considerably. Marah just met his gaze, and furrowed her brows.
"Don't you fucking take that tone with me. What goes on between her family, and his family is none of your business. There isn't anything you can do about it, even if you are Koga's favorite. You don't have a claim on her life, Eryk," Marah spoke, clearly just as livid with Eryk.
"It's for the best, really. She'll be leaving this base and moving back with me to Johto once the ceremony is over," Lukas spoke. Unfortunately, the room they were in wasn't quite so big, and he was already beside Cyrilla, slinging an arm around her shoulders. Eryk shot him a glare.
"If you don't move your arm, Lukas, I'm going to break it," he spoke, completely serious.
"No you won't, Eryk. You'll do no such thing. That is his fiancé and he has every right to do what he wants. You know the rules," Marah shot back, standing almost in an intimidating manner. For a small woman, she seemed to intimidate pretty well. At least for Eryk. "You and I have a lot to discuss, but right now, you need to congratulate those two. Once that is done, your friends can leave and we'll all have a proper discussion about it," Marah wasn't backing down.
“Hey,” Ana said, feeling her mouth pull down into a rare scowl. “This isn’t hundreds of years ago. Cyrilla isn’t a piece of property, she’s a person—and if she doesn’t want someone touching her, it’s assault to do it anyway.” There wasn’t much she could physically do right now to stop it from happening, but Cinnabar did have a national guard outpost distinct from this Team Rocket base.
What she couldn’t understand was why literally no one but her was apparently aware of this.
“Ana,” Kas said; she blinked at him when she registered the note of warning in his voice. But how could he simply stand by and watch this happen? Cyrilla was her friend, her best friend, and all of this was simply too ridiculous to be believed. If no one else was going to say it, then she had to.
Reaching into her pocket with her free hand, she pulled out her phone. “I have the captain’s number. Please take your hand off my friend, or I will dial it.”
Marah rolled her eyes. "You sure know how to pick them, Eryk. Lukas, take your hand off the brat before the other brat causes a major headache," she spoke. Lukas, reluctantly, removed his arm, though, but didn't exactly move a polite distance away. "Just so you know," she spoke, leaning a little closer towards Ana. "There isn't much they can do. You'd be wasting your time, little girl," she spoke in a hushed voice. The only ones who could have heard it were Ana and Cyrilla, maybe Lukas too, since they were closer to her.
"And technically, you're wrong. Cyrilla is property now. You don't know the mechanics of our family, so it's only natural that an outsider such as yourself wouldn't understand," Lukas spoke, his smile worming its way back on his face.
"You have no idea what you're stepping into here, Lukas. Neither do you, mother," Eryk spoke, his voice dripping with anger. "Their engagement will not last; I will make sure of it even if I have to go back to Fuchsia to take it up with him," he spoke in a threatening manner. It did, however, cause Marah to narrow her eyes at him.
"Don't you threaten me with your great grandfather," she hissed back. "I'm here for the remainder of the week, just so you know. I'd watch your tongue, if I were you," she continued in a threatening manner. Eryk just glared back at her.
Ana huffed; it was about as close as she’d come to glaring at anyone in more time than she could remember; she had a feeling it wouldn’t look all that glare-like if she tried, though. Instead, she pursed her lips, sliding her phone back into her pocket and taking a steadying breath.
“Well!” Kas said with false cheer, clapping his hands together to punctuate. “As much fun as it’s been seeing you, and as certain as I am that we’ll be gifted with so much more of your charming presences over the course of the week, it’s dinnertime, and it seems as though Ana’s only made enough for four. Shame, that; you’ll have to excuse us, since it would be so rude for us to turn her away now. She was, after all, an expected guest.”
He made a vague shooing motion with both his hands. “Until later then; it was a pleasure as always, Marah. Lukas.”
Marah just rolled her eyes. "Whatever, Kasimir. You're still a pain in the ass, and you'll always be a pain in the ass," she spoke. Eryk just kept his glare on her, though, as she grabbed Lukas by the arm. "Expected or not, we come before anyone else, however; I'll be gracious enough to allow you all one last meal together. You won't be getting this opportunity in the coming days," she spoke. With that said, she and Lukas left.
"Fuck," Eryk spoke once they were gone. He glanced towards Cyrilla and Ana, his expression softening for just a fraction of a second. "Cy," he began, reaching out just slightly, however; Cyrilla pulled back from him.
"Don't. Don't Ryk, please don't," she spoke, shaking her head. Eryk dropped his hand, and didn't say anything. "Let's... let's just enjoy dinner, okay?" she spoke, glancing up at them. There was a soft smile on her face, though it was easy to tell that she was in the middle of a break down. She was holding it together pretty well, despite that.
"Ana, I apologize," Eryk spoke, glancing towards her and shaking his head. "You... should not have seen that."
Ana shook her head. “I would rather have seen it now than make one of you tell me later,” she replied honestly. She couldn’t imagine the story would be much more fun to tell than it was to live through the first time, and certainly she didn’t want to put any of them through it.
With a heavy sigh, she put the containers of food she’d been carrying the whole time down on the table in the middle of the room. With only four people in it now, it was significantly less-crowded.
Now that Marah and Lukas were gone, Kas’s expression was no longer happy. The strange, enforced neutrality of it was, if anything, more disconcerting. Kas pretending to be more cheerful than he felt was… normal, to a degree. Kas not even bothering to pretend was something she’d only seen a few times. She didn’t really want to know what he’d look like if he expressed what he was actually feeling.
“I guess they didn’t really believe Jasmine,” he said flatly, running a hand through the loose strands of hair on either side of his face, pulling them back over his crown. “Maybe I should’ve tried to get to the others in Saffron, too…” He seemed to be speaking more to himself than them; Ana wasn’t precisely sure what he meant.
Unless Harper had been right all along, and Kas had left the restaurant that day with the intention only of getting Jasmine to do something for him—like mislead her family about Eryk and Cy somehow.
"They probably threatened her with The Closet," Eryk replied in a flat tone, sighing heavily as he took a seat in one of the chairs. Cyrilla remained quiet, not bothering to look up much, and just seemed to wallow in her chair. Eryk sighed once more before shaking his head. "I think that, even if they did believe her, Marah would have still come down. I was on national television for the tournament. That alone would have gotten her attention," Eryk sounded like he was trying to take some of the blame.
"Perhaps, it is best not to think of it right now. We'll sort everything out tomorrow morning, but for now," he spoke, glancing towards Ana. "Let's enjoy the dinner. What is it that you made?" he questioned. It didn't seem like he was trying to change the subject, only avoid it for the moment.
She accepted the sidestep with a small nod. “Nothing special, unfortunately. Just soba—there’s leeks, sweet onions, eggs, and a sauce.” She slid one of the containers across the table to him, then another large one to Kas. The more normally-sized ones, she split between Cyrilla and herself.
“So… I guess this means I shouldn’t expect too much of any of you this week, either?” Ana tried to keep the disappointment out of her tone—she didn’t really have the right to expect that they’d keep their normal schedules with their family around, and that wasn’t their fault. Still… it was a little unfortunate. More importantly, she knew she’d worry about them constantly until the week was up.
"No, we'll still be around. She won't keep us from doing what we do. It just... might be earlier than usual. Marah does not keep to a morning schedule. She doesn't like mornings," Eryk replied, completely serious. It would be natural for him to keep up with his mother's sleep patterns, perhaps. "She is sort of retired, so she doesn't need to be constantly ready in the morning," he continued explaining.
"If we don't... we will at least attempt to tell you. We'll call you, or,"
"Kenshin will go tell you," Cyrilla finally spoke, taking her half of the soba. "I'm sure he'll enjoy the walk, too," she offered a half-smile before taking a bite of her food.
"You will be told one way or another, is what I am trying to say," Eryk stated, glancing down towards his bowl, it seemed.
“Okay,” she said, dipping her chin. “If… if at some point, any of you need to get away for a while… you’re welcome at my house, any time day or night.” They already knew that, of course, but the offer seemed especially salient right now.
With that, she turned her attention to her noodles, hoping that somehow, this wouldn’t go as badly as it seemed.
She felt like her insides were being torn, shredded and pulled apart only to be replaced back inside of her. She could feel a bit of a hollow emptiness in her, and it burned. She'd tried to sleep last night, but couldn't. The only thing she could do was stare at her ceiling and try not to cry. Kenshin had slept in the bed with her that night, curled at the foot of her bed. He had slept lightly, too, occasionally glancing in her direction every few minutes. She knew he was worried, but she couldn't exactly tell him not to be. He wasn't there for the announcement, thankfully. She had to tell him, though, and he wasn't any happier about it than she was. He'd actually growled at her, though he wasn't doing it at her.
She sighed heavily, and ran a hand through her hair, straightening out the strands before letting it fall back into place. Marah would be by today, and so would Lukas, however; there was still some time before they appeared. She could at least take these last moments to do something productive with it. She couldn't do anything about the arrangement. If her parents made it, then the only thing that could break it is if Eryk actually managed to convice him to do it. Koga, though old by now, was still the head of the family, and he had a say in what happened in it. She wondered, for a brief moment, if they even got his permission to arrange it. There was a small spark of hope. If they hadn't, technically, the arrangement was null and void. She didn't have to go through with it.
Cy, you're going to walk into a wall if you keep zoning out like that, Kenshin spoke, moving his arms so that he pulled her out of the way as they walked. You don't... have to do it, you know, he spoke, and she knew what he was referring to. She shook her head. She knew that she didn't want to, but she didn't have much say in what happened. She chewed on the bottom of her lip for a moment before shaking her head.
"Don't worry, Kenny. We'll... I'll figure something out," she spoke softly. She would figure something out. She had to. She couldn't go through with this arrangement. She knew the reason why, but she couldn't exactly tell Marah or Lukas that. They would likely take it the wrong way, and then she'd put herself and Kas in a strange predicament. Cyrilla didn't want that for anyone, really. It was bad enough that...
Wall, Cyrilla, wall, Kenshin broke her thoughts as she stopped mid-step.
"Maybe we should go outside for some fresh air, hm?" she really could use a walk right now. Maybe she'd stop by Ana's place, and never leave until they left? Maybe she could do that, and they wouldn't find her there?
When she got there, it was to find—of all things—Kas following Ana around in the yard. He wasn’t exactly what anyone would call a morning person, and it actually looked like he’d just showered—his hair was still wet, even though he’d already pulled it into a tail. He was holding a large crate with various types of pokémon feed in it; Ana occasionally turned around and took some from it, dispensing it to the various pokémon in turn.
Ana noticed Cyrilla first; she turned towards her to face Kas when her eyes fell on Cy and Kenshin instead. She gave them a small smile. “Cy, Kenshin. Come on in.” She gestured for them to enter through the gate.
At that point, Kas turned slightly to glance at them from the corner of an eye. He smiled the same as always, broad and bright, though there was definitely still a bit of sleepiness to it. “G'mornin’, you two.”
"Good morning?" she really didn't know how to greet him, maybe because she was thinking of other things. She shook her head and laughed lightly at herself. "Well, it looks like I'm not needed, today, but I guess I can be a spectator," she spoke, walking through the fence. Kenshin rolled his eyes slightly.
What she means to say is, is there anything that we can help with? Kenshin spoke, earning a soft glare from Cyrilla. She was only kidding with the glare, but if there was something to help with, she'd gladly do it. She needed a distraction right now before she went back to figure everything else out.
"Kenshin seems to be eager to help, so, what can I do?" anything, or everything would be good right about now.
“We’re pretty much done, actually,” Ana confessed. “I’m not sure why, but Kas really wanted me to wake him up when I got up this morning, so we’ve been working for a good two hours already.” She gave him a speculative glance, but he just shrugged, electing not to explain himself.
Though if Ana had woken him up… it seems he must have slept here, for some reason or another.
“Do you still have that grocery list, Ana? I can go get your stuff, if you want.” It seemed like he wanted to do so, though why wasn’t clear.
She looked surprised for a moment. “Oh, you don’t have to do that. I can go later today, or we can go together if you need to go to the store as well?”
He shook his head. “It’s fine, really. The walk will help me wake up, and that way you don’t have to go later.”
Ana tilted her head to the side, studying him curiously for a moment, but she protested no further. Producing what must be the grocery list from her pocket, she handed it to him, along with what looked like her debit card. “Don’t forget to replace that carton of ice cream you ate,” she chided, though she didn’t seem upset about it at all.
He gave her a mock salute, pocketing both items. “Gotcha. I’ll see you in a while.” Kas turned, fully facing Cyrilla and Kenshin mostly because he had to pass them to get to the gate, it seemed. “Cy. Ken.” He nodded, still smiling, but he didn’t quite make eye contact with her before he left.
Once he was gone, Ana sighed. “Do you want to go inside? I was thinking tea would be good right now…”
"Tea sounds good right now," she replied a little too quickly. "Although, if you have any more lemonade, I could really go for something sour at the moment," she added. Lemonade always made her feel better, somehow. It was the equivalent to ice cream, she supposed, though ice cream had some benefits for being a comfort food. She shook the thought from her mind before it processed any further.
"So," she began once they were inside, situated around the table. "Do you still plan on helping me plan Eryk's birthday? I... have some time before then," she spoke softly. She could still plan something for Eryk's birthday, though she wasn't sure if she'd be around to enjoy it with them. "I'm sure he'll be happy even if you just throw it for him," she added. His birthday was next week, and Marah said that they would be leaving at the end of this week. Wait, did that mean she had to leave, too? They would likely figure out the ceremony date, and she highly doubted they would do it too soon.
We could plant confetti on the door again, have him walk through it. Or, Kenshin spoke, pausing momentarily to glance at Cy. I don't think you'll need it, but you could always trap Ana and Eryk under mistletoe again, he spoke directly to her. She snorted softly. It wasn't a bad idea, but it wouldn't exactly get them the same results it had during Christmas. Not to mention Eryk already went that far. She did chuckle a bit at that.
Ana cleared her throat, blushing a bit. It faded quickly, though, her expression turning more serious. “I don’t think he’d be happy if you weren’t here, honestly,” she replied. “And neither would Kas or I—which isn’t to say that this should be about us, because it shouldn’t. It’s about you, and what you want out of this.” Her lips pursed.
“Your family has no right to just decide something like this for you. Not legally, and not morally.” She shook her head, a trace of her earlier stubbornness in the face of Marah’s intimidation showing through. “You don’t have to do this, Cy,” she said, a little more softly. “And as much as I want Eryk to have a nice birthday, this is more important than that. Shouldn’t you be trying to think of some way out of this?”
They reached the kitchen, and Ana pulled a pitcher of lemonade out of the fridge, as well as a glass. Setting both down in front of Cyrilla, she brought her tea kettle to the sink and filled it with water.
She should have known Ana would turn this around on her, somehow. She didn't want to think about it, honestly, and she had been doing somewhat of a good job at keeping it from bothering her. She shook her head, though. "That's not... it's not that simple, Ana. And legally, yes they do have that right to decide something like that. Our family... there are so many ties within it that they can basically do whatever they want. The only one who actually has a say in anything is Koga. When he dies, that will pass on to Eryk because Koga favors Eryk. He is, perhaps, the only person who could call this off."
Some part of her was a bit of a dreamer, and she hoped that something like that would happen. But she was also somewhat of a realist. No one could do anything about it, and this was the fate her parents chose for her. "I have to do this, Ana, as much as I don't want to. Trust me, I don't want to," her voice cracked a little at the end, there. She really didn't want to for obvious reasons. One of those reasons was because she'd leave Cinnabar Island, and that meant her friends. The other reason... she sighed, glancing down to her cup.
Rather than softening in sympathy, Ana’s expression actually hardened. It was, perhaps, not in her nature to be mean, but it seemed she could certainly be stern. “Cyrilla.” There was a certain brittle sharpness to her tone. “Do you really mean to say that this all means so little to you that you’re willing to give it up without any fight at all? Because that’s what it sounds like to me right now.” She set down the empty mug in her hand with a slightly too-loud clunk.
“It sounds like you’re saying there was a chance that you could be happy—here with us and—and with him—and you’re giving up on it because someone told you you can’t have it. Do you—” Her voice hitched, laden with some combination of emotions that it was difficult to place.
“Do you have any idea what I would give for a chance half as good as—” This time, when the words stopped, Ana pulled in a raspy breath, one that sounded too harsh in her lungs. Closing her eyes, she leaned heavily against the counter for a moment, respiring with enforced slow deliberateness. It was like each one cost her something, and slowly, the strength and firmness bled out of her posture. With each exhale, she seemed almost to shrink, and when she looked back up, she appeared utterly exhausted.
“I’m—” it sounded like she was partway to an apology, but it died on her tongue.
Cyrilla glanced a little worriedly at Ana. She hadn't meant to make Ana upset with what she said, but Ana just didn't understand the way her family worked. It's not that she wanted to give up. It was just better if she did. Better to allow herself to do this than to accept what ifs and chance happiness. Yes, maybe there was a chance that she could be happy with them, with him, but every time she tried to picture it, it always slipped away from her. It just wasn't going to happen. She still wanted to talk to Harper about it, but now she wasn't so sure she should. What would that amount to? Pulling in a deep breath, she shook her head.
"I'm sorry, Ana. I shouldn't... I shouldn't have said that the way I did, but," she paused. How could she put this into words so that Ana would understand? Maybe there were no words. "Sometimes... I wish I could have been born in your world, Ana," she spoke, lowering her gaze somewhat. Maybe... maybe she should fight this, and to keep giving whatever it was, a chance?
"Thanks, for believing in me that much, Ana," she spoke, curling her hand around her cup. She wasn't so sure anyone believed in her like that, before. It felt nice, honestly. "I'll... I'll try, I promise. I'll try to not give up, and I'll try to fight this. I don't want to let you down," or anyone else for that matter.
Ana shook her head, just slightly. “Don’t give up on yourself, Cy. You’re worth more than that. Disappointing me, or not… that’s not the important part. You are.” She sighed, smiling slightly and turning away for a moment to prepare her tea.
When she turned back, she sank heavily into one of the stools set up against the island, slumping forward slightly. It didn’t seem to be due to any particular emotion. Actually, it looked like she was struggling physically to remain upright.
Maybe. Maybe she was, maybe she wasn't. She'd figure it out eventually. She was, however, more concerned about Ana. She didn't seem to be doing so well, and she wondered if Eryk knew this. She doubted it because if he did, he would be here, right now. He wouldn't be anywhere else, and she knew he'd be damned if he let his mother stop him. She would have smiled at that thought if she wasn't so concerned at the moment.
"Ana, are you feeling alright? Do... you want me to go get you anything?" she asked. Kenshin was standing a little closer to Ana as well, as if he were waiting for some unspoken word or command from her.
“Ah, um—” Ana moved her free hand to the edge of the counter, her knuckles turning white with the force of it. She took several moments to breathe carefully, pulling them in through her nose and exhaling through her mouth. That seemed to steady her a little, and she sat up a little straighter in her spot.
“I… not really, I’m afraid.” she smiled thinly, giving Kenshin an appreciative look as well. “I’m just… coming down with something. It’s probably only a cold—nothing to worry about. And you’ve all got plenty of other things to deal with right now.”
Cyrilla pursed her lips together, and shook her head. If Ana wasn't feeling well, then she could at least stay and help her out with whatever she needed. She might not be able to do anything about the sickness Ana was coming down with, but she could at least be here for her friend. Maybe...
"Kenny, do you want to stay with Ana?" she asked, glancing towards her lucario. He gave her a flat look, as if to say 'do you really need to ask' and nodded his head. "He can be of some help, just in case you need to move about or he could do something for you if it becomes to troublesome. Plus, I think he needs to take a bit of a break," she continued. Kenshin rolled his eyes.
I'm not the one who needs a break, but if Ana doesn't want me here, either, you shouldn't impose, you know, he replied, but glanced towards Ana, anyway. She has ways of reaching us, or you, if she needs anything, right Ana? apparently Kenshin wasn't too concerned. That, or he knew something that Cyrilla didn't. She just shrugged her shoulders.
"Well, you have a point. Plus, Kas is here, and I'm sure Eryk will be by later today, as well," and he would probably be more insistent on staying with her or something.
“It’s very kind of you to offer,” Ana replied softly. “But… wouldn’t it be better if he was around you right now? In case anything got—ah—contentious?” She seemed to be referring to Marah and Lukas, perhaps the latter even more than the former. “It’s not that I would mind if he stayed, but he’s right—if I need to get in touch, I can. And that might not be the same for you, depending on the situation.”
She actually managed to forget about that, at least for the moment. She sighed heavily. "Yeah, I suppose you're right," she spoke, leaning back in her chair. "Well, I still have a bit of time before I need to go back, how about a short movie?" she stated. She'll get this all sorted out, eventually. Kenshin just snorted.
She sighed heavily, and ran a hand through her hair, straightening out the strands before letting it fall back into place. Marah would be by today, and so would Lukas, however; there was still some time before they appeared. She could at least take these last moments to do something productive with it. She couldn't do anything about the arrangement. If her parents made it, then the only thing that could break it is if Eryk actually managed to convice him to do it. Koga, though old by now, was still the head of the family, and he had a say in what happened in it. She wondered, for a brief moment, if they even got his permission to arrange it. There was a small spark of hope. If they hadn't, technically, the arrangement was null and void. She didn't have to go through with it.
Cy, you're going to walk into a wall if you keep zoning out like that, Kenshin spoke, moving his arms so that he pulled her out of the way as they walked. You don't... have to do it, you know, he spoke, and she knew what he was referring to. She shook her head. She knew that she didn't want to, but she didn't have much say in what happened. She chewed on the bottom of her lip for a moment before shaking her head.
"Don't worry, Kenny. We'll... I'll figure something out," she spoke softly. She would figure something out. She had to. She couldn't go through with this arrangement. She knew the reason why, but she couldn't exactly tell Marah or Lukas that. They would likely take it the wrong way, and then she'd put herself and Kas in a strange predicament. Cyrilla didn't want that for anyone, really. It was bad enough that...
Wall, Cyrilla, wall, Kenshin broke her thoughts as she stopped mid-step.
"Maybe we should go outside for some fresh air, hm?" she really could use a walk right now. Maybe she'd stop by Ana's place, and never leave until they left? Maybe she could do that, and they wouldn't find her there?
When she got there, it was to find—of all things—Kas following Ana around in the yard. He wasn’t exactly what anyone would call a morning person, and it actually looked like he’d just showered—his hair was still wet, even though he’d already pulled it into a tail. He was holding a large crate with various types of pokémon feed in it; Ana occasionally turned around and took some from it, dispensing it to the various pokémon in turn.
Ana noticed Cyrilla first; she turned towards her to face Kas when her eyes fell on Cy and Kenshin instead. She gave them a small smile. “Cy, Kenshin. Come on in.” She gestured for them to enter through the gate.
At that point, Kas turned slightly to glance at them from the corner of an eye. He smiled the same as always, broad and bright, though there was definitely still a bit of sleepiness to it. “G'mornin’, you two.”
"Good morning?" she really didn't know how to greet him, maybe because she was thinking of other things. She shook her head and laughed lightly at herself. "Well, it looks like I'm not needed, today, but I guess I can be a spectator," she spoke, walking through the fence. Kenshin rolled his eyes slightly.
What she means to say is, is there anything that we can help with? Kenshin spoke, earning a soft glare from Cyrilla. She was only kidding with the glare, but if there was something to help with, she'd gladly do it. She needed a distraction right now before she went back to figure everything else out.
"Kenshin seems to be eager to help, so, what can I do?" anything, or everything would be good right about now.
“We’re pretty much done, actually,” Ana confessed. “I’m not sure why, but Kas really wanted me to wake him up when I got up this morning, so we’ve been working for a good two hours already.” She gave him a speculative glance, but he just shrugged, electing not to explain himself.
Though if Ana had woken him up… it seems he must have slept here, for some reason or another.
“Do you still have that grocery list, Ana? I can go get your stuff, if you want.” It seemed like he wanted to do so, though why wasn’t clear.
She looked surprised for a moment. “Oh, you don’t have to do that. I can go later today, or we can go together if you need to go to the store as well?”
He shook his head. “It’s fine, really. The walk will help me wake up, and that way you don’t have to go later.”
Ana tilted her head to the side, studying him curiously for a moment, but she protested no further. Producing what must be the grocery list from her pocket, she handed it to him, along with what looked like her debit card. “Don’t forget to replace that carton of ice cream you ate,” she chided, though she didn’t seem upset about it at all.
He gave her a mock salute, pocketing both items. “Gotcha. I’ll see you in a while.” Kas turned, fully facing Cyrilla and Kenshin mostly because he had to pass them to get to the gate, it seemed. “Cy. Ken.” He nodded, still smiling, but he didn’t quite make eye contact with her before he left.
Once he was gone, Ana sighed. “Do you want to go inside? I was thinking tea would be good right now…”
"Tea sounds good right now," she replied a little too quickly. "Although, if you have any more lemonade, I could really go for something sour at the moment," she added. Lemonade always made her feel better, somehow. It was the equivalent to ice cream, she supposed, though ice cream had some benefits for being a comfort food. She shook the thought from her mind before it processed any further.
"So," she began once they were inside, situated around the table. "Do you still plan on helping me plan Eryk's birthday? I... have some time before then," she spoke softly. She could still plan something for Eryk's birthday, though she wasn't sure if she'd be around to enjoy it with them. "I'm sure he'll be happy even if you just throw it for him," she added. His birthday was next week, and Marah said that they would be leaving at the end of this week. Wait, did that mean she had to leave, too? They would likely figure out the ceremony date, and she highly doubted they would do it too soon.
We could plant confetti on the door again, have him walk through it. Or, Kenshin spoke, pausing momentarily to glance at Cy. I don't think you'll need it, but you could always trap Ana and Eryk under mistletoe again, he spoke directly to her. She snorted softly. It wasn't a bad idea, but it wouldn't exactly get them the same results it had during Christmas. Not to mention Eryk already went that far. She did chuckle a bit at that.
Ana cleared her throat, blushing a bit. It faded quickly, though, her expression turning more serious. “I don’t think he’d be happy if you weren’t here, honestly,” she replied. “And neither would Kas or I—which isn’t to say that this should be about us, because it shouldn’t. It’s about you, and what you want out of this.” Her lips pursed.
“Your family has no right to just decide something like this for you. Not legally, and not morally.” She shook her head, a trace of her earlier stubbornness in the face of Marah’s intimidation showing through. “You don’t have to do this, Cy,” she said, a little more softly. “And as much as I want Eryk to have a nice birthday, this is more important than that. Shouldn’t you be trying to think of some way out of this?”
They reached the kitchen, and Ana pulled a pitcher of lemonade out of the fridge, as well as a glass. Setting both down in front of Cyrilla, she brought her tea kettle to the sink and filled it with water.
She should have known Ana would turn this around on her, somehow. She didn't want to think about it, honestly, and she had been doing somewhat of a good job at keeping it from bothering her. She shook her head, though. "That's not... it's not that simple, Ana. And legally, yes they do have that right to decide something like that. Our family... there are so many ties within it that they can basically do whatever they want. The only one who actually has a say in anything is Koga. When he dies, that will pass on to Eryk because Koga favors Eryk. He is, perhaps, the only person who could call this off."
Some part of her was a bit of a dreamer, and she hoped that something like that would happen. But she was also somewhat of a realist. No one could do anything about it, and this was the fate her parents chose for her. "I have to do this, Ana, as much as I don't want to. Trust me, I don't want to," her voice cracked a little at the end, there. She really didn't want to for obvious reasons. One of those reasons was because she'd leave Cinnabar Island, and that meant her friends. The other reason... she sighed, glancing down to her cup.
Rather than softening in sympathy, Ana’s expression actually hardened. It was, perhaps, not in her nature to be mean, but it seemed she could certainly be stern. “Cyrilla.” There was a certain brittle sharpness to her tone. “Do you really mean to say that this all means so little to you that you’re willing to give it up without any fight at all? Because that’s what it sounds like to me right now.” She set down the empty mug in her hand with a slightly too-loud clunk.
“It sounds like you’re saying there was a chance that you could be happy—here with us and—and with him—and you’re giving up on it because someone told you you can’t have it. Do you—” Her voice hitched, laden with some combination of emotions that it was difficult to place.
“Do you have any idea what I would give for a chance half as good as—” This time, when the words stopped, Ana pulled in a raspy breath, one that sounded too harsh in her lungs. Closing her eyes, she leaned heavily against the counter for a moment, respiring with enforced slow deliberateness. It was like each one cost her something, and slowly, the strength and firmness bled out of her posture. With each exhale, she seemed almost to shrink, and when she looked back up, she appeared utterly exhausted.
“I’m—” it sounded like she was partway to an apology, but it died on her tongue.
Cyrilla glanced a little worriedly at Ana. She hadn't meant to make Ana upset with what she said, but Ana just didn't understand the way her family worked. It's not that she wanted to give up. It was just better if she did. Better to allow herself to do this than to accept what ifs and chance happiness. Yes, maybe there was a chance that she could be happy with them, with him, but every time she tried to picture it, it always slipped away from her. It just wasn't going to happen. She still wanted to talk to Harper about it, but now she wasn't so sure she should. What would that amount to? Pulling in a deep breath, she shook her head.
"I'm sorry, Ana. I shouldn't... I shouldn't have said that the way I did, but," she paused. How could she put this into words so that Ana would understand? Maybe there were no words. "Sometimes... I wish I could have been born in your world, Ana," she spoke, lowering her gaze somewhat. Maybe... maybe she should fight this, and to keep giving whatever it was, a chance?
"Thanks, for believing in me that much, Ana," she spoke, curling her hand around her cup. She wasn't so sure anyone believed in her like that, before. It felt nice, honestly. "I'll... I'll try, I promise. I'll try to not give up, and I'll try to fight this. I don't want to let you down," or anyone else for that matter.
Ana shook her head, just slightly. “Don’t give up on yourself, Cy. You’re worth more than that. Disappointing me, or not… that’s not the important part. You are.” She sighed, smiling slightly and turning away for a moment to prepare her tea.
When she turned back, she sank heavily into one of the stools set up against the island, slumping forward slightly. It didn’t seem to be due to any particular emotion. Actually, it looked like she was struggling physically to remain upright.
Maybe. Maybe she was, maybe she wasn't. She'd figure it out eventually. She was, however, more concerned about Ana. She didn't seem to be doing so well, and she wondered if Eryk knew this. She doubted it because if he did, he would be here, right now. He wouldn't be anywhere else, and she knew he'd be damned if he let his mother stop him. She would have smiled at that thought if she wasn't so concerned at the moment.
"Ana, are you feeling alright? Do... you want me to go get you anything?" she asked. Kenshin was standing a little closer to Ana as well, as if he were waiting for some unspoken word or command from her.
“Ah, um—” Ana moved her free hand to the edge of the counter, her knuckles turning white with the force of it. She took several moments to breathe carefully, pulling them in through her nose and exhaling through her mouth. That seemed to steady her a little, and she sat up a little straighter in her spot.
“I… not really, I’m afraid.” she smiled thinly, giving Kenshin an appreciative look as well. “I’m just… coming down with something. It’s probably only a cold—nothing to worry about. And you’ve all got plenty of other things to deal with right now.”
Cyrilla pursed her lips together, and shook her head. If Ana wasn't feeling well, then she could at least stay and help her out with whatever she needed. She might not be able to do anything about the sickness Ana was coming down with, but she could at least be here for her friend. Maybe...
"Kenny, do you want to stay with Ana?" she asked, glancing towards her lucario. He gave her a flat look, as if to say 'do you really need to ask' and nodded his head. "He can be of some help, just in case you need to move about or he could do something for you if it becomes to troublesome. Plus, I think he needs to take a bit of a break," she continued. Kenshin rolled his eyes.
I'm not the one who needs a break, but if Ana doesn't want me here, either, you shouldn't impose, you know, he replied, but glanced towards Ana, anyway. She has ways of reaching us, or you, if she needs anything, right Ana? apparently Kenshin wasn't too concerned. That, or he knew something that Cyrilla didn't. She just shrugged her shoulders.
"Well, you have a point. Plus, Kas is here, and I'm sure Eryk will be by later today, as well," and he would probably be more insistent on staying with her or something.
“It’s very kind of you to offer,” Ana replied softly. “But… wouldn’t it be better if he was around you right now? In case anything got—ah—contentious?” She seemed to be referring to Marah and Lukas, perhaps the latter even more than the former. “It’s not that I would mind if he stayed, but he’s right—if I need to get in touch, I can. And that might not be the same for you, depending on the situation.”
She actually managed to forget about that, at least for the moment. She sighed heavily. "Yeah, I suppose you're right," she spoke, leaning back in her chair. "Well, I still have a bit of time before I need to go back, how about a short movie?" she stated. She'll get this all sorted out, eventually. Kenshin just snorted.
Kas picked up a head of bok choy, turning it over in his hands to examine it for any signs of rotting. There weren’t any outright, but it looked to be in danger of wilting on a few of the edges, so he put it down and picked up another. That one was better; he bagged it and glanced down at the list.
Leeks (lots)
He chuckled to himself at the entry, moving towards the refrigerated wall to look for them. He resolutely did not think about any of the things that could occupy his mind instead; he wasn’t quite sure what to make of his own feelings on everything that was going on—and this was hardly the time to be making anything about him. He could worry about all of that later, and the simple task of retrieving all the items on Ana’s list was enough to occupy him for now.
When he left the store, it was with two bags in each hand. Her list had been smaller, but he’d needed to replace the carton of ice cream he’d polished off at her house last night. He hadn’t been able to sleep at the base, and a restless nighttime walk had taken him by her place, where he noticed the light was still on.
She was getting sick—he could see it. Not the kind of “sick” she was all the time, either. He’d debated telling Ryk and Cy, but she’d asked him not to, so for now, he’d keep her confidence. He owed her that much, after he kept her up most of the night talking. He’d also bought a few extra things for her—cough syrup and all that. His mom had a few remedies she also used when he’d been sick as a kid; on the off-chance that they’d help a little, he’d bought the supplies for them as well.
A few people called out to greet him or nodded as he walked past. Kas returned them where necessary, but his mind was wandering despite his resolve to the contrary.
The news had hit him… much harder than he expected. In the abstract, he’d always expected Cy’s family to pull this shit someday, but several things about it were really getting to him. Two of the issues were easy to place: Lukas was clearly a lech and an asshole, for one. The second was… Cy’s apparent complete lack of inclination to resist even a little. He knew her family’s power better than Ana did—but he didn’t share the belief she and Ryk apparently had that their influence made resisting them impossible or pointless or doomed to fail.
Then again… he had always believed in the long-shot chances, hadn’t he?
"Oh, hi Kas," Cyrilla called out. Apparently she was was walking the opposite direction before she'd stopped. "I was, um, just on my way back to the base. Are you on your way back to Ana's?" she asked. Kenshin shook his head and gave her a flat look.
He has bags of groceries in his hands, groceries that Ana asked him to get, he spoke. The information seemed to click as she mouthed an 'oh', and laughed a little nervously. I don't get it, he replied before shaking his head.
"Ah, that's right. Well, if you're on your way back, I won't keep you. I've gotta go back to the base, anyway," she spoke, nodding her head in Kas's general direction.
“Sure, Cy.”
His tongue felt like it was stuck to the roof of his mouth, and not in the good way. More than ever, he felt like he needed to stay the hell away from her, but also… also he knew that he was being a shitty friend by avoiding her right now. However terrible this was for Ryk, and by extension for Ana and Kas himself—none of them had half as much to deal with right now as Cyrilla did. What kind of asshole would he be if he didn’t even try to help her through it?
The answer, apparently, was more of an asshole than he could actually stand to be.
“Hey.” He paused in his progress past her, turning back around to face in her direction again. “If you don’t want to go back to the base quite yet, you could help me deliver these? Then we could go back togeth—at the same time.” He offered a smile and a shrug.
“I dunno about you, but the less time I spend there in the next week or so, the better for my mental health, I think.”
She turned to face him, a contemplative look on her face. She pursed her lips together, and glanced down for a second. She seemed to be debating with herself before she nodded her head. "Sure, I can help you deliver those to Ana," she replied softly. Her voice sounded a little tired, but that may have been due to the fact that it looked like she still had a lot on her mind. Kenshin didn't say anything, though, which was not all too odd.
"I could still use the fresh air, after all. Once we do that, then we could go back together," she didn't seem to have the same reservations as he did. That, or she just didn't mean anything else by it. "And I agree. Less time at the base, and more time with my friends," she added, a small smile on her face. It wasn't quite as bright as it usually was, but it did look like she was trying.
You could just take off somewhere for the week, Kenshin spoke, completely serious, oddly enough. Cyrilla just shook her head.
"And leave everyone else behind? I couldn't do that, but thanks for the offer, Kenny," she replied, in better spirits it seemed.
“It wouldn’t be the worst idea,” Kas said wryly.
He didn’t need any help carrying the groceries, but the pretext for this whole thing was that he did. So he handed over one of the bags in his left hand so she had something to hold at least. Kas consciously slowed his pace, well aware that this might be the end of her break from her relatives for the day and seeking to draw it out for that reason.
“Not to give them more time than they deserve in the conversation,” he said, aware that he was doing exactly that. But this part needed to be said, so that was the price to pay. “If there’s anything I can do to help—and I do mean anything—all you have to do is ask. I’m not afraid of a ninja or two.” The last part could have been a joke, but he couldn’t help the way his tone darkened, just a little too much for humor. He attempted to cover it with another smile, then turned his attention forward.
She smiled a little more widely at his statement and attempted to laugh. "I know you're not afraid of them, but thanks for the offer, Kas. I don't... think there is anything you can do, at least not yet," she spoke, though at least there was a yet at the end which meant that there probably was something he could do. She probably didn't know what it was, yet. She shook her head, though, probably clearing whatever thought she had out of it.
You could always make them disappear somehow. I'm sure they wouldn't be missed, Kenshin spoke in a nonchalant fashion. Or you know, make life a little more hellish while they're here, he added, shrugging his shoulders. I know I won't plan on making it easier for them, he spoke, though he must have said it directly at Kas, because Cyrilla didn't comment on it.
“Oh, I certainly don’t plan on making sure they enjoy their stay,” he answered aloud, though he left off any reply to the first part. It was certainly tempting to think about chasing them away with pure force, but Kas tried not to solve his problems with violence, no matter how deplorable the other people involved really were. He preferred to talk things out, make subtle threats if he really had to, and let his daunting physique do the rest of the work on its own.
Of course, he preferred charm to intimidation—but he didn’t like Cy’s family nearly enough to attempt that again. Plus it wasn’t likely to work with these two. But he could certainly make a nuisance of himself. It wasn’t like they had any control over him.
His smile sobered, and when he next glanced at her, he waited until he knew he had her attention before he spoke. “When you figure out what I can do… tell me.” He knew she didn’t like to “burden” other people with her problems. What he suspected she didn’t realize was that it was far too late for that. Her suffering was their suffering. Her problems were their problems, full stop. That was what being friends was about in the first place.
"Oh, I will," she replied, nodding her head in his direction. "I just... I have to see if there is a way to get out of it, first. There has to be a way. I'll... have to talk to Ryk about it later, though. I know there might be one way to get them to cancel it, but it involves basically the same thing. They have to approve of another match, and that is something that won't likely happen. The other way is if I can get Ryk to get Koga to cancel it. He might just be willing to if Ryk asks him, but I don't want to put Ryk in that kind of situation."
She was speaking a little too fast, as if she were thinking out loud. She shook her head at the last statement, though. "But like I said, I'll figure it out. Ana was right, there is something worth for a little more and I... want to fight for it if I can," she stated, though it sounded a little nervous. "So, when I figure out a way that you can help, you'll be the first person to know."
Actually, I'll be the first. You'll be the second, Kenshin chimed in, causing Cyrilla to at least smile again. She seemed to be doing a little bit better, perhaps.
Kas didn’t have to fake his smile that time; he felt a little lighter, too. It was definitely the news that she planned to fight this—he’d been worried, knowing the kind of person Cyrilla was, that she’d simply accept it as something she had no real choice about. That was a thought he couldn’t stand; thankfully, she seemed to understand that it didn’t have to be that way. Leave it to Ana to help someone kick the habits of a lifetime, he supposed.
“It wouldn’t surprise me if you were the one to think of it in the first place, Ken, so I’ve got not problem with that.” He paused a moment, wondering if he should really say what was on his mind. In the end, he settled for part of it.
Good, Kenshin replied, a slight smirk on his face.
“I’m glad you’re not giving in, Cy. You deserve… better, than that guy.” She wasn’t very good at asking for what she wanted—it was at once a strength and a weakness. Her selflessness was no doubt one of her best qualities, but even that taken to an extreme would do more harm than good.
Her gaze softened somewhat and she nodded her head. "Yeah, I'm glad too. I have you all to thank for that, actually. If it weren't for you and Ana, I might," she paused momentarily to take a breath. "I might not have fought it. I would have accepted it, but I'm glad too," she spoke, patting his arm with her free hand. She seemed genuinely happy about that thought.
Well, now that we have that out of our system, Kenshin spoke, yawning as if he were bored with the way things were. He moved just a bit closer to Cyrilla's side, and he gave her a sort of glance. Her eyes widened somewhat as if he told her something.
"Oh... that's right," she spoke, turning to glance up at Kas. "Ana is going to help me plan Eryk's birthday next week. Would you like to help? I'm sure he'd appreciate your flair for things," she asked.
Kas barked a laugh. “I think you might be a little off-base there, considering how different Eryk and I are, but… sure. I can help. I’d be glad to.” Eryk wasn’t really a birthday person, but he probably wouldn’t mind a small gathering type of thing. And if he did, well… maybe if they did it right, they could change his mind about it.
A thought occurred to him then, and he snorted. “Isn’t it on Valentine’s Day exactly? Because not only is that hilarious, but we also might be able to use the fact somehow.” Of course, he and Ana were something of a thing now, but one kiss did not a couple make—and they were sitting pretty ambiguously between stages of that relationship right now. Still… it should be something they could work into their plans. While there was no doubt by this point that Eryk liked all of them and considered them his friends and family, there was also no doubting that he was happiest with Ana.
So if making him happy was the point—and Kas figured it was—they might as well acknowledge that fact in their planning.
"Yep, it's on Valentine's Day," she replied easily enough. It took her a minute to register what he'd said, but it seemed to dawn on her. "Oh, OH! Okay, I see what you're saying now," she stated. Kenshin rolled his eyes slightly at the implication.
Haven't you both pushed him far enough?
"I'm not even going to justify that with a response," she immediately replied, giving him a deadpan look. "But yes, we need to use that small little detail to our advantage. Eryk is... he's a little clueless as to what Valentine's Day really is, and since it's also his birthday, he doesn't make a big deal about it, so," she continued, pausing only momentarily to readjust the bag in the other hand.
"We need to give him a reason why it should be important. Even if it's not because it's his birthday, but because Valentine's Day should be celebrated that kind of way," she spoke, nodding in a seemingly satisfied motion.
Kas nodded thoughtfully. “And this part isn’t so much pushing him as it’s nudging him to open up a little. I think if we did whatever we wanted to do with all of us together, then planned something for he and Ana to do afterwards, that would probably be a good mix. It’s important to make sure that the memories will stand out—that he’ll associate birthdays with this one in the future over and above all of the others.” It was how some forms of therapy worked, actually—but he didn’t want to think of this as putting Eryk through therapy so much as making his life a little better overall.
“It’s going to be a little cold for the beach, I think, so we should probably choose something more indoors. We could always do it at Ana’s, but I think some other location might be good too.” Nothing specific was coming to him—damn Eryk for not having hobbies, honestly—but they could figure something out.
"I'm sure if we asked really nicely, Drake would lend us his Gym for the day. There's plenty of space, and there's even a heated pool in the back. It's... kind of like a hotspring? Plus, he usually doesn't have the Gym open on that day. It's his unofficial but official holiday, supposedly," Cyrilla suggested. She didn't exactly know how to say the last one, though, or so it seemed. She questioned it rather than being certain. Kenshin actually snickered a bit at that.
"And there'll be a lot more room for us to do things, especially if we want the pokémon to be around, too," she added.
“Now there’s a thought,” Kas replied, humming thoughtfully. “A heated pool would be nice; plus we can use the rest of the Gym for whatever. They have a kitchen back there, too, I think. Let’s see if we can’t do that.”
It did seem like a good idea; they’d have to work on thinking of ways to utilize the space, but it should be worthwhile.
“Oh. And Cy?” He paused for just a second. “You’re gonna be here for it.” He had bags in both hands, but he knocked her gently in the bicep with his nearest elbow.
“That’s a promise.”
"Yeah?" she stated, glancing forward as they continued walking. "I wouldn't miss it for anything," she replied, seemingly happy about it. "I'll keep you to your promise, Kas. If you don't, Kenshin'll come after you," she spoke in a mock threatening voice. "Now, let's go deliver Ana's groceries." Kenshin just gave them both a flat look.
I'll do no such thing.
Kas only laughed.
Leeks (lots)
He chuckled to himself at the entry, moving towards the refrigerated wall to look for them. He resolutely did not think about any of the things that could occupy his mind instead; he wasn’t quite sure what to make of his own feelings on everything that was going on—and this was hardly the time to be making anything about him. He could worry about all of that later, and the simple task of retrieving all the items on Ana’s list was enough to occupy him for now.
When he left the store, it was with two bags in each hand. Her list had been smaller, but he’d needed to replace the carton of ice cream he’d polished off at her house last night. He hadn’t been able to sleep at the base, and a restless nighttime walk had taken him by her place, where he noticed the light was still on.
She was getting sick—he could see it. Not the kind of “sick” she was all the time, either. He’d debated telling Ryk and Cy, but she’d asked him not to, so for now, he’d keep her confidence. He owed her that much, after he kept her up most of the night talking. He’d also bought a few extra things for her—cough syrup and all that. His mom had a few remedies she also used when he’d been sick as a kid; on the off-chance that they’d help a little, he’d bought the supplies for them as well.
A few people called out to greet him or nodded as he walked past. Kas returned them where necessary, but his mind was wandering despite his resolve to the contrary.
The news had hit him… much harder than he expected. In the abstract, he’d always expected Cy’s family to pull this shit someday, but several things about it were really getting to him. Two of the issues were easy to place: Lukas was clearly a lech and an asshole, for one. The second was… Cy’s apparent complete lack of inclination to resist even a little. He knew her family’s power better than Ana did—but he didn’t share the belief she and Ryk apparently had that their influence made resisting them impossible or pointless or doomed to fail.
Then again… he had always believed in the long-shot chances, hadn’t he?
"Oh, hi Kas," Cyrilla called out. Apparently she was was walking the opposite direction before she'd stopped. "I was, um, just on my way back to the base. Are you on your way back to Ana's?" she asked. Kenshin shook his head and gave her a flat look.
He has bags of groceries in his hands, groceries that Ana asked him to get, he spoke. The information seemed to click as she mouthed an 'oh', and laughed a little nervously. I don't get it, he replied before shaking his head.
"Ah, that's right. Well, if you're on your way back, I won't keep you. I've gotta go back to the base, anyway," she spoke, nodding her head in Kas's general direction.
“Sure, Cy.”
His tongue felt like it was stuck to the roof of his mouth, and not in the good way. More than ever, he felt like he needed to stay the hell away from her, but also… also he knew that he was being a shitty friend by avoiding her right now. However terrible this was for Ryk, and by extension for Ana and Kas himself—none of them had half as much to deal with right now as Cyrilla did. What kind of asshole would he be if he didn’t even try to help her through it?
The answer, apparently, was more of an asshole than he could actually stand to be.
“Hey.” He paused in his progress past her, turning back around to face in her direction again. “If you don’t want to go back to the base quite yet, you could help me deliver these? Then we could go back togeth—at the same time.” He offered a smile and a shrug.
“I dunno about you, but the less time I spend there in the next week or so, the better for my mental health, I think.”
She turned to face him, a contemplative look on her face. She pursed her lips together, and glanced down for a second. She seemed to be debating with herself before she nodded her head. "Sure, I can help you deliver those to Ana," she replied softly. Her voice sounded a little tired, but that may have been due to the fact that it looked like she still had a lot on her mind. Kenshin didn't say anything, though, which was not all too odd.
"I could still use the fresh air, after all. Once we do that, then we could go back together," she didn't seem to have the same reservations as he did. That, or she just didn't mean anything else by it. "And I agree. Less time at the base, and more time with my friends," she added, a small smile on her face. It wasn't quite as bright as it usually was, but it did look like she was trying.
You could just take off somewhere for the week, Kenshin spoke, completely serious, oddly enough. Cyrilla just shook her head.
"And leave everyone else behind? I couldn't do that, but thanks for the offer, Kenny," she replied, in better spirits it seemed.
“It wouldn’t be the worst idea,” Kas said wryly.
He didn’t need any help carrying the groceries, but the pretext for this whole thing was that he did. So he handed over one of the bags in his left hand so she had something to hold at least. Kas consciously slowed his pace, well aware that this might be the end of her break from her relatives for the day and seeking to draw it out for that reason.
“Not to give them more time than they deserve in the conversation,” he said, aware that he was doing exactly that. But this part needed to be said, so that was the price to pay. “If there’s anything I can do to help—and I do mean anything—all you have to do is ask. I’m not afraid of a ninja or two.” The last part could have been a joke, but he couldn’t help the way his tone darkened, just a little too much for humor. He attempted to cover it with another smile, then turned his attention forward.
She smiled a little more widely at his statement and attempted to laugh. "I know you're not afraid of them, but thanks for the offer, Kas. I don't... think there is anything you can do, at least not yet," she spoke, though at least there was a yet at the end which meant that there probably was something he could do. She probably didn't know what it was, yet. She shook her head, though, probably clearing whatever thought she had out of it.
You could always make them disappear somehow. I'm sure they wouldn't be missed, Kenshin spoke in a nonchalant fashion. Or you know, make life a little more hellish while they're here, he added, shrugging his shoulders. I know I won't plan on making it easier for them, he spoke, though he must have said it directly at Kas, because Cyrilla didn't comment on it.
“Oh, I certainly don’t plan on making sure they enjoy their stay,” he answered aloud, though he left off any reply to the first part. It was certainly tempting to think about chasing them away with pure force, but Kas tried not to solve his problems with violence, no matter how deplorable the other people involved really were. He preferred to talk things out, make subtle threats if he really had to, and let his daunting physique do the rest of the work on its own.
Of course, he preferred charm to intimidation—but he didn’t like Cy’s family nearly enough to attempt that again. Plus it wasn’t likely to work with these two. But he could certainly make a nuisance of himself. It wasn’t like they had any control over him.
His smile sobered, and when he next glanced at her, he waited until he knew he had her attention before he spoke. “When you figure out what I can do… tell me.” He knew she didn’t like to “burden” other people with her problems. What he suspected she didn’t realize was that it was far too late for that. Her suffering was their suffering. Her problems were their problems, full stop. That was what being friends was about in the first place.
"Oh, I will," she replied, nodding her head in his direction. "I just... I have to see if there is a way to get out of it, first. There has to be a way. I'll... have to talk to Ryk about it later, though. I know there might be one way to get them to cancel it, but it involves basically the same thing. They have to approve of another match, and that is something that won't likely happen. The other way is if I can get Ryk to get Koga to cancel it. He might just be willing to if Ryk asks him, but I don't want to put Ryk in that kind of situation."
She was speaking a little too fast, as if she were thinking out loud. She shook her head at the last statement, though. "But like I said, I'll figure it out. Ana was right, there is something worth for a little more and I... want to fight for it if I can," she stated, though it sounded a little nervous. "So, when I figure out a way that you can help, you'll be the first person to know."
Actually, I'll be the first. You'll be the second, Kenshin chimed in, causing Cyrilla to at least smile again. She seemed to be doing a little bit better, perhaps.
Kas didn’t have to fake his smile that time; he felt a little lighter, too. It was definitely the news that she planned to fight this—he’d been worried, knowing the kind of person Cyrilla was, that she’d simply accept it as something she had no real choice about. That was a thought he couldn’t stand; thankfully, she seemed to understand that it didn’t have to be that way. Leave it to Ana to help someone kick the habits of a lifetime, he supposed.
“It wouldn’t surprise me if you were the one to think of it in the first place, Ken, so I’ve got not problem with that.” He paused a moment, wondering if he should really say what was on his mind. In the end, he settled for part of it.
Good, Kenshin replied, a slight smirk on his face.
“I’m glad you’re not giving in, Cy. You deserve… better, than that guy.” She wasn’t very good at asking for what she wanted—it was at once a strength and a weakness. Her selflessness was no doubt one of her best qualities, but even that taken to an extreme would do more harm than good.
Her gaze softened somewhat and she nodded her head. "Yeah, I'm glad too. I have you all to thank for that, actually. If it weren't for you and Ana, I might," she paused momentarily to take a breath. "I might not have fought it. I would have accepted it, but I'm glad too," she spoke, patting his arm with her free hand. She seemed genuinely happy about that thought.
Well, now that we have that out of our system, Kenshin spoke, yawning as if he were bored with the way things were. He moved just a bit closer to Cyrilla's side, and he gave her a sort of glance. Her eyes widened somewhat as if he told her something.
"Oh... that's right," she spoke, turning to glance up at Kas. "Ana is going to help me plan Eryk's birthday next week. Would you like to help? I'm sure he'd appreciate your flair for things," she asked.
Kas barked a laugh. “I think you might be a little off-base there, considering how different Eryk and I are, but… sure. I can help. I’d be glad to.” Eryk wasn’t really a birthday person, but he probably wouldn’t mind a small gathering type of thing. And if he did, well… maybe if they did it right, they could change his mind about it.
A thought occurred to him then, and he snorted. “Isn’t it on Valentine’s Day exactly? Because not only is that hilarious, but we also might be able to use the fact somehow.” Of course, he and Ana were something of a thing now, but one kiss did not a couple make—and they were sitting pretty ambiguously between stages of that relationship right now. Still… it should be something they could work into their plans. While there was no doubt by this point that Eryk liked all of them and considered them his friends and family, there was also no doubting that he was happiest with Ana.
So if making him happy was the point—and Kas figured it was—they might as well acknowledge that fact in their planning.
"Yep, it's on Valentine's Day," she replied easily enough. It took her a minute to register what he'd said, but it seemed to dawn on her. "Oh, OH! Okay, I see what you're saying now," she stated. Kenshin rolled his eyes slightly at the implication.
Haven't you both pushed him far enough?
"I'm not even going to justify that with a response," she immediately replied, giving him a deadpan look. "But yes, we need to use that small little detail to our advantage. Eryk is... he's a little clueless as to what Valentine's Day really is, and since it's also his birthday, he doesn't make a big deal about it, so," she continued, pausing only momentarily to readjust the bag in the other hand.
"We need to give him a reason why it should be important. Even if it's not because it's his birthday, but because Valentine's Day should be celebrated that kind of way," she spoke, nodding in a seemingly satisfied motion.
Kas nodded thoughtfully. “And this part isn’t so much pushing him as it’s nudging him to open up a little. I think if we did whatever we wanted to do with all of us together, then planned something for he and Ana to do afterwards, that would probably be a good mix. It’s important to make sure that the memories will stand out—that he’ll associate birthdays with this one in the future over and above all of the others.” It was how some forms of therapy worked, actually—but he didn’t want to think of this as putting Eryk through therapy so much as making his life a little better overall.
“It’s going to be a little cold for the beach, I think, so we should probably choose something more indoors. We could always do it at Ana’s, but I think some other location might be good too.” Nothing specific was coming to him—damn Eryk for not having hobbies, honestly—but they could figure something out.
"I'm sure if we asked really nicely, Drake would lend us his Gym for the day. There's plenty of space, and there's even a heated pool in the back. It's... kind of like a hotspring? Plus, he usually doesn't have the Gym open on that day. It's his unofficial but official holiday, supposedly," Cyrilla suggested. She didn't exactly know how to say the last one, though, or so it seemed. She questioned it rather than being certain. Kenshin actually snickered a bit at that.
"And there'll be a lot more room for us to do things, especially if we want the pokémon to be around, too," she added.
“Now there’s a thought,” Kas replied, humming thoughtfully. “A heated pool would be nice; plus we can use the rest of the Gym for whatever. They have a kitchen back there, too, I think. Let’s see if we can’t do that.”
It did seem like a good idea; they’d have to work on thinking of ways to utilize the space, but it should be worthwhile.
“Oh. And Cy?” He paused for just a second. “You’re gonna be here for it.” He had bags in both hands, but he knocked her gently in the bicep with his nearest elbow.
“That’s a promise.”
"Yeah?" she stated, glancing forward as they continued walking. "I wouldn't miss it for anything," she replied, seemingly happy about it. "I'll keep you to your promise, Kas. If you don't, Kenshin'll come after you," she spoke in a mock threatening voice. "Now, let's go deliver Ana's groceries." Kenshin just gave them both a flat look.
I'll do no such thing.
Kas only laughed.
He was livid.
He wanted, for the first time since Remi hurt Cyrilla, to harm someone in such a way that he could get away with it if he acted upon it. There would be no way anyone could trace it back to him, and it's not like anyone would particularly care. He didn't understand why his mother, of all people, was here, nor why she chose to make such an announcement. He could cancel it himself, but he'd have to offer himself in Lukas's stead. She would never forgive him for that, though, if he did. Plus, he couldn't do that to her, not Ana. After what he'd told her, she would never forgive him for doing that, even if it had good intentions. He pushed a breath through his nose as he laid his head on his desk. He'd come down with a rather large headache, one that he attributed to his mother.
"Why are you leaning on your desk like that? Sit up straight and wipe that stupid look off of your face," speak of the devil. He lifted his gaze to stare at the woman, his eyes narrowing slightly. "You know better than to look at me like that, Eryk Nero," she spoke, but he didn't move his gaze. She was glaring at him now, but that didn't seem to bother him like it once had. He was far too angry to really give a shit. First, his mother comes in unannounced, and brings Lukas with her. Then, she tells them that his sister is being forced to marry the one person he despised.
"Whatever you came to say, you should say it now, and leave. I don't need you here," he spoke, making his voice as neutral as he could. He really didn't want to deal with her right now. She didn't seem to care, though, since she just placed a hand on her hip and glowered at him. He wasn't bothered by it. She tried to intimidate, but she wasn't doing a very good job right now. There were some things that were a little more important to him right now.
"You speak as if you have any authority over what I do or say. I am here because I have heard rather disturbing things about you. Things that you should know better than to do or have," she spoke in return.
"And you speak as if you have any authority over what I do or say. You don't have that anymore, Marah," he retorted. Granted, there were still things he couldn't do against his family, but she was no longer an integral part of his life. She just liked to think she was. She only kept her gaze on him, though, and he didn't seem too happy about it.
"You know why I'm here, Eryk. The others have said that you are getting soft, and that the cause of your softness is that particular friend of yours, the Joy. She's making you believe things that aren't true, and from what I hear," she paused momentarily to narrow her eyes at him. She didn't seem particularly happy about the next set of words that were going to come out, but it's not like he really cared. "She's also making you question things. That is not how we do things. Do I need to take you back to Fuchsia?" she was threatening him. He knew that was what she was doing. He only narrowed his eyes at her further.
"You will do no such thing, Marah. I don't have to do anything, or should I remind you of the reason why I am here. The Boss wanted us to investigate her, and that is what I am doing. How do you think we've gotten so much information from her? What they have been telling you is what I have been doing in order to obtain information from her, nothing else," he clenched his jaw considerably when he said that. In the beginning, maybe that's what he was doing, but now, now it was different. He was different.
"If you have a problem with the methods I am using, then by all means, do something about it. If you don't, you have no reason to be here. If you'll excuse me, I have other things to do, Marah," he spoke, standing abruptly and pointing towards the door. She narrowed her eyes at him, glared for a moment, before huffing slightly.
"Don't think this conversation is over, Eryk Nero," she retorted before leaving his office. He huffed slightly. Why, of all things, did his mother still have to be living? Why couldn't she have just... he paused his thoughts, and shook his head. As much as he didn't want his mother to be here, he wasn't going to allow her to ruin his mood. He did have other things to be concerned about, like making sure Ana was okay, and finding a way for Cy's engagement to be nulled somehow. He needed to get out, for a moment. Doing something other than being here would be for the best. With that in mind, he stood from his chair, and grabbed his coat. Perhaps he should go see Ana? He shook his head. If he did that, then Marah would likely follow him to her abode, and that was the last thing he wanted.
But then again, even if she didn't follow him, she would still find out where Ana lived. He tensed at that thought. Maybe she hadn't? There was only one person he could actually trust at the moment, and who would provide enough intimidation to his mother, that she just might not follow him. That also meant going to see Kas, at the moment. He really didn't want to drag him into this mess, but he didn't really see much of a choice. Maybe he did, and he wasn't thinking about the other options? More, now than ever, he wanted a drink. He needed one. Kas it was. With that in mind, he left his office in search of his friend.
As it turned out, Kas was neither in his own office nor any of his normal sleeping spots. It wasn’t until Eryk thought to check Cyrilla’s office that he found him.
He was comically oversized for Cy’s furniture, but that didn’t seem to bother him. He sat in the center of her small couch, his bare feet propped on the edge of her coffee table, not too far away from a mug that had clearly once held actual coffee. His laptop rested on his legs; it seemed he was actually doing work for once. Cy was at the desk, of course.
No sooner had Eryk entered than Kas glanced up, raising an eyebrow. “You look like you’ve just seen hell. I take it your mother paid you a visit.”
Cyrilla didn't glance up from her work, but she made a nodding motion with her head to acknowledge Eryk. He merely quirked a brow, and nodded as well. "She did," he replied, leaning against the door frame a bit. His only intention was to take Kas with him, however; maybe Cyrilla wanted one too? She didn't drink a lot, mainly during the special occasions, but he figured she might want one now.
"I was trying to find you to see if you wanted to go get a drink," he stated, glancing at Kas. "You're welcome to come, too, Cy," he continued, offering her the same glance. She looked up from her paperwork and offered him a short smile, but shook her head.
"No, I'll pass, but thank you. I have a few things to sort through right now, and they can't wait any longer," she replied. He shrugged his shoulders lightly. He wasn't going to force her if she didn't want to go. "You both go enjoy a boy's night out, or something," she stated, turning back to her paper work.
Kas snorted softly at Cy’s reply, but he shut his laptop, putting it on the coffee table. “I’ll leave this here, since I’ll be back tomorrow anyway,” he said. Apparently he was doing his work in here now—knowing Kas, this was partially his way of helping her deal with Lukas’s constant hovering. It probably kept him out of this room at least.
He stood, stretching his arms over his head and then rolling out his shoulders. He frowned for a moment, his lips thinning, and then pinched a pokéball from his belt. “Not that I don’t trust Ken, or you,” he told Cyrilla, nodding slightly before setting the ball down on her desk, “But I’m gonna leave Princess here with you, too. If that guy comes by and won’t take a hint, she’d be happy to help, I’m sure. She’s never liked pushy men.” He half-smiled like he was remembering something amusing to him, then turned his attention to Eryk.
“Marna’s?”
You wound me, Kas, Kenshin replied, though it sounded like he understood, somewhat. Cy just scoffed lightly, but placed the given pokéball closer to her. Eryk could feel his lips twitching just slightly upward before shaking his head.
"I think Marna's is the only place that can tolerate me," he spoke, though he was half serious about it. It was the only place he'd been to that he hadn't gotten immediately kicked out of. "If anything happens," he spoke, glancing towards Cy. He pursed his lips slightly. "You have Princess and Kenshin. You also have our numbers," he began, but earned a flat look.
"Ryk, shush and go get your drinks. I promise I'll be fine," she chided him. He scoffed lightly and nodded his head. Once he and Kas were prepared, they made their way towards Marna's.
"How are things at Ana's?" he decided to ask. He hadn't been by yesterday, and he couldn't exactly go today. Kas, he knew, had at least passed by her home. Or at least he thought he did.
Kas’s mouth pulled to the side for a moment. He looked like he wanted to say something in particular, but whether or not it was what he actually ended up saying was impossible to tell. “The shelter’s okay,” he said with a shrug. “Ana was handling the place before we ever showed up, so I’m sure she won’t fall behind on the work or anything.”
He paused a moment, then continued. “I think it’d be good for both of you if you could get out there at least once this week, though. I stayed over last night to make sure nothing got… weird, you know?”
It didn’t take a genius to figure out what he was referring to. More than any of them had, Ana had stood up to Marah and Lukas, in that gentle, but stubborn way that seemed to characterize her sterner side. It wasn’t a secret that Marah especially hadn’t been happy about that—probably Kas had just wanted to make sure nothing bad happened as a result of that. His next words only confirmed it.
“You know your family better than I do, Ryk, but it seems to me like there’s a real possibility they’ll try to intimidate her, especially if they have the faintest idea what she really means to us. To you, in particular. And you know Marah has a bloodhound’s nose for anything she thinks is weakness.”
Unfortunately, he did know Marah and what lengths she'd be willing to go to. He sighed heavily, unintentionally, and shook his head. "I will have to do it soon, then. Marah's already getting suspicious," he spoke honestly. If the conversation he had earlier with her was anything to go by, it meant that Marah didn't believe him, at all. She would, more than likely, find a way to harass Ana, to make things worse than they should be. He swallowed a little thickly. He wouldn't know how to handle that, actually, if Marah managed to push Ana away from him. It wasn't a thought he wanted to entertain, but there was a strong possibility that Marah would intimidate Ana somehow to make her...
"I think she knew I was lying to her when I told her that the only reason why we were so close to her was for the mission's sake. She seemed to partially believe it, but I don't think she fully believed me," not that he wouldn't doubt it, of course. Marah was hard to please, and even harder to fool. "You know what she's like when she gets like that. You've been around her before," he continued, shaking his head.
Kas rubbed absently at the back of his neck, raising the same hand momentarily to greet someone he knew on the other side of the street. He didn’t stop though, continuing to amble forward at the same pace as Eryk walked. “Yeah,” he agreed, shaking his head a bit. “By comparison, Lukas is easy to deal with. I think he’s slightly afraid of me, actually.” He seemed amused by that, but it wasn’t a lighthearted sort of thing like it usually was.
Pushing a breath out of his nose, he opened the door to the bar, heading in behind Eryk and taking what must be his usual spot, off to the left of center, but at the bar itself. Marna knew their orders by now, and had them ready within a minute of their arrival, after which she gave them their space.
"He's afraid of both of us, and for good reason," Eryk replied. Lukas would probably be easier to manipulate and deal with, but Marah was a whole different person. She wasn't easily intimidated, and it took quite a lot of effort to even make her flinch. "I might be able to force him to call off their engagement, but I have to go about it in a different kind of manner," because if he was too subtle about it, Lukas would probably take it the wrong way and think Eryk was giving him his blessings. Far from that, actually.
"I know he's not fully vested in this match, either. Lukas doesn't like being tied down. The only reason he would have even considered it is because of how I view her. She's... like my little sister, and he is trying to take full advantage of that," he continued, grasping his cup a little too tightly. He had to relax his hand unless he wanted to break the glass. He wanted to break something, though.
"Marah probably put him up to it," because Lukas wasn't clever enough to think of it on his own. A sudden thought popped into his mind, and he arched a brow at Kas. "How are you holding up, though?" he asked. He knew Kas could handle himself, and that this was nothing new, but something told him he should just ask anyway.
"No one's happy with either of them," he added.
Kas blinked at him. “I’m not the one who just got told I was getting married to someone I don’t want to marry, nor the one whose hellish mother swept into town with no warning for the express purpose of making sure I was living up to her standards of life. Which suck.” He arched an eyebrow, taking a swallow of the amber-colored liquid in the bottom of his lowball glass.
He seemed to savor the taste, letting it linger for a moment before swallowing. In the dim lights of Marna’s, his eyes were almost as dark as the liquor. He lifted his shoulders. “Next to that, I don’t really have anything to complain about.” He paused.
“I think you’re right—we’d have to be direct with Lukas. That guy doesn’t really seem to get subtle. But if Marah really put him up to this, we’ll have to be pretty convincing if we want to persuade him that it’s worth pissing her off to get out of the whole thing.”
"Nothing is worth pissing her off to anyone," he replied almost immediately. No one in his family would dare go against Marah. That's just the type of person she was. She intimidated mostly everyone. If Eryk hadn't known better, he would have thought that she was running the clan. She wasn't, of course, but it still felt that way. He glanced into his cup before throwing the drink back. There were a few more drinks in between that one, and Eryk wasn't entirely sure how much time had passed since the first drink. He knew it must have been at least an hour or two. There was no sunlight.
"You know," he paused momentarily, trying to collect his thoughts. He hadn't intended to get slightly drunk, but the drinks kept coming. "I think... I think our best option is to make Lukas disappear," the implication was there, he knew it was.
Kas shook his head. “Even if we leave aside the… moral problems with that,” he said, sounding like he’d swallowed something disgusting, “I don’t think it would change anything in the long run. It’d just piss Marah off even more, and she’d find new ways to ruin your lives—probably exactly the same thing again, this time with someone harder to deal with or worse in some other way.”
It wasn’t too hard to think of people in his family that were even worse in a lot of ways, actually.
For a moment, Kas stared into his drink, swallowing the remainder down with a single pull and gesturing for another. He leaned slightly into the bar, facing Eryk with a serious expression only somewhat ruined by his own increasing intoxication. He’d been drinking even faster than Eryk had.
“But you know what might work? If Cy was already married. Not even your family can make the laws against bigamy go away, and a marriage license is a marriage license, no bones about it. We could do it quick, at the nearest courthouse, with just enough witnesses to make it obvious—that’s probably the little one here, or the one in Viridian. Just long enough for your mom and Lukas to fuck off.” He said Lukas’s name with a particular kind of venom Eryk had never heard from him before.
Eryk had to blink a little slowly. That actually made some sense, and that was saying something about his current intoxication. If she were already married, then Marah and Lukas would have no claim and the marriage would be void. The only question was, who would do it? "I can't do it," for his own obvious reasons. Cyrilla was too much of a sister to him, and though he had thought about it, it would still be weird for him. Even if it was for a good thing, he wasn't so sure about it. Plus, it would probably make things worse for them if he did. He knew his family and where they stood with the two of them.
"That would leave either you or Drake," though he wasn't entirely sure how Drake would even feel about something like that. Wasn't he, technically, dating Harper? Hadn't he announced that via live television? A thought struck him at that. "If you did it, it would be convincing enough, especially since your little stunt during the tournament. They would have seen your declaration, and they'd believe it enough," he spoke. He wasn't sure if he made any sense to Kas, but he couldn't exactly think too straight. He should lay off the drinks for a bit.
Kas groaned, muttering something under his breath that Eryk couldn’t quite catch. He shook his head, but seemed to regret the sharp motion, from the way he frowned afterward. “You know I can’t do it,” he said, heaving a sigh. “That’d… that’d do her worse than being married to Lukas.” He met Eryk’s eyes with wide ones of his own, shaking his head more slowly this time. “If she’s gonna be… fake-married, it should be to someone where the fake-divorce after won’t…” He trailed off, letting it hang in the air. It was as close to actual confirmation as Eryk had ever received that Kas was aware of Cyrilla’s feelings for him.
There was a heavy moment of silence, but then Kasimir’s expression brightened. “It doesn’t have to be one of us or Drake, you know. She could totally fake-marry Ana.”
"No," he replied a little too quickly, surprising even himself. He hadn't meant to say it that quick, nor in the tone he'd used. It was flat and almost hostile. "Ana would do it, but I don't think that is the best course for her at the moment," she wasn't doing too well, from what Cyrilla had told him. She was coming down with a cold, and if she was, then she'd be a little too sick to even do that. He didn't want to put that kind of pressure on Ana.
"I don't, I don't think that would be worse than Lukas if you did it, Kas. She'd appreciate it more than anything, you know that. It'll be a fake-marriage, and a fake-divorce, but it'll be between two friends who would mutually benefit from it." he spoke, a little surprised he said that too. He wasn't sure how they would benefit from it, but they could. He shrugged his shoulders, though.
"But that would be her decision, either way," because he wouldn't exactly force her to fake-marry any of their friends just to keep her from marrying Lukas. He couldn't claim to know her state of mind, but regardless of her own feelings, she would do it. If only to get out of the marriage, and nothing else. She wouldn't take it wrong, he didn't think. She wasn't that kind of person. "We can make the suggestion, and go from there," and if she agreed to it, decide who would do it. If it really came down to it, he'd do it, if only to piss off his mother.
Kas still didn’t look sure, but whether it was Eryk’s argument that persuaded him or just the alcohol, he wound up nodding anyway. “Yeah… I guess we just float the idea at her and see what she thinks, then.”
"Yeah, but for now, drinks." He really didn't want to think of anything else at the moment.
He wanted, for the first time since Remi hurt Cyrilla, to harm someone in such a way that he could get away with it if he acted upon it. There would be no way anyone could trace it back to him, and it's not like anyone would particularly care. He didn't understand why his mother, of all people, was here, nor why she chose to make such an announcement. He could cancel it himself, but he'd have to offer himself in Lukas's stead. She would never forgive him for that, though, if he did. Plus, he couldn't do that to her, not Ana. After what he'd told her, she would never forgive him for doing that, even if it had good intentions. He pushed a breath through his nose as he laid his head on his desk. He'd come down with a rather large headache, one that he attributed to his mother.
"Why are you leaning on your desk like that? Sit up straight and wipe that stupid look off of your face," speak of the devil. He lifted his gaze to stare at the woman, his eyes narrowing slightly. "You know better than to look at me like that, Eryk Nero," she spoke, but he didn't move his gaze. She was glaring at him now, but that didn't seem to bother him like it once had. He was far too angry to really give a shit. First, his mother comes in unannounced, and brings Lukas with her. Then, she tells them that his sister is being forced to marry the one person he despised.
"Whatever you came to say, you should say it now, and leave. I don't need you here," he spoke, making his voice as neutral as he could. He really didn't want to deal with her right now. She didn't seem to care, though, since she just placed a hand on her hip and glowered at him. He wasn't bothered by it. She tried to intimidate, but she wasn't doing a very good job right now. There were some things that were a little more important to him right now.
"You speak as if you have any authority over what I do or say. I am here because I have heard rather disturbing things about you. Things that you should know better than to do or have," she spoke in return.
"And you speak as if you have any authority over what I do or say. You don't have that anymore, Marah," he retorted. Granted, there were still things he couldn't do against his family, but she was no longer an integral part of his life. She just liked to think she was. She only kept her gaze on him, though, and he didn't seem too happy about it.
"You know why I'm here, Eryk. The others have said that you are getting soft, and that the cause of your softness is that particular friend of yours, the Joy. She's making you believe things that aren't true, and from what I hear," she paused momentarily to narrow her eyes at him. She didn't seem particularly happy about the next set of words that were going to come out, but it's not like he really cared. "She's also making you question things. That is not how we do things. Do I need to take you back to Fuchsia?" she was threatening him. He knew that was what she was doing. He only narrowed his eyes at her further.
"You will do no such thing, Marah. I don't have to do anything, or should I remind you of the reason why I am here. The Boss wanted us to investigate her, and that is what I am doing. How do you think we've gotten so much information from her? What they have been telling you is what I have been doing in order to obtain information from her, nothing else," he clenched his jaw considerably when he said that. In the beginning, maybe that's what he was doing, but now, now it was different. He was different.
"If you have a problem with the methods I am using, then by all means, do something about it. If you don't, you have no reason to be here. If you'll excuse me, I have other things to do, Marah," he spoke, standing abruptly and pointing towards the door. She narrowed her eyes at him, glared for a moment, before huffing slightly.
"Don't think this conversation is over, Eryk Nero," she retorted before leaving his office. He huffed slightly. Why, of all things, did his mother still have to be living? Why couldn't she have just... he paused his thoughts, and shook his head. As much as he didn't want his mother to be here, he wasn't going to allow her to ruin his mood. He did have other things to be concerned about, like making sure Ana was okay, and finding a way for Cy's engagement to be nulled somehow. He needed to get out, for a moment. Doing something other than being here would be for the best. With that in mind, he stood from his chair, and grabbed his coat. Perhaps he should go see Ana? He shook his head. If he did that, then Marah would likely follow him to her abode, and that was the last thing he wanted.
But then again, even if she didn't follow him, she would still find out where Ana lived. He tensed at that thought. Maybe she hadn't? There was only one person he could actually trust at the moment, and who would provide enough intimidation to his mother, that she just might not follow him. That also meant going to see Kas, at the moment. He really didn't want to drag him into this mess, but he didn't really see much of a choice. Maybe he did, and he wasn't thinking about the other options? More, now than ever, he wanted a drink. He needed one. Kas it was. With that in mind, he left his office in search of his friend.
As it turned out, Kas was neither in his own office nor any of his normal sleeping spots. It wasn’t until Eryk thought to check Cyrilla’s office that he found him.
He was comically oversized for Cy’s furniture, but that didn’t seem to bother him. He sat in the center of her small couch, his bare feet propped on the edge of her coffee table, not too far away from a mug that had clearly once held actual coffee. His laptop rested on his legs; it seemed he was actually doing work for once. Cy was at the desk, of course.
No sooner had Eryk entered than Kas glanced up, raising an eyebrow. “You look like you’ve just seen hell. I take it your mother paid you a visit.”
Cyrilla didn't glance up from her work, but she made a nodding motion with her head to acknowledge Eryk. He merely quirked a brow, and nodded as well. "She did," he replied, leaning against the door frame a bit. His only intention was to take Kas with him, however; maybe Cyrilla wanted one too? She didn't drink a lot, mainly during the special occasions, but he figured she might want one now.
"I was trying to find you to see if you wanted to go get a drink," he stated, glancing at Kas. "You're welcome to come, too, Cy," he continued, offering her the same glance. She looked up from her paperwork and offered him a short smile, but shook her head.
"No, I'll pass, but thank you. I have a few things to sort through right now, and they can't wait any longer," she replied. He shrugged his shoulders lightly. He wasn't going to force her if she didn't want to go. "You both go enjoy a boy's night out, or something," she stated, turning back to her paper work.
Kas snorted softly at Cy’s reply, but he shut his laptop, putting it on the coffee table. “I’ll leave this here, since I’ll be back tomorrow anyway,” he said. Apparently he was doing his work in here now—knowing Kas, this was partially his way of helping her deal with Lukas’s constant hovering. It probably kept him out of this room at least.
He stood, stretching his arms over his head and then rolling out his shoulders. He frowned for a moment, his lips thinning, and then pinched a pokéball from his belt. “Not that I don’t trust Ken, or you,” he told Cyrilla, nodding slightly before setting the ball down on her desk, “But I’m gonna leave Princess here with you, too. If that guy comes by and won’t take a hint, she’d be happy to help, I’m sure. She’s never liked pushy men.” He half-smiled like he was remembering something amusing to him, then turned his attention to Eryk.
“Marna’s?”
You wound me, Kas, Kenshin replied, though it sounded like he understood, somewhat. Cy just scoffed lightly, but placed the given pokéball closer to her. Eryk could feel his lips twitching just slightly upward before shaking his head.
"I think Marna's is the only place that can tolerate me," he spoke, though he was half serious about it. It was the only place he'd been to that he hadn't gotten immediately kicked out of. "If anything happens," he spoke, glancing towards Cy. He pursed his lips slightly. "You have Princess and Kenshin. You also have our numbers," he began, but earned a flat look.
"Ryk, shush and go get your drinks. I promise I'll be fine," she chided him. He scoffed lightly and nodded his head. Once he and Kas were prepared, they made their way towards Marna's.
"How are things at Ana's?" he decided to ask. He hadn't been by yesterday, and he couldn't exactly go today. Kas, he knew, had at least passed by her home. Or at least he thought he did.
Kas’s mouth pulled to the side for a moment. He looked like he wanted to say something in particular, but whether or not it was what he actually ended up saying was impossible to tell. “The shelter’s okay,” he said with a shrug. “Ana was handling the place before we ever showed up, so I’m sure she won’t fall behind on the work or anything.”
He paused a moment, then continued. “I think it’d be good for both of you if you could get out there at least once this week, though. I stayed over last night to make sure nothing got… weird, you know?”
It didn’t take a genius to figure out what he was referring to. More than any of them had, Ana had stood up to Marah and Lukas, in that gentle, but stubborn way that seemed to characterize her sterner side. It wasn’t a secret that Marah especially hadn’t been happy about that—probably Kas had just wanted to make sure nothing bad happened as a result of that. His next words only confirmed it.
“You know your family better than I do, Ryk, but it seems to me like there’s a real possibility they’ll try to intimidate her, especially if they have the faintest idea what she really means to us. To you, in particular. And you know Marah has a bloodhound’s nose for anything she thinks is weakness.”
Unfortunately, he did know Marah and what lengths she'd be willing to go to. He sighed heavily, unintentionally, and shook his head. "I will have to do it soon, then. Marah's already getting suspicious," he spoke honestly. If the conversation he had earlier with her was anything to go by, it meant that Marah didn't believe him, at all. She would, more than likely, find a way to harass Ana, to make things worse than they should be. He swallowed a little thickly. He wouldn't know how to handle that, actually, if Marah managed to push Ana away from him. It wasn't a thought he wanted to entertain, but there was a strong possibility that Marah would intimidate Ana somehow to make her...
"I think she knew I was lying to her when I told her that the only reason why we were so close to her was for the mission's sake. She seemed to partially believe it, but I don't think she fully believed me," not that he wouldn't doubt it, of course. Marah was hard to please, and even harder to fool. "You know what she's like when she gets like that. You've been around her before," he continued, shaking his head.
Kas rubbed absently at the back of his neck, raising the same hand momentarily to greet someone he knew on the other side of the street. He didn’t stop though, continuing to amble forward at the same pace as Eryk walked. “Yeah,” he agreed, shaking his head a bit. “By comparison, Lukas is easy to deal with. I think he’s slightly afraid of me, actually.” He seemed amused by that, but it wasn’t a lighthearted sort of thing like it usually was.
Pushing a breath out of his nose, he opened the door to the bar, heading in behind Eryk and taking what must be his usual spot, off to the left of center, but at the bar itself. Marna knew their orders by now, and had them ready within a minute of their arrival, after which she gave them their space.
"He's afraid of both of us, and for good reason," Eryk replied. Lukas would probably be easier to manipulate and deal with, but Marah was a whole different person. She wasn't easily intimidated, and it took quite a lot of effort to even make her flinch. "I might be able to force him to call off their engagement, but I have to go about it in a different kind of manner," because if he was too subtle about it, Lukas would probably take it the wrong way and think Eryk was giving him his blessings. Far from that, actually.
"I know he's not fully vested in this match, either. Lukas doesn't like being tied down. The only reason he would have even considered it is because of how I view her. She's... like my little sister, and he is trying to take full advantage of that," he continued, grasping his cup a little too tightly. He had to relax his hand unless he wanted to break the glass. He wanted to break something, though.
"Marah probably put him up to it," because Lukas wasn't clever enough to think of it on his own. A sudden thought popped into his mind, and he arched a brow at Kas. "How are you holding up, though?" he asked. He knew Kas could handle himself, and that this was nothing new, but something told him he should just ask anyway.
"No one's happy with either of them," he added.
Kas blinked at him. “I’m not the one who just got told I was getting married to someone I don’t want to marry, nor the one whose hellish mother swept into town with no warning for the express purpose of making sure I was living up to her standards of life. Which suck.” He arched an eyebrow, taking a swallow of the amber-colored liquid in the bottom of his lowball glass.
He seemed to savor the taste, letting it linger for a moment before swallowing. In the dim lights of Marna’s, his eyes were almost as dark as the liquor. He lifted his shoulders. “Next to that, I don’t really have anything to complain about.” He paused.
“I think you’re right—we’d have to be direct with Lukas. That guy doesn’t really seem to get subtle. But if Marah really put him up to this, we’ll have to be pretty convincing if we want to persuade him that it’s worth pissing her off to get out of the whole thing.”
"Nothing is worth pissing her off to anyone," he replied almost immediately. No one in his family would dare go against Marah. That's just the type of person she was. She intimidated mostly everyone. If Eryk hadn't known better, he would have thought that she was running the clan. She wasn't, of course, but it still felt that way. He glanced into his cup before throwing the drink back. There were a few more drinks in between that one, and Eryk wasn't entirely sure how much time had passed since the first drink. He knew it must have been at least an hour or two. There was no sunlight.
"You know," he paused momentarily, trying to collect his thoughts. He hadn't intended to get slightly drunk, but the drinks kept coming. "I think... I think our best option is to make Lukas disappear," the implication was there, he knew it was.
Kas shook his head. “Even if we leave aside the… moral problems with that,” he said, sounding like he’d swallowed something disgusting, “I don’t think it would change anything in the long run. It’d just piss Marah off even more, and she’d find new ways to ruin your lives—probably exactly the same thing again, this time with someone harder to deal with or worse in some other way.”
It wasn’t too hard to think of people in his family that were even worse in a lot of ways, actually.
For a moment, Kas stared into his drink, swallowing the remainder down with a single pull and gesturing for another. He leaned slightly into the bar, facing Eryk with a serious expression only somewhat ruined by his own increasing intoxication. He’d been drinking even faster than Eryk had.
“But you know what might work? If Cy was already married. Not even your family can make the laws against bigamy go away, and a marriage license is a marriage license, no bones about it. We could do it quick, at the nearest courthouse, with just enough witnesses to make it obvious—that’s probably the little one here, or the one in Viridian. Just long enough for your mom and Lukas to fuck off.” He said Lukas’s name with a particular kind of venom Eryk had never heard from him before.
Eryk had to blink a little slowly. That actually made some sense, and that was saying something about his current intoxication. If she were already married, then Marah and Lukas would have no claim and the marriage would be void. The only question was, who would do it? "I can't do it," for his own obvious reasons. Cyrilla was too much of a sister to him, and though he had thought about it, it would still be weird for him. Even if it was for a good thing, he wasn't so sure about it. Plus, it would probably make things worse for them if he did. He knew his family and where they stood with the two of them.
"That would leave either you or Drake," though he wasn't entirely sure how Drake would even feel about something like that. Wasn't he, technically, dating Harper? Hadn't he announced that via live television? A thought struck him at that. "If you did it, it would be convincing enough, especially since your little stunt during the tournament. They would have seen your declaration, and they'd believe it enough," he spoke. He wasn't sure if he made any sense to Kas, but he couldn't exactly think too straight. He should lay off the drinks for a bit.
Kas groaned, muttering something under his breath that Eryk couldn’t quite catch. He shook his head, but seemed to regret the sharp motion, from the way he frowned afterward. “You know I can’t do it,” he said, heaving a sigh. “That’d… that’d do her worse than being married to Lukas.” He met Eryk’s eyes with wide ones of his own, shaking his head more slowly this time. “If she’s gonna be… fake-married, it should be to someone where the fake-divorce after won’t…” He trailed off, letting it hang in the air. It was as close to actual confirmation as Eryk had ever received that Kas was aware of Cyrilla’s feelings for him.
There was a heavy moment of silence, but then Kasimir’s expression brightened. “It doesn’t have to be one of us or Drake, you know. She could totally fake-marry Ana.”
"No," he replied a little too quickly, surprising even himself. He hadn't meant to say it that quick, nor in the tone he'd used. It was flat and almost hostile. "Ana would do it, but I don't think that is the best course for her at the moment," she wasn't doing too well, from what Cyrilla had told him. She was coming down with a cold, and if she was, then she'd be a little too sick to even do that. He didn't want to put that kind of pressure on Ana.
"I don't, I don't think that would be worse than Lukas if you did it, Kas. She'd appreciate it more than anything, you know that. It'll be a fake-marriage, and a fake-divorce, but it'll be between two friends who would mutually benefit from it." he spoke, a little surprised he said that too. He wasn't sure how they would benefit from it, but they could. He shrugged his shoulders, though.
"But that would be her decision, either way," because he wouldn't exactly force her to fake-marry any of their friends just to keep her from marrying Lukas. He couldn't claim to know her state of mind, but regardless of her own feelings, she would do it. If only to get out of the marriage, and nothing else. She wouldn't take it wrong, he didn't think. She wasn't that kind of person. "We can make the suggestion, and go from there," and if she agreed to it, decide who would do it. If it really came down to it, he'd do it, if only to piss off his mother.
Kas still didn’t look sure, but whether it was Eryk’s argument that persuaded him or just the alcohol, he wound up nodding anyway. “Yeah… I guess we just float the idea at her and see what she thinks, then.”
"Yeah, but for now, drinks." He really didn't want to think of anything else at the moment.
You shouldn’t be moving around too much right now, Nova chided, flicking his tail with something like irritation. Beside him, Luna regarded her much more passively, the espeon’s disapproval registered only in the slightly off-put look she wore.
Ana sighed, flinching when doing so brought on the beginnings of a cough. She doubled over, trying to keep her breath steady even as she hacked into the crook of her arm, her other braced on the countertop to keep herself from falling over. Each one felt like it was going to pull up a lung, but as painful as it was, she could deal with it.
The fit passed; Ana frowned slightly. The sleeve of her shirt was flecked with red. That wasn’t good. I’ll take a break as soon as everyone’s fed, she promised. There was no one around to help her today; unfortunately, it also seemed to be a particularly bad day for her. Since she couldn’t lift the bags of food with her arms, she was forced to rely on her powers. It was faster, but also draining—by the time she got back to the house, she was stopping every few meters to breathe.
Her vision swam a little in front of her, the edges fading out entirely to darkness. Ana made it to the side of her house before she sank down into the grass, laying down on her back to stave off what might be a fainting spell in the making if she wasn’t careful. Slowly, she closed her eyes, focusing on keeping her breath steady, and a little shallower than normal, so she wouldn’t aggravate the cough again. Her head throbbed; she felt Luna settle beside her, warm against her ribcage. She didn’t quite manage to smile, but she did lay one limp hand on her espeon’s head.
Sorry, guys. I just need a little rest, is all.
"To think that you, of all people, have any affect on my son. Look at you," a familiar voice filtered through. It was Marah, of course, but she was standing outside of Ana's gate. She was giving her a blank, unimpressed stare, and just hanging on the gate. "Honestly, what does he even see in you," she continued. She didn't seem at all bothered by the pokémon who were around. She glanced at most of them, and either decided she was safe enough to enter the gate, or just wasn't afraid. There were six pokéballs hanging on her belt, so that might have been another reason.
"I know my son better than he thinks, and I know that you are not just a simple friend. He's jeopardizing himself for even being around you. I hope you are aware of that," she continued. She hadn't moved any further than the gate, though. It was a polite distance, even for someone like Marah.
Not now.
Ana wasn’t sure she had the strength—physical or otherwise—to deal with this just now. But it seemed she would have to.
Slowly cracking her eyes open, she took in a fortifying breath and sat up carefully, rising to her feet a little less gracefully than she would have liked. Her breath hitched, but thankfully it remained normal otherwise. Her hands shook from the effort of keeping precise composure right now, when she really needed to be resting.
She clenched them to stop the trembling and clasped them behind her back, hiding the fact that it wasn’t quite enough to stop their motion entirely. Though the temptation to frown was strong, Ana managed to keep her face placid as well, conveying no outward hint of how she was feeling, or how much pain she was in. She’d mastered this particular skill a long time ago.
“I’m not making him,” she said quietly. “Eryk is an adult, and very capable of making his own decisions, whatever they may be. If he chooses to spend some of his time with me, then… I’m grateful. But you’re overestimating my influence if you think I’ve done anything to him.”
"Is that what you really think? You must be as stupid as you look, then," Marah scoffed. She moved a little closer, but still remained at a polite distance. "Eryk is not his own person; he belongs to the clan," she spoke, her voice a little stern. "And it's so obvious how much you are influencing him. Things that were beat out of him so long ago are beginning to surface again. That's your fault. You're going to be the reason why he gets sent back to Fuchsia to be retrained," she continued, flickering her gaze to the side. Her eyes narrowed at the pokémon around Ana.
"Do you know, that he wouldn't have even glanced in your direction if it weren't for his mission?" she drew forth, a slow grin forming on her face. "Did he even tell you the reason why he is even here, on Cinnabar?" she questioned, her brow raising slightly.
“The reason?” Ana echoed, tilting her head slightly. She was a little more worried about Marah’s threats of retraining than anything, though somehow she doubted Eryk would ever let them do something like that. Not anymore—she hoped. But it was that last statement, delivered so knowingly, that caught her attention now. Ana felt her chest tighten; some foreboding feeling settled in her stomach.
But she made the effort to defend him anyway. “Of course not. Eryk takes his work seriously. As a civilian, I can’t know the details. And that’s fine—I trust him.” She did. Of course there would be things he couldn’t say; the reason the three of them had been posted here was most likely among them. But Ana made a point of not prying, and she wasn’t going to start doubting them—doubting him—just because of the malicious things said by someone who didn’t like her and had been unspeakably cruel to him.
Marah raised an interested brow. She looked slightly amused by the fact that Ana didn't know. She actually huffed a bit before soft fits of laughter left her. They didn't sound forced or anything. It was as if she were laughing at a friend, or something. It was too light for someone like her. "Really, you are too much. I honestly didn't think you could be that stupid. Did it never occur to you that three of the highest ranked Rocket members suddenly became interested in you, and you didn't find that the slightest bit strange? You poor, stupid girl. Maybe I don't have anything to worry about, after all," she spoke, folding her arms over her chest.
"You'd do better to trust a Gyarados than you should Eryk. He won't always be around, just so you know. He'll leave you, and then who will you have? He'll move on, and he'll forget about you. You're replaceable; he isn't," she spat. She didn't seem too happy about the fact that Ana said she trusted Eryk.
Ana felt her lower lip tremble. She wasn’t impervious to the harm that words could do—not by a long shot. But even if they hurt, she didn’t have to believe them. “When the time comes,” she said quietly, “I hope… I hope he does forget. But actually… I know he won’t.” She shook her head, almost sadly. It would be easier to do this all, if she knew that Eryk would be able to move on so easily when all was said and done and she was gone. More than anything, she was afraid that he wouldn’t—that she was doing him a great injustice by growing close to him this way.
“In the grand scheme of things, you might be right. Perhaps I am replaceable. If so, all the better. But I will never—never not trust him. I will never not believe in him. And if that makes you angry or makes you think I’m stupid, then… I’m sorry, but so be it. I would rather be thought stupid by a cruel person like you than let myself doubt the person I—” She cut herself off, exhaling in a sigh. She was certainly not going to say that in front of Marah before she got up the courage to say it to Eryk himself.
“Let myself doubt someone I care about.” With effort, Ana drew herself up to her full height, straightening her spine. “So… if all you came here to do was to try and make me do that, you might as well leave, because it isn’t going to happen.”
Marah looked... amused? The look on her face suggested so, however; there was also something mailicious in her smile. "On the contrary, m'dear. I didn't come here to make you doubt him. I came here with the intent of you revealing just what about you is so dear to my son. I believe I just figured it out," she seemed almost smug in her discovery. She didn't make an effort to leave, though, and remained where she was.
"I also believe that I'm not the cruel one, here. How ironic that the one little pidove he cares about is also going to be the one who hurts him the most. Far be it from me from letting this play through. Perhaps then he'll learn his mistakes," she seemed satisified with that and turned to leave. She stopped at the gate, though, and glanced over her shoulder.
"Just remember, m'dear, that you are hurting him far more than I ever could. I thank you for that," she smiled as if the thought actually pleased her. It probably did. She left after that.
As soon as she was gone, Ana’s knees buckled; she collapsed back onto the grass in a heap. Little black and white dots danced over her vision; holding herself upright for that long and carrying so much tension the whole time had really taken it out of her. Nova and Luna were at her side immediately; several of the other pokémon also approached somewhat, making concerned sounds or sending mental queries as to her condition.
She appreciated it, but it also made her feel closed-in and crowded. Gently, she turned the majority aside with a brush of her mind, but the thoughts Marah had left in her head were not so easily dispersed. The words played over and over, like a record she hated but could not stop.
You are hurting him far more than I ever could.
Maybe it was just a cruel barb, meant to stick under her skin and make her bleed. Maybe it was a lie.
But maybe it wasn’t.
Either she believed Eryk’s feelings were genuine or she didn’t. She did. But if that was so… then what was she supposed to imagine he would feel like when she died? He wasn’t just anyone—hadn’t she been told, been shown over and over again, that friendship and warmth and care were all such new things to him? How was she supposed to think he’d deal with one of the few friends he allowed himself dying?
How could she put him through that?
Ana, Luna’s voice was quiet in her mind.
But for the first time she could remember, Ana intentionally closed herself off to it, blocking the telepathic communication completely.
“I’m going for a walk,” she said dully.
Even without their voices, she knew what they were thinking. She knew it wasn’t wise to leave in the condition she was in, especially not alone. But she needed to be alone right now, because—
Stumbling forward, she opened the gate, letting it fall closed behind her, and struck out, unseeingly, for wherever her feet would take her.
Ana sighed, flinching when doing so brought on the beginnings of a cough. She doubled over, trying to keep her breath steady even as she hacked into the crook of her arm, her other braced on the countertop to keep herself from falling over. Each one felt like it was going to pull up a lung, but as painful as it was, she could deal with it.
The fit passed; Ana frowned slightly. The sleeve of her shirt was flecked with red. That wasn’t good. I’ll take a break as soon as everyone’s fed, she promised. There was no one around to help her today; unfortunately, it also seemed to be a particularly bad day for her. Since she couldn’t lift the bags of food with her arms, she was forced to rely on her powers. It was faster, but also draining—by the time she got back to the house, she was stopping every few meters to breathe.
Her vision swam a little in front of her, the edges fading out entirely to darkness. Ana made it to the side of her house before she sank down into the grass, laying down on her back to stave off what might be a fainting spell in the making if she wasn’t careful. Slowly, she closed her eyes, focusing on keeping her breath steady, and a little shallower than normal, so she wouldn’t aggravate the cough again. Her head throbbed; she felt Luna settle beside her, warm against her ribcage. She didn’t quite manage to smile, but she did lay one limp hand on her espeon’s head.
Sorry, guys. I just need a little rest, is all.
"To think that you, of all people, have any affect on my son. Look at you," a familiar voice filtered through. It was Marah, of course, but she was standing outside of Ana's gate. She was giving her a blank, unimpressed stare, and just hanging on the gate. "Honestly, what does he even see in you," she continued. She didn't seem at all bothered by the pokémon who were around. She glanced at most of them, and either decided she was safe enough to enter the gate, or just wasn't afraid. There were six pokéballs hanging on her belt, so that might have been another reason.
"I know my son better than he thinks, and I know that you are not just a simple friend. He's jeopardizing himself for even being around you. I hope you are aware of that," she continued. She hadn't moved any further than the gate, though. It was a polite distance, even for someone like Marah.
Not now.
Ana wasn’t sure she had the strength—physical or otherwise—to deal with this just now. But it seemed she would have to.
Slowly cracking her eyes open, she took in a fortifying breath and sat up carefully, rising to her feet a little less gracefully than she would have liked. Her breath hitched, but thankfully it remained normal otherwise. Her hands shook from the effort of keeping precise composure right now, when she really needed to be resting.
She clenched them to stop the trembling and clasped them behind her back, hiding the fact that it wasn’t quite enough to stop their motion entirely. Though the temptation to frown was strong, Ana managed to keep her face placid as well, conveying no outward hint of how she was feeling, or how much pain she was in. She’d mastered this particular skill a long time ago.
“I’m not making him,” she said quietly. “Eryk is an adult, and very capable of making his own decisions, whatever they may be. If he chooses to spend some of his time with me, then… I’m grateful. But you’re overestimating my influence if you think I’ve done anything to him.”
"Is that what you really think? You must be as stupid as you look, then," Marah scoffed. She moved a little closer, but still remained at a polite distance. "Eryk is not his own person; he belongs to the clan," she spoke, her voice a little stern. "And it's so obvious how much you are influencing him. Things that were beat out of him so long ago are beginning to surface again. That's your fault. You're going to be the reason why he gets sent back to Fuchsia to be retrained," she continued, flickering her gaze to the side. Her eyes narrowed at the pokémon around Ana.
"Do you know, that he wouldn't have even glanced in your direction if it weren't for his mission?" she drew forth, a slow grin forming on her face. "Did he even tell you the reason why he is even here, on Cinnabar?" she questioned, her brow raising slightly.
“The reason?” Ana echoed, tilting her head slightly. She was a little more worried about Marah’s threats of retraining than anything, though somehow she doubted Eryk would ever let them do something like that. Not anymore—she hoped. But it was that last statement, delivered so knowingly, that caught her attention now. Ana felt her chest tighten; some foreboding feeling settled in her stomach.
But she made the effort to defend him anyway. “Of course not. Eryk takes his work seriously. As a civilian, I can’t know the details. And that’s fine—I trust him.” She did. Of course there would be things he couldn’t say; the reason the three of them had been posted here was most likely among them. But Ana made a point of not prying, and she wasn’t going to start doubting them—doubting him—just because of the malicious things said by someone who didn’t like her and had been unspeakably cruel to him.
Marah raised an interested brow. She looked slightly amused by the fact that Ana didn't know. She actually huffed a bit before soft fits of laughter left her. They didn't sound forced or anything. It was as if she were laughing at a friend, or something. It was too light for someone like her. "Really, you are too much. I honestly didn't think you could be that stupid. Did it never occur to you that three of the highest ranked Rocket members suddenly became interested in you, and you didn't find that the slightest bit strange? You poor, stupid girl. Maybe I don't have anything to worry about, after all," she spoke, folding her arms over her chest.
"You'd do better to trust a Gyarados than you should Eryk. He won't always be around, just so you know. He'll leave you, and then who will you have? He'll move on, and he'll forget about you. You're replaceable; he isn't," she spat. She didn't seem too happy about the fact that Ana said she trusted Eryk.
Ana felt her lower lip tremble. She wasn’t impervious to the harm that words could do—not by a long shot. But even if they hurt, she didn’t have to believe them. “When the time comes,” she said quietly, “I hope… I hope he does forget. But actually… I know he won’t.” She shook her head, almost sadly. It would be easier to do this all, if she knew that Eryk would be able to move on so easily when all was said and done and she was gone. More than anything, she was afraid that he wouldn’t—that she was doing him a great injustice by growing close to him this way.
“In the grand scheme of things, you might be right. Perhaps I am replaceable. If so, all the better. But I will never—never not trust him. I will never not believe in him. And if that makes you angry or makes you think I’m stupid, then… I’m sorry, but so be it. I would rather be thought stupid by a cruel person like you than let myself doubt the person I—” She cut herself off, exhaling in a sigh. She was certainly not going to say that in front of Marah before she got up the courage to say it to Eryk himself.
“Let myself doubt someone I care about.” With effort, Ana drew herself up to her full height, straightening her spine. “So… if all you came here to do was to try and make me do that, you might as well leave, because it isn’t going to happen.”
Marah looked... amused? The look on her face suggested so, however; there was also something mailicious in her smile. "On the contrary, m'dear. I didn't come here to make you doubt him. I came here with the intent of you revealing just what about you is so dear to my son. I believe I just figured it out," she seemed almost smug in her discovery. She didn't make an effort to leave, though, and remained where she was.
"I also believe that I'm not the cruel one, here. How ironic that the one little pidove he cares about is also going to be the one who hurts him the most. Far be it from me from letting this play through. Perhaps then he'll learn his mistakes," she seemed satisified with that and turned to leave. She stopped at the gate, though, and glanced over her shoulder.
"Just remember, m'dear, that you are hurting him far more than I ever could. I thank you for that," she smiled as if the thought actually pleased her. It probably did. She left after that.
As soon as she was gone, Ana’s knees buckled; she collapsed back onto the grass in a heap. Little black and white dots danced over her vision; holding herself upright for that long and carrying so much tension the whole time had really taken it out of her. Nova and Luna were at her side immediately; several of the other pokémon also approached somewhat, making concerned sounds or sending mental queries as to her condition.
She appreciated it, but it also made her feel closed-in and crowded. Gently, she turned the majority aside with a brush of her mind, but the thoughts Marah had left in her head were not so easily dispersed. The words played over and over, like a record she hated but could not stop.
You are hurting him far more than I ever could.
Maybe it was just a cruel barb, meant to stick under her skin and make her bleed. Maybe it was a lie.
But maybe it wasn’t.
Either she believed Eryk’s feelings were genuine or she didn’t. She did. But if that was so… then what was she supposed to imagine he would feel like when she died? He wasn’t just anyone—hadn’t she been told, been shown over and over again, that friendship and warmth and care were all such new things to him? How was she supposed to think he’d deal with one of the few friends he allowed himself dying?
How could she put him through that?
Ana, Luna’s voice was quiet in her mind.
But for the first time she could remember, Ana intentionally closed herself off to it, blocking the telepathic communication completely.
“I’m going for a walk,” she said dully.
Even without their voices, she knew what they were thinking. She knew it wasn’t wise to leave in the condition she was in, especially not alone. But she needed to be alone right now, because—
Stumbling forward, she opened the gate, letting it fall closed behind her, and struck out, unseeingly, for wherever her feet would take her.
Kenshin stared at Cyrilla, watching as she typed away at her computer. His eyes narrowed just slightly as he tried to pry into her thoughts. It wasn't easy, and she glanced up from her papers. "Wouldn't it be easier to just ask me?" she finally spoke, staring at him with a flat expression. He shook his head at her. She made it sound easy, but he knew that she wouldn't tell him the truth even if he did ask. He just returned her flat stare with one of his own. They were waging a staring contest, but he wasn't going to budge.
You should at least talk about it, he finally spoke. Cyrilla rolled her eyes at him and leaned back in her chair. And ask for help. You can't fight this on your own, Cyrilla, and you know Eryk and the others want to help, he continued, pushing her a little bit into a corner. That was the point, though. He wanted her in the corner so that there was no way around this. She was stubborn when she wanted to be, but this was one of the rare times that she shouldn't be.
"Because it's not easy to talk about, Kenny. I don't know what you want me to say," she finally caved, and shook her head. "I promised Ana that I wasn't going to give up. I don't want to marry Lukas. You know that," she continued. He knew that. He also knew that she wasn't putting forth her best efforts in finding out how to deal with it.
You should at least try, he responded. If she at least tried, it might help clear her thoughts and help her think better. Then she could possibly find a solution to her problem. I'm going down stairs for a moment. I need to clear the stupid from my head, he spoke, barely dodging a stapler being thrown at his head. He would have smirked if it weren't for the frown on her face. He just shook his head, instead. He left her office, headed down the hallway until he was heading in the direction of the lobby. Some of the Grunts greeted him. They were used to his presence now that he spent most of his time outside of his pokéball.
That, and he often walked around the base whenever he could. It's not like he was going to destroy anything or cause an accident of some kind. He'd leave that to Mankey and Princess Cinders if they felt like it. He decidedly did not. He liked the place well enough to be in one piece. He sighed. He needed someone to help him fix this mess. He'd go bug Eryk about it, but he wasn't entirely sure if he should. He'd seen Marah earlier, the woman terrfied even him, and he knew Eryk would probably be busy with her. Kas was no where to be found, though he wasn't exactly looking hard enough. He'd spent the last two days in Cy's office working, but today was a day he hadn't. Kenshin didn't think it strange or anything. He was half tempted to walk to Ana's house, but Cyrilla had told him not to bother her with anything unless it was absolutely important.
He figured this was one of those important moments. But he didn't exactly want to leave, not with that guy still lurking about. He sighed heavily. Eryk was around, or so he thought. He could keep an eye on Cy if it came down to it. With that in mind, he ventured out the front door. With only one destination in mind, he allowed his legs to carry him forward. Perhaps it shouldn't have surprised him so much, but he wasn't entirely sure why it did. He wasn't so much as a mile away from Ana's house that he spotted her, but she looked... dejected, like something must have happened.
Ana? he called out softly to her, hoping she would hear him. If she didn't, then he'd have to stop in front of her. She didn't look too good, and he wasn't entirely sure why.
Oddly enough, her mind was completely barred to him, shut tightly against any form of telepathic communication, more solidly than her normal hearing would have been with earplugs, more or less. It was actually rather impressive, in a way—her power must be considerable, even despite the fact that she didn’t use it much.
In fact, it took her nearly crashing into him for her to notice his presence at all. “Oh!” She turned herself to the side in enough time to avoid a collision, coming to an uneasy stop a few feet away and smiling in a completely unconvincing manner, probably more to be polite than because she felt like it. “S-sorry, Kenshin, I didn’t see you. I was a bit…” She trailed off, and shook her head.
It was another couple of seconds before she so much as realized that he couldn’t talk back at the moment. Slowly, like it took effort, she lowered the barriers against telepathy around her mind, allowing him leave to speak to her more properly. “Sorry,” she said again. This time, she didn’t specify what she was apologizing for, though the answer was obvious enough.
Kenshin pursed his lips together and narrowed his eyes slightly. He wasn't glaring at her, but more like studying. He pulled in a soft breath before shaking his head. You don't need to apologize, but is there something wrong? You don't look so well, he inquired. Even he knew enough to know when a human wasn't exactly feeling well, but he couldn't really say what it was. He knew about her condition, but he wasn't going to say anything about it. He wondered, for a moment, if she was under the weather because of it? It was certainly a possibility, but she could just be tired.
If you need me to go, he trailed off, leaving the implication behind. If she didn't want him around, he certainly wasn't going to bug her. Sometimes, people needed their own space to figure things out, and he wasn't going to deny her that if that was what she wanted. He could always come back later and talk with her. It's not like he really had anything important to say or do.
Ana shook her head slightly, frowning a little and blinking rapidly afterwards. It was possible she was dizzy, and doing that had made it worse. “It’s… I’m fine.” She didn’t look it, but she seemed insistent. “I just… I had a bit of a… run-in with Marah earlier—I’m trying to… get my thoughts sorted out.”
Kenshin could feel his teeth being bared even at the mentioning of her name. He didn't like the woman any more than Cy or Eryk did. He didn't believe her, though, when she said she was fine. She didn't look fine, but he wasn't entirly sure if he should press the matter. It might just make it worse, and that was the last thing he wanted to do. He sighed, debating whether or not he should still do something. It was clear that Ana wasn't doing too well, and it was also clear that she didn't want anyone, including himself, to either know, or worry. He shook his head.
Ana, if you're not feeling well, you shouldn't be walking around like this. Do... you want me to find Eryk? It'll be better if he's with you, or even Kas, because either way, she shouldn't be out here like this. Or, do you just want to sit on that bench over there? he inquired, nodding his head towards a bench. It was only a few yards away, and he'd walk with her just to make sure.
“N-no,” Ana said quickly, waving a hand. “That’s not—please don’t tell anyone about this. Any of it. I…” She sighed, but it came out shaking, like she was losing even the strength required to steady her breath. “I’m going to… go sit on the bench.”
She oriented herself towards it; even from his distance, Kenshin could easily hear that her breathing was getting shallower and shallower. Ana hadn’t taken more than three steps in that direction before her legs buckled; she pitched forward toward the ground. She must have been unconscious, because she didn’t even throw her hands out to stop her fall; her head thudded hard on the ground below.
She didn’t move.
Kenshin was certain that he stopped breathing just as soon as Ana hit the ground. Eyes wide, he was immediately by her side, rolling her over on her back and glancing at her. She was unconscious, that was obvious. Crap, crap, he spoke to himself, trying his best to situate himself better. She was a good foot taller than he was, almost two, and it would be hard to pick her up by himself. Even if he used his Psychic ability to help levitate her, there was a chance he would hurt himself, too. What good would that do if both of them were out of it? Sighing softly, he closed his mind, focusing his intent to find the nearest person. He could sense their aura's, but from the faintness of it, they weren't too close.
This is not good, he spoke, lifting her up so that she was at least in a sitting position. He sighed, shifting slightly so that he was cradling her better. He had to try. He couldn't do this on his own, and there wasn't anyone else on this road. It only took him a second longer to connect with the closest person, and he pursed his lips immensely. It was Eryk. He was in the same vicinity as Cy was, probably with her. He had to try. Taking in a deep breath, he did his best to relay the message to Eryk. It wasn't a strong connection, but there was a slight benefit to Eryk being a telepath. Not more than two minutes later, there was an abrupt neigh and the sound of someone's feet landing on the ground.
"Kenshin, what the fuck happened?" Eryk spoke, glancing in a strange way, at Ana. He looked worried. His brows were furrowed deeply and there was something strange behind his eyes. He glanced towards Eryk, though, and noticed Cyrilla's Rapidash standing next to him. She must have let him borrow her. It was the only explanation as to why he arrived so quickly.
I don't know, and he truly didn't. Kenshin glanced down at Ana as Eryk picked her up softly, cradling her to him as he glanced at her. She was walking down the road, but she didn't look to well. She said... something about Marah, he continued. He could see Eryk's jaw tighten considerably, and if he continued that way, Kenshin was sure Eryk would chip a tooth. She passed out and hit her head pretty good, he spoke. Eryk seemed to tighten his hold on Ana before he glanced at Kenshin.
"Help me get her on. I need to take her to the hospital," he spoke, nodding his head towards Rapidash. Kenshin nodded and waited for Eryk to place himself back on the rapidash's back. Gently, he lifted Ana up with the help of his Psychic, and Eryk pulled her the rest of the way. "Go tell the others," was the only thing Eryk said before he disappeared. Kenshin shook his head softly.
This... isn't exactly how I thought today would go, he definitely didn't think that would have happened to Ana.
You should at least talk about it, he finally spoke. Cyrilla rolled her eyes at him and leaned back in her chair. And ask for help. You can't fight this on your own, Cyrilla, and you know Eryk and the others want to help, he continued, pushing her a little bit into a corner. That was the point, though. He wanted her in the corner so that there was no way around this. She was stubborn when she wanted to be, but this was one of the rare times that she shouldn't be.
"Because it's not easy to talk about, Kenny. I don't know what you want me to say," she finally caved, and shook her head. "I promised Ana that I wasn't going to give up. I don't want to marry Lukas. You know that," she continued. He knew that. He also knew that she wasn't putting forth her best efforts in finding out how to deal with it.
You should at least try, he responded. If she at least tried, it might help clear her thoughts and help her think better. Then she could possibly find a solution to her problem. I'm going down stairs for a moment. I need to clear the stupid from my head, he spoke, barely dodging a stapler being thrown at his head. He would have smirked if it weren't for the frown on her face. He just shook his head, instead. He left her office, headed down the hallway until he was heading in the direction of the lobby. Some of the Grunts greeted him. They were used to his presence now that he spent most of his time outside of his pokéball.
That, and he often walked around the base whenever he could. It's not like he was going to destroy anything or cause an accident of some kind. He'd leave that to Mankey and Princess Cinders if they felt like it. He decidedly did not. He liked the place well enough to be in one piece. He sighed. He needed someone to help him fix this mess. He'd go bug Eryk about it, but he wasn't entirely sure if he should. He'd seen Marah earlier, the woman terrfied even him, and he knew Eryk would probably be busy with her. Kas was no where to be found, though he wasn't exactly looking hard enough. He'd spent the last two days in Cy's office working, but today was a day he hadn't. Kenshin didn't think it strange or anything. He was half tempted to walk to Ana's house, but Cyrilla had told him not to bother her with anything unless it was absolutely important.
He figured this was one of those important moments. But he didn't exactly want to leave, not with that guy still lurking about. He sighed heavily. Eryk was around, or so he thought. He could keep an eye on Cy if it came down to it. With that in mind, he ventured out the front door. With only one destination in mind, he allowed his legs to carry him forward. Perhaps it shouldn't have surprised him so much, but he wasn't entirely sure why it did. He wasn't so much as a mile away from Ana's house that he spotted her, but she looked... dejected, like something must have happened.
Ana? he called out softly to her, hoping she would hear him. If she didn't, then he'd have to stop in front of her. She didn't look too good, and he wasn't entirely sure why.
Oddly enough, her mind was completely barred to him, shut tightly against any form of telepathic communication, more solidly than her normal hearing would have been with earplugs, more or less. It was actually rather impressive, in a way—her power must be considerable, even despite the fact that she didn’t use it much.
In fact, it took her nearly crashing into him for her to notice his presence at all. “Oh!” She turned herself to the side in enough time to avoid a collision, coming to an uneasy stop a few feet away and smiling in a completely unconvincing manner, probably more to be polite than because she felt like it. “S-sorry, Kenshin, I didn’t see you. I was a bit…” She trailed off, and shook her head.
It was another couple of seconds before she so much as realized that he couldn’t talk back at the moment. Slowly, like it took effort, she lowered the barriers against telepathy around her mind, allowing him leave to speak to her more properly. “Sorry,” she said again. This time, she didn’t specify what she was apologizing for, though the answer was obvious enough.
Kenshin pursed his lips together and narrowed his eyes slightly. He wasn't glaring at her, but more like studying. He pulled in a soft breath before shaking his head. You don't need to apologize, but is there something wrong? You don't look so well, he inquired. Even he knew enough to know when a human wasn't exactly feeling well, but he couldn't really say what it was. He knew about her condition, but he wasn't going to say anything about it. He wondered, for a moment, if she was under the weather because of it? It was certainly a possibility, but she could just be tired.
If you need me to go, he trailed off, leaving the implication behind. If she didn't want him around, he certainly wasn't going to bug her. Sometimes, people needed their own space to figure things out, and he wasn't going to deny her that if that was what she wanted. He could always come back later and talk with her. It's not like he really had anything important to say or do.
Ana shook her head slightly, frowning a little and blinking rapidly afterwards. It was possible she was dizzy, and doing that had made it worse. “It’s… I’m fine.” She didn’t look it, but she seemed insistent. “I just… I had a bit of a… run-in with Marah earlier—I’m trying to… get my thoughts sorted out.”
Kenshin could feel his teeth being bared even at the mentioning of her name. He didn't like the woman any more than Cy or Eryk did. He didn't believe her, though, when she said she was fine. She didn't look fine, but he wasn't entirly sure if he should press the matter. It might just make it worse, and that was the last thing he wanted to do. He sighed, debating whether or not he should still do something. It was clear that Ana wasn't doing too well, and it was also clear that she didn't want anyone, including himself, to either know, or worry. He shook his head.
Ana, if you're not feeling well, you shouldn't be walking around like this. Do... you want me to find Eryk? It'll be better if he's with you, or even Kas, because either way, she shouldn't be out here like this. Or, do you just want to sit on that bench over there? he inquired, nodding his head towards a bench. It was only a few yards away, and he'd walk with her just to make sure.
“N-no,” Ana said quickly, waving a hand. “That’s not—please don’t tell anyone about this. Any of it. I…” She sighed, but it came out shaking, like she was losing even the strength required to steady her breath. “I’m going to… go sit on the bench.”
She oriented herself towards it; even from his distance, Kenshin could easily hear that her breathing was getting shallower and shallower. Ana hadn’t taken more than three steps in that direction before her legs buckled; she pitched forward toward the ground. She must have been unconscious, because she didn’t even throw her hands out to stop her fall; her head thudded hard on the ground below.
She didn’t move.
Kenshin was certain that he stopped breathing just as soon as Ana hit the ground. Eyes wide, he was immediately by her side, rolling her over on her back and glancing at her. She was unconscious, that was obvious. Crap, crap, he spoke to himself, trying his best to situate himself better. She was a good foot taller than he was, almost two, and it would be hard to pick her up by himself. Even if he used his Psychic ability to help levitate her, there was a chance he would hurt himself, too. What good would that do if both of them were out of it? Sighing softly, he closed his mind, focusing his intent to find the nearest person. He could sense their aura's, but from the faintness of it, they weren't too close.
This is not good, he spoke, lifting her up so that she was at least in a sitting position. He sighed, shifting slightly so that he was cradling her better. He had to try. He couldn't do this on his own, and there wasn't anyone else on this road. It only took him a second longer to connect with the closest person, and he pursed his lips immensely. It was Eryk. He was in the same vicinity as Cy was, probably with her. He had to try. Taking in a deep breath, he did his best to relay the message to Eryk. It wasn't a strong connection, but there was a slight benefit to Eryk being a telepath. Not more than two minutes later, there was an abrupt neigh and the sound of someone's feet landing on the ground.
"Kenshin, what the fuck happened?" Eryk spoke, glancing in a strange way, at Ana. He looked worried. His brows were furrowed deeply and there was something strange behind his eyes. He glanced towards Eryk, though, and noticed Cyrilla's Rapidash standing next to him. She must have let him borrow her. It was the only explanation as to why he arrived so quickly.
I don't know, and he truly didn't. Kenshin glanced down at Ana as Eryk picked her up softly, cradling her to him as he glanced at her. She was walking down the road, but she didn't look to well. She said... something about Marah, he continued. He could see Eryk's jaw tighten considerably, and if he continued that way, Kenshin was sure Eryk would chip a tooth. She passed out and hit her head pretty good, he spoke. Eryk seemed to tighten his hold on Ana before he glanced at Kenshin.
"Help me get her on. I need to take her to the hospital," he spoke, nodding his head towards Rapidash. Kenshin nodded and waited for Eryk to place himself back on the rapidash's back. Gently, he lifted Ana up with the help of his Psychic, and Eryk pulled her the rest of the way. "Go tell the others," was the only thing Eryk said before he disappeared. Kenshin shook his head softly.
This... isn't exactly how I thought today would go, he definitely didn't think that would have happened to Ana.
Shit.
Shit, shit, shit.
The word repeated over and over in his head like a mantra. Kas leaned back against the wall of the hospital waiting room, uncomfortable and likely to stay that way for the foreseeable future.
When Kenshin had brought him the news that Ana had collapsed, he’d been seized first by panic and then a rolling wave of guilt so deep it felt like he was drowning in it. He should have been with her. The others had problems to deal with, but he—he was supposed to be looking out for all of them. He couldn’t believe he’d lost track of Marah long enough for her to get to Ana’s. That’s what had happened, from what he’d been able to piece together. He wasn’t sure exactly what that had had to do with Ana’s eventual collapse, but at a guess, it was at least what had prompted her to be out and walking by herself at the time.
On his way over, he’d detoured to her place, where Nova and Luna had filled him in on the details. As of yet, he hadn’t told anyone else what they were, but… the part of him that wasn’t sick with worry was seething with rage. This was unbelievable—even for them to sink as low as saying such cruel things to Ana of all people. It was disgusting, and while no doubt Marah felt no shame, she damn well should.
So far, they hadn’t been given any updates; probably the doctors were still assessing her condition. None of them were allowed into her room yet, as none of them were blood family. He’d never hated that distinction as much as he did now. Because they should be back there. All three of them.
He chanced a glance over at the other two, face set into a grim scowl.
Cyrilla was holding Eryk's hand, rubbing her thumb over the back of his. She wasn't looking at him, though, and instead, kept her gaze fixed on the door. She must have been waiting for the doctors to appear and say something about Ana. Eryk, however, didn't appear any particular way. His face was smoothed over and there wasn't an ounce of emotion on his face, however; they knew him better than that. He was worried, probably the most out of the three of them. He probably didn't know what to do, or even how to handle a situation like this.
Eryk wasn't emotionally equipped for anything, really. None of them seemed inclined to talk about it, but it was apparent they were all thinking about it. Eryk finally shifted somewhat, but he didn't move too much. "Hey, it's... going to be okay, Ryk. You'll see," Cyrilla finally spoke, trying to comfort Eryk, it seemed. He merely glanced at her, his eyes glazed over somewhat.
"Yeah," he spoke, though it sounded like he didn't even believe what he was saying. He shifted his gaze back to the wall, though, and continued staring at it. Cyrilla sighed, and glanced towards Kas.
"How... are you holding up, Kas?" she asked, though it was apparent that she didn't know what she should say. She was probably trying to fill up the silence.
He smiled, but it was only halfhearted. He couldn’t really manage anything better at the moment. “I’ll be able to tell you how I’m doing once we know how Ana’s doing,” he said honestly. Glancing at his feet for a minute, he flicked his eyes back up to them.
“I… Nova and Luna told me what happened, or the parts of it they knew,” Kas ventured cautiously. He really couldn’t say what the best thing to do in this situation was, so he figured it’d be better to let them decide what they wanted to know, in case there was something they didn’t. “Do you guys… want to hear it?” They knew that something had happened with Marah, but not what.
Maybe it was better that way.
Eryk's gaze was immediately on Kas. He must have squeezed his hand, too, because Cyrilla flinched a bit and reflexively tried to take her hand from his. "What happened," it sounded more like a demand, though, when he said it. Cyrilla just glanced at Kas, and nodded her head, too.
Kas pushed a breath out of his nose. “She’s been sick for a little while,” he said. He’d known that, but kept it a secret because she asked him to. There seemed to be little point in it now, though, and since it was part of Nova’s story, he figured it was probably okay. “Something in her lungs—apparently she started coughing up blood earlier today though. She nearly passed out on the front lawn, but she was resting, and Nova thinks she probably would have been okay with a nap and something to eat.”
Apparently, she’d been in similar situations before. “Anyway… that’s when Marah showed up.” He didn’t try to hide his scowl. “She said… some pretty awful things, from what Nova said, but he wouldn’t go into too much detail. A lot of insults, and… some hints that our interest in her might not have been… organic.” He couldn’t believe the gall in that. Jeopardizing the mission for petty spite wasn’t supposed to be the kind of thing Marah would stoop to, but there it was. Of course Nova hadn’t known exactly what she meant by that, but she’d referenced Team Rocket specifically.
Some people needed to learn to keep their mouths shut—but Kas couldn’t deny that Team Rocket wasn’t the real reason why the statements alarmed him so much. More than anything, he was afraid of what Ana might think of them if she found out. Their intentions had moved so far beyond the parameters of the mission… but she didn’t know about that to begin with. He didn’t look forward to her finding out.
“Anyway… it upset Ana enough that she left the shelter by herself. Nova tried to follow, but she apparently shut him out.” Kas figured that confirmed their hypothesis about Ana being a telepath, but he didn’t know enough about how those powers worked to say for sure. “I guess that must be when she ran across Kenshin… and you know the rest.”
Eryk stood up almost abruptly, however; if Cyrilla hadn't been holding his hand, it looked like he might have actually left. She did, however, manage to pull him back to his seat, though he still stood. He was angry, though that might have been too mild of a word to use for his current facial expression. It was dark. It was apparent that Eryk wanted to do something about it, and if he did, he didn't care too much about the consequences. His hand did enclose tighter around Cyrilla's, and both of their hands were turning slightly red, probably from the pressure. She didn't seem to mind it, though.
"Is that all Nova said?" Eryk spoke, glancing at Kas. The red in his eyes seemed a little darker, a little richer, and perhaps it was the anger that made them this way. "There was nothing else, nothing about what Marah actually said?" he continued prying.
"Ryk, now... isn't the time to be worried about that. Ana's... she's in," Cyrilla tried to calm Eryk down, it seemed, but his gaze turned on her.
"She's in there because of Marah," he replied, his tone harsh enough that Cyrilla actually flinched away. Eryk sighed deeply, and shook his head. "Cy, I didn't mean," he spoke, but she only shook her head.
"It's alright, Eryk. You're upset. It's okay to be upset. Just... be patient. Ana needs you here right now, not out there," she spoke. Eryk sighed and sat back in his chair.
"I'm going to have to fix this somehow. Marah needs to leave," he spoke, and it was apparent in his voice that he was serious about it.
“That’s all he said,” Kas confirmed. “I’m sure Ana herself would be able to tell us more, but I figured he was respecting her privacy. I didn’t press.” It didn’t really seem like something he had a right to know unless she wanted to tell him. But… “Knowing Marah, it probably had to do with you.” She was the kind who always prodded at a person’s weak spots, the places where they felt most vulnerable.
And what was more vulnerable than a brand-new relationship, especially one like Ryk and Ana had?
At that point, a doctor finally emerged from the back of the hospital, glancing over at them from behind her glasses. “You three are here for Anastasia Asher, right?”
Kas nodded immediately; she approached the three of them with a solemn expression. She was holding a clipboard; she glanced down at it once before speaking. “Her condition is stable. She is quite sick—her Everett’s is interacting badly with what I believe is a flu she caught; it’s giving her pneumonia-like symptoms. What’s more, she is clearly over-stressed, which exacerbated the condition she’s in and likely caused the fainting, which was the cause of her head injury. She has a concussion; she should recover from it, but we’ll be keeping her here for several days to monitor her condition. The situation is much more complicated because of her disease, but with the right medication, she should recover.”
It was not at all difficult for Kas to tack the implied ‘for now’ onto the end of that sentence. It was in the heaviness of the doctor’s tone.
“Can we see her?” he asked.
She shook her head. “Not now. She’s sleeping. If you come back tomorrow, she might be strong enough for visitors.”
Eryk looked like he was trying his best not to look dejected at the doctor's announcement. He probably wanted to go see her, but it was probably for the best that he didn't. He only sighed and sank further into his chair. It would have been almost comical but this was hardly the place or time. Cyrilla seemed a little more relieved that Ana would be okay, for now.
"Tomorrow, we'll come back," he spoke slowly, though he made no effort to move. He would likely stay the night. "Would it be... too much to stay the night, though?" he actually asked. He glanced towards the doctor, but there was no hostility in his expression.
Her expression became sympathetic for a moment. “You can stay,” she said, “but we have nowhere for you to sleep but this waiting room.” Nodding to the others, she departed back into the deeper part of the hospital.
Kas rubbed the back of his neck, feeling the stiff muscles there. “Someone has to be there to deal with Marah and that guy, or who knows what they’ll do,” he muttered. He took one look at Eryk and shook his head. “Guess I’m volunteering.”
Eryk's expression looked almost sympathetic, but it wasn't quite there. "I owe you one, Kas," he spoke. He didn't seem to mind what the doctor said, though. He'd probably slept in his fair share of chairs before. "Just keep in touch if things become too much," he continued, his expression a little more serious.
"I'm sure Kas can handle it," Cyrilla spoke. There wasn't even a hint of lightness in her tone when she said it, though. She sighed softly, and leaned on Eryk's shoulder. "I'm going to stay here with Eryk a little longer. I'm not sure if you want to go back right now, either, but," she spoke, glancing at Kas. The implication was there. She was basically telling him if he wanted to stay with them just a little longer, or he could go back to the base.
“That’s fine. You guys stay as long as you want. I’ll make sure no one bothers you.” Or even knew where they were, for that matter.
Shit, shit, shit.
The word repeated over and over in his head like a mantra. Kas leaned back against the wall of the hospital waiting room, uncomfortable and likely to stay that way for the foreseeable future.
When Kenshin had brought him the news that Ana had collapsed, he’d been seized first by panic and then a rolling wave of guilt so deep it felt like he was drowning in it. He should have been with her. The others had problems to deal with, but he—he was supposed to be looking out for all of them. He couldn’t believe he’d lost track of Marah long enough for her to get to Ana’s. That’s what had happened, from what he’d been able to piece together. He wasn’t sure exactly what that had had to do with Ana’s eventual collapse, but at a guess, it was at least what had prompted her to be out and walking by herself at the time.
On his way over, he’d detoured to her place, where Nova and Luna had filled him in on the details. As of yet, he hadn’t told anyone else what they were, but… the part of him that wasn’t sick with worry was seething with rage. This was unbelievable—even for them to sink as low as saying such cruel things to Ana of all people. It was disgusting, and while no doubt Marah felt no shame, she damn well should.
So far, they hadn’t been given any updates; probably the doctors were still assessing her condition. None of them were allowed into her room yet, as none of them were blood family. He’d never hated that distinction as much as he did now. Because they should be back there. All three of them.
He chanced a glance over at the other two, face set into a grim scowl.
Cyrilla was holding Eryk's hand, rubbing her thumb over the back of his. She wasn't looking at him, though, and instead, kept her gaze fixed on the door. She must have been waiting for the doctors to appear and say something about Ana. Eryk, however, didn't appear any particular way. His face was smoothed over and there wasn't an ounce of emotion on his face, however; they knew him better than that. He was worried, probably the most out of the three of them. He probably didn't know what to do, or even how to handle a situation like this.
Eryk wasn't emotionally equipped for anything, really. None of them seemed inclined to talk about it, but it was apparent they were all thinking about it. Eryk finally shifted somewhat, but he didn't move too much. "Hey, it's... going to be okay, Ryk. You'll see," Cyrilla finally spoke, trying to comfort Eryk, it seemed. He merely glanced at her, his eyes glazed over somewhat.
"Yeah," he spoke, though it sounded like he didn't even believe what he was saying. He shifted his gaze back to the wall, though, and continued staring at it. Cyrilla sighed, and glanced towards Kas.
"How... are you holding up, Kas?" she asked, though it was apparent that she didn't know what she should say. She was probably trying to fill up the silence.
He smiled, but it was only halfhearted. He couldn’t really manage anything better at the moment. “I’ll be able to tell you how I’m doing once we know how Ana’s doing,” he said honestly. Glancing at his feet for a minute, he flicked his eyes back up to them.
“I… Nova and Luna told me what happened, or the parts of it they knew,” Kas ventured cautiously. He really couldn’t say what the best thing to do in this situation was, so he figured it’d be better to let them decide what they wanted to know, in case there was something they didn’t. “Do you guys… want to hear it?” They knew that something had happened with Marah, but not what.
Maybe it was better that way.
Eryk's gaze was immediately on Kas. He must have squeezed his hand, too, because Cyrilla flinched a bit and reflexively tried to take her hand from his. "What happened," it sounded more like a demand, though, when he said it. Cyrilla just glanced at Kas, and nodded her head, too.
Kas pushed a breath out of his nose. “She’s been sick for a little while,” he said. He’d known that, but kept it a secret because she asked him to. There seemed to be little point in it now, though, and since it was part of Nova’s story, he figured it was probably okay. “Something in her lungs—apparently she started coughing up blood earlier today though. She nearly passed out on the front lawn, but she was resting, and Nova thinks she probably would have been okay with a nap and something to eat.”
Apparently, she’d been in similar situations before. “Anyway… that’s when Marah showed up.” He didn’t try to hide his scowl. “She said… some pretty awful things, from what Nova said, but he wouldn’t go into too much detail. A lot of insults, and… some hints that our interest in her might not have been… organic.” He couldn’t believe the gall in that. Jeopardizing the mission for petty spite wasn’t supposed to be the kind of thing Marah would stoop to, but there it was. Of course Nova hadn’t known exactly what she meant by that, but she’d referenced Team Rocket specifically.
Some people needed to learn to keep their mouths shut—but Kas couldn’t deny that Team Rocket wasn’t the real reason why the statements alarmed him so much. More than anything, he was afraid of what Ana might think of them if she found out. Their intentions had moved so far beyond the parameters of the mission… but she didn’t know about that to begin with. He didn’t look forward to her finding out.
“Anyway… it upset Ana enough that she left the shelter by herself. Nova tried to follow, but she apparently shut him out.” Kas figured that confirmed their hypothesis about Ana being a telepath, but he didn’t know enough about how those powers worked to say for sure. “I guess that must be when she ran across Kenshin… and you know the rest.”
Eryk stood up almost abruptly, however; if Cyrilla hadn't been holding his hand, it looked like he might have actually left. She did, however, manage to pull him back to his seat, though he still stood. He was angry, though that might have been too mild of a word to use for his current facial expression. It was dark. It was apparent that Eryk wanted to do something about it, and if he did, he didn't care too much about the consequences. His hand did enclose tighter around Cyrilla's, and both of their hands were turning slightly red, probably from the pressure. She didn't seem to mind it, though.
"Is that all Nova said?" Eryk spoke, glancing at Kas. The red in his eyes seemed a little darker, a little richer, and perhaps it was the anger that made them this way. "There was nothing else, nothing about what Marah actually said?" he continued prying.
"Ryk, now... isn't the time to be worried about that. Ana's... she's in," Cyrilla tried to calm Eryk down, it seemed, but his gaze turned on her.
"She's in there because of Marah," he replied, his tone harsh enough that Cyrilla actually flinched away. Eryk sighed deeply, and shook his head. "Cy, I didn't mean," he spoke, but she only shook her head.
"It's alright, Eryk. You're upset. It's okay to be upset. Just... be patient. Ana needs you here right now, not out there," she spoke. Eryk sighed and sat back in his chair.
"I'm going to have to fix this somehow. Marah needs to leave," he spoke, and it was apparent in his voice that he was serious about it.
“That’s all he said,” Kas confirmed. “I’m sure Ana herself would be able to tell us more, but I figured he was respecting her privacy. I didn’t press.” It didn’t really seem like something he had a right to know unless she wanted to tell him. But… “Knowing Marah, it probably had to do with you.” She was the kind who always prodded at a person’s weak spots, the places where they felt most vulnerable.
And what was more vulnerable than a brand-new relationship, especially one like Ryk and Ana had?
At that point, a doctor finally emerged from the back of the hospital, glancing over at them from behind her glasses. “You three are here for Anastasia Asher, right?”
Kas nodded immediately; she approached the three of them with a solemn expression. She was holding a clipboard; she glanced down at it once before speaking. “Her condition is stable. She is quite sick—her Everett’s is interacting badly with what I believe is a flu she caught; it’s giving her pneumonia-like symptoms. What’s more, she is clearly over-stressed, which exacerbated the condition she’s in and likely caused the fainting, which was the cause of her head injury. She has a concussion; she should recover from it, but we’ll be keeping her here for several days to monitor her condition. The situation is much more complicated because of her disease, but with the right medication, she should recover.”
It was not at all difficult for Kas to tack the implied ‘for now’ onto the end of that sentence. It was in the heaviness of the doctor’s tone.
“Can we see her?” he asked.
She shook her head. “Not now. She’s sleeping. If you come back tomorrow, she might be strong enough for visitors.”
Eryk looked like he was trying his best not to look dejected at the doctor's announcement. He probably wanted to go see her, but it was probably for the best that he didn't. He only sighed and sank further into his chair. It would have been almost comical but this was hardly the place or time. Cyrilla seemed a little more relieved that Ana would be okay, for now.
"Tomorrow, we'll come back," he spoke slowly, though he made no effort to move. He would likely stay the night. "Would it be... too much to stay the night, though?" he actually asked. He glanced towards the doctor, but there was no hostility in his expression.
Her expression became sympathetic for a moment. “You can stay,” she said, “but we have nowhere for you to sleep but this waiting room.” Nodding to the others, she departed back into the deeper part of the hospital.
Kas rubbed the back of his neck, feeling the stiff muscles there. “Someone has to be there to deal with Marah and that guy, or who knows what they’ll do,” he muttered. He took one look at Eryk and shook his head. “Guess I’m volunteering.”
Eryk's expression looked almost sympathetic, but it wasn't quite there. "I owe you one, Kas," he spoke. He didn't seem to mind what the doctor said, though. He'd probably slept in his fair share of chairs before. "Just keep in touch if things become too much," he continued, his expression a little more serious.
"I'm sure Kas can handle it," Cyrilla spoke. There wasn't even a hint of lightness in her tone when she said it, though. She sighed softly, and leaned on Eryk's shoulder. "I'm going to stay here with Eryk a little longer. I'm not sure if you want to go back right now, either, but," she spoke, glancing at Kas. The implication was there. She was basically telling him if he wanted to stay with them just a little longer, or he could go back to the base.
“That’s fine. You guys stay as long as you want. I’ll make sure no one bothers you.” Or even knew where they were, for that matter.
He wasn't entirely sure when he fell asleep. All he knew was that, at some point in the night, he did. He hadn't meant to, but he must have been more tired than he realized. He could hear people shuffling in and out, but they didn't seem to bother him. They either knew that he had stayed the night, or they were just a little more polite. He wanted to know what the hell Marah said to make Ana so stressed. She was in the hospital because of Marah, and by extension, because of him. That was his mother, and he should have known better than to leave the woman to her own accord.
He should have been there. He shouldn't have left Ana alone while Marah was here. He should have...
He swallowed a little too thickly, and pushed a sigh through his nose. It was heavy enough that it hurt just a bit, but he didn't particularly care. The doctor still hadn't said anything about whether or not Ana was strong enough to receive visitors or not. There was still no word of whether she'd woken up or not, either. Once she did, and he was able to make sure she was okay, he'd have to have a few choice words with Marah. This was not something he could easily let go. Family be damned.
If she'd inadvertently killed Ana...
He paused at that thought, sucking in a deep breath. He wasn't sure why that hit him as hard as it did. He knew about her disease, and how she was, basically, on borrowed time. She wouldn't live too long, but he had made that decision to feel what he felt, and to tell her. He knew the consequences, and yet he still did it. He knew, but that didn't stop him. He sighed deeply, rubbing absentmindedly at his eyes.
“Excuse me?” It was someone different this time, a nurse from the scrubs he was wearing. He adjusted his glasses and glanced down at his paperwork for a moment. “Miss Asher has just woken up. When she learned you were here, she was quite insistent that she was well enough to see you. If you would like to follow me?”
He led Eryk back through a long hallway. Ana’s room was down near the end. The placard in front of it read ‘108.’ The nurse pushed open the door, allowing Eryk to step around him and inside.
Another nurse was just taking away what looked to be Ana’s breakfast, though she didn’t seem to have eaten a great deal. The bed had been adjusted so she was sitting up; she was dressed in a beige hospital gown and had several bandages wrapped around her head; either she or someone else had braided her hair to the side to keep it out of the way.
She noticed him immediately, smiling thinly; she didn’t quite make it to meeting his eyes, though. Hers hovered somewhere around his shoulder or chin area—it was hard to tell exactly. They dropped back to her hands, folded neatly in front of her on her lap. She looked… accustomed to this. Like it was normal for her to be hooked up to a bunch of monitors and laid out in a room that wasn’t hers.
“Hello, Eryk,” she said softly, her tone weighed down in a way that was unfamiliar to him.
"Ana," he spoke, moving just slightly closer to her bedside. He stood at the foot of her bed, and just stared at her. His expression softened, though it wasn't in the usual way. He knew it was heavier than it should have been. He also knew that it showed, but he couldn't be bothered to care at the moment. She looked... sad, pathetic maybe, and this was mostly his fault, if not entirely.
"How are you feeling?" he asked. He might as well start off with that before he went any further. He didn't want to cause her to faint or anything like that by subjecting her to that sort of questioning beforehand. He could at least build up to it, but he was going to take his time.
“I’m…” it sounded like she’d been about to say ‘I’m fine,’ but had stopped herself. She sighed; the breath sounded almost wet coming out of her. The doctor had said she basically had pneumonia. She fidgeted uncomfortably with her hands, still either unwilling or unable to look at him directly.
“I want to say I’m fine, but I also don’t want to lie to you, so…” She swallowed. “My head aches.” She smiled wryly, almost, half-hidden by the way she ducked her head. It was clearly not the only thing wrong with her, but she seemed inclined to leave it there. “I guess that’s what I get for falling straight over like that.”
He shook his head. "You shouldn't have left your home," he spoke, though he knew she had good reason to. "You could have avoided the headache if you'd stayed," he spoke, trying to make it a little lighter. He pursed his lips together, though, and sighed. "Or at least called somehow," he added. She could have sent Nova, or any of the others to him, and he would have been there. He should have been there. He shook his head at his own thoughts.
"I'm sorry about Marah," he spoke, though he flinched at his own tone. It was softer than he meant to make it, but it didn't reflect any less of what he meant. He was sorry about Marah, and he didn't exactly know how to fix it. Could it even be fixed? Probably. Probably not. "I..." he didn't exactly know what to say. What could he say?
Ana shook her head. “What she did isn’t your fault, Eryk. She’s an adult—her choices are her responsibility. I don’t… I could never blame you for that.” Her lips parted as though she were going to say more, but at that point a coughing fit seized her; she doubled over in the bed, bringing her knees to her chest under the blankets and leaning forward heavily onto them.
She looked exhausted when it passed, closing her eyes for several moments and bringing her breathing back into line. Ana swallowed thickly enough that Eryk could hear it. She was still hugging her knees when she spoke.
“The doctor thinks I should be able to leave here by the end of the week. My aunt was with me yesterday—she said she’ll look in on the pokémon. I know… I know it’s a lot to ask, especially with everything you have going on right now, but… could you check up on them a couple of times, too? Some of them get anxious when no one’s around, and they know you. They trust you.”
Finally, finally, she lifted her eyes to meet his. “Like I do.”
"I will," she didn't even have to ask him that. He would do it regardless. He took a seat next to her bed, and leaned forward somewhat. "If you won't mind, I'll stay there, too. I don't have to sleep at the base," he added. He didn't have to stay at the base, and if anything, he was certain Cyrilla and Kas could manage without him. Marah and Lukas would have to be dealt with, first, but he was certain he could do that. He could get them to leave, one way or another.
"But you should get some rest. I won't leave, not yet," he continued. If she wanted to leave at the end of the week, she would need to get as much rest as she could. "And don't worry too much about the shelter. We will take care of it," he added. "I promise."
Though the smile on her face was weak, it seemed more genuine than the previous one, though still tinged with some kind of unhappiness. Was it just the fact that she was ill, or something else?
“Okay,” she said softly. Ana adjusted herself so she was sitting back against the bed again, sighing softly. The room around them was utterly plain, save for the small vase of flowers on an end table—probably from her aunt, since no one else had visited before him. Ana looked at them for a second before she moved her eyes back to his face. “You know… I don’t really understand what she was trying to do. She said all these things about how… how I shouldn’t trust you. How I was stupid for thinking that—that the three of you were really my friends.”
One side of her mouth lifted. “She doesn’t know you as well as I do, I guess.”
He supposed she knew him better than he knew himself, then. He did, however, offer her a small smile. It was easier to do that, now. Smile. He wanted to roll his eyes at himself, but he managed to settle on a soft shake of his head. "I think she was trying to keep you away," he replied honsetly. If he knew his mother, and he did, she was trying to either intimidate Ana somehow, or make her doubt all of them, him especially. She was a cruel woman, and she wanted to destroy whatever made him happy. And there was no doubt in his mind that Ana did just that. He wondered when exactly it was that he began to change so much.
It was all her. She changed him, though he wasn't completely sure in which way. All he knew was that he cared about things again, things that were once thought pointless. If it wasn't for her, he wouldn't have joined the tournament, and he wouldn't have enjoyed it. He wondered if she knew that.
"I know you are probably tired of hearing this," he spoke, the smallest tilt of his lips signaling that he didn't mean it entirely. "But thank you, for the things you have done for me, Ana. I don't think," he paused momentarily. He blinked and glanced away, feeling the slightest bit awkward now. "I don't think these things that I have experienced with you would have," he paused again. His words weren't coming out the way he wanted them to. Now he really did feel awkward, and he coughed slightly to clear it from his voice.
Ana swallowed. If anything, she looked… distressed. “Eryk… I-I have to ask you something. And I know you’ll tell me the truth, because you always do, but… but it’s important. I—” She cut herself off, clearly finding it as difficult to put to words as he found his. She licked her lips once, shaking her head minutely.
“Am I… am I hurting you? Is this—I don’t want to—ugh.” She pursed her lips; one of her hands rubbed at her temple through the bandages there. “I’m sorry—this is… this is harder to ask than I thought it would be.” Pulling in a deep breath, then let her eyes fall again, closing them momentarily.
“I want—more than anything I’ve ever wanted, I want you to be… happy. And maybe… maybe right now you are a little bit, and if that’s true, I’m glad. But—but I’m d-dying.” She seemed to find the word difficult to spit out; it was unusual, considering how frank she usually was about it. “I don’t want to be, but I am, and… and there’s nothing I can do about it. And I just—I keep thinking that if you’re… if we’re together, then—”
A tear escaped from beneath her eyelid, rolling swiftly down her cheek to drop into her lap. When she opened her eyes, her lashes were wet. “Then I’m going to hurt you, when I die. And… and maybe it’s better if—if you’re with someone who can give you more than… whatever time I have left.”
He narrowed his eyes in confusion. Hurting him? Was she hurting him? If anything, he should be asking her that question. That was the last thing he wanted to do, was to hurt her. She didn't deserve that because of who she was and what she meant to him. He didn't like this sudden turn of events, and had a sneaking suspicion that Marah might have told her otherwise. Now he really was pissed. He shook his head, though, and sighed.
"Ana," he spoke slowly, trying to gather his thoughts. He had to say this slowly, so that she could understand, and that he could understand. "I knew your condition before I even told you that I liked you," and quite frankly, like was putting it lightly. "Do you think I would have even bothered telling you that much if I didn't already know what that meant for me?" he spoke the last word a little more tenderly. He swallowed thickly, feeling the lump in his throat growing somewhat.
He knew that she was dying. He knew that she wouldn't live a long life with him, but that didn't matter to him. "I wouldn't have said anything at all, but I am not that kind of man, Ana," he continued. If anything, he was selfish, and what time they did have, he wanted to be there. With her. He wanted to spend whatever time she had left with her because she was an integral part of his life, now. She would always be, even after. Some part of him wanted to believe what Miranda said, and some part wanted to be an optimist, but he couldn't. Life would not be that fair to him; it never was. And it certainly wouldn't be fair to her. He reached over the bed and grabbed her hand in his, holding it lightly as he stared at her.
"I don't think you realize that you are important to me. Important in a way that..." he would give up this life for her if she asked him to do it. He would give up everything he had right now if she asked him to. It would be hard, but he would find a way to do it. "I have learned a great deal of things in my years, Ana. Getting hurt is something that happens to everyone. Cyrilla will get hurt; Kas will get hurt. And yes, I will get hurt, but you must understand," he spoke a little softer this time.
"This choice to be hurt is my decision." He didn't know how else to explain it.
She sobbed; it wrenched free of her like she’d been trying to hold it in. Whatever tears she’d been holding back so arduously escaped her, one after another, dripping off her jawline and joining the others on the blanket. Her hand tightened around his—not nearly enough to cause him pain; she was far too weak for that, it seemed. But he could feel her hand shaking slightly.
“Okay,” she whispered, so softly it was hard to hear. “Okay. I—” she looked away, voice low and heavy with shame. “I’m glad, because… I don’t know what I was going to do if you… if you wanted to leave.”
"As if I ever would," he spoke, though it was lighter this time. He sighed softly and shook his head, though. "I'll make this right, Ana. I don't want this to happen to you again," and he would make it right. "For now, get some more rest. I'll be right here," because he'd be damned if he did. He wasn't going to allow Marah to come here and fuck this up again. She already did too much damage.
She nodded, settling carefully back against her pillows. She didn’t let go of his hand, though. “And… you’ll still be here when I wake up?” Her face was pink; she seemed embarrassed to have asked the question, or maybe it was the soft tone she’d used to do it.
"I will be here when you wake up. I promise."
He should have been there. He shouldn't have left Ana alone while Marah was here. He should have...
He swallowed a little too thickly, and pushed a sigh through his nose. It was heavy enough that it hurt just a bit, but he didn't particularly care. The doctor still hadn't said anything about whether or not Ana was strong enough to receive visitors or not. There was still no word of whether she'd woken up or not, either. Once she did, and he was able to make sure she was okay, he'd have to have a few choice words with Marah. This was not something he could easily let go. Family be damned.
If she'd inadvertently killed Ana...
He paused at that thought, sucking in a deep breath. He wasn't sure why that hit him as hard as it did. He knew about her disease, and how she was, basically, on borrowed time. She wouldn't live too long, but he had made that decision to feel what he felt, and to tell her. He knew the consequences, and yet he still did it. He knew, but that didn't stop him. He sighed deeply, rubbing absentmindedly at his eyes.
“Excuse me?” It was someone different this time, a nurse from the scrubs he was wearing. He adjusted his glasses and glanced down at his paperwork for a moment. “Miss Asher has just woken up. When she learned you were here, she was quite insistent that she was well enough to see you. If you would like to follow me?”
He led Eryk back through a long hallway. Ana’s room was down near the end. The placard in front of it read ‘108.’ The nurse pushed open the door, allowing Eryk to step around him and inside.
Another nurse was just taking away what looked to be Ana’s breakfast, though she didn’t seem to have eaten a great deal. The bed had been adjusted so she was sitting up; she was dressed in a beige hospital gown and had several bandages wrapped around her head; either she or someone else had braided her hair to the side to keep it out of the way.
She noticed him immediately, smiling thinly; she didn’t quite make it to meeting his eyes, though. Hers hovered somewhere around his shoulder or chin area—it was hard to tell exactly. They dropped back to her hands, folded neatly in front of her on her lap. She looked… accustomed to this. Like it was normal for her to be hooked up to a bunch of monitors and laid out in a room that wasn’t hers.
“Hello, Eryk,” she said softly, her tone weighed down in a way that was unfamiliar to him.
"Ana," he spoke, moving just slightly closer to her bedside. He stood at the foot of her bed, and just stared at her. His expression softened, though it wasn't in the usual way. He knew it was heavier than it should have been. He also knew that it showed, but he couldn't be bothered to care at the moment. She looked... sad, pathetic maybe, and this was mostly his fault, if not entirely.
"How are you feeling?" he asked. He might as well start off with that before he went any further. He didn't want to cause her to faint or anything like that by subjecting her to that sort of questioning beforehand. He could at least build up to it, but he was going to take his time.
“I’m…” it sounded like she’d been about to say ‘I’m fine,’ but had stopped herself. She sighed; the breath sounded almost wet coming out of her. The doctor had said she basically had pneumonia. She fidgeted uncomfortably with her hands, still either unwilling or unable to look at him directly.
“I want to say I’m fine, but I also don’t want to lie to you, so…” She swallowed. “My head aches.” She smiled wryly, almost, half-hidden by the way she ducked her head. It was clearly not the only thing wrong with her, but she seemed inclined to leave it there. “I guess that’s what I get for falling straight over like that.”
He shook his head. "You shouldn't have left your home," he spoke, though he knew she had good reason to. "You could have avoided the headache if you'd stayed," he spoke, trying to make it a little lighter. He pursed his lips together, though, and sighed. "Or at least called somehow," he added. She could have sent Nova, or any of the others to him, and he would have been there. He should have been there. He shook his head at his own thoughts.
"I'm sorry about Marah," he spoke, though he flinched at his own tone. It was softer than he meant to make it, but it didn't reflect any less of what he meant. He was sorry about Marah, and he didn't exactly know how to fix it. Could it even be fixed? Probably. Probably not. "I..." he didn't exactly know what to say. What could he say?
Ana shook her head. “What she did isn’t your fault, Eryk. She’s an adult—her choices are her responsibility. I don’t… I could never blame you for that.” Her lips parted as though she were going to say more, but at that point a coughing fit seized her; she doubled over in the bed, bringing her knees to her chest under the blankets and leaning forward heavily onto them.
She looked exhausted when it passed, closing her eyes for several moments and bringing her breathing back into line. Ana swallowed thickly enough that Eryk could hear it. She was still hugging her knees when she spoke.
“The doctor thinks I should be able to leave here by the end of the week. My aunt was with me yesterday—she said she’ll look in on the pokémon. I know… I know it’s a lot to ask, especially with everything you have going on right now, but… could you check up on them a couple of times, too? Some of them get anxious when no one’s around, and they know you. They trust you.”
Finally, finally, she lifted her eyes to meet his. “Like I do.”
"I will," she didn't even have to ask him that. He would do it regardless. He took a seat next to her bed, and leaned forward somewhat. "If you won't mind, I'll stay there, too. I don't have to sleep at the base," he added. He didn't have to stay at the base, and if anything, he was certain Cyrilla and Kas could manage without him. Marah and Lukas would have to be dealt with, first, but he was certain he could do that. He could get them to leave, one way or another.
"But you should get some rest. I won't leave, not yet," he continued. If she wanted to leave at the end of the week, she would need to get as much rest as she could. "And don't worry too much about the shelter. We will take care of it," he added. "I promise."
Though the smile on her face was weak, it seemed more genuine than the previous one, though still tinged with some kind of unhappiness. Was it just the fact that she was ill, or something else?
“Okay,” she said softly. Ana adjusted herself so she was sitting back against the bed again, sighing softly. The room around them was utterly plain, save for the small vase of flowers on an end table—probably from her aunt, since no one else had visited before him. Ana looked at them for a second before she moved her eyes back to his face. “You know… I don’t really understand what she was trying to do. She said all these things about how… how I shouldn’t trust you. How I was stupid for thinking that—that the three of you were really my friends.”
One side of her mouth lifted. “She doesn’t know you as well as I do, I guess.”
He supposed she knew him better than he knew himself, then. He did, however, offer her a small smile. It was easier to do that, now. Smile. He wanted to roll his eyes at himself, but he managed to settle on a soft shake of his head. "I think she was trying to keep you away," he replied honsetly. If he knew his mother, and he did, she was trying to either intimidate Ana somehow, or make her doubt all of them, him especially. She was a cruel woman, and she wanted to destroy whatever made him happy. And there was no doubt in his mind that Ana did just that. He wondered when exactly it was that he began to change so much.
It was all her. She changed him, though he wasn't completely sure in which way. All he knew was that he cared about things again, things that were once thought pointless. If it wasn't for her, he wouldn't have joined the tournament, and he wouldn't have enjoyed it. He wondered if she knew that.
"I know you are probably tired of hearing this," he spoke, the smallest tilt of his lips signaling that he didn't mean it entirely. "But thank you, for the things you have done for me, Ana. I don't think," he paused momentarily. He blinked and glanced away, feeling the slightest bit awkward now. "I don't think these things that I have experienced with you would have," he paused again. His words weren't coming out the way he wanted them to. Now he really did feel awkward, and he coughed slightly to clear it from his voice.
Ana swallowed. If anything, she looked… distressed. “Eryk… I-I have to ask you something. And I know you’ll tell me the truth, because you always do, but… but it’s important. I—” She cut herself off, clearly finding it as difficult to put to words as he found his. She licked her lips once, shaking her head minutely.
“Am I… am I hurting you? Is this—I don’t want to—ugh.” She pursed her lips; one of her hands rubbed at her temple through the bandages there. “I’m sorry—this is… this is harder to ask than I thought it would be.” Pulling in a deep breath, then let her eyes fall again, closing them momentarily.
“I want—more than anything I’ve ever wanted, I want you to be… happy. And maybe… maybe right now you are a little bit, and if that’s true, I’m glad. But—but I’m d-dying.” She seemed to find the word difficult to spit out; it was unusual, considering how frank she usually was about it. “I don’t want to be, but I am, and… and there’s nothing I can do about it. And I just—I keep thinking that if you’re… if we’re together, then—”
A tear escaped from beneath her eyelid, rolling swiftly down her cheek to drop into her lap. When she opened her eyes, her lashes were wet. “Then I’m going to hurt you, when I die. And… and maybe it’s better if—if you’re with someone who can give you more than… whatever time I have left.”
He narrowed his eyes in confusion. Hurting him? Was she hurting him? If anything, he should be asking her that question. That was the last thing he wanted to do, was to hurt her. She didn't deserve that because of who she was and what she meant to him. He didn't like this sudden turn of events, and had a sneaking suspicion that Marah might have told her otherwise. Now he really was pissed. He shook his head, though, and sighed.
"Ana," he spoke slowly, trying to gather his thoughts. He had to say this slowly, so that she could understand, and that he could understand. "I knew your condition before I even told you that I liked you," and quite frankly, like was putting it lightly. "Do you think I would have even bothered telling you that much if I didn't already know what that meant for me?" he spoke the last word a little more tenderly. He swallowed thickly, feeling the lump in his throat growing somewhat.
He knew that she was dying. He knew that she wouldn't live a long life with him, but that didn't matter to him. "I wouldn't have said anything at all, but I am not that kind of man, Ana," he continued. If anything, he was selfish, and what time they did have, he wanted to be there. With her. He wanted to spend whatever time she had left with her because she was an integral part of his life, now. She would always be, even after. Some part of him wanted to believe what Miranda said, and some part wanted to be an optimist, but he couldn't. Life would not be that fair to him; it never was. And it certainly wouldn't be fair to her. He reached over the bed and grabbed her hand in his, holding it lightly as he stared at her.
"I don't think you realize that you are important to me. Important in a way that..." he would give up this life for her if she asked him to do it. He would give up everything he had right now if she asked him to. It would be hard, but he would find a way to do it. "I have learned a great deal of things in my years, Ana. Getting hurt is something that happens to everyone. Cyrilla will get hurt; Kas will get hurt. And yes, I will get hurt, but you must understand," he spoke a little softer this time.
"This choice to be hurt is my decision." He didn't know how else to explain it.
She sobbed; it wrenched free of her like she’d been trying to hold it in. Whatever tears she’d been holding back so arduously escaped her, one after another, dripping off her jawline and joining the others on the blanket. Her hand tightened around his—not nearly enough to cause him pain; she was far too weak for that, it seemed. But he could feel her hand shaking slightly.
“Okay,” she whispered, so softly it was hard to hear. “Okay. I—” she looked away, voice low and heavy with shame. “I’m glad, because… I don’t know what I was going to do if you… if you wanted to leave.”
"As if I ever would," he spoke, though it was lighter this time. He sighed softly and shook his head, though. "I'll make this right, Ana. I don't want this to happen to you again," and he would make it right. "For now, get some more rest. I'll be right here," because he'd be damned if he did. He wasn't going to allow Marah to come here and fuck this up again. She already did too much damage.
She nodded, settling carefully back against her pillows. She didn’t let go of his hand, though. “And… you’ll still be here when I wake up?” Her face was pink; she seemed embarrassed to have asked the question, or maybe it was the soft tone she’d used to do it.
"I will be here when you wake up. I promise."
Kas hung up the cell phone and slid it back into his pocket; it was a little bit of a trick in Cy’s tiny office chair, but whatever. He’d probably move back to the couch in a few minutes anyway. “Ana’s conscious,” he said, relaying the update to her that Ryk had just given him. “She’s sleeping for now, though; I think he plans to stay with her a while longer before he even thinks about coming back here.”
He didn’t blame him for that, in any event. He could certainly understand the desire to keep a buffer between her and another visit from Marah. He honestly couldn’t believe the audacity of that woman—or he wouldn’t have been able to, if she were anyone else. But this was the same person who’d managed to convince her own son that emotions like affection and care weren’t worth experiencing. That they made you weak.
Kas might not be the ultimate judge of such matters, but personally he thought the Ryk he knew now was the strongest person he’d ever been.
"Oh, that's good. I'm glad she's conscious," Cyrilla spoke. It sounded like she wanted to say something else, but she didn't say anything other than that. She sighed, setting her pen down on her desk and leaned back in her chair. "At least Eryk was there when she woke up, I suppose," she added. Kenshin was sitting on the other side of her, swiveling in his chair for the moment. He was trying to keep a lighter tone, it appeared. She shook her head at him, and turned her attention to Kas.
I don't blame him for staying longer. He might stay another day, from the sounds of it, Kenshin spoke, and Cyrilla nodded her head in agreement. So that leaves you two to man the fort, or whatever it is you humans say, he added. She only rolled her eyes.
"You could help, too, Kenny. And it's been... oddly quiet today," she spoke, probably referring to the absence of Marah and Lukas. He was probably down in the lobby making passes at all the secretaries and Grunts he could.
Probably striking out, too. That thought amused Kas far more than it should have, but it also reminded him of things he didn’t really want to think about, but really should. He sighed, closing down the lid of his laptop. He could work on that report to his boss… later. Much later.
For the moment, he had to do something he was sure he was going to like even less. Out of the frying pan and into the fire, as they said. “Actually, that’s good. There’s… something I need to talk to you about, Cy.” He pushed a sigh out of his nose. “Ryk and I were talking the other day, about how we might be able to help you solve your problem. We have an idea, but it’s… not exactly ideal.” Drunk or not, he had suggested it, and even in the light of sobriety, it seemed like pretty much the only guaranteed way to get what they wanted.
“Unless you’ve come up with something in the meantime, in which case please, lay it on me before I embarrass myself here.” He half-smiled, shaking his head.
Kenshin stopped moving around in his chair and stared straight at Kas, as if what he'd just said was suddenly interesting. Cyrilla, however, sighed and shook her head. "I haven't been able to find anything. I've looked into just about everything I could have," she replied, and it sounded like she did. She had been on the computer a lot more the last couple of days, so there was probably truth to what she said.
It sounds like you and Ryk might have found something, though, right? Kenshin spoke, a slow grin forming on his mouth.
"I mean, if both of you have an idea, even if it's not ideal, I'll be willing to listen to it. At this point, I think any idea is ideal, at the moment," she spoke, huffing slightly.
He’d been afraid of that. “Well, okay. So… here's the thing. Your family has a lot of influence in law enforcement. That goes without saying. Most shit, they can get away with because they have the local cops bribed. So they can convince people to pretend they haven’t seen things, or to leave other things out of reports, that kind of a deal. What they don’t have enough power to do is completely ignore laws that are on the books when the right records are in place. They can’t, for example, just evict somebody from their own house without cause, because the deed is in several places, on record, and the paperwork’s there for anyone to see.”
He paused. “So… if we want them not to be able to marry you off, there has to be something concrete in the way. Some kind of legally-binding documentation or proof that what they’re trying to do isn’t legit. They could get the authorities to ignore you or Eryk protesting, because there’s nothing official about that: a cop could pretend you never came in to complain and lose the forms, and so on. But… it wouldn’t be nearly so easy to lose something that was, say, signed by a judge and a bunch of witnesses they can’t intimidate.” He pulled in a breath. “Like… a marriage license. Bigamy is definitely illegal, and no judge who wanted to stay a judge would even touch the mess that would happen if they tried to marry you to Lukas while you were, in effect, already married.”
Kas halted there for the moment; it was a lot to take in, he knew. “Obviously… it’s a last resort. And you might prefer marrying Lukas to faking a marriage with someone else. But… I’m pretty sure that if you chose to do it, you’d get them off your case, if only because there wouldn’t be any recourse for them.”
"I'll do it," she replied almost instantly. She appeared to have digested all the information, but she did say it rather quickly. Kenshin looked slightly amused by the situation, however; he merely raised a brow and remained silent. Cyrilla, however, looked serious, deadly so. Her gaze was on Kas, and it didn't move. "I don't care who it's to as long as it's not him," she continued, as if trying to solidify her decision.
"It'll be like a fake marriage, right? Even if it's legal, it'll still be fake. No harm done, right?" she continued. She really seemed to accept the idea without much thought to it, but she also sounded like it was the best course to take. "I mean, as long as whoever it is knows the situation, it'll be fine, right?" she asked.
I think the real question here is, who, Kenshin chimed in, earning a slightly dejected look from Cyrilla.
"That's true," she spoke, sighing a little bit. "It can't just be anyone, because then they would know it's a ruse and try to stop it before it could even happen," she muttered more to herself.
“Well, getting it done quickly and quietly isn’t a problem. A small ceremony with a few of us as witnesses in a courthouse ought to do just fine for a fake marriage, anyway.” It wasn’t like they had the time to throw an elaborate ceremony, even if for some reason that would be warranted, which it wasn’t.
But this was the part he was looking forward to the least. “It’d have to be someone willing to play along,” he pointed out. That narrowed the options considerably—basically culling them down to himself, Eryk, Ana, and maybe Harper or Drake. Maybe. But pulling them into this mess seemed like a bad idea for independent reasons—Marah didn’t need more people to target with her special brand of misery.
“Eryk has… refused, on the grounds that it might make things worse with the clan rather than better.” Cyrilla might end up a target for daring to marry the future head of the clan, among other things. Those were perfectly good reasons, but Kas didn’t think they were the ones Ryk actually cared about. Which was fair enough.
“I suggested Ana, but he was… adamantly against that. I’m sure you can guess why.” In some ways, that would have been the neatest, cleanest option. Save Cyrilla the fate of marrying Lukas, possibly misdirect Marah away from Ana, and not stand any chance of hurting Cy when the fake marriage was for-real over.
“In light of that… you’d probably be marrying me. Is that… okay?” He grimaced slightly. “Because I can ask Ryk to reconsider the Ana thing, if you want. I think if it really came down to that, they’d agree to it.”
Cyrilla looked slightly confused for a second, but it seemed to finally settle in. Kenshin, however, looked a little too amused by the statement. It also looked like he was trying his best not to laugh. Cyrilla blinked a few moments, though, before she shook her head, probably more out of embarrassment.
"I mean, no that's okay, but... I mean," she continued, sputtering her words. Her cheeks turned a light pink, but she managed to cough awkwardly in her hand. "I couldn't ask you to do that, though, Kas," she finally managed to speak. Kenshin actually did bark out a short laugh before almost falling out of his chair.
Really, Cy? He said, and I quote, 'If there’s anything I can do to help—and I do mean anything—all you have to do is ask.' He said that, Kenshin spoke. Cyrilla just stared at him for a moment. Here he is, offering to fake-marry you, and you're basically telling him you couldn't ask him to do that. Really, Cy? Would you rather marry Lukas than fake-marry Kas? he continued, causing Cyrilla to purse her lips together.
"But Kenny, I..." she paused before glancing at Kas. "I mean, I really would appreciate it, but really Kas, if you'd rather not," she trailed off.
“Ken’s right, Cy.” He was being a smug little asshole about it, but he was right. “I told you—I’m willing to do whatever will help you get out of this. It’s… like I said, it’s not an ideal solution. The whole point was to make sure you didn’t have to get married, after all. But… being fake-married to me won’t be too tough. It’s not like I’m going to expect anything of you.” He figured he should probably make that bit clear.
They might be required to play it convincing in front of Marah or something, but beyond that, their lives wouldn’t really change. “And we can just quietly get it annulled after they’ve left and everything’s died down. You’re not trapped, and you don’t have to worry that I’ll feel that way either, okay?” The corner of his mouth tugged up into a soft smile; he knew she’d probably be much more worried about how this would affect him than herself.
"Alright, only until they leave and this thing dies down," she spoke, nodding her head slightly. "Also, you're a jerk, you know that, Kenny?" she stated, glancing towards Kenshin. He merely smiled in return.
I do my best to be, he responded. All jokes aside, though, it's probably best if this gets done after Ana recovers a bit. You know she wouldn't want to miss it, he added. He tilted his head slightly upward as if he'd just figured something out, but he was probably still being a smug asshole.
"Yeah, we'll... have to tell Ryk, too," she added. "I'll send him a message, or I'll tell him when he comes back," she continued, leaning forward on her desk. "I owe you, Kas. Thank you," she spoke, smiling a little more genuinely than she had before. Kenshin snorted, and muttered something beneath his breath that was too quiet to hear.
“You don’t owe me a thing, Cy,” he replied, shaking his head. When it came down to it, this was something any decent friend would do for another, if they were in a situation like this. Or at least he thought so.
He didn’t blame him for that, in any event. He could certainly understand the desire to keep a buffer between her and another visit from Marah. He honestly couldn’t believe the audacity of that woman—or he wouldn’t have been able to, if she were anyone else. But this was the same person who’d managed to convince her own son that emotions like affection and care weren’t worth experiencing. That they made you weak.
Kas might not be the ultimate judge of such matters, but personally he thought the Ryk he knew now was the strongest person he’d ever been.
"Oh, that's good. I'm glad she's conscious," Cyrilla spoke. It sounded like she wanted to say something else, but she didn't say anything other than that. She sighed, setting her pen down on her desk and leaned back in her chair. "At least Eryk was there when she woke up, I suppose," she added. Kenshin was sitting on the other side of her, swiveling in his chair for the moment. He was trying to keep a lighter tone, it appeared. She shook her head at him, and turned her attention to Kas.
I don't blame him for staying longer. He might stay another day, from the sounds of it, Kenshin spoke, and Cyrilla nodded her head in agreement. So that leaves you two to man the fort, or whatever it is you humans say, he added. She only rolled her eyes.
"You could help, too, Kenny. And it's been... oddly quiet today," she spoke, probably referring to the absence of Marah and Lukas. He was probably down in the lobby making passes at all the secretaries and Grunts he could.
Probably striking out, too. That thought amused Kas far more than it should have, but it also reminded him of things he didn’t really want to think about, but really should. He sighed, closing down the lid of his laptop. He could work on that report to his boss… later. Much later.
For the moment, he had to do something he was sure he was going to like even less. Out of the frying pan and into the fire, as they said. “Actually, that’s good. There’s… something I need to talk to you about, Cy.” He pushed a sigh out of his nose. “Ryk and I were talking the other day, about how we might be able to help you solve your problem. We have an idea, but it’s… not exactly ideal.” Drunk or not, he had suggested it, and even in the light of sobriety, it seemed like pretty much the only guaranteed way to get what they wanted.
“Unless you’ve come up with something in the meantime, in which case please, lay it on me before I embarrass myself here.” He half-smiled, shaking his head.
Kenshin stopped moving around in his chair and stared straight at Kas, as if what he'd just said was suddenly interesting. Cyrilla, however, sighed and shook her head. "I haven't been able to find anything. I've looked into just about everything I could have," she replied, and it sounded like she did. She had been on the computer a lot more the last couple of days, so there was probably truth to what she said.
It sounds like you and Ryk might have found something, though, right? Kenshin spoke, a slow grin forming on his mouth.
"I mean, if both of you have an idea, even if it's not ideal, I'll be willing to listen to it. At this point, I think any idea is ideal, at the moment," she spoke, huffing slightly.
He’d been afraid of that. “Well, okay. So… here's the thing. Your family has a lot of influence in law enforcement. That goes without saying. Most shit, they can get away with because they have the local cops bribed. So they can convince people to pretend they haven’t seen things, or to leave other things out of reports, that kind of a deal. What they don’t have enough power to do is completely ignore laws that are on the books when the right records are in place. They can’t, for example, just evict somebody from their own house without cause, because the deed is in several places, on record, and the paperwork’s there for anyone to see.”
He paused. “So… if we want them not to be able to marry you off, there has to be something concrete in the way. Some kind of legally-binding documentation or proof that what they’re trying to do isn’t legit. They could get the authorities to ignore you or Eryk protesting, because there’s nothing official about that: a cop could pretend you never came in to complain and lose the forms, and so on. But… it wouldn’t be nearly so easy to lose something that was, say, signed by a judge and a bunch of witnesses they can’t intimidate.” He pulled in a breath. “Like… a marriage license. Bigamy is definitely illegal, and no judge who wanted to stay a judge would even touch the mess that would happen if they tried to marry you to Lukas while you were, in effect, already married.”
Kas halted there for the moment; it was a lot to take in, he knew. “Obviously… it’s a last resort. And you might prefer marrying Lukas to faking a marriage with someone else. But… I’m pretty sure that if you chose to do it, you’d get them off your case, if only because there wouldn’t be any recourse for them.”
"I'll do it," she replied almost instantly. She appeared to have digested all the information, but she did say it rather quickly. Kenshin looked slightly amused by the situation, however; he merely raised a brow and remained silent. Cyrilla, however, looked serious, deadly so. Her gaze was on Kas, and it didn't move. "I don't care who it's to as long as it's not him," she continued, as if trying to solidify her decision.
"It'll be like a fake marriage, right? Even if it's legal, it'll still be fake. No harm done, right?" she continued. She really seemed to accept the idea without much thought to it, but she also sounded like it was the best course to take. "I mean, as long as whoever it is knows the situation, it'll be fine, right?" she asked.
I think the real question here is, who, Kenshin chimed in, earning a slightly dejected look from Cyrilla.
"That's true," she spoke, sighing a little bit. "It can't just be anyone, because then they would know it's a ruse and try to stop it before it could even happen," she muttered more to herself.
“Well, getting it done quickly and quietly isn’t a problem. A small ceremony with a few of us as witnesses in a courthouse ought to do just fine for a fake marriage, anyway.” It wasn’t like they had the time to throw an elaborate ceremony, even if for some reason that would be warranted, which it wasn’t.
But this was the part he was looking forward to the least. “It’d have to be someone willing to play along,” he pointed out. That narrowed the options considerably—basically culling them down to himself, Eryk, Ana, and maybe Harper or Drake. Maybe. But pulling them into this mess seemed like a bad idea for independent reasons—Marah didn’t need more people to target with her special brand of misery.
“Eryk has… refused, on the grounds that it might make things worse with the clan rather than better.” Cyrilla might end up a target for daring to marry the future head of the clan, among other things. Those were perfectly good reasons, but Kas didn’t think they were the ones Ryk actually cared about. Which was fair enough.
“I suggested Ana, but he was… adamantly against that. I’m sure you can guess why.” In some ways, that would have been the neatest, cleanest option. Save Cyrilla the fate of marrying Lukas, possibly misdirect Marah away from Ana, and not stand any chance of hurting Cy when the fake marriage was for-real over.
“In light of that… you’d probably be marrying me. Is that… okay?” He grimaced slightly. “Because I can ask Ryk to reconsider the Ana thing, if you want. I think if it really came down to that, they’d agree to it.”
Cyrilla looked slightly confused for a second, but it seemed to finally settle in. Kenshin, however, looked a little too amused by the statement. It also looked like he was trying his best not to laugh. Cyrilla blinked a few moments, though, before she shook her head, probably more out of embarrassment.
"I mean, no that's okay, but... I mean," she continued, sputtering her words. Her cheeks turned a light pink, but she managed to cough awkwardly in her hand. "I couldn't ask you to do that, though, Kas," she finally managed to speak. Kenshin actually did bark out a short laugh before almost falling out of his chair.
Really, Cy? He said, and I quote, 'If there’s anything I can do to help—and I do mean anything—all you have to do is ask.' He said that, Kenshin spoke. Cyrilla just stared at him for a moment. Here he is, offering to fake-marry you, and you're basically telling him you couldn't ask him to do that. Really, Cy? Would you rather marry Lukas than fake-marry Kas? he continued, causing Cyrilla to purse her lips together.
"But Kenny, I..." she paused before glancing at Kas. "I mean, I really would appreciate it, but really Kas, if you'd rather not," she trailed off.
“Ken’s right, Cy.” He was being a smug little asshole about it, but he was right. “I told you—I’m willing to do whatever will help you get out of this. It’s… like I said, it’s not an ideal solution. The whole point was to make sure you didn’t have to get married, after all. But… being fake-married to me won’t be too tough. It’s not like I’m going to expect anything of you.” He figured he should probably make that bit clear.
They might be required to play it convincing in front of Marah or something, but beyond that, their lives wouldn’t really change. “And we can just quietly get it annulled after they’ve left and everything’s died down. You’re not trapped, and you don’t have to worry that I’ll feel that way either, okay?” The corner of his mouth tugged up into a soft smile; he knew she’d probably be much more worried about how this would affect him than herself.
"Alright, only until they leave and this thing dies down," she spoke, nodding her head slightly. "Also, you're a jerk, you know that, Kenny?" she stated, glancing towards Kenshin. He merely smiled in return.
I do my best to be, he responded. All jokes aside, though, it's probably best if this gets done after Ana recovers a bit. You know she wouldn't want to miss it, he added. He tilted his head slightly upward as if he'd just figured something out, but he was probably still being a smug asshole.
"Yeah, we'll... have to tell Ryk, too," she added. "I'll send him a message, or I'll tell him when he comes back," she continued, leaning forward on her desk. "I owe you, Kas. Thank you," she spoke, smiling a little more genuinely than she had before. Kenshin snorted, and muttered something beneath his breath that was too quiet to hear.
“You don’t owe me a thing, Cy,” he replied, shaking his head. When it came down to it, this was something any decent friend would do for another, if they were in a situation like this. Or at least he thought so.
Cyrilla shifted the flower vase in her hand, trying to balance it with her bag. She had stopped by the floral shop to pick out a few flowers for Ana. She wanted to give Ana something to brighten up her hospital room with. It was a little plain and bland, and she was sure Ana would appreciate it. Currently, Kenshin and Snow were walking beside her, the ninetales occasionally making a slight huffing sound. She seemed to be content with the current weather, and Cyrilla didn't blame her. Alolan ninetales were accustomed to the colder climates, and Cinnabar Island was far from being one. It was still pretty cold outside, but even so, Snow would occasionally try and make the temperature lower. Cyrilla didn't mind it though.
"I see you're already getting flowers for our wedding," a voice called out, causing Cyrilla to stop in her tracks and tense. She turned to glance over her shoulder, and spotted Lukas only a few feet away. His arms were folded over his chest, and he looked a little too casual in his stance. Cyrilla merely allowed the smile on her face to pull into a flat line. Pursing her lips together, she turned away from him and kept walking. She couldn't take him towards the hospital, though. She would have to make a detour, or she'd have to do something else. "Oh come on, don't be like that. I know its not ideal, but at least you'll be married to me," he sounded so smug, as if being married to him would be better. Kenshin made a low grumbling sound, almost like he was growling.
"I'm not marrying you, Lukas. There's nothing you can say or do that would convince me otherwise," she spoke in a flat tone. Apparently he didn't like the way she said it because he took hold of her arm. She hadn't realized he had caught up, but then again it didn't really surprise her. He was tall, and his legs were longer. She glared at him, though. "If you don't release me, Lukas," she began.
"You'll what? Face it Cyrilla, you couldn't do anything to me even if you wanted. Although, I wouldn't mind if you did something," he spoke, leaning forward a little too closely. Cyrilla's eyes widened at the realization of what he was about to do, and immediately jerked forward, headbutting him in the face. "What the hell!?" he screamed, holding his nose. It was probably bleeding, but Cyrilla didn't particularly care. Her head was spinning a bit, and it hurt.
"Snow, Ice Beam," she managed to say. Snow seemed all too happy to oblige and froze Lukas's feet to the ground. "If you'll excuse me, I have somewhere to be," she spoke, leaving him to his fate. Kenshin looked highly amused by the ordeal, but Cyrilla was regretting that decision. She'd headbutted Lukas, and now she was getting a slight headache. She rubbed her head absentmindedly.
I must say, I wasn't expecting that, Kenshin spoke, the amusement in his voice coming through. You should have done that to begin with. Maybe now he'll get the point, he continued. Cyrilla smiled a little to herself. It's not like she'd have to worry about it much longer, anyway. She was going to fake-marry Kas, and then the whole ordeal would be over and done with. And then, she'd get the marriage annulled with him as soon as Marah and Lukas left. She sighed at that.
"Yeah, well Lukas has too much pride to say a girl did that to him. For now, I'm trying to go visit Ana, so," she replied, causing Kenshin to shake his head. She smiled at him. It did feel good to do that, though. "And I did kind of enjoy that," she added, earning a short bark of laughter from Kenshin.
I think Snow did, too, he spoke, glancing to said ninetales. She looked smug about it, her head held high and a slight shine in her eyes. She was walking a little more straighter, too. Cyrilla shook her head, and laughed lightly at them. It didn't take them long to reach the hospital and to find Ana's room. The door was closed and she paused by it. She had recalled Snow into her pokéball earlier since they would only allow Kenshin to go in with her. Probably because he was more or less a bipedal pokémon. That or something else. She didn't particularly care. Eryk wasn't here, she knew that, though. He went by the base earlier in the morning but he'd left shortly after. He said something about going to Ana's shelter to make sure the pokémon were doing okay. She smiled somewhat. He could be sweet when he wanted to be, she supposed. Taking a deep breath, she pushed open Ana's door, and stepped inside.
"Ana?" she called out hesitantly, just in case she was asleep.
It seemed she was very much awake, though. Ana sat in her hospital bed, a tray table pulled over her lap. There were several documents on it; she seemed to be filling them out. The hospital room had gotten a little less spartan since Cyrilla’s earlier visits; she had a small stack of books on the end table to the left. A quilt rested at the end of the hospital bed, at the moment unused but probably helpful considering the currently-chilly nights on the island. The window was open, letting in light and fresh air from outside.
Ana herself looked considerably better; her hair had clearly been recently washed; it was still wet, braided over one shoulder of her hospital gown. There were still dark circles under her eyes, and she still looked somehow too small and fragile, hooked up to the machines she was, but her hands were steady as she wrote, and she seemed to be feeling a little lighter than before. The smile she wore when Cyrilla entered was genuine, if a bit thin.
“Come on in, Cy, Kenshin,” she said, the hospital bracelet on her wrist rustling as she gestured with the hand it was attached to. She spotted the flowers immediately; her smile inched a little wider. “Oh, those are lovely. Are they for me?”
"They are, actually," Cyrilla responded, setting the flowers down on the table nearest to her. "Kenshin helped pick some of them out," she mentioned, pointing to one of the blue flowers in the vase. She smiled somewhat and took a seat in the chair. "It's good that you're doing better," she spoke, nodding her head in Ana's direction. She was looking better, if only slightly. It was better than the other option, that was for sure.
I don't know much about flower culture as the two of you, but the blue one was nice enough, Kenshin replied to her earlier statement. He stared at Ana for a second before making his way to stand next to her other side. Are they going to release you soon? he asked. Cyrilla wanted to know that, too, but she also wasn't going to ask quite yet.
"Eryk said that you'd probably be better by the end of the week. There's still a few more days, Kenshin," she replied shaking her head at him. He merely shrugged his shoulders.
Well, if that's the case, you could at least give her some good news. How about it Ana, do you want to hear good news? he stated, glancing towards her. Cyrilla was confused for a second as to what he meant by that. The smirk on his face, however, immediately made her cough awkwardly into her hand. Good news, maybe, if that's what he thought.
Glancing down at the papers in front of her, Ana gathered them together, tapping the bottoms against the table to neaten the stack. Setting them to the side, she folded her hands on the tray table, tilting her head and glancing between Kenshin and Cyrilla with a curious expression on her face. “Well… if my recovery continues to go well, I should be out at the end of the week. Provided… well, the fainting was stress-induced, so I should probably stay away from more stress.” Everyone present knew what that meant, of course.
She smiled, then. “But if you have good news, I’d love to hear it. It’d be a nice change of pace, I think.”
Kenshin grinned, perhaps a little too widely for a lucario. His teeth were showing somewhat, and Cyrilla pursed her lips together. Can I tell her? he asked, and it almost sounded like he was pleading with her. She wasn't sure how to take it, actually, so she just nodded a little dumbly. She knew she did that because she could feel the way she did it. Kenshin's grin widened as he turned to face Ana.
Well, you know the predicament with Lukas, right? They have figured out a way around it, he spoke without elaborating. He turned towards Cyrilla, though, and gave her a look that said 'finish it'. Cyrilla blinked slowly and shook her head. Kenshin really was a jerk when he wanted to be. She didn't know where he got it from, but if she ever found out, she was going to be mad at them.
"I, um, I'm going to, um," she began, barely able to get the words out. Why was it so embarrassing just to say that? She fidgeted in her spot for a second, before taking a deep breath to steady herself. "They can't force me to marry Lukas if I'm already married, so," she began, glancing up at Ana. "When you're better, I'll uh, be fake-marrying Kas?" she didn't know how else to state it, and it felt more like a question than a statement. "O-Only until this whole thing blows over, of course," she added a little quickly.
"We'll get it annulled afterwards," she continued. Kenshin was laughing at this point. Apparently he found the whole thing amusing.
I do, actually.
Whatever she’d been thinking the good news might be, Ana clearly had not been expecting that. Her eyes widened until they were round and saucer-like; her lips parted as though she wanted to say something, but no sound came out. It took her a couple of tries to say anything at all actually. “You’re… you and Kas are getting married?”
The tone of her voice wasn’t so much incredulous as outright astonished.
"I mean, not actually getting married," though technically they were. "It's just until they back off and leave. They can't marry me to someone if I'm already married, and Kas... said he'd help," she tried to clarify. Eryk and Ana could have helped, too, but she supposed he was right about the reasons as to why they really couldn't. That had left Kas as the only other option, really.
"It's more like a temporary situation. Kas and I get married for the week, and once they're gone, we'll get a... divorce. It's all fake, so there's nothing else going on between that. I mean, I... yeah," she didn't know what else to say, and she glanced away from Ana for a second.
I'm sure you'd like to attend their fake-marriage, so that's why they're waiting for you to get better, Kenshin added. He really wasn't making things better, was he?
Ana looked contemplative at that point; her lips compressed into a thinner line. “Maybe I shouldn’t say this,” she said quietly. “But no marriage is fake, Cy. You might not be… you might not act like a couple or anything, but… it’s going to be a matter of public record, forever. Even if you do get divorced a week later. You will… have been married to Kas.”
Her eyes were sympathetic and soft. “I know you’re trying not to make a big deal out of it, and I’m sure he’s trying to minimize it for you, too, so it’ll be easier to think about. But… are you really going to be okay with this? Being married to someone you love, and then… having to undo that? To act like it doesn’t mean anything to you?” She shook her head minutely. “I’m probably not helping, and I’m sorry. I just… I don’t want you to get hurt, and I think… I think this might hurt you if you’re not careful.”
Cyrilla sighed softly. She had thought about that, and really, it would hurt just a bit. She wasn't going to lie and say it wouldn't, because it would. It would hurt really badly, but that was a sort of pain she would rather deal with than marry someone she didn't love. She despised Lukas, and she'd rather not have to marry him and, eventually, provide him with a family. She shuddered at that thought. It wasn't an ideal situation, at all. Public record or not, she would rather deal with that, then have to go through with the marriage to Lukas.
"It's not that it doesn't mean anything to me. It means everything to me, actually. I just," she paused, sucking in a deep breath. "It's going to hurt me either way," she confessed a little softly. "But I would rather take the pain that comes with marrying Kas, and then divorcing him than to take the pain of marrying Lukas. I would... it would kill me," probably not literally, but it would. If she married Lukas, it would kill her somehow, she was sure of it.
"And... maybe, just maybe," she paused a little unsure of herself. Should she say it? Should she not? She sighed. "Just maybe I can actually tell him after everything is said and done. After the divorce, because it wouldn't be fair to tell him any sooner than that," she answered honestly. Kenshin was oddly quiet, but she took that as a sign that he didn't have anything to say.
Ana nodded. “I understand why you’re choosing what you are. In your position, I think… I think I’d do the same. It’s probably better to choose the slim chance of happiness than the guaranteed misery, right?” She smiled like she knew exactly what that kind of choice was like, then shrugged.
“Who knows? Maybe it… maybe it’ll make a difference, for one or both of you.”
"Maybe, but it's a chance I'm willing to take," she replied, smiling somewhat. "So, that means you're coming, right?" she spoke, trying to make light of the situation. "Because Kenshin would make a horrible fake bridesmaid," she stated, earning a short snort from him.
I have no idea what you're talking about. I'd make a good one, he chided back, earning a soft snort.
Ana grinned. “We can both be your fake bridesmaids,” she declared. “I’ve never actually been to a wedding before—not even a courthouse one. And since you’re doing it before Kas’s sister’s, yours will be my first.” She seemed amused by this, but then her eyes became a little more solemn.
“I’ll sign your real paperwork, too. As a witness. They’ll never be able to make me say it didn’t happen, I can promise you that.”
"Thanks Ana. I'm not sure how Kenshin would look in a dress, though," she spoke, laughing at the flat look he gave her. She shook her head, though.
I don't need a dress. I have my bow tie, he sounded a little serious about that. Cyrilla snickered softly.
"I see you're already getting flowers for our wedding," a voice called out, causing Cyrilla to stop in her tracks and tense. She turned to glance over her shoulder, and spotted Lukas only a few feet away. His arms were folded over his chest, and he looked a little too casual in his stance. Cyrilla merely allowed the smile on her face to pull into a flat line. Pursing her lips together, she turned away from him and kept walking. She couldn't take him towards the hospital, though. She would have to make a detour, or she'd have to do something else. "Oh come on, don't be like that. I know its not ideal, but at least you'll be married to me," he sounded so smug, as if being married to him would be better. Kenshin made a low grumbling sound, almost like he was growling.
"I'm not marrying you, Lukas. There's nothing you can say or do that would convince me otherwise," she spoke in a flat tone. Apparently he didn't like the way she said it because he took hold of her arm. She hadn't realized he had caught up, but then again it didn't really surprise her. He was tall, and his legs were longer. She glared at him, though. "If you don't release me, Lukas," she began.
"You'll what? Face it Cyrilla, you couldn't do anything to me even if you wanted. Although, I wouldn't mind if you did something," he spoke, leaning forward a little too closely. Cyrilla's eyes widened at the realization of what he was about to do, and immediately jerked forward, headbutting him in the face. "What the hell!?" he screamed, holding his nose. It was probably bleeding, but Cyrilla didn't particularly care. Her head was spinning a bit, and it hurt.
"Snow, Ice Beam," she managed to say. Snow seemed all too happy to oblige and froze Lukas's feet to the ground. "If you'll excuse me, I have somewhere to be," she spoke, leaving him to his fate. Kenshin looked highly amused by the ordeal, but Cyrilla was regretting that decision. She'd headbutted Lukas, and now she was getting a slight headache. She rubbed her head absentmindedly.
I must say, I wasn't expecting that, Kenshin spoke, the amusement in his voice coming through. You should have done that to begin with. Maybe now he'll get the point, he continued. Cyrilla smiled a little to herself. It's not like she'd have to worry about it much longer, anyway. She was going to fake-marry Kas, and then the whole ordeal would be over and done with. And then, she'd get the marriage annulled with him as soon as Marah and Lukas left. She sighed at that.
"Yeah, well Lukas has too much pride to say a girl did that to him. For now, I'm trying to go visit Ana, so," she replied, causing Kenshin to shake his head. She smiled at him. It did feel good to do that, though. "And I did kind of enjoy that," she added, earning a short bark of laughter from Kenshin.
I think Snow did, too, he spoke, glancing to said ninetales. She looked smug about it, her head held high and a slight shine in her eyes. She was walking a little more straighter, too. Cyrilla shook her head, and laughed lightly at them. It didn't take them long to reach the hospital and to find Ana's room. The door was closed and she paused by it. She had recalled Snow into her pokéball earlier since they would only allow Kenshin to go in with her. Probably because he was more or less a bipedal pokémon. That or something else. She didn't particularly care. Eryk wasn't here, she knew that, though. He went by the base earlier in the morning but he'd left shortly after. He said something about going to Ana's shelter to make sure the pokémon were doing okay. She smiled somewhat. He could be sweet when he wanted to be, she supposed. Taking a deep breath, she pushed open Ana's door, and stepped inside.
"Ana?" she called out hesitantly, just in case she was asleep.
It seemed she was very much awake, though. Ana sat in her hospital bed, a tray table pulled over her lap. There were several documents on it; she seemed to be filling them out. The hospital room had gotten a little less spartan since Cyrilla’s earlier visits; she had a small stack of books on the end table to the left. A quilt rested at the end of the hospital bed, at the moment unused but probably helpful considering the currently-chilly nights on the island. The window was open, letting in light and fresh air from outside.
Ana herself looked considerably better; her hair had clearly been recently washed; it was still wet, braided over one shoulder of her hospital gown. There were still dark circles under her eyes, and she still looked somehow too small and fragile, hooked up to the machines she was, but her hands were steady as she wrote, and she seemed to be feeling a little lighter than before. The smile she wore when Cyrilla entered was genuine, if a bit thin.
“Come on in, Cy, Kenshin,” she said, the hospital bracelet on her wrist rustling as she gestured with the hand it was attached to. She spotted the flowers immediately; her smile inched a little wider. “Oh, those are lovely. Are they for me?”
"They are, actually," Cyrilla responded, setting the flowers down on the table nearest to her. "Kenshin helped pick some of them out," she mentioned, pointing to one of the blue flowers in the vase. She smiled somewhat and took a seat in the chair. "It's good that you're doing better," she spoke, nodding her head in Ana's direction. She was looking better, if only slightly. It was better than the other option, that was for sure.
I don't know much about flower culture as the two of you, but the blue one was nice enough, Kenshin replied to her earlier statement. He stared at Ana for a second before making his way to stand next to her other side. Are they going to release you soon? he asked. Cyrilla wanted to know that, too, but she also wasn't going to ask quite yet.
"Eryk said that you'd probably be better by the end of the week. There's still a few more days, Kenshin," she replied shaking her head at him. He merely shrugged his shoulders.
Well, if that's the case, you could at least give her some good news. How about it Ana, do you want to hear good news? he stated, glancing towards her. Cyrilla was confused for a second as to what he meant by that. The smirk on his face, however, immediately made her cough awkwardly into her hand. Good news, maybe, if that's what he thought.
Glancing down at the papers in front of her, Ana gathered them together, tapping the bottoms against the table to neaten the stack. Setting them to the side, she folded her hands on the tray table, tilting her head and glancing between Kenshin and Cyrilla with a curious expression on her face. “Well… if my recovery continues to go well, I should be out at the end of the week. Provided… well, the fainting was stress-induced, so I should probably stay away from more stress.” Everyone present knew what that meant, of course.
She smiled, then. “But if you have good news, I’d love to hear it. It’d be a nice change of pace, I think.”
Kenshin grinned, perhaps a little too widely for a lucario. His teeth were showing somewhat, and Cyrilla pursed her lips together. Can I tell her? he asked, and it almost sounded like he was pleading with her. She wasn't sure how to take it, actually, so she just nodded a little dumbly. She knew she did that because she could feel the way she did it. Kenshin's grin widened as he turned to face Ana.
Well, you know the predicament with Lukas, right? They have figured out a way around it, he spoke without elaborating. He turned towards Cyrilla, though, and gave her a look that said 'finish it'. Cyrilla blinked slowly and shook her head. Kenshin really was a jerk when he wanted to be. She didn't know where he got it from, but if she ever found out, she was going to be mad at them.
"I, um, I'm going to, um," she began, barely able to get the words out. Why was it so embarrassing just to say that? She fidgeted in her spot for a second, before taking a deep breath to steady herself. "They can't force me to marry Lukas if I'm already married, so," she began, glancing up at Ana. "When you're better, I'll uh, be fake-marrying Kas?" she didn't know how else to state it, and it felt more like a question than a statement. "O-Only until this whole thing blows over, of course," she added a little quickly.
"We'll get it annulled afterwards," she continued. Kenshin was laughing at this point. Apparently he found the whole thing amusing.
I do, actually.
Whatever she’d been thinking the good news might be, Ana clearly had not been expecting that. Her eyes widened until they were round and saucer-like; her lips parted as though she wanted to say something, but no sound came out. It took her a couple of tries to say anything at all actually. “You’re… you and Kas are getting married?”
The tone of her voice wasn’t so much incredulous as outright astonished.
"I mean, not actually getting married," though technically they were. "It's just until they back off and leave. They can't marry me to someone if I'm already married, and Kas... said he'd help," she tried to clarify. Eryk and Ana could have helped, too, but she supposed he was right about the reasons as to why they really couldn't. That had left Kas as the only other option, really.
"It's more like a temporary situation. Kas and I get married for the week, and once they're gone, we'll get a... divorce. It's all fake, so there's nothing else going on between that. I mean, I... yeah," she didn't know what else to say, and she glanced away from Ana for a second.
I'm sure you'd like to attend their fake-marriage, so that's why they're waiting for you to get better, Kenshin added. He really wasn't making things better, was he?
Ana looked contemplative at that point; her lips compressed into a thinner line. “Maybe I shouldn’t say this,” she said quietly. “But no marriage is fake, Cy. You might not be… you might not act like a couple or anything, but… it’s going to be a matter of public record, forever. Even if you do get divorced a week later. You will… have been married to Kas.”
Her eyes were sympathetic and soft. “I know you’re trying not to make a big deal out of it, and I’m sure he’s trying to minimize it for you, too, so it’ll be easier to think about. But… are you really going to be okay with this? Being married to someone you love, and then… having to undo that? To act like it doesn’t mean anything to you?” She shook her head minutely. “I’m probably not helping, and I’m sorry. I just… I don’t want you to get hurt, and I think… I think this might hurt you if you’re not careful.”
Cyrilla sighed softly. She had thought about that, and really, it would hurt just a bit. She wasn't going to lie and say it wouldn't, because it would. It would hurt really badly, but that was a sort of pain she would rather deal with than marry someone she didn't love. She despised Lukas, and she'd rather not have to marry him and, eventually, provide him with a family. She shuddered at that thought. It wasn't an ideal situation, at all. Public record or not, she would rather deal with that, then have to go through with the marriage to Lukas.
"It's not that it doesn't mean anything to me. It means everything to me, actually. I just," she paused, sucking in a deep breath. "It's going to hurt me either way," she confessed a little softly. "But I would rather take the pain that comes with marrying Kas, and then divorcing him than to take the pain of marrying Lukas. I would... it would kill me," probably not literally, but it would. If she married Lukas, it would kill her somehow, she was sure of it.
"And... maybe, just maybe," she paused a little unsure of herself. Should she say it? Should she not? She sighed. "Just maybe I can actually tell him after everything is said and done. After the divorce, because it wouldn't be fair to tell him any sooner than that," she answered honestly. Kenshin was oddly quiet, but she took that as a sign that he didn't have anything to say.
Ana nodded. “I understand why you’re choosing what you are. In your position, I think… I think I’d do the same. It’s probably better to choose the slim chance of happiness than the guaranteed misery, right?” She smiled like she knew exactly what that kind of choice was like, then shrugged.
“Who knows? Maybe it… maybe it’ll make a difference, for one or both of you.”
"Maybe, but it's a chance I'm willing to take," she replied, smiling somewhat. "So, that means you're coming, right?" she spoke, trying to make light of the situation. "Because Kenshin would make a horrible fake bridesmaid," she stated, earning a short snort from him.
I have no idea what you're talking about. I'd make a good one, he chided back, earning a soft snort.
Ana grinned. “We can both be your fake bridesmaids,” she declared. “I’ve never actually been to a wedding before—not even a courthouse one. And since you’re doing it before Kas’s sister’s, yours will be my first.” She seemed amused by this, but then her eyes became a little more solemn.
“I’ll sign your real paperwork, too. As a witness. They’ll never be able to make me say it didn’t happen, I can promise you that.”
"Thanks Ana. I'm not sure how Kenshin would look in a dress, though," she spoke, laughing at the flat look he gave her. She shook her head, though.
I don't need a dress. I have my bow tie, he sounded a little serious about that. Cyrilla snickered softly.
It was quite a day for a wedding, Ana supposed.
Though it was still February, the day was a little warmer, approaching springlike temperatures, which on the island were quite warm. She’d been released from the hospital only yesterday, but when the others had expressed caution about holding the ceremony so soon after, she’d put her foot down. They didn’t have a long time left before Cy and Eryk’s family left; they could spring a departure on them any day now, and Cyrilla would be expected to go with.
The trap had to be in place by then, so to speak, so today it was.
Cy was already over at her house; they had to do the limited preparations somewhere they wouldn’t be seen; if the event was stopped before it even started, there was no telling what could happen. Of course, in effect, it was just the four of them—plus Kenshin, of course—going down to the courthouse to sign some forms, but Ana had spoken to Cinnabar Island’s only judge after her release yesterday, and arranged for at least a few ceremonial touches. Apparently, doing so wasn’t that unusual; he seemed willing enough to go along with her ideas.
And… whether your marriage was for a strategic purpose or not, it was still a wedding, sort of, so she wanted to make sure Cyrilla had at least a few nice memories from it, even if it wasn’t a big fancy thing like it could be.
“I know it’s not the right color for a wedding, or fancy enough, but… I just thought you might like to wear it anyway.” She held up the deep green kimono with its gold trim, pushing it forward a little so Cy could inspect the fabric.
Ana didn’t own anything this fancy, but her aunt had been happy to give it to her—it no longer fit her, so it wasn’t doing much good in her closet anyway. With a little bit of creativity, they could get it to fit Cy just fine. Plus… Ana knew that green was actually Kas’s favorite color.
She wasn’t usually the plotting type, but she could be a little bit sneaky when she wanted to.
Cyrilla stared at the kimono for a second and nodded her head. "Considering this isn't exactly a formal wedding," she began, smiling just a tad bit. "I think the color's nice. I mean, it's not supposed to be fancy, or anything like that," she continued, taking the kimono from Ana's hands.
"I didn't have anything, either, so I'm glad you had this, at least. Um, also," she paused slightly, glancing around for a second. "I'm kind of nervous, and I don't want to sound childish at all, but," she spoke, a little too fast, actually. "Could you... hold my hand until we get there. I don't think I'll be able to stop shaking unless I have something to ground me," she laughed nervously.
I think she's basically asking the equivalent of you walking her down the metaphorical isle, Ana, Kenshin spoke, his face a little flat as he did so. Cyrilla shrugged slightly.
"I need to steel my nerves, you know. I think holding on to someone will help," she spoke, trying to justify her means.
Ana huffed a short little laugh, but she nodded. “Of course I will, Cy.” She could understand it, really; whether or not it was a “fake” wedding, it was still kind of a big deal. Cy hadn’t ever been married before, and the person she was marrying was someone she loved. Next to that, the other circumstances didn’t matter so much, and her nervousness seemed perfectly justified to Ana.
“You go ahead and get changed; I’ll be right back to help you with your obi and stuff.” She left Cy in the bedroom, shutting the door behind her and heading for the stairs. At the top, she paused, leaning her hand on the wall and taking in a few deep breaths. It was a little difficult to move around so much, still; her doctor had told her to take it easy. But as long as she didn’t push herself too hard, she’d be okay.
Taking the stairs a little slower than she usually would have, she exited the house through the backdoor, entering her garden with a soft sigh. Winter was still plenty warm to grow certain kinds of flower, and a few of the plants were in full bloom at the moment. Making a beeline for the honeywort cluster, Ana cut a few of the blooms from their stalks, arranging the dark purplish flowers into a single cluster. Back in the kitchen, she stuck them together with a hairpin, then slid them onto the end of another. Fluffing the petals carefully with a hand, she made sure they’d stay in place before heading back up to her bedroom.
“How are you doing with the kimono, Cy?” she asked, entering on quiet feet.
"I've got it mostly on," she answered. It wouldn't be too hard for her to put on a kimono by herself. Both of them had worn something similar during the Camilla Festival, after all. She stepped out of the bathroom, though, fully dressed, though it did hang a little loosely. She'd managed to get it mostly on, but it still needed the obi to keep it in place.
"How does it look so far?" she stated, moving a bit to fluff out the kimono a bit. She glanced towards Ana and smiled.
“It’s really beautiful,” she said honestly. Frankly, Cy could wear a potato sack and still look pretty, so it hardly mattered in that sense. But the rich color was nice on her, a striking contrast with the color of her hair and skin. “Here, let me help with the obi.” It was a bit fancier than the one on a standard yukata—she’d made sure to ask Aunt Joy how to tie it yesterday, and practiced until she was sure she could do it here.
Setting the pin down on the bed for now, she too up the heavy silk that made up the obi, setting it over her shoulder while she tugged a few parts of the kimono into better places. Once everything was neatened up, she tied on the obi in layers—the lower one was silver, but the upper one was gold, matching the embroidery at the hem and sleeves of the garment. It wasn’t a wedding kimono by any means, but it was pretty anyhow, and who cared about the rest.
“There.” Ana stepped back, walking a small circle around Cy to make sure everything was in place, then nodded. Retrieving the hairpin from the bed, she handed it to her friend. “I thought this might look nice in your hair. It’s not much, but consider it a fake wedding gift, okay?” She smiled.
Kenshin snickered in the back, but Cyrilla took the hairpin and smiled at Ana. "Thanks Ana," she spoke, taking the pin and placing it in her hair. It was an easy placement considering that her hair was in a bun with a single braid on the side. It wasn't as long as it used to be, but it was long enough now, to do that much. She tilted her head to the side, and grinned.
"Alright, that's in, the kimono is on. I feel like I'm missing something," she spoke, glancing towards Ana in confused expression. "I don't think I'm missing anything," she continued, pursing her lips together.
Then if you're not missing anything, shouldn't we be going? Kenshin spoke. Cyrilla shook her head, and sighed.
"Well, I suppose so. What do you think, Ana? Am I missing something or am I just that nervous?" she questioned, chuckling nervously.
“I think you’re probably just nervous,” Ana said with a small smile. “But that’s okay. Don’t forget we’re all here with you.” She smoothed her own outfit—it was nothing too fancy, just a pale blue sundress that hit her slightly below the knee—and reached out, taking one of Cy’s hands.
“Now let’s go get you married, huh?”
"Yeah, let's go get married," she spoke, causing Kenshin to laugh a bit. "Not one word Kenshin, or I'll take back the bow tie you're wearing," she spoke, causing Kenshin to look a little mortified. He even covered his bow tie, somewhat, with his paw.
You wouldn't, he replied. She only smiled at him when he spoke, as if saying she would. He grumbled somewhat and left, probably to go outside to wait for them. Cyrilla took Ana's hand and gave it a light squeeze. She took in a deep breath before they both left Ana's house. They had taken a discreet road to the courthouse, one that wasn't likely to have Marah or Lukas on it. It was good that they did, considering what could happen if one of them appeared. Once they'd reached the courthouse, they were greeted by Eryk.
"Ana, Cyrilla," he spoke, nodding his head towards them. He raised a brow in their direction, glancing at their locked hands. He smirked just a tiny bit. "Nervous?" he spoke, and Cyrilla nodded her head. "Don't be. We should go inside, Kas is in there," he spoke, nodding his head in the direction of the door.
“It’s going to be okay,” Ana confirmed, giving Cy’s hand a little squeeze.
Hopefully, possibly, it would even be more than okay, but Ana was keeping her thoughts on that matter to herself for the moment. They’d see what happened with respect to that. The important part right now was to enter discreetly and get things squared away.
Reaching forward, Ana pulled open the courthouse door, letting Eryk and Cy enter in frnt of her, but not letting go of her friend’s hand.
Though it was still February, the day was a little warmer, approaching springlike temperatures, which on the island were quite warm. She’d been released from the hospital only yesterday, but when the others had expressed caution about holding the ceremony so soon after, she’d put her foot down. They didn’t have a long time left before Cy and Eryk’s family left; they could spring a departure on them any day now, and Cyrilla would be expected to go with.
The trap had to be in place by then, so to speak, so today it was.
Cy was already over at her house; they had to do the limited preparations somewhere they wouldn’t be seen; if the event was stopped before it even started, there was no telling what could happen. Of course, in effect, it was just the four of them—plus Kenshin, of course—going down to the courthouse to sign some forms, but Ana had spoken to Cinnabar Island’s only judge after her release yesterday, and arranged for at least a few ceremonial touches. Apparently, doing so wasn’t that unusual; he seemed willing enough to go along with her ideas.
And… whether your marriage was for a strategic purpose or not, it was still a wedding, sort of, so she wanted to make sure Cyrilla had at least a few nice memories from it, even if it wasn’t a big fancy thing like it could be.
“I know it’s not the right color for a wedding, or fancy enough, but… I just thought you might like to wear it anyway.” She held up the deep green kimono with its gold trim, pushing it forward a little so Cy could inspect the fabric.
Ana didn’t own anything this fancy, but her aunt had been happy to give it to her—it no longer fit her, so it wasn’t doing much good in her closet anyway. With a little bit of creativity, they could get it to fit Cy just fine. Plus… Ana knew that green was actually Kas’s favorite color.
She wasn’t usually the plotting type, but she could be a little bit sneaky when she wanted to.
Cyrilla stared at the kimono for a second and nodded her head. "Considering this isn't exactly a formal wedding," she began, smiling just a tad bit. "I think the color's nice. I mean, it's not supposed to be fancy, or anything like that," she continued, taking the kimono from Ana's hands.
"I didn't have anything, either, so I'm glad you had this, at least. Um, also," she paused slightly, glancing around for a second. "I'm kind of nervous, and I don't want to sound childish at all, but," she spoke, a little too fast, actually. "Could you... hold my hand until we get there. I don't think I'll be able to stop shaking unless I have something to ground me," she laughed nervously.
I think she's basically asking the equivalent of you walking her down the metaphorical isle, Ana, Kenshin spoke, his face a little flat as he did so. Cyrilla shrugged slightly.
"I need to steel my nerves, you know. I think holding on to someone will help," she spoke, trying to justify her means.
Ana huffed a short little laugh, but she nodded. “Of course I will, Cy.” She could understand it, really; whether or not it was a “fake” wedding, it was still kind of a big deal. Cy hadn’t ever been married before, and the person she was marrying was someone she loved. Next to that, the other circumstances didn’t matter so much, and her nervousness seemed perfectly justified to Ana.
“You go ahead and get changed; I’ll be right back to help you with your obi and stuff.” She left Cy in the bedroom, shutting the door behind her and heading for the stairs. At the top, she paused, leaning her hand on the wall and taking in a few deep breaths. It was a little difficult to move around so much, still; her doctor had told her to take it easy. But as long as she didn’t push herself too hard, she’d be okay.
Taking the stairs a little slower than she usually would have, she exited the house through the backdoor, entering her garden with a soft sigh. Winter was still plenty warm to grow certain kinds of flower, and a few of the plants were in full bloom at the moment. Making a beeline for the honeywort cluster, Ana cut a few of the blooms from their stalks, arranging the dark purplish flowers into a single cluster. Back in the kitchen, she stuck them together with a hairpin, then slid them onto the end of another. Fluffing the petals carefully with a hand, she made sure they’d stay in place before heading back up to her bedroom.
“How are you doing with the kimono, Cy?” she asked, entering on quiet feet.
"I've got it mostly on," she answered. It wouldn't be too hard for her to put on a kimono by herself. Both of them had worn something similar during the Camilla Festival, after all. She stepped out of the bathroom, though, fully dressed, though it did hang a little loosely. She'd managed to get it mostly on, but it still needed the obi to keep it in place.
"How does it look so far?" she stated, moving a bit to fluff out the kimono a bit. She glanced towards Ana and smiled.
“It’s really beautiful,” she said honestly. Frankly, Cy could wear a potato sack and still look pretty, so it hardly mattered in that sense. But the rich color was nice on her, a striking contrast with the color of her hair and skin. “Here, let me help with the obi.” It was a bit fancier than the one on a standard yukata—she’d made sure to ask Aunt Joy how to tie it yesterday, and practiced until she was sure she could do it here.
Setting the pin down on the bed for now, she too up the heavy silk that made up the obi, setting it over her shoulder while she tugged a few parts of the kimono into better places. Once everything was neatened up, she tied on the obi in layers—the lower one was silver, but the upper one was gold, matching the embroidery at the hem and sleeves of the garment. It wasn’t a wedding kimono by any means, but it was pretty anyhow, and who cared about the rest.
“There.” Ana stepped back, walking a small circle around Cy to make sure everything was in place, then nodded. Retrieving the hairpin from the bed, she handed it to her friend. “I thought this might look nice in your hair. It’s not much, but consider it a fake wedding gift, okay?” She smiled.
Kenshin snickered in the back, but Cyrilla took the hairpin and smiled at Ana. "Thanks Ana," she spoke, taking the pin and placing it in her hair. It was an easy placement considering that her hair was in a bun with a single braid on the side. It wasn't as long as it used to be, but it was long enough now, to do that much. She tilted her head to the side, and grinned.
"Alright, that's in, the kimono is on. I feel like I'm missing something," she spoke, glancing towards Ana in confused expression. "I don't think I'm missing anything," she continued, pursing her lips together.
Then if you're not missing anything, shouldn't we be going? Kenshin spoke. Cyrilla shook her head, and sighed.
"Well, I suppose so. What do you think, Ana? Am I missing something or am I just that nervous?" she questioned, chuckling nervously.
“I think you’re probably just nervous,” Ana said with a small smile. “But that’s okay. Don’t forget we’re all here with you.” She smoothed her own outfit—it was nothing too fancy, just a pale blue sundress that hit her slightly below the knee—and reached out, taking one of Cy’s hands.
“Now let’s go get you married, huh?”
"Yeah, let's go get married," she spoke, causing Kenshin to laugh a bit. "Not one word Kenshin, or I'll take back the bow tie you're wearing," she spoke, causing Kenshin to look a little mortified. He even covered his bow tie, somewhat, with his paw.
You wouldn't, he replied. She only smiled at him when he spoke, as if saying she would. He grumbled somewhat and left, probably to go outside to wait for them. Cyrilla took Ana's hand and gave it a light squeeze. She took in a deep breath before they both left Ana's house. They had taken a discreet road to the courthouse, one that wasn't likely to have Marah or Lukas on it. It was good that they did, considering what could happen if one of them appeared. Once they'd reached the courthouse, they were greeted by Eryk.
"Ana, Cyrilla," he spoke, nodding his head towards them. He raised a brow in their direction, glancing at their locked hands. He smirked just a tiny bit. "Nervous?" he spoke, and Cyrilla nodded her head. "Don't be. We should go inside, Kas is in there," he spoke, nodding his head in the direction of the door.
“It’s going to be okay,” Ana confirmed, giving Cy’s hand a little squeeze.
Hopefully, possibly, it would even be more than okay, but Ana was keeping her thoughts on that matter to herself for the moment. They’d see what happened with respect to that. The important part right now was to enter discreetly and get things squared away.
Reaching forward, Ana pulled open the courthouse door, letting Eryk and Cy enter in frnt of her, but not letting go of her friend’s hand.
Cyrilla was certain Ana could feel her palms getting a little sweaty. She'd tried not to allow her nerves to get the best of her, but she couldn't exactly keep it together. She was nervous. Fake or not, this was actually a big, big, deal for her. She was marrying Kas. Fake or not, she would be his wife, legally for a few days. For a moment, her breath hitched in her throat a moment, and she tried to catch it. Taking a deep breath, she let it go slowly, making her way with Ana and Eryk to the room they needed. Once they were there, Ryk led them through the door. She blinked slowly. Somehow, Kenshin had managed to get a head of them, and was already standing with Kas, off to the side.
"Kas," Eryk called out to him, probably to let him know they arrived. She took another deep breath, and forced herself to glance up at him.
"Kas," she greeted, but found it suddenly harder to speak. She did her best to smile, and managed to put one on. "Are... you ready?" she asked. There was still time for him to back out, to say he didn't want to do it, and she wouldn't be any less upset about it. This decision, it was his to make, and he didn't have to do this for her. Even if it was only for a few days, she didn't want him to do anything he'd regret later on. She wouldn't regret it, of that she was certain.
He was apparently in conversation with someone who might have been a lawyer, but at their entrance, he glanced up, a smile tugging at one corner of his mouth. He wore a different suit than he had in Saffron, but it was still a suit; the blazer and slacks were both black; the shirt underneath was black as well, but his tie was white.
If anything, he looked a little surprised—perhaps at the fact that she was wearing a formal kimono—but when she spoke, he nodded. “I’m still in if you’re still in,” he said; the tone of his voice was gentle—kind, might be the right word. Kas was kind often enough, but he didn’t usually sound like it.
“The judge is ready for you when you want to go in,” the woman he’d been talking to said, smiling at all of them. “And congratulations.”
“Thank you,” he said, like the whole thing was real. But of course it was important to act like it was. He didn’t seem even a bit nervous, unlike her. “Ana, if I may?” He raised an eyebrow, and Ana nodded.
She released Cyrilla’s hand, allowing Kas to take it up himself. His was warm and dry; he shifted his grip so that their fingers laced together. “Let’s go sign ourselves some paperwork, shall we?”
"Y-Yeah," she responded, glancing down for a second. Her fingers curled a little round his hand, and it was strangely harder to look at him now. He looked... handsome seemed too gentle of a word to use for the moment, but it was the only one she could think of at the moment. "You look nice, Kas," but then again, he always looked nice. Even in his stupid hawaiian shirts and brightly colored ones. She smiled a little wider at that thought.
Kas smiled, shaking his head slightly. He met her eyes, though, with a little more seriousness. “And you’re beautiful,” he told her, quietly enough that the others probably didn’t quite catch the words. It was a different sort of compliment from the one she’d given him—the way he said it seemed like it didn’t have anything to do with how she looked today specifically.
Once they entered, Cyrilla managed to glance at the others. They had departed somewhat to the sides, or at least Eryk had. He was standing so that he was on Kas's side, but standing a little bit aways. Ana looked to have mirrored him on the other side; she gave Cy a reassuring smile.
Kenshin had opted to walk with them, though, probably because he was holding the rings. Not that they were important, but they would be useful for visual purposes. She glanced up, and suddenly, she was standing at the podium where the judge was. He was, perhaps, in his early to mid fifties. He still had salt and pepper hair. There was a set of papers in front of him, and she was slightly glad that that's all they would be doing. At least that's what she thought. Courthouse marriages just required a witness, signing the papers, the fees to cover the certificate, and that was about it. Of course, pictures could be taken and everything else in between, but they didn't need anything like a formal ceremony, right?
The judge gave them both a friendly smile when they entered; it was easy to tell they were the ones getting married, probably. “Good afternoon. I’m Judge Halwell; I’ll be officiating today. If you both don’t mind joining me up here, we’ve got a few basic things to sort through first, and then of course all the bit of paper to sign.”
Kas nodded; the two of them approached the bench. It was raised slightly off the ground, but there was a table close by where they’d be able to sign the documents themselves.
“All right,” the judge said. “Your license application here says that you’re Kasimir Rheinallt and Cyrilla Niav, and you’ll both be keeping your names?”
“Yes, Your Honor,” Kas replied, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.
“Good, good. Can I see your identifications, please?” Kas produced his from a pocket and handed it over. The judge lifted his glasses a little to check it, then handed it back and took Cyrilla’s from her. Once that was done, too, he removed a sheet of paper from his stack; it looked to be the official license.
“Well, then; would you like to exchange your rings and say a few words? I believe we have some with your friends over there, yes?”
Oh Arceus. She didn't think that far ahead. She didn't think she'd have to say anything at all. She could hear her heart beating a little faster, and for a moment, it was the only thing she could hear. She glanced over towards Kenshin, who held the rings up. She glanced back towards the judge and smiled a little softly.
"Oh, yes of course," she finally stated, motioning for Kenshin to bring the rings forward. He did, and Cyrilla grabbed the one she'd be giving to Kas. She paused for a moment, glancing at the judge, and then towards Kas. This was a little more difficult than she thought it would be, but she couldn't exactly back out now. She supposed, even if she did say some things that she meant, he wouldn't take it that way. This was, after all, fake. That didn't mean she had to fake what she felt, though. That was all too real for her. Perhaps that was the only reason why it would be convincing enough, or at least she hoped.
"I've never been particularly good with words, but I hope what I say will do it justice," she began, offering Kas a smile. She lifted his hand, large in her own, and slipped the ring on. "With this, I promise, always, to love you. No matter what may come our way, I will always hold you near and dear," she spoke, feeling the heat on her face. She was glad it was just that, and not the fact that she was close to blushing. She knew she was. She cleared her throat awkwardly, afterwards.
Kas was still smiling, but there was something almost a little sad about it. He shifted their grip on each other so that he was holding her hand properly in his; with his second, he slipped the gold band onto her ring finger. “I promise,” he said quietly, keeping his eyes on her hand, “that I will always cherish you. That no matter what circumstances we find ourselves in, what trials may await us, I will do everything within my power to make you happy, and keep you safe. That there will never come a day when you are not in my heart.”
He hadn’t said he loved her. But… maybe that meant that what he was saying was true.
“A good marriage changes both of the people involved in a way that cannot be undone,” the judge said. The words sounded like part of an official speech, but the way he delivered them made them seem personal, too. “However it is you came to be here, you leave as two people sharing one life, bound together in life as you are bound in love. With your vows, you have made it so. Before I declare it official, are there any present who object to this union?”
He left a pause there, but of course neither Ana nor Eryk objected—all of the people who might object were very deliberately not informed that this was happening.
“Very well,” Judge Halwell said with a smile. “By the power vested in me by the regional government of Kanto, I hereby pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”
That… hadn’t been anywhere in the plan. Not even a little bit. But it would be really weird if they refused, wouldn’t it? And they hadn’t signed yet, so it mattered if they seemed suspicious.
Kas was leaning closer towards her face. As it turned out, though, he simply pressed his forehead against hers, speaking so low it was barely even a whisper.
“May I? You can say no.”
But if she said no, that would kind of defeat the purpose, wouldn't it? It wasn't that she didn't want him to kiss her, far from it, actually, but not like this. She took in a deep breath anyway. "You may," she finally answered. It wasn't like it was going to mean anything, anyway, right?
Since they were already so close, it didn’t take more than a moment for Kas to close the remaining distance between them. The touch of his lips to hers was sweet, velvety, and lingering; he exerted no effort to make it anything other than chaste, but it was no mere peck or showman’s kiss, either. His thumbs feathered across her cheekbones, fingers tracing the edge of her jaw like it was made of fine porcelain instead of flesh and bone. There was a slight sound when they parted; he smiled at her in a way she’d never seen on his face before.
She was certain her face was red. Yeah, she was definitely sure her face was red. She smiled, glanced away for a second, and glanced back. She could hear Kenshin snickering slightly, and Eryk made a slightly strange sound. It almost sounded like he wanted to laugh, but wasn't actually laughing. She was glad to know that this particular predicament was so amusing to him. She cleared her thoughts, as best as she could, because she could feel them going in different directions. She needed to focus on just one of them right now. She opened her mouth to say something, but decided not to. How easy it was to just tell him now. To tell him what she wanted to, but she couldn't.
"I... think that makes us officially married?" she decided to say. She couldn't think of anything else, and what she did want to say, shouldn't be said right now. Kenshin, by this point, couldn't contain his laughter anymore, and it sounded light with a touch of raspyness to it. She rolled her eyes at him, though. "You just wait, Kenshin. You'll be doing the same thing when you meet a pretty lucario," she replied, earning a short flat look from him.
He didn't say anything in retort though, but he did grumble something. "Do we... um, sing the papers now? I mean, sign," she corrected herself. She really couldn't think straight, could she?
The judge seemed to find it pretty entertaining himself. “You do,” he replied, affixing his own signature to the bottom of the license. “You two sign here, and then your witnesses will need to sign underneath as well.”
He handed his pen to Kasimir first, who scrawled his familiar signature into the slot designated for it with no hesitation whatsoever. He handed the pen over to her. “Last chance,” he said, keeping his tone light. Probably so the judge would interpret him as teasing her. But even despite his smile, his eyes said that he was completely serious.
She took the pen and signed her signature as soon as those words left his mouth. "Not a chance," she replied, though she was slightly joking. She wasn't going to back out of this. She glanced towards Ana and Eryk, and waited for them to get closer. She handed the pen to him, next, and he signed his designated box before turning the pen over to Ana.
Still think you should have at least taken on his surname, Cy, Kenshin spoke, grinning all the while. She could feel her face flush just slightly. He was lucky she couldn't really throw anything at them.
"I wouldn't see the point," Eryk chimed in, as though he didn't quite understand what Kenshin was saying. Perhaps that was for the best.
“Cy’s got a perfectly good name of her own,” Kas replied casually.
Ana signed the form last of all, handing the pen back to the judge, who tucked it into his breast pocket. “Excellent,” he said. “We’ll make our copies of this, then mail the original to the listed address within a few days. It’ll be entered into the electronic records system this very afternoon, however. Congratulations: you’re officially married.”
“Thank you, Your Honor,” Kas said, inclining his head.
The judge smiled amiably. “Not a problem. This happens to be my favorite part of my job, so thank you.” With that by way of farewell, he left the courtroom, allowing them to see themselves out at their leisure.
“Mazel tov,” Ana said, a small, secretive little smile on her face.
"Kas," Eryk called out to him, probably to let him know they arrived. She took another deep breath, and forced herself to glance up at him.
"Kas," she greeted, but found it suddenly harder to speak. She did her best to smile, and managed to put one on. "Are... you ready?" she asked. There was still time for him to back out, to say he didn't want to do it, and she wouldn't be any less upset about it. This decision, it was his to make, and he didn't have to do this for her. Even if it was only for a few days, she didn't want him to do anything he'd regret later on. She wouldn't regret it, of that she was certain.
He was apparently in conversation with someone who might have been a lawyer, but at their entrance, he glanced up, a smile tugging at one corner of his mouth. He wore a different suit than he had in Saffron, but it was still a suit; the blazer and slacks were both black; the shirt underneath was black as well, but his tie was white.
If anything, he looked a little surprised—perhaps at the fact that she was wearing a formal kimono—but when she spoke, he nodded. “I’m still in if you’re still in,” he said; the tone of his voice was gentle—kind, might be the right word. Kas was kind often enough, but he didn’t usually sound like it.
“The judge is ready for you when you want to go in,” the woman he’d been talking to said, smiling at all of them. “And congratulations.”
“Thank you,” he said, like the whole thing was real. But of course it was important to act like it was. He didn’t seem even a bit nervous, unlike her. “Ana, if I may?” He raised an eyebrow, and Ana nodded.
She released Cyrilla’s hand, allowing Kas to take it up himself. His was warm and dry; he shifted his grip so that their fingers laced together. “Let’s go sign ourselves some paperwork, shall we?”
"Y-Yeah," she responded, glancing down for a second. Her fingers curled a little round his hand, and it was strangely harder to look at him now. He looked... handsome seemed too gentle of a word to use for the moment, but it was the only one she could think of at the moment. "You look nice, Kas," but then again, he always looked nice. Even in his stupid hawaiian shirts and brightly colored ones. She smiled a little wider at that thought.
Kas smiled, shaking his head slightly. He met her eyes, though, with a little more seriousness. “And you’re beautiful,” he told her, quietly enough that the others probably didn’t quite catch the words. It was a different sort of compliment from the one she’d given him—the way he said it seemed like it didn’t have anything to do with how she looked today specifically.
Once they entered, Cyrilla managed to glance at the others. They had departed somewhat to the sides, or at least Eryk had. He was standing so that he was on Kas's side, but standing a little bit aways. Ana looked to have mirrored him on the other side; she gave Cy a reassuring smile.
Kenshin had opted to walk with them, though, probably because he was holding the rings. Not that they were important, but they would be useful for visual purposes. She glanced up, and suddenly, she was standing at the podium where the judge was. He was, perhaps, in his early to mid fifties. He still had salt and pepper hair. There was a set of papers in front of him, and she was slightly glad that that's all they would be doing. At least that's what she thought. Courthouse marriages just required a witness, signing the papers, the fees to cover the certificate, and that was about it. Of course, pictures could be taken and everything else in between, but they didn't need anything like a formal ceremony, right?
The judge gave them both a friendly smile when they entered; it was easy to tell they were the ones getting married, probably. “Good afternoon. I’m Judge Halwell; I’ll be officiating today. If you both don’t mind joining me up here, we’ve got a few basic things to sort through first, and then of course all the bit of paper to sign.”
Kas nodded; the two of them approached the bench. It was raised slightly off the ground, but there was a table close by where they’d be able to sign the documents themselves.
“All right,” the judge said. “Your license application here says that you’re Kasimir Rheinallt and Cyrilla Niav, and you’ll both be keeping your names?”
“Yes, Your Honor,” Kas replied, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.
“Good, good. Can I see your identifications, please?” Kas produced his from a pocket and handed it over. The judge lifted his glasses a little to check it, then handed it back and took Cyrilla’s from her. Once that was done, too, he removed a sheet of paper from his stack; it looked to be the official license.
“Well, then; would you like to exchange your rings and say a few words? I believe we have some with your friends over there, yes?”
Oh Arceus. She didn't think that far ahead. She didn't think she'd have to say anything at all. She could hear her heart beating a little faster, and for a moment, it was the only thing she could hear. She glanced over towards Kenshin, who held the rings up. She glanced back towards the judge and smiled a little softly.
"Oh, yes of course," she finally stated, motioning for Kenshin to bring the rings forward. He did, and Cyrilla grabbed the one she'd be giving to Kas. She paused for a moment, glancing at the judge, and then towards Kas. This was a little more difficult than she thought it would be, but she couldn't exactly back out now. She supposed, even if she did say some things that she meant, he wouldn't take it that way. This was, after all, fake. That didn't mean she had to fake what she felt, though. That was all too real for her. Perhaps that was the only reason why it would be convincing enough, or at least she hoped.
"I've never been particularly good with words, but I hope what I say will do it justice," she began, offering Kas a smile. She lifted his hand, large in her own, and slipped the ring on. "With this, I promise, always, to love you. No matter what may come our way, I will always hold you near and dear," she spoke, feeling the heat on her face. She was glad it was just that, and not the fact that she was close to blushing. She knew she was. She cleared her throat awkwardly, afterwards.
Kas was still smiling, but there was something almost a little sad about it. He shifted their grip on each other so that he was holding her hand properly in his; with his second, he slipped the gold band onto her ring finger. “I promise,” he said quietly, keeping his eyes on her hand, “that I will always cherish you. That no matter what circumstances we find ourselves in, what trials may await us, I will do everything within my power to make you happy, and keep you safe. That there will never come a day when you are not in my heart.”
He hadn’t said he loved her. But… maybe that meant that what he was saying was true.
“A good marriage changes both of the people involved in a way that cannot be undone,” the judge said. The words sounded like part of an official speech, but the way he delivered them made them seem personal, too. “However it is you came to be here, you leave as two people sharing one life, bound together in life as you are bound in love. With your vows, you have made it so. Before I declare it official, are there any present who object to this union?”
He left a pause there, but of course neither Ana nor Eryk objected—all of the people who might object were very deliberately not informed that this was happening.
“Very well,” Judge Halwell said with a smile. “By the power vested in me by the regional government of Kanto, I hereby pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”
That… hadn’t been anywhere in the plan. Not even a little bit. But it would be really weird if they refused, wouldn’t it? And they hadn’t signed yet, so it mattered if they seemed suspicious.
Kas was leaning closer towards her face. As it turned out, though, he simply pressed his forehead against hers, speaking so low it was barely even a whisper.
“May I? You can say no.”
But if she said no, that would kind of defeat the purpose, wouldn't it? It wasn't that she didn't want him to kiss her, far from it, actually, but not like this. She took in a deep breath anyway. "You may," she finally answered. It wasn't like it was going to mean anything, anyway, right?
Since they were already so close, it didn’t take more than a moment for Kas to close the remaining distance between them. The touch of his lips to hers was sweet, velvety, and lingering; he exerted no effort to make it anything other than chaste, but it was no mere peck or showman’s kiss, either. His thumbs feathered across her cheekbones, fingers tracing the edge of her jaw like it was made of fine porcelain instead of flesh and bone. There was a slight sound when they parted; he smiled at her in a way she’d never seen on his face before.
She was certain her face was red. Yeah, she was definitely sure her face was red. She smiled, glanced away for a second, and glanced back. She could hear Kenshin snickering slightly, and Eryk made a slightly strange sound. It almost sounded like he wanted to laugh, but wasn't actually laughing. She was glad to know that this particular predicament was so amusing to him. She cleared her thoughts, as best as she could, because she could feel them going in different directions. She needed to focus on just one of them right now. She opened her mouth to say something, but decided not to. How easy it was to just tell him now. To tell him what she wanted to, but she couldn't.
"I... think that makes us officially married?" she decided to say. She couldn't think of anything else, and what she did want to say, shouldn't be said right now. Kenshin, by this point, couldn't contain his laughter anymore, and it sounded light with a touch of raspyness to it. She rolled her eyes at him, though. "You just wait, Kenshin. You'll be doing the same thing when you meet a pretty lucario," she replied, earning a short flat look from him.
He didn't say anything in retort though, but he did grumble something. "Do we... um, sing the papers now? I mean, sign," she corrected herself. She really couldn't think straight, could she?
The judge seemed to find it pretty entertaining himself. “You do,” he replied, affixing his own signature to the bottom of the license. “You two sign here, and then your witnesses will need to sign underneath as well.”
He handed his pen to Kasimir first, who scrawled his familiar signature into the slot designated for it with no hesitation whatsoever. He handed the pen over to her. “Last chance,” he said, keeping his tone light. Probably so the judge would interpret him as teasing her. But even despite his smile, his eyes said that he was completely serious.
She took the pen and signed her signature as soon as those words left his mouth. "Not a chance," she replied, though she was slightly joking. She wasn't going to back out of this. She glanced towards Ana and Eryk, and waited for them to get closer. She handed the pen to him, next, and he signed his designated box before turning the pen over to Ana.
Still think you should have at least taken on his surname, Cy, Kenshin spoke, grinning all the while. She could feel her face flush just slightly. He was lucky she couldn't really throw anything at them.
"I wouldn't see the point," Eryk chimed in, as though he didn't quite understand what Kenshin was saying. Perhaps that was for the best.
“Cy’s got a perfectly good name of her own,” Kas replied casually.
Ana signed the form last of all, handing the pen back to the judge, who tucked it into his breast pocket. “Excellent,” he said. “We’ll make our copies of this, then mail the original to the listed address within a few days. It’ll be entered into the electronic records system this very afternoon, however. Congratulations: you’re officially married.”
“Thank you, Your Honor,” Kas said, inclining his head.
The judge smiled amiably. “Not a problem. This happens to be my favorite part of my job, so thank you.” With that by way of farewell, he left the courtroom, allowing them to see themselves out at their leisure.
“Mazel tov,” Ana said, a small, secretive little smile on her face.
Kas let the hay bale slide off his shoulders; the whole thing landed with a thud inside the pidgeys’ nighttime roosting area. Of course, the perches above were where they actually slept, but there was a carpeting of hay kept on the floor below for obvious reasons. Pulling the wire cutters from his pocket, he cut through the bands holding the bale in place and picked up the flakes, shaking them out so they’d cover the floor evenly and loosely.
Ana had, it seemed, declared that today was spring cleaning day for the shelter, which meant that absolutely everything was getting cleaned from top to bottom, even the things that didn’t usually need much washing. Of course, that was a lot more work than usual, so all three of them had decided to help her out, especially since she was still recovering from her episode. It was a little early for anything called spring cleaning, but the weather was actually great for it—cool enough that the labor wouldn’t overheat them, but warm enough that they didn’t need to wear a bunch of layers to move around comfortably.
Plus, it got them all out of the base, which was nice.
He’d decided it was a little strange, getting used to the constant presence of his wedding ring. It was a plain gold band like most of them were; Cy’s was the same. It wasn’t like he’d bought her an engagement ring or anything; this plan had been hatched less than a week ago in total. If he was going to do that, he’d spend a whole lot more time thinking about—
Kas halted the train of thought immediately, trying not to shudder. He did not just consider that hypothetical. Maybe he wasn’t working hard enough yet.
Finishing with the hay, he took the cut wires it’d been bundled with and headed back outside. The pokémon, of course, were simply enjoying themselves in the sun and the newly-scrubbed pool, but the rest of them were all hard at work. Ana herself was trimming the hedges that lined the front fence—a new addition, for a bit of extra privacy. Seemed like a good idea to him.
Cyrilla and Eryk were dealing with the small batch of Ekans. Fitting, considering that they both came from a family that dealt with poison-types. Eryk was scrubbing the rock they used to sunbathe while Cyrilla was taking care of their nesting area. Kenshin was, oddly enough, enjoying his time with the other pokémon, keeping them as busy as he could and out of the way of the others. He was currently with Rufus, having what appeared to be an odd staring contest. Kenshin lost when he glanced towards Kas, and gave him a rather odd grin.
Once Eryk had finished with the rock, he moved towards Ana's position, and began to help her with the hedges. It looked like he was telling her something, but it must have been something to do with the hedge itself, since he nodded towards it. He glanced up towards Kas, though, raised his brow, and turned his attention back to Ana, helping her when she needed it.
Why do they refer to it as spring cleaning? Kenshin asked, having made his way towards Kas after losing the staring contest with Rufus. Is it because it's spring, and you are cleaning, or is it something else? he continued, glancing up at Kas. He seemed confused by the etymology of spring cleaning.
Kas shrugged, heading the short distance to the shed to pull out the garden hose. He could water the plants and the grass if he hooked it up to one of the spigots around the property. They needed to wash the exteriors of the buildings, too; they didn’t look bad yet, but only regular cleaning would keep it that way.
“That’s part of it, I’m sure. I think it’s also referred to that way because spring is supposed to be the season of new stuff and renewal, so the idea is you do a really big cleaning to make room for it by getting out all the dirt leftover from the year before. But I’m not an expert, so don’t quote me on that.” Looping the hose over his shoulder, he carried it back out to the yard.
Now… probably it was better to do the buildings first.
I suppose that makes a bit of sense. So, does that mean you'll be doing some spring cleaning yourself? Kenshin spoke, a slight grin on his face. The implication was there, and it looked like Kenshin knew it was, however; before anything else could be said, the sound of someone, furiously, yelling Eryk's name could be heard. It didn't take long to see the source of it all, as Marah came through Ana's gate. Lukas was behind her, but his nose looked to be bandaged a bit. It looked a little crooked, like it'd been broken somehow. Kenshin looked slightly amused at it, though, but the hostility in him could be seen by the soft bristling of his fur.
"What the hell is the meaning of this? she questioned, not even bothering to give Eryk a moment to step away from Ana. If anything, he stepped in front of her, and glared at his mother. "What the hell is wrong with you? Do you have any idea of what you've just done?" she continued, holding a piece of paper in front of Eryk. He didn't seem to fazed by it, but he did glance towards it.
"It's a print out of the recent marriage certificates. What of it?" he replied in a casual tone. It was a little too casual, however; he must have been on reserve mode in order to remain calm in front of Ana and his mother. "Is there a problem with it?" he continued. She seemed furious at his answer, and looked like she was going to say something, however; Lukas chimed in.
"Are you playing stupid, or are you just that stupid?" he spoke. Eryk merely glared at him, but didn't justify giving him an answer. "You know damn well that Cyrilla is engaged to be mine," he continued. That must have made Eryk angry because he stepped forward, almost as if he were about to get into Lukas's face, but he stopped at least a foot away. Eryk actually looked, for once, a lot more intimidating than he usually did.
"And what of it? There is jack shit you can do about it now," he spoke, his voice eeriely calm and low. His eyes narrowed at Lukas, and he took another step forward, causing Lukas to take one back. "Your engagement is off. If you so much as say another word about it," he continued, his threat becoming clear.
"Eryk, fuck off. Now. I already told you there was nothing you could do to prevent that. Not only that, I find you here, of all places. Didn't I already tell you to stay the hell away from her?" Marah spoke, putting herself between Lukas and Eryk. He didn't seem to like that much since he glanced down at her, and continued glaring. "You'll go get this marriage annulled, right now, or so help me," she began.
"Or you'll do what, mother? Take me back to the clan? I already told you, you have no authority here," he replied. Her eyes looked like they might have widened a little bit. She turned to glare at Ana, her eyes narrowing just slightly.
"You, this is all your fucking fault."
Kas’s face dropped into a scowl; still carrying the hose, he made his way over, stopping next to Cyrilla before he dropped it carefully to the side. He didn’t say anything; they weren’t paying much attention to anyone but Ryk and Ana right now, but he knew better than to assume Marah wouldn’t eventually direct her rage at Cy if Eryk continued to stonewall her this well. He did, however, gently place a hand on her back between her shoulderblades, just a slight touch with his fingertips. More to let her know he was there with her than anything else, he supposed.
When Marah turned her rage on Ana, snarling profanity, she stepped slightly sideways and forward, so she was standing next to Eryk instead of behind him. Her lips were pressed into a pale, thin line; she looked like she wasn’t buying it for a second. Good.
“No, Marah,” she said, quietly but firmly. “It isn’t. You brought this on yourself.”
And she damn well had. Treating her own son and younger relative like that, then blaming them for fighting back? What kind of delusional, power-tippy fantasy land did she live in? Kas was pretty sure they didn’t make drugs that good, never mind someone’s fundamental view of reality.
Marah didn't seem to like Ana's answer at all. If the scowl on her face was anything to go by. Eryk kept his face as it was, passive with a hint of anger behind it. "No, this is your fault. Yours," she spat back. She looked angry enough that she probably wanted to do something, however; Eryk was standing next to Ana so she really wouldn't. "And you," she spoke, decidedly turning her attention on Cy. "This is your fault, too. You broke Lukas's nose, for one thing," she continued her tirade. Cy fliched just the slightest bit, however; her eyes narrowed and she pursed her lips.
"He deserved it," she replied back, causing Marah to glare. "And I'm not going to apologize for it," she continued. Marah looked like she wanted to actually hiss at them, but she turned back to Eryk.
"If I have to, Ryk, you know what I'll do," she spoke, her voice a little low and threatening. Eryk didn't seem to like the implication at all, because he stood at his full height and glared down at her. He might not have been as tall as Kas, but he was still pretty tall. It would have been a little comical to see if the situation they were currently in wasn't so severe.
"You will do no such thing, Marah. If I find out even in the slightest of ways, that you have done as you claim, I will come and find you. You will not like it, either," he spoke. There was a serious hint of danger in Eryk's voice, and it was a tone he'd never used before. "If I so much as even see your face, or hear your name being mentioned, I will come find you," he continued, lurching forward just the slightest bit. Marah actually fliched backwards a bit.
"That doesn't mean anything, Ryk. It's an empty threat. We're leaving today, and she is coming back with us. Their marriage will be canceled," Lukas spoke, looking just the slightest bit braver. He actually had the audacity to glance towards Cyrilla and smiled at her with the same malicious smile he'd first used.
Eryk was pissed, that was evident. "Both of you need to leave. Now," he spoke. Marah wasn't budging though, and she glared at Ana. Apparently she wasn't used to Eryk threatening her, nor denying her whatever she told him to do. Her hands were clenched tightly together, and it was apparent that she was shaking. Probably from the anger she was undoubtedly feeling. Without so much as a warning, Marah lifted her fist, and looked like she was about to punch someone. Since her eyes were fixated on Ana, she was likely the victim.
"Don't. Fucking. Think. About. It," Eryk had barely moved in time to catch Marah's fist, and from the look on her face, he was squeezing it pretty hard. He was livid. The expression on his face was dark, more-so than it'd ever been.
Ana frowned slightly; her hands reached forward, closing softly around Eryk’s own where it was squeezing Marah’s. “Eryk,” she said softly. “It’s okay. She can’t hurt me. But this isn’t you—you don’t need to hurt her.”
He glanced towards Ana, and reluctantly let go of Marah's hand.
If the situation hadn’t otherwise been so serious, Kas would have taken a moment to be impressed that Cy had broken Lukas’s nose. As it was, though, things were much too tense for that—and not even he was immune to a certain rising sense of anger. “You know, in order to legally get a divorce, both parties have to sign the paperwork. Even if all your threats meant something to Ryk and Cy—even if you could control them to that extent—” He let that one hang there a moment, because obviously that was not the case and he wanted to rub it in.
“You’ve got nothing on me.” He smiled with an open edge of mockery, moving his arm so that it rested loosely over Cyrilla’s shoulders, stepping in so she was pressed against his side. “And I really don’t feel like doing what you say. She’s mine—and you can’t have her.” He wouldn’t ordinarily have put it in those terms, both because it was technically not true and also because he detested the notion of treating Cyrilla like she belonged to anyone, himself included. But that was the language they used, and the language they understood, and he really, really felt like pissing them off right now.
Marah rubbed her hand as Lukas turned to stare at Kas. His eyes were lingering, of course, on the wedding band on Kas's hand, and then travelled to the one that Cyrilla wore. She'd used the same hand to hold onto Kas's for a moment, and actually moved a little closer to him. He looked angry, but it was nowhere near the kind of anger Eryk could house. It seemed that anger made people stupid, because Lukas actually stalked up to Kas, his moving predictable as he drew back his arm.
“I do believe he is advancing with the intent to assault me,” Kas remarked, carefully letting go of Cyrilla. “Now, I like to think of myself as a lover rather than a fighter, but—” He let Lukas throw the first punch, ducking out of the way with a lazy motion.
“I’m afraid I’ve also been taught that I shouldn’t let myself or others be at risk—” Another punch, another dodge; Kas kept himself loose and limber, moving like water. Lukas was clearly frustrated by this point, but he kept coming.
“And well, this seems like very risky behavior on your part, Lukas.” This time, he blocked a kick by lifting his leg to catch it before it could properly lash forward. Arceus, Lukas’s balance was atrocious. He’d expected more of a Koga, but he supposed that was what rage did to people.
“Cyrilla, dear: as much as I’d like to get along with my in-laws—” He bent away from a series of punches this time; apparently Lukas was really bound and determined to do him some damage. “—I just don’t see this working. Might I have your leave to defend your honor, or would you like to do so yourself?”
"By all means, Kas. I've already broken his nose," Cyrilla responded, looking the slightest bit amused. Kenshin, from the back, could be heard laughing rather loudly. Apparently he found this funny.
“You’re so good to me,” he replied, winking at her with a playful grin.
Catching the next incoming punch, he stepped forward and kneed Lukas in the gut. He doubled over, clutching his stomach. Kas casually kicked the back of one of his knees, sending him in an undignified sprawl to the ground.
Now, if Lukas had simply gotten up and run away with his tail between his legs, he’d have been happy to leave it at that. But some people really couldn't take a hint. Lukas stood, wiping the blood from a split lip the fall had given him, and charged Kas with a shout.
“This is less entertaining now,” Kas informed him dryly, drawing his arm back and closing his fist. “Goodnight.”
The force of the punch snapped Lukas’s head sharply to the side, but he’d sprained it at worst. More importantly, it was indeed a knockout punch, and the other guy hit the dirt, out cold. Kas flexed his fist a few times and sighed. “Marah, could you be kind and take out the trash when you leave? I’d feel bad asking, but it is your fault he’s here.”
Marah looked a mix between angry and shocked. She was immediately by Lukas's side, checking him over, probably to see if he was okay. Eryk scoffed lightly as she glared at Kas. "Don't think this is over, either of you," she spoke, glaring towards Eryk and then towards Kas. "There will be consequences; you can be sure of that," she shot back. Eryk merely held the gate open for her, and pointed towards it. She'd managed to shift Lukas around and carried him out, disappearing shortly after. Kenshin looked like he doubled over from laughing so much, and Eryk turned to Ana.
"Well... that was interesting," Cyrilla spoke, glancing towards Kas with amusement evident on her face. Eryk, however, seemed concerned with Ana.
"Are you alright?" he asked, taking her head in his hands and tilted her head from side to side. It looked like he was being gentle about it, but he also looked extremely worried. It was the most expressive he'd ever been around other people.
Adorably, Ana flushed bright red, but she nodded—as well as she could while he was holding her face, anyway. “I’m fine,” she said with a soft smile. “It was… easier, this time. Though probably not for any of you—I’m sorry.”
Kas snorted. “You’ve really got to stop apologizing for things that aren’t your fault,” he said, glancing down at this knuckles. He appeared to have split one of them—probably because he’d sucker-punched Lukas in the mouth. He may well have managed to cut himself on one of the guy’s teeth. “Have you got some disinfectant and bandages around? I believe the only way Lukas was going to do me any damage is if I got a little careless.” He held up his bloody hand and shrugged.
“Downstairs bathroom,” Ana replied, glancing at the injury with some concern.
Eryk sighed, apparently relieved that Ana wasn't harmed in any way. He glanced towards Kas, and raised a brow. "Might want to see if you're poisoned, first," he spoke, but it was hard to tell if he was being serious or if he was joking. Knowing their family, he was probably being serious, but knowing him, it was probably a lighthearted joke.
"Ryk, you know Lukas wasn't brave enough to undergo that training," Cyrilla replied, giving him a deadpan stare. He merely shrugged his shoulders. It was a lighthearted joke, after all, it seems. "And... I think... this entire nightmare is over. They're finally gone," she sighed in relief.
"That they are. Wasn't there a carrot cake being made?" Eryk replied, seemingly more interested in the carrot cake, now.
“There is,” Ana said, a hint of amusement in her words. “But we can’t eat it until we’re finished with spring cleaning.”
Kas laughed. “You got it, boss. I’m gonna go disinfect this and wrap it, and then I’ll be back to finish my chores.” He gave a mock salute and headed in towards the house.
As admittedly exciting as all of that had been, he was more glad than anything that Marah and Lukas would be out of their hair now. After a stop at a doctor’s office, anyway; Kas had been careful with his force. He’d definitely knocked the guy out, but it wasn’t any worse than what a boxer or martial artist had to contend with at the end of a match, and probably much nicer than what Lukas had intended for him.
He tried not to feel too satisfied about it, but he didn’t feel the need to regret it, either.
Ana had, it seemed, declared that today was spring cleaning day for the shelter, which meant that absolutely everything was getting cleaned from top to bottom, even the things that didn’t usually need much washing. Of course, that was a lot more work than usual, so all three of them had decided to help her out, especially since she was still recovering from her episode. It was a little early for anything called spring cleaning, but the weather was actually great for it—cool enough that the labor wouldn’t overheat them, but warm enough that they didn’t need to wear a bunch of layers to move around comfortably.
Plus, it got them all out of the base, which was nice.
He’d decided it was a little strange, getting used to the constant presence of his wedding ring. It was a plain gold band like most of them were; Cy’s was the same. It wasn’t like he’d bought her an engagement ring or anything; this plan had been hatched less than a week ago in total. If he was going to do that, he’d spend a whole lot more time thinking about—
Kas halted the train of thought immediately, trying not to shudder. He did not just consider that hypothetical. Maybe he wasn’t working hard enough yet.
Finishing with the hay, he took the cut wires it’d been bundled with and headed back outside. The pokémon, of course, were simply enjoying themselves in the sun and the newly-scrubbed pool, but the rest of them were all hard at work. Ana herself was trimming the hedges that lined the front fence—a new addition, for a bit of extra privacy. Seemed like a good idea to him.
Cyrilla and Eryk were dealing with the small batch of Ekans. Fitting, considering that they both came from a family that dealt with poison-types. Eryk was scrubbing the rock they used to sunbathe while Cyrilla was taking care of their nesting area. Kenshin was, oddly enough, enjoying his time with the other pokémon, keeping them as busy as he could and out of the way of the others. He was currently with Rufus, having what appeared to be an odd staring contest. Kenshin lost when he glanced towards Kas, and gave him a rather odd grin.
Once Eryk had finished with the rock, he moved towards Ana's position, and began to help her with the hedges. It looked like he was telling her something, but it must have been something to do with the hedge itself, since he nodded towards it. He glanced up towards Kas, though, raised his brow, and turned his attention back to Ana, helping her when she needed it.
Why do they refer to it as spring cleaning? Kenshin asked, having made his way towards Kas after losing the staring contest with Rufus. Is it because it's spring, and you are cleaning, or is it something else? he continued, glancing up at Kas. He seemed confused by the etymology of spring cleaning.
Kas shrugged, heading the short distance to the shed to pull out the garden hose. He could water the plants and the grass if he hooked it up to one of the spigots around the property. They needed to wash the exteriors of the buildings, too; they didn’t look bad yet, but only regular cleaning would keep it that way.
“That’s part of it, I’m sure. I think it’s also referred to that way because spring is supposed to be the season of new stuff and renewal, so the idea is you do a really big cleaning to make room for it by getting out all the dirt leftover from the year before. But I’m not an expert, so don’t quote me on that.” Looping the hose over his shoulder, he carried it back out to the yard.
Now… probably it was better to do the buildings first.
I suppose that makes a bit of sense. So, does that mean you'll be doing some spring cleaning yourself? Kenshin spoke, a slight grin on his face. The implication was there, and it looked like Kenshin knew it was, however; before anything else could be said, the sound of someone, furiously, yelling Eryk's name could be heard. It didn't take long to see the source of it all, as Marah came through Ana's gate. Lukas was behind her, but his nose looked to be bandaged a bit. It looked a little crooked, like it'd been broken somehow. Kenshin looked slightly amused at it, though, but the hostility in him could be seen by the soft bristling of his fur.
"What the hell is the meaning of this? she questioned, not even bothering to give Eryk a moment to step away from Ana. If anything, he stepped in front of her, and glared at his mother. "What the hell is wrong with you? Do you have any idea of what you've just done?" she continued, holding a piece of paper in front of Eryk. He didn't seem to fazed by it, but he did glance towards it.
"It's a print out of the recent marriage certificates. What of it?" he replied in a casual tone. It was a little too casual, however; he must have been on reserve mode in order to remain calm in front of Ana and his mother. "Is there a problem with it?" he continued. She seemed furious at his answer, and looked like she was going to say something, however; Lukas chimed in.
"Are you playing stupid, or are you just that stupid?" he spoke. Eryk merely glared at him, but didn't justify giving him an answer. "You know damn well that Cyrilla is engaged to be mine," he continued. That must have made Eryk angry because he stepped forward, almost as if he were about to get into Lukas's face, but he stopped at least a foot away. Eryk actually looked, for once, a lot more intimidating than he usually did.
"And what of it? There is jack shit you can do about it now," he spoke, his voice eeriely calm and low. His eyes narrowed at Lukas, and he took another step forward, causing Lukas to take one back. "Your engagement is off. If you so much as say another word about it," he continued, his threat becoming clear.
"Eryk, fuck off. Now. I already told you there was nothing you could do to prevent that. Not only that, I find you here, of all places. Didn't I already tell you to stay the hell away from her?" Marah spoke, putting herself between Lukas and Eryk. He didn't seem to like that much since he glanced down at her, and continued glaring. "You'll go get this marriage annulled, right now, or so help me," she began.
"Or you'll do what, mother? Take me back to the clan? I already told you, you have no authority here," he replied. Her eyes looked like they might have widened a little bit. She turned to glare at Ana, her eyes narrowing just slightly.
"You, this is all your fucking fault."
Kas’s face dropped into a scowl; still carrying the hose, he made his way over, stopping next to Cyrilla before he dropped it carefully to the side. He didn’t say anything; they weren’t paying much attention to anyone but Ryk and Ana right now, but he knew better than to assume Marah wouldn’t eventually direct her rage at Cy if Eryk continued to stonewall her this well. He did, however, gently place a hand on her back between her shoulderblades, just a slight touch with his fingertips. More to let her know he was there with her than anything else, he supposed.
When Marah turned her rage on Ana, snarling profanity, she stepped slightly sideways and forward, so she was standing next to Eryk instead of behind him. Her lips were pressed into a pale, thin line; she looked like she wasn’t buying it for a second. Good.
“No, Marah,” she said, quietly but firmly. “It isn’t. You brought this on yourself.”
And she damn well had. Treating her own son and younger relative like that, then blaming them for fighting back? What kind of delusional, power-tippy fantasy land did she live in? Kas was pretty sure they didn’t make drugs that good, never mind someone’s fundamental view of reality.
Marah didn't seem to like Ana's answer at all. If the scowl on her face was anything to go by. Eryk kept his face as it was, passive with a hint of anger behind it. "No, this is your fault. Yours," she spat back. She looked angry enough that she probably wanted to do something, however; Eryk was standing next to Ana so she really wouldn't. "And you," she spoke, decidedly turning her attention on Cy. "This is your fault, too. You broke Lukas's nose, for one thing," she continued her tirade. Cy fliched just the slightest bit, however; her eyes narrowed and she pursed her lips.
"He deserved it," she replied back, causing Marah to glare. "And I'm not going to apologize for it," she continued. Marah looked like she wanted to actually hiss at them, but she turned back to Eryk.
"If I have to, Ryk, you know what I'll do," she spoke, her voice a little low and threatening. Eryk didn't seem to like the implication at all, because he stood at his full height and glared down at her. He might not have been as tall as Kas, but he was still pretty tall. It would have been a little comical to see if the situation they were currently in wasn't so severe.
"You will do no such thing, Marah. If I find out even in the slightest of ways, that you have done as you claim, I will come and find you. You will not like it, either," he spoke. There was a serious hint of danger in Eryk's voice, and it was a tone he'd never used before. "If I so much as even see your face, or hear your name being mentioned, I will come find you," he continued, lurching forward just the slightest bit. Marah actually fliched backwards a bit.
"That doesn't mean anything, Ryk. It's an empty threat. We're leaving today, and she is coming back with us. Their marriage will be canceled," Lukas spoke, looking just the slightest bit braver. He actually had the audacity to glance towards Cyrilla and smiled at her with the same malicious smile he'd first used.
Eryk was pissed, that was evident. "Both of you need to leave. Now," he spoke. Marah wasn't budging though, and she glared at Ana. Apparently she wasn't used to Eryk threatening her, nor denying her whatever she told him to do. Her hands were clenched tightly together, and it was apparent that she was shaking. Probably from the anger she was undoubtedly feeling. Without so much as a warning, Marah lifted her fist, and looked like she was about to punch someone. Since her eyes were fixated on Ana, she was likely the victim.
"Don't. Fucking. Think. About. It," Eryk had barely moved in time to catch Marah's fist, and from the look on her face, he was squeezing it pretty hard. He was livid. The expression on his face was dark, more-so than it'd ever been.
Ana frowned slightly; her hands reached forward, closing softly around Eryk’s own where it was squeezing Marah’s. “Eryk,” she said softly. “It’s okay. She can’t hurt me. But this isn’t you—you don’t need to hurt her.”
He glanced towards Ana, and reluctantly let go of Marah's hand.
If the situation hadn’t otherwise been so serious, Kas would have taken a moment to be impressed that Cy had broken Lukas’s nose. As it was, though, things were much too tense for that—and not even he was immune to a certain rising sense of anger. “You know, in order to legally get a divorce, both parties have to sign the paperwork. Even if all your threats meant something to Ryk and Cy—even if you could control them to that extent—” He let that one hang there a moment, because obviously that was not the case and he wanted to rub it in.
“You’ve got nothing on me.” He smiled with an open edge of mockery, moving his arm so that it rested loosely over Cyrilla’s shoulders, stepping in so she was pressed against his side. “And I really don’t feel like doing what you say. She’s mine—and you can’t have her.” He wouldn’t ordinarily have put it in those terms, both because it was technically not true and also because he detested the notion of treating Cyrilla like she belonged to anyone, himself included. But that was the language they used, and the language they understood, and he really, really felt like pissing them off right now.
Marah rubbed her hand as Lukas turned to stare at Kas. His eyes were lingering, of course, on the wedding band on Kas's hand, and then travelled to the one that Cyrilla wore. She'd used the same hand to hold onto Kas's for a moment, and actually moved a little closer to him. He looked angry, but it was nowhere near the kind of anger Eryk could house. It seemed that anger made people stupid, because Lukas actually stalked up to Kas, his moving predictable as he drew back his arm.
“I do believe he is advancing with the intent to assault me,” Kas remarked, carefully letting go of Cyrilla. “Now, I like to think of myself as a lover rather than a fighter, but—” He let Lukas throw the first punch, ducking out of the way with a lazy motion.
“I’m afraid I’ve also been taught that I shouldn’t let myself or others be at risk—” Another punch, another dodge; Kas kept himself loose and limber, moving like water. Lukas was clearly frustrated by this point, but he kept coming.
“And well, this seems like very risky behavior on your part, Lukas.” This time, he blocked a kick by lifting his leg to catch it before it could properly lash forward. Arceus, Lukas’s balance was atrocious. He’d expected more of a Koga, but he supposed that was what rage did to people.
“Cyrilla, dear: as much as I’d like to get along with my in-laws—” He bent away from a series of punches this time; apparently Lukas was really bound and determined to do him some damage. “—I just don’t see this working. Might I have your leave to defend your honor, or would you like to do so yourself?”
"By all means, Kas. I've already broken his nose," Cyrilla responded, looking the slightest bit amused. Kenshin, from the back, could be heard laughing rather loudly. Apparently he found this funny.
“You’re so good to me,” he replied, winking at her with a playful grin.
Catching the next incoming punch, he stepped forward and kneed Lukas in the gut. He doubled over, clutching his stomach. Kas casually kicked the back of one of his knees, sending him in an undignified sprawl to the ground.
Now, if Lukas had simply gotten up and run away with his tail between his legs, he’d have been happy to leave it at that. But some people really couldn't take a hint. Lukas stood, wiping the blood from a split lip the fall had given him, and charged Kas with a shout.
“This is less entertaining now,” Kas informed him dryly, drawing his arm back and closing his fist. “Goodnight.”
The force of the punch snapped Lukas’s head sharply to the side, but he’d sprained it at worst. More importantly, it was indeed a knockout punch, and the other guy hit the dirt, out cold. Kas flexed his fist a few times and sighed. “Marah, could you be kind and take out the trash when you leave? I’d feel bad asking, but it is your fault he’s here.”
Marah looked a mix between angry and shocked. She was immediately by Lukas's side, checking him over, probably to see if he was okay. Eryk scoffed lightly as she glared at Kas. "Don't think this is over, either of you," she spoke, glaring towards Eryk and then towards Kas. "There will be consequences; you can be sure of that," she shot back. Eryk merely held the gate open for her, and pointed towards it. She'd managed to shift Lukas around and carried him out, disappearing shortly after. Kenshin looked like he doubled over from laughing so much, and Eryk turned to Ana.
"Well... that was interesting," Cyrilla spoke, glancing towards Kas with amusement evident on her face. Eryk, however, seemed concerned with Ana.
"Are you alright?" he asked, taking her head in his hands and tilted her head from side to side. It looked like he was being gentle about it, but he also looked extremely worried. It was the most expressive he'd ever been around other people.
Adorably, Ana flushed bright red, but she nodded—as well as she could while he was holding her face, anyway. “I’m fine,” she said with a soft smile. “It was… easier, this time. Though probably not for any of you—I’m sorry.”
Kas snorted. “You’ve really got to stop apologizing for things that aren’t your fault,” he said, glancing down at this knuckles. He appeared to have split one of them—probably because he’d sucker-punched Lukas in the mouth. He may well have managed to cut himself on one of the guy’s teeth. “Have you got some disinfectant and bandages around? I believe the only way Lukas was going to do me any damage is if I got a little careless.” He held up his bloody hand and shrugged.
“Downstairs bathroom,” Ana replied, glancing at the injury with some concern.
Eryk sighed, apparently relieved that Ana wasn't harmed in any way. He glanced towards Kas, and raised a brow. "Might want to see if you're poisoned, first," he spoke, but it was hard to tell if he was being serious or if he was joking. Knowing their family, he was probably being serious, but knowing him, it was probably a lighthearted joke.
"Ryk, you know Lukas wasn't brave enough to undergo that training," Cyrilla replied, giving him a deadpan stare. He merely shrugged his shoulders. It was a lighthearted joke, after all, it seems. "And... I think... this entire nightmare is over. They're finally gone," she sighed in relief.
"That they are. Wasn't there a carrot cake being made?" Eryk replied, seemingly more interested in the carrot cake, now.
“There is,” Ana said, a hint of amusement in her words. “But we can’t eat it until we’re finished with spring cleaning.”
Kas laughed. “You got it, boss. I’m gonna go disinfect this and wrap it, and then I’ll be back to finish my chores.” He gave a mock salute and headed in towards the house.
As admittedly exciting as all of that had been, he was more glad than anything that Marah and Lukas would be out of their hair now. After a stop at a doctor’s office, anyway; Kas had been careful with his force. He’d definitely knocked the guy out, but it wasn’t any worse than what a boxer or martial artist had to contend with at the end of a match, and probably much nicer than what Lukas had intended for him.
He tried not to feel too satisfied about it, but he didn’t feel the need to regret it, either.
He was tired, incredibly so. He didn't realize standing up to his mother would drain him this much. She'd left yesterday, with Lukas in tow. His face was swollen, and his head was wrapped in bandages when they'd left. Eryk actually grinned at that. Grinned. He'd never felt so satisfied, either. But currently, he was laid on his chair, arms sprawled against the chair's and his legs somewhat spread. His head was leaning back on the chair as well, and all he wanted to do was sleep. He had work to do, though, and he couldn't just take a nap. If he did, he probably wouldn't wake up till the next day. He could do that, but he didn't want to, really.
I don't think I've ever seen you this tired, before, Kenshin spoke. He was leaning against the doorframe, and had a smug look on his face. Eryk didn't particularly care, though, and sent him a flat stare. I actually need a favor, he spoke, a little too seriously. Eryk actually raised a brow at the request, and sat up in his chair.
"What do you need me for?" he asked. He might as well find out what Kenshin wanted. It couldn't be anything too drastic. He probably wanted Eryk to help him get candy apples from some place. Cyrilla had opted to not give him anymore, said something about that being Kenshin's only diet. Apparently it was bad for him, but Eryk couldn't say he knew for sure. If Kenshin wanted candy apples, he might as well get them.
I need you to help me hide these, he spoke, producing a set of papers. From the looks of it, it looked like the divorce papers Kas and Cy would need, eventually, to get their marriage annulled. Eryk just raised a brow. Just for a little while, Kenshin continued.
"You know Cy will find them if they're here. I was going by Ana's, anyway," he spoke, standing up and grabbing his coat. He slipped it on and glanced at Kenshin. "You can come if you want, and see if she'll let you keep the copies in her basement or something, but you do know that they can get another copy, right?" he spoke. Kenshin seemed to smile to himself. Apparently he must have known something Eryk didn't, but he couldn't quite bring himself to care. Besides, he owed Kas and Cy for a little payback. He might as well help where he could.
There's a reason why I liked you, Ryk, Kenshin spoke, handing the papers to Eryk so he could put them in his coat. It would look odd if a lucario was carrying them, and someone would probably say something about it. They wouldn't say anything if Kenshin went with Eryk, though. It was a common occurence all on its own. Once he was settled, Eryk made his way to Ana's with Kenshin in tow.
Since they’d done the shelter’s spring cleaning all in a day already, it didn’t seem like there was a lot of work to do. He found Ana scattering food for the pidgeys, who landed and started pecking at the ground. One sat on her shoulder, apparently more inclined to eat straight out of her hand. She didn’t seem to mind, handing him a nugget of the stuff for him to work on for a bit. She slung the bag of feed over her other shoulder and turned, spotting Eryk and Kenshin only after she did so.
Her face broke into a smile immediately; she certainly didn’t seem to be feeling any lingering harm from his mother’s second visit, though admittedly he’d learned she was quite good at keeping that kind of thing well-concealed when she wanted to be.
“Good morning, Eryk. And Kenshin; this is a surprise.”
Morning, Ana, Kenshin greeted first, walking through the gate with Eryk. Eryk rolled his eyes slightly, but nodded his head in Ana's direction, anyway. She was used to his odd ways of greeting her, he was sure. We came by for a visit. Ryk here is tired and he can't seem to rest at the base, he continued, his grin splitting his face. Eryk stared at him a little blankly before shaking his head.
"Kenshin here, actually, wants you to conspire with him by hiding these," Eryk replied, pulling the documents from his jacket. "He thought that you might enjoy doing that for Kas and Cy, apparently," and somewhere deep inside, he'd enjoy it too. He'd make them both suffer for just a bit, but there was no actual harm being done. After all the things they did to him, this was a rather light punishment, he thought.
You make it sound like I'm trying to plan their funerals, Kenshin spoke, giving Eryk a flat look this time. Ana will agree with me that this is for their own good. Right, Ana? he spoke, glancing towards Ana.
Gently lifting the pidgey off her shoulder, she nudged him until he took off to join his fellows. Ana stepped forward enough to see the documents Eryk was holding. Her eyes widened a bit in comprehension when she recognized what they were. She sighed quietly. “Well, I don’t know if it will actually help at all, but… there’s a chance it might, so it seems worth taking.” She nodded once, firmly. “I can keep them here, but… it’s not that difficult to get a lawyer to draw these up; what’s stopping them from just getting new ones?”
Kenshin was the only one who knew the answer to that question, apparently. He turned towards Kenshin to see if he'd answer, but he just loosely shrugged his shoulders. "I told him that, but apparently there is something that he knows about that we don't," Eryk responded. He glanced back to Ana, though, and shrugged his shoulders, too. "Unless Kenshin plans on sabotaging their attempts, or bribing one of the clerks, I don't think there is much he can do," he added.
You just leave that to me, Ryk. Besides, you know Kas is too lazy to go forth with the effort of getting more, and Cyrilla's always busy with something else. It's not like they can't get it later, but the point of it is to keep them together for as long as possible, he seemed a little adamant about it. Did he actually like the idea of Kas and Cy being together like that? That would explain... a lot, actually. Eryk scoffed lightly at the slight realization.
"I think Kenshin's just being selfish, now," he finally spoke. "And I think you underestimate Kas's willingness to get that divorce, Kenshin. But we didn't come here for that, did we? We came to see if Ana would hide these here for a moment, and see how she was doing," he spoke, turning back towards Ana.
“If that’s the case, I’ll be right back,” she said. It didn’t take her too long to put the pidgey feed away in the shed and return, wiping her hands off on her apron before she held one out for the papers. “I’ll keep them, if that’s the plan, and we’ll see what happens, I suppose.” She tucked the papers away in her apron pocket, then looked up at him, rocking back on her heels a little bit as she studied his face.
“You do seem a little tired,” she noted with evident concern. “Why don’t you come inside? I’ll make you some tea and we can watch a movie or something in the living room. It might put you to sleep.” She seemed to think that was a good idea rather than a bad one, from the way she put it. Glancing down at Kenshin, she tilted her head to the side. “Would you like to join us, or were you planning to head back to Cy?”
Kenshin shook his head. Nope, my mission is completed. Now to see it unfold, I have to go back, he stated, grinning to himself, it looked like. He said goodbye before taking his leave, and Eryk shook his head. Sometimes he wondered who Kenshin really belonged to. He was nothing like Cy, and he doubted she trained him to be that way. He just was. Eryk turned his attention back towards Ana, though, and nodded his head.
"That sounds... like a good idea," he replied. It was probably best if he did rest eventually. He stiffled a yawn, and shook his head. "I might be boring company today, I fear," he replied, slightly serious. He knew she wouldn't particularly care, but he didn't exactly want to intrude on her, either. She had enough things to worry about without him here.
“You’re never boring, Eryk. If you fall asleep, you fall asleep. I don’t mind.” She smiled a bit, then led him back into the house, leaving him in the living room before she headed back into the kitchen to make the tea. When she returned, she had a few snacks with her on the tea tray as well—including what seemed to be oatmeal cookies.
Ana set the tray down on the coffee table; hesitating for just a moment before sitting directly next to him on the couch. She’d already poured the tea; it looked like—she handed him his mug and took the other for herself. Sighing softly, she leaned back against the sofa. “Last week was certainly… eventful,” she said quietly. “I can’t blame you for being exhausted. I know I am.” She sipped a bit of her tea, letting her eyes close for a moment.
She was probably more exhausted than he was, considering that she had an episode. He sighed a little softly and took a drink of his tea, swallowing it a little slowly. He placed the mug down, and turned to stare at her. "Hopefully it won't be a repetitive thing," because he wasn't entirely sure he could be the person he wasn't. She had told him that he wasn't that person, but at the moment, he wanted to be. Marah had had the audacity to try and hit Ana, and Eryk was actually afraid, for the first time in his life. When he'd found Ana unconscious with Kenshin, and when Marah threatened her, he was afraid.
"This week, I am told, would be better," he spoke. Cyrilla had mentioned that she and Ana had a few things planned out for a particular day of this week, and if he remembered correctly, it would be in about two days. He wasn't entirely sure what they were planning, but he wasn't going to ask, either. If she wanted to tell him, she would. And if she didn't, well he didn't blame her.
“I certainly hope so,” she said, seemingly oblivious to his inner turmoil. Then again, knowing Ana, she might just be choosing not to mention it from politeness or a desire to give him space to think it out on his own. She could be like that, sometimes.
“But you know,” she continued, meeting his eyes from the corner of hers, “even if… even if they did come back, it probably wouldn’t be as bad. I was caught off-guard the first time; I hadn’t expected her to be so… hostile.” She frowned. “I’ve never really known anyone like that; it was hard to know how to react the first time… and I was already sick in the first place. So…” She shook her head faintly.
“I know it isn’t easy for you, dealing with her. I’m sure it’s painful in ways I can’t even imagine. But if it does happen again, I want to be there, to help you through it. And I want you to know that you don’t have to worry about me. I won’t let her get to me again.” She smiled softly at him, but it disappeared behind the rim of her mug, as though she were a bit embarrassed.
There wouldn't be a next time, though. He'd make sure of that personally if he had to. His threat was real when he'd told Marah he'd come after her. He'd meant every single word when he said that and he'd be damned if he took it back. Slowly, he plucked the cup from her hand, and set it down on the table beside him. Once that was done, he pulled Ana so that she was closer to him, and he just held her for a moment. She always seemed to calm him somehow.
"If that is what you want," he spoke, her hair tickling the side of his face. "Then you can be there for me, but you won't have to be. They won't be back," he continued, leaning his head somewhat on top of hers.
Considering that she’d been sitting next to him, the hug was a little awkward in terms of positioning, but Ana solved that problem by shifting a leg over his, so that she was, more or less, in his lap, but facing him. She settled there, laying her head on his chest so that her ear was right over his heart. Even from this angle, it was easy to tell that her face was nearly the pink of her hair, but she didn’t seem inclined to be elsewhere, either.
“Okay,” she said, simply accepting the words as true. There was a pause, in which he could feel her breathing against him, and then she spoke again. “I’m sorry they’re your family,” she said quietly, resting one of her hands in front of her face, tracing nonsense patterns into the fabric of his shirt there. “I’m sorry you had to go through everything you did because of them. I wish I could give you mine—at least I had people who really loved me.”
He sighed softly, not really registering her words. Be that as it may, they were his family, and there was nothing that could be done about it. Perhaps, in some twisted way, he appreciated that. He appreciated them as a family because they would not have taught him the value of the things he'd learned with his friends: with her. He probably would have never met her, and he probably wouldn't have ended up this way. Sure, they might have fucked up his mind a bit, but perhaps it was worth it. He shook the thought from his mind.
"You shouldn't be sorry, Ana. This is nothing to do with you, and it's not your fault. Just because they are shitty people doesn't mean you should be sorry on their behalf," and they really were shitty people. It might have taken him a long time to see that, but at least now he could say that much. "Besides," he spoke, glancing down at her for a moment.
"I have people who love me now, and people that I love," he confessed. It was about as close as he'd ever been at telling her he loved her. Perhaps one day he'd tell her forwardly, but this was still new to him, too. He wasn't entirely sure where to begin.
She didn’t seem to take his words in quite such a way, though perhaps that was more the fatigue than anything. She might not have properly noticed what he’d said—she probably wouldn’t ignore something like that if she’d properly realized what it meant. She shook her head slightly against his chest. “I’m not apologizing for them,” she said. “I’m apologizing to you. You deserve that, even if it’s coming from the wrong person.”
Ana lifted her head to look him in the eyes for a moment. “What they did, what you went through—it made you into… into someone amazing and brave and kind. And I’m glad you are those things. But it doesn’t make any of it right, and I’m not going to stop being mad at them for it.” Strangely, her mouth curled a little at the side.
“I’m allowed to be mad for your sake, aren’t I? You seemed pretty mad for mine, when Marah almost…” She gestured to her own face, probably indicating that his mother had been aiming for it.
She had a point, he supposed. He shook his head lightly, though. "Perhaps you are," he spoke, pulling her a little closer. "Just promise me something," he spoke, his tone sitting a little strangely. It was a serious thing to him, and he wanted her to make this promise to him. Even if she couldn't, he still wanted to know something. Anything, really.
"Promise me that, next time you're not feeling well, you'll tell me. Finding out from the doctors how bad you were," he spoke, pulling a little closer to her and letting his face be buried by her hair. "I'd rather you told me that you weren't feeling well because," he didn't know when her last day would be. He wanted to be there, if it happened. It wasn't something he wanted to think about right now, considering how he thought he almost lost her once.
It took her a moment to respond. When she did, there was a peculiar melancholy to the words. “Okay,” she murmured. “I promise.” Leaning her forehead on his sternum for a moment, the sighed softly, warm breath seeping through his shirt to his skin. “But let’s not talk about that right now. I’m too sleepy, and I think you are, too.”
As if to confirm her words, she slowly started to relax completely against him. She hadn’t exactly been stiff before or anything, but this was the relaxation of sleep or something close to it. Her breathing evened out; within a few moments, she’d dropped off entirely.
He sighed softly in content. At least she'd tell him. Taking one last glance at her, he allowed his head to fall back on the couch and situated himself carefully so that they were both laying on the couch, comfortably. He closed his eyes for a moment, not really noticing he'd eventually drift off as well.
I don't think I've ever seen you this tired, before, Kenshin spoke. He was leaning against the doorframe, and had a smug look on his face. Eryk didn't particularly care, though, and sent him a flat stare. I actually need a favor, he spoke, a little too seriously. Eryk actually raised a brow at the request, and sat up in his chair.
"What do you need me for?" he asked. He might as well find out what Kenshin wanted. It couldn't be anything too drastic. He probably wanted Eryk to help him get candy apples from some place. Cyrilla had opted to not give him anymore, said something about that being Kenshin's only diet. Apparently it was bad for him, but Eryk couldn't say he knew for sure. If Kenshin wanted candy apples, he might as well get them.
I need you to help me hide these, he spoke, producing a set of papers. From the looks of it, it looked like the divorce papers Kas and Cy would need, eventually, to get their marriage annulled. Eryk just raised a brow. Just for a little while, Kenshin continued.
"You know Cy will find them if they're here. I was going by Ana's, anyway," he spoke, standing up and grabbing his coat. He slipped it on and glanced at Kenshin. "You can come if you want, and see if she'll let you keep the copies in her basement or something, but you do know that they can get another copy, right?" he spoke. Kenshin seemed to smile to himself. Apparently he must have known something Eryk didn't, but he couldn't quite bring himself to care. Besides, he owed Kas and Cy for a little payback. He might as well help where he could.
There's a reason why I liked you, Ryk, Kenshin spoke, handing the papers to Eryk so he could put them in his coat. It would look odd if a lucario was carrying them, and someone would probably say something about it. They wouldn't say anything if Kenshin went with Eryk, though. It was a common occurence all on its own. Once he was settled, Eryk made his way to Ana's with Kenshin in tow.
Since they’d done the shelter’s spring cleaning all in a day already, it didn’t seem like there was a lot of work to do. He found Ana scattering food for the pidgeys, who landed and started pecking at the ground. One sat on her shoulder, apparently more inclined to eat straight out of her hand. She didn’t seem to mind, handing him a nugget of the stuff for him to work on for a bit. She slung the bag of feed over her other shoulder and turned, spotting Eryk and Kenshin only after she did so.
Her face broke into a smile immediately; she certainly didn’t seem to be feeling any lingering harm from his mother’s second visit, though admittedly he’d learned she was quite good at keeping that kind of thing well-concealed when she wanted to be.
“Good morning, Eryk. And Kenshin; this is a surprise.”
Morning, Ana, Kenshin greeted first, walking through the gate with Eryk. Eryk rolled his eyes slightly, but nodded his head in Ana's direction, anyway. She was used to his odd ways of greeting her, he was sure. We came by for a visit. Ryk here is tired and he can't seem to rest at the base, he continued, his grin splitting his face. Eryk stared at him a little blankly before shaking his head.
"Kenshin here, actually, wants you to conspire with him by hiding these," Eryk replied, pulling the documents from his jacket. "He thought that you might enjoy doing that for Kas and Cy, apparently," and somewhere deep inside, he'd enjoy it too. He'd make them both suffer for just a bit, but there was no actual harm being done. After all the things they did to him, this was a rather light punishment, he thought.
You make it sound like I'm trying to plan their funerals, Kenshin spoke, giving Eryk a flat look this time. Ana will agree with me that this is for their own good. Right, Ana? he spoke, glancing towards Ana.
Gently lifting the pidgey off her shoulder, she nudged him until he took off to join his fellows. Ana stepped forward enough to see the documents Eryk was holding. Her eyes widened a bit in comprehension when she recognized what they were. She sighed quietly. “Well, I don’t know if it will actually help at all, but… there’s a chance it might, so it seems worth taking.” She nodded once, firmly. “I can keep them here, but… it’s not that difficult to get a lawyer to draw these up; what’s stopping them from just getting new ones?”
Kenshin was the only one who knew the answer to that question, apparently. He turned towards Kenshin to see if he'd answer, but he just loosely shrugged his shoulders. "I told him that, but apparently there is something that he knows about that we don't," Eryk responded. He glanced back to Ana, though, and shrugged his shoulders, too. "Unless Kenshin plans on sabotaging their attempts, or bribing one of the clerks, I don't think there is much he can do," he added.
You just leave that to me, Ryk. Besides, you know Kas is too lazy to go forth with the effort of getting more, and Cyrilla's always busy with something else. It's not like they can't get it later, but the point of it is to keep them together for as long as possible, he seemed a little adamant about it. Did he actually like the idea of Kas and Cy being together like that? That would explain... a lot, actually. Eryk scoffed lightly at the slight realization.
"I think Kenshin's just being selfish, now," he finally spoke. "And I think you underestimate Kas's willingness to get that divorce, Kenshin. But we didn't come here for that, did we? We came to see if Ana would hide these here for a moment, and see how she was doing," he spoke, turning back towards Ana.
“If that’s the case, I’ll be right back,” she said. It didn’t take her too long to put the pidgey feed away in the shed and return, wiping her hands off on her apron before she held one out for the papers. “I’ll keep them, if that’s the plan, and we’ll see what happens, I suppose.” She tucked the papers away in her apron pocket, then looked up at him, rocking back on her heels a little bit as she studied his face.
“You do seem a little tired,” she noted with evident concern. “Why don’t you come inside? I’ll make you some tea and we can watch a movie or something in the living room. It might put you to sleep.” She seemed to think that was a good idea rather than a bad one, from the way she put it. Glancing down at Kenshin, she tilted her head to the side. “Would you like to join us, or were you planning to head back to Cy?”
Kenshin shook his head. Nope, my mission is completed. Now to see it unfold, I have to go back, he stated, grinning to himself, it looked like. He said goodbye before taking his leave, and Eryk shook his head. Sometimes he wondered who Kenshin really belonged to. He was nothing like Cy, and he doubted she trained him to be that way. He just was. Eryk turned his attention back towards Ana, though, and nodded his head.
"That sounds... like a good idea," he replied. It was probably best if he did rest eventually. He stiffled a yawn, and shook his head. "I might be boring company today, I fear," he replied, slightly serious. He knew she wouldn't particularly care, but he didn't exactly want to intrude on her, either. She had enough things to worry about without him here.
“You’re never boring, Eryk. If you fall asleep, you fall asleep. I don’t mind.” She smiled a bit, then led him back into the house, leaving him in the living room before she headed back into the kitchen to make the tea. When she returned, she had a few snacks with her on the tea tray as well—including what seemed to be oatmeal cookies.
Ana set the tray down on the coffee table; hesitating for just a moment before sitting directly next to him on the couch. She’d already poured the tea; it looked like—she handed him his mug and took the other for herself. Sighing softly, she leaned back against the sofa. “Last week was certainly… eventful,” she said quietly. “I can’t blame you for being exhausted. I know I am.” She sipped a bit of her tea, letting her eyes close for a moment.
She was probably more exhausted than he was, considering that she had an episode. He sighed a little softly and took a drink of his tea, swallowing it a little slowly. He placed the mug down, and turned to stare at her. "Hopefully it won't be a repetitive thing," because he wasn't entirely sure he could be the person he wasn't. She had told him that he wasn't that person, but at the moment, he wanted to be. Marah had had the audacity to try and hit Ana, and Eryk was actually afraid, for the first time in his life. When he'd found Ana unconscious with Kenshin, and when Marah threatened her, he was afraid.
"This week, I am told, would be better," he spoke. Cyrilla had mentioned that she and Ana had a few things planned out for a particular day of this week, and if he remembered correctly, it would be in about two days. He wasn't entirely sure what they were planning, but he wasn't going to ask, either. If she wanted to tell him, she would. And if she didn't, well he didn't blame her.
“I certainly hope so,” she said, seemingly oblivious to his inner turmoil. Then again, knowing Ana, she might just be choosing not to mention it from politeness or a desire to give him space to think it out on his own. She could be like that, sometimes.
“But you know,” she continued, meeting his eyes from the corner of hers, “even if… even if they did come back, it probably wouldn’t be as bad. I was caught off-guard the first time; I hadn’t expected her to be so… hostile.” She frowned. “I’ve never really known anyone like that; it was hard to know how to react the first time… and I was already sick in the first place. So…” She shook her head faintly.
“I know it isn’t easy for you, dealing with her. I’m sure it’s painful in ways I can’t even imagine. But if it does happen again, I want to be there, to help you through it. And I want you to know that you don’t have to worry about me. I won’t let her get to me again.” She smiled softly at him, but it disappeared behind the rim of her mug, as though she were a bit embarrassed.
There wouldn't be a next time, though. He'd make sure of that personally if he had to. His threat was real when he'd told Marah he'd come after her. He'd meant every single word when he said that and he'd be damned if he took it back. Slowly, he plucked the cup from her hand, and set it down on the table beside him. Once that was done, he pulled Ana so that she was closer to him, and he just held her for a moment. She always seemed to calm him somehow.
"If that is what you want," he spoke, her hair tickling the side of his face. "Then you can be there for me, but you won't have to be. They won't be back," he continued, leaning his head somewhat on top of hers.
Considering that she’d been sitting next to him, the hug was a little awkward in terms of positioning, but Ana solved that problem by shifting a leg over his, so that she was, more or less, in his lap, but facing him. She settled there, laying her head on his chest so that her ear was right over his heart. Even from this angle, it was easy to tell that her face was nearly the pink of her hair, but she didn’t seem inclined to be elsewhere, either.
“Okay,” she said, simply accepting the words as true. There was a pause, in which he could feel her breathing against him, and then she spoke again. “I’m sorry they’re your family,” she said quietly, resting one of her hands in front of her face, tracing nonsense patterns into the fabric of his shirt there. “I’m sorry you had to go through everything you did because of them. I wish I could give you mine—at least I had people who really loved me.”
He sighed softly, not really registering her words. Be that as it may, they were his family, and there was nothing that could be done about it. Perhaps, in some twisted way, he appreciated that. He appreciated them as a family because they would not have taught him the value of the things he'd learned with his friends: with her. He probably would have never met her, and he probably wouldn't have ended up this way. Sure, they might have fucked up his mind a bit, but perhaps it was worth it. He shook the thought from his mind.
"You shouldn't be sorry, Ana. This is nothing to do with you, and it's not your fault. Just because they are shitty people doesn't mean you should be sorry on their behalf," and they really were shitty people. It might have taken him a long time to see that, but at least now he could say that much. "Besides," he spoke, glancing down at her for a moment.
"I have people who love me now, and people that I love," he confessed. It was about as close as he'd ever been at telling her he loved her. Perhaps one day he'd tell her forwardly, but this was still new to him, too. He wasn't entirely sure where to begin.
She didn’t seem to take his words in quite such a way, though perhaps that was more the fatigue than anything. She might not have properly noticed what he’d said—she probably wouldn’t ignore something like that if she’d properly realized what it meant. She shook her head slightly against his chest. “I’m not apologizing for them,” she said. “I’m apologizing to you. You deserve that, even if it’s coming from the wrong person.”
Ana lifted her head to look him in the eyes for a moment. “What they did, what you went through—it made you into… into someone amazing and brave and kind. And I’m glad you are those things. But it doesn’t make any of it right, and I’m not going to stop being mad at them for it.” Strangely, her mouth curled a little at the side.
“I’m allowed to be mad for your sake, aren’t I? You seemed pretty mad for mine, when Marah almost…” She gestured to her own face, probably indicating that his mother had been aiming for it.
She had a point, he supposed. He shook his head lightly, though. "Perhaps you are," he spoke, pulling her a little closer. "Just promise me something," he spoke, his tone sitting a little strangely. It was a serious thing to him, and he wanted her to make this promise to him. Even if she couldn't, he still wanted to know something. Anything, really.
"Promise me that, next time you're not feeling well, you'll tell me. Finding out from the doctors how bad you were," he spoke, pulling a little closer to her and letting his face be buried by her hair. "I'd rather you told me that you weren't feeling well because," he didn't know when her last day would be. He wanted to be there, if it happened. It wasn't something he wanted to think about right now, considering how he thought he almost lost her once.
It took her a moment to respond. When she did, there was a peculiar melancholy to the words. “Okay,” she murmured. “I promise.” Leaning her forehead on his sternum for a moment, the sighed softly, warm breath seeping through his shirt to his skin. “But let’s not talk about that right now. I’m too sleepy, and I think you are, too.”
As if to confirm her words, she slowly started to relax completely against him. She hadn’t exactly been stiff before or anything, but this was the relaxation of sleep or something close to it. Her breathing evened out; within a few moments, she’d dropped off entirely.
He sighed softly in content. At least she'd tell him. Taking one last glance at her, he allowed his head to fall back on the couch and situated himself carefully so that they were both laying on the couch, comfortably. He closed his eyes for a moment, not really noticing he'd eventually drift off as well.
Kas sighed. This report for his boss wasn’t getting any nicer the longer he spent working on it. He included most of what he knew about Ana—minus her relationship with Eryk. That was personal; people didn’t need to know that, or so he’d almost convinced himself. He also conspicuously left out the part where he’d married a coworker and was holding off on trying to locate the divorce papers because there was a chance her family was still watching.
So… lots of stuff about Ana being psychic—as she’d eventually told he and Cy, though they’d known since the camping trip when the fire thing happened. Or at least he had; he supposed Cy might have thought it was something else. Not important. He did include Marah’s visit, though, because it represented a serious blow to Koga clan unity, and the Koga were pretty integral to Team Rocket’s power base. This could have consequences.
If Steele were here, she’d encourage him to keep driving that wedge deeper, though he really doubted she’d approve of the methods he’d indirectly chosen to do it. And she’d be right.
Kas pushed back from his desk. He had to consider the very real possibility that he was compromised here. Actually—no. He just was compromised. They were his friends, all three of them. He cared about them more than he should, and far more than he’d ever planned. It was bad enough that he knew it was starting to cloud his judgement. He was too involved, too close, and he couldn’t see the way out of this anymore.
It was the first thing they taught you at the Academy: always have an escape plan.
They didn’t tell you what to do when there was no escape. They didn’t tell you what to do when one of your targets was your brother and another one was literally your wife and they were both involved with an asset that you were probably eventually going to be responsible for turning, and she was your best friend, too.
He was so fucked.
Saving the report, he closed down his computer. He could… work on it more tomorrow. Today was Ryk’s party, and if he didn’t get his ass in gear, they were going to be late. Cy and Ana were already at the Gym, probably, doing setup work. That left Kas to get Eryk there without spoiling too much. Some of it would have to be less than a surprise, though—he needed to come with the right gear, after all.
Knocking on Eryk’s doorframe, he poked his head into his friend’s office. “Hey Ryk, we’ve got plans today, remember? Bring your swimming gear and your pokémon. I’d say don’t forget your appetite, but we all know you never go anywhere without that.” He plastered a grin on his face.
Funny, how easy it was to forget all the reasons he shouldn’t be doing shit like this.
Eryk just lifted his head from his desk. It didn't look like he'd actually done any work, and the proof was literally sticking to his forehead. He peeled it off, though, and glanced at Kas. "Plans?" he questioned. Apparently he'd either forgotten, or he was still slightly asleep. He seemed to remember, though, as he looked more awake now. "Plans, right," he stated, running a hand through his hair, probably to fix it a bit. He still seemed slightly confused, but there was a bag to his side.
"Cyrilla packed it for me before she left. I think she said I would need it," he spoke, lifting the bag over his shoulder. It probably had the swim gear he'd need. He didn't know that this was a party for him, that much was obvious. Cyrilla and Ana had been adamant about not telling him, after all. "We're supposed to meet them at... Drake's gym?" he spoke almost as if he were unsure.
“That’s the story,” Kas said, playing it like he wasn’t really sure what the plans were, either. He was less likely to catch on if it didn’t seem like a big conspiracy, after all.
Since Kas already had his stuff with him, they were able to leave in short order, heading towards the gym. He considered it pretty funny that Eryk was too tired to even make a fuss that they were technically going somewhere associated with Drake. Hopefully his drowsiness would fade before too long, though: it’d be kind of lame if he slept through his own party. Kas made a mental note to draw on his face with marker if it happened. Whether or not he was wearing shoes.
When they got to the Gym, Kas pulled the door open, letting Eryk go in first. They’d elected not to make the surprise all that surprising; no one had killed the lights or anything, and the obnoxious birthday-specific decorations were at a minimum. There was a cake though—a carrot cake, of course, that read HAPPY 29TH BIRTHDAY ERYK in neat block lettering. Other than that, it could have been a party for anything at all.
He seemed awake enough to glare somewhat at the cake. Either he had trouble reading it, or he was having a bit of trouble understanding what it said. "I should have known," he spoke, sighing softly and pinching the bridge of his nose. "Cy put you up to this, didn't she?" he stated, glancing at Kas. Almost as if on cue, Cy appeared.
"Didn't think I'd do it, did you?" she replied, a satisfied grin on her face. Eryk looked like he wanted to roll his eyes, but it was apparent that it would require too much energy for him to spend. "And I'm not the only one, right Ana!?" she stated. Funny how just the mentioning of Ana's name managed to perk him up a bit. He straightened up so that he wasn't slouching anymore.
"I hate you both, just so you know," he spoke. Cyrilla smiled, not at all fazed.
"And we love you, too, Ryk."
Kas clapped him on the back. “Relax, Ryk. There aren’t any presents, we’re not going to sing, and you love carrot cake. We know you do. You can ignore the words and pretend it’s not your birthday if you want.”
“But we hope you won’t,” Ana said, emerging from the gym’s cafeteria kitchen at last. She had a streak of flour on one cheek, though she didn’t seem to have noticed. She was wearing an apron over her clothes, too—clearly she’d been at the baking for a while.
Kas suppressed his chuckle at her face, instead arching a brow at Eryk. “Bet you twenty bucks you can’t say no to that face,” he said, clearly joking. Then again, if Eryk took the bet and then failed miserably, he could be twenty dollars richer at the end of the day…
Eryk sighed, and shook his head. He made his way to Ana, and wiped the streak of flour from her face. Somewhere to Kas's side, Cyrilla aww'd and Kenshin snickered. Eryk didn't hear it, or he was choosing not to acknowledge it. Once that was done, he turned back towards them. He was still frowning somewhat, but it wasn't like he was upset. It just seemed like the natural frown he usually wore, though there was something lighter about it.
"So, now that that's been settled," Cyrilla spoke, glancing at Kas before turning her attention to Eryk and Ana. "First things, first. I know you don't like presents, and I know we said no presents, but," she began, laughing a little nervously as she did, "I thought that maybe you might like this."
Eryk looked slightly confused as to what she was saying. She'd made her way towards the table where the carrot cake was and picked up what looked like a book. It wasn't exactly large, but it did seem quite similar to Ana's picture album. It looked a little more pristine, and bound in leather. It was probably expensive, but knowing Cy, the price probably didn't bother her when it came to Eryk. She held it out to him, though, when she returned, and Eryk pursed his lips together before taking it.
"This is," he began, opening it. Something about his expression deepened considerably, but it was also soft. "Pictures from the tournament and when we went camping," he spoke, flipping through the pages. Cyrilla nodded her head.
"I figured you might want to start collecting those good memories, and Ana helped me by making copies of the pictures from camping," she stated, seemingly satisfied with his reaction. He simply stared at her, and then towards Ana.
"Thanks," he replied softly, rubbing his thumb over the spine of the album before placing it down on a nearby table. Cyrilla merely smiled at him.
“Anyway,” Kas said, picking pokéballs off his belt, “the whole gym is ours, so feel free to let your team run around a bit.” Taking his own advice, he let everyone out. Meep gravitated towards him, as usual. Princess took one look at the assembled, harrumped in Cy’s general direction, then wandered off, presumably to seek out one of the many heat lamps installed in the facility. Kas rolled his eyes a little, but let her go without comment.
“Pool’s through that door, if you feel like swimming,” he said, pointing to a glass door. “There’s also a jacuzzi, I think. Just don’t fall asleep or you’ll dehydrate.” Eryk did seem to be a little more tired than usual, lately. If Kas hadn’t known the real cause, he’d have poked fun at him and asked if Ana was keeping him busy at night or something.
He’d save that one for later, though. It was a good joke.
Eryk and Cy both nodded their heads and released their own pokémon. Immediately, as usual, Gengar hovered closer to Ana while Blue still looked terrified. Milotic hummed softly to herself and just curled in where she lay. She didn't seem interested in what was going on around her. Meowth immediately began crawling up Eryk's leg before making herself comfortable on his shoulder. He just glanced at her and shook his head. Mankey, oddly enough, went up to Kas and stared at him for a second before lifting his arms up as if to telling him to lift him. Eryk rolled his eyes at Mankey.
Kas obliged, leaning down to pick up the pokémon and let him climb around his shoulders. Mankey was trouble—Kas liked that about him.
Most of Cyrilla's pokémon scattered about, except for Snow. She'd kept Snow in her pokéball, probably because it would be too warm for her. Lithe seemed content in the warmer climate and sat where he was, tail wagging just lightly as he did so. Kenshin, who was already out of his ball, just smiled as if he knew something that amused him.
"I think, a warm pool might actually wake me up," Eryk finally spoke, glancing at all of them. "If you all want to come, I don't care," which was probably his way of inviting them to go with him. Cyrilla shook her head, though.
"I have to finish a few things with the food before I can go, but I'll meet you all there, if you all decide to go," she spoke. Eryk just shrugged his shoulders.
“I’m going to help Cy, but we’ll be done soon,” Ana said. “You two go have fun in the meantime.” She offered Eyk a small smile, then turned to follow Cyrilla into the kitchen. A few of her pokémon were already about—Aithne, in particular, seemed to be enjoying the warm environs, and Iris shared a heat lamp with Princess at the moment. He supposed the others were around, though in all likelihood, Luna and Nova were watching over things back at the shelter.
Kas shrugged as well. “Well, Mankey and I will come with. There’s a locker room to the right.”
Cyrilla nodded her head towards Ana and waved bye to them. Eryk glanced one last time in their direction before heading towards the locker room Kas had just mentioned. Once they were there, it wasn't long before Eryk was in his swimming shorts, but it was apparent why he didn't casually dress without a shirt on. He had scars on his back, and one of them was almost as long as his torso. He glanced over his shoulder for a second, before reaching inside his back for another shirt. It was a light grey muscle shirt, and he slipped it on.
"Whose idea was it to use Drake's Gym?" he finally asked, closing the door to the locker he'd used. "I don't think it's a bad choice," but it was apparent that he didn't particularly care if it had been a different location.
Kas quashed his momentary flare of anger and shrugged. “Cy’s, I think. She and Ana started planning this a little bit before I got involved. I think the idea was that the beach is still slightly too cold this time of year.” Not that it would have bothered him. He’s swum in worse… he’d used to think of what his dad put him through as the training from hell, but knowing people who had actually lived in families that willingly beat them had sort of put that into perspective.
At least everything his dad had made Kas do had been to some benefit, and was because he cared, in some slightly-stunted dojo-master-dad kind of way.
Kas had no need to wear a shirt himself, and so he elected not to; though he supposed everyone now knew that he had more than the one tattoo. He didn’t mind, though—he’d gotten them because he wanted them, and he liked the way they looked. Most of the rest besides the Rayquaza one were from some part or another of his life: some were traditional island ink from the one his mother lived on. One was his dad’s dojo creed, right over his heart, but he’d had it done in an old runic language no one spoke anymore. One was just his academy graduation date and the Houndoom horns his unit had chosen to represent themselves—everyone from the class had one of those. He supposed he was about equal parts ink and skin at this point, though that was a slight exaggeration. The design was quite cohesive, largely because he'd taken care to get them all done in the same style, and fill in connective material—island-style foliage and elemental patterns like flames or water, mostly—between the ones that were close enough to need it.
He grabbed a few towels, tossing one to Ryk. “Let’s go see if the hot water does you any good.”
So… lots of stuff about Ana being psychic—as she’d eventually told he and Cy, though they’d known since the camping trip when the fire thing happened. Or at least he had; he supposed Cy might have thought it was something else. Not important. He did include Marah’s visit, though, because it represented a serious blow to Koga clan unity, and the Koga were pretty integral to Team Rocket’s power base. This could have consequences.
If Steele were here, she’d encourage him to keep driving that wedge deeper, though he really doubted she’d approve of the methods he’d indirectly chosen to do it. And she’d be right.
Kas pushed back from his desk. He had to consider the very real possibility that he was compromised here. Actually—no. He just was compromised. They were his friends, all three of them. He cared about them more than he should, and far more than he’d ever planned. It was bad enough that he knew it was starting to cloud his judgement. He was too involved, too close, and he couldn’t see the way out of this anymore.
It was the first thing they taught you at the Academy: always have an escape plan.
They didn’t tell you what to do when there was no escape. They didn’t tell you what to do when one of your targets was your brother and another one was literally your wife and they were both involved with an asset that you were probably eventually going to be responsible for turning, and she was your best friend, too.
He was so fucked.
Saving the report, he closed down his computer. He could… work on it more tomorrow. Today was Ryk’s party, and if he didn’t get his ass in gear, they were going to be late. Cy and Ana were already at the Gym, probably, doing setup work. That left Kas to get Eryk there without spoiling too much. Some of it would have to be less than a surprise, though—he needed to come with the right gear, after all.
Knocking on Eryk’s doorframe, he poked his head into his friend’s office. “Hey Ryk, we’ve got plans today, remember? Bring your swimming gear and your pokémon. I’d say don’t forget your appetite, but we all know you never go anywhere without that.” He plastered a grin on his face.
Funny, how easy it was to forget all the reasons he shouldn’t be doing shit like this.
Eryk just lifted his head from his desk. It didn't look like he'd actually done any work, and the proof was literally sticking to his forehead. He peeled it off, though, and glanced at Kas. "Plans?" he questioned. Apparently he'd either forgotten, or he was still slightly asleep. He seemed to remember, though, as he looked more awake now. "Plans, right," he stated, running a hand through his hair, probably to fix it a bit. He still seemed slightly confused, but there was a bag to his side.
"Cyrilla packed it for me before she left. I think she said I would need it," he spoke, lifting the bag over his shoulder. It probably had the swim gear he'd need. He didn't know that this was a party for him, that much was obvious. Cyrilla and Ana had been adamant about not telling him, after all. "We're supposed to meet them at... Drake's gym?" he spoke almost as if he were unsure.
“That’s the story,” Kas said, playing it like he wasn’t really sure what the plans were, either. He was less likely to catch on if it didn’t seem like a big conspiracy, after all.
Since Kas already had his stuff with him, they were able to leave in short order, heading towards the gym. He considered it pretty funny that Eryk was too tired to even make a fuss that they were technically going somewhere associated with Drake. Hopefully his drowsiness would fade before too long, though: it’d be kind of lame if he slept through his own party. Kas made a mental note to draw on his face with marker if it happened. Whether or not he was wearing shoes.
When they got to the Gym, Kas pulled the door open, letting Eryk go in first. They’d elected not to make the surprise all that surprising; no one had killed the lights or anything, and the obnoxious birthday-specific decorations were at a minimum. There was a cake though—a carrot cake, of course, that read HAPPY 29TH BIRTHDAY ERYK in neat block lettering. Other than that, it could have been a party for anything at all.
He seemed awake enough to glare somewhat at the cake. Either he had trouble reading it, or he was having a bit of trouble understanding what it said. "I should have known," he spoke, sighing softly and pinching the bridge of his nose. "Cy put you up to this, didn't she?" he stated, glancing at Kas. Almost as if on cue, Cy appeared.
"Didn't think I'd do it, did you?" she replied, a satisfied grin on her face. Eryk looked like he wanted to roll his eyes, but it was apparent that it would require too much energy for him to spend. "And I'm not the only one, right Ana!?" she stated. Funny how just the mentioning of Ana's name managed to perk him up a bit. He straightened up so that he wasn't slouching anymore.
"I hate you both, just so you know," he spoke. Cyrilla smiled, not at all fazed.
"And we love you, too, Ryk."
Kas clapped him on the back. “Relax, Ryk. There aren’t any presents, we’re not going to sing, and you love carrot cake. We know you do. You can ignore the words and pretend it’s not your birthday if you want.”
“But we hope you won’t,” Ana said, emerging from the gym’s cafeteria kitchen at last. She had a streak of flour on one cheek, though she didn’t seem to have noticed. She was wearing an apron over her clothes, too—clearly she’d been at the baking for a while.
Kas suppressed his chuckle at her face, instead arching a brow at Eryk. “Bet you twenty bucks you can’t say no to that face,” he said, clearly joking. Then again, if Eryk took the bet and then failed miserably, he could be twenty dollars richer at the end of the day…
Eryk sighed, and shook his head. He made his way to Ana, and wiped the streak of flour from her face. Somewhere to Kas's side, Cyrilla aww'd and Kenshin snickered. Eryk didn't hear it, or he was choosing not to acknowledge it. Once that was done, he turned back towards them. He was still frowning somewhat, but it wasn't like he was upset. It just seemed like the natural frown he usually wore, though there was something lighter about it.
"So, now that that's been settled," Cyrilla spoke, glancing at Kas before turning her attention to Eryk and Ana. "First things, first. I know you don't like presents, and I know we said no presents, but," she began, laughing a little nervously as she did, "I thought that maybe you might like this."
Eryk looked slightly confused as to what she was saying. She'd made her way towards the table where the carrot cake was and picked up what looked like a book. It wasn't exactly large, but it did seem quite similar to Ana's picture album. It looked a little more pristine, and bound in leather. It was probably expensive, but knowing Cy, the price probably didn't bother her when it came to Eryk. She held it out to him, though, when she returned, and Eryk pursed his lips together before taking it.
"This is," he began, opening it. Something about his expression deepened considerably, but it was also soft. "Pictures from the tournament and when we went camping," he spoke, flipping through the pages. Cyrilla nodded her head.
"I figured you might want to start collecting those good memories, and Ana helped me by making copies of the pictures from camping," she stated, seemingly satisfied with his reaction. He simply stared at her, and then towards Ana.
"Thanks," he replied softly, rubbing his thumb over the spine of the album before placing it down on a nearby table. Cyrilla merely smiled at him.
“Anyway,” Kas said, picking pokéballs off his belt, “the whole gym is ours, so feel free to let your team run around a bit.” Taking his own advice, he let everyone out. Meep gravitated towards him, as usual. Princess took one look at the assembled, harrumped in Cy’s general direction, then wandered off, presumably to seek out one of the many heat lamps installed in the facility. Kas rolled his eyes a little, but let her go without comment.
“Pool’s through that door, if you feel like swimming,” he said, pointing to a glass door. “There’s also a jacuzzi, I think. Just don’t fall asleep or you’ll dehydrate.” Eryk did seem to be a little more tired than usual, lately. If Kas hadn’t known the real cause, he’d have poked fun at him and asked if Ana was keeping him busy at night or something.
He’d save that one for later, though. It was a good joke.
Eryk and Cy both nodded their heads and released their own pokémon. Immediately, as usual, Gengar hovered closer to Ana while Blue still looked terrified. Milotic hummed softly to herself and just curled in where she lay. She didn't seem interested in what was going on around her. Meowth immediately began crawling up Eryk's leg before making herself comfortable on his shoulder. He just glanced at her and shook his head. Mankey, oddly enough, went up to Kas and stared at him for a second before lifting his arms up as if to telling him to lift him. Eryk rolled his eyes at Mankey.
Kas obliged, leaning down to pick up the pokémon and let him climb around his shoulders. Mankey was trouble—Kas liked that about him.
Most of Cyrilla's pokémon scattered about, except for Snow. She'd kept Snow in her pokéball, probably because it would be too warm for her. Lithe seemed content in the warmer climate and sat where he was, tail wagging just lightly as he did so. Kenshin, who was already out of his ball, just smiled as if he knew something that amused him.
"I think, a warm pool might actually wake me up," Eryk finally spoke, glancing at all of them. "If you all want to come, I don't care," which was probably his way of inviting them to go with him. Cyrilla shook her head, though.
"I have to finish a few things with the food before I can go, but I'll meet you all there, if you all decide to go," she spoke. Eryk just shrugged his shoulders.
“I’m going to help Cy, but we’ll be done soon,” Ana said. “You two go have fun in the meantime.” She offered Eyk a small smile, then turned to follow Cyrilla into the kitchen. A few of her pokémon were already about—Aithne, in particular, seemed to be enjoying the warm environs, and Iris shared a heat lamp with Princess at the moment. He supposed the others were around, though in all likelihood, Luna and Nova were watching over things back at the shelter.
Kas shrugged as well. “Well, Mankey and I will come with. There’s a locker room to the right.”
Cyrilla nodded her head towards Ana and waved bye to them. Eryk glanced one last time in their direction before heading towards the locker room Kas had just mentioned. Once they were there, it wasn't long before Eryk was in his swimming shorts, but it was apparent why he didn't casually dress without a shirt on. He had scars on his back, and one of them was almost as long as his torso. He glanced over his shoulder for a second, before reaching inside his back for another shirt. It was a light grey muscle shirt, and he slipped it on.
"Whose idea was it to use Drake's Gym?" he finally asked, closing the door to the locker he'd used. "I don't think it's a bad choice," but it was apparent that he didn't particularly care if it had been a different location.
Kas quashed his momentary flare of anger and shrugged. “Cy’s, I think. She and Ana started planning this a little bit before I got involved. I think the idea was that the beach is still slightly too cold this time of year.” Not that it would have bothered him. He’s swum in worse… he’d used to think of what his dad put him through as the training from hell, but knowing people who had actually lived in families that willingly beat them had sort of put that into perspective.
At least everything his dad had made Kas do had been to some benefit, and was because he cared, in some slightly-stunted dojo-master-dad kind of way.
Kas had no need to wear a shirt himself, and so he elected not to; though he supposed everyone now knew that he had more than the one tattoo. He didn’t mind, though—he’d gotten them because he wanted them, and he liked the way they looked. Most of the rest besides the Rayquaza one were from some part or another of his life: some were traditional island ink from the one his mother lived on. One was his dad’s dojo creed, right over his heart, but he’d had it done in an old runic language no one spoke anymore. One was just his academy graduation date and the Houndoom horns his unit had chosen to represent themselves—everyone from the class had one of those. He supposed he was about equal parts ink and skin at this point, though that was a slight exaggeration. The design was quite cohesive, largely because he'd taken care to get them all done in the same style, and fill in connective material—island-style foliage and elemental patterns like flames or water, mostly—between the ones that were close enough to need it.
He grabbed a few towels, tossing one to Ryk. “Let’s go see if the hot water does you any good.”
It was actually nice, relaxing in the warm waters. Eryk could feel the warmth relaxing his muscles, and soothing them in a way that they needed to be. He didn't understand why he was still so tired, but that may be because he spent too much energy dealing with his mother and Lukas. He didn't know it could be so tiring. That, and it felt a little good to do that. If he'd known it would feel that nice, he would have done it a long time ago. Still, he was still pretty worn out. He'd closed his eyes for a moment, allowing himself to just relax before a sudden splash caused him to crack open his eyes.
He glanced in the direction of the sound and noticed Mankey floating happily in the pool. He pursed his lips together. Of course Mankey would be enjoying himself this way. As if he'd noticed Eryk thinking about him, Mankey opened his eyes and stared at Eryk. He made a short gurgle noise before he allowed himself to float away. He shook his head and moved so that he was sitting up properly, and stared at Kas. He contemplated, for just a moment, whether or not he wanted to say anything to him about the current predicament of being married, however; he didn't quite feel like being cruel at the moment. He was far too tired to think of any sort of retort he'd have to give.
"How's your fist?" he decided to ask instead. Cy and Ana were still in the kitchen, probably, since they hadn't arrived yet. At least he could ask about his fist and see if it healed properly.
Kas held it up, moving his fingers. The wound was still visible, but it seemed he’d closed it with surgical glue. Probably better than bandages if he was planning on getting it wet. “Healing up just fine,” he replied. “Better than Lukas's jaw, I bet. I’ve always been kind of a fast healer anyhow, so it’ll probably be gone in another couple days.” He didn’t seem too concerned about it, at any rate.
“What about you? You doing all right? It can’t have been easy telling Marah where to shove it.” Of course, Kas seemed to find it easy—he’d done it more than once, in ways more and less direct. But Kas wasn’t her son, and he probably meant that made it harder.
Eryk just shrugged. "I'm about as good as I'll get. I just didn't realize doing that would take a lot out of me. It's partly the reason why I'm so tired," though in retrospect, he was probably emotionally tired, as Cy had put it one time. That made some sense to him, he supposed. It did take a lot to tell his mother that, but he wasn't going to regret it. She'd threatened Ana, and that was something he couldn't allow. Perhaps, if he wasn't so close to Ana, Marah might have actually had her way. He might have called for a change in persons so that someone else could do his job, and he'd probably be relocated somewhere else.
"But I'll be better once I get some more rest," he added. It was partly true, he supposed. If he could get a bit more rest, he'd be fine by the end of the week. "Perhaps I'll be fully recovered by the time your sister's wedding comes around," he added. He didn't particularly want to be the bad guest when they went. "It's coming up soon, right?" he asked, quirking his brow in the process.
Kas nodded, moving his elbows back to lean them on the outer edge of the pool. “Mid-May,” he said. “We’ll probably want to take a week; the wedding itself will be right in the middle, if we plan it right. That way, we’ve got some time to relax after we get there and I can help out with the last-minute stuff, and then we can chill out a bit after the craziness is over. It’s a nice place; I think you guys will like it. And of course, I’m never gonna say no to a week’s worth of mom’s food. Cy and Ana are good, and I can do pretty well, but my mother is a professional chef. Her food is always amazing.”
Mid-May? Eryk scoffed slightly. Cyrilla's birthday was in May, too, though if he remembered correctly, hers was towards the end of it. He'd have to get her back for this, somehow, but he didn't exactly want to do that quite yet. He still had some time, and there were things already in play that he could work with. He pursed his lips together at his own thoughts. He was starting to think Kas and Kenshin were a bad influence on him. Shaking his head, he nodded towards Kas.
"Don't let Ana or Cy hear you say that. I think you might upset them a bit," though he wasn't being serious about it. Maybe, but he highly doubted they'd really be upset. "Isn't your sister a chef, too?" he questioned. He remembered, a little vaguely, that Kas had mentioned something about her inheriting the restaurant. Or maybe he misheard that somehow?
Kas nodded, sinking a little deeper into the pool. “Crystal, yeah. It’s actually pretty exciting—apparently she’s in talks for a region-wide cooking show or something with mom. Should be interesting if it happens. They certainly work hard enough for it, but it might be a pain to do that and keep the restaurant running, so we’ll see, I guess.” He shrugged.
It was at that point that the girls entered the pool area. Kas snorted softly. “A wetsuit, Ana? Really?”
She tilted her head to the side, glancing down at herself. She was indeed wearing a bodysuit, similar to the ones used by surfers and the like—the black fabric reached her elbows and knees, and it had a high collar on it. The slides had pink stripes on them, but otherwise it was black. “I don’t swim that often,” she explained. “When I do, it’s usually because the Coast Guard has found a pokémon they need me to help with, so I’m diving for it. Is is bad for a pool?”
“Nah,” he said, shaking his head. “Slightly disappointing, but there’s nothing actually wrong.”
Eryk raised a brow at that. Slightly disappointing? How was it disappointing? There was nothing wrong with the suit she wore. She could have borrowed one of Cyrilla's suits, if she wanted to, but he supposed Cyrilla didn't know what kind of swimwear Ana had. Cyrilla, however, snorted at their conversation. She was wearing a red suit, though Eryk wouldn't exactly call it a suit. Bikini? Was that what it was called? He wasn't sure. Perhaps not because it wasn't a typical top for a bikini. It looked like maybe a halter bikini since it was a more modest top. Eryk rolled his eyes, though.
"It looks fine, Ana," he finally stated. He might as well say that, at least. She did look nice, but perhaps he could understand what Kas was saying, now. A little disappointing, but not entirely so, he supposed. He blinked slowly at the sudden train of thoughts, and glanced away from her for a moment.
"Aw, look Ana, Ryk's embarrassed," Cyrilla spoke, snickering lightly at him.
"Shut up, Cy." did he sound grumpy when he said that?
Ana didn’t really seem to know what to make of the conversation, and shook her head. She dove into the water with the ease of long practice; even if she didn’t swim often, it seemed she had the skill. When she surfaced, it was with her ponytail plastered to her back; her wet hair had a color a little closer to magenta than normal.
“Oh, this is nice,” she said, apparently referring to the temperature of the water. “You should get in, Cy.” Ana swam over to Mankey, who was still floating lazily in the water, and scratched his belly. “Supposedly in Sinnoh, there is a hotspring on some mountains, and when it gets really cold, mankeys and primapes all go take a dip together. Sometimes they chase away tourists trying to do the same thing.”
Kas nodded like he’d heard the same bit of trivia. “I saw a video once, of them chasing all these guys out of a pool. It was pretty hilarious.”
"Mankey's too lazy to do that," Eryk retorted, earning a short huff from said pokémon. "Plus, I think there's enough room for all of us in here even if he did decide to try and run us out," he continued. Mankey made a strange gurgling sound, though, when Ana scratched his stomach. He must have enjoyed it since it sounded like he did. Cyrilla did as Ana suggested, though, and entered, albeit slowly. Almost like she wasn't certain the water was quite warm. That or something else, he didn't really care.
"Oh you're right, this is nice," she finally spoke. She looked like she wanted to say more, however; a sudden splash in the water managed to drench a few of them, her included. "Kenshin!" she stated in a startled squeak. He almost laughed at her as Kenshin surfaced from the water. The only parts of him that were visible were his ears and his eyes. Most of him was still underwater.
What? I said cannonball, he spoke, though they all knew he didn't.
“Be careful, Kenshin. It sounds almost like you’re picking a water fight here. And you don’t pick a water fight with an island kid. We win.” Kas grinned, though for the moment he didn’t make good on the threat. Maybe he didn’t intend to—it was hard to say.
Ana seemed to find the splash amusing rather than annoying, perhaps since she had already been submerged anyway. She flicked a little bit of water with her fingers, splashing one of Kenshin’s exposed ears. “Funny how even I didn’t hear you say that.”
Wait, am I being challenged? Kenshin spoke, glancing at Kas. His ear flicked to the side, though, when Ana splashed it with water. And I guess you are all deaf, then, because I did say it, he retorted back. Eryk shook his head. He seriously wanted to know who raised the lucario. As if sensing his thoughts, Kenshin glanced towards him, and smirked.
"I think, Kas, Kenshin is challenging you," Eryk spoke, Kenshin merely shrugged.
I'm a pokémon so I have an advantage, he retorted.
"Being a pokémon has nothing to do with it, Kenny," Cyrilla replied deadpan.
“Eh. I’m too lazy to accept it, honestly. Now, if we wanted to buizel fight, on the other hand, I’d be down for that.”
“Buizel what?” Ana asked, her brows furrowing. Clearly she was unfamiliar with the game.
Kas grinned. “Buizel fight. You split into teams of two. One sits on the other one’s shoulders, and your goal is to knock the other top person off their bottom person.”
She blinked. “Wouldn’t that be dangerous?”
“Not really. Especially if you have rules about how you can attack. So most people say no scratching, clawing, or pulling hair, for instance. And then you obviously stay away from the edges so no one hits their head, but that’s really mostly it.”
Well I guess that leaves me out, then, Kenshin spoke, almost as if he were a little upset that he wouldn't be able to participate. Eryk, however, seemed a little concerned. If they did partake in the game, they would have to be a little careful. He didn't want Ana to get hurt, and he doubted that the girls could support their weight. He definitely didn't want Ana trying to hold up Kas or himself.
"Oh, but that does sound like fun," Cyrilla chimed in. Of coure she'd think it was fun. Maybe she didn't think the same way he did? Or maybe she was thinking more than he did. This was, after all, a way to make memories with Ana, and who was he to stop her? He sighed softly, and shook his head.
"Perhaps you'd like to give it a go, Ana," he spoke, raising a brow in her direction. He'd leave it up to her whether or not she wanted to play.
She thought about it for a moment, clearly considering the question. It didn’t take too long for her to nod, though. “I’ll try. I trust you not to drop me.” She smiled, then shook her head slightly. “Though I can’t promise I’ll be any good at the knocking-down part. I’m not exactly much of a fighter, buizel or otherwise.”
Kas laughed. “Don’t worry too much about it. It’s more to do with balance than anything. And we’re right here if you fall.” He arched an eyebrow. “Since you seem to have decided I’m not trustworthy, I guess that means Cy has to brave the perils of being stuck with my unreliable self.”
He paused a moment, almost as if to make sure Cyrilla wasn’t going to protest, then lifted her easily by the waist, settling her on his shoulders. “It’s almost like we’ve done this before,” he said with some amusement. “Anyway, Ken: you can referee, and make things difficult for us if you want to.”
Cyrilla snorted at Kas's comment, but didn't say anything. Kenshin, however, looked a little too happy to be the referee. "Don't even think about it, Kenshin," Eryk spoke. Kenshin just looked slightly offended, and even held his paw over his chest.
I'm wounded that you don't trust me, Ryk, he spoke, feigning a hint of sadness to his voice. It looks like you're not the only untrustworthy person here, Kas, Kenshin spoke. Eryk resisted the urge to roll his eyes, and gently lifted Ana onto his shoulders as well.
"Are you alright up there?" he asked, tilting his head slightly so he could glance at her. He didn't want to make things too uncomfortable for her, after all.
“Um…” It took her a couple of seconds to adjust so she was comfortable, but she wasn’t squeezing his neck or pulling his hair or anything, which was a good sign. “Yes. I can do this, I think.” She looked back down at him from above, then huffed softly and used her fingers to comb his hair back against his head, so the wet strands weren’t in his face. “You kind of looked like Rufus for a second there,” she told him, half-smiling.
“Arceus, stop being that cute or I’m going to go into a sugar coma over here,” Kas mocked, rolling his eyes at both of them. “Now, are you ready?”
Eryk rolled his eyes at Kas, but he would admit that it did feel nice when she did that. It was a little relaxing, actually, and he was tempted to just keep doing that. Shaking his head, he gave Kas a flat look, and blinked slowly. "You know, that might not be a bad idea. It'll give you the advantage," he spoke, somewhere between being serious, and being slightly not serious. Kenshin snorted softly at them, and shook his head.
Alright, Kas mentioned most of the basic rules already. I want a good, clean fight, Kenshin started, laughing at himself slightly. Eryk rolled his eyes again, and shifted slightly so that he was a little more comfortable. Now, go have fun, he spoke, waving them off in a shooing fashion.
"I'm ready," he spoke, glancing at the two in front of him.
"Yeah, me too!" Cyrilla spoke. Eryk wasn't so sure how it would end, because if this was more about balance, then he was certain Cyrilla would have the upper hand. They had to have good balance in their family, after all. But this was also about having fun, right?
"Hey Ana," he spoke a little quietly. It was kind of hard considering she was on his shoulders, and they were in close proximity to Kas and Cy, however; he wanted to give Ana a bit of a heads up, and maybe something of an advantage. "Cy's a little ticklish on the inside of her elbow. You might want to make use of that," he spoke, hoping she might hear him. He definitely didn't want them to hear what he was saying.
“Got it,” she said back, shifting so that her hands were both free. She seemed to be pretty good at balancing as well, so maybe it would be closer than he thought.
The teams met in the middle of the pool. Kas immediately went to knock his shoulder into Eryk, clearly relying on Cyrilla’s balance to keep her upright, but he was forced to back off and steady his posture more when Ana leaned around Eryk’s head to snatch at Cyrilla.
Eryk somewhat glared at Kas, however; he moved himself so that he could lean a little closer for Ana. Cyrilla seemed to be having a bit of fun, laughing somewhat as she tried to move out of Ana's grasp. It didn't quite work for her, though and she had to twist a bit so that, even when Ana managed to grab her, she was still pretty well-balanced on Kas's shoulders. He knew she could have moved out of Ana's range by falling somewhat backwards on Kas's shoulders, however; she must have let Ana catch her just so that it would be fair. He would have rolled his eyes if he wasn't so busy keeping them focused on Kas.
Eryk, however, decided he was going to move Kas back a bit, by trying to trip his legs out from underneath him. Of course, Kas being who he was, probably wouldn't fall too easily. It's not like Eryk was really trying, though. He was just trying to make it fun for Ana, he supposed. He could be competitive when he wanted to, so part of him actually hoped he didn't get competitive during this little match.
Kas seemed to be taking it pretty easy as well; he just stepped back away from Eryk’s attempt to unbalance him, adjusting his grip so he was only holding one of Cy’s legs and using his now-free hand to splash the both of them with water.
Ana laughed, retaliating by leaning down and throwing water with both of her hands as well. They got in close again, and this time, she ran her fingers up the inside of Cy’s elbow.
Eryk managed to keep most of the water out of his eyes, but he could still feel the sting of some of it dripping in. He narrowed his eyes at Kas, however; he watched in slight amusement as Cyrilla twitched somewhat. Perhaps a little too much when Ana ran her fingers inside her elbow.
"Oh, crap! Damn it Eryk!" she nearly sputtered before she broke out into a fit of giggles. She'd lost some of her balance on Kas's shoulder as she tried to get away from Ana. She might have actually fallen off if her foot hadn't hooked underneath his arm, and it looked like she was putting some pressure there to keep herself balanced. She was still laughing, though, which caused Eryk to scoff somewhat.
"Never said anything about playing fair," he retorted. He could hear Kenshin snickering softly, and he glanced towards the lucario as if expecting him to say something. He didn't, though. "I simply gave Ana an advantage, and she used it," he continued, though he would have shrugged his shoulders if Ana wasn't currently situated on them.
"Oh, that's low, Ryk. So low," she responded.
“I didn’t realize there were rules against tickling in this game,” Ana said. He couldn’t see her face, but it was obvious just from the way she sounded that she was smiling.
“As long as you recognize that turnabout is fair play, Ana,” Kas replied, a mischievous light in his eyes. He took several big steps forward so they were all within reaching distance again. “Get her, Cy!”
There aren't any rules against that, Kenshin replied, perhaps a little too late. Eryk managed to take one full step back before Cyrilla and Ana were locked again. Cyrilla, however, managed to smile a little too widely, and managed to get the inside of Ana's waist. It would have been easier if Ana had been wearing something other than her onepiece, however; Cyrilla looked like she was attempting to tickle Ana through her wetsuit.
From the sudden, apparently uncontrollable laughter, it was working anyway. Ana tried valiantly to keep her balance, but eventually the relentless assault became too much and she let herself fall backwards off Eryk’s shoulders. She splashed, then surfaced again a few moments later. “S-sorry,” she said, smiling sheepishly. “I’m horribly ticklish pretty much everywhere.”
She pushed several pieces of hair that had come loose back from her face, slicking them against her head. Glancing at the water for a moment, she smiled. It looked like one that would have been perfectly at home on Kas’s face. Her eyes lit for a moment, and then a large sphere of water rose up out of the pool. She levitated it over Cy and Kas, then released it, effectively dumping several gallons over their heads.
"Yes!" Cyrilla stated, lifting both arms into the air as a sort of victory pose. No sooner had she did that, though, Ana dropped the water over their heads, effectively drowning the two of them. She had fallen off of Kas's shoulders, and resurfaced a moment later. "We still won!" she managed to sputter out, laughing while she did so.
Eryk just shook his head, and glanced at the others. I don't know, Cy. Ana might have just pulled one for the team, Kenshin spoke, raising an amused brow. He seemed to be finding this situation amusing, apparently. Eryk would admit, if only for a second, that he did as well. This was, oddly, nice. He didn't particularly think he'd be having a good time here, with his friends, on his birthday of all days.
"I think we've all been drenched a little too long. Perhaps a change is necessary," he spoke, though he did feel slightly more awake now. Funny how just a few minutes in the hot waters, and being with his friends, was enough to wake and revitalize him now.
“Let’s eat,” Kas suggested, climbing easily out of the pool. When Ana followed, he tossed her a towel, and did the same for Ryk and Cy. Untying the elastic in his hair, he shook it out like a shaggy stoutland, then scrubbed the towel through several times.
“Oh,” Ana said, sounding faintly surprised. “You have more tattoos than I thought you did, Kas. They’re really beautiful.”
He paused, draping the towel around his shoulders, glancing down as though he’d managed to forget they were there. “Thanks, Ana. I think so—the artist does good work. I can refer you if you want.” He grinned, as though he knew it was unlikely she’d be interested.
But she actually seemed to consider it for a moment before finally shaking her head. “I have no idea what I’d get one of,” she said. “But I’ve always liked them.”
Eryk raised a brow, seemingly surprised that she'd even consider it. If he hadn't spent most of his life around needles and other such things, perhaps he might have had some too. He knew a few of his fellow members had tattoos, but they were mostly of missions and things like that. He didn't understand the sentimental value they had, apparently.
"Perhaps you'll find something eventually," he spoke, though he could feel his expression soften somewhat.
"I bet you'd like that, wouldn't you?" Cyrlla spoke. He just gave her a flat look while she grinned at him. Somehow, he knew she was referring to him.
He glanced in the direction of the sound and noticed Mankey floating happily in the pool. He pursed his lips together. Of course Mankey would be enjoying himself this way. As if he'd noticed Eryk thinking about him, Mankey opened his eyes and stared at Eryk. He made a short gurgle noise before he allowed himself to float away. He shook his head and moved so that he was sitting up properly, and stared at Kas. He contemplated, for just a moment, whether or not he wanted to say anything to him about the current predicament of being married, however; he didn't quite feel like being cruel at the moment. He was far too tired to think of any sort of retort he'd have to give.
"How's your fist?" he decided to ask instead. Cy and Ana were still in the kitchen, probably, since they hadn't arrived yet. At least he could ask about his fist and see if it healed properly.
Kas held it up, moving his fingers. The wound was still visible, but it seemed he’d closed it with surgical glue. Probably better than bandages if he was planning on getting it wet. “Healing up just fine,” he replied. “Better than Lukas's jaw, I bet. I’ve always been kind of a fast healer anyhow, so it’ll probably be gone in another couple days.” He didn’t seem too concerned about it, at any rate.
“What about you? You doing all right? It can’t have been easy telling Marah where to shove it.” Of course, Kas seemed to find it easy—he’d done it more than once, in ways more and less direct. But Kas wasn’t her son, and he probably meant that made it harder.
Eryk just shrugged. "I'm about as good as I'll get. I just didn't realize doing that would take a lot out of me. It's partly the reason why I'm so tired," though in retrospect, he was probably emotionally tired, as Cy had put it one time. That made some sense to him, he supposed. It did take a lot to tell his mother that, but he wasn't going to regret it. She'd threatened Ana, and that was something he couldn't allow. Perhaps, if he wasn't so close to Ana, Marah might have actually had her way. He might have called for a change in persons so that someone else could do his job, and he'd probably be relocated somewhere else.
"But I'll be better once I get some more rest," he added. It was partly true, he supposed. If he could get a bit more rest, he'd be fine by the end of the week. "Perhaps I'll be fully recovered by the time your sister's wedding comes around," he added. He didn't particularly want to be the bad guest when they went. "It's coming up soon, right?" he asked, quirking his brow in the process.
Kas nodded, moving his elbows back to lean them on the outer edge of the pool. “Mid-May,” he said. “We’ll probably want to take a week; the wedding itself will be right in the middle, if we plan it right. That way, we’ve got some time to relax after we get there and I can help out with the last-minute stuff, and then we can chill out a bit after the craziness is over. It’s a nice place; I think you guys will like it. And of course, I’m never gonna say no to a week’s worth of mom’s food. Cy and Ana are good, and I can do pretty well, but my mother is a professional chef. Her food is always amazing.”
Mid-May? Eryk scoffed slightly. Cyrilla's birthday was in May, too, though if he remembered correctly, hers was towards the end of it. He'd have to get her back for this, somehow, but he didn't exactly want to do that quite yet. He still had some time, and there were things already in play that he could work with. He pursed his lips together at his own thoughts. He was starting to think Kas and Kenshin were a bad influence on him. Shaking his head, he nodded towards Kas.
"Don't let Ana or Cy hear you say that. I think you might upset them a bit," though he wasn't being serious about it. Maybe, but he highly doubted they'd really be upset. "Isn't your sister a chef, too?" he questioned. He remembered, a little vaguely, that Kas had mentioned something about her inheriting the restaurant. Or maybe he misheard that somehow?
Kas nodded, sinking a little deeper into the pool. “Crystal, yeah. It’s actually pretty exciting—apparently she’s in talks for a region-wide cooking show or something with mom. Should be interesting if it happens. They certainly work hard enough for it, but it might be a pain to do that and keep the restaurant running, so we’ll see, I guess.” He shrugged.
It was at that point that the girls entered the pool area. Kas snorted softly. “A wetsuit, Ana? Really?”
She tilted her head to the side, glancing down at herself. She was indeed wearing a bodysuit, similar to the ones used by surfers and the like—the black fabric reached her elbows and knees, and it had a high collar on it. The slides had pink stripes on them, but otherwise it was black. “I don’t swim that often,” she explained. “When I do, it’s usually because the Coast Guard has found a pokémon they need me to help with, so I’m diving for it. Is is bad for a pool?”
“Nah,” he said, shaking his head. “Slightly disappointing, but there’s nothing actually wrong.”
Eryk raised a brow at that. Slightly disappointing? How was it disappointing? There was nothing wrong with the suit she wore. She could have borrowed one of Cyrilla's suits, if she wanted to, but he supposed Cyrilla didn't know what kind of swimwear Ana had. Cyrilla, however, snorted at their conversation. She was wearing a red suit, though Eryk wouldn't exactly call it a suit. Bikini? Was that what it was called? He wasn't sure. Perhaps not because it wasn't a typical top for a bikini. It looked like maybe a halter bikini since it was a more modest top. Eryk rolled his eyes, though.
"It looks fine, Ana," he finally stated. He might as well say that, at least. She did look nice, but perhaps he could understand what Kas was saying, now. A little disappointing, but not entirely so, he supposed. He blinked slowly at the sudden train of thoughts, and glanced away from her for a moment.
"Aw, look Ana, Ryk's embarrassed," Cyrilla spoke, snickering lightly at him.
"Shut up, Cy." did he sound grumpy when he said that?
Ana didn’t really seem to know what to make of the conversation, and shook her head. She dove into the water with the ease of long practice; even if she didn’t swim often, it seemed she had the skill. When she surfaced, it was with her ponytail plastered to her back; her wet hair had a color a little closer to magenta than normal.
“Oh, this is nice,” she said, apparently referring to the temperature of the water. “You should get in, Cy.” Ana swam over to Mankey, who was still floating lazily in the water, and scratched his belly. “Supposedly in Sinnoh, there is a hotspring on some mountains, and when it gets really cold, mankeys and primapes all go take a dip together. Sometimes they chase away tourists trying to do the same thing.”
Kas nodded like he’d heard the same bit of trivia. “I saw a video once, of them chasing all these guys out of a pool. It was pretty hilarious.”
"Mankey's too lazy to do that," Eryk retorted, earning a short huff from said pokémon. "Plus, I think there's enough room for all of us in here even if he did decide to try and run us out," he continued. Mankey made a strange gurgling sound, though, when Ana scratched his stomach. He must have enjoyed it since it sounded like he did. Cyrilla did as Ana suggested, though, and entered, albeit slowly. Almost like she wasn't certain the water was quite warm. That or something else, he didn't really care.
"Oh you're right, this is nice," she finally spoke. She looked like she wanted to say more, however; a sudden splash in the water managed to drench a few of them, her included. "Kenshin!" she stated in a startled squeak. He almost laughed at her as Kenshin surfaced from the water. The only parts of him that were visible were his ears and his eyes. Most of him was still underwater.
What? I said cannonball, he spoke, though they all knew he didn't.
“Be careful, Kenshin. It sounds almost like you’re picking a water fight here. And you don’t pick a water fight with an island kid. We win.” Kas grinned, though for the moment he didn’t make good on the threat. Maybe he didn’t intend to—it was hard to say.
Ana seemed to find the splash amusing rather than annoying, perhaps since she had already been submerged anyway. She flicked a little bit of water with her fingers, splashing one of Kenshin’s exposed ears. “Funny how even I didn’t hear you say that.”
Wait, am I being challenged? Kenshin spoke, glancing at Kas. His ear flicked to the side, though, when Ana splashed it with water. And I guess you are all deaf, then, because I did say it, he retorted back. Eryk shook his head. He seriously wanted to know who raised the lucario. As if sensing his thoughts, Kenshin glanced towards him, and smirked.
"I think, Kas, Kenshin is challenging you," Eryk spoke, Kenshin merely shrugged.
I'm a pokémon so I have an advantage, he retorted.
"Being a pokémon has nothing to do with it, Kenny," Cyrilla replied deadpan.
“Eh. I’m too lazy to accept it, honestly. Now, if we wanted to buizel fight, on the other hand, I’d be down for that.”
“Buizel what?” Ana asked, her brows furrowing. Clearly she was unfamiliar with the game.
Kas grinned. “Buizel fight. You split into teams of two. One sits on the other one’s shoulders, and your goal is to knock the other top person off their bottom person.”
She blinked. “Wouldn’t that be dangerous?”
“Not really. Especially if you have rules about how you can attack. So most people say no scratching, clawing, or pulling hair, for instance. And then you obviously stay away from the edges so no one hits their head, but that’s really mostly it.”
Well I guess that leaves me out, then, Kenshin spoke, almost as if he were a little upset that he wouldn't be able to participate. Eryk, however, seemed a little concerned. If they did partake in the game, they would have to be a little careful. He didn't want Ana to get hurt, and he doubted that the girls could support their weight. He definitely didn't want Ana trying to hold up Kas or himself.
"Oh, but that does sound like fun," Cyrilla chimed in. Of coure she'd think it was fun. Maybe she didn't think the same way he did? Or maybe she was thinking more than he did. This was, after all, a way to make memories with Ana, and who was he to stop her? He sighed softly, and shook his head.
"Perhaps you'd like to give it a go, Ana," he spoke, raising a brow in her direction. He'd leave it up to her whether or not she wanted to play.
She thought about it for a moment, clearly considering the question. It didn’t take too long for her to nod, though. “I’ll try. I trust you not to drop me.” She smiled, then shook her head slightly. “Though I can’t promise I’ll be any good at the knocking-down part. I’m not exactly much of a fighter, buizel or otherwise.”
Kas laughed. “Don’t worry too much about it. It’s more to do with balance than anything. And we’re right here if you fall.” He arched an eyebrow. “Since you seem to have decided I’m not trustworthy, I guess that means Cy has to brave the perils of being stuck with my unreliable self.”
He paused a moment, almost as if to make sure Cyrilla wasn’t going to protest, then lifted her easily by the waist, settling her on his shoulders. “It’s almost like we’ve done this before,” he said with some amusement. “Anyway, Ken: you can referee, and make things difficult for us if you want to.”
Cyrilla snorted at Kas's comment, but didn't say anything. Kenshin, however, looked a little too happy to be the referee. "Don't even think about it, Kenshin," Eryk spoke. Kenshin just looked slightly offended, and even held his paw over his chest.
I'm wounded that you don't trust me, Ryk, he spoke, feigning a hint of sadness to his voice. It looks like you're not the only untrustworthy person here, Kas, Kenshin spoke. Eryk resisted the urge to roll his eyes, and gently lifted Ana onto his shoulders as well.
"Are you alright up there?" he asked, tilting his head slightly so he could glance at her. He didn't want to make things too uncomfortable for her, after all.
“Um…” It took her a couple of seconds to adjust so she was comfortable, but she wasn’t squeezing his neck or pulling his hair or anything, which was a good sign. “Yes. I can do this, I think.” She looked back down at him from above, then huffed softly and used her fingers to comb his hair back against his head, so the wet strands weren’t in his face. “You kind of looked like Rufus for a second there,” she told him, half-smiling.
“Arceus, stop being that cute or I’m going to go into a sugar coma over here,” Kas mocked, rolling his eyes at both of them. “Now, are you ready?”
Eryk rolled his eyes at Kas, but he would admit that it did feel nice when she did that. It was a little relaxing, actually, and he was tempted to just keep doing that. Shaking his head, he gave Kas a flat look, and blinked slowly. "You know, that might not be a bad idea. It'll give you the advantage," he spoke, somewhere between being serious, and being slightly not serious. Kenshin snorted softly at them, and shook his head.
Alright, Kas mentioned most of the basic rules already. I want a good, clean fight, Kenshin started, laughing at himself slightly. Eryk rolled his eyes again, and shifted slightly so that he was a little more comfortable. Now, go have fun, he spoke, waving them off in a shooing fashion.
"I'm ready," he spoke, glancing at the two in front of him.
"Yeah, me too!" Cyrilla spoke. Eryk wasn't so sure how it would end, because if this was more about balance, then he was certain Cyrilla would have the upper hand. They had to have good balance in their family, after all. But this was also about having fun, right?
"Hey Ana," he spoke a little quietly. It was kind of hard considering she was on his shoulders, and they were in close proximity to Kas and Cy, however; he wanted to give Ana a bit of a heads up, and maybe something of an advantage. "Cy's a little ticklish on the inside of her elbow. You might want to make use of that," he spoke, hoping she might hear him. He definitely didn't want them to hear what he was saying.
“Got it,” she said back, shifting so that her hands were both free. She seemed to be pretty good at balancing as well, so maybe it would be closer than he thought.
The teams met in the middle of the pool. Kas immediately went to knock his shoulder into Eryk, clearly relying on Cyrilla’s balance to keep her upright, but he was forced to back off and steady his posture more when Ana leaned around Eryk’s head to snatch at Cyrilla.
Eryk somewhat glared at Kas, however; he moved himself so that he could lean a little closer for Ana. Cyrilla seemed to be having a bit of fun, laughing somewhat as she tried to move out of Ana's grasp. It didn't quite work for her, though and she had to twist a bit so that, even when Ana managed to grab her, she was still pretty well-balanced on Kas's shoulders. He knew she could have moved out of Ana's range by falling somewhat backwards on Kas's shoulders, however; she must have let Ana catch her just so that it would be fair. He would have rolled his eyes if he wasn't so busy keeping them focused on Kas.
Eryk, however, decided he was going to move Kas back a bit, by trying to trip his legs out from underneath him. Of course, Kas being who he was, probably wouldn't fall too easily. It's not like Eryk was really trying, though. He was just trying to make it fun for Ana, he supposed. He could be competitive when he wanted to, so part of him actually hoped he didn't get competitive during this little match.
Kas seemed to be taking it pretty easy as well; he just stepped back away from Eryk’s attempt to unbalance him, adjusting his grip so he was only holding one of Cy’s legs and using his now-free hand to splash the both of them with water.
Ana laughed, retaliating by leaning down and throwing water with both of her hands as well. They got in close again, and this time, she ran her fingers up the inside of Cy’s elbow.
Eryk managed to keep most of the water out of his eyes, but he could still feel the sting of some of it dripping in. He narrowed his eyes at Kas, however; he watched in slight amusement as Cyrilla twitched somewhat. Perhaps a little too much when Ana ran her fingers inside her elbow.
"Oh, crap! Damn it Eryk!" she nearly sputtered before she broke out into a fit of giggles. She'd lost some of her balance on Kas's shoulder as she tried to get away from Ana. She might have actually fallen off if her foot hadn't hooked underneath his arm, and it looked like she was putting some pressure there to keep herself balanced. She was still laughing, though, which caused Eryk to scoff somewhat.
"Never said anything about playing fair," he retorted. He could hear Kenshin snickering softly, and he glanced towards the lucario as if expecting him to say something. He didn't, though. "I simply gave Ana an advantage, and she used it," he continued, though he would have shrugged his shoulders if Ana wasn't currently situated on them.
"Oh, that's low, Ryk. So low," she responded.
“I didn’t realize there were rules against tickling in this game,” Ana said. He couldn’t see her face, but it was obvious just from the way she sounded that she was smiling.
“As long as you recognize that turnabout is fair play, Ana,” Kas replied, a mischievous light in his eyes. He took several big steps forward so they were all within reaching distance again. “Get her, Cy!”
There aren't any rules against that, Kenshin replied, perhaps a little too late. Eryk managed to take one full step back before Cyrilla and Ana were locked again. Cyrilla, however, managed to smile a little too widely, and managed to get the inside of Ana's waist. It would have been easier if Ana had been wearing something other than her onepiece, however; Cyrilla looked like she was attempting to tickle Ana through her wetsuit.
From the sudden, apparently uncontrollable laughter, it was working anyway. Ana tried valiantly to keep her balance, but eventually the relentless assault became too much and she let herself fall backwards off Eryk’s shoulders. She splashed, then surfaced again a few moments later. “S-sorry,” she said, smiling sheepishly. “I’m horribly ticklish pretty much everywhere.”
She pushed several pieces of hair that had come loose back from her face, slicking them against her head. Glancing at the water for a moment, she smiled. It looked like one that would have been perfectly at home on Kas’s face. Her eyes lit for a moment, and then a large sphere of water rose up out of the pool. She levitated it over Cy and Kas, then released it, effectively dumping several gallons over their heads.
"Yes!" Cyrilla stated, lifting both arms into the air as a sort of victory pose. No sooner had she did that, though, Ana dropped the water over their heads, effectively drowning the two of them. She had fallen off of Kas's shoulders, and resurfaced a moment later. "We still won!" she managed to sputter out, laughing while she did so.
Eryk just shook his head, and glanced at the others. I don't know, Cy. Ana might have just pulled one for the team, Kenshin spoke, raising an amused brow. He seemed to be finding this situation amusing, apparently. Eryk would admit, if only for a second, that he did as well. This was, oddly, nice. He didn't particularly think he'd be having a good time here, with his friends, on his birthday of all days.
"I think we've all been drenched a little too long. Perhaps a change is necessary," he spoke, though he did feel slightly more awake now. Funny how just a few minutes in the hot waters, and being with his friends, was enough to wake and revitalize him now.
“Let’s eat,” Kas suggested, climbing easily out of the pool. When Ana followed, he tossed her a towel, and did the same for Ryk and Cy. Untying the elastic in his hair, he shook it out like a shaggy stoutland, then scrubbed the towel through several times.
“Oh,” Ana said, sounding faintly surprised. “You have more tattoos than I thought you did, Kas. They’re really beautiful.”
He paused, draping the towel around his shoulders, glancing down as though he’d managed to forget they were there. “Thanks, Ana. I think so—the artist does good work. I can refer you if you want.” He grinned, as though he knew it was unlikely she’d be interested.
But she actually seemed to consider it for a moment before finally shaking her head. “I have no idea what I’d get one of,” she said. “But I’ve always liked them.”
Eryk raised a brow, seemingly surprised that she'd even consider it. If he hadn't spent most of his life around needles and other such things, perhaps he might have had some too. He knew a few of his fellow members had tattoos, but they were mostly of missions and things like that. He didn't understand the sentimental value they had, apparently.
"Perhaps you'll find something eventually," he spoke, though he could feel his expression soften somewhat.
"I bet you'd like that, wouldn't you?" Cyrlla spoke. He just gave her a flat look while she grinned at him. Somehow, he knew she was referring to him.
Ana lowered her hand once Kas and Cy were out of sight. They’d stayed well into the evening, of course; everyone had helped put the gym back in order after the festivities. But they seemed insistent that the evening should be hers to do as she liked, specifically to take Eryk somewhere. She supposed that was kind of them, though she hadn’t missed the fact that they also greatly enjoyed making her (and Eryk) feel as awkward as humanly possible, so their motives weren’t entirely pure in any case.
Still… she hoped she’d chosen something nice. It was honestly difficult to plan for him; he hadn’t lived the kind of life where anyone had been too concerned with what he liked or didn’t like. As such, he wasn’t as… sure of his interests as most people were, and she didn’t have hobbies of his to draw on in choosing things he might like to do. What she did have was an understanding, imparted by Cyrilla, that his birthday had never been an occasion for celebration, and he was sensitive about it—maybe more sensitive than he really knew.
She also knew he didn’t like crowds, so taking him anywhere especially public wasn’t the best idea. But she didn’t just want to go watch a movie at her house or anything; they spent so much time there as it was. Ana wanted this experience to be the kind of thing that would stick out in his memory years from now. Something worth remembering specifically. It was a tall order, all things considered.
But hopefully she’d manage. Ana shifted the duffel bag on her shoulder, glancing up at Eryk. “Ready to go?”
Eryk didn't look as tired as he first did when he'd arrived at the Gym. He looked a little more awake and alert, as if he hadn't just spent the last two days sleeping at her house. He did, however, glance in her direction when she asked him. He glanced back for a moment before nodding his head.
"I am," he responded, giving her one of the smiles reserved especially for her. By now it was obvious it was her smile because it softened in just a way that it normally didn't for any other occasion.
Ana reminded herself briefly that breathing was indeed necessary, then drew up a returning smile. “Okay. It’s this way.” She fell naturally into step beside him, steering them through the more populated streets until they reached the narrower roads that led up to her house. Before they properly headed in that direction, though, she went off the paths entirely, taking them through a tropical copse of trees. It was a path they’d walked before, and the destination was the same.
She was careful in the dark not to trip over any roots or underbrush, and after about ten minutes of walking, they’d been let out onto a secluded stretch of beach. The sun was still setting, which meant they’d be able to catch the tail end of it.
Unzipping the duffel bag leaning against her leg, Ana tugged a large blanket out, unfolding it partway before glancing up at Eryk. “Help me spread it? We can sit without sand going everywhere.”
He nodded in response, and helped her spread the blanket out. He was being careful so that sand didn't accidentally get on it while they were spreading it out, and he gave her a side-glance. It looked like he wanted to say something, but whatever it was, died on the softness of his expression. He wasn't good with words, that much was obvious. He was much better at expressions than words.
"Is there a particular reason why we're out here?" he inquired, tilting his head slightly as he gave her a questioning look. He didn't know, from the look on his face, and it was more of a curious expression more than it was anything else.
Ana lifted her shoulders slightly. “Well… because sunsets are pretty and so are stars, and I thought it might be nice to look at both of those things on a picnic.”
She set the duffel bag down on the blanket, lowering herself to sit next to it and start digging out the various light food items she’d packed in it as well. They were all in a small, lidded basket, so she lifted that whole thing out. They’d already eaten, so there was nothing too heavy in it—just light snacks and things to drink.
“I’m not really an event planner like Cy is,” she confessed. “And I haven’t known you that long, when it comes right down to it.” The entirety of their acquaintance, from the moment they’d met until now, spanned less than a full calendar year, after all. And they hadn’t been friends the whole time, either.
“I wasn’t really sure what you'd want to do. But… there aren’t any crowds here, and we’re not doing anything practical or productive, and it should be relaxing. I hope that’s okay.” It was also, to her, a special spot; for now, she didn’t mention that, though.
He hummed softly for a minute, and looked like he was contemplating the statement. Pursing his lips, he shook his head, allowing some strands of hair to fall into his face. "It's fine," he spoke, glancing up for a moment. He wore a contemplative look on his face for a moment, before he returned his gaze to her. He seemed to be studying her face for a moment, as if this was the first time he'd ever seen it so close. He parted his lips to say something, it seemed, but he shook his head and glanced away.
"This is the first time, I think, that I've enjoyed myself. At least on this particular day," he finally spoke. He didn't mention his birthday but that was probably due to the fact that he still didn't really see it as his birthday. It was just another day to him, but perhaps a little more special than before.
Ana smiled. It was hardly a ringing endorsement, but she’d take it. Eryk wasn’t an especially enthusiastic person, so even a quiet affirmation that the day had been pleasant meant something, coming from him. “About that,” she said, reaching into the basket. There was a single chocolate cupcake there, made with dark chocolate and orange extract so it wouldn’t be too sweet. “It’s also Valentine’s Day, which is a very silly holiday, if you ask me. But… the tradition is to give chocolate to the people you like or are grateful to, so.”
She held it out to him in the palm of her hand.
He glanced at her with a confused expression. Clearly he wasn't expecting anything more than what Cyrilla had given him. It was also clear that he didn't understand what Valentine's Day, was. He did take the cupcake, though, and furrowed his brows together. He glanced between her and the cupcake for a moment before his eyes settled on the cupcake. With a swift movement, he broke it in half. Some of the crumbs fell onto the blanket, but he didn't seem too concerned with them.
"You said that it's tradition to give chocolate to the people you like or are grateful to, right?" he spoke, handing her half of his cupcake. "Because I do not have anything to give you," he spoke, as if explaining himself.
Ana laughed, accepting half of the cupcake back. “Thank you,” she said appreciatively, tearing off a chunk and chewing it over slowly. She thought she’d done a pretty good job with the flavor; it wasn’t as sweet as she usually preferred, which was about right for Eryk’s taste, she’d learned.
The sunset over the ocean really was magnificent; it looked like the whole horizon was on fire, gradually fading from reds and oranges to purples and blues. The waves had a soothing sort of sound as they periodically washed in over the shore; overhead wingulls circled, occasionally adding their voices to the natural soundtrack. As it grew dark and the moon rose, even those faded.
Ana stretched her legs in front of her, toeing off her shoes. It was a little chilly, but not so cold that she was uncomfortable. “Do you remember the first time we came here?” she asked, eyes still fixed on the vanishing point of the horizon.
He merely inclined his head when she'd thanked him for the cupcake half, and took a bite out of his. He didn't say anything on its flavor, however; he kept eating it, so perhaps that was his way of saying it was good. She'd learned his tastebuds a little better over the course they'd known each other. He tilted his head slightly, though, at her question, and he furrowed his brows. He wore a thoughtful expression on his face, as if he were trying to remember. Eryk had a good memory sometimes, but there were times that it seemed he didn't really remember.
"I do," he finally seemed to have remembered. "You tried to teach Mankey and myself how to dance," he continued, his expression softening a little more. He seemed a little fond of that memory.
“Tried?” she repeated, with a little false surprise. “I think I succeeded. But maybe you’ve forgotten. Should we check?” Ana stood, brushing a few loose crumbs from her shirt, then held out a hand in invitation.
He scoffed slightly, but took her hand anyway. "I remember quite vaguely that I succeeded in not stepping on your toes. I haven't kept up with the lessons so I do not know how I will fare this time around," he spoke, a hint of something light in his tone. "But I shall do my best to make a repeat of last time," he continued, probably referring to not stepping on her toes.
“I’m sure you’ll manage somehow,” she said, raising one of her hands to rest on his shoulder. Her other, she laced in his, holding it slightly out towards the side. “Ready?” She waited until his second hand was at her waist before she led them into the steps. They had to take it slowly the first few times through the sequence, and she said the steps aloud to remind him of the pattern.
"Is appears that I have gotten a little better," he spoke as they managed to sync their dancing. He wasn't as bad as he used to be, so he was either lying about not keeping up with it, or he was a really fast learner. Perhaps it was a bit of both? He remained quiet after that, keeping his gaze solely on her, as if she were the only one in the world at the moment. He didn't seem interested in anything else but her. Something strange flashed behind his eyes as they came to a slow stop, but he didn't release his hold on her. Instead, it tightened somewhat, but not uncomfortably so. He was gentle in his hold.
"Ana, I," he began, pausing momentarily. It looked like he wanted to say something, perhaps something important. He looked conflicted about it for a moment, but he seemed to steady himself, and shook his head. Whatever it was, he was going to say, he must have chosen not to say it. "Thank you," he spoke, though it didn't seem like that's what he wanted to say. Instead, he leaned down somewhat, and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pulling her to him in a strange embrace. His head was rested in the crook of her neck, and it looked like he was refusing to look at her.
She hummed a soft note in the back of her throat, reaching up with one hand to thread her fingers through his hair. It was much easier to reach than normal, considering how he was bent to hug her. She loved the texture of it—it wasn’t so smooth as hers. Shaggier, slightly roughened, but still soft. Ana took a deep breath, letting her eyes fall closed.
He wasn’t the only one who had skirted away from saying something. Maybe they were even avoiding the same words. She couldn’t deny that she wanted to say them—and to hear them. But at the same time, she thought it was also probably for the best if she didn’t. It felt like something they couldn’t go back from, and even despite his reassurances, she wasn’t so sure how far they should let themselves take this.
He’d have to move on, eventually—and she’d learned that he felt things so deeply that it would already be difficult enough without more complication. This—this thing they gave no words to—this was simpler, by comparison. And so Ana held her tongue as well.
Leaning her head to the side, she pressed her cheek against his scars, feeling the strange contrast of the roughened, hard skin there against her own. “You’re welcome,” she said softly.
“Happy birthday, Eryk.”
Still… she hoped she’d chosen something nice. It was honestly difficult to plan for him; he hadn’t lived the kind of life where anyone had been too concerned with what he liked or didn’t like. As such, he wasn’t as… sure of his interests as most people were, and she didn’t have hobbies of his to draw on in choosing things he might like to do. What she did have was an understanding, imparted by Cyrilla, that his birthday had never been an occasion for celebration, and he was sensitive about it—maybe more sensitive than he really knew.
She also knew he didn’t like crowds, so taking him anywhere especially public wasn’t the best idea. But she didn’t just want to go watch a movie at her house or anything; they spent so much time there as it was. Ana wanted this experience to be the kind of thing that would stick out in his memory years from now. Something worth remembering specifically. It was a tall order, all things considered.
But hopefully she’d manage. Ana shifted the duffel bag on her shoulder, glancing up at Eryk. “Ready to go?”
Eryk didn't look as tired as he first did when he'd arrived at the Gym. He looked a little more awake and alert, as if he hadn't just spent the last two days sleeping at her house. He did, however, glance in her direction when she asked him. He glanced back for a moment before nodding his head.
"I am," he responded, giving her one of the smiles reserved especially for her. By now it was obvious it was her smile because it softened in just a way that it normally didn't for any other occasion.
Ana reminded herself briefly that breathing was indeed necessary, then drew up a returning smile. “Okay. It’s this way.” She fell naturally into step beside him, steering them through the more populated streets until they reached the narrower roads that led up to her house. Before they properly headed in that direction, though, she went off the paths entirely, taking them through a tropical copse of trees. It was a path they’d walked before, and the destination was the same.
She was careful in the dark not to trip over any roots or underbrush, and after about ten minutes of walking, they’d been let out onto a secluded stretch of beach. The sun was still setting, which meant they’d be able to catch the tail end of it.
Unzipping the duffel bag leaning against her leg, Ana tugged a large blanket out, unfolding it partway before glancing up at Eryk. “Help me spread it? We can sit without sand going everywhere.”
He nodded in response, and helped her spread the blanket out. He was being careful so that sand didn't accidentally get on it while they were spreading it out, and he gave her a side-glance. It looked like he wanted to say something, but whatever it was, died on the softness of his expression. He wasn't good with words, that much was obvious. He was much better at expressions than words.
"Is there a particular reason why we're out here?" he inquired, tilting his head slightly as he gave her a questioning look. He didn't know, from the look on his face, and it was more of a curious expression more than it was anything else.
Ana lifted her shoulders slightly. “Well… because sunsets are pretty and so are stars, and I thought it might be nice to look at both of those things on a picnic.”
She set the duffel bag down on the blanket, lowering herself to sit next to it and start digging out the various light food items she’d packed in it as well. They were all in a small, lidded basket, so she lifted that whole thing out. They’d already eaten, so there was nothing too heavy in it—just light snacks and things to drink.
“I’m not really an event planner like Cy is,” she confessed. “And I haven’t known you that long, when it comes right down to it.” The entirety of their acquaintance, from the moment they’d met until now, spanned less than a full calendar year, after all. And they hadn’t been friends the whole time, either.
“I wasn’t really sure what you'd want to do. But… there aren’t any crowds here, and we’re not doing anything practical or productive, and it should be relaxing. I hope that’s okay.” It was also, to her, a special spot; for now, she didn’t mention that, though.
He hummed softly for a minute, and looked like he was contemplating the statement. Pursing his lips, he shook his head, allowing some strands of hair to fall into his face. "It's fine," he spoke, glancing up for a moment. He wore a contemplative look on his face for a moment, before he returned his gaze to her. He seemed to be studying her face for a moment, as if this was the first time he'd ever seen it so close. He parted his lips to say something, it seemed, but he shook his head and glanced away.
"This is the first time, I think, that I've enjoyed myself. At least on this particular day," he finally spoke. He didn't mention his birthday but that was probably due to the fact that he still didn't really see it as his birthday. It was just another day to him, but perhaps a little more special than before.
Ana smiled. It was hardly a ringing endorsement, but she’d take it. Eryk wasn’t an especially enthusiastic person, so even a quiet affirmation that the day had been pleasant meant something, coming from him. “About that,” she said, reaching into the basket. There was a single chocolate cupcake there, made with dark chocolate and orange extract so it wouldn’t be too sweet. “It’s also Valentine’s Day, which is a very silly holiday, if you ask me. But… the tradition is to give chocolate to the people you like or are grateful to, so.”
She held it out to him in the palm of her hand.
He glanced at her with a confused expression. Clearly he wasn't expecting anything more than what Cyrilla had given him. It was also clear that he didn't understand what Valentine's Day, was. He did take the cupcake, though, and furrowed his brows together. He glanced between her and the cupcake for a moment before his eyes settled on the cupcake. With a swift movement, he broke it in half. Some of the crumbs fell onto the blanket, but he didn't seem too concerned with them.
"You said that it's tradition to give chocolate to the people you like or are grateful to, right?" he spoke, handing her half of his cupcake. "Because I do not have anything to give you," he spoke, as if explaining himself.
Ana laughed, accepting half of the cupcake back. “Thank you,” she said appreciatively, tearing off a chunk and chewing it over slowly. She thought she’d done a pretty good job with the flavor; it wasn’t as sweet as she usually preferred, which was about right for Eryk’s taste, she’d learned.
The sunset over the ocean really was magnificent; it looked like the whole horizon was on fire, gradually fading from reds and oranges to purples and blues. The waves had a soothing sort of sound as they periodically washed in over the shore; overhead wingulls circled, occasionally adding their voices to the natural soundtrack. As it grew dark and the moon rose, even those faded.
Ana stretched her legs in front of her, toeing off her shoes. It was a little chilly, but not so cold that she was uncomfortable. “Do you remember the first time we came here?” she asked, eyes still fixed on the vanishing point of the horizon.
He merely inclined his head when she'd thanked him for the cupcake half, and took a bite out of his. He didn't say anything on its flavor, however; he kept eating it, so perhaps that was his way of saying it was good. She'd learned his tastebuds a little better over the course they'd known each other. He tilted his head slightly, though, at her question, and he furrowed his brows. He wore a thoughtful expression on his face, as if he were trying to remember. Eryk had a good memory sometimes, but there were times that it seemed he didn't really remember.
"I do," he finally seemed to have remembered. "You tried to teach Mankey and myself how to dance," he continued, his expression softening a little more. He seemed a little fond of that memory.
“Tried?” she repeated, with a little false surprise. “I think I succeeded. But maybe you’ve forgotten. Should we check?” Ana stood, brushing a few loose crumbs from her shirt, then held out a hand in invitation.
He scoffed slightly, but took her hand anyway. "I remember quite vaguely that I succeeded in not stepping on your toes. I haven't kept up with the lessons so I do not know how I will fare this time around," he spoke, a hint of something light in his tone. "But I shall do my best to make a repeat of last time," he continued, probably referring to not stepping on her toes.
“I’m sure you’ll manage somehow,” she said, raising one of her hands to rest on his shoulder. Her other, she laced in his, holding it slightly out towards the side. “Ready?” She waited until his second hand was at her waist before she led them into the steps. They had to take it slowly the first few times through the sequence, and she said the steps aloud to remind him of the pattern.
"Is appears that I have gotten a little better," he spoke as they managed to sync their dancing. He wasn't as bad as he used to be, so he was either lying about not keeping up with it, or he was a really fast learner. Perhaps it was a bit of both? He remained quiet after that, keeping his gaze solely on her, as if she were the only one in the world at the moment. He didn't seem interested in anything else but her. Something strange flashed behind his eyes as they came to a slow stop, but he didn't release his hold on her. Instead, it tightened somewhat, but not uncomfortably so. He was gentle in his hold.
"Ana, I," he began, pausing momentarily. It looked like he wanted to say something, perhaps something important. He looked conflicted about it for a moment, but he seemed to steady himself, and shook his head. Whatever it was, he was going to say, he must have chosen not to say it. "Thank you," he spoke, though it didn't seem like that's what he wanted to say. Instead, he leaned down somewhat, and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pulling her to him in a strange embrace. His head was rested in the crook of her neck, and it looked like he was refusing to look at her.
She hummed a soft note in the back of her throat, reaching up with one hand to thread her fingers through his hair. It was much easier to reach than normal, considering how he was bent to hug her. She loved the texture of it—it wasn’t so smooth as hers. Shaggier, slightly roughened, but still soft. Ana took a deep breath, letting her eyes fall closed.
He wasn’t the only one who had skirted away from saying something. Maybe they were even avoiding the same words. She couldn’t deny that she wanted to say them—and to hear them. But at the same time, she thought it was also probably for the best if she didn’t. It felt like something they couldn’t go back from, and even despite his reassurances, she wasn’t so sure how far they should let themselves take this.
He’d have to move on, eventually—and she’d learned that he felt things so deeply that it would already be difficult enough without more complication. This—this thing they gave no words to—this was simpler, by comparison. And so Ana held her tongue as well.
Leaning her head to the side, she pressed her cheek against his scars, feeling the strange contrast of the roughened, hard skin there against her own. “You’re welcome,” she said softly.
“Happy birthday, Eryk.”
Kenshin stared at Cyrilla for a moment, wondering what it was she was doing, exactly. She hadn't moved... at all. He was tempted to think she was dead, but she was just laying there. She hadn't even gotten up to go work, or anything. She just... laid there. In bed. In her pajamas. It was still at least a couple of months before they would leave for Kas's sister's wedding (if he remembered correctly) so he didn't understand what it was, exactly, that was going on with her. Maybe she was a little upset about not finding the divorce papers? He scoffed slightly. She should be happy he hid them from her, however; he did find it slightly odd that both of them hadn't really bothered to go get new copies.
Cy, are you dead? he finally decided to ask. He poked her shoulder somewhat, testing his current question, however; she groaned and slapped his paw away. I'll take that as a no, he spoke, folding his arms across his chest. Do you plan on getting anything done today, or are you just going to lay in bed all day? he questioned.
"Kenny, go bother Ryk or Kas," she spoke, a little groggily. "I think I have a stupid cold, and I have a headache. Leave me alone," she continued, causing him to raise his brow. She was sick? He snickered softly at that. It couldn't have been too bad, if it was just a cold. He could hear the congestion in her voice, and she sniffled a few times so it was probably mild.
And here I thought you'd died of happiness, finally, he joked, earning a pillow being chucked his way. He took the hit, and laughed as he left her room. Well, if she wasn't feeling good, he might as well go find someone else to bother. Eryk was at Ana's, so that was an option. He could go bug them, but there was a slight possibility that they'd like their privacy. Then again, he wasn't exactly someone who cared who liked what. He'd bother them if it was entertaining enough. But there was also Kas he could bother. He hadn't bothered Kas in a while, even if there wasn't much they could do anymore. Eryk and Ana were kind of a thing, as humans put it.
Kas it was.
He wasn’t hard to find. Kas sat in his office, staring intently at one of the several monitor screens. When he didn’t cover it up by smiling, he was actually almost as intimidating-looking as Eryk—not that Kenshin had any reason to be intimidated. Kas was actually crouched on his chair, sort of—his knees were up near his chin, and he typed so quickly it was impossible to follow the individual words. He was scowling, but the expression eased once he noticed Kenshin’s presence.
His eyebrows lifted. “Hey Ken. Cy kick you out so she could work?”
You haven't noticed? he questioned back, raising a brow at him. She hasn't been in her office all day, he replied, shaking his head softly. She's been in bed. Apparently she caught something called a cold, though he knew exactly what a cold was. She probably didn't want anyone to say anything about it, if Kas didn't know. Well, that wasn't quite an option now, was it? He snickered to himself as he walked further into Kas's office, taking a seat on one of the chairs. He felt slightly small in one of them.
She kicked me out of her room, so I came to bug you instead. It's not fun poking at her when she's sick, he continued. She'd probably be fine in a day or two. She never stayed sick too long, if he remembered correctly. Actually, he couldn't really remember the last time she was sick. Maybe it was the stress of the events that weakened her immune system somewhat? That was a possibility, he supposed. But then again, it wasn't anything to worry about too much, he didn't think. Not like Ana's condition had been. He shuddered at that thought.
“I’ve been in my own office all day,” Kas replied. He sounded thoughtful; his brows pulled down over his eyes. He glanced back at his monitor like he was contemplating something; for a brief moment he looked almost irritated.
With a sigh, he shut down whatever he was working on. “Well, if you want to bother me, you can follow me to the kitchen,” he said, holding the door so Kenshin could precede him out. Kas always locked his office when he left it—without fail. It was actually kind of odd for a guy who gave off such a careless air. Then again, they all knew by now that appearances were deceptive, with him.
Kas headed down to the mansion’s kitchen; it was currently free of any grunts or anything. Sometimes they used it to heat lunches, but since only the executives and a few others actually lived at the mansion, they had it largely to themselves. A few pots clanged together as Kas pulled a big one out of a lower cabinet, setting it on the stovetop. A skillet followed, and he threw some olive oil in that before rummaging around in the fridge and pantry, coming back with an armful of various ingredients. It looked to be mostly fresh spices and vegetables, but he’d taken some meat from the fridge and noodles from the cupboard as well.
“Hungry? I can make you something while I’m at it.”
Kenshin sniffed the air for a moment. Whatever he was putting together smelled a little nice, even if it wasn't cooked yet. Plus, he was kind of hungry. He forgot to mention that to Cy. Well, she couldn't feed him now, could she? If you're cooking it, he finally replied. He'd have asked for something simple, like a candy apple, but Cy had already warned him about eating just that. It's not like it was going to kill him, but then again, he supposed something different would be nice.
What are you making, anyway? he decided to ask, peering into the skillet. He wasn't good at identifying foods being thrown together in such a way, but he could at least smell what he was making.
Kas sliced his way through an onion with well-practiced efficiency, tossing the diced pieces into the skillet along with the meat, which seemed to be chicken, from the smell of it. There also seemed to be white wine and lemon juice involved—something citrusy, anyway.
“Chicken ginger noodle soup,” he replied with a shrug. “Mom used to make it for me when I was sick as a kid. The ginger clears out the sinuses really nicely, and it has a warmth to it that sticks around. Should help her sleep.” He didn’t seem inclined to hide the fact that he was doing this specifically for Cyrilla. “There’ll be plenty there if you want some, too, otherwise, I can fix you something else. I was planning on using some of the extra ingredients to make myself a sandwich.”
He coarsely chopped his way through an entire head of cabbage before he started the pot, dropping in some bullion cubes and water to boil, which he salted a little extra.
Kenshin was torn between laughing at Kas and poking fun of him, or eating. He decided he'd rather eat, first, before he poked at the man. I didn't tell you she was sick so you could make her something for it, he decided to say. It was partially true. He didn't intend Kas to do anything about it, and if anything, Cyrilla would probably get mad at him for telling Kas. He rolled his eyes at the thought. It's not like she wouldn't be ungrateful about it. He could feel the smile on his face inching a bit wider.
The ever dutiful spouse, how nice you are, Kas, he couldn't resist that one, really. He'd likely not get anything to eat after that, but if he wanted to, he'd just go to Ana's to eat. She made good sweets, even if they were a tad bit bitter because of Ryk.
“I always figured I’d make a good househusband,” Kas cracked right back, apparently unconcerned. He was, after all, the one most casual about this kind of thing. The only thing that didn’t quite seem to add up was his lack of inclination to find his divorce papers, though that could just be the fact that he was notoriously lazy. “I can cook, I’m tidy… I don’t even mind laundry. Don’t tell anyone that though—I’d rather not do any more work than I absolutely have to.”
He drained the chicken mixture, then slowly added it to the pot to simmer, stirring in half a dozen more herbs and spices. It smelled incredibly fragrant—more invigorating than relaxing at this stage, though maybe that made sense, if it was supposed to help a person recover from a cold. While it cooked, he threw together a couple of sandwiches from some of the chicken, cabbage, and a few other veggies, and quickly fried up some sweet potatoes to go on the side.
The soup was still going when he slid Kenshin’s plate across the island to him, sitting down with his own on the other side.
Kenshin snorted softly. There was a reason why he liked Kas, but he'd never tell that to him to his face. He'd tell Ryk, probably Ana too, but that was as far as he'd go. So what does that make me, then? The blue child? I have to say, I don't look anything like you or Cy, so, you both made a weird child, he tossed back, taking a bite out of the sandwich. He'd have to remember this recipe, or the name of it, so Cyrilla could replicate it again if Kas wasn't around.
But that doesn't mean I have to call you Dad, does it? Because I think that might be a little weird, he continued, glancing up from his sandwich before taking another bite.
“That would be weird,” Kas agreed, shuddering in an exaggerated fashion. He paused to take a bite out of his sandwich before he continued. “But honestly, you’re more like Cy’s devious little brother than anything, so I guess we’re in-laws for a while.” That, he didn’t seem to find nearly as cringe-worthy.
True, he replied. He'd take that, he supposed. He did snort softly at the end of Kas's sentence, though. Any luck finding the papers? Cy said they went missing, he asked. He knew where they were, of course, but they didn't know that. They didn't need to know that. I'm sure you'd like to get it over and done with, after all. The longer it goes on, the harder it'll be to get it, right? he added. He wasn't entirely sure how that kind of system worked. He wasn't a human, so he wasn't exactly versed in what their laws were. Maybe he should read up on them a little more?
Kas shrugged. “Not really. The only time a divorce gets all that difficult is when people have merged their assets, like bank accounts and properties, or had kids or whatever. Then the trouble is how to divide things up. Obviously Cy and I didn’t bother with anything like that, so…” He arched an eyebrow. “But nobody told me the papers were missing—I hadn’t even thought about it, since it doesn’t make sense to deal with them this soon, when the family could still be suspicious.”
Over the next few seconds, his expression shifted into something wry. “I bet you have no idea where they went, do you Ken?”
Kenshin took a bite of his sandwich before he replied. None whatsoever. If I did, I'd tell you, he replied without missing a beat. He wasn't going to admit that he did. That would take all the fun away from it. Plus, if it really came down to it, if it really became uncomfortable for the both of them, he'd go retreive the papers himself, and give them back.
“Sure you would."
Eryk might know, though, he could throw Eryk under the bus, or whatever they said, for now. Though why he would know, I wouldn't know, he added, shrugging his shoulders. He glanced down at his plate and noticed it was empty. He frowned somewhat. He didn't realize he ate his sandwich already. Oh well. You could always get more copies, right? It wouldn't be hard to draw them up, and it's been what, almost two months since you both got married? I doubt the family is watching right now. They have other things to worry about, of that he couldn't be too certain. They were probably still watching, or they weren't. It'd been two months, or so, and he was certain that their attention might have shifted to something else by now. They all worked for Team Rocket, after all. That, he was certain of.
“Yeah, maybe,” Kas replied, finishing up his sandwich and grabbing both his and Kenshin’s plates. “Better safe than sorry though—it’s not like it’s doing any harm right now.” He paused to wash the plates and put them in the drying rack before apparently deciding that the soup was done.
Kas ladled a fair amount of it into a large bowl, putting the rest in containers to refrigerate and washing the pot as well. Once that was done, he picked a spoon out of the drawer and took up the plate. “You wanna carry her a glass of water? I’ve got some aspirin in my office—should help with any headaches or whatever.”
Kenshin shook his head. It wasn't doing any harm right now but it would the longer it was dragged out. He might have hid the papers, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to not return them. He would, when he thought that they really needed them. They didn't right now, but perhaps he should do it soon? He sighed softly but nodded his head. He grabbed a glass, filled it with water, and followed behind Kas.
Lead the way, in-law, he spoke. It didn't mean he couldn't still poke fun at them for now, though.
Cy, are you dead? he finally decided to ask. He poked her shoulder somewhat, testing his current question, however; she groaned and slapped his paw away. I'll take that as a no, he spoke, folding his arms across his chest. Do you plan on getting anything done today, or are you just going to lay in bed all day? he questioned.
"Kenny, go bother Ryk or Kas," she spoke, a little groggily. "I think I have a stupid cold, and I have a headache. Leave me alone," she continued, causing him to raise his brow. She was sick? He snickered softly at that. It couldn't have been too bad, if it was just a cold. He could hear the congestion in her voice, and she sniffled a few times so it was probably mild.
And here I thought you'd died of happiness, finally, he joked, earning a pillow being chucked his way. He took the hit, and laughed as he left her room. Well, if she wasn't feeling good, he might as well go find someone else to bother. Eryk was at Ana's, so that was an option. He could go bug them, but there was a slight possibility that they'd like their privacy. Then again, he wasn't exactly someone who cared who liked what. He'd bother them if it was entertaining enough. But there was also Kas he could bother. He hadn't bothered Kas in a while, even if there wasn't much they could do anymore. Eryk and Ana were kind of a thing, as humans put it.
Kas it was.
He wasn’t hard to find. Kas sat in his office, staring intently at one of the several monitor screens. When he didn’t cover it up by smiling, he was actually almost as intimidating-looking as Eryk—not that Kenshin had any reason to be intimidated. Kas was actually crouched on his chair, sort of—his knees were up near his chin, and he typed so quickly it was impossible to follow the individual words. He was scowling, but the expression eased once he noticed Kenshin’s presence.
His eyebrows lifted. “Hey Ken. Cy kick you out so she could work?”
You haven't noticed? he questioned back, raising a brow at him. She hasn't been in her office all day, he replied, shaking his head softly. She's been in bed. Apparently she caught something called a cold, though he knew exactly what a cold was. She probably didn't want anyone to say anything about it, if Kas didn't know. Well, that wasn't quite an option now, was it? He snickered to himself as he walked further into Kas's office, taking a seat on one of the chairs. He felt slightly small in one of them.
She kicked me out of her room, so I came to bug you instead. It's not fun poking at her when she's sick, he continued. She'd probably be fine in a day or two. She never stayed sick too long, if he remembered correctly. Actually, he couldn't really remember the last time she was sick. Maybe it was the stress of the events that weakened her immune system somewhat? That was a possibility, he supposed. But then again, it wasn't anything to worry about too much, he didn't think. Not like Ana's condition had been. He shuddered at that thought.
“I’ve been in my own office all day,” Kas replied. He sounded thoughtful; his brows pulled down over his eyes. He glanced back at his monitor like he was contemplating something; for a brief moment he looked almost irritated.
With a sigh, he shut down whatever he was working on. “Well, if you want to bother me, you can follow me to the kitchen,” he said, holding the door so Kenshin could precede him out. Kas always locked his office when he left it—without fail. It was actually kind of odd for a guy who gave off such a careless air. Then again, they all knew by now that appearances were deceptive, with him.
Kas headed down to the mansion’s kitchen; it was currently free of any grunts or anything. Sometimes they used it to heat lunches, but since only the executives and a few others actually lived at the mansion, they had it largely to themselves. A few pots clanged together as Kas pulled a big one out of a lower cabinet, setting it on the stovetop. A skillet followed, and he threw some olive oil in that before rummaging around in the fridge and pantry, coming back with an armful of various ingredients. It looked to be mostly fresh spices and vegetables, but he’d taken some meat from the fridge and noodles from the cupboard as well.
“Hungry? I can make you something while I’m at it.”
Kenshin sniffed the air for a moment. Whatever he was putting together smelled a little nice, even if it wasn't cooked yet. Plus, he was kind of hungry. He forgot to mention that to Cy. Well, she couldn't feed him now, could she? If you're cooking it, he finally replied. He'd have asked for something simple, like a candy apple, but Cy had already warned him about eating just that. It's not like it was going to kill him, but then again, he supposed something different would be nice.
What are you making, anyway? he decided to ask, peering into the skillet. He wasn't good at identifying foods being thrown together in such a way, but he could at least smell what he was making.
Kas sliced his way through an onion with well-practiced efficiency, tossing the diced pieces into the skillet along with the meat, which seemed to be chicken, from the smell of it. There also seemed to be white wine and lemon juice involved—something citrusy, anyway.
“Chicken ginger noodle soup,” he replied with a shrug. “Mom used to make it for me when I was sick as a kid. The ginger clears out the sinuses really nicely, and it has a warmth to it that sticks around. Should help her sleep.” He didn’t seem inclined to hide the fact that he was doing this specifically for Cyrilla. “There’ll be plenty there if you want some, too, otherwise, I can fix you something else. I was planning on using some of the extra ingredients to make myself a sandwich.”
He coarsely chopped his way through an entire head of cabbage before he started the pot, dropping in some bullion cubes and water to boil, which he salted a little extra.
Kenshin was torn between laughing at Kas and poking fun of him, or eating. He decided he'd rather eat, first, before he poked at the man. I didn't tell you she was sick so you could make her something for it, he decided to say. It was partially true. He didn't intend Kas to do anything about it, and if anything, Cyrilla would probably get mad at him for telling Kas. He rolled his eyes at the thought. It's not like she wouldn't be ungrateful about it. He could feel the smile on his face inching a bit wider.
The ever dutiful spouse, how nice you are, Kas, he couldn't resist that one, really. He'd likely not get anything to eat after that, but if he wanted to, he'd just go to Ana's to eat. She made good sweets, even if they were a tad bit bitter because of Ryk.
“I always figured I’d make a good househusband,” Kas cracked right back, apparently unconcerned. He was, after all, the one most casual about this kind of thing. The only thing that didn’t quite seem to add up was his lack of inclination to find his divorce papers, though that could just be the fact that he was notoriously lazy. “I can cook, I’m tidy… I don’t even mind laundry. Don’t tell anyone that though—I’d rather not do any more work than I absolutely have to.”
He drained the chicken mixture, then slowly added it to the pot to simmer, stirring in half a dozen more herbs and spices. It smelled incredibly fragrant—more invigorating than relaxing at this stage, though maybe that made sense, if it was supposed to help a person recover from a cold. While it cooked, he threw together a couple of sandwiches from some of the chicken, cabbage, and a few other veggies, and quickly fried up some sweet potatoes to go on the side.
The soup was still going when he slid Kenshin’s plate across the island to him, sitting down with his own on the other side.
Kenshin snorted softly. There was a reason why he liked Kas, but he'd never tell that to him to his face. He'd tell Ryk, probably Ana too, but that was as far as he'd go. So what does that make me, then? The blue child? I have to say, I don't look anything like you or Cy, so, you both made a weird child, he tossed back, taking a bite out of the sandwich. He'd have to remember this recipe, or the name of it, so Cyrilla could replicate it again if Kas wasn't around.
But that doesn't mean I have to call you Dad, does it? Because I think that might be a little weird, he continued, glancing up from his sandwich before taking another bite.
“That would be weird,” Kas agreed, shuddering in an exaggerated fashion. He paused to take a bite out of his sandwich before he continued. “But honestly, you’re more like Cy’s devious little brother than anything, so I guess we’re in-laws for a while.” That, he didn’t seem to find nearly as cringe-worthy.
True, he replied. He'd take that, he supposed. He did snort softly at the end of Kas's sentence, though. Any luck finding the papers? Cy said they went missing, he asked. He knew where they were, of course, but they didn't know that. They didn't need to know that. I'm sure you'd like to get it over and done with, after all. The longer it goes on, the harder it'll be to get it, right? he added. He wasn't entirely sure how that kind of system worked. He wasn't a human, so he wasn't exactly versed in what their laws were. Maybe he should read up on them a little more?
Kas shrugged. “Not really. The only time a divorce gets all that difficult is when people have merged their assets, like bank accounts and properties, or had kids or whatever. Then the trouble is how to divide things up. Obviously Cy and I didn’t bother with anything like that, so…” He arched an eyebrow. “But nobody told me the papers were missing—I hadn’t even thought about it, since it doesn’t make sense to deal with them this soon, when the family could still be suspicious.”
Over the next few seconds, his expression shifted into something wry. “I bet you have no idea where they went, do you Ken?”
Kenshin took a bite of his sandwich before he replied. None whatsoever. If I did, I'd tell you, he replied without missing a beat. He wasn't going to admit that he did. That would take all the fun away from it. Plus, if it really came down to it, if it really became uncomfortable for the both of them, he'd go retreive the papers himself, and give them back.
“Sure you would."
Eryk might know, though, he could throw Eryk under the bus, or whatever they said, for now. Though why he would know, I wouldn't know, he added, shrugging his shoulders. He glanced down at his plate and noticed it was empty. He frowned somewhat. He didn't realize he ate his sandwich already. Oh well. You could always get more copies, right? It wouldn't be hard to draw them up, and it's been what, almost two months since you both got married? I doubt the family is watching right now. They have other things to worry about, of that he couldn't be too certain. They were probably still watching, or they weren't. It'd been two months, or so, and he was certain that their attention might have shifted to something else by now. They all worked for Team Rocket, after all. That, he was certain of.
“Yeah, maybe,” Kas replied, finishing up his sandwich and grabbing both his and Kenshin’s plates. “Better safe than sorry though—it’s not like it’s doing any harm right now.” He paused to wash the plates and put them in the drying rack before apparently deciding that the soup was done.
Kas ladled a fair amount of it into a large bowl, putting the rest in containers to refrigerate and washing the pot as well. Once that was done, he picked a spoon out of the drawer and took up the plate. “You wanna carry her a glass of water? I’ve got some aspirin in my office—should help with any headaches or whatever.”
Kenshin shook his head. It wasn't doing any harm right now but it would the longer it was dragged out. He might have hid the papers, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to not return them. He would, when he thought that they really needed them. They didn't right now, but perhaps he should do it soon? He sighed softly but nodded his head. He grabbed a glass, filled it with water, and followed behind Kas.
Lead the way, in-law, he spoke. It didn't mean he couldn't still poke fun at them for now, though.
The gangplank hit the dock with a heavy thud, followed by several metal clicks as the crew locked it in place, allowing the passengers to disembark.
Travel to the islands usually involved flying in to Mandarin Island South, after which boats could be chartered to the island of one’s choice. Since Kas’s family lived on Tangelo, that meant northwest. Though not that far north—it was already nearly eighty degrees, and it wasn’t quite noon yet. That was about par for late spring here. The ocean tended to keep things cooler, but it still certainly got warmer than much of Kanto did at the same time of year.
Kas checked himself over quickly, making sure he hadn’t forgotten anything. He and Cy weren’t wearing their rings, obviously—that’d be a hell of a thing to try and explain to his family, and the chaos that resulted might well upstage his sister’s wedding. That was something he wanted to avoid at any cost. It was just better if they didn’t know. Otherwise, he was dressed normally—a colorful shirt over a light tank, and knee-length shorts.
“Everyone got their stuff? Don’t leave anything on the boat, please.” It’d be damn near impossible to get back if they did.
“I think so,” Ana answered first, patting the pockets of her shorts. She’d taken his suggestion to dress for warm weather seriously—long shorts and a sleeveless white shirt. He hoped she had sunscreen though—any of the three of them was likely to burn easy in the sun. Drake would probably be fine, though, as long as he didn’t fall asleep on the beach or something.
Cyrilla was dressed in a pair of khaki shorts with a red tank top. She had a white blouse over it that was left unbuttoned. Drake was dressed a little more casually. He was wearing a pair of light blue knee-length shorts, with a white shirt. He looked a little too bright, but he didn't seem to mind it. Eryk was the only one who wore pants. They were denim blue jeans but at least his shirt looked a little cooler. It was a thin gray shirt that looked slightly big for him. Not too big that it was obvious, though.
"All of my stuff's here," Drake replied, glancing down at the suit case he'd brought with him. Cyrilla nodded her head in agreement.
"Me too, I've got everything I need," she answered. Eryk didn't even bother to reply, and simply nodded his head as well.
"Are we meeting up with your family after we drop everything off?" Eryk asked. He didn't look entirely sure of what he was saying, but that might have been in light to the fact that they were surrounded by a large group of people. Even if they were leaving the boat, it seemed as if Eryk wouldn't get over that little fact.
“Yeah,” Kas replied. “Mom offered to pick us up, but the walk’s not far—and it’s a really nice one.”
They all had rolling suitcases anyhow, so it wasn’t difficult to navigate the smooth sidewalks away from the docks and towards the interior of the island. Kas elected to play tour guide a little bit on the way, pointing out places it would be good for them to know about and ones of interest. “Of course, the most popular attraction on the island is the Pokémon Park, but we’ll have to hold off on seeing that for a while yet. It’s worth going to at least once, though.” Moreso if you could go outside of peak hours for tourists, when you might actually see more of the pokémon.
They’d made it about a quarter mile down the beach when he stopped to point out a specific building. “See that one there, with the dark red roof?” It was an expansive building, on two levels, with much of it open to the air somehow, either via windows, patios, or columns. “That’s mom’s restaurant. Rihan, it’s called. The house is just a little further down the beach.”
His mother’s career had really taken off during Kasimir’s childhood; as a result, she’d purchased a large home right next to the beach, and a considerable amount of the property around it, including the beach itself. The house was pale stone, with open archways and large windows put together in a breezy, light style. It wasn’t massive, by house standards, but it was fairly big—maybe three-quarters the size of the Cinnabar Mansion.
"It's a big restaurant," Cyrilla commented, pausing momentarily to glance at Kas, and then back to the building. "But it's pretty, too," she added. Eryk looked like he wanted to roll his eyes.
"I don't think we came to gawk at the restaurant Cy," he spoke, earning a flat look from her. She shrugged her shoulders, but didn't comment back.
"But she's right. It's still nice. I wonder if they make," Drake began, but paused when Cy shot him a glare.
"Drake Bellamy, you did not come here for burgers," she chided, earning a nervous laugh from Drake.
“That’s a shame,” Kas said, raising an eyebrow. “The restaurant has theme nights, and when they do traditional island stuff, she makes these things called volcano burgers—like regular ones, but better… and more likely to burn your tongue off.”
They continued up the road until the house came fully into view. It was sectioned off somewhat by a wall, but Kas knew the gate code, and it buzzed them in automatically. He waved to Earnest, the elderly gardener, before trekking them up to the front. His mom employed a few staff members, but mostly just to maintain things: she didn’t have drivers or a butler or anything. Just a couple of maids and Earnest.
He elected to ring the doorbell instead of barging right in. Someone must have been waiting nearby, because there was an answer almost immediately. The door swung slightly inward to reveal Harper, a big grin on her face and dressed for the weather—white shorts and a mint-green halter top.
“Well hey there, strangers. Come on in.”
"Hi Harper!" Cyrilla greeted, walking in after Eryk. He had nodded his head in Harper's direction, though, to acknowledge her. Drake, however, stopped momentarily to the side of her, and looked like he was debating something with himself. He must have decided to wait until everyone was inside, though, because he didn't say anything. He only smiled at her. Eryk shook his head and rolled his shoulders out slightly before setting his suitcase down.
"Harper, it is nice to see you again," he spoke. He didn't seem as unsure of himself as he used to be, when he spoke to her. It was a good thing. "How have you been?" he actually seemed to ask.
“Well,” Harper replied. She dug around in her pocket for a moment, producing a small green object with a metallic shine, flashing it to the group along with a proud smile.
Kas already knew she had won the badge a few weeks ago, but of course it was news to everyone else. “An Earth Badge?” Ana asked, clearly excited. “Congratulations!” She ducked in to give Harper a quick hug, which his sister returned.
“Thanks, Ana. Anyway, I shouldn’t keep you guys here. I’ll show you to your rooms upstairs. We’ve got quite a few guests for the first part of the week, so you’ll have to share two, but after the wedding, you’ll be able to spread out. Girls are with me, guys are next door. There’s enough beds for everyone, though.” She led them up the foyer staircase, taking them down the left hall to Kas’s old bedroom. Hers was, of course, right next to it.
“Here we go.” Harper’s room was pretty big; enough that two extra twin mattresses fit in it with no trouble. The walls were painted the same mint-green as her shirt; the floors were light wood, and the curtains an bedspreads were all cream. There was a big bay window that led out onto a small balcony as well.
Kas’s was considerably more masculine in its furniture and color scheme—his walls were grey and the fabric dark green and gold. It was slightly larger overall, but otherwise almost identical in layout. “Make yourselves comfortable, guys.”
"Don't mind if I do," Drake spoke first, walking into the shared room and took to one of the corners. He dropped his suitcase there, and glanced around for a moment. Eryk mirrored Drake, and put his suitcase down as well. Cyrilla took to Harper's room, probably to do the same.
"What's with the color scheme?" Eryk questioned, glancing around as well. He didn't seem too enthused about it, probably because he didn't know much about color cordination or things of that nature. His own room back at the base was pretty bland, as far as color schemes went. Maybe he just didn't care for that kind of stuff?
"It's a good color scheme to have, though, especially here. It's kind of cool," Drake spoke, a little nonchalant like. He must not have noticed the small glare Ryk sent him, because he just smiled in his goofy, weird kind of way. Drake was, unquestionably, weird.
Kas shrugged. “I like colors. And green’s my favorite. Cut me some slack; I haven’t lived here since I was a teenager.” He threw his own stuff down on his own bed, glancing between the other two. “Feel free to use the bathroom to freshen up or whatever; I’m sure mom and Crystal are around here somewhere. They’ll probably want to stuff you with food and talk your ears off.”
Eryk didn't look so happy about the idea of his ears being talked off. He still wasn't quite sociable, but he was getting there. He just shrugged his shoulders instead, and walked to the bathroom. Drake looked a little lost for a moment before he shrugged too, walking to his suitcase to fish through it. He looked to be searching for a change of clothes. Eryk took his with him when he went into the bathroom. When he came out, he was dressed almost in the same fashion, except this time, his shirt was a slate gray color. His pants were black in color, and they looked a little lighter than the denim's he wore here.
"I don't have shorts," he merely spoke as if to explain his clothing choice. The only time he'd ever worn shorts was during his birthday party. And those were swimming shorts. He didn't seem too warm, though, so maybe that was a good thing. Drake was the next in the bathroom, though it only took him about five minutes to dress. He came back out with a pair of khaki cargo capris and a medium blue sleeveless shirt. He threw a white flannel over it. He looked like he was on some safari game hunt, or something similar. He'd pulled his hair back into a ponytail, but some strands still seemed to fall loose.
"Well, we shouldn't keep them waiting. I wanna meet the rest of your family," Drake spoke, though he seemed a little nervous about it.
“Don't worry,” Kas said slyly. “Dad and Melissa aren’t here yet. So technically you’re not meeting Harper’s parents. Though if mom or Crystal dislikes you, you’re still fucked.” Kas figured he was dressed fine as he was. Drake looked a little worried at that.
They reemerged into the hallway, meeting up with the others. “Sheena and Crystal are in the living room,” Harper explained. “It’s this way.”
As it turned out, the living room was currently an explosion of flower arrangements. It looked like Earnest had brought in half the garden in samples. Two women were frowning at an assortment of colored lilies. The family resemblance between his mother and sister had always been strong—both of them had jet-black hair, the texture wiry rather than smooth. Crystal wore hers in a natural ‘fro about eight inches long, while his mother’s was braided tightly to her head, then combined into one long braid the rest of the way to her waist. Crystal had the same clear green eyes as their dad, the color of a spring leaf’s underside. Kasimir’s eyes were his mother’s—bright gold.
Their complexions were slightly darker than his; their features arranged strong and angular. And so, so dear.
They turned at the same time as the group entered; he grinned. It looked like mom had added yet another gold stud to each of her ears; she tended towards heavy traditional jewelry and bright, patterned fabrics for her dresses. Crystal was dressed a little more in keeping with modern business, in a crisp grey suit with a pencil skirt and heels. The eyebrow piercing and stud beneath her lip kind of gave the lie to it though.
“Well, well, well… if it isn’t my prodigal little brother, returned at last.” She grinned just as wide and bright as any of his, amusement glittering in her eyes.
“Heya Chrys. Mama.” Kas crossed the space between them in a few massive steps, throwing his arms around both. They were tall women—not quite as tall as Harper, but both of them were around 5’9”, so he didn’t have to stoop too much.
Drake looked nervous, and actually looked like he was sweating a bit. He was probably a nervous wreck right now. He was meeting Harper's family, after all. It was no secret that they were official, but they had taken things slowly. Eryk, however, seemed a little uncomfortable at the moment. It was, perhaps, understandly so. He didn't come from a family that was affectionate, or even hugged for that matter. The proof of that was on his face, and his back. He did a good job at hiding his discomfort, though, since he seemed a little more relaxed now.
"Sheena, Crystal," Eryk finally spoke, greeting the two of them. Cyrilla looked just as nervous as Drake did, but she didn't have the same reasons to be nervous. Maybe she was having the same problems as Ryk? But that wouldn't be right, seeing as she was actually more affectionate than Eryk was, despite having grown up in the same family. Maybe she was just actually excited, not nervous?
Kas figured he should smooth things over a bit. “Everyone, this is my sister Crystal and my mother, Sheena. Chrys, Mama, these are my friends Drake, Ryk, Ana, and Cy.” He used their nicknames; if they’d prefer to correct him, they could do so.
Perhaps fortunately for Eryk at least, his family didn’t make any attempt to hug their guests, though that was just because this was the first time they’d met. Subsequent visits were totally different—though he figured he’d avoid mentioning that little tidbit for now.
“It’s wonderful to meet you all,” his mother said in her low, mellifluous voice. She held out a hand to Ana first, and then Crystal did the same; they moved down the line with an easy sociability; it was pretty obvious where he’d gotten that from, he supposed.
"It's, ah, it's nice to uh, meet you," Drake sputtered, turning the slightest bit red. Ryk looked slightly amused by it, but his face smoothed over quick enough. He shook their hands just as readily, though. It wasn't as sociable as theirs, but he looked like he was doing his best to be polite.
"It's nice to meet you, too," Cyrilla spoke next, though unlike Drake and Ryk, she was smiling with the same exuberance she usually smiled with. It looked almost too easy for her sometimes. Eryk still looked a bit unsure of himself, but he seemed to have decided to say something.
"Kas talks about the both of you, and how great your cooking is," he stated, glancing towards Kas for a moment.
Crystal snorted. “He would. He’s a human trash compacter with actual taste.”
He frowned at her. “I resemble that remark,” he said in an affronted tone, intentionally swapping ‘resemble’ in for ‘resent.’ It was true, after all.
“Not as much as he talks about you all to us, I’m sure,” his mother replied, a half-smile curling her mouth. “But you must be tired. Feel free to wander the house or the property as you like. We’ll be starting on dinner as soon as we’ve finished choosing all the flower arrangements.” she gestured behind her to the profusion of blossoms. At least the room smelled nice.
“Actually, Kas, I want to keep you,” Crystal said. “You’ve got an eye for this sort of thing. And then you can help us with the food, since you brought so many guests.”
He sighed theatrically, but he’d expected to help out, so he wasn’t surprised. “Yeah, yeah, okay. Feel free to do whatever guys. If you need anything, Harper can show you where it is.”
"Well, we could at least take a look around, right? Learn the area so we don't get lost by accident," Drake suggested. Eryk raised a brow at that statement, though.
"You probably aren't good with directions, are you?" Eryk retorted, earning a confused look from Drake. It seemed to dawn on him, though, what Eryk actually meant by that, and he furrowed his brows. It didn't faze Ryk, and he just glanced around.
"But I think that sounds like a good idea," Cyrilla spoke before Eryk could say anything further. "So, how about we let Harper show us around for a bit?" she spoke, glancing towards her. Eryk didn't seem to mind the suggestion, and simply glanced in Harper's direction, as if waiting for her response. Drake did the same thing, too.
She grinned. “One guided tour coming right up,” she replied smartly. “Let’s go.”
Travel to the islands usually involved flying in to Mandarin Island South, after which boats could be chartered to the island of one’s choice. Since Kas’s family lived on Tangelo, that meant northwest. Though not that far north—it was already nearly eighty degrees, and it wasn’t quite noon yet. That was about par for late spring here. The ocean tended to keep things cooler, but it still certainly got warmer than much of Kanto did at the same time of year.
Kas checked himself over quickly, making sure he hadn’t forgotten anything. He and Cy weren’t wearing their rings, obviously—that’d be a hell of a thing to try and explain to his family, and the chaos that resulted might well upstage his sister’s wedding. That was something he wanted to avoid at any cost. It was just better if they didn’t know. Otherwise, he was dressed normally—a colorful shirt over a light tank, and knee-length shorts.
“Everyone got their stuff? Don’t leave anything on the boat, please.” It’d be damn near impossible to get back if they did.
“I think so,” Ana answered first, patting the pockets of her shorts. She’d taken his suggestion to dress for warm weather seriously—long shorts and a sleeveless white shirt. He hoped she had sunscreen though—any of the three of them was likely to burn easy in the sun. Drake would probably be fine, though, as long as he didn’t fall asleep on the beach or something.
Cyrilla was dressed in a pair of khaki shorts with a red tank top. She had a white blouse over it that was left unbuttoned. Drake was dressed a little more casually. He was wearing a pair of light blue knee-length shorts, with a white shirt. He looked a little too bright, but he didn't seem to mind it. Eryk was the only one who wore pants. They were denim blue jeans but at least his shirt looked a little cooler. It was a thin gray shirt that looked slightly big for him. Not too big that it was obvious, though.
"All of my stuff's here," Drake replied, glancing down at the suit case he'd brought with him. Cyrilla nodded her head in agreement.
"Me too, I've got everything I need," she answered. Eryk didn't even bother to reply, and simply nodded his head as well.
"Are we meeting up with your family after we drop everything off?" Eryk asked. He didn't look entirely sure of what he was saying, but that might have been in light to the fact that they were surrounded by a large group of people. Even if they were leaving the boat, it seemed as if Eryk wouldn't get over that little fact.
“Yeah,” Kas replied. “Mom offered to pick us up, but the walk’s not far—and it’s a really nice one.”
They all had rolling suitcases anyhow, so it wasn’t difficult to navigate the smooth sidewalks away from the docks and towards the interior of the island. Kas elected to play tour guide a little bit on the way, pointing out places it would be good for them to know about and ones of interest. “Of course, the most popular attraction on the island is the Pokémon Park, but we’ll have to hold off on seeing that for a while yet. It’s worth going to at least once, though.” Moreso if you could go outside of peak hours for tourists, when you might actually see more of the pokémon.
They’d made it about a quarter mile down the beach when he stopped to point out a specific building. “See that one there, with the dark red roof?” It was an expansive building, on two levels, with much of it open to the air somehow, either via windows, patios, or columns. “That’s mom’s restaurant. Rihan, it’s called. The house is just a little further down the beach.”
His mother’s career had really taken off during Kasimir’s childhood; as a result, she’d purchased a large home right next to the beach, and a considerable amount of the property around it, including the beach itself. The house was pale stone, with open archways and large windows put together in a breezy, light style. It wasn’t massive, by house standards, but it was fairly big—maybe three-quarters the size of the Cinnabar Mansion.
"It's a big restaurant," Cyrilla commented, pausing momentarily to glance at Kas, and then back to the building. "But it's pretty, too," she added. Eryk looked like he wanted to roll his eyes.
"I don't think we came to gawk at the restaurant Cy," he spoke, earning a flat look from her. She shrugged her shoulders, but didn't comment back.
"But she's right. It's still nice. I wonder if they make," Drake began, but paused when Cy shot him a glare.
"Drake Bellamy, you did not come here for burgers," she chided, earning a nervous laugh from Drake.
“That’s a shame,” Kas said, raising an eyebrow. “The restaurant has theme nights, and when they do traditional island stuff, she makes these things called volcano burgers—like regular ones, but better… and more likely to burn your tongue off.”
They continued up the road until the house came fully into view. It was sectioned off somewhat by a wall, but Kas knew the gate code, and it buzzed them in automatically. He waved to Earnest, the elderly gardener, before trekking them up to the front. His mom employed a few staff members, but mostly just to maintain things: she didn’t have drivers or a butler or anything. Just a couple of maids and Earnest.
He elected to ring the doorbell instead of barging right in. Someone must have been waiting nearby, because there was an answer almost immediately. The door swung slightly inward to reveal Harper, a big grin on her face and dressed for the weather—white shorts and a mint-green halter top.
“Well hey there, strangers. Come on in.”
"Hi Harper!" Cyrilla greeted, walking in after Eryk. He had nodded his head in Harper's direction, though, to acknowledge her. Drake, however, stopped momentarily to the side of her, and looked like he was debating something with himself. He must have decided to wait until everyone was inside, though, because he didn't say anything. He only smiled at her. Eryk shook his head and rolled his shoulders out slightly before setting his suitcase down.
"Harper, it is nice to see you again," he spoke. He didn't seem as unsure of himself as he used to be, when he spoke to her. It was a good thing. "How have you been?" he actually seemed to ask.
“Well,” Harper replied. She dug around in her pocket for a moment, producing a small green object with a metallic shine, flashing it to the group along with a proud smile.
Kas already knew she had won the badge a few weeks ago, but of course it was news to everyone else. “An Earth Badge?” Ana asked, clearly excited. “Congratulations!” She ducked in to give Harper a quick hug, which his sister returned.
“Thanks, Ana. Anyway, I shouldn’t keep you guys here. I’ll show you to your rooms upstairs. We’ve got quite a few guests for the first part of the week, so you’ll have to share two, but after the wedding, you’ll be able to spread out. Girls are with me, guys are next door. There’s enough beds for everyone, though.” She led them up the foyer staircase, taking them down the left hall to Kas’s old bedroom. Hers was, of course, right next to it.
“Here we go.” Harper’s room was pretty big; enough that two extra twin mattresses fit in it with no trouble. The walls were painted the same mint-green as her shirt; the floors were light wood, and the curtains an bedspreads were all cream. There was a big bay window that led out onto a small balcony as well.
Kas’s was considerably more masculine in its furniture and color scheme—his walls were grey and the fabric dark green and gold. It was slightly larger overall, but otherwise almost identical in layout. “Make yourselves comfortable, guys.”
"Don't mind if I do," Drake spoke first, walking into the shared room and took to one of the corners. He dropped his suitcase there, and glanced around for a moment. Eryk mirrored Drake, and put his suitcase down as well. Cyrilla took to Harper's room, probably to do the same.
"What's with the color scheme?" Eryk questioned, glancing around as well. He didn't seem too enthused about it, probably because he didn't know much about color cordination or things of that nature. His own room back at the base was pretty bland, as far as color schemes went. Maybe he just didn't care for that kind of stuff?
"It's a good color scheme to have, though, especially here. It's kind of cool," Drake spoke, a little nonchalant like. He must not have noticed the small glare Ryk sent him, because he just smiled in his goofy, weird kind of way. Drake was, unquestionably, weird.
Kas shrugged. “I like colors. And green’s my favorite. Cut me some slack; I haven’t lived here since I was a teenager.” He threw his own stuff down on his own bed, glancing between the other two. “Feel free to use the bathroom to freshen up or whatever; I’m sure mom and Crystal are around here somewhere. They’ll probably want to stuff you with food and talk your ears off.”
Eryk didn't look so happy about the idea of his ears being talked off. He still wasn't quite sociable, but he was getting there. He just shrugged his shoulders instead, and walked to the bathroom. Drake looked a little lost for a moment before he shrugged too, walking to his suitcase to fish through it. He looked to be searching for a change of clothes. Eryk took his with him when he went into the bathroom. When he came out, he was dressed almost in the same fashion, except this time, his shirt was a slate gray color. His pants were black in color, and they looked a little lighter than the denim's he wore here.
"I don't have shorts," he merely spoke as if to explain his clothing choice. The only time he'd ever worn shorts was during his birthday party. And those were swimming shorts. He didn't seem too warm, though, so maybe that was a good thing. Drake was the next in the bathroom, though it only took him about five minutes to dress. He came back out with a pair of khaki cargo capris and a medium blue sleeveless shirt. He threw a white flannel over it. He looked like he was on some safari game hunt, or something similar. He'd pulled his hair back into a ponytail, but some strands still seemed to fall loose.
"Well, we shouldn't keep them waiting. I wanna meet the rest of your family," Drake spoke, though he seemed a little nervous about it.
“Don't worry,” Kas said slyly. “Dad and Melissa aren’t here yet. So technically you’re not meeting Harper’s parents. Though if mom or Crystal dislikes you, you’re still fucked.” Kas figured he was dressed fine as he was. Drake looked a little worried at that.
They reemerged into the hallway, meeting up with the others. “Sheena and Crystal are in the living room,” Harper explained. “It’s this way.”
As it turned out, the living room was currently an explosion of flower arrangements. It looked like Earnest had brought in half the garden in samples. Two women were frowning at an assortment of colored lilies. The family resemblance between his mother and sister had always been strong—both of them had jet-black hair, the texture wiry rather than smooth. Crystal wore hers in a natural ‘fro about eight inches long, while his mother’s was braided tightly to her head, then combined into one long braid the rest of the way to her waist. Crystal had the same clear green eyes as their dad, the color of a spring leaf’s underside. Kasimir’s eyes were his mother’s—bright gold.
Their complexions were slightly darker than his; their features arranged strong and angular. And so, so dear.
They turned at the same time as the group entered; he grinned. It looked like mom had added yet another gold stud to each of her ears; she tended towards heavy traditional jewelry and bright, patterned fabrics for her dresses. Crystal was dressed a little more in keeping with modern business, in a crisp grey suit with a pencil skirt and heels. The eyebrow piercing and stud beneath her lip kind of gave the lie to it though.
“Well, well, well… if it isn’t my prodigal little brother, returned at last.” She grinned just as wide and bright as any of his, amusement glittering in her eyes.
“Heya Chrys. Mama.” Kas crossed the space between them in a few massive steps, throwing his arms around both. They were tall women—not quite as tall as Harper, but both of them were around 5’9”, so he didn’t have to stoop too much.
Drake looked nervous, and actually looked like he was sweating a bit. He was probably a nervous wreck right now. He was meeting Harper's family, after all. It was no secret that they were official, but they had taken things slowly. Eryk, however, seemed a little uncomfortable at the moment. It was, perhaps, understandly so. He didn't come from a family that was affectionate, or even hugged for that matter. The proof of that was on his face, and his back. He did a good job at hiding his discomfort, though, since he seemed a little more relaxed now.
"Sheena, Crystal," Eryk finally spoke, greeting the two of them. Cyrilla looked just as nervous as Drake did, but she didn't have the same reasons to be nervous. Maybe she was having the same problems as Ryk? But that wouldn't be right, seeing as she was actually more affectionate than Eryk was, despite having grown up in the same family. Maybe she was just actually excited, not nervous?
Kas figured he should smooth things over a bit. “Everyone, this is my sister Crystal and my mother, Sheena. Chrys, Mama, these are my friends Drake, Ryk, Ana, and Cy.” He used their nicknames; if they’d prefer to correct him, they could do so.
Perhaps fortunately for Eryk at least, his family didn’t make any attempt to hug their guests, though that was just because this was the first time they’d met. Subsequent visits were totally different—though he figured he’d avoid mentioning that little tidbit for now.
“It’s wonderful to meet you all,” his mother said in her low, mellifluous voice. She held out a hand to Ana first, and then Crystal did the same; they moved down the line with an easy sociability; it was pretty obvious where he’d gotten that from, he supposed.
"It's, ah, it's nice to uh, meet you," Drake sputtered, turning the slightest bit red. Ryk looked slightly amused by it, but his face smoothed over quick enough. He shook their hands just as readily, though. It wasn't as sociable as theirs, but he looked like he was doing his best to be polite.
"It's nice to meet you, too," Cyrilla spoke next, though unlike Drake and Ryk, she was smiling with the same exuberance she usually smiled with. It looked almost too easy for her sometimes. Eryk still looked a bit unsure of himself, but he seemed to have decided to say something.
"Kas talks about the both of you, and how great your cooking is," he stated, glancing towards Kas for a moment.
Crystal snorted. “He would. He’s a human trash compacter with actual taste.”
He frowned at her. “I resemble that remark,” he said in an affronted tone, intentionally swapping ‘resemble’ in for ‘resent.’ It was true, after all.
“Not as much as he talks about you all to us, I’m sure,” his mother replied, a half-smile curling her mouth. “But you must be tired. Feel free to wander the house or the property as you like. We’ll be starting on dinner as soon as we’ve finished choosing all the flower arrangements.” she gestured behind her to the profusion of blossoms. At least the room smelled nice.
“Actually, Kas, I want to keep you,” Crystal said. “You’ve got an eye for this sort of thing. And then you can help us with the food, since you brought so many guests.”
He sighed theatrically, but he’d expected to help out, so he wasn’t surprised. “Yeah, yeah, okay. Feel free to do whatever guys. If you need anything, Harper can show you where it is.”
"Well, we could at least take a look around, right? Learn the area so we don't get lost by accident," Drake suggested. Eryk raised a brow at that statement, though.
"You probably aren't good with directions, are you?" Eryk retorted, earning a confused look from Drake. It seemed to dawn on him, though, what Eryk actually meant by that, and he furrowed his brows. It didn't faze Ryk, and he just glanced around.
"But I think that sounds like a good idea," Cyrilla spoke before Eryk could say anything further. "So, how about we let Harper show us around for a bit?" she spoke, glancing towards her. Eryk didn't seem to mind the suggestion, and simply glanced in Harper's direction, as if waiting for her response. Drake did the same thing, too.
She grinned. “One guided tour coming right up,” she replied smartly. “Let’s go.”
It would have been easier to talk to Harper if they were currently alone. As it was, though, there were four of them. Drake, Eryk, Ana, and herself. Cyrilla inwardly sighed, shaking her head at herself. She'd have to get Harper alone if she wanted to talk to her. Maybe after the ceremony and party, she could find some time to do it? She had to, though. There wouldn't be another chance, or at least she didn't think there would be. Eryk glanced at her with a side-glance, but put his attention back on Harper.
"So, Harper," she decided to speak. "I didn't get to congratulate you for your Earth badge," she continued, glancing towards Drake as she did so. He looked a little pleased about it, and if she were being a little observant, perhaps a little smug. She laughed a little softly at his expression.
"Oh yeah, that's right. Congrats, Harp," Drake spoke, moving so that he was standing next to her. Cyrilla though how adorable it was when he laced his hand with Harper's, and almost snickered at them. It really was cute, even if Drake was still a little awkward about it. But maybe that was because he was meeting her family, and no one in their right mind would be calm about it. Well, Ryk might be the only exception, but if he wasn't showing his awkwardness, Cyrilla knew for a fact, that he was feeling it.
“Thanks,” Harper replied, smiling a bit at Drake and then dipping her chin at the rest of them. “I’m taking a bit of time off to train before I make a run at the League, though. I think I might have jumped right in if it wasn’t for what happened in the tournament—I guess in that sense I’m glad I went.” She no longer seemed as disappointed in herself or her loss as she’d been a few months ago when it happened; rather, she seemed centered and thoughtful about the whole thing.
“Anyway. Is there anything in particular you guys want to see? The house is pretty big I guess, but it’s not that exciting—it’s too new to have any fun secret passages or anything. There’s always the town, but I don’t want to drag you around for miles if you’re already tired from traveling today, so however you want to do this is fine by me.”
That was a fair point. It's not like Eryk would say if he was tired, even if he was, and she was a little too excited. It might have been the boat ride, or maybe the prospect of meeting Kas's family, however; whatever it was, Cyrilla felt she had too much energy right now. "I'm sure we can go out to the town tomorrow since your sister's wedding is in a few days, right?" she asked. She might have gotten the days mixed up, if that were the case. Maybe they could have a girls day or something? That would be good, actually. Even if Ana was around, she could still talk to Harper. It might actually be easier to talk to Harper if Ana was around.
She was her best friend, right? And best friends told each other everything, right? Ana already knew about her complication. She chanced a glance in Eryk's direction, and noticed how relaxed he looked. That was good. It meant he was at least enjoying himself, somewhat. She also noticed how close he was walking with Ana. She smiled at it, but furrowed her brows. They were lucky, in some strange sense. They both were: Eryk and Ana, Drake and Harper. She shook the thought from her head. She didn't need to think about that right now. She had other things to occupy her mind. Like Harper's response.
“Sure,” Harper said easily. “We can see the town tomorrow. The wedding is three days from now, so that’ll give us a day to get everything organized beforehand, too. There are a few traditional elements to island weddings that require a bit more participation from guests of the family. Fun stuff—nothing to worry about.” She shrugged.
“Anyway, I guess that means I’ll just show you around the property today. You’ve already seen where you’ll be staying and the living room; the kitchen you’ll get acquainted with later. These are the grounds, obviously. Everything on the house side of the wall is kept up by Earnest, but Sheena owns this whole section of the beach, and it’s pretty private, so feel free to walk around or let your pokémon out or whatever.” Harper’s pokéballs all appeared to not be on her belt, actually; perhaps she’d already followed her own advice.
Ana seemed very interested by the garden; it was much larger than the one she kept on Cinnabar, and the plants tended even further towards the tropical, as befit the climate.
Drake didn't even hesitate to release his own pokémon. They were all fire-types, so this kind of climate would be good for them. Now that she thought about it... she reached for her own pokéballs, and gave them a toss. She kept Snow in her pokéball, though. She wouldn't be too pleased to be in the heat, and she was sure Snow would have some kind of fit about it. Gyarados's ball, however, she'd tossed a little further. They were near the beach, and she was sure he'd love to swim in the warmer waters. Eryk did the same thing for Milotic, but he seemed to keep a majority of his pokémon in their balls. That was for the best, perhaps. Gengar and Meowth would, undoubtedly, cause unnecessary chaos.
"So, since we're going to be touring the compound," Drake spoke, grinning somewhat, "Is there a particular spot that's your favorite?"
Eryk snorted softly, causing Drake to furrow his brows. Cyrilla just smiled and shook her head. Of course he'd want to know what her favorite spot was. He'd probably try and skip to it with her. Alone. She laughed at the mental image. Drake wasn't a romantic, but she supposed Harper was okay with that. If she were being honest, though, Drake was probably more romantic than Eryk was. That drew forth a snort.
"The garden is nice," Eryk actually spoke. "It looks like there are certain plants that thrive in this climate more-so than the ones back home," he continued. She smiled at that.
Ana nodded. “I think I could grow a few of these, if I was careful, but I don't know for sure. Prhaps I'll have to talk to Earnest." She smiled.
“My favorite spot’s a little further out.” Harper didn’t specify beyond that, simply wearing a coy smile for a seconds before it faded back into her usual one. “For now though, let’s keep going. There’s a small dock out front and to the left where Sheena keeps her boat. It’s not a big one, compared to some, but it’s pretty nice. We can probably take it out after the wedding—there’s not much that beats an afternoon on the ocean around here. And it can get us to some of the smaller islands around.”
She led them around in the direction specified; there was, in fact, a decently-sized boat docked at a small pier off to one side. The rest of the beach, though, was mostly soft, warm white sand, remarkably clear of debris. The water was a pale turquoise further out, but extremely clear close in; a sure sign that they’d be able to see almost to the bottom in most places.
“We’ve got snorkeling gear, too, if that’s something anyone’s interested in. There’s a pretty big corsola cluster about a mile that way; we get a lot of remoraid and goldeen as well.”
Eryk actually looked a little interested in that. "We've never been snorkeling before," he spoke. He was right, they'd never done that before. It sounded like it could be a lot of fun. But if they were going snorkeling, then they had to make sure they had the proper swimwear for that. She glanced in Ana's direction.
"I think it's best if we go into town tomorrow, then. Harper, you can show us where there's a place that has swimwear and suits. Ana needs one, because she is not wearing that suit she wore last time," she almost laughed at the expression on Eryk's face.
"What was wrong with it?" Drake asked, earning a flat look from Eryk.
"Nothing," he replied in her defense, or at least that's what Cyrilla thought.
“Why can’t I wear it?” Ana asked. “A wetsuit is perfectly appropriate to snorkeling. I’ve been once before; the instructor didn’t say anything about it.”
Harper glanced between the three of them, comprehension quickly dawning over her features. “Ah. I think I see the issue. But sure, we can go shopping. I’m hardly going to say no to that.” She grinned. “We can also teach you to surf, if you want. This part of the island isn’t great for it, but if we go around to the western side, it’s pretty amazing.”
"Really?" Cyrilla spoke, shaking her head softly at Ana. One of these days she was going to get Ana into a proper swimsuit. Instead, she glanced at Harper when she spoke of surfing. "Oh, I'd love to learn!" she spoke almost too excitedly. Surfing always looked fun, but there was a small part of her that kind of feared the sharpedos. Of course, she could always make sure she practiced with Gyarados around. He was good for that.
"Yeah, I agree. I've never tried surfing since we don't exactly get waves on Cinnabar," Drake added. Eryk didn't look to enthused about the idea, but she supposed snorkeling seemed more than enough adventure for him at a time. Surfing could come later.
Ana also seemed quite excited by this prospect. “Surfing sounds wonderful,” she said.
“All right, then; I’ll add it to the list. In the meantime, let’s go look at some tide pools. There might be a few staryu around.”
"Oh, Staryu," she was excited to see those.
"They used to be her favorite when she was little," Eryk spoke, raising a slightly amused brow in her direction. Cyrilla just pursed her lips together, though.
"They were awesome, at one time, you know," she muttered.
"So, Harper," she decided to speak. "I didn't get to congratulate you for your Earth badge," she continued, glancing towards Drake as she did so. He looked a little pleased about it, and if she were being a little observant, perhaps a little smug. She laughed a little softly at his expression.
"Oh yeah, that's right. Congrats, Harp," Drake spoke, moving so that he was standing next to her. Cyrilla though how adorable it was when he laced his hand with Harper's, and almost snickered at them. It really was cute, even if Drake was still a little awkward about it. But maybe that was because he was meeting her family, and no one in their right mind would be calm about it. Well, Ryk might be the only exception, but if he wasn't showing his awkwardness, Cyrilla knew for a fact, that he was feeling it.
“Thanks,” Harper replied, smiling a bit at Drake and then dipping her chin at the rest of them. “I’m taking a bit of time off to train before I make a run at the League, though. I think I might have jumped right in if it wasn’t for what happened in the tournament—I guess in that sense I’m glad I went.” She no longer seemed as disappointed in herself or her loss as she’d been a few months ago when it happened; rather, she seemed centered and thoughtful about the whole thing.
“Anyway. Is there anything in particular you guys want to see? The house is pretty big I guess, but it’s not that exciting—it’s too new to have any fun secret passages or anything. There’s always the town, but I don’t want to drag you around for miles if you’re already tired from traveling today, so however you want to do this is fine by me.”
That was a fair point. It's not like Eryk would say if he was tired, even if he was, and she was a little too excited. It might have been the boat ride, or maybe the prospect of meeting Kas's family, however; whatever it was, Cyrilla felt she had too much energy right now. "I'm sure we can go out to the town tomorrow since your sister's wedding is in a few days, right?" she asked. She might have gotten the days mixed up, if that were the case. Maybe they could have a girls day or something? That would be good, actually. Even if Ana was around, she could still talk to Harper. It might actually be easier to talk to Harper if Ana was around.
She was her best friend, right? And best friends told each other everything, right? Ana already knew about her complication. She chanced a glance in Eryk's direction, and noticed how relaxed he looked. That was good. It meant he was at least enjoying himself, somewhat. She also noticed how close he was walking with Ana. She smiled at it, but furrowed her brows. They were lucky, in some strange sense. They both were: Eryk and Ana, Drake and Harper. She shook the thought from her head. She didn't need to think about that right now. She had other things to occupy her mind. Like Harper's response.
“Sure,” Harper said easily. “We can see the town tomorrow. The wedding is three days from now, so that’ll give us a day to get everything organized beforehand, too. There are a few traditional elements to island weddings that require a bit more participation from guests of the family. Fun stuff—nothing to worry about.” She shrugged.
“Anyway, I guess that means I’ll just show you around the property today. You’ve already seen where you’ll be staying and the living room; the kitchen you’ll get acquainted with later. These are the grounds, obviously. Everything on the house side of the wall is kept up by Earnest, but Sheena owns this whole section of the beach, and it’s pretty private, so feel free to walk around or let your pokémon out or whatever.” Harper’s pokéballs all appeared to not be on her belt, actually; perhaps she’d already followed her own advice.
Ana seemed very interested by the garden; it was much larger than the one she kept on Cinnabar, and the plants tended even further towards the tropical, as befit the climate.
Drake didn't even hesitate to release his own pokémon. They were all fire-types, so this kind of climate would be good for them. Now that she thought about it... she reached for her own pokéballs, and gave them a toss. She kept Snow in her pokéball, though. She wouldn't be too pleased to be in the heat, and she was sure Snow would have some kind of fit about it. Gyarados's ball, however, she'd tossed a little further. They were near the beach, and she was sure he'd love to swim in the warmer waters. Eryk did the same thing for Milotic, but he seemed to keep a majority of his pokémon in their balls. That was for the best, perhaps. Gengar and Meowth would, undoubtedly, cause unnecessary chaos.
"So, since we're going to be touring the compound," Drake spoke, grinning somewhat, "Is there a particular spot that's your favorite?"
Eryk snorted softly, causing Drake to furrow his brows. Cyrilla just smiled and shook her head. Of course he'd want to know what her favorite spot was. He'd probably try and skip to it with her. Alone. She laughed at the mental image. Drake wasn't a romantic, but she supposed Harper was okay with that. If she were being honest, though, Drake was probably more romantic than Eryk was. That drew forth a snort.
"The garden is nice," Eryk actually spoke. "It looks like there are certain plants that thrive in this climate more-so than the ones back home," he continued. She smiled at that.
Ana nodded. “I think I could grow a few of these, if I was careful, but I don't know for sure. Prhaps I'll have to talk to Earnest." She smiled.
“My favorite spot’s a little further out.” Harper didn’t specify beyond that, simply wearing a coy smile for a seconds before it faded back into her usual one. “For now though, let’s keep going. There’s a small dock out front and to the left where Sheena keeps her boat. It’s not a big one, compared to some, but it’s pretty nice. We can probably take it out after the wedding—there’s not much that beats an afternoon on the ocean around here. And it can get us to some of the smaller islands around.”
She led them around in the direction specified; there was, in fact, a decently-sized boat docked at a small pier off to one side. The rest of the beach, though, was mostly soft, warm white sand, remarkably clear of debris. The water was a pale turquoise further out, but extremely clear close in; a sure sign that they’d be able to see almost to the bottom in most places.
“We’ve got snorkeling gear, too, if that’s something anyone’s interested in. There’s a pretty big corsola cluster about a mile that way; we get a lot of remoraid and goldeen as well.”
Eryk actually looked a little interested in that. "We've never been snorkeling before," he spoke. He was right, they'd never done that before. It sounded like it could be a lot of fun. But if they were going snorkeling, then they had to make sure they had the proper swimwear for that. She glanced in Ana's direction.
"I think it's best if we go into town tomorrow, then. Harper, you can show us where there's a place that has swimwear and suits. Ana needs one, because she is not wearing that suit she wore last time," she almost laughed at the expression on Eryk's face.
"What was wrong with it?" Drake asked, earning a flat look from Eryk.
"Nothing," he replied in her defense, or at least that's what Cyrilla thought.
“Why can’t I wear it?” Ana asked. “A wetsuit is perfectly appropriate to snorkeling. I’ve been once before; the instructor didn’t say anything about it.”
Harper glanced between the three of them, comprehension quickly dawning over her features. “Ah. I think I see the issue. But sure, we can go shopping. I’m hardly going to say no to that.” She grinned. “We can also teach you to surf, if you want. This part of the island isn’t great for it, but if we go around to the western side, it’s pretty amazing.”
"Really?" Cyrilla spoke, shaking her head softly at Ana. One of these days she was going to get Ana into a proper swimsuit. Instead, she glanced at Harper when she spoke of surfing. "Oh, I'd love to learn!" she spoke almost too excitedly. Surfing always looked fun, but there was a small part of her that kind of feared the sharpedos. Of course, she could always make sure she practiced with Gyarados around. He was good for that.
"Yeah, I agree. I've never tried surfing since we don't exactly get waves on Cinnabar," Drake added. Eryk didn't look to enthused about the idea, but she supposed snorkeling seemed more than enough adventure for him at a time. Surfing could come later.
Ana also seemed quite excited by this prospect. “Surfing sounds wonderful,” she said.
“All right, then; I’ll add it to the list. In the meantime, let’s go look at some tide pools. There might be a few staryu around.”
"Oh, Staryu," she was excited to see those.
"They used to be her favorite when she was little," Eryk spoke, raising a slightly amused brow in her direction. Cyrilla just pursed her lips together, though.
"They were awesome, at one time, you know," she muttered.
Harper lifted her sunglasses, settling them back on top of her head, and pulled the door open. Tangelo Island actually had a town of decent size on it, largely due to the fact that they wound up with a massive influx of tourists every summer. It was starting to get kind of bad already, but the worst of it was usually between late May and early September. So while they’d had to deal with more than one slow-moving crowd of people, it wasn’t like the whole sidewalk was packed or anything.
A rush of air-conditioned breeze greeted them on their way into the clothing store; it was a rather chic place, medium-sized and offering stylish clothes with a bit of an island twist to them—leis were just as popular on the mannekins as clothes. It was a little bit kitsch, but Harper supposed the owners probably didn’t mind the extra funds it brought in from visitors. Importantly, the stuff they sold here was of good quality, locally-made and suited to the kinds of activities one would want to do on the island.
“So here we are,” she said to the other two. “There’s all kinds of stuff here, so if you forgot any other essentials or just want to buy something, we can probably find it. There’s another specialty place I go to for underthings specifically, so don’t get any of that here, if you were considering it.” She half-smiled, knowing that was likely to earn her at least some form of entertaining reaction.
Cyrilla blinked for a moment, as if she were actually contemplating Harper's statement. It must have finally dawned on her what the implication was, because she turned a slight shade of red, and she coughed awkwardly in her hand. "I mean, it'd be nice to have new clothes. I haven't been shopping since we went to Saffron," she spoke, turning away to glance at the clothing. She turned her attention on Ana, next, a coy smile passing on her lips.
"But I'm sure Ana wouldn't mind, either, right?" she spoke, nudging Ana's arm with her elbow.
Ana actually looked vaguely overwhelmed by the sheer amount of things on offer. She blinked at the displays with a vague look on her face, brought back to the conversation only when Cyrilla nudged her. “Oh, um… I suppose not? I don’t really need anything new, though.”
Harper shrugged. “Well, it’s not like you have to buy anything. Sometimes just trying on stuff can be fun. What kinds of colors and styles do you guys like?” She reached out to one rack, rubbing an orange blouse between her fingers to get a sense of the material. She wasn’t an expert, exactly, but she clearly knew more about clothes than either of these two. Maybe she’d be able to help them out, if they wanted to get new stuff.
"I mean, we live in the warmer climate, so things that are made for that kind of weather. There seems to be a lot of that, here, though," she spoke, reaching towards a dark blue blouse. "I'd have to say, color wise, things that are red. I like red," she spoke, laughing a little nervously. Another thought must have struck her, because her eyes lit up a bit. "And maybe... maybe something green?" she spoke a little nervously.
"I mean, a green color that won't make me stand out, you know?" she laughed nervously this time. "I'm not entirely good with clothes and materials, and color coordination, I'm afraid," she finally stated, slumping her shoulders somewhat.
“Red’s your favorite color, but you don’t want to stand out?” Harper raised an eyebrow. Clearly, Cy didn’t realize how contradictory that was—if any color stood out, it was red. Still, she added the mental notes to her collection, humming thoughtfully. “How about you, Ana?”
She blinked. “I don’t really dislike any colors,” she said, tilting her head. “I tend to end up wearing a lot of blue because I know it doesn’t clash with my hair, but it does get a little boring after while, I suppose.”
Oh boy. What was she getting herself into here? She had one who had no idea how to think about what colors even were, and another who’d found a single safe color and stuck with it. Ana even had the distinction of dressing mostly in work clothes—Harper remembered that from her visit to the shelter. Cy probably wore a Rocket uniform most days, too—unlike her lazy brother, Harper could see Cyrilla actually giving a shit about regulations.
She raised a hand to rub at her temples. She wasn’t used to dressing people this… white, but she could figure it out. Clearly faster than they could—they were both in their twenties, after all. “Okay, well… first rule is: you wear what you want. In style or no, revealing or modest or between, whatever. It doesn’t matter what it is, as long as you like it and feel good in it. So keep that in mind even if I tell you to avoid a certain color or something. This is all just advice, and in the end, you do you.” She paused to arch an eyebrow. “Deal?”
“Okay,” Ana said, nodding slightly.
"Deal," Cyrilla nodded her head as well. "So, we wear whatever we want as long as we like it, right?" she spoke, making a turn towards a rack. She pulled forward a shirt. It was a forest green halter top that looked like it was cut off towards the midriff. It looked like it tied around the back area, too, which exposed said area.
"Something like this?" she said, showing it to Harper. "I've... worn something like this before, and I liked it, but, I'm not so sure, now. It's been a while," she spoke, pursing her lips together. She pulled it so that it rested in both of her hands, and she stared at it.
“It’s pretty,” Ana said with a smile. “I think it would look good on you.”
Harper agreed, but she was trying not to influence their decisions too much here. “So try it on,” she advised, raising an eyebrow. “You’re not going to know how it looks or feels until you do, and how will you know if you want to wear it until you know how it looks and feels?”
She ventured over to another rack, shifting through a few items and coming away with a pair of acid-wash denim shorts. They were a little shorter than what Cy was currently wearing, but if she was that adventurous with her shirt choices, she might not mind showing a little leg, either. “Now, personal recommendation time: I find, myself, that when my shirt’s a little more revealing, I like to balance it out with longer shorts. Something like these, though, I’d be totally comfortable wearing with a looser or more modest shirt. You might like both together, or neither at all—but you don’t have to accept or reject a whole outfit. It’s about picking pieces that will go with a few other different things you have. Try these on too, and see if you like them.” She tossed them to land over Cy’s arm.
“Usually it’s best to gather a bunch of stuff and try it on all at once, and then see where to go from there, so start looking. If you’re not sure, try it on anyway. You’re not obligated to buy it if you put it on, right?”
“Mm… what about this?” Ana held up a shirt, loose and slightly gauzy, but delicate and pretty.
Harper thought it would probably suit her pretty well… but it was blue. “Do they have another color?” she asked. “If you like the shirt but not the color, you can always switch back, but you should try on as many things that aren’t blue as possible, to get a sense for which shades you like on you.”
"Alright, I guess it wouldn't hurt," she spoke, taking both the shirt and the shorts. She didn't immediately go to the dressing room, though, and instead, hovered by a rack. She was shifting through it slowly, as if she were contemplating each choice. One seemed to grab her attention, though, and she pulled it forward. It was a deep purple color, sleeveless, and seemed to tail in the front and back. The front was a little more revealing than the green halter she had, but she seemed to like it anyway. She grabbed a pair of dark grey shorts to go with it.
"I think I'll go try these on," she spoke, grabbing a few more choices. "I'll let you both help me make a decision, afterwards," she spoke, disappearing towards the dressing room.
“Sure,” Harper replied, pointing her in the right direction. She took several more minutes for herself, as well as helping Ana out. Ana’s main problem seemed to be a lack of comfort with her own body—it came out in her defaulting to the one safe color she had and being unsure of the idea of showing skin.
Of course, if she simply preferred modesty, that was fine—but it seemed to be rooted in something deeper than that. Like a concern about her figure.
“Okay, Ana,” Harper said, putting her free hand—the one not holding all her potential clothes—on her hip. “What’s the real trouble here?”
She sighed, looking down at the floor for a moment and shaking her head a little. “It’s just… I’m afraid.”
Harper’s expression softened immediately; she relaxed her hand and took half a step closer. “What are you afraid of?” she asked softly.
“I don’t… I don’t know, exactly,” Ana replied. “Maybe of… of being that exposed, you know? I’ve never… I’ve never really been able to put on much muscle or fill anything out the right way. I don’t look strong and healthy like you or Cyrilla, and I guess I just… don’t want people to know that.”
Harper pressed her lips into a line, reaching forward and letting one of her hands fall on Ana’s shoulder. “I know it can be hard to believe,” she said, “but there’s more than one way to be beautiful. And… even if you can’t believe that your way is one of them, who cares? All of this—it’s not so you can dress for someone else. It’s so you can dress in whatever way you want to.”
She sighed. “I have scars, you know. Big ones, right here on my stomach.” She gestured to part of her abdomen currently covered by her shirt. “Usually, I don’t wear anything that shows them, because I don’t like it when people ask how I got them, and the staring makes me uncomfortable. I used to think that I’d never be able to wear anything that showed skin there ever again, not even swimsuits.” Harper shook her head. “But you know what? They’re not ugly, and I’m not ashamed of them. I have no reason to be. My body has gotten me through my entire life, the good times and the bad ones. And sometimes the bad ones leave marks. Your body’s gotten you through more than most people will ever have to even think about. And if that shows, well… doesn’t it just mean that you can see how strong you are?”
Kas had told her about Ana’s sickness, apparently with Ana’s permission. She didn’t seem surprised to hear it mentioned, anyway.
“And I get it. Some people are going to judge you, or stare, and it’s going to be uncomfortable and rude. And if you don’t want to put up with that, then you can wear your wetsuit or whatever you want,” she said, earning a little tiny chuckle from Ana. “But if you want to wear something else, don’t you let those assholes get in the way. You do you, Ana. Fuck everyone else if they don’t like it.”
She smiled thinly. “Thanks, Harper. I think… I think I want to try some of this stuff on now. To… to see how I feel, like you said.”
“Great,” Harper replied, grinning widely and letting her hand fall from Ana’s shoulder. “Let’s get another changing room right next to Cy’s; we can help her with her stuff and then move on to yours and mine, okay?”
Ana nodded, and they headed for the back of the store.
"Hey guys?" Cyrilla called out. How she knew they were close by was because she was currently sticking her head out of the door. "Um, I'm not sure?" she spoke, her voice giving off how unsure she was of the current outfit she wore. She hesitated for a moment before she stepped out. She was wearing a pair of dark grey shorts, similar to the acid-wash ones Harper handed to her earlier, or at least in length. The shirt she had on, however, was completely different than the two she'd taken earlier. It was a red halter top, but it was styled more-so like a wrap. It went a little deep, the neck looked like it ended right below her diaphragm.
"It's comfortable, though," she finally spoke, glancing away from Harper and Ana. She looked a little embarrassed about it, probably because the front was a little more revealing.
“You look amazing,” Ana said, her smile small but genuine.
Harper’s was more of a grin. “Well, well, look at you.” Her eyes narrowed a bit with mirth, but there was nothing malicious in it. “Someone’s sexier than she lets on.” The shirt had even less of a back than it did a front—it was definitely a good look for Cy.
"Ha," she sputtered somewhat, turning a shade of red that matched. "I just... haven't worn anything like this in a long time. Work usually calls for the uniform, and since we really don't get out too much," she trailed off there for a second, rubbing the back of her neck. "I don't usually have a reason to dress like this, I suppose. Most of the time we're helping out Ana, too, so we couldn't exactly wear things like this," she continued, letting out a nervous chuckle.
"I mean, not that I don't mind helping you out or anything, Ana. That... kind of sounded bad, sorry," she apologized.
Ana shook her head. “I completely understand. It’s kind of a messy job; I don’t really own very many nice clothes because of it, so I understand how you feel.”
Harper still hadn’t lost her smile. “Well, long time or not, you look good. It’s casual enough for a day out, and classy enough that you could probably wear it on a more relaxed date or something. If you’re only going to buy a few things, picking the ones with the most diverse uses is a good rule of thumb. I try to have at least one thing for any plausible situation, even when I travel.” It never hurt to make a good impression, after all.
"It's not like I go out on dates to begin with," she muttered that beneath her breath, but Harper could still hear it. She looked like she was half way to pouting, and then the realization that she was, and smiled. "What about you, Ana? What did you find?" she spoke, probably trying to divert the attention to her. "Did you see anything you liked?"
She was pretty bad at diversion for a ninja, but Harper let it go. She already knew what Cy’s problem was, and if she wanted to talk about it more, she would.
“Oh,” said Ana, seeming just then to remember that she had things in her hands. “Well, a few things, actually. I thought I’d try these first, and then if it goes well maybe take a look at some of the swimsuits they have… since my wetsuit would do for surfing but maybe isn’t the best for being on a boat all afternoon.”
Harper’s mouth turned up at the corner.
Baby steps.
A rush of air-conditioned breeze greeted them on their way into the clothing store; it was a rather chic place, medium-sized and offering stylish clothes with a bit of an island twist to them—leis were just as popular on the mannekins as clothes. It was a little bit kitsch, but Harper supposed the owners probably didn’t mind the extra funds it brought in from visitors. Importantly, the stuff they sold here was of good quality, locally-made and suited to the kinds of activities one would want to do on the island.
“So here we are,” she said to the other two. “There’s all kinds of stuff here, so if you forgot any other essentials or just want to buy something, we can probably find it. There’s another specialty place I go to for underthings specifically, so don’t get any of that here, if you were considering it.” She half-smiled, knowing that was likely to earn her at least some form of entertaining reaction.
Cyrilla blinked for a moment, as if she were actually contemplating Harper's statement. It must have finally dawned on her what the implication was, because she turned a slight shade of red, and she coughed awkwardly in her hand. "I mean, it'd be nice to have new clothes. I haven't been shopping since we went to Saffron," she spoke, turning away to glance at the clothing. She turned her attention on Ana, next, a coy smile passing on her lips.
"But I'm sure Ana wouldn't mind, either, right?" she spoke, nudging Ana's arm with her elbow.
Ana actually looked vaguely overwhelmed by the sheer amount of things on offer. She blinked at the displays with a vague look on her face, brought back to the conversation only when Cyrilla nudged her. “Oh, um… I suppose not? I don’t really need anything new, though.”
Harper shrugged. “Well, it’s not like you have to buy anything. Sometimes just trying on stuff can be fun. What kinds of colors and styles do you guys like?” She reached out to one rack, rubbing an orange blouse between her fingers to get a sense of the material. She wasn’t an expert, exactly, but she clearly knew more about clothes than either of these two. Maybe she’d be able to help them out, if they wanted to get new stuff.
"I mean, we live in the warmer climate, so things that are made for that kind of weather. There seems to be a lot of that, here, though," she spoke, reaching towards a dark blue blouse. "I'd have to say, color wise, things that are red. I like red," she spoke, laughing a little nervously. Another thought must have struck her, because her eyes lit up a bit. "And maybe... maybe something green?" she spoke a little nervously.
"I mean, a green color that won't make me stand out, you know?" she laughed nervously this time. "I'm not entirely good with clothes and materials, and color coordination, I'm afraid," she finally stated, slumping her shoulders somewhat.
“Red’s your favorite color, but you don’t want to stand out?” Harper raised an eyebrow. Clearly, Cy didn’t realize how contradictory that was—if any color stood out, it was red. Still, she added the mental notes to her collection, humming thoughtfully. “How about you, Ana?”
She blinked. “I don’t really dislike any colors,” she said, tilting her head. “I tend to end up wearing a lot of blue because I know it doesn’t clash with my hair, but it does get a little boring after while, I suppose.”
Oh boy. What was she getting herself into here? She had one who had no idea how to think about what colors even were, and another who’d found a single safe color and stuck with it. Ana even had the distinction of dressing mostly in work clothes—Harper remembered that from her visit to the shelter. Cy probably wore a Rocket uniform most days, too—unlike her lazy brother, Harper could see Cyrilla actually giving a shit about regulations.
She raised a hand to rub at her temples. She wasn’t used to dressing people this… white, but she could figure it out. Clearly faster than they could—they were both in their twenties, after all. “Okay, well… first rule is: you wear what you want. In style or no, revealing or modest or between, whatever. It doesn’t matter what it is, as long as you like it and feel good in it. So keep that in mind even if I tell you to avoid a certain color or something. This is all just advice, and in the end, you do you.” She paused to arch an eyebrow. “Deal?”
“Okay,” Ana said, nodding slightly.
"Deal," Cyrilla nodded her head as well. "So, we wear whatever we want as long as we like it, right?" she spoke, making a turn towards a rack. She pulled forward a shirt. It was a forest green halter top that looked like it was cut off towards the midriff. It looked like it tied around the back area, too, which exposed said area.
"Something like this?" she said, showing it to Harper. "I've... worn something like this before, and I liked it, but, I'm not so sure, now. It's been a while," she spoke, pursing her lips together. She pulled it so that it rested in both of her hands, and she stared at it.
“It’s pretty,” Ana said with a smile. “I think it would look good on you.”
Harper agreed, but she was trying not to influence their decisions too much here. “So try it on,” she advised, raising an eyebrow. “You’re not going to know how it looks or feels until you do, and how will you know if you want to wear it until you know how it looks and feels?”
She ventured over to another rack, shifting through a few items and coming away with a pair of acid-wash denim shorts. They were a little shorter than what Cy was currently wearing, but if she was that adventurous with her shirt choices, she might not mind showing a little leg, either. “Now, personal recommendation time: I find, myself, that when my shirt’s a little more revealing, I like to balance it out with longer shorts. Something like these, though, I’d be totally comfortable wearing with a looser or more modest shirt. You might like both together, or neither at all—but you don’t have to accept or reject a whole outfit. It’s about picking pieces that will go with a few other different things you have. Try these on too, and see if you like them.” She tossed them to land over Cy’s arm.
“Usually it’s best to gather a bunch of stuff and try it on all at once, and then see where to go from there, so start looking. If you’re not sure, try it on anyway. You’re not obligated to buy it if you put it on, right?”
“Mm… what about this?” Ana held up a shirt, loose and slightly gauzy, but delicate and pretty.
Harper thought it would probably suit her pretty well… but it was blue. “Do they have another color?” she asked. “If you like the shirt but not the color, you can always switch back, but you should try on as many things that aren’t blue as possible, to get a sense for which shades you like on you.”
"Alright, I guess it wouldn't hurt," she spoke, taking both the shirt and the shorts. She didn't immediately go to the dressing room, though, and instead, hovered by a rack. She was shifting through it slowly, as if she were contemplating each choice. One seemed to grab her attention, though, and she pulled it forward. It was a deep purple color, sleeveless, and seemed to tail in the front and back. The front was a little more revealing than the green halter she had, but she seemed to like it anyway. She grabbed a pair of dark grey shorts to go with it.
"I think I'll go try these on," she spoke, grabbing a few more choices. "I'll let you both help me make a decision, afterwards," she spoke, disappearing towards the dressing room.
“Sure,” Harper replied, pointing her in the right direction. She took several more minutes for herself, as well as helping Ana out. Ana’s main problem seemed to be a lack of comfort with her own body—it came out in her defaulting to the one safe color she had and being unsure of the idea of showing skin.
Of course, if she simply preferred modesty, that was fine—but it seemed to be rooted in something deeper than that. Like a concern about her figure.
“Okay, Ana,” Harper said, putting her free hand—the one not holding all her potential clothes—on her hip. “What’s the real trouble here?”
She sighed, looking down at the floor for a moment and shaking her head a little. “It’s just… I’m afraid.”
Harper’s expression softened immediately; she relaxed her hand and took half a step closer. “What are you afraid of?” she asked softly.
“I don’t… I don’t know, exactly,” Ana replied. “Maybe of… of being that exposed, you know? I’ve never… I’ve never really been able to put on much muscle or fill anything out the right way. I don’t look strong and healthy like you or Cyrilla, and I guess I just… don’t want people to know that.”
Harper pressed her lips into a line, reaching forward and letting one of her hands fall on Ana’s shoulder. “I know it can be hard to believe,” she said, “but there’s more than one way to be beautiful. And… even if you can’t believe that your way is one of them, who cares? All of this—it’s not so you can dress for someone else. It’s so you can dress in whatever way you want to.”
She sighed. “I have scars, you know. Big ones, right here on my stomach.” She gestured to part of her abdomen currently covered by her shirt. “Usually, I don’t wear anything that shows them, because I don’t like it when people ask how I got them, and the staring makes me uncomfortable. I used to think that I’d never be able to wear anything that showed skin there ever again, not even swimsuits.” Harper shook her head. “But you know what? They’re not ugly, and I’m not ashamed of them. I have no reason to be. My body has gotten me through my entire life, the good times and the bad ones. And sometimes the bad ones leave marks. Your body’s gotten you through more than most people will ever have to even think about. And if that shows, well… doesn’t it just mean that you can see how strong you are?”
Kas had told her about Ana’s sickness, apparently with Ana’s permission. She didn’t seem surprised to hear it mentioned, anyway.
“And I get it. Some people are going to judge you, or stare, and it’s going to be uncomfortable and rude. And if you don’t want to put up with that, then you can wear your wetsuit or whatever you want,” she said, earning a little tiny chuckle from Ana. “But if you want to wear something else, don’t you let those assholes get in the way. You do you, Ana. Fuck everyone else if they don’t like it.”
She smiled thinly. “Thanks, Harper. I think… I think I want to try some of this stuff on now. To… to see how I feel, like you said.”
“Great,” Harper replied, grinning widely and letting her hand fall from Ana’s shoulder. “Let’s get another changing room right next to Cy’s; we can help her with her stuff and then move on to yours and mine, okay?”
Ana nodded, and they headed for the back of the store.
"Hey guys?" Cyrilla called out. How she knew they were close by was because she was currently sticking her head out of the door. "Um, I'm not sure?" she spoke, her voice giving off how unsure she was of the current outfit she wore. She hesitated for a moment before she stepped out. She was wearing a pair of dark grey shorts, similar to the acid-wash ones Harper handed to her earlier, or at least in length. The shirt she had on, however, was completely different than the two she'd taken earlier. It was a red halter top, but it was styled more-so like a wrap. It went a little deep, the neck looked like it ended right below her diaphragm.
"It's comfortable, though," she finally spoke, glancing away from Harper and Ana. She looked a little embarrassed about it, probably because the front was a little more revealing.
“You look amazing,” Ana said, her smile small but genuine.
Harper’s was more of a grin. “Well, well, look at you.” Her eyes narrowed a bit with mirth, but there was nothing malicious in it. “Someone’s sexier than she lets on.” The shirt had even less of a back than it did a front—it was definitely a good look for Cy.
"Ha," she sputtered somewhat, turning a shade of red that matched. "I just... haven't worn anything like this in a long time. Work usually calls for the uniform, and since we really don't get out too much," she trailed off there for a second, rubbing the back of her neck. "I don't usually have a reason to dress like this, I suppose. Most of the time we're helping out Ana, too, so we couldn't exactly wear things like this," she continued, letting out a nervous chuckle.
"I mean, not that I don't mind helping you out or anything, Ana. That... kind of sounded bad, sorry," she apologized.
Ana shook her head. “I completely understand. It’s kind of a messy job; I don’t really own very many nice clothes because of it, so I understand how you feel.”
Harper still hadn’t lost her smile. “Well, long time or not, you look good. It’s casual enough for a day out, and classy enough that you could probably wear it on a more relaxed date or something. If you’re only going to buy a few things, picking the ones with the most diverse uses is a good rule of thumb. I try to have at least one thing for any plausible situation, even when I travel.” It never hurt to make a good impression, after all.
"It's not like I go out on dates to begin with," she muttered that beneath her breath, but Harper could still hear it. She looked like she was half way to pouting, and then the realization that she was, and smiled. "What about you, Ana? What did you find?" she spoke, probably trying to divert the attention to her. "Did you see anything you liked?"
She was pretty bad at diversion for a ninja, but Harper let it go. She already knew what Cy’s problem was, and if she wanted to talk about it more, she would.
“Oh,” said Ana, seeming just then to remember that she had things in her hands. “Well, a few things, actually. I thought I’d try these first, and then if it goes well maybe take a look at some of the swimsuits they have… since my wetsuit would do for surfing but maybe isn’t the best for being on a boat all afternoon.”
Harper’s mouth turned up at the corner.
Baby steps.
"And here's one pecha, watmel berry flavored smoothie with a hint of aspear," the man spoke, handing Cyrilla her drink. She thanked him for it, paid, and went to join Harper at the table. Ana had ducked into the nearby garden store. She had said something about getting some supplies from it, and Cyrilla wasn't much of a garden person to begin with, so she stayed outside. Harper had joined her to get smoothies from the cart right outside. It wasn't too bad, she supposed. At least she could finally talk to Harper. With or without Ana, it wasn't going to make much of a difference. The only thing she wondered about was whether she should mention the fake-marriage to her. It didn't seem like a good idea, right now.
"So, what kind of flavors did you get?" she decided to ask first. It's not that she wanted to beat around the bush about it. She was usually much more frank with herself before, but the topic she wanted to touch on was a little more delicate. She couldn't just outright and say it. Well, she could, but that would just make her feel awkward. She didn't want Harper to think she was just springing this on her all of a sudden. Harper already knew her dilemma, so it's not like she had to be indirect about it. She sighed softly to herself, and glanced down at her cup.
“Razz and pinap,” Harper replied, taking a long sip from her straw. She looked extremely comfortable in her surroundings; they were away from the more tourism-based areas of town now. Most of the people walking by were of the native islander complexion, which was close to Harper’s and quite far from Cyrilla’s own. Not that anyone really seemed to care, but it was certainly outside the norm from other places.
Harper set her cup down on the table, leaving her fingers loosely wrapped around the bottom, and tilted her head at Cyrilla. It was hard to read her expression; she was wearing large sunglasses that obscured her eyes, and her mouth had a neutral set to it, one that reverted into a small half-smile a second later. “But you’re not jonesing to talk to me about smoothies. Out with it, Rilla.”
She forgot how easily Harper could read her. She shook her head at her, and offered a similar half-smile. "You're right, I'm not," she spoke. It was now or never, and she'd rather not take never as a choice. Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm her nerves. She was talking to Harper, not him, so this should be easier. So why was she shaking a bit? She took another breath before glancing back up. She locked her gaze with Harper's, or assumed she did since she couldn't really tell with the glasses.
"It's about, him, Kas," she started, feeling a sudden lump growing in her throat. She swallowed it as best as she could before she continued. "I... you told me not to give up, and Ana's told me not to give up either, but," she set her own cup down, letting her gaze falter. "I don't even know where to begin. You know I like your brother, but even that seems like the wrong word to use," because she didn't like, Kasimir. She loved him, so much so that it hurt, actually.
"And he's done things for me that I'll never be able to pay him back for," like marrying her to save her from marrying Lukas, "but I don't know how much longer I can keep pretending that he's just a friend. I haven't told him, and I don't know how to," she finally spoke, letting some of it off her chest. She hadn't realized her hands had clenched together. She released them, and allowed her gaze to return to Harper.
“How?” Harper seemed more puzzled by that than anything. “That… wasn’t exactly the issue I was expecting you to have at this point. What part of it’s stumping you, exactly? The approach, the delivery…?” She sounded genuinely concerned, not dismissive—but there was a note of surprise in there. Apparently, she’d been counting on a different question.
"I think, it's a little bit of both, really. I don't know how to approach him about it, and I don't know how to tell him. I don't want him to think the wrong thing if I do tell him," that was what she feared the most. She feared that he would misunderstand where she was coming from, and that he'd probably think it was just some sort of joke. Maybe not quite a joke, but maybe that she was doing or saying it out of some misplaced notion.
"You know your brother better than anyone. What would he say if I just went up to him and told him I loved him?" she decided to say. Perhaps approaching it this way might be a little better for her.
Harper gave that some thought. “It would depend,” she said slowly. “I’m going to be honest with you here, Rilla: Kas already knows. And he thinks he understands, but he doesn’t. So if what you’re worried about is him misunderstanding you, I think you’re probably going to have to put a little more effort into understanding him first.”
She sighed, taking another mouthful of smoothie and swallowing. “What do you know about my brother’s history and approach to relationships, exactly? Don’t mince words: it’s the truth that’s important here, not making it seem good or sensible.”
She kind of figured that, especially after Ana had told her how he felt about them. He felt left out, but she'd never intended that for him. Harper's next question, however, caused her to purse her lips. She didn't exactly know much about Kas's history, only what he'd parted with. It didn't seem like much, but it did seem personal when he spoke of it. What caught her off guard, though, was the fact that he already knew. If he knew, then why would he agree to do something like that for her? That... didn't seem fair, actually. If he knew how she felt, then why would he agree to marry her? Why would he... she paused in that thought and took a deep, shuddering breath.
"Kas... he doesn't do relationships. When I first met him, that was apparent. He was always with a different girl, and he never seemed committed to them," she answered. "The only thing he's ever really said about his history was that he was a pretty round kid, but he never said anything more than that," she continued. He never said much about his history, but from what she knew, he had a pretty decent life.
Harper sighed. “Truthfully, I don’t know if it’s my place to tell you this, but I’m going to because it’s important. If he tells you later… well, don’t lie to him, I guess. He hates that.” Her head turned slightly away, like she was staring over Cyrilla’s shoulder.
“He was overweight as a kid, yeah. He got picked on a lot for it, actually, and he never really had friends besides me growing up, and I was both family and quite a bit younger than him, so it doesn’t really count.” She paused, pushing a breath out through her nose. “Once he hit puberty, things started to turn around. Our dad made him get serious about training, and he shot up like a freakin’ weed, so suddenly the fact that he ate a lot was necessary. And, well… you of all people know how good-looking he is now. That happened around then, too.”
She leaned back in her chair, resting her cup on her knee now. “Suddenly, people were looking at him, you know? His entire world changed. The same kids that used to make fun of him wanted to be his friend, pick him for their sports teams… date him. It wasn’t because his personality had suddenly changed—that didn’t happen until later. Literally the only difference was that they used to think he was gross and then they thought he was attractive.” Her mouth turned down into a deeply-etched frown. She made a small sound of disgust, and shook her head.
“He didn’t know what to make of it, but he might have adjusted okay, except…” The frown became a scowl. “That stupid bitch messed everything up for him.”
She didn't know what to say about that. What Harper was telling her, it seemed like a lot to swallow, and she could feel something burn in the back of her throat. She wasn't sure what it was, but it was there all the same. She dropped her gaze for a moment, and glanced at her cup. She knew, of course, how attractive he was, but that wasn't entirely the reason why she'd fallen for him. It was much deeper than that. She'd fallen for the small things that he used to do. When he used to tease her, the way he always picked on Ryk, those were small things that she found endearing because he had cared in some way. Maybe she read the situation wrong, but it was nice feeling cared about.
Her family never cared for her, or Ryk, in that way, and she knew it affected Ryk almost in the same way. But Kas was different, perhaps only to her. She sighed softly and furrowed her brows. "Messed everything up? Who? How?" she found herself asking. She didn't mean to say it out loud, but she did want to know what Harper was talking about.
“Ugh. Leila.” Harper took an angry sip of her smoothie, making a noise that sounded almost like a growl. “She’s a local girl. Islander. We used to visit here every summer for the whole school break, you know. Even when he did his journey, he always took summers off to be here. At first, Leila was just like everyone else—she teased him for being fat, and made his life miserable.” She shook her head. “He was crazy for her, though—I never understood it.”
She sighed heavily. “But she changed her damn tune when he came back one time. He was like seventeen then, and he looked a lot like he does now, except lankier, you know? Teenaged. She was really into him then. Started inviting him to social events and shit. By the end of the summer, she had him wrapped around her little finger. Kas figured he was in love with her. Kept talking about taking time off from his journey to devote to the relationship and stuff.”
The smoothie cup started to cave in where Harper was squeezing it too hard. “So he confesses to her, as one does. And she laughs in his face. Like, literally laughs and tells him he was just some pretty dupe she could have fun with for a summer before she got serious with her real boyfriend.” Harper’s jaw flexed; it sounded like she was grinding her teeth a little.
“It fucking crushed him. He’d had a thing for her for literally five years, and he’d finally gotten his chance, thought that she might have figured out that he was a good person who cared about her, and she was just using him the whole time. For his looks. And she went back to her jackass of a boyfriend at the end of the summer. Like Kas was dirt on her shoe.”
Something tugged at her, hard. She could feel her heart constricting in her chest, and it became harder to breathe, all of a sudden. How could someone be that cruel, especially about something as delicate as love? She had to remind herself that she was one of those people, those cruel people, but not when it came to that. To herself, maybe, but she could never do that to anyone else. She couldn't even look at Harper, now. How was she going to swallow all of this information, now? She wasn't even sure she could tell him now. She did, however, feel an uncomfortable amount of anger, though. Cyrilla knew she wasn't exactly a violent or malicious person, but at the moment, all she wanted to do was put her skills to use to get back at this Leila. How could she be so cruel to hurt Kas that way?
"I don't even know what to say," she finally spoke, realizing she'd stayed quiet for a few minutes. She gripped her cup a little tightly, but it wasn't enough that she had to worry about her grip. "I don't... I'm not even sure if I should tell him, now," she spoke. How could she? This Leila, she must have really done a number on Kas if he was who he was today. It actually broke her heart to hear it, too.
"I mean, I hardly think I'm in any position to even tell him let alone, try and change his mind about something like that," she spoke softly. It's not that she didn't want to try, but more-so if she could. She did want to try, more-so than anything else, but how far could she get? For a quick moment, she wondered what Kas actually thought of her. If he knew she was in love with him, did he think she was just like everyone else? In love with only his looks, and not the person she'd grown to know over the years?
“Kas doesn’t…” Harper halted, taking in a deep breath and trying to gather her thoughts, from the looks of it. “More than anything, he doesn’t think he’s the kind of person that can be loved like that,” she said, the remainder of her breath leaving her in a gust. “Which is stupid. One girl dumps him when he’s a teenager and suddenly no one will ever actually love him? I’ve tried to tell him how stupid that is, but… my own circumstances haven’t exactly helped him believe in love.” She said it tonelessly, dully, but her eyes fell to the table.
“Honestly, Rilla… I don’t know. I don’t know if you can break through that wall that he’s put up around himself. But what I do know is you’re the only person who has a chance. He’s… he cares about you. A lot. If he were anyone else, I’d say he loved you, too—but he’s not anyone else, and so I can’t give you his answer for him.” Harper closed her eyes, then opened them and lifted them to meet Cyrilla’s.
“And… it’s not your job to solve his problems, or mine, but… if you think he’s worth that chance, then I really think you should take it. You could be the best thing ever to happen to him. I hope you are. I think you are. But I can’t… I can’t guarantee you a good result, and I’d understand if you want to protect yourself.”
It was a little too late for that, actually. She'd thrown herself under the bus for that one, by agreeing to fake-marry him. If she really wanted to protect herself, she would have found someone else, or convinced Eryk to let her fake-marry Ana. But she didn't. She didn't do any of that because her subconscious wanted him, or maybe it wasn't even a subconscious thing. Maybe she did it because she was selfish, and maybe that made her just as horrible as everyone else for using him. She could feel her breath shuddering a bit, but she managed to still it.
"I suppose, it's a chance I have to take, then," she answered slowly. "Maybe I'm not the best thing to ever happen to him, or maybe at all, but I just," she paused momentarily. She couldn't get the words to form properly in her head, and they were coming out in a jumbled mess. "But I do love him, the same way Eryk loves Ana, and the way Drake loves you. I know, you are both taking it slow, but it's easy to see," because she knew what it looked like. Harper probably did, too, but maybe it was a good thing that they were taking it slow.
"Thanks, Harper, for talking with me. I think... I think I'll hold off telling him for now, maybe until after the wedding happens. I don't want things to be weird before we can enjoy this occasion with you and your family," she stated, finally glancing up to meet Harper's gaze. She would tell him, but she just had to time this properly, now. Definitely after the wedding, though.
“I understand,” Harper said, offering her a small smile. Her expression turned thoughtful for a moment, and she tilted her head. “Can I offer you one bit of advice, though? I can’t tell you how to do it, exactly, but I can tell you something about Kas.” Her hand had eased on her mangled smoothie cup, and she took the last few sips out of it then.
“Words alone don’t reach him once he’s made up his mind about something. He cares more about actions. And… more than that, he’s especially sensitive to touch. Not physically sensitive, necessarily, but he responds to it. It’s part of his language, I guess you could say. You’ve probably noticed that he’s careful about who he touches, and how and when. It gives away a lot of what he’s thinking, and he reads a lot from it too. So… if you want to show him that you love him, and you want him to believe you… find some way to tell him that isn’t just words.” She considered what she’d just said, then frowned slightly. “Uh… I don’t mean just kiss him, either. Lots of people have done that, and he’s still pretty sure that he’s never honestly been loved. But… if you can figure out some way to show him what you want to tell him, it’ll probably work better.”
Cyrilla actually blinked a little stupidly at Harper. Show him? How could she show him she loved him? She knew what Harper was talking about, because he actually stopped touching her. He used to do it when he teased her, but he'd stopped right around the time she'd cut her hair. She pursed her lips together. She sighed softly, but smiled.
"I'm not entirely sure how I'll show him, but I'll figure something out. I have some time to think about it, right?" she replied, shaking her head softly. She'd have to figure something out, but she also had some time. "I mean, there are only so many ways to show someone you love them, by touching them, after all," she spoke, noticing the implication of her own words, and felt her face flush.
"B-But you know what I mean," she stated, coughing awkwardly before taking a sip of her drink.
“If all else fails, just… don’t think too hard. Feel. If nothing else, it’ll seem more honest—not that I doubt you. He might though. In fact, he almost certainly will.” Harper shook her head.
“Good luck, Rilla. I mean that.”
"Yeah, I'm going to need it," if she wanted to get anywhere with him.
"So, what kind of flavors did you get?" she decided to ask first. It's not that she wanted to beat around the bush about it. She was usually much more frank with herself before, but the topic she wanted to touch on was a little more delicate. She couldn't just outright and say it. Well, she could, but that would just make her feel awkward. She didn't want Harper to think she was just springing this on her all of a sudden. Harper already knew her dilemma, so it's not like she had to be indirect about it. She sighed softly to herself, and glanced down at her cup.
“Razz and pinap,” Harper replied, taking a long sip from her straw. She looked extremely comfortable in her surroundings; they were away from the more tourism-based areas of town now. Most of the people walking by were of the native islander complexion, which was close to Harper’s and quite far from Cyrilla’s own. Not that anyone really seemed to care, but it was certainly outside the norm from other places.
Harper set her cup down on the table, leaving her fingers loosely wrapped around the bottom, and tilted her head at Cyrilla. It was hard to read her expression; she was wearing large sunglasses that obscured her eyes, and her mouth had a neutral set to it, one that reverted into a small half-smile a second later. “But you’re not jonesing to talk to me about smoothies. Out with it, Rilla.”
She forgot how easily Harper could read her. She shook her head at her, and offered a similar half-smile. "You're right, I'm not," she spoke. It was now or never, and she'd rather not take never as a choice. Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm her nerves. She was talking to Harper, not him, so this should be easier. So why was she shaking a bit? She took another breath before glancing back up. She locked her gaze with Harper's, or assumed she did since she couldn't really tell with the glasses.
"It's about, him, Kas," she started, feeling a sudden lump growing in her throat. She swallowed it as best as she could before she continued. "I... you told me not to give up, and Ana's told me not to give up either, but," she set her own cup down, letting her gaze falter. "I don't even know where to begin. You know I like your brother, but even that seems like the wrong word to use," because she didn't like, Kasimir. She loved him, so much so that it hurt, actually.
"And he's done things for me that I'll never be able to pay him back for," like marrying her to save her from marrying Lukas, "but I don't know how much longer I can keep pretending that he's just a friend. I haven't told him, and I don't know how to," she finally spoke, letting some of it off her chest. She hadn't realized her hands had clenched together. She released them, and allowed her gaze to return to Harper.
“How?” Harper seemed more puzzled by that than anything. “That… wasn’t exactly the issue I was expecting you to have at this point. What part of it’s stumping you, exactly? The approach, the delivery…?” She sounded genuinely concerned, not dismissive—but there was a note of surprise in there. Apparently, she’d been counting on a different question.
"I think, it's a little bit of both, really. I don't know how to approach him about it, and I don't know how to tell him. I don't want him to think the wrong thing if I do tell him," that was what she feared the most. She feared that he would misunderstand where she was coming from, and that he'd probably think it was just some sort of joke. Maybe not quite a joke, but maybe that she was doing or saying it out of some misplaced notion.
"You know your brother better than anyone. What would he say if I just went up to him and told him I loved him?" she decided to say. Perhaps approaching it this way might be a little better for her.
Harper gave that some thought. “It would depend,” she said slowly. “I’m going to be honest with you here, Rilla: Kas already knows. And he thinks he understands, but he doesn’t. So if what you’re worried about is him misunderstanding you, I think you’re probably going to have to put a little more effort into understanding him first.”
She sighed, taking another mouthful of smoothie and swallowing. “What do you know about my brother’s history and approach to relationships, exactly? Don’t mince words: it’s the truth that’s important here, not making it seem good or sensible.”
She kind of figured that, especially after Ana had told her how he felt about them. He felt left out, but she'd never intended that for him. Harper's next question, however, caused her to purse her lips. She didn't exactly know much about Kas's history, only what he'd parted with. It didn't seem like much, but it did seem personal when he spoke of it. What caught her off guard, though, was the fact that he already knew. If he knew, then why would he agree to do something like that for her? That... didn't seem fair, actually. If he knew how she felt, then why would he agree to marry her? Why would he... she paused in that thought and took a deep, shuddering breath.
"Kas... he doesn't do relationships. When I first met him, that was apparent. He was always with a different girl, and he never seemed committed to them," she answered. "The only thing he's ever really said about his history was that he was a pretty round kid, but he never said anything more than that," she continued. He never said much about his history, but from what she knew, he had a pretty decent life.
Harper sighed. “Truthfully, I don’t know if it’s my place to tell you this, but I’m going to because it’s important. If he tells you later… well, don’t lie to him, I guess. He hates that.” Her head turned slightly away, like she was staring over Cyrilla’s shoulder.
“He was overweight as a kid, yeah. He got picked on a lot for it, actually, and he never really had friends besides me growing up, and I was both family and quite a bit younger than him, so it doesn’t really count.” She paused, pushing a breath out through her nose. “Once he hit puberty, things started to turn around. Our dad made him get serious about training, and he shot up like a freakin’ weed, so suddenly the fact that he ate a lot was necessary. And, well… you of all people know how good-looking he is now. That happened around then, too.”
She leaned back in her chair, resting her cup on her knee now. “Suddenly, people were looking at him, you know? His entire world changed. The same kids that used to make fun of him wanted to be his friend, pick him for their sports teams… date him. It wasn’t because his personality had suddenly changed—that didn’t happen until later. Literally the only difference was that they used to think he was gross and then they thought he was attractive.” Her mouth turned down into a deeply-etched frown. She made a small sound of disgust, and shook her head.
“He didn’t know what to make of it, but he might have adjusted okay, except…” The frown became a scowl. “That stupid bitch messed everything up for him.”
She didn't know what to say about that. What Harper was telling her, it seemed like a lot to swallow, and she could feel something burn in the back of her throat. She wasn't sure what it was, but it was there all the same. She dropped her gaze for a moment, and glanced at her cup. She knew, of course, how attractive he was, but that wasn't entirely the reason why she'd fallen for him. It was much deeper than that. She'd fallen for the small things that he used to do. When he used to tease her, the way he always picked on Ryk, those were small things that she found endearing because he had cared in some way. Maybe she read the situation wrong, but it was nice feeling cared about.
Her family never cared for her, or Ryk, in that way, and she knew it affected Ryk almost in the same way. But Kas was different, perhaps only to her. She sighed softly and furrowed her brows. "Messed everything up? Who? How?" she found herself asking. She didn't mean to say it out loud, but she did want to know what Harper was talking about.
“Ugh. Leila.” Harper took an angry sip of her smoothie, making a noise that sounded almost like a growl. “She’s a local girl. Islander. We used to visit here every summer for the whole school break, you know. Even when he did his journey, he always took summers off to be here. At first, Leila was just like everyone else—she teased him for being fat, and made his life miserable.” She shook her head. “He was crazy for her, though—I never understood it.”
She sighed heavily. “But she changed her damn tune when he came back one time. He was like seventeen then, and he looked a lot like he does now, except lankier, you know? Teenaged. She was really into him then. Started inviting him to social events and shit. By the end of the summer, she had him wrapped around her little finger. Kas figured he was in love with her. Kept talking about taking time off from his journey to devote to the relationship and stuff.”
The smoothie cup started to cave in where Harper was squeezing it too hard. “So he confesses to her, as one does. And she laughs in his face. Like, literally laughs and tells him he was just some pretty dupe she could have fun with for a summer before she got serious with her real boyfriend.” Harper’s jaw flexed; it sounded like she was grinding her teeth a little.
“It fucking crushed him. He’d had a thing for her for literally five years, and he’d finally gotten his chance, thought that she might have figured out that he was a good person who cared about her, and she was just using him the whole time. For his looks. And she went back to her jackass of a boyfriend at the end of the summer. Like Kas was dirt on her shoe.”
Something tugged at her, hard. She could feel her heart constricting in her chest, and it became harder to breathe, all of a sudden. How could someone be that cruel, especially about something as delicate as love? She had to remind herself that she was one of those people, those cruel people, but not when it came to that. To herself, maybe, but she could never do that to anyone else. She couldn't even look at Harper, now. How was she going to swallow all of this information, now? She wasn't even sure she could tell him now. She did, however, feel an uncomfortable amount of anger, though. Cyrilla knew she wasn't exactly a violent or malicious person, but at the moment, all she wanted to do was put her skills to use to get back at this Leila. How could she be so cruel to hurt Kas that way?
"I don't even know what to say," she finally spoke, realizing she'd stayed quiet for a few minutes. She gripped her cup a little tightly, but it wasn't enough that she had to worry about her grip. "I don't... I'm not even sure if I should tell him, now," she spoke. How could she? This Leila, she must have really done a number on Kas if he was who he was today. It actually broke her heart to hear it, too.
"I mean, I hardly think I'm in any position to even tell him let alone, try and change his mind about something like that," she spoke softly. It's not that she didn't want to try, but more-so if she could. She did want to try, more-so than anything else, but how far could she get? For a quick moment, she wondered what Kas actually thought of her. If he knew she was in love with him, did he think she was just like everyone else? In love with only his looks, and not the person she'd grown to know over the years?
“Kas doesn’t…” Harper halted, taking in a deep breath and trying to gather her thoughts, from the looks of it. “More than anything, he doesn’t think he’s the kind of person that can be loved like that,” she said, the remainder of her breath leaving her in a gust. “Which is stupid. One girl dumps him when he’s a teenager and suddenly no one will ever actually love him? I’ve tried to tell him how stupid that is, but… my own circumstances haven’t exactly helped him believe in love.” She said it tonelessly, dully, but her eyes fell to the table.
“Honestly, Rilla… I don’t know. I don’t know if you can break through that wall that he’s put up around himself. But what I do know is you’re the only person who has a chance. He’s… he cares about you. A lot. If he were anyone else, I’d say he loved you, too—but he’s not anyone else, and so I can’t give you his answer for him.” Harper closed her eyes, then opened them and lifted them to meet Cyrilla’s.
“And… it’s not your job to solve his problems, or mine, but… if you think he’s worth that chance, then I really think you should take it. You could be the best thing ever to happen to him. I hope you are. I think you are. But I can’t… I can’t guarantee you a good result, and I’d understand if you want to protect yourself.”
It was a little too late for that, actually. She'd thrown herself under the bus for that one, by agreeing to fake-marry him. If she really wanted to protect herself, she would have found someone else, or convinced Eryk to let her fake-marry Ana. But she didn't. She didn't do any of that because her subconscious wanted him, or maybe it wasn't even a subconscious thing. Maybe she did it because she was selfish, and maybe that made her just as horrible as everyone else for using him. She could feel her breath shuddering a bit, but she managed to still it.
"I suppose, it's a chance I have to take, then," she answered slowly. "Maybe I'm not the best thing to ever happen to him, or maybe at all, but I just," she paused momentarily. She couldn't get the words to form properly in her head, and they were coming out in a jumbled mess. "But I do love him, the same way Eryk loves Ana, and the way Drake loves you. I know, you are both taking it slow, but it's easy to see," because she knew what it looked like. Harper probably did, too, but maybe it was a good thing that they were taking it slow.
"Thanks, Harper, for talking with me. I think... I think I'll hold off telling him for now, maybe until after the wedding happens. I don't want things to be weird before we can enjoy this occasion with you and your family," she stated, finally glancing up to meet Harper's gaze. She would tell him, but she just had to time this properly, now. Definitely after the wedding, though.
“I understand,” Harper said, offering her a small smile. Her expression turned thoughtful for a moment, and she tilted her head. “Can I offer you one bit of advice, though? I can’t tell you how to do it, exactly, but I can tell you something about Kas.” Her hand had eased on her mangled smoothie cup, and she took the last few sips out of it then.
“Words alone don’t reach him once he’s made up his mind about something. He cares more about actions. And… more than that, he’s especially sensitive to touch. Not physically sensitive, necessarily, but he responds to it. It’s part of his language, I guess you could say. You’ve probably noticed that he’s careful about who he touches, and how and when. It gives away a lot of what he’s thinking, and he reads a lot from it too. So… if you want to show him that you love him, and you want him to believe you… find some way to tell him that isn’t just words.” She considered what she’d just said, then frowned slightly. “Uh… I don’t mean just kiss him, either. Lots of people have done that, and he’s still pretty sure that he’s never honestly been loved. But… if you can figure out some way to show him what you want to tell him, it’ll probably work better.”
Cyrilla actually blinked a little stupidly at Harper. Show him? How could she show him she loved him? She knew what Harper was talking about, because he actually stopped touching her. He used to do it when he teased her, but he'd stopped right around the time she'd cut her hair. She pursed her lips together. She sighed softly, but smiled.
"I'm not entirely sure how I'll show him, but I'll figure something out. I have some time to think about it, right?" she replied, shaking her head softly. She'd have to figure something out, but she also had some time. "I mean, there are only so many ways to show someone you love them, by touching them, after all," she spoke, noticing the implication of her own words, and felt her face flush.
"B-But you know what I mean," she stated, coughing awkwardly before taking a sip of her drink.
“If all else fails, just… don’t think too hard. Feel. If nothing else, it’ll seem more honest—not that I doubt you. He might though. In fact, he almost certainly will.” Harper shook her head.
“Good luck, Rilla. I mean that.”
"Yeah, I'm going to need it," if she wanted to get anywhere with him.
“Hey Kas?” Ana stood in his doorway, her arm raised to knock on the frame. Her toes curled into the carpet runner in the hallway; though the floors were mostly wood, there were a few rugs and things throughout the place. She wore a soft orange sleeveless shirt that floated loosely away from her body and knee-length shorts. It was a new color on her—but a nice one.
She also looked incredibly nervous; she was chewing her lip and fidgeting with the hem of her shirt.
He smiled, more gently than usual, but he couldn’t resist throwing in a joke. “You’re not gonna confess to me, are you? I honestly think Ryk would kill me, best friend or no.” Well, not literally, but the fallout wouldn’t be pretty. That was, of course, obviously not the reason she was present, but it amused him to suggest it.
Her eyes widened and she shook her head. “Oh, um—no.” It took her a second to recover, but when she did, it was admirable. “Handsome and charming as you are, I’m afraid I just don’t like you that way, Kas.” She smiled, and he was delighted to even spot a little mischief in it. Ana had come a long way from the shy, withdrawn woman she’d been when they first met.
“Ah, you’re breaking my little black heart,” he said, putting a hand to his chest and leaning further back in his chair. He set his book to the side though, tipping his head to the left and regarding her steadily. “In all seriousness, though: what can I do for ya?”
Ah. Back to the shifting. Clearly something about her request was giving her some cause for trepidation. “Um… remember when we talked about your tattoos during Eryk’s birthday party? Does… does the artist live on the island?”
Kas raised both of his eyebrows, a sly smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. He thought he might know where this was going. “She does,” he replied. Malika was a family friend; she’d done his mother and sister’s piercings in addition to his tattoos, actually.
Ana nodded slightly, then elaborated. “I was wondering if you might… go with me to the studio, then?”
He blinked at her, feeling the smile inch wider. “You want a tattoo of some kind?”
She dipped her chin.
“I thought you didn’t know what you’d get one of,” he continued. That had seemed to be the primary obstacle in the way of her getting one before.
“I didn’t,” she confirmed, moving to tuck an errant strand of hair. Ana rocked back on her heels, then forward onto her toes. “But now I do. And I thought—since yours are so good, I’m sure the artist would be able to do what I wanted without any problems. It’s a lot… simpler.”
He was curious as to what she wanted, but it seemed she wasn’t inclined to elaborate just now. He’d find out when Malika started asking her so she could sketch the designs, anyway. It was Ana, so he wasn’t worried she was going to get something stupid like someone’s name or pointless patterns that didn’t mean anything. That was enough to convince him that it was a good enough idea, and he stood from his chair.
“Should we tell the others we’re going? One of them might want to come.” They were likely around the house somewhere. Eryk wasn’t the type to just go wander around and unfamiliar town unless Cy dragged him into it, and he’d heard her mention the beach earlier, so they likely weren’t far.
But Ana shook her head. “If it’s okay, I don’t want to tell anyone about it. At least not yet. I think it’d be a bit too…” She didn’t finish her sentence, and he wasn’t inclined to make her. Tattoos could be an intensely personal thing, and if she didn’t want to share this with anyone else, well… he’d just be honored she’d chosen to share with him and be done with it.
“No problem,” he said. “We should be able to get out without anyone noticing. Go get your shoes and meet me downstairs. I’ll call Malika to make sure she has an opening—depending on how big it is, she might be able to do it in one session today.”
Ten minutes later, they were out the door and into town. Malika’s shop was near the downtown area—she got a mix of tourists and locals for customers. And while the tourists brought in the money, she professed to liking locals better—they were the ones that, like him, came in for multiple pieces of art and thought seriously about their choices. A vacation impulse-purchase wasn’t exactly an artist’s favorite thing to ink, especially when later regret was a very real possibility. He passed the walk entertaining Ana with stories about Malika’s most memorable customers, and the ones she’d flat-out refused to tattoo.
“Can you tell me what all yours mean?” she asked. He sensed that the question had been on her mind for a while. He was strangely flattered; hardly anyone ever asked about them; fewer still assumed that he’d thought abut them enough for them to have meaning. The downside of acting like an airhead, he supposed.
“Sure,” he said, happy to share the story with someone. “The one on my arm is Rayquaza, obviously. He’s mostly a Hoenn legend, but we’ve got stories about him here in the archipelago, too. He’s supposed to be the pokémon of the sky, and to have put an end to a dispute between the pokémon of the land and sea. I’m sure you can imagine, but that’s kind of a big deal here—when you’ve got volcanoes on lots of these islands and an annual storm season, you really learn the importance of that balance. Lives can depend on it.”
“So the stories are part of your heritage,” she concluded. “I can see where that would be important.”
He nodded. “It’s not just that, though—because he represents the reconciling of opposites, I—” he huffed half a laugh at himself. “Well… there was a point in my life where I felt like that. Like I was two opposite halves, and neither of them was a whole person yet. And I needed to reconcile with myself. Come to terms with everything going on at once.” He ran a finger along the curve of the tattoo over his forearm.
“I bet the sky looked really nice at the time, too,” she said, something of a knowing tone flavoring her voice. “When it feels like you’re stuck, flying can seem like a wonderful option.”
She wasn’t wrong. Reaching over, Kas laid a hand on her head. Her hair had been warmed by the sun; he fluffed her bangs affectionately.
“K-Kas? Kasimir Rheinallt?”
The voice stopped him cold in his tracks. It couldn’t be.
But of course it could. The island wasn’t that big.
“It is you, isn’t it?”
Kas let his eyes fall shut for a moment, pushing out a slow breath from his nose before he opened them again and turned around. His pace and body language were not unlike those of a child caught out past curfew; he straightened his back to reduce the impression, plastering a smile on his face that was faker than a wax fruit.
She looked… tired. Older. But really almost the same, with those things accounted for.
Part of him had kind of hoped, vindictively, that the years would make her as ugly on her exterior as she’d been to him. But most of him couldn’t wish that on her, even now. Even after everything.
“Hello, Leila.” He stretched the smile a little wider. It was a wonder she didn’t see straight through it.
But it seemed she believed it was genuine; she returned it uneasily. “It’s… been a long time. I heard Crystal was getting married soon; I figured you’d be back on the island for a while.” She brushed a hand through her jet-black silk curtain of hair. He remembered it the way he remembered the taste of her mouth, of her light brown skin slicked with sweat—down to the fine details.
No one ever forgot their first, right?
“Well, I wasn’t going to miss it,” he said, arching a brow. He’d been expecting a lot more pain in his chest. There was definitely some there, but it was a pang—not a rupture.
The ease with which he spoke seemed to catch her off-guard. She glanced at Ana for a moment, and then to him, drawing a conclusion that was too easy but false. He could see it click together behind her dark eyes. “No, I… suppose not.” She looked like she wanted to say something more, but obviously the extra presence was hindering her. He could read off her body language that she wanted him to ask Ana to step away, but she didn’t actually make the request herself.
Which was good, because he wouldn’t have granted it. He was glad Ana was there—he felt more… grounded, maybe. Certainly not nervous enough to show it.
“Nice running into you,” he lied, flashing another disingenuous smile, “But I’ve got to get Ana here to an appointment, so…” He trailed off, letting her fill in the blanks herself.
She blinked, as if surprised. “Oh. Of course. I didn’t mean to keep you. I just… welcome home, Kasimir.”
He didn’t really think she was in any position to be doing that, but he avoided saying so. “Sure. Thanks Leila.”
Glancing quickly at Ana, he observed that she was carefully tuned into his body language. When he stepped forward to leave, she was at his side immediately, making it easier for him to escape. And that was definitely what he was doing—escaping.
“Come on, Ana. Let’s get you that tattoo.”
“Who was that?” she asked. He felt himself deflate at the obvious kindness in her tone.
“The first woman I ever loved,” he replied.
“First… but not only?”
Damn, she was sharp. Kas hadn’t even realized he’d left that open. A denial rose quickly to his tongue, but he found himself unwilling or unable to utter it. Instead, he shrugged helplessly, shaking his head.
“I don’t know.”
She also looked incredibly nervous; she was chewing her lip and fidgeting with the hem of her shirt.
He smiled, more gently than usual, but he couldn’t resist throwing in a joke. “You’re not gonna confess to me, are you? I honestly think Ryk would kill me, best friend or no.” Well, not literally, but the fallout wouldn’t be pretty. That was, of course, obviously not the reason she was present, but it amused him to suggest it.
Her eyes widened and she shook her head. “Oh, um—no.” It took her a second to recover, but when she did, it was admirable. “Handsome and charming as you are, I’m afraid I just don’t like you that way, Kas.” She smiled, and he was delighted to even spot a little mischief in it. Ana had come a long way from the shy, withdrawn woman she’d been when they first met.
“Ah, you’re breaking my little black heart,” he said, putting a hand to his chest and leaning further back in his chair. He set his book to the side though, tipping his head to the left and regarding her steadily. “In all seriousness, though: what can I do for ya?”
Ah. Back to the shifting. Clearly something about her request was giving her some cause for trepidation. “Um… remember when we talked about your tattoos during Eryk’s birthday party? Does… does the artist live on the island?”
Kas raised both of his eyebrows, a sly smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. He thought he might know where this was going. “She does,” he replied. Malika was a family friend; she’d done his mother and sister’s piercings in addition to his tattoos, actually.
Ana nodded slightly, then elaborated. “I was wondering if you might… go with me to the studio, then?”
He blinked at her, feeling the smile inch wider. “You want a tattoo of some kind?”
She dipped her chin.
“I thought you didn’t know what you’d get one of,” he continued. That had seemed to be the primary obstacle in the way of her getting one before.
“I didn’t,” she confirmed, moving to tuck an errant strand of hair. Ana rocked back on her heels, then forward onto her toes. “But now I do. And I thought—since yours are so good, I’m sure the artist would be able to do what I wanted without any problems. It’s a lot… simpler.”
He was curious as to what she wanted, but it seemed she wasn’t inclined to elaborate just now. He’d find out when Malika started asking her so she could sketch the designs, anyway. It was Ana, so he wasn’t worried she was going to get something stupid like someone’s name or pointless patterns that didn’t mean anything. That was enough to convince him that it was a good enough idea, and he stood from his chair.
“Should we tell the others we’re going? One of them might want to come.” They were likely around the house somewhere. Eryk wasn’t the type to just go wander around and unfamiliar town unless Cy dragged him into it, and he’d heard her mention the beach earlier, so they likely weren’t far.
But Ana shook her head. “If it’s okay, I don’t want to tell anyone about it. At least not yet. I think it’d be a bit too…” She didn’t finish her sentence, and he wasn’t inclined to make her. Tattoos could be an intensely personal thing, and if she didn’t want to share this with anyone else, well… he’d just be honored she’d chosen to share with him and be done with it.
“No problem,” he said. “We should be able to get out without anyone noticing. Go get your shoes and meet me downstairs. I’ll call Malika to make sure she has an opening—depending on how big it is, she might be able to do it in one session today.”
Ten minutes later, they were out the door and into town. Malika’s shop was near the downtown area—she got a mix of tourists and locals for customers. And while the tourists brought in the money, she professed to liking locals better—they were the ones that, like him, came in for multiple pieces of art and thought seriously about their choices. A vacation impulse-purchase wasn’t exactly an artist’s favorite thing to ink, especially when later regret was a very real possibility. He passed the walk entertaining Ana with stories about Malika’s most memorable customers, and the ones she’d flat-out refused to tattoo.
“Can you tell me what all yours mean?” she asked. He sensed that the question had been on her mind for a while. He was strangely flattered; hardly anyone ever asked about them; fewer still assumed that he’d thought abut them enough for them to have meaning. The downside of acting like an airhead, he supposed.
“Sure,” he said, happy to share the story with someone. “The one on my arm is Rayquaza, obviously. He’s mostly a Hoenn legend, but we’ve got stories about him here in the archipelago, too. He’s supposed to be the pokémon of the sky, and to have put an end to a dispute between the pokémon of the land and sea. I’m sure you can imagine, but that’s kind of a big deal here—when you’ve got volcanoes on lots of these islands and an annual storm season, you really learn the importance of that balance. Lives can depend on it.”
“So the stories are part of your heritage,” she concluded. “I can see where that would be important.”
He nodded. “It’s not just that, though—because he represents the reconciling of opposites, I—” he huffed half a laugh at himself. “Well… there was a point in my life where I felt like that. Like I was two opposite halves, and neither of them was a whole person yet. And I needed to reconcile with myself. Come to terms with everything going on at once.” He ran a finger along the curve of the tattoo over his forearm.
“I bet the sky looked really nice at the time, too,” she said, something of a knowing tone flavoring her voice. “When it feels like you’re stuck, flying can seem like a wonderful option.”
She wasn’t wrong. Reaching over, Kas laid a hand on her head. Her hair had been warmed by the sun; he fluffed her bangs affectionately.
“K-Kas? Kasimir Rheinallt?”
The voice stopped him cold in his tracks. It couldn’t be.
But of course it could. The island wasn’t that big.
“It is you, isn’t it?”
Kas let his eyes fall shut for a moment, pushing out a slow breath from his nose before he opened them again and turned around. His pace and body language were not unlike those of a child caught out past curfew; he straightened his back to reduce the impression, plastering a smile on his face that was faker than a wax fruit.
She looked… tired. Older. But really almost the same, with those things accounted for.
Part of him had kind of hoped, vindictively, that the years would make her as ugly on her exterior as she’d been to him. But most of him couldn’t wish that on her, even now. Even after everything.
“Hello, Leila.” He stretched the smile a little wider. It was a wonder she didn’t see straight through it.
But it seemed she believed it was genuine; she returned it uneasily. “It’s… been a long time. I heard Crystal was getting married soon; I figured you’d be back on the island for a while.” She brushed a hand through her jet-black silk curtain of hair. He remembered it the way he remembered the taste of her mouth, of her light brown skin slicked with sweat—down to the fine details.
No one ever forgot their first, right?
“Well, I wasn’t going to miss it,” he said, arching a brow. He’d been expecting a lot more pain in his chest. There was definitely some there, but it was a pang—not a rupture.
The ease with which he spoke seemed to catch her off-guard. She glanced at Ana for a moment, and then to him, drawing a conclusion that was too easy but false. He could see it click together behind her dark eyes. “No, I… suppose not.” She looked like she wanted to say something more, but obviously the extra presence was hindering her. He could read off her body language that she wanted him to ask Ana to step away, but she didn’t actually make the request herself.
Which was good, because he wouldn’t have granted it. He was glad Ana was there—he felt more… grounded, maybe. Certainly not nervous enough to show it.
“Nice running into you,” he lied, flashing another disingenuous smile, “But I’ve got to get Ana here to an appointment, so…” He trailed off, letting her fill in the blanks herself.
She blinked, as if surprised. “Oh. Of course. I didn’t mean to keep you. I just… welcome home, Kasimir.”
He didn’t really think she was in any position to be doing that, but he avoided saying so. “Sure. Thanks Leila.”
Glancing quickly at Ana, he observed that she was carefully tuned into his body language. When he stepped forward to leave, she was at his side immediately, making it easier for him to escape. And that was definitely what he was doing—escaping.
“Come on, Ana. Let’s get you that tattoo.”
“Who was that?” she asked. He felt himself deflate at the obvious kindness in her tone.
“The first woman I ever loved,” he replied.
“First… but not only?”
Damn, she was sharp. Kas hadn’t even realized he’d left that open. A denial rose quickly to his tongue, but he found himself unwilling or unable to utter it. Instead, he shrugged helplessly, shaking his head.
“I don’t know.”
This wasn't as easy as he thought it was going to be. Why did he think this was going to be easy to begin with? Sure, meeting her family was intimidating enough as it was, however; he couldn't exactly explain why he was so nervous. He wanted to leave a good impression on them, but he felt that he was doing a poor job of it. Of course, they hadn't really said anything to him about it, and if anything, Drake thought he was getting off fairly easy. That was supposed to be good, right? Her extended family liked him, but he still hadn't met Harper's actual mother. That was a little more intimidating than he actually realized. He swallowed passed a sudden lump in his throat, and he shook his head.
"Everything will go fine; you don't have to worry about anything," he spoke to himself, trying to reassure himself that this was going to be fine. When he met her mother, he'd be prepared for it. He'd be his charming self, and he'd win her over. He slumped his shoulders. Who was he kidding? He wasn't charming, or at least he didn't think himself charming. Kas had more charm than him, and he felt like that was saying a lot. Taking a deep breath, he pushed it from his nose and glanced at his reflection one last time. His hair had been pulled back, and a little tightly, too. It was warm on the island, and Drake had a large mass of hair. It was thick, and it was long.
He combed it out to something more manageable, but he was still a little warm because of it. Maybe he should actually cut it? That way, he could stay cooler here, and on Cinnabar. It wasn't as warm there, but the gym could feel like it sometimes. Honestly, he was surprised how long his hair was and how he'd managed to keep it that way. Noticing his train of thoughts, Drake shook his head. He wanted to go find Harper. With that in mind, he pushed himself away from the bathroom sink and left. He was the only one in the room right now. Ryk was somewhere outside, probably with Kas, or some other place. He had seemed to like being around Kas's family, which was saying a lot to Drake. He didn't think Ryk could get along with anyone who wasn't in his immediate circle of friends. Something changed somewhere, he supposed. He sighed softly to himself.
He really needed to stop getting distracted in his thoughts. He was on a mission to find Harper, right now.
He finally found her out in the garden; she appeared to be decorating a wooden trellis arch, weaving flowers into the gaps. There were several baskets full of them next to each other; they appeared to be predominantly white, with soft orange or purple ones woven in crisscrossing lines. It was quite a nice effect; from the fact that no one else was around, it must have been a project she was taking on herself.
She noticed him almost immediately, glancing up once and smiling subtly before looking back down to complete another weave. When she was done with it, though, she hopped off the ladder she’d been using and approached him, leaning in to kiss him softly on the cheek.
“Hey handsome,” she said softly. It was actually the first time they’d been completely alone since he’d arrived—which said a lot about how many members of her family were around. They hadn’t been able to talk much, beyond the normal conversation they carried on with their friends.
"Hey, yourself," he replied with ease. He returned the kiss on the cheek and laid a hand on her shoulder. "It looks like everything is coming together nicely," he stated, taking a quick glance around. The set-up looked really nice, almost lovely, really. "I didn't know you were talented with your hands," he spoke, turning the slightest big red when he realized what he'd just said. He shook his head somewhat, and laughed.
"And I mean in the artsy kind of way," he had to correct himself unless he wanted to be subjected to her torment. Oddly, he didn't think he'd mind. He shook his head at his own course of thoughts. "But I'm sure you're going to make a comment about it anway, so do your worst," he stated, giving a mock bow in her direction.
Her eyes narrowed; she arched an eyebrow and stood slightly on her toes, placing a hand on his chest and leaning forward so she could speak into his ear.
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Harper asked, her voice low and velvety; her hand dragged down his abdomen until she pulled it back with a soft laugh, stepping back out of his personal space.
“But yes—it’s traditional that the maid of honor does the arch. Since that’s me for this wedding, here I am. I’m almost done, though; I’ve got time for a break if you want to take one. I do believe I mentioned my mother arrived this morning.” She seemed to know he wasn’t particularly at ease with the thought.
"You know, sometimes I think you do this on purpose," he shot back, shaking his head mildly. It was his fault for saying what he did, but he knew that. It's not like he regretted it, though. There weren't a lot of things he'd regret when it came to her. He huffed slightly at that thought before he blinked slowly. If she had time for a break, then he'd like to occupy that time. Who knows when they'd be able to get time to themselves like this, again? And like she said, her mother arrived this morning. Wait.
"You're mother's here? Already?" he spoke, flinching slightly at the slightly higher tone his voice took. "I didn't know that. I mean, I knew she was coming, but I didn't know she was here already," he spoke, turning into a bundle of nerves. Well, there went his small bout of confidence.
Harper threw back her head and laughed at him, though there wasn’t any maliciousness to it. “Yes Drake, she’s here. She’s been catching up with Chrys and Sheena all afternoon—she wants to meet you, of course, but she understands that we all have things to be doing, so she’s not offended that it hasn’t happened yet. However,” she gave him a pointed look.
“It does seem like it would be better to do the introductions before we take any extended breaks from work, hm?”
"Actually, yeah, it does sound like it would be better to make the introductions before a break. I don't want to fall apart on you if it were the other way around," he confessed honestly. He wasn't usually so nervous meeting people, but maybe because it was her family he was meeting. If it were just any other person, he'd be okay. He wouldn't be a stuttering fool, and he'd be more confident in himself. But whenever he was around her, he seemed to lose all that confidence, and he was just afraid. Of what? He didn't even know.
"Is... is she available right now?" he spoke, cursing himself quietly for the almost stutter he had. "Because if she isn't, I'm fine with taking the extended break, and then falling apart during the meeting," he spoke a little quickly. He hated that about himself, actually, how he always talked faster when he was nervous or excited.
Harper met his nerves with a patient smile, reaching up to put a piece of hair back in place that had apparently escaped his ponytail. “You’re worrying too much,” she told him gently. “And yes, we can go see her now. C’mon.” She moved her hand down to his, clasping it without too much force and leading the way inside the house.
She paused outside the living room door, waiting for him to give her confirmation before she pushed it open.
The woman inside looked strikingly like an older version of Harper. And not that much older, for that matter—while there were a few lines around her eyes, she looked quite young overall, almost as though she hadn’t yet quite left her thirties, even. Her hair was a deep black color, and her eyes had the same dark saffron hue to them as Harper’s did. She wore a precisely-fitted dress, though it was in a soft, cheerful yellow, with white tropical-style flowers printed on the fabric. Her hairstyle, a little more severe than Sheena’s, suggested that it was not her usual manner of dress.
Her eyes lit with recognition and something else upon seeing them; they fell immediately to their linked hands. “Harper. I see you’ve finally brought your young gentleman to meet me.”
Harper rolled her eyes. “Yes, mother.” There was a slightly-mocking lilt on the second word. Maybe it wasn’t normally what she called her?
Her mother stood from the chair she was sitting in, holding a hand out for Drake to take. “It’s Drake Bellamy, right? I’m Michelle Duprés. You look exactly like your father.”
"Yes ma'am," he found his voice only slightly after he'd shaken her hand. He blinked slowly, though, at her comment. "My father? You know my pops?" he asked, almost a little too forwardly. He didn't mean it that way, and she probably would think nothing of it, but if she knew his dad, then that meant he would have met her somewhere down the line, wouldn't he? He doesn't remember if he did, or if he didn't. He'd like to think he'd never forget a face, but they did slip by every once and a while.
"I mean, thanks, but I didn't know you knew him," he finally corrected himself. He was sure his hands were starting to get a bit sweaty, and he shot Harper a quick apologetic look. He couldn't help himself, and he wanted to curse his nerves. He blamed his dad for that, now that he thought about it. It looks like he inherited more than just his looks.
Harper just squeezed his hand. She didn’t seem to mind that it was getting a little damp.
Michelle, on the other hand, smiled broadly. It was an expression that made the resemblance between mother and daughter even clearer. “I’m your lawyer, actually. I’ve been your family’s attorney for oh… it must be fifteen years now. I saw more of your great-grandfather than anyone, the old typhlosion.” She sighed in a way that suggested much suffering, and shook her head.
“Thank you, by the way, for moving the gym out of that damn volcano. I get less than half the lawsuits I used to, and they’re far easier to deal with. Which is why you’ve never heard from me.”
“Mom,” Harper said, knitting her brows. “You never told me you were my boyfriend’s lawyer.”
She didn’t recognize the slip before Michelle pointed it out, apparently. “Hm… boyfriend now, is he? Last I heard, you weren’t going to label it.” She glanced between them, obviously amused at their expense.
Even considering her complexion, it was easy to tell that Harper was blushing a deep red. “I didn’t mean—we haven’t talked about it,” she said, clearing her throat. “So butt out.”
Michelle laughed, sparing a glance at Drake. “You sure you want to put up with her? She’s moody, and a tease, and she’s never going to ask you to protect her from anything.” It had the tone of a joke, but her eyes were dead serious.
"But... she doesn't need me to protect her. She's capable all on her own. If she really needed me too, I would, but," Drake began, but paused momentarily when it registered what Harper said. He glanced down for a second, scratching his cheek nervously as he chuckled. "I'd like to think she's putting up with me, in all fairness," he continued speaking. He honestly would like to believe that, but he didn't mind either way. He liked her well-enough that he could handle whatever she threw his way. Maybe not in the most composed ways, but he was sure he could deal with it.
"And, well, I mean, we haven't talked about it, but I do call her my girlfriend when I talk to gramps," he admitted, giving Harper a sheepish smile. He talked to Blaine, occasionally, and he'd always mention Harper to him on occasion. Or Blaine would occasionally ask about her since Drake talked about her so much. "I probably should have told you that," he spoke, giving Harper an apologetic smile.
“Uh, that’s… fine,” Harper replied, tripping a bit over the sentence, it seemed. The look on her face was genuine surprise, actually; like she hadn’t expected that.
Michelle shook her head a little. She’d seemed a bit pleased by his answer, maybe; at least she hadn’t looked unhappy, which probably counted for something. “Sounds like you two have a conversation to have, but it’s none of my business. Just don’t hurt my daughter, please—I say that for your benefit as much as hers. Probably more.” She half-smiled; as shovel talks went, it was quite mild.
“It was nice to meet you in person, but I’m afraid I have to go help Sheena with the cake. Until next time, hm?”
Only when she was gone did Harper release a sigh she’d been holding in for what must have been some time. Letting go of his hand, she flopped down on the couch. “She likes you, for the record,” she said, giving him a wry look. “It might be hard to tell now, but you’d reallyknow if she didn’t.”
He slumped down next to her, letting out a deep breath he hadn't realized he was holding, either. He supposed that was good. Her mother liked him, so that was one step forward. She was also right, though. They did need to have a conversation about it. Right now was probably not the right time, considering all the planning and events that were being done right now, and he really didn't want to put any more pressure on her. He knew she was capable of taking care of herself, but he was allowed to worry about her, right?
"I guess that means I left a good impression, then," he spoke, slinging an arm around her shoulders and squeezing her arm somewhat. He sighed softly, though. "But she is right about a few things," he spoke. He might as well say it now and get it over with. "I know you're strong and capable on your own, but I'd like to think that there might be a time you'll need me to do that for you. You... don't have to always be the one defending and protecting yourself, you know," and he meant that in different ways. Physically and emotionally.
Together, they could wear a person out, and he didn't want that for her. Least of all for her. "Am I allowed to do that much?" he asked, glancing towards her.
She looked back at him with a strange expression. It was almost like she was searching his face for something difficult to see. It was a scrutiny, but not an accusing one. It had the character of curiosity instead, almost something… childlike. It was hard to explain what it was, exactly, but her eyes moved to his and bored into them.
Harper closed hers, leaning into his hold and folding her legs to the other side. “Maybe,” she said softly, but it wasn’t a bit of teasing. She sounded genuinely less-than-certain.
“Maybe you could be.”
"I'll take that, then," he spoke, leaning his head on hers. Even if it was a maybe, that meant she was at least thinking about it. If she was thinking about it, then that was a good sign of where they were going in their relationship. He'd like to think it was a good sign, after all.
"I'll get you to say yes, one day, just you watch," he spoke, making his voice a little lighter so that she knew he was only teasing her. Of course, he wasn't as evil in his teasing as she was to him, but he'd still take it.
She turned her face in towards him and murmured her reply into his shoulder, muffling enough that he almost couldn’t hear it. Perhaps she hadn’t meant him to.
“I hope so.”
"Everything will go fine; you don't have to worry about anything," he spoke to himself, trying to reassure himself that this was going to be fine. When he met her mother, he'd be prepared for it. He'd be his charming self, and he'd win her over. He slumped his shoulders. Who was he kidding? He wasn't charming, or at least he didn't think himself charming. Kas had more charm than him, and he felt like that was saying a lot. Taking a deep breath, he pushed it from his nose and glanced at his reflection one last time. His hair had been pulled back, and a little tightly, too. It was warm on the island, and Drake had a large mass of hair. It was thick, and it was long.
He combed it out to something more manageable, but he was still a little warm because of it. Maybe he should actually cut it? That way, he could stay cooler here, and on Cinnabar. It wasn't as warm there, but the gym could feel like it sometimes. Honestly, he was surprised how long his hair was and how he'd managed to keep it that way. Noticing his train of thoughts, Drake shook his head. He wanted to go find Harper. With that in mind, he pushed himself away from the bathroom sink and left. He was the only one in the room right now. Ryk was somewhere outside, probably with Kas, or some other place. He had seemed to like being around Kas's family, which was saying a lot to Drake. He didn't think Ryk could get along with anyone who wasn't in his immediate circle of friends. Something changed somewhere, he supposed. He sighed softly to himself.
He really needed to stop getting distracted in his thoughts. He was on a mission to find Harper, right now.
He finally found her out in the garden; she appeared to be decorating a wooden trellis arch, weaving flowers into the gaps. There were several baskets full of them next to each other; they appeared to be predominantly white, with soft orange or purple ones woven in crisscrossing lines. It was quite a nice effect; from the fact that no one else was around, it must have been a project she was taking on herself.
She noticed him almost immediately, glancing up once and smiling subtly before looking back down to complete another weave. When she was done with it, though, she hopped off the ladder she’d been using and approached him, leaning in to kiss him softly on the cheek.
“Hey handsome,” she said softly. It was actually the first time they’d been completely alone since he’d arrived—which said a lot about how many members of her family were around. They hadn’t been able to talk much, beyond the normal conversation they carried on with their friends.
"Hey, yourself," he replied with ease. He returned the kiss on the cheek and laid a hand on her shoulder. "It looks like everything is coming together nicely," he stated, taking a quick glance around. The set-up looked really nice, almost lovely, really. "I didn't know you were talented with your hands," he spoke, turning the slightest big red when he realized what he'd just said. He shook his head somewhat, and laughed.
"And I mean in the artsy kind of way," he had to correct himself unless he wanted to be subjected to her torment. Oddly, he didn't think he'd mind. He shook his head at his own course of thoughts. "But I'm sure you're going to make a comment about it anway, so do your worst," he stated, giving a mock bow in her direction.
Her eyes narrowed; she arched an eyebrow and stood slightly on her toes, placing a hand on his chest and leaning forward so she could speak into his ear.
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Harper asked, her voice low and velvety; her hand dragged down his abdomen until she pulled it back with a soft laugh, stepping back out of his personal space.
“But yes—it’s traditional that the maid of honor does the arch. Since that’s me for this wedding, here I am. I’m almost done, though; I’ve got time for a break if you want to take one. I do believe I mentioned my mother arrived this morning.” She seemed to know he wasn’t particularly at ease with the thought.
"You know, sometimes I think you do this on purpose," he shot back, shaking his head mildly. It was his fault for saying what he did, but he knew that. It's not like he regretted it, though. There weren't a lot of things he'd regret when it came to her. He huffed slightly at that thought before he blinked slowly. If she had time for a break, then he'd like to occupy that time. Who knows when they'd be able to get time to themselves like this, again? And like she said, her mother arrived this morning. Wait.
"You're mother's here? Already?" he spoke, flinching slightly at the slightly higher tone his voice took. "I didn't know that. I mean, I knew she was coming, but I didn't know she was here already," he spoke, turning into a bundle of nerves. Well, there went his small bout of confidence.
Harper threw back her head and laughed at him, though there wasn’t any maliciousness to it. “Yes Drake, she’s here. She’s been catching up with Chrys and Sheena all afternoon—she wants to meet you, of course, but she understands that we all have things to be doing, so she’s not offended that it hasn’t happened yet. However,” she gave him a pointed look.
“It does seem like it would be better to do the introductions before we take any extended breaks from work, hm?”
"Actually, yeah, it does sound like it would be better to make the introductions before a break. I don't want to fall apart on you if it were the other way around," he confessed honestly. He wasn't usually so nervous meeting people, but maybe because it was her family he was meeting. If it were just any other person, he'd be okay. He wouldn't be a stuttering fool, and he'd be more confident in himself. But whenever he was around her, he seemed to lose all that confidence, and he was just afraid. Of what? He didn't even know.
"Is... is she available right now?" he spoke, cursing himself quietly for the almost stutter he had. "Because if she isn't, I'm fine with taking the extended break, and then falling apart during the meeting," he spoke a little quickly. He hated that about himself, actually, how he always talked faster when he was nervous or excited.
Harper met his nerves with a patient smile, reaching up to put a piece of hair back in place that had apparently escaped his ponytail. “You’re worrying too much,” she told him gently. “And yes, we can go see her now. C’mon.” She moved her hand down to his, clasping it without too much force and leading the way inside the house.
She paused outside the living room door, waiting for him to give her confirmation before she pushed it open.
The woman inside looked strikingly like an older version of Harper. And not that much older, for that matter—while there were a few lines around her eyes, she looked quite young overall, almost as though she hadn’t yet quite left her thirties, even. Her hair was a deep black color, and her eyes had the same dark saffron hue to them as Harper’s did. She wore a precisely-fitted dress, though it was in a soft, cheerful yellow, with white tropical-style flowers printed on the fabric. Her hairstyle, a little more severe than Sheena’s, suggested that it was not her usual manner of dress.
Her eyes lit with recognition and something else upon seeing them; they fell immediately to their linked hands. “Harper. I see you’ve finally brought your young gentleman to meet me.”
Harper rolled her eyes. “Yes, mother.” There was a slightly-mocking lilt on the second word. Maybe it wasn’t normally what she called her?
Her mother stood from the chair she was sitting in, holding a hand out for Drake to take. “It’s Drake Bellamy, right? I’m Michelle Duprés. You look exactly like your father.”
"Yes ma'am," he found his voice only slightly after he'd shaken her hand. He blinked slowly, though, at her comment. "My father? You know my pops?" he asked, almost a little too forwardly. He didn't mean it that way, and she probably would think nothing of it, but if she knew his dad, then that meant he would have met her somewhere down the line, wouldn't he? He doesn't remember if he did, or if he didn't. He'd like to think he'd never forget a face, but they did slip by every once and a while.
"I mean, thanks, but I didn't know you knew him," he finally corrected himself. He was sure his hands were starting to get a bit sweaty, and he shot Harper a quick apologetic look. He couldn't help himself, and he wanted to curse his nerves. He blamed his dad for that, now that he thought about it. It looks like he inherited more than just his looks.
Harper just squeezed his hand. She didn’t seem to mind that it was getting a little damp.
Michelle, on the other hand, smiled broadly. It was an expression that made the resemblance between mother and daughter even clearer. “I’m your lawyer, actually. I’ve been your family’s attorney for oh… it must be fifteen years now. I saw more of your great-grandfather than anyone, the old typhlosion.” She sighed in a way that suggested much suffering, and shook her head.
“Thank you, by the way, for moving the gym out of that damn volcano. I get less than half the lawsuits I used to, and they’re far easier to deal with. Which is why you’ve never heard from me.”
“Mom,” Harper said, knitting her brows. “You never told me you were my boyfriend’s lawyer.”
She didn’t recognize the slip before Michelle pointed it out, apparently. “Hm… boyfriend now, is he? Last I heard, you weren’t going to label it.” She glanced between them, obviously amused at their expense.
Even considering her complexion, it was easy to tell that Harper was blushing a deep red. “I didn’t mean—we haven’t talked about it,” she said, clearing her throat. “So butt out.”
Michelle laughed, sparing a glance at Drake. “You sure you want to put up with her? She’s moody, and a tease, and she’s never going to ask you to protect her from anything.” It had the tone of a joke, but her eyes were dead serious.
"But... she doesn't need me to protect her. She's capable all on her own. If she really needed me too, I would, but," Drake began, but paused momentarily when it registered what Harper said. He glanced down for a second, scratching his cheek nervously as he chuckled. "I'd like to think she's putting up with me, in all fairness," he continued speaking. He honestly would like to believe that, but he didn't mind either way. He liked her well-enough that he could handle whatever she threw his way. Maybe not in the most composed ways, but he was sure he could deal with it.
"And, well, I mean, we haven't talked about it, but I do call her my girlfriend when I talk to gramps," he admitted, giving Harper a sheepish smile. He talked to Blaine, occasionally, and he'd always mention Harper to him on occasion. Or Blaine would occasionally ask about her since Drake talked about her so much. "I probably should have told you that," he spoke, giving Harper an apologetic smile.
“Uh, that’s… fine,” Harper replied, tripping a bit over the sentence, it seemed. The look on her face was genuine surprise, actually; like she hadn’t expected that.
Michelle shook her head a little. She’d seemed a bit pleased by his answer, maybe; at least she hadn’t looked unhappy, which probably counted for something. “Sounds like you two have a conversation to have, but it’s none of my business. Just don’t hurt my daughter, please—I say that for your benefit as much as hers. Probably more.” She half-smiled; as shovel talks went, it was quite mild.
“It was nice to meet you in person, but I’m afraid I have to go help Sheena with the cake. Until next time, hm?”
Only when she was gone did Harper release a sigh she’d been holding in for what must have been some time. Letting go of his hand, she flopped down on the couch. “She likes you, for the record,” she said, giving him a wry look. “It might be hard to tell now, but you’d reallyknow if she didn’t.”
He slumped down next to her, letting out a deep breath he hadn't realized he was holding, either. He supposed that was good. Her mother liked him, so that was one step forward. She was also right, though. They did need to have a conversation about it. Right now was probably not the right time, considering all the planning and events that were being done right now, and he really didn't want to put any more pressure on her. He knew she was capable of taking care of herself, but he was allowed to worry about her, right?
"I guess that means I left a good impression, then," he spoke, slinging an arm around her shoulders and squeezing her arm somewhat. He sighed softly, though. "But she is right about a few things," he spoke. He might as well say it now and get it over with. "I know you're strong and capable on your own, but I'd like to think that there might be a time you'll need me to do that for you. You... don't have to always be the one defending and protecting yourself, you know," and he meant that in different ways. Physically and emotionally.
Together, they could wear a person out, and he didn't want that for her. Least of all for her. "Am I allowed to do that much?" he asked, glancing towards her.
She looked back at him with a strange expression. It was almost like she was searching his face for something difficult to see. It was a scrutiny, but not an accusing one. It had the character of curiosity instead, almost something… childlike. It was hard to explain what it was, exactly, but her eyes moved to his and bored into them.
Harper closed hers, leaning into his hold and folding her legs to the other side. “Maybe,” she said softly, but it wasn’t a bit of teasing. She sounded genuinely less-than-certain.
“Maybe you could be.”
"I'll take that, then," he spoke, leaning his head on hers. Even if it was a maybe, that meant she was at least thinking about it. If she was thinking about it, then that was a good sign of where they were going in their relationship. He'd like to think it was a good sign, after all.
"I'll get you to say yes, one day, just you watch," he spoke, making his voice a little lighter so that she knew he was only teasing her. Of course, he wasn't as evil in his teasing as she was to him, but he'd still take it.
She turned her face in towards him and murmured her reply into his shoulder, muffling enough that he almost couldn’t hear it. Perhaps she hadn’t meant him to.
“I hope so.”
Ana stood in the middle of the living room, slightly overwhelmed by all of the other things in there with her. Apparently, there were some things that they all needed to know for the purposes of the wedding, and so she, Harper, and Cy were assembled in here with Crystal and Sheena, who were explaining the various traditions surrounding native islander ceremonies.
Of course, doing this in the midst of floral arrangements and swaths of fabric and all kinds of other miscellaneous wedding-related items was the overwhelming part; the traditions themselves were relatively simple. The ceremony was quite short, and involved a very cute practice of tying the couple’s hands together with ribbons representing them. Apparently the vows were also almost entirely written by them. Rather than rings, it seemed that they had to exchange something that they had made, whether or not it was of much intrinsic value—and those items served as talismans, of sorts, for the marriage the way that rings served for other people.
Crystal had explained that those with the skill often made or carved jewelry items; she found that little tidbit fascinating… especially considering the close parallel it had to the fact that Kasimir had made Cyrilla’s bracelet. She wondered if there was some kind of deeper meaning to that fact. Her romantic heart hoped there was, but her more pragmatic side said that it wasn’t like that.
After the ceremony itself, which was usually less than an hour, there was a huge reception, for all the wedding guests and more. There would be a bonfire on the beach with a pig roast and all kinds of other food, and of course dancing and sparklers and other kinds of celebration. A slightly quieter area would be the big gardens of the house, where guests could wander around in a somewhat quieter setting, if they weren’t as inclined to be boisterous.
“Oh. And one thing to know is that most of the female wedding guests wear flowers braided into their hair. There used to be a complex system of meanings based on color and type—not the same as usual hanakotoba, mind you. It’s degenerated over time, so that really the only distinction is that little girls wear yellow, unmarried women wear white, and married women wear red. I’ll be swapping mine between the wedding and the reception—it’s kind of a symbolic thing.” She smiled at them; her happiness radiated from her, even despite the fact that she was a bit more reserved than Kas or Harper. Though only a bit.
“Do any of you have preferences to what kind of flower you use? I’m assuming you all need white, of course.”
Cyrilla had been absentmindedly playing with her bracelet the entire time Crystal was speaking. The only time she stopped was when she'd inquired about the flower. She seemed to give it a thoughtful moment before she nodded her head. "If you have any, I'll take a white peony," she spoke. It was, perhaps, a good thing she said that considering her own status. She was, after all, married legally, but they didn't need to know that. The peony, though, was an interesting choice. It had many meanings, but one of the more common ones was good marriage.
"Ah, but I'm not sure it'll be seen, properly," she spoke suddenly, running a hand through her hair. Her hair was white, and the flowers themselves would be white too. They'd probably blend in her hair, in that case. "I don't mind wearing it, though, if... if that's okay," she spoke a little nervously now.
“They, not it,” Crystal corrected with some amusement. “You braid your hair and weave the flowers in like a crown. They’ll be plenty easy to see. We can certainly make sure you have some peonies.” Ana supposed Crystal had no reason to question the meaning, since she’d just said they didn’t have the same ones here as in other places.
“I’ll take lilies,” Harper said decisively. Crystal nodded, apparently having expected that.
“Um… I don’t know what to choose,” Ana admitted. She knew about all kinds of flowers, of course, but she didn’t really have any favorites.
“Roses,” Harper put in immediately. She exchanged a look with Crystal, who shrugged.
“If you don’t mind, we can certainly do that. They’ll look pretty in your hair.”
Ana wasn’t exactly sure why Harper had chosen roses specifically, but she didn’t mind. “O-okay, sure.” She dipped her chin, and Crystal smiled.
“Great. Well, as I’m sure you know, you’re not limited in what you can wear, except of course that it should be nice. There aren’t really bridal parties or groomsemen or anything; Harper’s already done the one thing a friend or sister of the bride is supposed to do, which is the trellis arch. Other than that, your only obligation is to have fun.” She smiled; her jade-colored eyes glittered a little mischievously.
“Oh… and I should say. We islanders consider weddings excellent places for romance of all kinds, so don’t feel like only the bride and groom are allowed to be close, okay?” She winked.
Maybe she was more similar to her siblings than Ana had thought. She resisted the urge to rub at the bandages on her shoulder and soothe the itch there.
Cyrilla wasn't so subtle about the awkwardness she was feeling. Her face turned a bright red, and she looked like she had to glance down for a moment. The color receded almost immediately, though, to something lighter, and she glanced in Ana's direction before allowing her attention to go back to Crystal. "A-Alright," she finally replied, though it was probably unnecessary. She blinked a moment later, and glanced at Harper.
"I think lilies will look nice in your hair, Harper. Oh, um, I have a small request for you, if you don't mind," she spoke, shifting a little nervously in her spot. "You too, Ana," she added, glancing at Ana. "I've never really braided anything into my hair, before, but if you could help," the implication was there.
“Of course,” Harper said right away, smiling. “We can all do each others’; it’ll be a lot easier that way. We’re sharing a room anyway, so it’s not like it’ll be out of our way to get ready together.” Ana nodded her agreement.
Crystal clapped her hands together once. “Excellent,” she said, gracing them all with a smaller, softer smile. “I’m glad you’ll all be there. But if you’ll excuse me, I have to actually find Deandre. I expect he’s trying to taste-test the cake…” She shook her head with fond frustration—Deandre could only be her fiancé, Ana supposed.
After Crystal left, Harper turned to Cyrilla, a curious look on her face. “I haven’t seen that bracelet before, Rilla. Is it new?”
"What, this?" Cyrilla asked, holding up her wrist as if she were inspecting it herself. She smiled and shook her head, though. "No, well, kind of. Kas gave it to me for Christmas," she answered, the smile not quite leaving her face. It only softened. "Apparently he had it made, or, um, he made it," she continued, explaining. She blinked a bit at Harper, though.
"I thought I showed you, though. I guess I didn't. Sorry about that," she spoke, chuckling a little nervously at that.
Harper’s eyes went wide for a moment; stepping forward, she took Cyrilla’s wrist in her hand and turned it over, examining the bracelet. After a few moments of that, she let go, but she was grinning so widely it almost split her face. “Oh arceus. That fucking idiot. That stupid—” Despite the words, she seemed much more amused than upset.
Ana blinked. “Umm… am I missing something?”
Harper shook her head. “Not really. It’s just… do you remember what Crystal said? About how couples getting married exchange something they’ve made with their own hands? This would totally qualify.” She snorted. “Not that it makes you married, it’s just… gifts that you make yourself are taken really seriously here.”
A thought occurred to Ana then. “Didn’t Kas’s bracelet come from something you made him, Cy?”
Cyrilla's own eyes seemed to widen at the realization of what Harper was saying. It must have fully dawned on her with Ana's statement, too, and her face returned to the same bright red it was earlier. "Yeah, I mean, yes. I made the raikou keychain for him, and he made the bracelet for it," she sputtered out somewhat. Her eyes were still a little wide, but it seemed she managed to calm down a little.
"But, I don't... it's nothing special. It's just... something I made. I made Ryk's, too!" she stated suddenly, as if trying to convince herself otherwise.
Harper laughed anyway, shaking her head a little. “I doubt he held it against you, Cy,” she said easily, waving a hand. “It’s not like he thought you knew what the custom was. But it definitely didn’t help convince him that you weren’t in love with him, either.”
“I don’t think you have anything to be embarrassed about,” Ana chimed in. “I made you all keyrings to my house, too, after all.” Part of those had been crafted, though not the keys themselves, obviously.
"I'm not embarrassed," she muttered. Denial wasn't exactly flattering on her, considering that her face was still red. "Yeah, well, I'm sure I'll be about a hundred times more embarrassed and awkward around him, now, thanks to you, Harper," she said as she shook her head. She was smiling, though, so she probably wasn't taking it too badly. "Anyway, we're not here to poke fun of me. We're here for your sister's wedding, Harper. My own romance problems can stay out of it, for now," she added.
Harper rolled her eyes. “We can do both, you know. Crystal’s not a crazy brideranitar—she’s fine with people talking about things that aren’t her.”
Ana chuckled at that, and shook her head a little. “I think tomorrow will be awkward enough for Cy without us making it worse,” she pointed out, trying to be merciful. “How about we go find something to eat instead? I’m a little hungry.”
“Sure thing, Ana.”
Of course, doing this in the midst of floral arrangements and swaths of fabric and all kinds of other miscellaneous wedding-related items was the overwhelming part; the traditions themselves were relatively simple. The ceremony was quite short, and involved a very cute practice of tying the couple’s hands together with ribbons representing them. Apparently the vows were also almost entirely written by them. Rather than rings, it seemed that they had to exchange something that they had made, whether or not it was of much intrinsic value—and those items served as talismans, of sorts, for the marriage the way that rings served for other people.
Crystal had explained that those with the skill often made or carved jewelry items; she found that little tidbit fascinating… especially considering the close parallel it had to the fact that Kasimir had made Cyrilla’s bracelet. She wondered if there was some kind of deeper meaning to that fact. Her romantic heart hoped there was, but her more pragmatic side said that it wasn’t like that.
After the ceremony itself, which was usually less than an hour, there was a huge reception, for all the wedding guests and more. There would be a bonfire on the beach with a pig roast and all kinds of other food, and of course dancing and sparklers and other kinds of celebration. A slightly quieter area would be the big gardens of the house, where guests could wander around in a somewhat quieter setting, if they weren’t as inclined to be boisterous.
“Oh. And one thing to know is that most of the female wedding guests wear flowers braided into their hair. There used to be a complex system of meanings based on color and type—not the same as usual hanakotoba, mind you. It’s degenerated over time, so that really the only distinction is that little girls wear yellow, unmarried women wear white, and married women wear red. I’ll be swapping mine between the wedding and the reception—it’s kind of a symbolic thing.” She smiled at them; her happiness radiated from her, even despite the fact that she was a bit more reserved than Kas or Harper. Though only a bit.
“Do any of you have preferences to what kind of flower you use? I’m assuming you all need white, of course.”
Cyrilla had been absentmindedly playing with her bracelet the entire time Crystal was speaking. The only time she stopped was when she'd inquired about the flower. She seemed to give it a thoughtful moment before she nodded her head. "If you have any, I'll take a white peony," she spoke. It was, perhaps, a good thing she said that considering her own status. She was, after all, married legally, but they didn't need to know that. The peony, though, was an interesting choice. It had many meanings, but one of the more common ones was good marriage.
"Ah, but I'm not sure it'll be seen, properly," she spoke suddenly, running a hand through her hair. Her hair was white, and the flowers themselves would be white too. They'd probably blend in her hair, in that case. "I don't mind wearing it, though, if... if that's okay," she spoke a little nervously now.
“They, not it,” Crystal corrected with some amusement. “You braid your hair and weave the flowers in like a crown. They’ll be plenty easy to see. We can certainly make sure you have some peonies.” Ana supposed Crystal had no reason to question the meaning, since she’d just said they didn’t have the same ones here as in other places.
“I’ll take lilies,” Harper said decisively. Crystal nodded, apparently having expected that.
“Um… I don’t know what to choose,” Ana admitted. She knew about all kinds of flowers, of course, but she didn’t really have any favorites.
“Roses,” Harper put in immediately. She exchanged a look with Crystal, who shrugged.
“If you don’t mind, we can certainly do that. They’ll look pretty in your hair.”
Ana wasn’t exactly sure why Harper had chosen roses specifically, but she didn’t mind. “O-okay, sure.” She dipped her chin, and Crystal smiled.
“Great. Well, as I’m sure you know, you’re not limited in what you can wear, except of course that it should be nice. There aren’t really bridal parties or groomsemen or anything; Harper’s already done the one thing a friend or sister of the bride is supposed to do, which is the trellis arch. Other than that, your only obligation is to have fun.” She smiled; her jade-colored eyes glittered a little mischievously.
“Oh… and I should say. We islanders consider weddings excellent places for romance of all kinds, so don’t feel like only the bride and groom are allowed to be close, okay?” She winked.
Maybe she was more similar to her siblings than Ana had thought. She resisted the urge to rub at the bandages on her shoulder and soothe the itch there.
Cyrilla wasn't so subtle about the awkwardness she was feeling. Her face turned a bright red, and she looked like she had to glance down for a moment. The color receded almost immediately, though, to something lighter, and she glanced in Ana's direction before allowing her attention to go back to Crystal. "A-Alright," she finally replied, though it was probably unnecessary. She blinked a moment later, and glanced at Harper.
"I think lilies will look nice in your hair, Harper. Oh, um, I have a small request for you, if you don't mind," she spoke, shifting a little nervously in her spot. "You too, Ana," she added, glancing at Ana. "I've never really braided anything into my hair, before, but if you could help," the implication was there.
“Of course,” Harper said right away, smiling. “We can all do each others’; it’ll be a lot easier that way. We’re sharing a room anyway, so it’s not like it’ll be out of our way to get ready together.” Ana nodded her agreement.
Crystal clapped her hands together once. “Excellent,” she said, gracing them all with a smaller, softer smile. “I’m glad you’ll all be there. But if you’ll excuse me, I have to actually find Deandre. I expect he’s trying to taste-test the cake…” She shook her head with fond frustration—Deandre could only be her fiancé, Ana supposed.
After Crystal left, Harper turned to Cyrilla, a curious look on her face. “I haven’t seen that bracelet before, Rilla. Is it new?”
"What, this?" Cyrilla asked, holding up her wrist as if she were inspecting it herself. She smiled and shook her head, though. "No, well, kind of. Kas gave it to me for Christmas," she answered, the smile not quite leaving her face. It only softened. "Apparently he had it made, or, um, he made it," she continued, explaining. She blinked a bit at Harper, though.
"I thought I showed you, though. I guess I didn't. Sorry about that," she spoke, chuckling a little nervously at that.
Harper’s eyes went wide for a moment; stepping forward, she took Cyrilla’s wrist in her hand and turned it over, examining the bracelet. After a few moments of that, she let go, but she was grinning so widely it almost split her face. “Oh arceus. That fucking idiot. That stupid—” Despite the words, she seemed much more amused than upset.
Ana blinked. “Umm… am I missing something?”
Harper shook her head. “Not really. It’s just… do you remember what Crystal said? About how couples getting married exchange something they’ve made with their own hands? This would totally qualify.” She snorted. “Not that it makes you married, it’s just… gifts that you make yourself are taken really seriously here.”
A thought occurred to Ana then. “Didn’t Kas’s bracelet come from something you made him, Cy?”
Cyrilla's own eyes seemed to widen at the realization of what Harper was saying. It must have fully dawned on her with Ana's statement, too, and her face returned to the same bright red it was earlier. "Yeah, I mean, yes. I made the raikou keychain for him, and he made the bracelet for it," she sputtered out somewhat. Her eyes were still a little wide, but it seemed she managed to calm down a little.
"But, I don't... it's nothing special. It's just... something I made. I made Ryk's, too!" she stated suddenly, as if trying to convince herself otherwise.
Harper laughed anyway, shaking her head a little. “I doubt he held it against you, Cy,” she said easily, waving a hand. “It’s not like he thought you knew what the custom was. But it definitely didn’t help convince him that you weren’t in love with him, either.”
“I don’t think you have anything to be embarrassed about,” Ana chimed in. “I made you all keyrings to my house, too, after all.” Part of those had been crafted, though not the keys themselves, obviously.
"I'm not embarrassed," she muttered. Denial wasn't exactly flattering on her, considering that her face was still red. "Yeah, well, I'm sure I'll be about a hundred times more embarrassed and awkward around him, now, thanks to you, Harper," she said as she shook her head. She was smiling, though, so she probably wasn't taking it too badly. "Anyway, we're not here to poke fun of me. We're here for your sister's wedding, Harper. My own romance problems can stay out of it, for now," she added.
Harper rolled her eyes. “We can do both, you know. Crystal’s not a crazy brideranitar—she’s fine with people talking about things that aren’t her.”
Ana chuckled at that, and shook her head a little. “I think tomorrow will be awkward enough for Cy without us making it worse,” she pointed out, trying to be merciful. “How about we go find something to eat instead? I’m a little hungry.”
“Sure thing, Ana.”
The wedding itself, had been beautiful, in Cyrilla's opinion. The ceremony, the vows, the exchanging of the gifts, it had all been so beautiful, that she actually thought she was going to cry during it. She'd managed not to, of course, but she couldn't deny the way it made her feel. Eryk and everyone else had dressed nicely for the event. It looked liked he'd decided on something breatheable. The shirt looked like it was made of light material, but it was still a nice suit-like shirt. The sleeves had been rolled all the way up passed his elbow, and the color itself was a little startling.
She'd never really seen him dress in light colors before, and though the shirt was white, the vest over it was a light cream color. The slacks he wore with it were also a the same color, which she thought was a little odd. It wasn't unwelcomed, though. He needed a bit of diversity in his wardrobe. Where or when he got it, though, was something of a mystery to her. She knew he didn't own anything like that. The tie, however, was a bright orange. Not so bright that it could blind someone, but bright enough to notice how it was a contrast to everything else he wore. His hair was what really caught her attention, though. She had smiled at him when she'd seen it. It was slicked back, somewhat, with a few pieces of his bangs pulled forward. It was, as one might put it, ruggedly handsome on him.
She wondered what Ana had thought of it. She had opted on something a little more comfortable as well, or at least to her. The dress was a halter top, fitted for the warmer climate. The straps had tied around her neck, leaving a majority of her back exposed. The length of it, however, stopped about two inches above her knees and was chiffoned. It did, however, curve somewhat on the inside of her thighs, giving the appearance of being tailed in the front and back. The front of her dress had been a little more modest, but the v-neck did go a little deep. Deeper than she'd originally wanted to wear, but she was taking Harper's advice. She was wearing what made her comfortable, and it was nice enough that she could wear it for Crystal's wedding.
The color she'd chosen, though, was a little more reflective of her current state of mind. She'd worn the color once, and it held some meaning to her. As silly as it was, she had decided on a green color, emerald to be exact. It actually complimented her hair, somewhat, and that was something she wanted to make sure of. She had taken a little extra care in her appearance today, and there was a particular reason for that, but she refused to acknowledge it. Currently, she was watching a majority of the people interact with each other, and had stood close to Eryk. He was currently loading a plate of food before he gave her a side-glance.
"Are you going to eat something?" he asked. She blinked up at him, and thought about it for a moment. "If not, I'd suggest trying the punch over there, if you're thirsty," he continued. She huffed slightly and shook her head, though.
"I was just making sure you didn't eat all of the food," she retorted, though she doubted he could do that. There was plenty of food for everyone. She was sure that he'd go into a food coma if he ate too much, but that wasn't exactly something he had to worry about. He'd probably be happy. "You look nice, by the way, Ryk," she continued, earning a raised brow in response. He didn't say anything and shrugged.
"I wanted to try something new," he said a few minutes after. She shook her head at him, though, and grabbed a plate. She might as well eat something and find the others in a moment. She'd lost track of them after everything was done.
She ran into Ana at the food table, who was picking her way delicately through the dozens of options available, trying to arrange a little bit of everything on a plate, it seemed. She glanced up at the sound of someone else approaching, and smiled when she saw it was Cyrilla.
“Hey Cy,” she greeted amiably. The roses in her hair quivered slightly when she dipped her chin. Ana had so much hair that it had been a simple matter to braid them in—they’d wrapped a smaller Kalosian braid just at her crown, and threaded the stems through easily. After cutting off the thorns, of course. The result was a crown of blooming white roses in what was otherwise a curtain of hair that fell all the way to her thighs; Cy could even smell them sometimes, though it was not overpowering. She’d worn the dress Kas gave her for Christmas—similarly-styled to Cy’s, but more modest in the front and with no back whatsoever. She had some white medical tape on her shoulder for some reason, but it was mostly hidden by the halter strap. The dress itself was deep burgundy, somewhere between red and purple. She wore the bracelet Cy had given her with it, even though it didn’t quite match since the stone was blue.
Ana nodded at Cyrilla’s empty plate. “The stuffed mushroom caps are really good,” she advised.
Cy wrinkled her nose a bit at Ana's statement. "Stuffed mushroom caps? I don't know, I've never really tried mushrooms," at least not on their own. She used them occasionally in some of her own dishes, but they were with other ingredients so she couldn't really taste them. She'd never thought to eat them on their own, or like this. "But I believe you," she stated, making her way to pick one up and put it on her plate. Eryk probably liked mushrooms, but then again, he ate anything and everything regardless. She laughed a little at that.
"Are you enjoying yourself?" she decided to ask, moving to another plate to glance at it. It looked really good, but it also kind of looked spicy. She did say she liked spicy things before, so she might as well try it. "Eryk kept stealing glances at you," she added, smiling a little to herself. She wondered if anyone else saw it like she did. He would occasionally glance at her during the ceremony, but maybe no one noticed. He was a lot more subtle about things than she was, after all.
Ana cleared her throat, maybe a smidge awkwardly, but she didn’t blush exactly. Maybe she was finally getting used to being teased about this. “The ceremony was lovely,” she said. “I think simple ones like that, with lots of meaning, are really the best ones.” She picked a few more morsels off the well-arranged platters, her next words much quieter.
“And I didn’t notice anything like that, so I suppose I’ll have to take your word for it.”
At that point, Harper sauntered up, looking stunning in a rich ultramarine-colored dress. It was boat-necked with short, loose sleeves, and hugged her tightly to the waist, after which it billowed softly away from her frame to the knee. The white lilies in her hair were a stark contrast to its rich ochre color.
“Some ceremony, huh?” she said, popping a chocolate covered cherry into her mouth directly from the platter. “The bonfire’s started down on the beach—there’s more food there. I’d understand if you preferred the garden part, though.” She grinned.
"Oh, that actually sounds really nice," Cyrilla spoke, deciding not to tease Ana any further. She didn't really need to anymore. "I mean, not that the garden isn't beautiful, but I think the open space with the bonfire and the water next to it might be just a little more lovely," she spoke, glancing towards Ana, and then to Harper. "Plus, there's more space," she added. The area they were in wasn't too crowded, but being on the beach meant more room to stretch out and see more people. Eryk might be a little socially awkward, but Cyrilla wasn't. At least not to the same extent Eryk was.
"Oh, hold on," she spoke, moving to the side to grab at a piece of fruit. "Alright, now we can go," she spoke, placing the mango on her plate. It looked like someone had cut it and shaped it into a flower, and then dusted it with tajin seasoning. She'd only had it once, and she'd actually loved it. It wasn't exactly spicy, but it was a good balance between tangy, sweet, and savory with a hint of burn.
Ana indicated that she’d stick to the garden for the moment, so Harper walked with Cy down to the beach. “That’s an interesting shade of green you picked,” she commented lightly, glancing askance at Cyrilla. “I prefer the jade and mint shades myself, but of course you’re not hoping to catch my attention, are you?” She smiled a little mischievously, then shook her head a bit.
“Honestly, though, it looks good on you. Nothing like looking good to boost your confidence, right?”
"Oh, but how did you know? I was hoping this was your favorite color, but I guess I chose wrong," she replied, speaking in a mock disappointed tone. She shook her head lightly, taking care not to loosen any of the peonies in her hair. She laughed softly, before taking a small breath. "Thanks. You don't look too bad yourself. If anything, I'm sure you're torturing Drake right now," she replied, a coy smile crossing her features.
"Not that he would mind, though, I'm sure," she continued, smiling a little wider. "But yes, nothing like a good confidence boost, right? Besides, I wanted to take your advice and wear something that was comfortable. Who knows, maybe I'll even take a page out of Kas's book, and just start dressing a little more casually, and less work-y," she said as she took a bite out of her mango flower.
“He likes it when I’m mean. At least in this particular way,” Harper said, flashing a half-saucy, half-joking smile. “But I’m glad you’re enjoying it. It’s amazing how much clothes can change the way you feel, sometimes. But anyway, if you were hoping to ask my brother for sartorial tips, he’s right there.”
Harper jerked her chin slightly to the left, where indeed Kas was standing, making what seemed to be a lively conversation with the groom and a few other, older men. He’d worn a full suit to the ceremony, but had since rid himself of the blazer, unbuttoning his soft yellow shirt halfway down his chest and rolling up the sleeves. Since the other men had done the same or similar, it was probably typical, and a way of dealing with the heat.
There was a slight shove against her back; Harper had prodded her gently forward. “Go ask him to dance. Get him to teach you one of the island ones, or a tango or something. We love that shit here.”
"Wait, what?" she sputtered out. It wasn't the most graceful thing she ever did, but it happened all the same. "But, I... dance?" she continued. She should go ask Kas to dance? She glanced in the direction Harper had said, and pursed her lips together. It couldn't hurt, right? Small steps, she could take small steps right now, right? Besides, if she wanted to tell him eventually, she had to start somewhere, right? Show him, Harper's words repeated in her head, and she sighed.
"I know you're going to be watching, so don't laugh too hard if it turns out I have two left feet for this kind of dancing," she spoke. She could dance, but she didn't think she was that good at it. Besides, she had to learn some dances in her family. They were required in case a mission required a certain kind of flair. She pushed a sigh through her nose, and tried to gather her nerves. Once she did that, she glanced at Harper and smiled. "Wish me luck," she stated, making her way towards the group where Kas was. She waited politely until she had his attention.
"Hey, Kas?" she started, shifting her glance away from him for a second before looking at him again. "Do you, uh, can you teach me one of your dances? Harper said that the island has a particular set of ones, or a tango, or, um," she started, rambling off before she cut herself off. She offered an apologetic smile before she shook her head. "Do you want to dance?"
Of course, getting Kas’s attention drew the eyes of his conversational party as well; they all seemed pretty amused by the awkwardness of her request. The groom, Deandre, clapped Kas on the shoulder. “Go on, man. You don’t say no to a girl this pretty. Not when you’re single.” He winked playfully at Cyrilla, but it was easy to tell that it was just that—playful, and no more. She still blushed darkly.
A few of the other men chuckled; Kas shook his head good-naturedly. “I wasn’t planning on it,” he replied, reaching forward and gently taking up Cy’s hand. He led her towards a part of the beach where people were dancing; the sand had been covered in palm fronds so that the surface was a little firmer, at least. “You know,” he said, raising a brow, “the tango is pretty risqué. There are a few island dances with less… closeness, if you’d prefer one of those.”
She thought about it for all of a minute, before shaking her head. "I hear a tango can be fun, though," she answered honestly. She'd tried to tango once, a long time ago, but her dance partner didn't really know what he was doing. Needless to say, she never got to tango after that. At least this time, she'd have a dance partner who was, perhaps, a little more skilled and knowledgeable.
"I don't mind, really," and she really didn't.
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” he said with amusement, stepping in close. Given the low back of her dress, several of his fingers brushed over bare skin when he settled his beneath her shoulder blade, enveloping her other one in his. “This is open position. People who dance tango regularly rarely use it, but it’s useful for transitioning into holds and the like. I promise not to try anything too extreme, though.” He smiled at her.
But then he slid his hand slowly and deliberately down the skin of her back until he was grasping her hip, tugging forward and stepping in until their bodies were in contact—no space at all between them. He was extremely warm, and perhaps predictably, firm rather than soft against her. “This is the close embrace,” he continued, their positioning basically guaranteeing that he was speaking directly into her ear at low, intimate volume. “We’re going to be touching this much about eighty percent of the time, if that’s all right by you?” He drew back just enough to cock an eyebrow and a crooked half-smile at her.
She was fighting down a really dark blush, she knew that. It took all self-control to not shudder in both positions, and even when he spoke into her ear. She nodded her head, though, when he spoke. "That's fine," she spoke, her voice unusually calm. She found that a little strange since she could feel her heart beat picking up its pace. As close as they were, she was sure he'd probably feel it too. She could hear it in her ears, beating slowly at first, before it began increasing.
"So, open position, and close embrace," she spoke, repeating the positions. She didn't take her gaze off of him, though. She found it a little difficult to do so, and wasn't entirely sure if she could look away from him. "I think I have it," she spoke, adjusting her hand a bit so that it was fitting properly in his.
“There aren’t that many established steps in tango,” he told her, still speaking softly. “The tempo and pattern can and do change with the music. You don’t really memorize anything—it’s a feeling dance, not a thinking one.” The hand at her hip lifted; he took gentle hold of her chin with it, angling her head so that their eye contact was direct. They were so close their noses couldn’t have been more than a couple of inches apart, and he quite nearly filled her field of vision because of it.
“All you have to do is match me. That’s the reason we’re touching—you’ll know what I’m doing if you’re paying enough attention. And then all you have to do is follow. That’s the heart of it.” He leaned forward just enough to brush the side of his nose against hers.
“So for now, don’t think about anything but me, okay Cy?”
Kas stepped forward—even without being able to see his feet, she knew because of the way his hip shifted against hers.
It was a little bit too late to go back on what she said, wasn't it? Not that she particularly minded, but it was a little dizzying. She couldn't really think about anything, which was what he'd just told her. All she could think of was him. She always thought about him, actually. "That shouldn't be too hard, then," she spoke without realizing it. It still didn't register as something she said, though, only as something she thought. When he stepped forward, she took a step back. She was good at following; that hadn't been a problem. The problem was going further than that.
She still couldn't think properly, though, and he was so close. She could just... she mentally shook the thought out of her head. She didn't need that distraction right now.
Kasimir started slowly, giving her time to adjust to the steps, which were a little more flowing than in some types of dance. Once she’d gotten more used to reading his signals, he sped them up, more in time with the festive music playing in the background. Only rarely did their bodies break apart, usually when Kas went to spin her or throw in some other sort of improvised move. That seemed to be an important part of this: improvising as they went along. Otherwise it was based on circles, the push and pull motion of water, and to some extent the simple contact of bodies.
Aside from the few times they parted for the sake of a move, he never once took his eyes off hers. If he was at all aware of his surroundings, it must be due to something other than vision.
Around them, the music swelled, and Kas shifted his grip, skimming the hand on her hip down her leg until he’d gripped the underside of her knee, raising the foot off the ground and letting go of her hand to brace her back with the other. Cy went nearly horizontal; he bent over her, a strange, unusually small smile touching the edges of his mouth. His eyes flickered to—it looked like he was glancing at her lips for a second, but it was over thereafter, and he pulled her back upright out of the dip with seemingly no effort at all.
Only then did the applause start up, mostly from the group that had been there when she asked him to dance. Deandre whistled; Crystal was with him now, and wore a big smile. Several other people had apparently paused to watch at least the end—they all cheered good-naturedly too. Kas held her hand up on the air and swept a theatrical bow. The cheering got louder before dying off.
“That was a hell of a tango for someone who hasn’t practiced,” he told her. Any trace of… whatever had happened just then was gone; he was back to his usual self, it seemed.
It didn't stop the smile on her face from growing, though. Her heart beat was racing, a mix from the dance and a mix from something else. She knew what it was, and she merely continued staring at him. She parted her lips to say something, but she shook her head. She couldn't say anything right now, but it didn't stop the fact that the thought had come up. She wasn't going to deny it, either, that she had wanted to kiss him, to just... she mentally sighed.
"That's because I had an awesome teacher, who was leading the way," she finally replied back, shaking her head softly. She did, however, step a little closer to him, and contemplated whether or not she should do something. "Thanks for showing me," she spoke, slipping her arms around his torso. She gave him a hug, and lingered for just a moment longer than what was polite, before she slipped away.
"We need to do that more often," she spoke in good nature. It had been fun, and she wasn't going to deny that fact.
“Do we now?” Kas said, huffing a soft laugh. “If you say so. I can teach you the lifts and things, if you want.” They naturally drifted over towards the bonfire; a few people offered them drinks—it was clear that everyone was generous with the food and libations here. Kas accepted a beer and something in a coconut. The latter, he handed to her.
“It’s stronger than it tastes, so be careful, but I think you’ll like it.” He shrugged. “It’s very sweet.” He reached up, apparently fiddling with one of the flowers in her hair. She felt it tighten a bit—it must have almost fallen out during the tango. He was touching her a lot more than he usually did—not counting the dance, it was about as much as he’d used to, before she cut her hair.
"Oh, thanks," she said, referring to the drink and the flower he'd just fixed. She glanced at the drink for a moment, and took a sip, wrinkling her nose somewhat at the taste. It was good, but maybe a bit too strong for her. She didn't drink as often as Eryk, or even Kas, so she wasn't especially tolerant of drinks. "And I'd like that, actually, if you could teach me," because at least then she could spend a little more time with him.
"I promise I'll be a diligent student and study and practice every night," she spoke, smiling somewhat. She was joking in the way she said it, though, and it was evident in the way she delievered it. She glanced up at him for a moment, though, trying to read his expression. She couldn't, and she sighed softly. "Hey, Kas..." she paused for a moment, her breath getting hitched in her throat. She chewed the inside of her lip for a moment, before she shook her head.
"Thanks for inviting us," she spoke finally. It wasn't quite what she wanted to say. She actually wanted to say something else, to see if he'd do it, but she didn't exactly want to embarrass herself, or him for that matter. It was something personal, after all, and she didn't really want to be around a lot of people if his reaction wasn't exactly pleasant.
“You’re welcome,” he said. He paused a moment, looking at her almost contemplatively.
“You know,” he said. “Those flowers in your hair have another purpose. They’re tokens—you’re supposed to give them out to the charming young gentlemen you decide you like over the course of the party.” He snorted softly and shook his head, but there was something a little serious in his tone.
“Now, it’s your business what you do with them, of course…” He leaned down a little, speaking low enough that only she could hear, even in the throng of people. “But this one’s mine.” He turned his free hand over, opening his fingers to show a white peony in his palm. He must have plucked it out when he was fixing the other one.
Kas winked at her and tucked the flower in his shirt pocket.
He could have them all, then, if that were the case. She blinked at how suddenly that thought popped into her head, and laughed softly. "You're not giving me much of a choice, if you just take it," she replied, raising a brow in his direction. "But I guess I don't mind since it would have been yours, anyway," she replied, her eyes widening just a fraction at what she just said. There was no taking it back, now, but she wasn't even sure she wanted to. She allowed her lips to tilt up a little mischievously, though, and tapped her chin in a thoughtful manner.
"I still have a few more, though. I wonder, should I just give them all to you, or," she paused momentarily, her brow still raised, "see if I can find someone who's a little more charming than you are, and maybe a little more gentlemanly," she spoke, her smile turning into a grin. She highly doubted that she'd be able to.
He snorted. “You might be able to find someone more charming, I’ll give you that,” he conceded.
Without warning though, he leaned down so his face loomed close to hers. “But you should know by now that I’m not really a gentleman at all, Cy.” He dragged the callused pad of a thumb over her lower lip. “If you want proof, go ask Ana to read my mind. I promise you I’m not thinking a gentleman’s thoughts right now.”
She decided that it was unfair. It really was, the way her body betrayed her, the way it sent a shiver down her spine that she could feel it in her toes and the tips of her fingers. It wasn't fair, however; she wasn't going to let it stay that way. She didn't want it to. So, without so much as a warning, as he'd just done, she moved forward the rest of the way. Unlike their first kiss, the one during the wedding ceremony, hers was anything but chaste. She'd put more behind it than she thought she was capable of, and she was sure she might have caught him a little off guard by how forward it was.
She'd stayed like that for a few seconds longer before she pulled back, slowly. She knew what she just did, and she wasn't going to pretend otherwise. She wasn't going to apologize for it, either. He could interpret it however he wanted to, since she knew that it wasn't enough to convey her actual feelings to him. He wouldn't believe something so small as a kiss, as Harper had told her, but she just wanted to do that. She didn't even know what to say, now, so she stayed silent, and stared at the ground. She wasn't ashamed of it, but she didn't think she was ready to look at him, not just yet.
Above her, she heard his breath hiss out from between his teeth. His hand, which had moved to the back of her neck, squeezed there—not enough to hurt by a long shot, but enough to convey that he was definitely not unaffected by what she’d just done.
Whatever he might have said or done in response though, she’d never know. Someone called out to him, and his hand dropped away from her. The moment, whatever it might have been, was gone, and he stepped half a pace away from her, returning them to a polite distance.
It really was unfair, she decided.
She'd never really seen him dress in light colors before, and though the shirt was white, the vest over it was a light cream color. The slacks he wore with it were also a the same color, which she thought was a little odd. It wasn't unwelcomed, though. He needed a bit of diversity in his wardrobe. Where or when he got it, though, was something of a mystery to her. She knew he didn't own anything like that. The tie, however, was a bright orange. Not so bright that it could blind someone, but bright enough to notice how it was a contrast to everything else he wore. His hair was what really caught her attention, though. She had smiled at him when she'd seen it. It was slicked back, somewhat, with a few pieces of his bangs pulled forward. It was, as one might put it, ruggedly handsome on him.
She wondered what Ana had thought of it. She had opted on something a little more comfortable as well, or at least to her. The dress was a halter top, fitted for the warmer climate. The straps had tied around her neck, leaving a majority of her back exposed. The length of it, however, stopped about two inches above her knees and was chiffoned. It did, however, curve somewhat on the inside of her thighs, giving the appearance of being tailed in the front and back. The front of her dress had been a little more modest, but the v-neck did go a little deep. Deeper than she'd originally wanted to wear, but she was taking Harper's advice. She was wearing what made her comfortable, and it was nice enough that she could wear it for Crystal's wedding.
The color she'd chosen, though, was a little more reflective of her current state of mind. She'd worn the color once, and it held some meaning to her. As silly as it was, she had decided on a green color, emerald to be exact. It actually complimented her hair, somewhat, and that was something she wanted to make sure of. She had taken a little extra care in her appearance today, and there was a particular reason for that, but she refused to acknowledge it. Currently, she was watching a majority of the people interact with each other, and had stood close to Eryk. He was currently loading a plate of food before he gave her a side-glance.
"Are you going to eat something?" he asked. She blinked up at him, and thought about it for a moment. "If not, I'd suggest trying the punch over there, if you're thirsty," he continued. She huffed slightly and shook her head, though.
"I was just making sure you didn't eat all of the food," she retorted, though she doubted he could do that. There was plenty of food for everyone. She was sure that he'd go into a food coma if he ate too much, but that wasn't exactly something he had to worry about. He'd probably be happy. "You look nice, by the way, Ryk," she continued, earning a raised brow in response. He didn't say anything and shrugged.
"I wanted to try something new," he said a few minutes after. She shook her head at him, though, and grabbed a plate. She might as well eat something and find the others in a moment. She'd lost track of them after everything was done.
She ran into Ana at the food table, who was picking her way delicately through the dozens of options available, trying to arrange a little bit of everything on a plate, it seemed. She glanced up at the sound of someone else approaching, and smiled when she saw it was Cyrilla.
“Hey Cy,” she greeted amiably. The roses in her hair quivered slightly when she dipped her chin. Ana had so much hair that it had been a simple matter to braid them in—they’d wrapped a smaller Kalosian braid just at her crown, and threaded the stems through easily. After cutting off the thorns, of course. The result was a crown of blooming white roses in what was otherwise a curtain of hair that fell all the way to her thighs; Cy could even smell them sometimes, though it was not overpowering. She’d worn the dress Kas gave her for Christmas—similarly-styled to Cy’s, but more modest in the front and with no back whatsoever. She had some white medical tape on her shoulder for some reason, but it was mostly hidden by the halter strap. The dress itself was deep burgundy, somewhere between red and purple. She wore the bracelet Cy had given her with it, even though it didn’t quite match since the stone was blue.
Ana nodded at Cyrilla’s empty plate. “The stuffed mushroom caps are really good,” she advised.
Cy wrinkled her nose a bit at Ana's statement. "Stuffed mushroom caps? I don't know, I've never really tried mushrooms," at least not on their own. She used them occasionally in some of her own dishes, but they were with other ingredients so she couldn't really taste them. She'd never thought to eat them on their own, or like this. "But I believe you," she stated, making her way to pick one up and put it on her plate. Eryk probably liked mushrooms, but then again, he ate anything and everything regardless. She laughed a little at that.
"Are you enjoying yourself?" she decided to ask, moving to another plate to glance at it. It looked really good, but it also kind of looked spicy. She did say she liked spicy things before, so she might as well try it. "Eryk kept stealing glances at you," she added, smiling a little to herself. She wondered if anyone else saw it like she did. He would occasionally glance at her during the ceremony, but maybe no one noticed. He was a lot more subtle about things than she was, after all.
Ana cleared her throat, maybe a smidge awkwardly, but she didn’t blush exactly. Maybe she was finally getting used to being teased about this. “The ceremony was lovely,” she said. “I think simple ones like that, with lots of meaning, are really the best ones.” She picked a few more morsels off the well-arranged platters, her next words much quieter.
“And I didn’t notice anything like that, so I suppose I’ll have to take your word for it.”
At that point, Harper sauntered up, looking stunning in a rich ultramarine-colored dress. It was boat-necked with short, loose sleeves, and hugged her tightly to the waist, after which it billowed softly away from her frame to the knee. The white lilies in her hair were a stark contrast to its rich ochre color.
“Some ceremony, huh?” she said, popping a chocolate covered cherry into her mouth directly from the platter. “The bonfire’s started down on the beach—there’s more food there. I’d understand if you preferred the garden part, though.” She grinned.
"Oh, that actually sounds really nice," Cyrilla spoke, deciding not to tease Ana any further. She didn't really need to anymore. "I mean, not that the garden isn't beautiful, but I think the open space with the bonfire and the water next to it might be just a little more lovely," she spoke, glancing towards Ana, and then to Harper. "Plus, there's more space," she added. The area they were in wasn't too crowded, but being on the beach meant more room to stretch out and see more people. Eryk might be a little socially awkward, but Cyrilla wasn't. At least not to the same extent Eryk was.
"Oh, hold on," she spoke, moving to the side to grab at a piece of fruit. "Alright, now we can go," she spoke, placing the mango on her plate. It looked like someone had cut it and shaped it into a flower, and then dusted it with tajin seasoning. She'd only had it once, and she'd actually loved it. It wasn't exactly spicy, but it was a good balance between tangy, sweet, and savory with a hint of burn.
Ana indicated that she’d stick to the garden for the moment, so Harper walked with Cy down to the beach. “That’s an interesting shade of green you picked,” she commented lightly, glancing askance at Cyrilla. “I prefer the jade and mint shades myself, but of course you’re not hoping to catch my attention, are you?” She smiled a little mischievously, then shook her head a bit.
“Honestly, though, it looks good on you. Nothing like looking good to boost your confidence, right?”
"Oh, but how did you know? I was hoping this was your favorite color, but I guess I chose wrong," she replied, speaking in a mock disappointed tone. She shook her head lightly, taking care not to loosen any of the peonies in her hair. She laughed softly, before taking a small breath. "Thanks. You don't look too bad yourself. If anything, I'm sure you're torturing Drake right now," she replied, a coy smile crossing her features.
"Not that he would mind, though, I'm sure," she continued, smiling a little wider. "But yes, nothing like a good confidence boost, right? Besides, I wanted to take your advice and wear something that was comfortable. Who knows, maybe I'll even take a page out of Kas's book, and just start dressing a little more casually, and less work-y," she said as she took a bite out of her mango flower.
“He likes it when I’m mean. At least in this particular way,” Harper said, flashing a half-saucy, half-joking smile. “But I’m glad you’re enjoying it. It’s amazing how much clothes can change the way you feel, sometimes. But anyway, if you were hoping to ask my brother for sartorial tips, he’s right there.”
Harper jerked her chin slightly to the left, where indeed Kas was standing, making what seemed to be a lively conversation with the groom and a few other, older men. He’d worn a full suit to the ceremony, but had since rid himself of the blazer, unbuttoning his soft yellow shirt halfway down his chest and rolling up the sleeves. Since the other men had done the same or similar, it was probably typical, and a way of dealing with the heat.
There was a slight shove against her back; Harper had prodded her gently forward. “Go ask him to dance. Get him to teach you one of the island ones, or a tango or something. We love that shit here.”
"Wait, what?" she sputtered out. It wasn't the most graceful thing she ever did, but it happened all the same. "But, I... dance?" she continued. She should go ask Kas to dance? She glanced in the direction Harper had said, and pursed her lips together. It couldn't hurt, right? Small steps, she could take small steps right now, right? Besides, if she wanted to tell him eventually, she had to start somewhere, right? Show him, Harper's words repeated in her head, and she sighed.
"I know you're going to be watching, so don't laugh too hard if it turns out I have two left feet for this kind of dancing," she spoke. She could dance, but she didn't think she was that good at it. Besides, she had to learn some dances in her family. They were required in case a mission required a certain kind of flair. She pushed a sigh through her nose, and tried to gather her nerves. Once she did that, she glanced at Harper and smiled. "Wish me luck," she stated, making her way towards the group where Kas was. She waited politely until she had his attention.
"Hey, Kas?" she started, shifting her glance away from him for a second before looking at him again. "Do you, uh, can you teach me one of your dances? Harper said that the island has a particular set of ones, or a tango, or, um," she started, rambling off before she cut herself off. She offered an apologetic smile before she shook her head. "Do you want to dance?"
Of course, getting Kas’s attention drew the eyes of his conversational party as well; they all seemed pretty amused by the awkwardness of her request. The groom, Deandre, clapped Kas on the shoulder. “Go on, man. You don’t say no to a girl this pretty. Not when you’re single.” He winked playfully at Cyrilla, but it was easy to tell that it was just that—playful, and no more. She still blushed darkly.
A few of the other men chuckled; Kas shook his head good-naturedly. “I wasn’t planning on it,” he replied, reaching forward and gently taking up Cy’s hand. He led her towards a part of the beach where people were dancing; the sand had been covered in palm fronds so that the surface was a little firmer, at least. “You know,” he said, raising a brow, “the tango is pretty risqué. There are a few island dances with less… closeness, if you’d prefer one of those.”
She thought about it for all of a minute, before shaking her head. "I hear a tango can be fun, though," she answered honestly. She'd tried to tango once, a long time ago, but her dance partner didn't really know what he was doing. Needless to say, she never got to tango after that. At least this time, she'd have a dance partner who was, perhaps, a little more skilled and knowledgeable.
"I don't mind, really," and she really didn't.
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” he said with amusement, stepping in close. Given the low back of her dress, several of his fingers brushed over bare skin when he settled his beneath her shoulder blade, enveloping her other one in his. “This is open position. People who dance tango regularly rarely use it, but it’s useful for transitioning into holds and the like. I promise not to try anything too extreme, though.” He smiled at her.
But then he slid his hand slowly and deliberately down the skin of her back until he was grasping her hip, tugging forward and stepping in until their bodies were in contact—no space at all between them. He was extremely warm, and perhaps predictably, firm rather than soft against her. “This is the close embrace,” he continued, their positioning basically guaranteeing that he was speaking directly into her ear at low, intimate volume. “We’re going to be touching this much about eighty percent of the time, if that’s all right by you?” He drew back just enough to cock an eyebrow and a crooked half-smile at her.
She was fighting down a really dark blush, she knew that. It took all self-control to not shudder in both positions, and even when he spoke into her ear. She nodded her head, though, when he spoke. "That's fine," she spoke, her voice unusually calm. She found that a little strange since she could feel her heart beat picking up its pace. As close as they were, she was sure he'd probably feel it too. She could hear it in her ears, beating slowly at first, before it began increasing.
"So, open position, and close embrace," she spoke, repeating the positions. She didn't take her gaze off of him, though. She found it a little difficult to do so, and wasn't entirely sure if she could look away from him. "I think I have it," she spoke, adjusting her hand a bit so that it was fitting properly in his.
“There aren’t that many established steps in tango,” he told her, still speaking softly. “The tempo and pattern can and do change with the music. You don’t really memorize anything—it’s a feeling dance, not a thinking one.” The hand at her hip lifted; he took gentle hold of her chin with it, angling her head so that their eye contact was direct. They were so close their noses couldn’t have been more than a couple of inches apart, and he quite nearly filled her field of vision because of it.
“All you have to do is match me. That’s the reason we’re touching—you’ll know what I’m doing if you’re paying enough attention. And then all you have to do is follow. That’s the heart of it.” He leaned forward just enough to brush the side of his nose against hers.
“So for now, don’t think about anything but me, okay Cy?”
Kas stepped forward—even without being able to see his feet, she knew because of the way his hip shifted against hers.
It was a little bit too late to go back on what she said, wasn't it? Not that she particularly minded, but it was a little dizzying. She couldn't really think about anything, which was what he'd just told her. All she could think of was him. She always thought about him, actually. "That shouldn't be too hard, then," she spoke without realizing it. It still didn't register as something she said, though, only as something she thought. When he stepped forward, she took a step back. She was good at following; that hadn't been a problem. The problem was going further than that.
She still couldn't think properly, though, and he was so close. She could just... she mentally shook the thought out of her head. She didn't need that distraction right now.
Kasimir started slowly, giving her time to adjust to the steps, which were a little more flowing than in some types of dance. Once she’d gotten more used to reading his signals, he sped them up, more in time with the festive music playing in the background. Only rarely did their bodies break apart, usually when Kas went to spin her or throw in some other sort of improvised move. That seemed to be an important part of this: improvising as they went along. Otherwise it was based on circles, the push and pull motion of water, and to some extent the simple contact of bodies.
Aside from the few times they parted for the sake of a move, he never once took his eyes off hers. If he was at all aware of his surroundings, it must be due to something other than vision.
Around them, the music swelled, and Kas shifted his grip, skimming the hand on her hip down her leg until he’d gripped the underside of her knee, raising the foot off the ground and letting go of her hand to brace her back with the other. Cy went nearly horizontal; he bent over her, a strange, unusually small smile touching the edges of his mouth. His eyes flickered to—it looked like he was glancing at her lips for a second, but it was over thereafter, and he pulled her back upright out of the dip with seemingly no effort at all.
Only then did the applause start up, mostly from the group that had been there when she asked him to dance. Deandre whistled; Crystal was with him now, and wore a big smile. Several other people had apparently paused to watch at least the end—they all cheered good-naturedly too. Kas held her hand up on the air and swept a theatrical bow. The cheering got louder before dying off.
“That was a hell of a tango for someone who hasn’t practiced,” he told her. Any trace of… whatever had happened just then was gone; he was back to his usual self, it seemed.
It didn't stop the smile on her face from growing, though. Her heart beat was racing, a mix from the dance and a mix from something else. She knew what it was, and she merely continued staring at him. She parted her lips to say something, but she shook her head. She couldn't say anything right now, but it didn't stop the fact that the thought had come up. She wasn't going to deny it, either, that she had wanted to kiss him, to just... she mentally sighed.
"That's because I had an awesome teacher, who was leading the way," she finally replied back, shaking her head softly. She did, however, step a little closer to him, and contemplated whether or not she should do something. "Thanks for showing me," she spoke, slipping her arms around his torso. She gave him a hug, and lingered for just a moment longer than what was polite, before she slipped away.
"We need to do that more often," she spoke in good nature. It had been fun, and she wasn't going to deny that fact.
“Do we now?” Kas said, huffing a soft laugh. “If you say so. I can teach you the lifts and things, if you want.” They naturally drifted over towards the bonfire; a few people offered them drinks—it was clear that everyone was generous with the food and libations here. Kas accepted a beer and something in a coconut. The latter, he handed to her.
“It’s stronger than it tastes, so be careful, but I think you’ll like it.” He shrugged. “It’s very sweet.” He reached up, apparently fiddling with one of the flowers in her hair. She felt it tighten a bit—it must have almost fallen out during the tango. He was touching her a lot more than he usually did—not counting the dance, it was about as much as he’d used to, before she cut her hair.
"Oh, thanks," she said, referring to the drink and the flower he'd just fixed. She glanced at the drink for a moment, and took a sip, wrinkling her nose somewhat at the taste. It was good, but maybe a bit too strong for her. She didn't drink as often as Eryk, or even Kas, so she wasn't especially tolerant of drinks. "And I'd like that, actually, if you could teach me," because at least then she could spend a little more time with him.
"I promise I'll be a diligent student and study and practice every night," she spoke, smiling somewhat. She was joking in the way she said it, though, and it was evident in the way she delievered it. She glanced up at him for a moment, though, trying to read his expression. She couldn't, and she sighed softly. "Hey, Kas..." she paused for a moment, her breath getting hitched in her throat. She chewed the inside of her lip for a moment, before she shook her head.
"Thanks for inviting us," she spoke finally. It wasn't quite what she wanted to say. She actually wanted to say something else, to see if he'd do it, but she didn't exactly want to embarrass herself, or him for that matter. It was something personal, after all, and she didn't really want to be around a lot of people if his reaction wasn't exactly pleasant.
“You’re welcome,” he said. He paused a moment, looking at her almost contemplatively.
“You know,” he said. “Those flowers in your hair have another purpose. They’re tokens—you’re supposed to give them out to the charming young gentlemen you decide you like over the course of the party.” He snorted softly and shook his head, but there was something a little serious in his tone.
“Now, it’s your business what you do with them, of course…” He leaned down a little, speaking low enough that only she could hear, even in the throng of people. “But this one’s mine.” He turned his free hand over, opening his fingers to show a white peony in his palm. He must have plucked it out when he was fixing the other one.
Kas winked at her and tucked the flower in his shirt pocket.
He could have them all, then, if that were the case. She blinked at how suddenly that thought popped into her head, and laughed softly. "You're not giving me much of a choice, if you just take it," she replied, raising a brow in his direction. "But I guess I don't mind since it would have been yours, anyway," she replied, her eyes widening just a fraction at what she just said. There was no taking it back, now, but she wasn't even sure she wanted to. She allowed her lips to tilt up a little mischievously, though, and tapped her chin in a thoughtful manner.
"I still have a few more, though. I wonder, should I just give them all to you, or," she paused momentarily, her brow still raised, "see if I can find someone who's a little more charming than you are, and maybe a little more gentlemanly," she spoke, her smile turning into a grin. She highly doubted that she'd be able to.
He snorted. “You might be able to find someone more charming, I’ll give you that,” he conceded.
Without warning though, he leaned down so his face loomed close to hers. “But you should know by now that I’m not really a gentleman at all, Cy.” He dragged the callused pad of a thumb over her lower lip. “If you want proof, go ask Ana to read my mind. I promise you I’m not thinking a gentleman’s thoughts right now.”
She decided that it was unfair. It really was, the way her body betrayed her, the way it sent a shiver down her spine that she could feel it in her toes and the tips of her fingers. It wasn't fair, however; she wasn't going to let it stay that way. She didn't want it to. So, without so much as a warning, as he'd just done, she moved forward the rest of the way. Unlike their first kiss, the one during the wedding ceremony, hers was anything but chaste. She'd put more behind it than she thought she was capable of, and she was sure she might have caught him a little off guard by how forward it was.
She'd stayed like that for a few seconds longer before she pulled back, slowly. She knew what she just did, and she wasn't going to pretend otherwise. She wasn't going to apologize for it, either. He could interpret it however he wanted to, since she knew that it wasn't enough to convey her actual feelings to him. He wouldn't believe something so small as a kiss, as Harper had told her, but she just wanted to do that. She didn't even know what to say, now, so she stayed silent, and stared at the ground. She wasn't ashamed of it, but she didn't think she was ready to look at him, not just yet.
Above her, she heard his breath hiss out from between his teeth. His hand, which had moved to the back of her neck, squeezed there—not enough to hurt by a long shot, but enough to convey that he was definitely not unaffected by what she’d just done.
Whatever he might have said or done in response though, she’d never know. Someone called out to him, and his hand dropped away from her. The moment, whatever it might have been, was gone, and he stepped half a pace away from her, returning them to a polite distance.
It really was unfair, she decided.
Ana laughed, whirling around with the old man across from her. His dark hair was liberally streaked with grey, and by his own admission, he was no longer in the good shape of his youth, but he was a lovely person, as far as she could tell, and he’d agreed to teach her one of the dances invented on the archipelago. It didn’t involve much touching, but it was very active, with the partners spinning and jumping and showing off a lot of fancy footwork. Thankfully, she already knew how to dance—the fundamentals were a lot like lindy hopping or similarly energetic dances.
She spun out, and he caught her arm as she went by, reversing her momentum so she could flip over his arm like a bar—by that point, it was more improvisation than anything. But it was loads of fun, and other people joined in around them, whirling around in a flurry of color and laughter. She’d never been in the middle of anything like it.
When the music drew to a stop, she was panting, but laughing. Reaching up, she tugged one of the roses from her hair and held it out to the man—Mr. Angelo. He chuckled, accepting it with a little bow. “Ah, if I were twenty years younger,” he said, pretending to sigh wistfully. Ana giggled at him.
They parted ways, and she headed for the edge of the dancing area, intent on finding something to drink. She’d been occupied with all the new dances to learn for a couple of hours now—it was probably better that she take a rest so she didn’t tire herself out too much.
"It looks like you were enjoying yourself," Eryk spoke, almost as if he'd appeared out of nowhere. He glanced down at her, his brows set in a relaxed motion. He seemed to be enjoying himself, too, since he wasn't visibly frowning or glaring at someone. He had two cups in his hand, and they both looked to be water. "It's coconut water. It's supposed to be more hydrating," he seemed to explained, offering her one of the cups.
“Oh, thank you.” Ana accepted her cup gratefully, lifting it to her mouth and forcing herself to swallow slowly. It didn’t taste wonderful, but it did feel quite refreshing, so he might not be wrong about the hydration.
She lowered the cup away from her mouth with a soft sigh, offering him a smile. “You look really nice, Eryk,” she told him honestly. “I didn’t get a chance to say so earlier, but it’s true.” It was more than just the fact that the suit fit him well or the colors worked well for him—which was all definitely the case. Rather, he looked comfortable, in the clothes and his own skin, and she was happy to see it.
It seemed better to hide her ongoing smile behind the rim of her cup, else he might wonder why she was still wearing it. So she took another few sips of water.
"Thank you," he spoke, taking a drink out of his own cup. He seemed to like the flavor since he didn't seem to drink as slowly as she did. He glanced at her for a moment, though. "You look..." he paused, pursing his lips together. It looked like he was trying to find the right words to say, especially since his brows furrowed. "You look beautiful," he stated, seemingly finding the right word.
"The dress looks nice on you, too. You should wear things like that more often," he spoke a little freely, offering her a softer expression. He didn't quite smile, though. "But I understand that taking care of the shelter doesn't exactly allow for such clothes," he continued, shrugging his shoulders lightly.
Ana felt her face heat up, but she didn’t mind. Eryk wasn’t one for polite compliments—if he said something, he meant it. So she was flattered, and she was okay with him knowing that. At his comment about the shelter, though, she smiled again. “I guess I’ll just have to find more things to go to with a nicer dress code,” she said. “Maybe one day we can go to an orchestra show after all.”
They hadn’t been able to work one out with the schedule in Saffron, especially once Eryk and the others had made it to the finals. Ana didn’t mind that, but she still hoped they might be able to see a performance someday soon. Maybe she should look into closer locations for one once they got home. Or maybe… if they ended up having enough time for that trip to Fuchsia.
"It wouldn't be too difficult," he replied with ease. He'd finished off the rest of his drink, and had set it down on a nearby table. "We could see if they have a performance soon, somewhere close by when we go home, if you'd like," he spoke, almost as if reading her mind. He glanced at her, the soft expression turning into his, now, trademark smile for her. "Or," he began, pausing for a second to glance at her.
"If you'd like, I could give you a reason to wear something nice, once a week," he spoke. What he said was a little vague, but it sounded like he was offering to take her out once a week. Like setting a date for a date.
If anything, the color on her face got darker, but Ana was far too happy to care. It was hard to call whatever they had dating, exactly, mostly because of the absence of actual dates. She didn’t mind—if all she ever got to do was spend quiet time with him, that would be enough. But she was warmed by the offer, and nodded immediately.
“That sounds… great, actually,” she admitted, smiling softly. Holding her cup in one hand, she stepped in and hugged him with the other arm, settling herself comfortably into his side. From where they were, they had a good view of the bonfire, and the places where people were dancing or otherwise enjoying themselves. She couldn’t see Harper and Drake, though she did spot Kas and Cy.
Her eyes widened. “Oh my—are they doing a tango?” There was no other way to describe it.
Eryk blinked a little confusedly at her, before following her gaze. He raised a brow, though, and scoffed lightly. He must have seen them, because he had a small smile on his face, too. "It looks like they are," he spoke, seemingly amused by the whole thing. He didn't take his eyes off of their dance, though, and seemed a little melancholy about it. Maybe because he knew their predicament? He pushed a soft sigh through his nose and shook his head.
"I'm surprised she'd do something like that with him. Tangos are not exactly known for being friendly," he continued, probably referring to how close the dancers were. "They're more intimate." Eryk didn't dance, a lot, but he must have known about them.
Ana considered that. She knew how to do them, and in order to learn, she’d danced tango with fellow physical therapy patients and the dance instructors. “It’s true that there’s a lot more contact,” she agreed. “But something like that… I think it has more to do with the people than the contact. It can mean nothing… or a lot.” She’d learned how to tell partners with chemistry apart from those without, and even a complete amateur could see that something was going on between Kas and Cy. Professionals could fake it for three minutes at a time, but they weren’t professionals.
Still… she supposed it was theirs to figure out. Ana sighed. “I hope it works out for them,” she said quietly. She wasn’t sure it would—Kas was a complicated person, and their run-in with Leila the other day had convinced her that his history was equally-complicated.
Eryk pushed a deep sigh from his nose. "Maybe, but they're both stubborn," he replied softly. "Especially since Cy refuses to admit to it. I think... they both just need a little push in the right direction. I'm not one to speak, though," he spoke, taking his eyes from them, and placing them back on her. "And their... situation isn't the kind of push I'm talking about," he added, referring to their marriage. That much was obvious.
"Is something bothering you, though?" he spoke, raising a concerned brow in her direction. It wasn't obvious he was concerned, but his expressions and facial pulls were easy enough to read by now.
She sighed heavily, her mouth pulling into a small grimace. “It’s just… Kas and I were out a couple days ago. We ran into someone he knew. It was… really awkward. When I asked him who it was, he said she was his first love. And he… didn’t quite seem to be comfortable seeing her again, so I don’t think it ended well.” She was afraid—afraid that something like that, if it had been painful enough, might be an obstacle now.
“I don’t… I don’t think he still loves her or anything. But it seemed pretty clear to me that he was hurt pretty badly at some point by whatever happened.”
He pursed his lips into a thoughtful manner. His brows furrowed and he glanced back out. He seemed to be contemplating what she'd just said, and he remained quiet for at least a few minutes. Sighing softly, his eyes set into something like understanding, and maybe, realization. He shook his head and glanced back at her, offering her a reassuring nod of his head. It didn't look like he wanted to speak of it, not yet, and remained quiet for a moment longer.
"I suppose some of it makes sense, now, why he acts the way he does," he spoke, but there was nothing malicious in his tone. It seemed almost... sympathetic. "But I guess the dumbass doesn't know that he's Cy's first love. She's never loved anyone before, and I don't think she's ever really liked anyone, either," he spoke as if he knew first hand. He probably did, knowing how close they were.
"Actually, I think he does. I just... hope he doesn't do anything that he'll regret. I'd like to think he's a lot smarter than that," he continued, shaking his head. Kas was his friend, and Cy was his family. He probably approved of it, but he also must have known how hard it would be on the both of them. "But I'm sure, in the long run, if they need it, you can give them an extra push. They might need it, and you've always been good at grounding people. You've... done that for me," he stated. Placing a hand on her shoulder, the one that didn't have the bandage on it, and gave a soft squeeze before dropping his hand.
She hoped that was true, but she also hoped it wouldn’t be necessary. That they’d work it out themselves. In either case, the time to do anything about it certainly wasn’t now. Ana smiled gratefully at Eryk, nodding her head slightly. “Thanks,” she said simply. “I’m… glad I’ve been helpful.”
There were a lot of other things she could say there, but she couldn’t seem to decide between them. In the end, the one she chose was one she hadn’t even known she wanted to ask until she was asking it. “Um… would you mind if I—er.” It was sort of a strange request. There were no examples in her memory to go off of for people asking this question, not even in things she’d read or movies or anything—bad as those examples usually were for the real world.
“Can I try linking with you? I mean… telepathically? I just… I haven’t had practice with a human in forever. I promise I won’t go anywhere you don’t want me to, but I thought… I thought it would be interesting to try.” She’d used to practice with Edgar, but she hadn’t been inside another person’s mind since then.
He blinked slowly at her, apparently taking in what she said. For a minute, he just stared at her, as if he weren't sure, but it seemed that he was just contemplating. "I don't see why not. I've never had a need to use my own, I'm might be a little rusty," he finally spoke. He had mentioned before that he was telepathic, but never that he'd used it before. "And Kenshin doesn't count," he added, speaking of the lucario.
"His species can do that with any human," he spoke, as if trying to explain his statement. "I don't mind if you do go anywhere just..." he paused, taking in a breath. "Just don't be alarmed by what you see," he spoke, closing his eyes softly. It looked like he was trying to relax since his entire body language seemed to do that. He was just relaxed, now. "Whenever you are ready."
“Okay,” she said softly. It didn’t escape Ana how much trust he was placing in her to let her do something like this—she knew he didn’t think of himself as an especially-good person, and so to leave open the possibility that she might come to know exactly why was a risk for him. Carefully, Ana took both of his hands in hers, stepping in close enough that she could feel just vaguely the heat of his body.
Ana let her eyes fall closed so she could concentrate, reaching inside herself for that locus of power she felt always. She imagined it spatially just behind her forehead, in the center, but of course reality was more complicated than that. It came to her with surprising ease, and when she extended it outwards, it almost seemed to seek Eryk’s mind, like flakes of iron might seek a magnet.
The pull was stronger than she’d expected; she had to work hard to ease herself into his mind instead of just barging inelegantly. Carefully, she let her power bleed into his, and his responded. She’d felt that before, with Edgar, but this was… different. Edgar had felt like submerging into warm water—comfortable, soothing, and steady that way. Eryk’s mind felt more like walking into fire. She knew it wouldn’t burn, but there was something still wild about it—tumultuous, conflicted, unsettled. Ana kept herself contained, resisting the automatic desire to explore at the touch of another mind, to go delving for what it contained.
The mental contact was staggeringly intimate—more than she remembered it being. But their minds snapped together like they belonged that way, and it required almost no effort at all to maintain the connection. How’s this? she thought at him, eyes still closed. I’m not hurting you, am I? It was possible to cause pain this way, especially by doing anything too sudden, but she’d tried to avoid that.
No, you're not, he responded. It's not quite what I remember it being, though, he continued, and mostly because he probably never had someone to practice with, like she did. There were soft murmurs in his mind, and they all seemed to beat differently. If... something makes you uncomfortable, you can pull out, he continued. It seemed like he was trying not to hurt her more-so than he was worried about being hurt. He allowed small flurries of memories to brush her own mind, but there was one in particular.
He looked no younger than maybe eight years old. He was smiling, not in the way he did now. This one was a little different. There was more emotion behind it, more something. He was looking at something, but the only clue as to what was the sound of someone crying. It sounded like a baby. His mouth moved somewhat, before his attention shifted towards someone, and the smile that was on his face, disappeared completely. He looked upset. The memory faded, and another one took its place.
It was still of Eryk, but he looked older. He looked maybe twenty years of age, perhaps maybe a little older. He was upset at something, but that wasn't what stood out. His face looked to be split open, and he was bleeding profusely. He just stood there, though, and his eyes looked... vacant, hollow almost. He was saying something to someone, but whatever he said, earned in another lash. His forehead looked to have split open widely. Blood was now pouring from both wounds, but he still didn't budge. He didn't blink. The memory seemed to have faded suddenly, though, like someone turning off the lights quickly.
I'm sorry. I didn't mean for you to see that, he apologized. It looked like there might have been more to that memory, but for obvious reasons, he didn't want her to see it. I'm still not used to doing this, he seemed to explain.
She suspected the first memory must be of Cyrilla as a baby. It was at once wonderful and heartbreaking to see him smile like that—the heartbreak was because she doubted he’d done so since. Not with that kind of feeling behind it.
You don’t have to apologize, she replied after a moment. Though she remained in mental contact with him, she opened her eyes, reaching up with one of her hands to gently run her fingers along the corresponding scar on his forehead. That’s… how you got these, isn’t it?
She could hear him sigh, and he locked eyes with her. It is, he answered, leaning a little towards her hand. He sighed again, this one a little deeper and heavier. The family... they didn't approve of what I did so I was punished twice. Once for Cy's crimes, and once for mine, the mental link had softened considerably when he replied, almost as if he were unsure he should continue. He didn't drop his gaze, though. There was probably more to that memory than he'd shown, but he'd cut it off too quickly before more could be exposed.
She told me that she told you about them, but never how I received them, he spoke to her. Cyrilla had mentioned that Eryk's scars were meant for her, but never why or how. If you want to know... he hesitated, it was easy to feel. I will tell you, he continued. He was leaving it for her to decide, it seemed. Whether she wanted to know why or how he received the scars, it was her decision to make.
You can tell me, she replied, or show me. But only if you don’t mind. I don’t want to make you live that experience again if you don’t want to. You don’t have to tell me anything, Eryk. I’m happy with whatever parts of your history you want to share with me—and content if you don't. It was clear that it was a sensitive issue for him, but of course something like that would be. She certainly didn’t want to force the story out of him.
He seemed to contemplate her words, keeping his gaze stead with hers. There are things I do want to share with you, parts of my history that I've never shared with anyone before, he began, lifting a hand to brush a knuckle along the line of her jaw. The touch may have been soft, but she could feel the callouses of his hand as he laid it against her neck. This part of my history... it is not something I am ashamed of, because I did it for myself and for a good reason, he spoke, closing his eyes softly. He was searching for that memory again, it seemed.
Once he'd found it, it brushed against her mind softly, easing itself into her subconscious before it fully settled. He was surrounded by a group of people. One she could recognize as Marah, but the others looked vaguely like his family members. They all sported a variety of colored hair, ranging from a deep emerald, a pale violet, to black colored strands. They were talking to him about something, but from the looks of it, they were handing him something.
Those two, the ones with the black hair, he stated, focusing on the faces of two people. Both of them sported red eyes, though, similar to the ones of someone she knew. Those are Cy's parents. They were looking for her, but they couldn't find her. She'd run away from home about a week prior, he explained. They didn't look happy about it, either. They thought I could find her because of how close we were, are, he continued.
The memory faded somewhat, shifting to a vision of Eryk staring at someone. It looked like he was in Viridian's forest from the imagery. He was staring at a young girl, about fourteen. From the color of her hair, it was Cyrilla, and she looked almost terrified. His expression, though, had softened when he was speaking to her, and her own expression softened somewhat as well. He handed her a pokéball, and said something else to her.
I managed to find her there, in Viridian Forest. She ran away from the clan because she didn't want to be a part of Team Rocket, nor the clan. She thought she could get away from them, and if it were not for me, she might have. I... told her to take the pokémon in that ball and to keep running, he explained, though it sounded like there was a sigh in his voice. Cyrilla had only shook her head in the memory, and opened the ball. It was a riolu, most likely Kenshin. She told me no, and she came back with me to the clan.
The memory faded back to the both of them in what appeared to be Fuchsia City. They were on a large compound, and they were surrounded by more people. Marah was there along with Cy's parents, and they were all speaking at once. Eryk stepped in front of Cyrilla at that point. The expression on his face was extremely dark, darker than he'd ever worn it before. He spoke something in retaliation, it looked like, and seemed to shock and confuse them.
They wanted to me to deal out the punishment. I had refused, he explained that particular scene. It made a sense that they would have reacted that way, then. But because I refused, they were going to have someone else do it. I offered them something else, he spoke. His mental link sounded almost tired. I offered them my complete obedience in return that they give Cy a lighter sentence. They had agreed, but they still needed to set an example out of my retaliation and current disobedience, he continued. The memory then faded to the one it was earlier. He was standing, but she could see that his hands were bound in front of him.
There was another person in front of him, and it was immediately recognizable of who it was: Marah. She was holding what looked like a whip of some kind, only, the end of it looked to be laced with a strange blade. The first and second lash was to his face, drawing the blood she'd seen earlier. After that, a person walked up to him, and removed the button up shirt he was wearing, and turned him around. He complied easily enough, and Marah began moving the weapon. It crossed against his back, one slicing almost through his shoulder, and it looked like she'd whipped him at least ten times. If there were more, Ana wouldn't know. He'd cut off the link after that.
It might seem extreme to most people, and maybe it was, but, he spoke, opening his eyes to stare at her. If I hadn't done that... they might have, he paused in that sentence, and his jaw visibly clenced tightly. The implication was clear. Eryk was durable, that had been obvious, but if that had been Cyrilla, as young as she was, it would have likely killed her, especially with as much blood it looked like he'd lost. He shook his head and sighed.
I am... sorry, Ana, perhaps this isn't the occasion for such things, he apologized.
Experiencing a memory through direct psychic connection was very different from simply hearing a story. Ana felt phantom pain on her back, and the side of her face; she almost could have sworn she felt blood sliding down her cheeks. But those were tears, actually—it seemed at some point she’d started to cry. She was shaking, too; the hand that wasn’t on his face clenched in his shirt.
No, she said firmly into the mindspace they shared. I understand exactly why you acted that way. I… thank you. For sharing that with me. She wanted to tell him how sorry she was, but she knew he didn’t quite understand why someone who had nothing to do with it would apologize, and she wasn’t sure she could explain properly. So instead, she let him feel it—Ana opened up the connection between them a little further, letting her feelings wash in.
Sympathy and sadness were most prominent, but there was also more than a little admiration and fierce pride—pride in him, for him. All of it was gentled by the unnamed—but not nameless—thing she felt for him all the time, a mix of tender affection, protectiveness, respect, admiration, and something deeper than all of it, beyond all of it, just barely tinging the current of emotion.
She held most of that part back, though.
Ana leaned forward into him, her forehead touching his sternum, the hand on his face sliding down to the juncture of his neck and shoulder. Now that she knew it was there, she thought she could feel the beginning of another patch of rough skin on his back, through the shirt he wore. I don’t… I don’t know if this is good to say, she admitted, sighing against his chest. But I think your scars are beautiful. I always have.
At their closeness, she could feel him shudder, and his breath ghosted over her face. It was warm, and he leaned a little closer, if it were possible. You think the strangest of things, you know that, he simply spoke. His eyes were closed, she could see that, but there was a content kind of expression on his face. He seemed happy, though there really wasn't reason to be, at least not after what he'd just shared with her. He took in another breath, as if he were breathing her in, and he lifted his hand so that he it was on the back of her neck, rubbing his thumb into the middle of it in gentle motions. His eyes opened thereafter, and he seemed to peering into her own, as if he were searching her soul for something.
Do you know, that you are one of the most important people in my life? he stated, his voice oddly serious. I don't know when, or why it happened, but I do know this, he continued, not once breaking eye contact. "I love you, Anastasia," he spoke the actual words. From the way he delivered it, he was serious when he spoke it, and she knew he wasn't one for subtlties and deceit. He was honest, frank, and always meant what he said.
It was at once the best and the worst news she’d ever received in her life. Ana carefully disconnected their minds, though some vestigial trace of it remained—she could feel it. Deciding to worry about it later, she stood on her toes, wrapping both of her arms around his neck. It wasn’t a matter of feeling bold or shy or anything like that. She just didn’t think about what she was doing at all.
Her fingers curled in his shaggy hair; it was slicked back a bit, so much of it trailed to his nape. Ana let herself pause just for a moment an inch away, their breath mingling. But when he didn’t try to slow her down, the closed the distance that was left.
Their first kiss, she had definitively received—she hadn’t known what to do, and as a result, hadn’t been able to react in time. This one, she gave. She still had no idea what she was doing, but she didn’t think or analyze or calculate it. She just acted. It was tentative, a product of her utter lack of practice. But it was sweet as well—his lips were soft against hers, and she ventured to nip just lightly at his lower lip as she moved back.
“I’ve never loved anyone like this,” she said softly, still so close her mouth almost touched his. “Not like I love you.’
His entire body seemed to relax when she spoke since it tensed a bit when she'd kissed him. He had responded in kind, though, before she'd pulled back. His arms, however, moved so that she was completely embraced, and he was holding her tightly. Not so tightly that she'd break, but almost as if he were slightly afraid. What of, though, was hard to tell. He hadn't said anything yet, and merely remained where he was, as they were. Faces so close that they could both feel their breath against each other.
"And I am sorry for it," he finally spoke, and there was something in his voice that seemed to break. "Because you should not love someone like me," he continued, loosening his hold on her. He didn't completely move away, though. "I am afraid, though, that even if I tried, I couldn't give you up," he said as he leaned his forehead against hers.
"And for that, I am not sorry."
“One day,” she said softly. “One day, you won’t feel that way about yourself anymore. I’m going to make sure of it.” She smiled, angling her head to brush the side of her nose against his. She promised herself it would be true, too. That it would be the last thing she set as a goal for herself before the end. If she could leave the world knowing that he no longer thought of himself as unworthy, then she could forgive herself for leaving it. Leaving him.
“Just you wait, Eryk Nero.”
She spun out, and he caught her arm as she went by, reversing her momentum so she could flip over his arm like a bar—by that point, it was more improvisation than anything. But it was loads of fun, and other people joined in around them, whirling around in a flurry of color and laughter. She’d never been in the middle of anything like it.
When the music drew to a stop, she was panting, but laughing. Reaching up, she tugged one of the roses from her hair and held it out to the man—Mr. Angelo. He chuckled, accepting it with a little bow. “Ah, if I were twenty years younger,” he said, pretending to sigh wistfully. Ana giggled at him.
They parted ways, and she headed for the edge of the dancing area, intent on finding something to drink. She’d been occupied with all the new dances to learn for a couple of hours now—it was probably better that she take a rest so she didn’t tire herself out too much.
"It looks like you were enjoying yourself," Eryk spoke, almost as if he'd appeared out of nowhere. He glanced down at her, his brows set in a relaxed motion. He seemed to be enjoying himself, too, since he wasn't visibly frowning or glaring at someone. He had two cups in his hand, and they both looked to be water. "It's coconut water. It's supposed to be more hydrating," he seemed to explained, offering her one of the cups.
“Oh, thank you.” Ana accepted her cup gratefully, lifting it to her mouth and forcing herself to swallow slowly. It didn’t taste wonderful, but it did feel quite refreshing, so he might not be wrong about the hydration.
She lowered the cup away from her mouth with a soft sigh, offering him a smile. “You look really nice, Eryk,” she told him honestly. “I didn’t get a chance to say so earlier, but it’s true.” It was more than just the fact that the suit fit him well or the colors worked well for him—which was all definitely the case. Rather, he looked comfortable, in the clothes and his own skin, and she was happy to see it.
It seemed better to hide her ongoing smile behind the rim of her cup, else he might wonder why she was still wearing it. So she took another few sips of water.
"Thank you," he spoke, taking a drink out of his own cup. He seemed to like the flavor since he didn't seem to drink as slowly as she did. He glanced at her for a moment, though. "You look..." he paused, pursing his lips together. It looked like he was trying to find the right words to say, especially since his brows furrowed. "You look beautiful," he stated, seemingly finding the right word.
"The dress looks nice on you, too. You should wear things like that more often," he spoke a little freely, offering her a softer expression. He didn't quite smile, though. "But I understand that taking care of the shelter doesn't exactly allow for such clothes," he continued, shrugging his shoulders lightly.
Ana felt her face heat up, but she didn’t mind. Eryk wasn’t one for polite compliments—if he said something, he meant it. So she was flattered, and she was okay with him knowing that. At his comment about the shelter, though, she smiled again. “I guess I’ll just have to find more things to go to with a nicer dress code,” she said. “Maybe one day we can go to an orchestra show after all.”
They hadn’t been able to work one out with the schedule in Saffron, especially once Eryk and the others had made it to the finals. Ana didn’t mind that, but she still hoped they might be able to see a performance someday soon. Maybe she should look into closer locations for one once they got home. Or maybe… if they ended up having enough time for that trip to Fuchsia.
"It wouldn't be too difficult," he replied with ease. He'd finished off the rest of his drink, and had set it down on a nearby table. "We could see if they have a performance soon, somewhere close by when we go home, if you'd like," he spoke, almost as if reading her mind. He glanced at her, the soft expression turning into his, now, trademark smile for her. "Or," he began, pausing for a second to glance at her.
"If you'd like, I could give you a reason to wear something nice, once a week," he spoke. What he said was a little vague, but it sounded like he was offering to take her out once a week. Like setting a date for a date.
If anything, the color on her face got darker, but Ana was far too happy to care. It was hard to call whatever they had dating, exactly, mostly because of the absence of actual dates. She didn’t mind—if all she ever got to do was spend quiet time with him, that would be enough. But she was warmed by the offer, and nodded immediately.
“That sounds… great, actually,” she admitted, smiling softly. Holding her cup in one hand, she stepped in and hugged him with the other arm, settling herself comfortably into his side. From where they were, they had a good view of the bonfire, and the places where people were dancing or otherwise enjoying themselves. She couldn’t see Harper and Drake, though she did spot Kas and Cy.
Her eyes widened. “Oh my—are they doing a tango?” There was no other way to describe it.
Eryk blinked a little confusedly at her, before following her gaze. He raised a brow, though, and scoffed lightly. He must have seen them, because he had a small smile on his face, too. "It looks like they are," he spoke, seemingly amused by the whole thing. He didn't take his eyes off of their dance, though, and seemed a little melancholy about it. Maybe because he knew their predicament? He pushed a soft sigh through his nose and shook his head.
"I'm surprised she'd do something like that with him. Tangos are not exactly known for being friendly," he continued, probably referring to how close the dancers were. "They're more intimate." Eryk didn't dance, a lot, but he must have known about them.
Ana considered that. She knew how to do them, and in order to learn, she’d danced tango with fellow physical therapy patients and the dance instructors. “It’s true that there’s a lot more contact,” she agreed. “But something like that… I think it has more to do with the people than the contact. It can mean nothing… or a lot.” She’d learned how to tell partners with chemistry apart from those without, and even a complete amateur could see that something was going on between Kas and Cy. Professionals could fake it for three minutes at a time, but they weren’t professionals.
Still… she supposed it was theirs to figure out. Ana sighed. “I hope it works out for them,” she said quietly. She wasn’t sure it would—Kas was a complicated person, and their run-in with Leila the other day had convinced her that his history was equally-complicated.
Eryk pushed a deep sigh from his nose. "Maybe, but they're both stubborn," he replied softly. "Especially since Cy refuses to admit to it. I think... they both just need a little push in the right direction. I'm not one to speak, though," he spoke, taking his eyes from them, and placing them back on her. "And their... situation isn't the kind of push I'm talking about," he added, referring to their marriage. That much was obvious.
"Is something bothering you, though?" he spoke, raising a concerned brow in her direction. It wasn't obvious he was concerned, but his expressions and facial pulls were easy enough to read by now.
She sighed heavily, her mouth pulling into a small grimace. “It’s just… Kas and I were out a couple days ago. We ran into someone he knew. It was… really awkward. When I asked him who it was, he said she was his first love. And he… didn’t quite seem to be comfortable seeing her again, so I don’t think it ended well.” She was afraid—afraid that something like that, if it had been painful enough, might be an obstacle now.
“I don’t… I don’t think he still loves her or anything. But it seemed pretty clear to me that he was hurt pretty badly at some point by whatever happened.”
He pursed his lips into a thoughtful manner. His brows furrowed and he glanced back out. He seemed to be contemplating what she'd just said, and he remained quiet for at least a few minutes. Sighing softly, his eyes set into something like understanding, and maybe, realization. He shook his head and glanced back at her, offering her a reassuring nod of his head. It didn't look like he wanted to speak of it, not yet, and remained quiet for a moment longer.
"I suppose some of it makes sense, now, why he acts the way he does," he spoke, but there was nothing malicious in his tone. It seemed almost... sympathetic. "But I guess the dumbass doesn't know that he's Cy's first love. She's never loved anyone before, and I don't think she's ever really liked anyone, either," he spoke as if he knew first hand. He probably did, knowing how close they were.
"Actually, I think he does. I just... hope he doesn't do anything that he'll regret. I'd like to think he's a lot smarter than that," he continued, shaking his head. Kas was his friend, and Cy was his family. He probably approved of it, but he also must have known how hard it would be on the both of them. "But I'm sure, in the long run, if they need it, you can give them an extra push. They might need it, and you've always been good at grounding people. You've... done that for me," he stated. Placing a hand on her shoulder, the one that didn't have the bandage on it, and gave a soft squeeze before dropping his hand.
She hoped that was true, but she also hoped it wouldn’t be necessary. That they’d work it out themselves. In either case, the time to do anything about it certainly wasn’t now. Ana smiled gratefully at Eryk, nodding her head slightly. “Thanks,” she said simply. “I’m… glad I’ve been helpful.”
There were a lot of other things she could say there, but she couldn’t seem to decide between them. In the end, the one she chose was one she hadn’t even known she wanted to ask until she was asking it. “Um… would you mind if I—er.” It was sort of a strange request. There were no examples in her memory to go off of for people asking this question, not even in things she’d read or movies or anything—bad as those examples usually were for the real world.
“Can I try linking with you? I mean… telepathically? I just… I haven’t had practice with a human in forever. I promise I won’t go anywhere you don’t want me to, but I thought… I thought it would be interesting to try.” She’d used to practice with Edgar, but she hadn’t been inside another person’s mind since then.
He blinked slowly at her, apparently taking in what she said. For a minute, he just stared at her, as if he weren't sure, but it seemed that he was just contemplating. "I don't see why not. I've never had a need to use my own, I'm might be a little rusty," he finally spoke. He had mentioned before that he was telepathic, but never that he'd used it before. "And Kenshin doesn't count," he added, speaking of the lucario.
"His species can do that with any human," he spoke, as if trying to explain his statement. "I don't mind if you do go anywhere just..." he paused, taking in a breath. "Just don't be alarmed by what you see," he spoke, closing his eyes softly. It looked like he was trying to relax since his entire body language seemed to do that. He was just relaxed, now. "Whenever you are ready."
“Okay,” she said softly. It didn’t escape Ana how much trust he was placing in her to let her do something like this—she knew he didn’t think of himself as an especially-good person, and so to leave open the possibility that she might come to know exactly why was a risk for him. Carefully, Ana took both of his hands in hers, stepping in close enough that she could feel just vaguely the heat of his body.
Ana let her eyes fall closed so she could concentrate, reaching inside herself for that locus of power she felt always. She imagined it spatially just behind her forehead, in the center, but of course reality was more complicated than that. It came to her with surprising ease, and when she extended it outwards, it almost seemed to seek Eryk’s mind, like flakes of iron might seek a magnet.
The pull was stronger than she’d expected; she had to work hard to ease herself into his mind instead of just barging inelegantly. Carefully, she let her power bleed into his, and his responded. She’d felt that before, with Edgar, but this was… different. Edgar had felt like submerging into warm water—comfortable, soothing, and steady that way. Eryk’s mind felt more like walking into fire. She knew it wouldn’t burn, but there was something still wild about it—tumultuous, conflicted, unsettled. Ana kept herself contained, resisting the automatic desire to explore at the touch of another mind, to go delving for what it contained.
The mental contact was staggeringly intimate—more than she remembered it being. But their minds snapped together like they belonged that way, and it required almost no effort at all to maintain the connection. How’s this? she thought at him, eyes still closed. I’m not hurting you, am I? It was possible to cause pain this way, especially by doing anything too sudden, but she’d tried to avoid that.
No, you're not, he responded. It's not quite what I remember it being, though, he continued, and mostly because he probably never had someone to practice with, like she did. There were soft murmurs in his mind, and they all seemed to beat differently. If... something makes you uncomfortable, you can pull out, he continued. It seemed like he was trying not to hurt her more-so than he was worried about being hurt. He allowed small flurries of memories to brush her own mind, but there was one in particular.
He looked no younger than maybe eight years old. He was smiling, not in the way he did now. This one was a little different. There was more emotion behind it, more something. He was looking at something, but the only clue as to what was the sound of someone crying. It sounded like a baby. His mouth moved somewhat, before his attention shifted towards someone, and the smile that was on his face, disappeared completely. He looked upset. The memory faded, and another one took its place.
It was still of Eryk, but he looked older. He looked maybe twenty years of age, perhaps maybe a little older. He was upset at something, but that wasn't what stood out. His face looked to be split open, and he was bleeding profusely. He just stood there, though, and his eyes looked... vacant, hollow almost. He was saying something to someone, but whatever he said, earned in another lash. His forehead looked to have split open widely. Blood was now pouring from both wounds, but he still didn't budge. He didn't blink. The memory seemed to have faded suddenly, though, like someone turning off the lights quickly.
I'm sorry. I didn't mean for you to see that, he apologized. It looked like there might have been more to that memory, but for obvious reasons, he didn't want her to see it. I'm still not used to doing this, he seemed to explain.
She suspected the first memory must be of Cyrilla as a baby. It was at once wonderful and heartbreaking to see him smile like that—the heartbreak was because she doubted he’d done so since. Not with that kind of feeling behind it.
You don’t have to apologize, she replied after a moment. Though she remained in mental contact with him, she opened her eyes, reaching up with one of her hands to gently run her fingers along the corresponding scar on his forehead. That’s… how you got these, isn’t it?
She could hear him sigh, and he locked eyes with her. It is, he answered, leaning a little towards her hand. He sighed again, this one a little deeper and heavier. The family... they didn't approve of what I did so I was punished twice. Once for Cy's crimes, and once for mine, the mental link had softened considerably when he replied, almost as if he were unsure he should continue. He didn't drop his gaze, though. There was probably more to that memory than he'd shown, but he'd cut it off too quickly before more could be exposed.
She told me that she told you about them, but never how I received them, he spoke to her. Cyrilla had mentioned that Eryk's scars were meant for her, but never why or how. If you want to know... he hesitated, it was easy to feel. I will tell you, he continued. He was leaving it for her to decide, it seemed. Whether she wanted to know why or how he received the scars, it was her decision to make.
You can tell me, she replied, or show me. But only if you don’t mind. I don’t want to make you live that experience again if you don’t want to. You don’t have to tell me anything, Eryk. I’m happy with whatever parts of your history you want to share with me—and content if you don't. It was clear that it was a sensitive issue for him, but of course something like that would be. She certainly didn’t want to force the story out of him.
He seemed to contemplate her words, keeping his gaze stead with hers. There are things I do want to share with you, parts of my history that I've never shared with anyone before, he began, lifting a hand to brush a knuckle along the line of her jaw. The touch may have been soft, but she could feel the callouses of his hand as he laid it against her neck. This part of my history... it is not something I am ashamed of, because I did it for myself and for a good reason, he spoke, closing his eyes softly. He was searching for that memory again, it seemed.
Once he'd found it, it brushed against her mind softly, easing itself into her subconscious before it fully settled. He was surrounded by a group of people. One she could recognize as Marah, but the others looked vaguely like his family members. They all sported a variety of colored hair, ranging from a deep emerald, a pale violet, to black colored strands. They were talking to him about something, but from the looks of it, they were handing him something.
Those two, the ones with the black hair, he stated, focusing on the faces of two people. Both of them sported red eyes, though, similar to the ones of someone she knew. Those are Cy's parents. They were looking for her, but they couldn't find her. She'd run away from home about a week prior, he explained. They didn't look happy about it, either. They thought I could find her because of how close we were, are, he continued.
The memory faded somewhat, shifting to a vision of Eryk staring at someone. It looked like he was in Viridian's forest from the imagery. He was staring at a young girl, about fourteen. From the color of her hair, it was Cyrilla, and she looked almost terrified. His expression, though, had softened when he was speaking to her, and her own expression softened somewhat as well. He handed her a pokéball, and said something else to her.
I managed to find her there, in Viridian Forest. She ran away from the clan because she didn't want to be a part of Team Rocket, nor the clan. She thought she could get away from them, and if it were not for me, she might have. I... told her to take the pokémon in that ball and to keep running, he explained, though it sounded like there was a sigh in his voice. Cyrilla had only shook her head in the memory, and opened the ball. It was a riolu, most likely Kenshin. She told me no, and she came back with me to the clan.
The memory faded back to the both of them in what appeared to be Fuchsia City. They were on a large compound, and they were surrounded by more people. Marah was there along with Cy's parents, and they were all speaking at once. Eryk stepped in front of Cyrilla at that point. The expression on his face was extremely dark, darker than he'd ever worn it before. He spoke something in retaliation, it looked like, and seemed to shock and confuse them.
They wanted to me to deal out the punishment. I had refused, he explained that particular scene. It made a sense that they would have reacted that way, then. But because I refused, they were going to have someone else do it. I offered them something else, he spoke. His mental link sounded almost tired. I offered them my complete obedience in return that they give Cy a lighter sentence. They had agreed, but they still needed to set an example out of my retaliation and current disobedience, he continued. The memory then faded to the one it was earlier. He was standing, but she could see that his hands were bound in front of him.
There was another person in front of him, and it was immediately recognizable of who it was: Marah. She was holding what looked like a whip of some kind, only, the end of it looked to be laced with a strange blade. The first and second lash was to his face, drawing the blood she'd seen earlier. After that, a person walked up to him, and removed the button up shirt he was wearing, and turned him around. He complied easily enough, and Marah began moving the weapon. It crossed against his back, one slicing almost through his shoulder, and it looked like she'd whipped him at least ten times. If there were more, Ana wouldn't know. He'd cut off the link after that.
It might seem extreme to most people, and maybe it was, but, he spoke, opening his eyes to stare at her. If I hadn't done that... they might have, he paused in that sentence, and his jaw visibly clenced tightly. The implication was clear. Eryk was durable, that had been obvious, but if that had been Cyrilla, as young as she was, it would have likely killed her, especially with as much blood it looked like he'd lost. He shook his head and sighed.
I am... sorry, Ana, perhaps this isn't the occasion for such things, he apologized.
Experiencing a memory through direct psychic connection was very different from simply hearing a story. Ana felt phantom pain on her back, and the side of her face; she almost could have sworn she felt blood sliding down her cheeks. But those were tears, actually—it seemed at some point she’d started to cry. She was shaking, too; the hand that wasn’t on his face clenched in his shirt.
No, she said firmly into the mindspace they shared. I understand exactly why you acted that way. I… thank you. For sharing that with me. She wanted to tell him how sorry she was, but she knew he didn’t quite understand why someone who had nothing to do with it would apologize, and she wasn’t sure she could explain properly. So instead, she let him feel it—Ana opened up the connection between them a little further, letting her feelings wash in.
Sympathy and sadness were most prominent, but there was also more than a little admiration and fierce pride—pride in him, for him. All of it was gentled by the unnamed—but not nameless—thing she felt for him all the time, a mix of tender affection, protectiveness, respect, admiration, and something deeper than all of it, beyond all of it, just barely tinging the current of emotion.
She held most of that part back, though.
Ana leaned forward into him, her forehead touching his sternum, the hand on his face sliding down to the juncture of his neck and shoulder. Now that she knew it was there, she thought she could feel the beginning of another patch of rough skin on his back, through the shirt he wore. I don’t… I don’t know if this is good to say, she admitted, sighing against his chest. But I think your scars are beautiful. I always have.
At their closeness, she could feel him shudder, and his breath ghosted over her face. It was warm, and he leaned a little closer, if it were possible. You think the strangest of things, you know that, he simply spoke. His eyes were closed, she could see that, but there was a content kind of expression on his face. He seemed happy, though there really wasn't reason to be, at least not after what he'd just shared with her. He took in another breath, as if he were breathing her in, and he lifted his hand so that he it was on the back of her neck, rubbing his thumb into the middle of it in gentle motions. His eyes opened thereafter, and he seemed to peering into her own, as if he were searching her soul for something.
Do you know, that you are one of the most important people in my life? he stated, his voice oddly serious. I don't know when, or why it happened, but I do know this, he continued, not once breaking eye contact. "I love you, Anastasia," he spoke the actual words. From the way he delivered it, he was serious when he spoke it, and she knew he wasn't one for subtlties and deceit. He was honest, frank, and always meant what he said.
It was at once the best and the worst news she’d ever received in her life. Ana carefully disconnected their minds, though some vestigial trace of it remained—she could feel it. Deciding to worry about it later, she stood on her toes, wrapping both of her arms around his neck. It wasn’t a matter of feeling bold or shy or anything like that. She just didn’t think about what she was doing at all.
Her fingers curled in his shaggy hair; it was slicked back a bit, so much of it trailed to his nape. Ana let herself pause just for a moment an inch away, their breath mingling. But when he didn’t try to slow her down, the closed the distance that was left.
Their first kiss, she had definitively received—she hadn’t known what to do, and as a result, hadn’t been able to react in time. This one, she gave. She still had no idea what she was doing, but she didn’t think or analyze or calculate it. She just acted. It was tentative, a product of her utter lack of practice. But it was sweet as well—his lips were soft against hers, and she ventured to nip just lightly at his lower lip as she moved back.
“I’ve never loved anyone like this,” she said softly, still so close her mouth almost touched his. “Not like I love you.’
His entire body seemed to relax when she spoke since it tensed a bit when she'd kissed him. He had responded in kind, though, before she'd pulled back. His arms, however, moved so that she was completely embraced, and he was holding her tightly. Not so tightly that she'd break, but almost as if he were slightly afraid. What of, though, was hard to tell. He hadn't said anything yet, and merely remained where he was, as they were. Faces so close that they could both feel their breath against each other.
"And I am sorry for it," he finally spoke, and there was something in his voice that seemed to break. "Because you should not love someone like me," he continued, loosening his hold on her. He didn't completely move away, though. "I am afraid, though, that even if I tried, I couldn't give you up," he said as he leaned his forehead against hers.
"And for that, I am not sorry."
“One day,” she said softly. “One day, you won’t feel that way about yourself anymore. I’m going to make sure of it.” She smiled, angling her head to brush the side of her nose against his. She promised herself it would be true, too. That it would be the last thing she set as a goal for herself before the end. If she could leave the world knowing that he no longer thought of himself as unworthy, then she could forgive herself for leaving it. Leaving him.
“Just you wait, Eryk Nero.”
Drake was certain that he had two left feet. He'd tried dancing with a few of the guests, but he ended up embarrassing himself, of that he was sure of. They had seemed to laugh at him in good nature, but he didn't seem to mind entirely. He didn't know how to dance, after all, and he wasn't going to pretend he did. But he also wasn't going to say no to someone who wanted to, and he'd been asked at least three times. Of course, he hadn't charmed anyone, at least not enough to get a flower from them, however; that was okay. There was only one person he wanted one from, and he was currently looking for her. He found her, eventually, down by the bonfire. She was wearing somewhat of an amused look, and he raised a brow.
"What are you so amused by?" he asked curiously. He wasn't even going to hide the fact that he was curious. He stopped next to her so that he was standing at least a foot away from her. It was a polite distance away, but he knew it wouldn't stay like that for too long.
“That,” she said, tilting her chin. Following the angle, he was able to spot Cyrilla and Kasimir engaged in a rather… close tango. They were pretty good, too. Kas looked like he’d done it more than once before, and Cy was following really well.
Harper’s shoulder brushed against his as she got closer. “And you, of course. It’s funny to watch you bumble around and enjoy it. That’s how you judge dancing at a party like this, right? The best dancer is the one having the most fun.” She grinned.
He blinked at her. "I suppose so," he replied, shaking his head softly. He wouldn't know; he's never judged anything before, except maybe a Gym Battle. "I never claimed to be a good dancer, though, so I have to bumble like a combee. I'd get swept away in the current if I didn't," he joked, shoving his shoulder against hers before wrapping an arm around her shoulders. He gave the one he held, a soft squeeze, before he allowed it to drop.
"But by all means, if you want to have a go like they are," he spoke, nodding his head towards her brother and Cy, "I can't say it'll be as good, or as pretty. I might even drop you, and I'd rather avoid that, actually."
He didn't want to even think about what would happen if he did drop her, accident or not.
Harper laughed, shaking her head. “Mm… I might have to teach you a few moves at some point. But for now… why don’t we head up to the garden? It’s a little less crazy near the house.” She must have been referring to the noise and activity level around the bonfire. The garden was certain to be less loud, and probably offer more by way of privacy, though she didn’t say that, exactly.
"Alright," he replied. He didn't have any reservations about it, and he spared one last glance towards the two dancers. He smiled a little to himself before shaking his head. They fit, oddly, well together, he supposed. He wondered if they knew that? Shaking his head again, he led the way back to the garden, both of them greeting people who passed by, guests and family alike. Once they were up to the garden, he smiled a little to himself.
"Less crazy, and there aren't too many people up here. I think... you set it up this way, Harp," he spoke, grinning as he did so. He was poking at her, but he also knew she would do the same thing, but ten times worse. He was starting to think he was secretly a masochist, because he actually enjoyed it. Maybe he was? That wasn't a bad thing, he didn't think.
“Hm, yes. I was actually planning this whole time to get you alone in my clutches,” she said, taking a step in front of him and spinning around, hooking her fingers into his shoulders as though they were claws. She didn’t apply much pressure, of course, and she walked backwards easily, without looking over her shoulder.
Her mouth turned up into a sly half-smile. “But only because I know you like it,” she purred, darting in to kiss his cheek before spinning away again. She headed further in towards the garden, apparently expecting him to follow.
Yeah he was definitely a masochist. He laughed lightly as he followed after. He wasn't not going to follow her. If he hadn't, that would have just left a bad impression, and that was the last thing he wanted to do. That, and hurt her. He'd never want to do that, intentionally or not. The garden was actually really beautiful, he decided, and he liked the way the flowers were growing and entwined with everything around. Maybe he could get a few of these plants and bring them back with him? It'd certainly brighten up the Gym, at least.
"I only like it because I like you," he finally retorted in a playful manner, moving so that he was a little closer to her. Keeping up with her wasn't too hard. She was, after all, only an inch shorter than him. He didn't have to pace himself like he used to for Ana or Cyrilla. It was a little nice, actually. "Besides, you always have the best plans."
“I do,” she agreed readily. “I’m glad you noticed.” She playfully kept just out of his reach, maintaining her distance along the garden path. It was easy to tell she was doing it on purpose, too.
Eventually, they reached an area that must have been near the center of the garden. There was a well-sized light granite fountain here; the water in it burbled musically and caught the light from the sky above, glinting silver. Something was set against the side of it, but Harper either didn’t notice or didn’t care at the moment. The spot was surrounded by flowers, with only a small gap between where the flowerbeds ended and the fountain sat.
“Kas and Crystal used to play with me in the garden when I was little,” she told him, amusement threaded in her voice. “I’ve been tossed into that fountain more than once.”
"They threw you into the fountain?" he asked, the surprise and amusement settling on his face. "I'm sure they didn't get away with it, though." he could almost picture the three of them doing something like that. It almost made him wish that he had siblings. Unfortunately, he was an only child. It's not for the lack of trying, though. After he'd been born, his mother became sick, and her uterus had become infected. Apparently, the hospital they had went to to deliver in wasn't exactly a good one. They hadn't removed the afterbirth, and they didn't even tell her about it. His mother was young when she had him, and she wasn't exactly well-versed on medical procedures.
It was only after she'd become ill that they realized their mistake, and they had to take everything out, making her barren. He sighed a little at that. "I'm kind of glad I don't have siblings, or older ones. I don't think I would have survived my childhood. Gramps was bad enough, even though he was my great-grandpa," he admitted somewhat.
"I promise I won't throw you into the fountain if that's what you're worried about, though," he joked.
Harper snorted. “You wouldn’t dare,” she said, grinning.
She sighed, though, and sat down gracefully on the edge of the fountain. With a hand, she made a beckoning motion, indicating that he should come sit beside her. “I do believe,’ Harper said, smiling wryly, “that we owe each other a conversation.”
She could only be referring to the incident a couple of days ago, when Drake met Michelle and Harper apparently accidentally referred to him as her boyfriend. They hadn’t really been able to talk since, with all the wedding preparation going on. But here and now, there was no one around but them.
For some reason, his heart dropped, and he could feel his stomach doing odd flips. He wasn't going to avoid the conversation, though. It needed to happen. He wanted to know where they were at. He wanted to know just what exactly she thought of him. As slow as they had been taking it, he wasn't going to deny that he was, incredibly so, smitten with her. He'd never really felt that way about anyone. Sure, past girlfriends had always managed to make him fall head over heels for them, but that wasn't quite the same thing with her. He wasn't falling over himself; he was coming to an understanding, centering himself so that he wouldn't fall, but something else entirely. It was hard to explain, now that he thought about it.
"I believe you're right," he finally responded, taking a seat next to her. He glanced down at her hand, and wanted to hold it, however; it would probably be better to wait. He glanced back up at her, though, and held her gaze as best as he could. "So, Harper Rheinallt," he began, using her full name, "tell me what's on your mind, and where we stand."
“Melody,” she said, sounding a little sheepish. “My middle name is Melody, in case you wanted to know.” She sighed softly, bracing both hands next to her legs, against the edge of the stone they sat on.
“I… I really like you, Drake,” she said, somewhat haltingly. It didn’t have the usual ease of conversation for her and with her; perhaps she was struggling to put the right words to what she felt? It was impossible to say what the exact difficulty was, only that there was one. “A lot. Honestly, that doesn't even fully describe it. I think—” She paused.
“With a little more time, I might even… I might come to love you, even.” She looked at her feet, pursing her lips. Her entire body position telegraphed nervousness, withdrawal, and unease—it didn’t seem quite right for the situation. For the words.
"But there's something stopping you, isn't there?" he replied almost immediately. She seemed hesitant, or maybe something else, he couldn't exactly tell. He did know that something was stopping her, or maybe he was just thinking too much about it. "I'm not going to lie, Harper. That's the last thing I'd ever want to do to you," he spoke first. Perhaps if he told her first, she'd be a little more inclined to speak what was on her mind.
"I know it might seem like we've only just met, and that we're taking things slowly, but there is no might or maybes about the way I feel. I do, more than anything, mean what I say, and what I've said. When I told gramps you were my girlfriend, the first time," he enunciated it so that she understood that he said it more than once, "it was a little unsettling. I don't know how many times I've said it since then, but I do know that it's made me happy to say it."
Even now he was happy about it. "Maybe it's too soon to say it, or maybe I might be too late in saying this, but I want you to know that I do love you. And I'm not saying it to make you think that I want something more from you. Don't get me wrong, I'd like to have something more with you, but I also know that you're not ready for something like that. I'm not going to push you or pressure you into something you don't want. Honestly, I'm afraid you'd kick my ass even if I tried," he spoke a little lighter so that the tone wasn't entirely too serious. He didn't want to scare her off, after all.
"I just... don't want you to think any less of me, I suppose," he continued, rubbing the back of his neck. This was actually harder than he thought it'd be. He supposed he could understand a little bit, now. He wasn't even sure if he made any sense at the moment, but he did hope she understood some of it.
She licked her lips, parting them to speak. When she did, it was even more halting than the confession had been. “It’s not… it’s not you,” she said. “There’s nothing wrong with anything you’ve done. In fact, it’s the opposite—you’ve been… you’ve been amazing. Being with you has been amazing. I didn’t even know a… relationship could be like this. I have so much fun with you, and I’m so, so glad that you like being around me, too.”
She forced her eyes up to meet his, one corner of her mouth curling upwards. It was wry, though, and there was something heavy lingering there, weighing her down. “I think that’s why, more than ever, I’m afraid. Because I’ve never felt that. I’ve never felt this good with someone. And the time I came closest…”
Harper pushed out a deep breath, looking away again. “You know I delayed my journey, right? The truth is, I first tried going on one when I was fifteen.” That wasn’t unusual—most kids went between fourteen and sixteen these days, though there were some people who were pushing for laws to make it seventeen, the legal age of majority in Kanto.
“I… met someone. Derek. He was… well, he was my first love, I suppose. He was older than me—I didn’t think by much, but it turns out he was twenty at the time, I guess, which probably should have tipped me off. What does a barely-fifteen girl have in common with an actual adult, you know?” She shook her head, still looking down.
“We traveled together. It was normal at first. Everyone does it. And I started to feel like I might love him, and so I let him kiss me. And when that’s all it was, I was over the moon, you know? I thought I was in love and going to marry him some day—the whole thing. Like stupid little girls all do when they think their boyfriend is ‘the one.’ Even when he’s just the first one. It’s easy to get them confused.”
Her sandal scuffed against the paving stones in front of their feet. She pursed her lips. “Eventually he wanted to do more than just kiss me. I… hesitated, but he told me it was what I’d do if I loved him, and I believed him, so…” She shrugged. “I felt terrible afterward. The next time he asked, I said no. He didn’t like it, and tried to… you know. Force the issue.” She snorted softly. “I’m my father’s daughter in a lot of ways, though, and I was back then, too. I probably would have won, even though he was much bigger, but… he had a knife.”
Her arm wrapped around her abdomen, resting on the left side. “He stabbed me. More than once. And then he freaked out and ran. I guess someone found me, because I woke up in the hospital. And I figured that was the end of my journeying, you know?”
Drake didn't know what to say. He felt a boiling rage inside of him, though. He'd never felt like that before, and all he knew was that it hurt. What she said, it was like there was a knife twisting inside of his stomach and just churning. He took in a soft breath to steady himself, relaxing his muscles that he knew were tense. He couldn't move for a second, but he forced himself to. He moved so that he was closer to her, and he pulled her to him, allowing her head to fall to his chest, and he just held her. It was maddening, what happened to her. Fifteen or not, no one should have to experience something like that. No one.
"Harper," he spoke her name as delicately as he could. That couldn't have been easy for her, to tell him something like that, but he was glad she did. It meant that she trusted him, enough so to say something like that. It wasn't an easy topic for most people, and from what he could see, she was stronger than she let on. "I..." he paused, swallowing passed the sudden lump that'd grown in his throat.
"I'm sorry that happened to you," he spoke finally, though he winced at his own words. He knew that wasn't exactly something you should say to someone about that, but he didn't exactly know what else to say. He would have never expected that from her, if he'd been in Derek's shoes. He'd have wanted to see her grow, to help her acheive whatever dream she had. But it appeared that Derek was only after one thing, and that alone caused the anger to rise again.
"Harper, I know this might sound cliché, and I know you probably won't believe me," he spoke slowly, trying to put his words properly in his thoughts. He didn't want to slip and say something that might push her away. " I wouldn't blame you if you didn't believe me, but I just want you to know that, I would never expect anything from you, not like that. You... are a wonderful person. You're strong, smart, sassy, which by the way I find a very attractive quality of yours, and you're an amazing trainer. I don't know anyone who could come close to shining as brightly as you do. It leaves me in awe of you, sometimes. I'm a little envious of you, too, but that might just be my own insecurities at play."
"The only thing I would want from you is to just keep being you. Maybe also, down the road, you'll let me help you, and protect you, even though you're perfectly capable on your own, but that's it, really. I wouldn't want anything else from you, only unless you want to." Sometimes he felt stupid with the things he said, but there wasn't any way to take it back now. He meant every word of it, too. He released her after that so she could put some distance between them if it was comfortable for her.
She didn’t move away though; instead, she clenched her hands in the fabric of the back of his shirt. She either couldn’t or didn’t look at him, keeping her cheek against his chest, and her eyes turned inwards towards the fountain.
“I know,” she said softly. “You’re nothing like him, and I’m so glad. And I want you to know that I’m not… it’s not something I think about every day anymore. It’s not stopping me from living my life the way I want to and doing the things I want to do, the way I want to do them. I was…” she shook her head, still leaning against him. “I was a pathetic mess for a long time after it happened. But I’m not anymore. It’s just… sometimes it sneaks back up on me when I’m not expecting it, and… I wanted you to understand. In case it… in case something brings it up again.”
She relaxed her hands, pushing back a little so she could look at his face. “And some things are easy. My body is mine, I know that. I have complete control over what happens to it, and I know I can protect myself if I have to. I’ve taken that back. But the rest is… harder. My—oh arceus, this is going to sound dumb.” She sighed, glancing back up at him. “My emotions, my—my heart. It’s a little… a little busted up, you know? And I’m just… I’m afraid that another break will be the end of it, so…” She smiled, but it wasn’t a cheerful expression.
“I can’t ask you to promise you won’t break it. That’s not fair—neither of us knows what’s going to happen. So I have to… give it over slowly, you know? I wanted you to know that’s not your fault.”
"Then take as long as you need. I'm a patient man, I can wait," he spoke. If she had to give it over slowly, then he would let her do it at her own pace. He wasn't going to force her. And perhaps she was right, she couldn't ask him to promise not to break her heart. He'd do his best not to, of course, but they both couldn't see the future. He'd like to think he could, but maybe he was just getting ahead of himself? Maybe she'd get tired of him, or decide that he isn't worth giving her heart to, and she'd leave him. He wouldn't blame her, honestly.
"Like I said, I'm not going to force you to do something you don't want to do, and that includes pressuring you into loving me. Just know that I love you, and I'll be here for you whatever may happen. You're still my friend, too, right?" because they could be both, right?
Harper smiled. “Yes,” she agreed, “but I’m a little more than your friend, you know. In fact, I’m pretty sure you were right when you told your gramps that I’m your girlfriend.” She arched an eyebrow. “That’s still true, right?”
He laughed lightly. "Well, I don't know anymore, really. If you're my girlfriend, does that mean I can do this, now?" he teased, leaning a little close to her face. It wasn't fair that she was the only one who could tease him, after all. With a quick motion, he dipped the rest of the way, and placed a quick kiss upon her lips. He didn't linger, or anything, but when he pulled back, he put a polite distance between them, a stupid grin forming on his face.
"Because I think I can do that, much, yeah?" he stated. Yeah, he was probably going to regret that, later, but he couldn't quite bring himself to care.
Harper’s eyes narrowed in mock affront. “Hmph. Taking some liberties, aren’t we? I’ll tell you what.” She leaned back in, placing her hands at the sides of his jaw and sliding them back into his hair. “You can do that, but only if I get to do this.”
In a smooth motion, Harper pulled him forward and threw a leg over his, positioning herself in his lap on the fountain and bringing his mouth back to hers. She did linger; the kiss was soft, languid, and velvety. She pressed herself close to him, reaching up to pull the tie out of his hair. She made a satisfied humming sound when it fell to his back, running her fingers through it several times. “It’s a crime that you tie this up,” she said. Her tone was light, teasing, but she remained firmly seated on his legs.
Her left hand reached up to her own head, and she gently tugged a lily free of the braid on her crown. She offered it to him; it was hard to tell in the dark, but she might even have been blushing. “It’s not my heart,” she said, “but no one else has one. And no one else will.”
He took the lily gingerly from her, but before he drew his hand back completely, he allowed it to settle on hers. It stayed there for a moment before he shook his head, and drew his hand back, dragging the lily with it. "I shall cherish it as if it were," her heart.
"What are you so amused by?" he asked curiously. He wasn't even going to hide the fact that he was curious. He stopped next to her so that he was standing at least a foot away from her. It was a polite distance away, but he knew it wouldn't stay like that for too long.
“That,” she said, tilting her chin. Following the angle, he was able to spot Cyrilla and Kasimir engaged in a rather… close tango. They were pretty good, too. Kas looked like he’d done it more than once before, and Cy was following really well.
Harper’s shoulder brushed against his as she got closer. “And you, of course. It’s funny to watch you bumble around and enjoy it. That’s how you judge dancing at a party like this, right? The best dancer is the one having the most fun.” She grinned.
He blinked at her. "I suppose so," he replied, shaking his head softly. He wouldn't know; he's never judged anything before, except maybe a Gym Battle. "I never claimed to be a good dancer, though, so I have to bumble like a combee. I'd get swept away in the current if I didn't," he joked, shoving his shoulder against hers before wrapping an arm around her shoulders. He gave the one he held, a soft squeeze, before he allowed it to drop.
"But by all means, if you want to have a go like they are," he spoke, nodding his head towards her brother and Cy, "I can't say it'll be as good, or as pretty. I might even drop you, and I'd rather avoid that, actually."
He didn't want to even think about what would happen if he did drop her, accident or not.
Harper laughed, shaking her head. “Mm… I might have to teach you a few moves at some point. But for now… why don’t we head up to the garden? It’s a little less crazy near the house.” She must have been referring to the noise and activity level around the bonfire. The garden was certain to be less loud, and probably offer more by way of privacy, though she didn’t say that, exactly.
"Alright," he replied. He didn't have any reservations about it, and he spared one last glance towards the two dancers. He smiled a little to himself before shaking his head. They fit, oddly, well together, he supposed. He wondered if they knew that? Shaking his head again, he led the way back to the garden, both of them greeting people who passed by, guests and family alike. Once they were up to the garden, he smiled a little to himself.
"Less crazy, and there aren't too many people up here. I think... you set it up this way, Harp," he spoke, grinning as he did so. He was poking at her, but he also knew she would do the same thing, but ten times worse. He was starting to think he was secretly a masochist, because he actually enjoyed it. Maybe he was? That wasn't a bad thing, he didn't think.
“Hm, yes. I was actually planning this whole time to get you alone in my clutches,” she said, taking a step in front of him and spinning around, hooking her fingers into his shoulders as though they were claws. She didn’t apply much pressure, of course, and she walked backwards easily, without looking over her shoulder.
Her mouth turned up into a sly half-smile. “But only because I know you like it,” she purred, darting in to kiss his cheek before spinning away again. She headed further in towards the garden, apparently expecting him to follow.
Yeah he was definitely a masochist. He laughed lightly as he followed after. He wasn't not going to follow her. If he hadn't, that would have just left a bad impression, and that was the last thing he wanted to do. That, and hurt her. He'd never want to do that, intentionally or not. The garden was actually really beautiful, he decided, and he liked the way the flowers were growing and entwined with everything around. Maybe he could get a few of these plants and bring them back with him? It'd certainly brighten up the Gym, at least.
"I only like it because I like you," he finally retorted in a playful manner, moving so that he was a little closer to her. Keeping up with her wasn't too hard. She was, after all, only an inch shorter than him. He didn't have to pace himself like he used to for Ana or Cyrilla. It was a little nice, actually. "Besides, you always have the best plans."
“I do,” she agreed readily. “I’m glad you noticed.” She playfully kept just out of his reach, maintaining her distance along the garden path. It was easy to tell she was doing it on purpose, too.
Eventually, they reached an area that must have been near the center of the garden. There was a well-sized light granite fountain here; the water in it burbled musically and caught the light from the sky above, glinting silver. Something was set against the side of it, but Harper either didn’t notice or didn’t care at the moment. The spot was surrounded by flowers, with only a small gap between where the flowerbeds ended and the fountain sat.
“Kas and Crystal used to play with me in the garden when I was little,” she told him, amusement threaded in her voice. “I’ve been tossed into that fountain more than once.”
"They threw you into the fountain?" he asked, the surprise and amusement settling on his face. "I'm sure they didn't get away with it, though." he could almost picture the three of them doing something like that. It almost made him wish that he had siblings. Unfortunately, he was an only child. It's not for the lack of trying, though. After he'd been born, his mother became sick, and her uterus had become infected. Apparently, the hospital they had went to to deliver in wasn't exactly a good one. They hadn't removed the afterbirth, and they didn't even tell her about it. His mother was young when she had him, and she wasn't exactly well-versed on medical procedures.
It was only after she'd become ill that they realized their mistake, and they had to take everything out, making her barren. He sighed a little at that. "I'm kind of glad I don't have siblings, or older ones. I don't think I would have survived my childhood. Gramps was bad enough, even though he was my great-grandpa," he admitted somewhat.
"I promise I won't throw you into the fountain if that's what you're worried about, though," he joked.
Harper snorted. “You wouldn’t dare,” she said, grinning.
She sighed, though, and sat down gracefully on the edge of the fountain. With a hand, she made a beckoning motion, indicating that he should come sit beside her. “I do believe,’ Harper said, smiling wryly, “that we owe each other a conversation.”
She could only be referring to the incident a couple of days ago, when Drake met Michelle and Harper apparently accidentally referred to him as her boyfriend. They hadn’t really been able to talk since, with all the wedding preparation going on. But here and now, there was no one around but them.
For some reason, his heart dropped, and he could feel his stomach doing odd flips. He wasn't going to avoid the conversation, though. It needed to happen. He wanted to know where they were at. He wanted to know just what exactly she thought of him. As slow as they had been taking it, he wasn't going to deny that he was, incredibly so, smitten with her. He'd never really felt that way about anyone. Sure, past girlfriends had always managed to make him fall head over heels for them, but that wasn't quite the same thing with her. He wasn't falling over himself; he was coming to an understanding, centering himself so that he wouldn't fall, but something else entirely. It was hard to explain, now that he thought about it.
"I believe you're right," he finally responded, taking a seat next to her. He glanced down at her hand, and wanted to hold it, however; it would probably be better to wait. He glanced back up at her, though, and held her gaze as best as he could. "So, Harper Rheinallt," he began, using her full name, "tell me what's on your mind, and where we stand."
“Melody,” she said, sounding a little sheepish. “My middle name is Melody, in case you wanted to know.” She sighed softly, bracing both hands next to her legs, against the edge of the stone they sat on.
“I… I really like you, Drake,” she said, somewhat haltingly. It didn’t have the usual ease of conversation for her and with her; perhaps she was struggling to put the right words to what she felt? It was impossible to say what the exact difficulty was, only that there was one. “A lot. Honestly, that doesn't even fully describe it. I think—” She paused.
“With a little more time, I might even… I might come to love you, even.” She looked at her feet, pursing her lips. Her entire body position telegraphed nervousness, withdrawal, and unease—it didn’t seem quite right for the situation. For the words.
"But there's something stopping you, isn't there?" he replied almost immediately. She seemed hesitant, or maybe something else, he couldn't exactly tell. He did know that something was stopping her, or maybe he was just thinking too much about it. "I'm not going to lie, Harper. That's the last thing I'd ever want to do to you," he spoke first. Perhaps if he told her first, she'd be a little more inclined to speak what was on her mind.
"I know it might seem like we've only just met, and that we're taking things slowly, but there is no might or maybes about the way I feel. I do, more than anything, mean what I say, and what I've said. When I told gramps you were my girlfriend, the first time," he enunciated it so that she understood that he said it more than once, "it was a little unsettling. I don't know how many times I've said it since then, but I do know that it's made me happy to say it."
Even now he was happy about it. "Maybe it's too soon to say it, or maybe I might be too late in saying this, but I want you to know that I do love you. And I'm not saying it to make you think that I want something more from you. Don't get me wrong, I'd like to have something more with you, but I also know that you're not ready for something like that. I'm not going to push you or pressure you into something you don't want. Honestly, I'm afraid you'd kick my ass even if I tried," he spoke a little lighter so that the tone wasn't entirely too serious. He didn't want to scare her off, after all.
"I just... don't want you to think any less of me, I suppose," he continued, rubbing the back of his neck. This was actually harder than he thought it'd be. He supposed he could understand a little bit, now. He wasn't even sure if he made any sense at the moment, but he did hope she understood some of it.
She licked her lips, parting them to speak. When she did, it was even more halting than the confession had been. “It’s not… it’s not you,” she said. “There’s nothing wrong with anything you’ve done. In fact, it’s the opposite—you’ve been… you’ve been amazing. Being with you has been amazing. I didn’t even know a… relationship could be like this. I have so much fun with you, and I’m so, so glad that you like being around me, too.”
She forced her eyes up to meet his, one corner of her mouth curling upwards. It was wry, though, and there was something heavy lingering there, weighing her down. “I think that’s why, more than ever, I’m afraid. Because I’ve never felt that. I’ve never felt this good with someone. And the time I came closest…”
Harper pushed out a deep breath, looking away again. “You know I delayed my journey, right? The truth is, I first tried going on one when I was fifteen.” That wasn’t unusual—most kids went between fourteen and sixteen these days, though there were some people who were pushing for laws to make it seventeen, the legal age of majority in Kanto.
“I… met someone. Derek. He was… well, he was my first love, I suppose. He was older than me—I didn’t think by much, but it turns out he was twenty at the time, I guess, which probably should have tipped me off. What does a barely-fifteen girl have in common with an actual adult, you know?” She shook her head, still looking down.
“We traveled together. It was normal at first. Everyone does it. And I started to feel like I might love him, and so I let him kiss me. And when that’s all it was, I was over the moon, you know? I thought I was in love and going to marry him some day—the whole thing. Like stupid little girls all do when they think their boyfriend is ‘the one.’ Even when he’s just the first one. It’s easy to get them confused.”
Her sandal scuffed against the paving stones in front of their feet. She pursed her lips. “Eventually he wanted to do more than just kiss me. I… hesitated, but he told me it was what I’d do if I loved him, and I believed him, so…” She shrugged. “I felt terrible afterward. The next time he asked, I said no. He didn’t like it, and tried to… you know. Force the issue.” She snorted softly. “I’m my father’s daughter in a lot of ways, though, and I was back then, too. I probably would have won, even though he was much bigger, but… he had a knife.”
Her arm wrapped around her abdomen, resting on the left side. “He stabbed me. More than once. And then he freaked out and ran. I guess someone found me, because I woke up in the hospital. And I figured that was the end of my journeying, you know?”
Drake didn't know what to say. He felt a boiling rage inside of him, though. He'd never felt like that before, and all he knew was that it hurt. What she said, it was like there was a knife twisting inside of his stomach and just churning. He took in a soft breath to steady himself, relaxing his muscles that he knew were tense. He couldn't move for a second, but he forced himself to. He moved so that he was closer to her, and he pulled her to him, allowing her head to fall to his chest, and he just held her. It was maddening, what happened to her. Fifteen or not, no one should have to experience something like that. No one.
"Harper," he spoke her name as delicately as he could. That couldn't have been easy for her, to tell him something like that, but he was glad she did. It meant that she trusted him, enough so to say something like that. It wasn't an easy topic for most people, and from what he could see, she was stronger than she let on. "I..." he paused, swallowing passed the sudden lump that'd grown in his throat.
"I'm sorry that happened to you," he spoke finally, though he winced at his own words. He knew that wasn't exactly something you should say to someone about that, but he didn't exactly know what else to say. He would have never expected that from her, if he'd been in Derek's shoes. He'd have wanted to see her grow, to help her acheive whatever dream she had. But it appeared that Derek was only after one thing, and that alone caused the anger to rise again.
"Harper, I know this might sound cliché, and I know you probably won't believe me," he spoke slowly, trying to put his words properly in his thoughts. He didn't want to slip and say something that might push her away. " I wouldn't blame you if you didn't believe me, but I just want you to know that, I would never expect anything from you, not like that. You... are a wonderful person. You're strong, smart, sassy, which by the way I find a very attractive quality of yours, and you're an amazing trainer. I don't know anyone who could come close to shining as brightly as you do. It leaves me in awe of you, sometimes. I'm a little envious of you, too, but that might just be my own insecurities at play."
"The only thing I would want from you is to just keep being you. Maybe also, down the road, you'll let me help you, and protect you, even though you're perfectly capable on your own, but that's it, really. I wouldn't want anything else from you, only unless you want to." Sometimes he felt stupid with the things he said, but there wasn't any way to take it back now. He meant every word of it, too. He released her after that so she could put some distance between them if it was comfortable for her.
She didn’t move away though; instead, she clenched her hands in the fabric of the back of his shirt. She either couldn’t or didn’t look at him, keeping her cheek against his chest, and her eyes turned inwards towards the fountain.
“I know,” she said softly. “You’re nothing like him, and I’m so glad. And I want you to know that I’m not… it’s not something I think about every day anymore. It’s not stopping me from living my life the way I want to and doing the things I want to do, the way I want to do them. I was…” she shook her head, still leaning against him. “I was a pathetic mess for a long time after it happened. But I’m not anymore. It’s just… sometimes it sneaks back up on me when I’m not expecting it, and… I wanted you to understand. In case it… in case something brings it up again.”
She relaxed her hands, pushing back a little so she could look at his face. “And some things are easy. My body is mine, I know that. I have complete control over what happens to it, and I know I can protect myself if I have to. I’ve taken that back. But the rest is… harder. My—oh arceus, this is going to sound dumb.” She sighed, glancing back up at him. “My emotions, my—my heart. It’s a little… a little busted up, you know? And I’m just… I’m afraid that another break will be the end of it, so…” She smiled, but it wasn’t a cheerful expression.
“I can’t ask you to promise you won’t break it. That’s not fair—neither of us knows what’s going to happen. So I have to… give it over slowly, you know? I wanted you to know that’s not your fault.”
"Then take as long as you need. I'm a patient man, I can wait," he spoke. If she had to give it over slowly, then he would let her do it at her own pace. He wasn't going to force her. And perhaps she was right, she couldn't ask him to promise not to break her heart. He'd do his best not to, of course, but they both couldn't see the future. He'd like to think he could, but maybe he was just getting ahead of himself? Maybe she'd get tired of him, or decide that he isn't worth giving her heart to, and she'd leave him. He wouldn't blame her, honestly.
"Like I said, I'm not going to force you to do something you don't want to do, and that includes pressuring you into loving me. Just know that I love you, and I'll be here for you whatever may happen. You're still my friend, too, right?" because they could be both, right?
Harper smiled. “Yes,” she agreed, “but I’m a little more than your friend, you know. In fact, I’m pretty sure you were right when you told your gramps that I’m your girlfriend.” She arched an eyebrow. “That’s still true, right?”
He laughed lightly. "Well, I don't know anymore, really. If you're my girlfriend, does that mean I can do this, now?" he teased, leaning a little close to her face. It wasn't fair that she was the only one who could tease him, after all. With a quick motion, he dipped the rest of the way, and placed a quick kiss upon her lips. He didn't linger, or anything, but when he pulled back, he put a polite distance between them, a stupid grin forming on his face.
"Because I think I can do that, much, yeah?" he stated. Yeah, he was probably going to regret that, later, but he couldn't quite bring himself to care.
Harper’s eyes narrowed in mock affront. “Hmph. Taking some liberties, aren’t we? I’ll tell you what.” She leaned back in, placing her hands at the sides of his jaw and sliding them back into his hair. “You can do that, but only if I get to do this.”
In a smooth motion, Harper pulled him forward and threw a leg over his, positioning herself in his lap on the fountain and bringing his mouth back to hers. She did linger; the kiss was soft, languid, and velvety. She pressed herself close to him, reaching up to pull the tie out of his hair. She made a satisfied humming sound when it fell to his back, running her fingers through it several times. “It’s a crime that you tie this up,” she said. Her tone was light, teasing, but she remained firmly seated on his legs.
Her left hand reached up to her own head, and she gently tugged a lily free of the braid on her crown. She offered it to him; it was hard to tell in the dark, but she might even have been blushing. “It’s not my heart,” she said, “but no one else has one. And no one else will.”
He took the lily gingerly from her, but before he drew his hand back completely, he allowed it to settle on hers. It stayed there for a moment before he shook his head, and drew his hand back, dragging the lily with it. "I shall cherish it as if it were," her heart.
The day after the wedding had been devoted to helping get everything cleaned up and seeing Crystal and Deandre off on their honeymoon. They were almost sickeningly-happy, really—they weren’t as obnoxious about it as some married couples were, but Kas could tell easily that it was true all the same. Crystal had always used to complain that no one she dated—man or woman—ever understood how important her work was to her, and why she couldn’t be around more often. Work hours at the restaurant often ran long, and if she ended up taking the T.V. deal, they’d probably go longer.
Fortunately, she’d found someone who got it. That was probably what happened when you married a ranger. Especially one who worked on a place as big as the Pokémon Park on the island. Deandre had been nice enough to get them all-access passes, which they’d used this morning while dad prepped the boat to go out on the ocean. It had been a lot of fun—Ana got tons of new pictures for her album, and because they’d gone early in the morning, they’d been able to see a lot of the pokémon. He’d pointed out some regional variations in them, like how the butterfree on the island had different wing patterns. It was nothing as extreme as some of the remote Alolan variants, but they were definitely noticeably different.
“Hey dad, how’s the boat looking?”Kas was the first to arrive at the dock—the agreement was they’d all eat lunch, change for the afternoon and then meet up out here sometime before one. It was twelve fifty now, so he was expecting them soon.
Victor Rheinallt was only an inch shorter than his son, and considerably more outwardly muscular. They had the same hair color and texture, though his dad’s eyes were the same green as Crystal’s, and his complexion was a fair bit lighter. He stepped off the boat with a gas can—presumably empty—in one hand and a toolbox in the other.
“Should be good to go,” he said. “I’ve put an extra gas can below in case you need it, but you shouldn’t—wind’s nice enough that you oughta be able to sail most of the way. Surfboards are all there too, if you want ‘em.”
“Thanks.”
His dad shrugged, shifting the can to the same hand as his toolbox and using his free one to scratch at his beard. “Don’t worry about it. Now I’m gonna go back to the house and see if Sheena’ll make me lunch.”
Kas laughed. “Don’t count on it.”
Dad grumbled and waved his hand dismissively, heading back up the beach towards the house. For a guy that had been divorced twice, he got along pretty well with both his ex-wives. Not as well as they got along with each other, but that would be difficult to do—his mom and Michelle were basically best friends at this point.
Eryk ended up arriving ten minutes later, at exactly one. He was a punctual person, most of the time, so it made sense. He glanced in Kas's direction, gave him a small wave, and seemed to shift a small bag on his shoulders. "They'll be here soon, Drake fell into his food, somehow," he spoke, as if explaining the other's absence. He didn't seem too concerned about it, though. "The girls were helping him clean up, and they needed to change," he continued, setting the bag down in the boat. He hadn't stepped into it yet, and just stood off to the side.
He looked a little relaxed today, even in his choice of clothing. He was wearing a pair of khaki shorts, a light color it seemed, that fell to his knees. His shirt, however, was a little strange. Kas knew that Eryk didn't dress in exceptionally bright colors, so it was a little odd to find him in a bright orange muscle shirt. He had a white short-sleeved flannel on over it, though. It was still kind of bright for him. He always dressed in darker colors.
"I take it you'll be taking us to a good spot?" he asked, raising a brow in Kas's direction. He was glancing every so often in the other way, probably searching for the others.
“One of the best on the archipelago,” Kas replied. “Nice shirt.” He elected not to mention that orange was a pretty Drake-ish color, since that would discourage it.
There wasn’t time for much more small talk before the others arrived in one cluster. Harper had a large basket over one arm; Ana was carrying what looked like a bag of supplies of some kind. Everyone was still wearing normal clothes, presumably over whatever swimwear they’d elected to wear.
“All right, let’s get on. We’ll be on the water for a while; we’re headed for one of the outer islands so we can surf and snorkel and stuff.” The boat was easily big enough to hold all of them comfortably; it wasn’t a yacht or anything, but it was nice. More importantly, he knew how to sail it.
Everyone seemed to have sat in pairs, Drake on the left side of Harper with Cyrilla on the right side. Eryk was sitting next to Ana, but he seemed occupied with looking out into the ocean. He'd probably never been on the ocean proper, and it was all new territory for him. He looked happy, so maybe that was a good thing. Cyrilla looked just as happy, though, and she'd been looking in the same direction as Ryk, leaning sometimes a little closer towards Harper, probably because she saw something.
"Oh, look, there's a Mantine!" she spoke suddenly, pointing out where there was, indeed, a Mantine leaping out of the water. Eryk shook his head, but had looked in the same direction as well.
"There's probably a school of Remoraid around," Drake spoke that time. "Sometimes, they travel together, mostly when there are Mantyke around," he continued, glancing in the same direction. They were moving at a decent pace, so it was easy for them to see some of the water life that they passed by.
Kas did the actual sailing, which meant standing and occasionally moving around. It was something he’d had a lot of practice with, so it wasn’t difficult—especially not with a boat this size. Harper cracked the cooler open, pulling out a bottle of seltzer water. Ana followed suit, though she chose a soda instead.
“We’re heading for the corsola reef first; it’s maybe a half-hour out. There’ll be a lot of pokémon between here and there. You might even be able to see some wailmer or seel as we go,” he informed them. The ocean got deep enough out here; while spheal and walrien preferred colder waters, seel and dewgong weren’t uncommon. “And of course the archipelago is one of the few places where lapras appear in the wild.”
"But no wailord?" Eryk chimed in, raising a brow as he did. He didn't seem too worried about it, but then again, Wailord were pretty huge. He'd probably never seen one, and wanted to.
"I don't think you'd want to be around a wailord, Ryk. I learned that the hard way," Drake spoke, laughing nervously. "Gramps took us one time, out on one of his boats and we were nearly swallowed whole by one," he explained, though Ryk didn't look too impressed by the story.
"A shame it missed."
"That's not nice, Ryk," Cyrilla chided him, taking her attention from the ocean to purse her lips at him. Ryk returned the expression, but his brows furrowed somewhat. "You know that the wailord wouldn't have been able to stomach him," she added, earning a snort from Ryk.
"Hey now, I resent that. I'm very digestable, thank you," Drake added, earning a light chuckle from Cyrilla. Ryk scoffed lightly, but it was probably the closest he'd come to laughing at Drake.
“Digestible?” Harper laughed. “Only you would argue about that with someone, honestly.” She leaned back in her seat, crossing one leg over another. “And to answer the original question… occasionally you can see a wailord. Or at least we did once—probably… three years ago now? I think it knew we were there; it surfaced far enough away that it didn’t cause any problems for us.”
“It was pretty awesome, actually. A pokémon that big really puts things in perspective for you,” Kas added. Tall as he was, he didn’t often feel small, not even next to the majority of the pokémon suitable for battling and the like. Next to a wailord, he was pitiful.
Ana had risen onto her knees, turning around on the bench and putting her hands on the rails, staring hard at the water. She looked to be concentrating very hard on something no one else could see. Several minutes after she’d started this, she sat back on her legs, a bright smile on her face.
“Look over port side—left,” she told everyone.
Kas obliged. At first, there was no sign of anything particularly interesting, but then several hundred feet, out, something surfaced—or two somethings. They approached the boat; it looked to be a pair of lapras, a mother and her little one. Kas had never actually seen a baby lapras before. Its shell was still forming, from the smoothness of it, but it was otherwise just a miniature version of its mother.
They were easily big enough to put their heads over the rails of the boat—though the little one only just managed it. Ana reached out and rubbed behind the little one’s ears; it made a happy sound and tried to nuzzle her arm. “Who’s a good little guy?” she crooned, scratching his chin.
Kas grinned. That was really something—wild pokémon didn’t often approach boats directly.
“You guys can pet them too, you know. They’re okay with it.”
"Aw," Cyrilla cooed, causing Eryk to scoff at her. She kicked him lightly with her leg before she made her way towards Ana's side and to the Lapras'. She rubbed the mother's head first, seemingly awed by their presence. Eryk shook his head softly, but he'd done the same thing, though his attention was fixed on the one Ana was petting.
"I'd uh, rather not," Drake stated, looking a little petrified of the Lapras. Was he scared of them? He'd probably had a bad experience with one if he was. "I can see them just fine from here," he stated, pulling back a little. Eryk actually looked a little amused by the fact that Drake seemed scared of the Lapras.
"Remind me I need to catch a Lapras one day," Eryk spoke, his face inching just the slightest bit wider. It was the closest he'd ever smiled in anyone's presence, other than Ana's.
Harper rolled her eyes, joining Cyrilla in gushing over the mother. Even Kas stepped away from the sail for a bit to pet them. They stayed long enough for Ana to get a few pictures, and then departed back to wherever they’d come from.
Kas suspected their appearance in the first place had been Ana’s doing—she must have convinced them to approach with her powers. He elected not to mention it, in case she’d rather Harper and Drake not know.
The rest of their journey to the reef was short; Kas dropped anchor a fair distance away. “All right, so for those snorkeling newbies out there—here’s your gear.” He hauled up a storage container from the hold below, setting it down on the middle of the deck. “Masks, snorkels, flippers. That’s basically it. Find ones that fit you—that’s the only really important thing here.” He and Harper had custom gear, of course; they came here often enough to make it worth it. But as long as what you were wearing fit to your face, the rest of it wasn’t a big deal.
Drake rummaged through the container first, picking out a mask and snorkel, and a pair of flippers. He immediately tried putting them on, but couldn't seem to get the snorkel and the mask on quite right. He glanced at Harper, and gave her a look that basically said 'help'. Cyrilla chuckled at him, and did the same thing. She'd pulled out a pair of flippers and a snorkel and mask, though she didn't put them on right away. She set them down and waited for Eryk to do the same. Once he found his set, he did the same as she did, and set it to the side.
"Snorkeling doesn't look too difficult," he spoke, staring at the items he'd grabbed. "I suppose there might be something more to it, though," he added, tilting his head somewhat.
“Honestly the hardest part is making sure you don’t get water in your snorkel, or you’ll inhale it.” Ana, Kas remembered, had done this at least once or twice before. “So if you’re mindful of that and remember to push out any water you might have let in there with a sharp exhale, you’ll be fine. It’s just swimming otherwise.”
Kas nodded, watching with some amusement as Harper helped Drake get his gear in order. “It’s not supposed to be challenging,” he agreed. “It’s just fun. If you want a challenge, wait until we go surfing.” He grinned at the thought of Eryk wiping out in the ocean, but didn’t share the thought with anyone else. Yet.
“Anyway, might wanna take your clothes off, people, unless you want to be sitting in wet cotton after we’re done here.” He stripped his own off without any awkwardness; his swimming gear was on under his normal clothes, after all. He folded them into a pile, then accepted Harper’s when she did the same, putting them both somewhere they’d stay dry.
He smiled slightly at his sister. She’d elected to wear a two-piece; that didn’t happen often, considering the pale scars on the left side of her abdomen where that fucker had cut her. But she must feel comfortable enough with those present to do so—he was glad.
Ana had traded out the infamous wetsuit for a two-piece as well—it still had shorts on the bottom half, and the top half was pretty modest as well; there wasn’t any more than a thin strip of pale flesh bared in the middle. But she seemed happy to be wearing it; clearly, Harper had been successful in her efforts to expand Ana’s sartorial sensibilities.
Eryk had actually did the same thing. He'd shed his shirt, the flannel too, but had elected to keep his shorts on. Apparently it was his swim wear, too. Cyrilla followed suit, stripping off her shirt and shorts to reveal another two piece, however; it wasn't modest like Ana's was. It was a chloe wrap bikini, and it was a jade green color. Kas pretended his mouth wasn't dry. Both of them folded their clothes, and set it to the side.
"Thanks Harper," Drake spoke, once his gear was situated. He pursed his lips together, though, and sighed. "I think I should have taken my clothes off first," he stated. He must have realized that a little too late. He readjusted himself to remove the necessary clothes to reveal dark orange swim wear. Eryk raised a brow at that, and shook his head. He must have realized his own colors were similar to Drake's. Not a good thing, apparently.
"So, don't drown, basically," Eryk finally replied to the explanation. "You might want to keep an eye on that one, Harper. He might drown first," he spoke to Harper, earning a light snicker from Cy.
"I'm sure she can handle it, Ryk. Now, let's go snorkeling," she spoke, fixing her own gear on. Ryk nodded his head and copied her.
Ana dove in first, followed by Harper, who waited patiently for Drake to do the same before leading him towards the reef. Kas figured he ought to hold off until everyone was out, and he did, double-checking the anchor and taking the sail down so the boat wouldn't move.
The water was warm and almost perfectly clear; he fixed his mask over his face and followed the others out towards the reef. The day was perfect for this, and the corsola were active in the sun, many of them swimming around in groups. Occasionally, a tentacool would drift by, but they were unconcerned with the visiting humans. Kas actually recognized a few of them—the one with the stunted tentacle had been around for a long time.
The reef itself was brilliantly-colored; dozens of different pokémon species lived in it. Magikarp, golden and seaking—they’d be able to spot some horsea and possibly seadra if they were lucky. Harper had actually caught Torrent out here, several years ago now. With powerful strokes and lazy kicks, Kas propelled himself towards it, dropping his face into the water to get a better look.
Eryk was swimming close to Ana, occasionally pointing to something. They were probably looking at the pokémon that were swimming by. They were just looking at each other, however; since Ana was a psychic, they were probably communicating telepathically. He'd occasionally nod, so that was the possibility. Drake was swimming close to Harper, probably so that she could help him if he needed it. Cyrilla, however, seemed to be floating near a school of magikarp, occasionally holding her hands out for one of them to swim into. One did, and she seemed to hold it for a moment.
Next to Kenshin, she probably liked magikarp. She owned a gyarados, after all, so that was a possibility. She released the magikarp she'd held, and poked its cheek, spotting him in the process. She raised her hand slowly, and looked to be waving at him.
He smiled and waved back casually. Much more casually than he felt, anyway. There was a can of wurmples just waiting to be opened there, but Kas knew he was too much of a coward to do it. He preferred to just leave the status quo as it was, no matter what his half-way drunk self had thought at the wedding reception. No matter the fact that leaving everything unsaid like this had clamped a vise over something in his chest.
He had to be more of a masochist than Drake, even, because he swam over towards her. “Making friends?” he asked, reaching out a hand for one of the magikarp. It swam by lazily, letting him skim his fingers along its scaly sides.
She nodded her head in response, offering him a smile. She held another one, though it looked to be smaller than the other ones. "I like them," she replied, her hold still on the magikarp. It didn't seem to mind, actually, and just hovered there. "They remind me of a lot of things, actually. Honestly, they're probably one of my favorite pokémon, but don't tell Kenny I said that," she continued, releasing the magikarp. It seemed a little reluctant, but it swam away.
"It's really pretty out here, too, and some of the magikarp have different colored scales," she said, moving her head slowly as if she were jerking it to the side. "Not gold, like Gyarados had been, but some of the orange colors look more red," she continued.
“Regional variation,” he said with a nod. “Sometimes the gyarados out this way end up looking a little darker blue, almost purple in spots.” He treaded water easily, moving his mask on top of his head. The sun beat down on his back, but the feeling was as familiar as, well, being home.
Though, speaking of… “You remembered to apply sunscreen, right?” he asked. He and Harper didn’t need it. Their lily-pale friends on the other hand… “You should refresh it every couple of hours.” He wasn’t sure why he was so unusually concerned about that. Normally, he’d have just laughed if anyone ended up krabby-red, but here he was asking anyway.
She blinked at him somewhat before her shoulders slumped. "I forgot, actually. I guess I got too excited," she replied, smiling just a tad bit softly. "But, I'll be fine as long as I put it on within the next few minutes, I think. I mean, I might burn, but that's alright. It's nothing I can't handle," she spoke a little too casually about it.
"You don't have to worry," she added, the soft smile turning into a grin.
He frowned at her though. Cyrilla was, if not technically albino, quite close. “Uh-uh,” he said, shaking his head. “Come on, we’re going back to the boat. The magikarp will still be here when you get back.” The next few minutes could easily become an hour if she was distracted, and the sun was strong enough here to give her more than a little pink on her skin.
"But," she looked like she was going to protest, glancing at the magikarp as she did so. "Fine," she dragged that particular word out, and followed him back to the boat. Once they boarded, she made her way towards one of the bags, rummaging through it before she pulled out the bottled of sun screen. "Oh good, it was packed," she spoke as if she'd expecting it to be left behind. Before she applied it, she grabbed a towel, and began drying herself off. Once she was done, she squeezed some of it out and applied it in the necessary spots, like her arms and legs, and behind her neck.
"There, I think that's everywhere," she spoke, setting the bottle down and took a seat. "I have to wait fifteen minutes, now, otherwise it'll have been for nothing," she spoke, pursing her lips together. "I'm blaming you if the magikarp swim away by then," she spoke, though from the tone of her voice, she didn't really mean it. She was smiling, too, so there was that.
Kas inwardly smacked himself on the forehead. He was probably going to regret saying this, but… “You forgot your back,” he told her, gesturing towards it. “I guess you probably don’t have to worry about it usually, but—” He figured the rest was obvious. She wasn’t exactly wearing her usual sort of clothes. Or even swimwear for that matter.
"Ah, crap," she spoke, sighing a little heavily. She reached for the bottle and applied more sunscreen onto her hand, however; she glanced at her hand, and then towards him, before glancing back. She shook her head, and twisted her arm around her back. She was trying to put it on herself, but she didn't seem to be having too much luck. She offered a sigh of defeat and glanced back at him.
"Could you, um... help?" she asked, turning just the slightest bit red.
He resisted the urge to sigh. She was doing this on purpose. She had to be. Still… he was hardly one to back down from a challenge. And on the off-chance that he was wrong, he didn’t want to be an asshole.
“Sure,” he replied, taking the bottle from her and squeezing a liberal amount out onto his hand. He set it down and rubbed both together to even the distribution, then set to work on the spots she missed, applying the sunscreen in smooth, even strokes. A memory surfaced of the texture of her skin under his hands a few nights ago; Kas bit his tongue to distract himself from it.
Sometimes he swore he was the only person he knew with an actual libido. Well, minus Harper, but that was complicated because of other things. But honestly—it must have been way too long since he’d been laid if this was getting to him. He supposed that had to be it; he hadn’t slept with anyone since their fake wedding, after all. Fake or not, he wasn’t that much of a douche. It certainly explained why thoughts of bare skin were sliding so easily in his imagination to thoughts of—well. He didn’t want to go there.
Or did he?
He stopped the motions of his hands, letting them rest on either side of her ribcage, and leaned in close enough to speak into her ear from behind.
“I know what you’re trying to do, Cyrilla.”
He could feel her tense, somewhat, even when he was applying the sunscreen. She turned her head just the slightest bit, and blinked at him. "What I'm trying to do?" she spoke, a little confused. "I mean, if getting you to put sunscreen on my back is something, I tried doing it myself, first, you know," she replied softly. "But if I'm trying to do something else, please, enlighten me because I don't know what you're talking about," she continued. She hadn't moved, not even when his hands had stopped and settled. She used to shy away from his touches, but now, she wasn't. It was almost as if she were allowing him to.
Kas pulled a deep breath in, then expelled it, shaking his head and backing off. “Never mind,” he said, removing the excess sunscreen from his hands by rubbing it in on his arms. He didn’t need it, but it wasn’t like it bothered him. He sat down on the bench, glancing out at the others still in the water.
“I’m not the person you think I am, you know,” he said suddenly, quietly. “But I wish I was.”
He could hear her sigh softly, and she made her way to sit on the other side of him. "I could say the same thing, you know," she replied just as quietly. It was soft, though, and she took another breath. "I suppose, now would be a good time. I do, after all, owe you something, don't I?" she stated, shaking her head softly.
"I owe you an answer to a question that you had back when we were camping, right? I lost the bet, so technically..." she trailed off the end since he should know what she was talking about. "So, ask. I promise I will answer it truthfully, no matter how personal or embarrassing it may seem."
He hadn’t forgotten. He just wasn’t sure anymore what he wanted to ask. Even then, it hadn’t been much of a concern—he’d simply wanted to make a silly bet with her, and the stakes didn’t matter so much. But he’d had a question back then. Now he didn’t. He pursed his lips.
“If you found out… if you found out that I…” Kas snapped his mouth shut. He was dangerously close to giving away something that he shouldn’t; he was surprised by how much he wanted to. He’d been carrying his secret along for so long. It weighed on him like a lead shirt, making it feel like he could barely breathe sometimes.
He diverted the question to something else. “You, though? What about you isn’t what I think?” He raised an eyebrow, letting that be his question instead.
She furrowed her brows lightly, obviously thinking about his question and how to answer it. She must have come to a conclusion because she sighed softly, and glanced up to meet his gaze. "A good person, for one thing," she started, leaning back somewhat. "You've said it before, that I was a good person, but I'm not, Kas. I've..." she paused, tearing her gaze away from him for a moment.
"I've hurt people, and there are days where I want to hurt people, but I don't because that would, inadverdently, hurt someone I care about. But then sometimes, I just don't care. I'm also not..." she paused, glancing back up at him. Her eyes were narrowed slightly, and a bit darker in color. "There are things that I want, and selfishly so, that I think I might have made things worse for myself, rather than better," she said, not taking her gaze away from him. She kept it stead with his.
"But I'm too selfish to care," she continued, moving just the slightest bit closer to him. Whether it was intentional or not, she didn't show it. "And it's a chance I had to take," she stated, finally dropping her gaze. "I'm also not as..." she paused, pursing her lips together as if she were unsure of what words to use. "I'm not as naïve as you might think I am. I knew what I was doing, and I know..." she confessed softly. She paused and shook her head, though. "Never mind," she spoke softly, pulling back as she did so.
Kas swallowed. Before he’d consciously decided to do so, he’d reached out, placing two fingers at the side of her face and turning her back to face him—gently enough that she could easily resist if she wanted to.
“You know what?” he asked, resisting the unmistakable desire to move in closer. “The bet was for an honest and complete answer, Cy. What do you know that I don’t?” The question was delivered in the kindest tone he could muster; he wasn’t oblivious to the fact that she was opening up here, and it likely wasn’t easy.
She took a shuddering breath, that much was obvious. She seemed hesitant to continue, but it was also apparent that she wanted to. "I know that... I know that what I feel is real, and that it won't stop. I tried to make it stop, but... it didn't work. It just kept growing from there, and I don't want it to stop, now. I want... more of it," she finally answered, keeping her gaze on him. "I also know that..." she paused there for a moment, dropping her gaze, and it looked like she was having trouble breathing for a second.
"That you know," she said, lifting her gaze back up.
He knew she believed that. Really, deeply believed it. He just wasn’t sure it was true.
Kas brushed his thumb over her cheekbone, leaning forward to press his brow against hers. He shouldn’t—not when what he knew he had to tell her would amount to a rejection in her eyes. But he couldn’t help himself. His breath was a little shaky, too, come to think of it; he let his hand slide down to her neck.
“I can’t give you what you want,” he said softly, sadly. “I wish I could. No matter what you say about yourself, you deserve it.” She did. She deserved to be loved. Maybe more than anyone did. But that kind of love… even if he had believed in it, even if he’d believed that what he felt for her was that emotion exactly—he couldn’t tell her. He couldn’t do that to her. Not knowing that it would all end someday soon. Not having lied to her for the entirety of their acquaintance.
Because she didn’t love him. She loved the idea of someone who didn’t really exist—the parts of himself that he’d used to craft the persona he lived in now. For the sake of his job.
She shook her head softly, their brows and faces still connected. Her eyes had closed, though, and it looked like she was taking everything he said in with some strange kind of willingness. "It's not that you can't, it's just... that you won't," she spoke softly, so softly it could barely be registered as a whisper. "But... that's okay, Kas, because even if you don't believe me, even if I can't show it to you, I just want you to know that someone does. Deeply, irrevocably, someone loves you," she spoke in the same soft tone. Her hands had travelled up to his face by this time, and her eyes were opened.
It looked like she wanted to say more, but she didn't. Instead, she leaned in closer, so close that they were a hairsbreadth away from each other's lips, however; she didn't close that distance. She pulled away, instead, and dropped her hands. "I guess my fifteen minutes are up," she stated, shaking her head as she did so. "I think the magikarp are still there," she stated, glancing towards the water, and keeping her gaze there.
It was right there. The words were right on his tongue, burning his mouth. He wanted to explain—needed to explain that this went so far beyond whatever confused thoughts he had left about love. Because he wasn’t so sure about that anymore. What he did know was that it didn’t matter. He’d be a worse person by far if he gave into that desire to capitulate to her. To find out which one of them was right.
But… he still knew what he had to do. In the long run, this was better. Better that she think him unwilling, a coward, a thief who took but did not give. Kas rubbed absently at his chest, pressing the heel of his hand into his sternum.
“Yeah,” he said softly. “They probably are.”
Fortunately, she’d found someone who got it. That was probably what happened when you married a ranger. Especially one who worked on a place as big as the Pokémon Park on the island. Deandre had been nice enough to get them all-access passes, which they’d used this morning while dad prepped the boat to go out on the ocean. It had been a lot of fun—Ana got tons of new pictures for her album, and because they’d gone early in the morning, they’d been able to see a lot of the pokémon. He’d pointed out some regional variations in them, like how the butterfree on the island had different wing patterns. It was nothing as extreme as some of the remote Alolan variants, but they were definitely noticeably different.
“Hey dad, how’s the boat looking?”Kas was the first to arrive at the dock—the agreement was they’d all eat lunch, change for the afternoon and then meet up out here sometime before one. It was twelve fifty now, so he was expecting them soon.
Victor Rheinallt was only an inch shorter than his son, and considerably more outwardly muscular. They had the same hair color and texture, though his dad’s eyes were the same green as Crystal’s, and his complexion was a fair bit lighter. He stepped off the boat with a gas can—presumably empty—in one hand and a toolbox in the other.
“Should be good to go,” he said. “I’ve put an extra gas can below in case you need it, but you shouldn’t—wind’s nice enough that you oughta be able to sail most of the way. Surfboards are all there too, if you want ‘em.”
“Thanks.”
His dad shrugged, shifting the can to the same hand as his toolbox and using his free one to scratch at his beard. “Don’t worry about it. Now I’m gonna go back to the house and see if Sheena’ll make me lunch.”
Kas laughed. “Don’t count on it.”
Dad grumbled and waved his hand dismissively, heading back up the beach towards the house. For a guy that had been divorced twice, he got along pretty well with both his ex-wives. Not as well as they got along with each other, but that would be difficult to do—his mom and Michelle were basically best friends at this point.
Eryk ended up arriving ten minutes later, at exactly one. He was a punctual person, most of the time, so it made sense. He glanced in Kas's direction, gave him a small wave, and seemed to shift a small bag on his shoulders. "They'll be here soon, Drake fell into his food, somehow," he spoke, as if explaining the other's absence. He didn't seem too concerned about it, though. "The girls were helping him clean up, and they needed to change," he continued, setting the bag down in the boat. He hadn't stepped into it yet, and just stood off to the side.
He looked a little relaxed today, even in his choice of clothing. He was wearing a pair of khaki shorts, a light color it seemed, that fell to his knees. His shirt, however, was a little strange. Kas knew that Eryk didn't dress in exceptionally bright colors, so it was a little odd to find him in a bright orange muscle shirt. He had a white short-sleeved flannel on over it, though. It was still kind of bright for him. He always dressed in darker colors.
"I take it you'll be taking us to a good spot?" he asked, raising a brow in Kas's direction. He was glancing every so often in the other way, probably searching for the others.
“One of the best on the archipelago,” Kas replied. “Nice shirt.” He elected not to mention that orange was a pretty Drake-ish color, since that would discourage it.
There wasn’t time for much more small talk before the others arrived in one cluster. Harper had a large basket over one arm; Ana was carrying what looked like a bag of supplies of some kind. Everyone was still wearing normal clothes, presumably over whatever swimwear they’d elected to wear.
“All right, let’s get on. We’ll be on the water for a while; we’re headed for one of the outer islands so we can surf and snorkel and stuff.” The boat was easily big enough to hold all of them comfortably; it wasn’t a yacht or anything, but it was nice. More importantly, he knew how to sail it.
Everyone seemed to have sat in pairs, Drake on the left side of Harper with Cyrilla on the right side. Eryk was sitting next to Ana, but he seemed occupied with looking out into the ocean. He'd probably never been on the ocean proper, and it was all new territory for him. He looked happy, so maybe that was a good thing. Cyrilla looked just as happy, though, and she'd been looking in the same direction as Ryk, leaning sometimes a little closer towards Harper, probably because she saw something.
"Oh, look, there's a Mantine!" she spoke suddenly, pointing out where there was, indeed, a Mantine leaping out of the water. Eryk shook his head, but had looked in the same direction as well.
"There's probably a school of Remoraid around," Drake spoke that time. "Sometimes, they travel together, mostly when there are Mantyke around," he continued, glancing in the same direction. They were moving at a decent pace, so it was easy for them to see some of the water life that they passed by.
Kas did the actual sailing, which meant standing and occasionally moving around. It was something he’d had a lot of practice with, so it wasn’t difficult—especially not with a boat this size. Harper cracked the cooler open, pulling out a bottle of seltzer water. Ana followed suit, though she chose a soda instead.
“We’re heading for the corsola reef first; it’s maybe a half-hour out. There’ll be a lot of pokémon between here and there. You might even be able to see some wailmer or seel as we go,” he informed them. The ocean got deep enough out here; while spheal and walrien preferred colder waters, seel and dewgong weren’t uncommon. “And of course the archipelago is one of the few places where lapras appear in the wild.”
"But no wailord?" Eryk chimed in, raising a brow as he did. He didn't seem too worried about it, but then again, Wailord were pretty huge. He'd probably never seen one, and wanted to.
"I don't think you'd want to be around a wailord, Ryk. I learned that the hard way," Drake spoke, laughing nervously. "Gramps took us one time, out on one of his boats and we were nearly swallowed whole by one," he explained, though Ryk didn't look too impressed by the story.
"A shame it missed."
"That's not nice, Ryk," Cyrilla chided him, taking her attention from the ocean to purse her lips at him. Ryk returned the expression, but his brows furrowed somewhat. "You know that the wailord wouldn't have been able to stomach him," she added, earning a snort from Ryk.
"Hey now, I resent that. I'm very digestable, thank you," Drake added, earning a light chuckle from Cyrilla. Ryk scoffed lightly, but it was probably the closest he'd come to laughing at Drake.
“Digestible?” Harper laughed. “Only you would argue about that with someone, honestly.” She leaned back in her seat, crossing one leg over another. “And to answer the original question… occasionally you can see a wailord. Or at least we did once—probably… three years ago now? I think it knew we were there; it surfaced far enough away that it didn’t cause any problems for us.”
“It was pretty awesome, actually. A pokémon that big really puts things in perspective for you,” Kas added. Tall as he was, he didn’t often feel small, not even next to the majority of the pokémon suitable for battling and the like. Next to a wailord, he was pitiful.
Ana had risen onto her knees, turning around on the bench and putting her hands on the rails, staring hard at the water. She looked to be concentrating very hard on something no one else could see. Several minutes after she’d started this, she sat back on her legs, a bright smile on her face.
“Look over port side—left,” she told everyone.
Kas obliged. At first, there was no sign of anything particularly interesting, but then several hundred feet, out, something surfaced—or two somethings. They approached the boat; it looked to be a pair of lapras, a mother and her little one. Kas had never actually seen a baby lapras before. Its shell was still forming, from the smoothness of it, but it was otherwise just a miniature version of its mother.
They were easily big enough to put their heads over the rails of the boat—though the little one only just managed it. Ana reached out and rubbed behind the little one’s ears; it made a happy sound and tried to nuzzle her arm. “Who’s a good little guy?” she crooned, scratching his chin.
Kas grinned. That was really something—wild pokémon didn’t often approach boats directly.
“You guys can pet them too, you know. They’re okay with it.”
"Aw," Cyrilla cooed, causing Eryk to scoff at her. She kicked him lightly with her leg before she made her way towards Ana's side and to the Lapras'. She rubbed the mother's head first, seemingly awed by their presence. Eryk shook his head softly, but he'd done the same thing, though his attention was fixed on the one Ana was petting.
"I'd uh, rather not," Drake stated, looking a little petrified of the Lapras. Was he scared of them? He'd probably had a bad experience with one if he was. "I can see them just fine from here," he stated, pulling back a little. Eryk actually looked a little amused by the fact that Drake seemed scared of the Lapras.
"Remind me I need to catch a Lapras one day," Eryk spoke, his face inching just the slightest bit wider. It was the closest he'd ever smiled in anyone's presence, other than Ana's.
Harper rolled her eyes, joining Cyrilla in gushing over the mother. Even Kas stepped away from the sail for a bit to pet them. They stayed long enough for Ana to get a few pictures, and then departed back to wherever they’d come from.
Kas suspected their appearance in the first place had been Ana’s doing—she must have convinced them to approach with her powers. He elected not to mention it, in case she’d rather Harper and Drake not know.
The rest of their journey to the reef was short; Kas dropped anchor a fair distance away. “All right, so for those snorkeling newbies out there—here’s your gear.” He hauled up a storage container from the hold below, setting it down on the middle of the deck. “Masks, snorkels, flippers. That’s basically it. Find ones that fit you—that’s the only really important thing here.” He and Harper had custom gear, of course; they came here often enough to make it worth it. But as long as what you were wearing fit to your face, the rest of it wasn’t a big deal.
Drake rummaged through the container first, picking out a mask and snorkel, and a pair of flippers. He immediately tried putting them on, but couldn't seem to get the snorkel and the mask on quite right. He glanced at Harper, and gave her a look that basically said 'help'. Cyrilla chuckled at him, and did the same thing. She'd pulled out a pair of flippers and a snorkel and mask, though she didn't put them on right away. She set them down and waited for Eryk to do the same. Once he found his set, he did the same as she did, and set it to the side.
"Snorkeling doesn't look too difficult," he spoke, staring at the items he'd grabbed. "I suppose there might be something more to it, though," he added, tilting his head somewhat.
“Honestly the hardest part is making sure you don’t get water in your snorkel, or you’ll inhale it.” Ana, Kas remembered, had done this at least once or twice before. “So if you’re mindful of that and remember to push out any water you might have let in there with a sharp exhale, you’ll be fine. It’s just swimming otherwise.”
Kas nodded, watching with some amusement as Harper helped Drake get his gear in order. “It’s not supposed to be challenging,” he agreed. “It’s just fun. If you want a challenge, wait until we go surfing.” He grinned at the thought of Eryk wiping out in the ocean, but didn’t share the thought with anyone else. Yet.
“Anyway, might wanna take your clothes off, people, unless you want to be sitting in wet cotton after we’re done here.” He stripped his own off without any awkwardness; his swimming gear was on under his normal clothes, after all. He folded them into a pile, then accepted Harper’s when she did the same, putting them both somewhere they’d stay dry.
He smiled slightly at his sister. She’d elected to wear a two-piece; that didn’t happen often, considering the pale scars on the left side of her abdomen where that fucker had cut her. But she must feel comfortable enough with those present to do so—he was glad.
Ana had traded out the infamous wetsuit for a two-piece as well—it still had shorts on the bottom half, and the top half was pretty modest as well; there wasn’t any more than a thin strip of pale flesh bared in the middle. But she seemed happy to be wearing it; clearly, Harper had been successful in her efforts to expand Ana’s sartorial sensibilities.
Eryk had actually did the same thing. He'd shed his shirt, the flannel too, but had elected to keep his shorts on. Apparently it was his swim wear, too. Cyrilla followed suit, stripping off her shirt and shorts to reveal another two piece, however; it wasn't modest like Ana's was. It was a chloe wrap bikini, and it was a jade green color. Kas pretended his mouth wasn't dry. Both of them folded their clothes, and set it to the side.
"Thanks Harper," Drake spoke, once his gear was situated. He pursed his lips together, though, and sighed. "I think I should have taken my clothes off first," he stated. He must have realized that a little too late. He readjusted himself to remove the necessary clothes to reveal dark orange swim wear. Eryk raised a brow at that, and shook his head. He must have realized his own colors were similar to Drake's. Not a good thing, apparently.
"So, don't drown, basically," Eryk finally replied to the explanation. "You might want to keep an eye on that one, Harper. He might drown first," he spoke to Harper, earning a light snicker from Cy.
"I'm sure she can handle it, Ryk. Now, let's go snorkeling," she spoke, fixing her own gear on. Ryk nodded his head and copied her.
Ana dove in first, followed by Harper, who waited patiently for Drake to do the same before leading him towards the reef. Kas figured he ought to hold off until everyone was out, and he did, double-checking the anchor and taking the sail down so the boat wouldn't move.
The water was warm and almost perfectly clear; he fixed his mask over his face and followed the others out towards the reef. The day was perfect for this, and the corsola were active in the sun, many of them swimming around in groups. Occasionally, a tentacool would drift by, but they were unconcerned with the visiting humans. Kas actually recognized a few of them—the one with the stunted tentacle had been around for a long time.
The reef itself was brilliantly-colored; dozens of different pokémon species lived in it. Magikarp, golden and seaking—they’d be able to spot some horsea and possibly seadra if they were lucky. Harper had actually caught Torrent out here, several years ago now. With powerful strokes and lazy kicks, Kas propelled himself towards it, dropping his face into the water to get a better look.
Eryk was swimming close to Ana, occasionally pointing to something. They were probably looking at the pokémon that were swimming by. They were just looking at each other, however; since Ana was a psychic, they were probably communicating telepathically. He'd occasionally nod, so that was the possibility. Drake was swimming close to Harper, probably so that she could help him if he needed it. Cyrilla, however, seemed to be floating near a school of magikarp, occasionally holding her hands out for one of them to swim into. One did, and she seemed to hold it for a moment.
Next to Kenshin, she probably liked magikarp. She owned a gyarados, after all, so that was a possibility. She released the magikarp she'd held, and poked its cheek, spotting him in the process. She raised her hand slowly, and looked to be waving at him.
He smiled and waved back casually. Much more casually than he felt, anyway. There was a can of wurmples just waiting to be opened there, but Kas knew he was too much of a coward to do it. He preferred to just leave the status quo as it was, no matter what his half-way drunk self had thought at the wedding reception. No matter the fact that leaving everything unsaid like this had clamped a vise over something in his chest.
He had to be more of a masochist than Drake, even, because he swam over towards her. “Making friends?” he asked, reaching out a hand for one of the magikarp. It swam by lazily, letting him skim his fingers along its scaly sides.
She nodded her head in response, offering him a smile. She held another one, though it looked to be smaller than the other ones. "I like them," she replied, her hold still on the magikarp. It didn't seem to mind, actually, and just hovered there. "They remind me of a lot of things, actually. Honestly, they're probably one of my favorite pokémon, but don't tell Kenny I said that," she continued, releasing the magikarp. It seemed a little reluctant, but it swam away.
"It's really pretty out here, too, and some of the magikarp have different colored scales," she said, moving her head slowly as if she were jerking it to the side. "Not gold, like Gyarados had been, but some of the orange colors look more red," she continued.
“Regional variation,” he said with a nod. “Sometimes the gyarados out this way end up looking a little darker blue, almost purple in spots.” He treaded water easily, moving his mask on top of his head. The sun beat down on his back, but the feeling was as familiar as, well, being home.
Though, speaking of… “You remembered to apply sunscreen, right?” he asked. He and Harper didn’t need it. Their lily-pale friends on the other hand… “You should refresh it every couple of hours.” He wasn’t sure why he was so unusually concerned about that. Normally, he’d have just laughed if anyone ended up krabby-red, but here he was asking anyway.
She blinked at him somewhat before her shoulders slumped. "I forgot, actually. I guess I got too excited," she replied, smiling just a tad bit softly. "But, I'll be fine as long as I put it on within the next few minutes, I think. I mean, I might burn, but that's alright. It's nothing I can't handle," she spoke a little too casually about it.
"You don't have to worry," she added, the soft smile turning into a grin.
He frowned at her though. Cyrilla was, if not technically albino, quite close. “Uh-uh,” he said, shaking his head. “Come on, we’re going back to the boat. The magikarp will still be here when you get back.” The next few minutes could easily become an hour if she was distracted, and the sun was strong enough here to give her more than a little pink on her skin.
"But," she looked like she was going to protest, glancing at the magikarp as she did so. "Fine," she dragged that particular word out, and followed him back to the boat. Once they boarded, she made her way towards one of the bags, rummaging through it before she pulled out the bottled of sun screen. "Oh good, it was packed," she spoke as if she'd expecting it to be left behind. Before she applied it, she grabbed a towel, and began drying herself off. Once she was done, she squeezed some of it out and applied it in the necessary spots, like her arms and legs, and behind her neck.
"There, I think that's everywhere," she spoke, setting the bottle down and took a seat. "I have to wait fifteen minutes, now, otherwise it'll have been for nothing," she spoke, pursing her lips together. "I'm blaming you if the magikarp swim away by then," she spoke, though from the tone of her voice, she didn't really mean it. She was smiling, too, so there was that.
Kas inwardly smacked himself on the forehead. He was probably going to regret saying this, but… “You forgot your back,” he told her, gesturing towards it. “I guess you probably don’t have to worry about it usually, but—” He figured the rest was obvious. She wasn’t exactly wearing her usual sort of clothes. Or even swimwear for that matter.
"Ah, crap," she spoke, sighing a little heavily. She reached for the bottle and applied more sunscreen onto her hand, however; she glanced at her hand, and then towards him, before glancing back. She shook her head, and twisted her arm around her back. She was trying to put it on herself, but she didn't seem to be having too much luck. She offered a sigh of defeat and glanced back at him.
"Could you, um... help?" she asked, turning just the slightest bit red.
He resisted the urge to sigh. She was doing this on purpose. She had to be. Still… he was hardly one to back down from a challenge. And on the off-chance that he was wrong, he didn’t want to be an asshole.
“Sure,” he replied, taking the bottle from her and squeezing a liberal amount out onto his hand. He set it down and rubbed both together to even the distribution, then set to work on the spots she missed, applying the sunscreen in smooth, even strokes. A memory surfaced of the texture of her skin under his hands a few nights ago; Kas bit his tongue to distract himself from it.
Sometimes he swore he was the only person he knew with an actual libido. Well, minus Harper, but that was complicated because of other things. But honestly—it must have been way too long since he’d been laid if this was getting to him. He supposed that had to be it; he hadn’t slept with anyone since their fake wedding, after all. Fake or not, he wasn’t that much of a douche. It certainly explained why thoughts of bare skin were sliding so easily in his imagination to thoughts of—well. He didn’t want to go there.
Or did he?
He stopped the motions of his hands, letting them rest on either side of her ribcage, and leaned in close enough to speak into her ear from behind.
“I know what you’re trying to do, Cyrilla.”
He could feel her tense, somewhat, even when he was applying the sunscreen. She turned her head just the slightest bit, and blinked at him. "What I'm trying to do?" she spoke, a little confused. "I mean, if getting you to put sunscreen on my back is something, I tried doing it myself, first, you know," she replied softly. "But if I'm trying to do something else, please, enlighten me because I don't know what you're talking about," she continued. She hadn't moved, not even when his hands had stopped and settled. She used to shy away from his touches, but now, she wasn't. It was almost as if she were allowing him to.
Kas pulled a deep breath in, then expelled it, shaking his head and backing off. “Never mind,” he said, removing the excess sunscreen from his hands by rubbing it in on his arms. He didn’t need it, but it wasn’t like it bothered him. He sat down on the bench, glancing out at the others still in the water.
“I’m not the person you think I am, you know,” he said suddenly, quietly. “But I wish I was.”
He could hear her sigh softly, and she made her way to sit on the other side of him. "I could say the same thing, you know," she replied just as quietly. It was soft, though, and she took another breath. "I suppose, now would be a good time. I do, after all, owe you something, don't I?" she stated, shaking her head softly.
"I owe you an answer to a question that you had back when we were camping, right? I lost the bet, so technically..." she trailed off the end since he should know what she was talking about. "So, ask. I promise I will answer it truthfully, no matter how personal or embarrassing it may seem."
He hadn’t forgotten. He just wasn’t sure anymore what he wanted to ask. Even then, it hadn’t been much of a concern—he’d simply wanted to make a silly bet with her, and the stakes didn’t matter so much. But he’d had a question back then. Now he didn’t. He pursed his lips.
“If you found out… if you found out that I…” Kas snapped his mouth shut. He was dangerously close to giving away something that he shouldn’t; he was surprised by how much he wanted to. He’d been carrying his secret along for so long. It weighed on him like a lead shirt, making it feel like he could barely breathe sometimes.
He diverted the question to something else. “You, though? What about you isn’t what I think?” He raised an eyebrow, letting that be his question instead.
She furrowed her brows lightly, obviously thinking about his question and how to answer it. She must have come to a conclusion because she sighed softly, and glanced up to meet his gaze. "A good person, for one thing," she started, leaning back somewhat. "You've said it before, that I was a good person, but I'm not, Kas. I've..." she paused, tearing her gaze away from him for a moment.
"I've hurt people, and there are days where I want to hurt people, but I don't because that would, inadverdently, hurt someone I care about. But then sometimes, I just don't care. I'm also not..." she paused, glancing back up at him. Her eyes were narrowed slightly, and a bit darker in color. "There are things that I want, and selfishly so, that I think I might have made things worse for myself, rather than better," she said, not taking her gaze away from him. She kept it stead with his.
"But I'm too selfish to care," she continued, moving just the slightest bit closer to him. Whether it was intentional or not, she didn't show it. "And it's a chance I had to take," she stated, finally dropping her gaze. "I'm also not as..." she paused, pursing her lips together as if she were unsure of what words to use. "I'm not as naïve as you might think I am. I knew what I was doing, and I know..." she confessed softly. She paused and shook her head, though. "Never mind," she spoke softly, pulling back as she did so.
Kas swallowed. Before he’d consciously decided to do so, he’d reached out, placing two fingers at the side of her face and turning her back to face him—gently enough that she could easily resist if she wanted to.
“You know what?” he asked, resisting the unmistakable desire to move in closer. “The bet was for an honest and complete answer, Cy. What do you know that I don’t?” The question was delivered in the kindest tone he could muster; he wasn’t oblivious to the fact that she was opening up here, and it likely wasn’t easy.
She took a shuddering breath, that much was obvious. She seemed hesitant to continue, but it was also apparent that she wanted to. "I know that... I know that what I feel is real, and that it won't stop. I tried to make it stop, but... it didn't work. It just kept growing from there, and I don't want it to stop, now. I want... more of it," she finally answered, keeping her gaze on him. "I also know that..." she paused there for a moment, dropping her gaze, and it looked like she was having trouble breathing for a second.
"That you know," she said, lifting her gaze back up.
He knew she believed that. Really, deeply believed it. He just wasn’t sure it was true.
Kas brushed his thumb over her cheekbone, leaning forward to press his brow against hers. He shouldn’t—not when what he knew he had to tell her would amount to a rejection in her eyes. But he couldn’t help himself. His breath was a little shaky, too, come to think of it; he let his hand slide down to her neck.
“I can’t give you what you want,” he said softly, sadly. “I wish I could. No matter what you say about yourself, you deserve it.” She did. She deserved to be loved. Maybe more than anyone did. But that kind of love… even if he had believed in it, even if he’d believed that what he felt for her was that emotion exactly—he couldn’t tell her. He couldn’t do that to her. Not knowing that it would all end someday soon. Not having lied to her for the entirety of their acquaintance.
Because she didn’t love him. She loved the idea of someone who didn’t really exist—the parts of himself that he’d used to craft the persona he lived in now. For the sake of his job.
She shook her head softly, their brows and faces still connected. Her eyes had closed, though, and it looked like she was taking everything he said in with some strange kind of willingness. "It's not that you can't, it's just... that you won't," she spoke softly, so softly it could barely be registered as a whisper. "But... that's okay, Kas, because even if you don't believe me, even if I can't show it to you, I just want you to know that someone does. Deeply, irrevocably, someone loves you," she spoke in the same soft tone. Her hands had travelled up to his face by this time, and her eyes were opened.
It looked like she wanted to say more, but she didn't. Instead, she leaned in closer, so close that they were a hairsbreadth away from each other's lips, however; she didn't close that distance. She pulled away, instead, and dropped her hands. "I guess my fifteen minutes are up," she stated, shaking her head as she did so. "I think the magikarp are still there," she stated, glancing towards the water, and keeping her gaze there.
It was right there. The words were right on his tongue, burning his mouth. He wanted to explain—needed to explain that this went so far beyond whatever confused thoughts he had left about love. Because he wasn’t so sure about that anymore. What he did know was that it didn’t matter. He’d be a worse person by far if he gave into that desire to capitulate to her. To find out which one of them was right.
But… he still knew what he had to do. In the long run, this was better. Better that she think him unwilling, a coward, a thief who took but did not give. Kas rubbed absently at his chest, pressing the heel of his hand into his sternum.
“Yeah,” he said softly. “They probably are.”
Eryk was just staring at the pokémon in front of him. It was a goldeen, and it was just staring right back at him. He'd lowered his head into the water to see beneath him, to glance at the various pokémon that were swimming by, however; as soon as he did, the goldeen had been there. It looked a bit surprised, almost as much as he'd been, actually, but it didn't swim away. So, here he was, having a strange staring contest with it. Oddly, it reminded him of that time he did this with Mankey. Slowly, he lowered his hand into the water, and managed to brush his fingers along the scales, frowning somewhat when he ran across what felt like a scar. It had probably been injured by fisherman, if that were the case, or a boat.
He had contemplated on letting Milotic out, however; he remembered he didn't bring any of his pokémon with him. He left them all back at the house with Cy's. Kenshin said he'd keep an eye on them, but he didn't quite believe the lucario. He was as mischievous as Kas could be, sometimes, but it's not that he minded. Finally, the goldeen seemed to have had other thoughts, and swam away. He blinked before lifting his head out of the water, and glanced in Ana's direction. They hadn't entirely spoken to each other. Most of their words had been exchanged telepathically mostly because he knew she hadn't really practiced in a long time, and he didn't mind it so much.
Enjoying yourself? he decided to ask, raising a brow in her direction.
She grinned back at him, her snorkel for the moment unused, though she wore the mask. I am, she replied. It’s not quite the same as scuba, but there are other reasons to like it more. She looked thoughtful for a moment, tilting her heat to the side, and then from somewhere on her person produced a pokéball.
Apparently, she had not left all of hers back at the house; when she tossed this one, her dratini appeared. Despite not being water-types, they were quite aquatic; they even had a secondary set of gills for breathing underwater. Iris seemed quite happy to be there, and immediately dove beneath the surface, rippling her body to propel herself through the water.
But neither of us will ever have as much fun as she does. The water’s her favorite thing. An emotion accompanied the words, something like—amused fondness, if it had to be put to words.
He supposed that was true. Despite being a dragon-type, dratini were mostly found in waters. Maybe he should have brought Milotic? Perhaps, he replied, glancing back towards Iris. But that depends on perspective. Water may be her favorite thing, but that doesn't mean she can have all the fun, right? he stated, arching a brow at her. If she wanted to have fun in the water, that was fine by him, but he didn't exactly know what fun was.
He enjoyed himself during the tournament, that might have been fun. He was enjoying himself now, and he'd enjoyed himself during the wedding ceremony. He wasn't sure if he had fun, but maybe that's what it meant. Just enjoying himself wherever he was when he was with his friends. He glanced towards Harper and Drake, watching as the latter went a little too far down, and submerged his snorkel. Idiot, was the only word he could properly think of as Drake came back up, sputtering. It was still odd to consider Drake a friend, but he supposed, given a little more time, he might be able to stomach the idea.
Where did you get her from? he decided to ask, inquiring about Iris.
The pokémon in question returned, swimming a few rapid circles around Ana, who laughed and grabbed onto her by the middle. Iris dragged her several feet through the water before she let go; she ended up deposited almost right next to him. She was still wearing medical tape on one of her shoulders—it was unclear why.
My travels, she replied. I didn’t get the chance to see as much as most people do, but I did once take a trip to Blackthorn City, in Johto. They have this cave there that they were nice enough to let me explore. I found Iris there. I didn’t catch her as such—she decided she wanted to come with me, so she did.
She just decided to go with you? he asked, arching a brow. He'd only heard of a few rare exceptions of when a pokémon would do that. He'd never experienced that, of course. He caught all of his with the exception of Milotic. She had been given to him as some kind of twisted sense of humor by his mother. It hadn't bothered him then, and it didn't bother him now. Milotic was, perhaps, his strongest pokémon, and he'd never resent that. She was also probably one of his only friends when he was growing.
You must have persuaded her somehow, he spoke, his tone slightly serious. He wouldn't doubt that if it were true. As persuasive as you can be, he continued.
She smiled, a strange little one that he didn’t often see. You think I’m persuasive? In what way? Ana shook her head a little, perhaps deciding to let it go, or else just wanting to answer his actual question. I don’t think I really talked her into it, exactly. I found her in the cave, talked to her a little about who I was and what my plans were. She asked if she could come with me. I think maybe she wanted to experience new things, too. The dragons in that cave are well-looked-after, but to not leave was… well, she wanted to see more. That’s all.
He pursed his lips together. He knew she didn't get to travel too far because of her disease, and it caused a soft sigh to escape him. He wondered, for a moment, just how far she got to travel. Fuchsia wasn't exactly far, and it was his home, but a part of him wondered: did she want to travel somewhere else? They'd come this far, to the Orange Islands, but he still didn't think that was far for her.
Is there... is there another place you'd like to visit? he decided to ask. It was still a bit of time before their flight to Fuchsia; he could probably change the destination if she wanted to go somewhere else.
A few of the associated thoughts must have transferred over the connection along with the question, because Ana immediately stilled, treading water calmly and shaking her head. If I had the time? Of course. I’d love to see all sorts of places, maybe even visit other regions. But… She sighed audibly. If I could only choose one more place… I want to see the place you’re from. That’s more important to me.
If it is important to you, then we'll go, he replied softly. If it was important to her, then they would go to Fuchsia. He didn't want to deny her that, but he didn't also want to take her somewhere if she'd rather go elsewhere. He wouldn't have minded, but he was sure she knew that. Instead, he shook his head and allowed the thought to drift away. It wasn't too important, at least, not to him. They were going to Fuchsia, end of story. He allowed himself to float a little closer to her, and felt a light nudge on his hand. He glanced towards it, and spotted the same goldeen from earlier, and raised his brow.
It looks like we have company, he spoke, scooping the goldeen a bit so that it floated towards Ana.
She smiled, holding out one of her hands. The golden approached cautiously at first, then darted forward and nipped one of Ana’s fingers. That tickles, Ana said, lowering herself deeper into the water until only the top of her snorkel was visible. Under the surface, she touched the tip of the goldeen’s nose, drawing her hand back quickly when it tried to nibble on her again.
It quickly became a game of sorts, both trying to get the better of each other without being touched or nipped in turn. After a few minutes, they must have reached mutual consensus to stop, because Ana ran a hand along the goldeen’s side and the pokémon swam a lazy circle around her, and then the both of them.
He could feel the corners of his lips stretching mildly. It wasn't large. He wasn't sure he'd be able to smile that brightly, or largely, as he once did, but he was getting used to the small ones he could. He shook his head at the goldeen as it circled them, and he pursed his lips for a moment. He would never understand the strange urge he had sometimes, when he was around some pokémon, to take them home. Not to capture them; not to train them. Simply, he wanted to take them home. He blinked his eyes at the sudden thought, and he was sure Ana could feel what he was thinking. He shook his head though.
I think, that would be a bad idea, though, he spoke, trying to talk himself out of it.
Most likely, she agreed, amusement filtering through the mental connection. She seems very happy here where she is—I doubt a pool could ever compare, no matter how nice.
With a few kicks of her fins, Ana rotated onto her back, floating on top of the water. The weather’s so nice out here. I think it might even beat Cinnabar at this time of year. It was definitely warmer; but that made the weather ideal for being in the water.
Another reason why it would be a bad idea. With that out of his system, he glanced in her direction, watching as she floated on her back. He had to agree, the weather was a little nicer out here. He wasn't so sure if it could compare to Cinnabar, though. It had, somewhere down the line, become home to him. Part of it might have had to do with her, and he didn't stop the thought from traveling through their connection. He already said what he felt, and he wasn't going to deny it. He wasn't even going to pretend. He wanted her to know how he felt when he was around her, and how his thoughts always seemed to be occupied of her.
I don't think summers would be as kind as the ones on Cinnabar, he finally spoke. He hadn't moved from his spot, though, and was content at just watching her float. He wouldn't let her get too far if she started floating away, though. Cinnabar doesn't have flattering summers, either, but they're more tolerable, he continued. They'd be a lot more tolerable than here, he was certain. It was barely spring, and it was already this warm.
You’re probably right, she agreed. We might have to brave the crowds at the beach this summer to go swimming again and find out.
With a few sweeps of her arm, she changed her direction, then turned over, submerging herself in the water and coming back up a few seconds later—close enough to reach out and take his hand. “I heard that thought,” she said aloud, reaching up to take his mask off his face. She looped both his and hers around her arm, then rested both of her hands against the sides of his face.
It’s really unfair, when you say such wonderful things, Ana informed him. The water had done a lot to equalize their height, and she took advantage of it, kicking once to give herself the extra few inches she needed to kiss him. Surprisingly, she went for the tip of his nose rather than anywhere else, laughing softly as she sank back down.
He raised a brow. I wasn't aware that I said it, he simply replied, but he knew what she meant. It might have taken him some time, but he didn't have to take things so literally anymore. He didn't mind when she kissed his nose, though, and shook his head. You are a strange person, you know that, he spoke, but it wasn't in a way that he was making fun of her. It was a simple observation, and he didn't mind it. They were all strange in some way or another, he supposed. He leaned down, though, and gently pressed his lips to her forehead. He lingered for a few seconds, before he pulled a way, offering her the small smile he gave her often.
But that might be partly the reason I love you, he was pretty sure it was mostly the reason he loved her, but he couldn't quite bring himself to admit that, yet.
Then I promise I’ll always be this strange, she replied with confidence, grinning up at him.
Now come on. I want to see some horsea before we go.
He chuckled softly, shaking his head. See, persuasive, he simply replied, following after her.
He had contemplated on letting Milotic out, however; he remembered he didn't bring any of his pokémon with him. He left them all back at the house with Cy's. Kenshin said he'd keep an eye on them, but he didn't quite believe the lucario. He was as mischievous as Kas could be, sometimes, but it's not that he minded. Finally, the goldeen seemed to have had other thoughts, and swam away. He blinked before lifting his head out of the water, and glanced in Ana's direction. They hadn't entirely spoken to each other. Most of their words had been exchanged telepathically mostly because he knew she hadn't really practiced in a long time, and he didn't mind it so much.
Enjoying yourself? he decided to ask, raising a brow in her direction.
She grinned back at him, her snorkel for the moment unused, though she wore the mask. I am, she replied. It’s not quite the same as scuba, but there are other reasons to like it more. She looked thoughtful for a moment, tilting her heat to the side, and then from somewhere on her person produced a pokéball.
Apparently, she had not left all of hers back at the house; when she tossed this one, her dratini appeared. Despite not being water-types, they were quite aquatic; they even had a secondary set of gills for breathing underwater. Iris seemed quite happy to be there, and immediately dove beneath the surface, rippling her body to propel herself through the water.
But neither of us will ever have as much fun as she does. The water’s her favorite thing. An emotion accompanied the words, something like—amused fondness, if it had to be put to words.
He supposed that was true. Despite being a dragon-type, dratini were mostly found in waters. Maybe he should have brought Milotic? Perhaps, he replied, glancing back towards Iris. But that depends on perspective. Water may be her favorite thing, but that doesn't mean she can have all the fun, right? he stated, arching a brow at her. If she wanted to have fun in the water, that was fine by him, but he didn't exactly know what fun was.
He enjoyed himself during the tournament, that might have been fun. He was enjoying himself now, and he'd enjoyed himself during the wedding ceremony. He wasn't sure if he had fun, but maybe that's what it meant. Just enjoying himself wherever he was when he was with his friends. He glanced towards Harper and Drake, watching as the latter went a little too far down, and submerged his snorkel. Idiot, was the only word he could properly think of as Drake came back up, sputtering. It was still odd to consider Drake a friend, but he supposed, given a little more time, he might be able to stomach the idea.
Where did you get her from? he decided to ask, inquiring about Iris.
The pokémon in question returned, swimming a few rapid circles around Ana, who laughed and grabbed onto her by the middle. Iris dragged her several feet through the water before she let go; she ended up deposited almost right next to him. She was still wearing medical tape on one of her shoulders—it was unclear why.
My travels, she replied. I didn’t get the chance to see as much as most people do, but I did once take a trip to Blackthorn City, in Johto. They have this cave there that they were nice enough to let me explore. I found Iris there. I didn’t catch her as such—she decided she wanted to come with me, so she did.
She just decided to go with you? he asked, arching a brow. He'd only heard of a few rare exceptions of when a pokémon would do that. He'd never experienced that, of course. He caught all of his with the exception of Milotic. She had been given to him as some kind of twisted sense of humor by his mother. It hadn't bothered him then, and it didn't bother him now. Milotic was, perhaps, his strongest pokémon, and he'd never resent that. She was also probably one of his only friends when he was growing.
You must have persuaded her somehow, he spoke, his tone slightly serious. He wouldn't doubt that if it were true. As persuasive as you can be, he continued.
She smiled, a strange little one that he didn’t often see. You think I’m persuasive? In what way? Ana shook her head a little, perhaps deciding to let it go, or else just wanting to answer his actual question. I don’t think I really talked her into it, exactly. I found her in the cave, talked to her a little about who I was and what my plans were. She asked if she could come with me. I think maybe she wanted to experience new things, too. The dragons in that cave are well-looked-after, but to not leave was… well, she wanted to see more. That’s all.
He pursed his lips together. He knew she didn't get to travel too far because of her disease, and it caused a soft sigh to escape him. He wondered, for a moment, just how far she got to travel. Fuchsia wasn't exactly far, and it was his home, but a part of him wondered: did she want to travel somewhere else? They'd come this far, to the Orange Islands, but he still didn't think that was far for her.
Is there... is there another place you'd like to visit? he decided to ask. It was still a bit of time before their flight to Fuchsia; he could probably change the destination if she wanted to go somewhere else.
A few of the associated thoughts must have transferred over the connection along with the question, because Ana immediately stilled, treading water calmly and shaking her head. If I had the time? Of course. I’d love to see all sorts of places, maybe even visit other regions. But… She sighed audibly. If I could only choose one more place… I want to see the place you’re from. That’s more important to me.
If it is important to you, then we'll go, he replied softly. If it was important to her, then they would go to Fuchsia. He didn't want to deny her that, but he didn't also want to take her somewhere if she'd rather go elsewhere. He wouldn't have minded, but he was sure she knew that. Instead, he shook his head and allowed the thought to drift away. It wasn't too important, at least, not to him. They were going to Fuchsia, end of story. He allowed himself to float a little closer to her, and felt a light nudge on his hand. He glanced towards it, and spotted the same goldeen from earlier, and raised his brow.
It looks like we have company, he spoke, scooping the goldeen a bit so that it floated towards Ana.
She smiled, holding out one of her hands. The golden approached cautiously at first, then darted forward and nipped one of Ana’s fingers. That tickles, Ana said, lowering herself deeper into the water until only the top of her snorkel was visible. Under the surface, she touched the tip of the goldeen’s nose, drawing her hand back quickly when it tried to nibble on her again.
It quickly became a game of sorts, both trying to get the better of each other without being touched or nipped in turn. After a few minutes, they must have reached mutual consensus to stop, because Ana ran a hand along the goldeen’s side and the pokémon swam a lazy circle around her, and then the both of them.
He could feel the corners of his lips stretching mildly. It wasn't large. He wasn't sure he'd be able to smile that brightly, or largely, as he once did, but he was getting used to the small ones he could. He shook his head at the goldeen as it circled them, and he pursed his lips for a moment. He would never understand the strange urge he had sometimes, when he was around some pokémon, to take them home. Not to capture them; not to train them. Simply, he wanted to take them home. He blinked his eyes at the sudden thought, and he was sure Ana could feel what he was thinking. He shook his head though.
I think, that would be a bad idea, though, he spoke, trying to talk himself out of it.
Most likely, she agreed, amusement filtering through the mental connection. She seems very happy here where she is—I doubt a pool could ever compare, no matter how nice.
With a few kicks of her fins, Ana rotated onto her back, floating on top of the water. The weather’s so nice out here. I think it might even beat Cinnabar at this time of year. It was definitely warmer; but that made the weather ideal for being in the water.
Another reason why it would be a bad idea. With that out of his system, he glanced in her direction, watching as she floated on her back. He had to agree, the weather was a little nicer out here. He wasn't so sure if it could compare to Cinnabar, though. It had, somewhere down the line, become home to him. Part of it might have had to do with her, and he didn't stop the thought from traveling through their connection. He already said what he felt, and he wasn't going to deny it. He wasn't even going to pretend. He wanted her to know how he felt when he was around her, and how his thoughts always seemed to be occupied of her.
I don't think summers would be as kind as the ones on Cinnabar, he finally spoke. He hadn't moved from his spot, though, and was content at just watching her float. He wouldn't let her get too far if she started floating away, though. Cinnabar doesn't have flattering summers, either, but they're more tolerable, he continued. They'd be a lot more tolerable than here, he was certain. It was barely spring, and it was already this warm.
You’re probably right, she agreed. We might have to brave the crowds at the beach this summer to go swimming again and find out.
With a few sweeps of her arm, she changed her direction, then turned over, submerging herself in the water and coming back up a few seconds later—close enough to reach out and take his hand. “I heard that thought,” she said aloud, reaching up to take his mask off his face. She looped both his and hers around her arm, then rested both of her hands against the sides of his face.
It’s really unfair, when you say such wonderful things, Ana informed him. The water had done a lot to equalize their height, and she took advantage of it, kicking once to give herself the extra few inches she needed to kiss him. Surprisingly, she went for the tip of his nose rather than anywhere else, laughing softly as she sank back down.
He raised a brow. I wasn't aware that I said it, he simply replied, but he knew what she meant. It might have taken him some time, but he didn't have to take things so literally anymore. He didn't mind when she kissed his nose, though, and shook his head. You are a strange person, you know that, he spoke, but it wasn't in a way that he was making fun of her. It was a simple observation, and he didn't mind it. They were all strange in some way or another, he supposed. He leaned down, though, and gently pressed his lips to her forehead. He lingered for a few seconds, before he pulled a way, offering her the small smile he gave her often.
But that might be partly the reason I love you, he was pretty sure it was mostly the reason he loved her, but he couldn't quite bring himself to admit that, yet.
Then I promise I’ll always be this strange, she replied with confidence, grinning up at him.
Now come on. I want to see some horsea before we go.
He chuckled softly, shaking his head. See, persuasive, he simply replied, following after her.
The flight back to Cinnabar was awkward, but bearable. Cute, even, if Kas counted the fact that Ana fell asleep on Ryk.
What they encountered when they got back, on the other hand… the less said about it, the better.
They had walked Ana to the shelter, said their temporary goodbyes, and headed for the mansion. Kas had been the first one to notice the new vehicle parked out front. A rental car, by the look of it, which meant that they had visitors from out of town. But they hadn’t been informed of such a visit—and the fact that it had started while they were away on vacation was a telling one.
All the warmth and comfort he’d taken from his time home with his family—and even all the discomfort and lingering awkwardness certain circumstances had produced—vanished. Because he had a pretty damn good idea of who was here, and the news was bad. Very bad, for all of them. There wasn’t really room for any feeling but the dread—he needed all the energy he had to think through this. Or he would soon.
“Hey guys,” he said quietly. “Don’t panic… but I’m pretty sure the boss is here.”
Cyrilla was the only one who showed any signs of discomfort. Eryk's face was as it always was, and he didn't seem intent on fixing it. He never did, actually. It was just vacant and passive, as if he hadn't been happy the last few days. Maybe he was just as good at pretending? Eryk wasn't that good, though. Something will probably slip up.
"It's probably another check up. I didn't get any notification about this," Eryk spoke, though he seemed just a little bit concerned about it. "He usually sends an e-mail out if he's going to be around, unless," Eryk paused for a moment.
"Unless it's something important, right?" Cyrilla finished his sentence for him, and he nodded. She pushed a soft sigh from her nose, and looked to straighten up her posture a bit. Eryk did the same thing. They had to appear somewhat professional. They were the only ones who followed dress code, after all.
Kas wasn’t quite sure they grasped the full implications of this. If the boss was here, now, it was probably because he was getting people to go through their stuff. For a moment, Kas’s heart rose into his throat. If they’d discovered him, he had to get out of here, and now—before they knew he was here.
He fought down the panic. His computer security was better than any of the people in IT at HQ. They might have… no. For now, he had to swallow his trepidation and get in there. It would look weird if he didn’t arrive with the other two, and he had no idea what excuse he’d make to Ryk and Cy for leaving. And Steele would be ripshit pissed at him if he was made and came back empty-handed after all this time.
So he hardened his nerves, which for him counterintuitively involved relaxing his body. “Well, well… this should be fun, eh?” He lifted his suitcase off the ground, sweeping into the mansion in front of the other two.
Hayley was there in a second, glancing between all three of them before speaking in a low, rapid voice. “All your offices are being searched. The Birds are here, and so is the Boss. There’s a rumor going around about an internal investigation on all three of you, but I’m not sure what—”
“Thanks, Hayley,” Kas said lately, with false cheer in his voice. “Our vacation was great, I appreciate you asking.” He could see a familiar figure approaching, and he didn’t want her to get in trouble for passing even this much information to them.
She put a big, fake smile on her face and nodded. “I’m glad to hear it, sir.”
He didn’t protest the formality like he usually would have done; it was probably better that she look like she followed protocols about that with all of them. Especially him.
Aidan stopped three feet from the group of them, hands shoved into his pockets and a vaguely-bored expression on his face. “Executives Nero, Rheinallt, and Niav,” he said slowly, removing one of his hands to scratch at the nape of his neck. “I’m supposed to tell you that you’re all the subject of an Internal Affairs investigation, as of… yesterday.” He dropped his hand back to his side, blinking a few times in a row. “The charges, if any are warranted, will be forthcoming in the next day or so. Until then, you’re restricted to the residential floor, so…”
He tilted his head towards the staircase up. “I’m supposed to escort you, but as long as you don’t try to fight me on this, I don’t think that’ll be necessary.”
Eryk's jaw tightened at Hayley's words, and didn't even seem to relax as Aidan approached. Unlike him, Eryk didn't have any kind of security. He left everything open for everyone to see. His reports, his computer, his office. There wasn't anything that Eryk really kept on him that would hint towards anything suspicious. Or at least there shouldn't be. Cyrilla's office was pretty much the same except for the orchid she'd kept. He could hear Eryk breathing out slowly, and nodded his head in compliance.
"We won't," Cyrilla spoke, glancing at Aidan, offering him a small smile, and then dropped her gaze. She wouldn't fight against him, and neither would Eryk. That was obvious. They really didn't have anything to hide, and Eryk had kept his photo album, the one Cy had given him for his birthday, at Ana's. Eryk remained quiet, though.
Aidan nodded, allowing them all to pass upstairs without resistance or making a scene.
They reached the landing; Kas grimaced. “I’m going to put my shit away. Then we need to talk. Ryk’s room.” He unlocked his own, pushing inside without another word, and closing the door heavily behind him.
Immediately, his shoulders slumped; he let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. Spotless. His record had been fucking spotless for five years. Not once had he come under investigation for anything. Not even when the other moles the KPSF had planted in the ranks were rooted out over time. Every last one but him, from the janitor to the pair of senior executives they’d had before him.
Maybe that was just it—maybe he’d become too arrogant. He didn’t think they were here for him, or because they suspected a mole. He knew exactly why they were here. But there was a chance, however slim, that they’d find that information anyway. Throwing his suitcase onto his bed, Kas ran both of his hands down his face. This was a nightmare—it was worse than knowing he’d been made. At least he had a plan for that. This, on the other hand… he was going to have to be very delicate here, and extremely careful.
And that wasn’t even accounting for the others. They might not have anything directly incriminating in their offices or computers, but there was plenty to incriminate them anyway. It would be not so much in the presence of certain information, but its absence. He wasn’t sure they fully understood that. He wanted to protect them as much as he could. But it might be that the only thing he could do was tell them what to prepare for, and hope that it didn’t come to anything.
Pulling in a deep breath, he moved to his bathroom, running the tap and splashing his face with cold water. The sting of it helped center him, and he patted his face and hands dry with a towel. Making sure he didn't look half as anxious as he felt, he re-tied his hair neatly and stared at himself in the mirror for several long seconds. He wasn’t sure he recognized the person there. So much had changed.
His phone dinged; he tore his eyes away from his reflection and pulled it out of his pocket. Coded message from Steele. He couldn’t deal with this right now. Deleting it, Kas shoved the phone back in his pocket and left his room, knocking on Eryk’s door.
Eryk opened it, ushering him forward. Cy was sitting in one of the chairs off towards the side and she wasn't smiling. She was wearing an expression similar to Eryk's. They were both pursing their lips together and their brows were furrowed. They were just as anxious, apparently. At least Eryk was looking at him, though.
"They're investigating us," was the first thing out of his mouth. It didn't look like that's what he wanted to say, but it was the first thing that came out. He pushed a sigh through his lips and took a seat on the small couch in his room. It wasn't entirely big, but considering that it was made for at least two people, it was a decent size. It was like a small office, bereft of the office equipment. Just a bed, a couple of chairs, and a small couch that was big enough for Eryk.
"What the hell are they investigating?" Eryk spoke, but the question wasn't directed at any of them. It was just a statement. The expression on his face that fluttered across seemed like he had an idea, but it disappeared.
The whole time, Kas’d been walking around Ryk’s room, running his hands underneath the surfaces, even ducking his head under the bed for a moment. He checked the ceiling next; it was one of those old popcorn ones, because the mansion wasn’t that modern and Team Rocket didn’t care much about interior decorating.
Unfortunately, he found exactly what he’d expected.
From behind one of the little bumps, he extracted a tiny listening device, then put his finger to his lips, signaling that both of them should be quiet. Carefully, he hopped down from the chair he’d stood on to reach the celling, pushing the door to Ryk’s bathroom open and pulling down one of his towels. He carefully wrapped the device in it and left it on the counter, closing the door behind him.
“They’ll know if I break it,” he explained, once he was back in the room. “But if it just doesn’t pick up anything interesting, then it’ll be less suspicious. You should put it back once you’re done here and act like you don’t know it’s there. And assume that every room is bugged.”
Kas sighed through his nose. “As to what they’re after… when’s the last time you sent them a report on Ana?” he asked, letting the silence thicken. “My guess is… the rest of Project Nebula is ready to go, or close enough, and they’re sick of waiting for us to give them a subject. So they’re searching through our stuff for anything with an answer. If they don’t get it there, they’re going to use the pretext of the internal investigation to interrogate us, and try and get at least one of us to tell them.”
Eryk's jaw clenched visibly, that the muscle could almost be seen. The sigh that left him sounded a little heavier than it should have, and he reached up to press his forefingers against his temple. "Back in January," he spoke. It was before Ana had told them she was a psychic. It's been almost four months since then. "I sent them a less detailed report before we left for your sister's wedding, though," he added, though it was easy to decipher the less part. He left out Ana's abilities, and probably a few other things.
"You really think this is about Project Nebula?" he spoke. He didn't seem to deny it, but there was a sort of hesitance in his tone. "If that's true..." he trailed off, his face twisting to a deep scowl.
"Ryk, don't. If you get upset now, you might not make it easier for her," Cyrilla spoke, apparently catching on to what Ryk was thinking. He'd made to move from his couch, but he'd stopped when Cyrilla spoke. "If you try and leave now, they'll send someone after you, and then you'd be leading them to her. That's not what you want, is it?" she continued, and his expression softened just a fraction.
"They will know where she lives regardless, if they read her file," he replied, and they likely would. If they hadn't already. "There needs to be something we can give them, though, to avoid the interrogations. Even if we're the Executives, interrogations are not usually... pleasant."
Kas sat down heavily in the free chair, shaking his head. “We don’t have a lot of options,” he said quietly. “Whatever we do, we have to make sure we’re all telling them the same thing, or we’re all in deep shit.” He sighed. “One way to go is just to deny it. Say she’s not a psychic, just a friend.” He folded his hands together. “The upside to that is that it explains why we spend so much time with someone we’re no longer sending reports about. The downside is they could potentially find out, and then not only do they know, but we’re all known liars—that wouldn’t end well for us.”
He wasn’t even sure how comfortable they were lying to the boss and the Birds, but he had to assume they were at least willing to consider it, for Ana’s sake.
“We could also say we don’t know. Upsides: if they find out, we’re not necessarily guilty of anything, and it still explains why we don’t send many reports.” There would have been no point if nothing had changed. “Downside: they might get impatient enough to try and find out themselves.” And knowing Ana, she wouldn’t necessarily guard it like a secret. That would be suspicious, too. But they couldn’t count on being able to contact her before the others did.
“Last option is telling them the truth. Upside to that is that it probably placates the boss and the investigation probably gets dropped. Downside is obvious: they know she’s a subject, and they take her, and who knows what that means.”
They both seemed to contemplate the options. Eryk, obviously, didn't look happy about either of them, but there wasn't much else they could do. He glanced towards Cy, and then towards Kas, studying him for a second. It looked like he was trying to put his words carefully so that they would be delievered properly.
"We can't tell them the truth, but we can't lie to them," he finally started, speaking a little slowly as if he were still thinking on the words. "So we tell them we don't know, yet. We tell them there hasn't been much progress, but we might be close. That should buy us some time to..." he paused, seemingly unsure of himself. Either he'd thought of something, and it confused him, or he just didn't know how to finish it. It was probably the former.
"Ryk," Cyrilla started, her expression softening.
"It's fine, Cy," he told her, shaking his head. She sighed, but dropped whatever she might have said. "The only concern I have is Katia. She might not buy it and try to conduct her own investigation. She already knows Ana, somewhat, even if she'd tried to take away her Center," he spoke, his voice laced in disdain.
"She isn't exactly the type to create a stress free environment for Ana. The last thing we need is Katia putting too much stress on her, and sending Ana into another episode," he spoke, wincing, it looked like, at his own words.
“I think it’s still the safest option,” Kas replied. “If we straight-out said no, Katia might get even more suspicious and try to force the issue.” She was contrary like that, and apparently antagonistic towards her cousin almost on instinct. “Though we might have to worry about that anyway, if Marah’s spoken to her recently.” It was actually a really, really good thing that Ana hadn’t used her powers during that confrontation. Otherwise they’d be even more screwed than they already were.
“Okay. They’re almost definitely monitoring our phones and stuff right now; so it’s a bad idea to try and contact Ana right now. But the first one of us who gets enough of a break to go out for a while should try to get over there and tell her to be careful, at least. If you don’t want to tell her it’s because of Team Rocket, then we can at least warn her about your family. I don’t think Katia being out for her will surprise her, considering how Marah was.”
"If Marah told Katia anything, perhaps it is best if either one of you go. Katia's always had it out for me, and you know she'll be following my every move like a staraptor," he stated, shaking his head. It made sense, all things considered. "So for now, we tell them that we don't know, but there might be something we're on to. We just need a little more time," he sounded oddly light in that statement, as if he didn't believe they really had the time.
"Yeah. I'd send Kenshin to do it, but if Remi's here..." she trailed off towards the end, visibly shuddering somewhat and clinging to the pokéball that had said pokémon in it. "I'll try to go, if I can, Ryk," she spoke softly. Eryk nodded his head towards her, and offered something of a smile in her direction.
"We might have to tell her it's Team Rocket. It would be safer that way," he started, shaking his head. "It would be safer to tell her both, that way she can at least be somewhat prepared," he continued, stopping only momentarily to glance in Kas's direction. "For now, we see what they say," he concluded.
Kas nodded. It wasn’t an ideal solution, but it would have to do. The best he could hope for was that Ana would be kept out of this completely. He wasn’t optimistic about that—chances were, they’d find out about her somehow… and then he wasn’t so sure what would happen. Ryk and Cy’s loyalty to the organization may have been mostly coerced, but it was still deep. There was no telling exactly what would happen when they were faced with a choice between defying their orders and betraying their friend.
He would be in the same situation pretty soon. Even he wasn’t completely sure how it would shake out, but…
“Well… I’m gonna go get some sleep, I guess. Don’t forget to put that bug back before anyone pays you a visit, Ryk.” He stood, smiling grimly for a second before he headed out.
He had a lot of things to think about, after all.
What they encountered when they got back, on the other hand… the less said about it, the better.
They had walked Ana to the shelter, said their temporary goodbyes, and headed for the mansion. Kas had been the first one to notice the new vehicle parked out front. A rental car, by the look of it, which meant that they had visitors from out of town. But they hadn’t been informed of such a visit—and the fact that it had started while they were away on vacation was a telling one.
All the warmth and comfort he’d taken from his time home with his family—and even all the discomfort and lingering awkwardness certain circumstances had produced—vanished. Because he had a pretty damn good idea of who was here, and the news was bad. Very bad, for all of them. There wasn’t really room for any feeling but the dread—he needed all the energy he had to think through this. Or he would soon.
“Hey guys,” he said quietly. “Don’t panic… but I’m pretty sure the boss is here.”
Cyrilla was the only one who showed any signs of discomfort. Eryk's face was as it always was, and he didn't seem intent on fixing it. He never did, actually. It was just vacant and passive, as if he hadn't been happy the last few days. Maybe he was just as good at pretending? Eryk wasn't that good, though. Something will probably slip up.
"It's probably another check up. I didn't get any notification about this," Eryk spoke, though he seemed just a little bit concerned about it. "He usually sends an e-mail out if he's going to be around, unless," Eryk paused for a moment.
"Unless it's something important, right?" Cyrilla finished his sentence for him, and he nodded. She pushed a soft sigh from her nose, and looked to straighten up her posture a bit. Eryk did the same thing. They had to appear somewhat professional. They were the only ones who followed dress code, after all.
Kas wasn’t quite sure they grasped the full implications of this. If the boss was here, now, it was probably because he was getting people to go through their stuff. For a moment, Kas’s heart rose into his throat. If they’d discovered him, he had to get out of here, and now—before they knew he was here.
He fought down the panic. His computer security was better than any of the people in IT at HQ. They might have… no. For now, he had to swallow his trepidation and get in there. It would look weird if he didn’t arrive with the other two, and he had no idea what excuse he’d make to Ryk and Cy for leaving. And Steele would be ripshit pissed at him if he was made and came back empty-handed after all this time.
So he hardened his nerves, which for him counterintuitively involved relaxing his body. “Well, well… this should be fun, eh?” He lifted his suitcase off the ground, sweeping into the mansion in front of the other two.
Hayley was there in a second, glancing between all three of them before speaking in a low, rapid voice. “All your offices are being searched. The Birds are here, and so is the Boss. There’s a rumor going around about an internal investigation on all three of you, but I’m not sure what—”
“Thanks, Hayley,” Kas said lately, with false cheer in his voice. “Our vacation was great, I appreciate you asking.” He could see a familiar figure approaching, and he didn’t want her to get in trouble for passing even this much information to them.
She put a big, fake smile on her face and nodded. “I’m glad to hear it, sir.”
He didn’t protest the formality like he usually would have done; it was probably better that she look like she followed protocols about that with all of them. Especially him.
Aidan stopped three feet from the group of them, hands shoved into his pockets and a vaguely-bored expression on his face. “Executives Nero, Rheinallt, and Niav,” he said slowly, removing one of his hands to scratch at the nape of his neck. “I’m supposed to tell you that you’re all the subject of an Internal Affairs investigation, as of… yesterday.” He dropped his hand back to his side, blinking a few times in a row. “The charges, if any are warranted, will be forthcoming in the next day or so. Until then, you’re restricted to the residential floor, so…”
He tilted his head towards the staircase up. “I’m supposed to escort you, but as long as you don’t try to fight me on this, I don’t think that’ll be necessary.”
Eryk's jaw tightened at Hayley's words, and didn't even seem to relax as Aidan approached. Unlike him, Eryk didn't have any kind of security. He left everything open for everyone to see. His reports, his computer, his office. There wasn't anything that Eryk really kept on him that would hint towards anything suspicious. Or at least there shouldn't be. Cyrilla's office was pretty much the same except for the orchid she'd kept. He could hear Eryk breathing out slowly, and nodded his head in compliance.
"We won't," Cyrilla spoke, glancing at Aidan, offering him a small smile, and then dropped her gaze. She wouldn't fight against him, and neither would Eryk. That was obvious. They really didn't have anything to hide, and Eryk had kept his photo album, the one Cy had given him for his birthday, at Ana's. Eryk remained quiet, though.
Aidan nodded, allowing them all to pass upstairs without resistance or making a scene.
They reached the landing; Kas grimaced. “I’m going to put my shit away. Then we need to talk. Ryk’s room.” He unlocked his own, pushing inside without another word, and closing the door heavily behind him.
Immediately, his shoulders slumped; he let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. Spotless. His record had been fucking spotless for five years. Not once had he come under investigation for anything. Not even when the other moles the KPSF had planted in the ranks were rooted out over time. Every last one but him, from the janitor to the pair of senior executives they’d had before him.
Maybe that was just it—maybe he’d become too arrogant. He didn’t think they were here for him, or because they suspected a mole. He knew exactly why they were here. But there was a chance, however slim, that they’d find that information anyway. Throwing his suitcase onto his bed, Kas ran both of his hands down his face. This was a nightmare—it was worse than knowing he’d been made. At least he had a plan for that. This, on the other hand… he was going to have to be very delicate here, and extremely careful.
And that wasn’t even accounting for the others. They might not have anything directly incriminating in their offices or computers, but there was plenty to incriminate them anyway. It would be not so much in the presence of certain information, but its absence. He wasn’t sure they fully understood that. He wanted to protect them as much as he could. But it might be that the only thing he could do was tell them what to prepare for, and hope that it didn’t come to anything.
Pulling in a deep breath, he moved to his bathroom, running the tap and splashing his face with cold water. The sting of it helped center him, and he patted his face and hands dry with a towel. Making sure he didn't look half as anxious as he felt, he re-tied his hair neatly and stared at himself in the mirror for several long seconds. He wasn’t sure he recognized the person there. So much had changed.
His phone dinged; he tore his eyes away from his reflection and pulled it out of his pocket. Coded message from Steele. He couldn’t deal with this right now. Deleting it, Kas shoved the phone back in his pocket and left his room, knocking on Eryk’s door.
Eryk opened it, ushering him forward. Cy was sitting in one of the chairs off towards the side and she wasn't smiling. She was wearing an expression similar to Eryk's. They were both pursing their lips together and their brows were furrowed. They were just as anxious, apparently. At least Eryk was looking at him, though.
"They're investigating us," was the first thing out of his mouth. It didn't look like that's what he wanted to say, but it was the first thing that came out. He pushed a sigh through his lips and took a seat on the small couch in his room. It wasn't entirely big, but considering that it was made for at least two people, it was a decent size. It was like a small office, bereft of the office equipment. Just a bed, a couple of chairs, and a small couch that was big enough for Eryk.
"What the hell are they investigating?" Eryk spoke, but the question wasn't directed at any of them. It was just a statement. The expression on his face that fluttered across seemed like he had an idea, but it disappeared.
The whole time, Kas’d been walking around Ryk’s room, running his hands underneath the surfaces, even ducking his head under the bed for a moment. He checked the ceiling next; it was one of those old popcorn ones, because the mansion wasn’t that modern and Team Rocket didn’t care much about interior decorating.
Unfortunately, he found exactly what he’d expected.
From behind one of the little bumps, he extracted a tiny listening device, then put his finger to his lips, signaling that both of them should be quiet. Carefully, he hopped down from the chair he’d stood on to reach the celling, pushing the door to Ryk’s bathroom open and pulling down one of his towels. He carefully wrapped the device in it and left it on the counter, closing the door behind him.
“They’ll know if I break it,” he explained, once he was back in the room. “But if it just doesn’t pick up anything interesting, then it’ll be less suspicious. You should put it back once you’re done here and act like you don’t know it’s there. And assume that every room is bugged.”
Kas sighed through his nose. “As to what they’re after… when’s the last time you sent them a report on Ana?” he asked, letting the silence thicken. “My guess is… the rest of Project Nebula is ready to go, or close enough, and they’re sick of waiting for us to give them a subject. So they’re searching through our stuff for anything with an answer. If they don’t get it there, they’re going to use the pretext of the internal investigation to interrogate us, and try and get at least one of us to tell them.”
Eryk's jaw clenched visibly, that the muscle could almost be seen. The sigh that left him sounded a little heavier than it should have, and he reached up to press his forefingers against his temple. "Back in January," he spoke. It was before Ana had told them she was a psychic. It's been almost four months since then. "I sent them a less detailed report before we left for your sister's wedding, though," he added, though it was easy to decipher the less part. He left out Ana's abilities, and probably a few other things.
"You really think this is about Project Nebula?" he spoke. He didn't seem to deny it, but there was a sort of hesitance in his tone. "If that's true..." he trailed off, his face twisting to a deep scowl.
"Ryk, don't. If you get upset now, you might not make it easier for her," Cyrilla spoke, apparently catching on to what Ryk was thinking. He'd made to move from his couch, but he'd stopped when Cyrilla spoke. "If you try and leave now, they'll send someone after you, and then you'd be leading them to her. That's not what you want, is it?" she continued, and his expression softened just a fraction.
"They will know where she lives regardless, if they read her file," he replied, and they likely would. If they hadn't already. "There needs to be something we can give them, though, to avoid the interrogations. Even if we're the Executives, interrogations are not usually... pleasant."
Kas sat down heavily in the free chair, shaking his head. “We don’t have a lot of options,” he said quietly. “Whatever we do, we have to make sure we’re all telling them the same thing, or we’re all in deep shit.” He sighed. “One way to go is just to deny it. Say she’s not a psychic, just a friend.” He folded his hands together. “The upside to that is that it explains why we spend so much time with someone we’re no longer sending reports about. The downside is they could potentially find out, and then not only do they know, but we’re all known liars—that wouldn’t end well for us.”
He wasn’t even sure how comfortable they were lying to the boss and the Birds, but he had to assume they were at least willing to consider it, for Ana’s sake.
“We could also say we don’t know. Upsides: if they find out, we’re not necessarily guilty of anything, and it still explains why we don’t send many reports.” There would have been no point if nothing had changed. “Downside: they might get impatient enough to try and find out themselves.” And knowing Ana, she wouldn’t necessarily guard it like a secret. That would be suspicious, too. But they couldn’t count on being able to contact her before the others did.
“Last option is telling them the truth. Upside to that is that it probably placates the boss and the investigation probably gets dropped. Downside is obvious: they know she’s a subject, and they take her, and who knows what that means.”
They both seemed to contemplate the options. Eryk, obviously, didn't look happy about either of them, but there wasn't much else they could do. He glanced towards Cy, and then towards Kas, studying him for a second. It looked like he was trying to put his words carefully so that they would be delievered properly.
"We can't tell them the truth, but we can't lie to them," he finally started, speaking a little slowly as if he were still thinking on the words. "So we tell them we don't know, yet. We tell them there hasn't been much progress, but we might be close. That should buy us some time to..." he paused, seemingly unsure of himself. Either he'd thought of something, and it confused him, or he just didn't know how to finish it. It was probably the former.
"Ryk," Cyrilla started, her expression softening.
"It's fine, Cy," he told her, shaking his head. She sighed, but dropped whatever she might have said. "The only concern I have is Katia. She might not buy it and try to conduct her own investigation. She already knows Ana, somewhat, even if she'd tried to take away her Center," he spoke, his voice laced in disdain.
"She isn't exactly the type to create a stress free environment for Ana. The last thing we need is Katia putting too much stress on her, and sending Ana into another episode," he spoke, wincing, it looked like, at his own words.
“I think it’s still the safest option,” Kas replied. “If we straight-out said no, Katia might get even more suspicious and try to force the issue.” She was contrary like that, and apparently antagonistic towards her cousin almost on instinct. “Though we might have to worry about that anyway, if Marah’s spoken to her recently.” It was actually a really, really good thing that Ana hadn’t used her powers during that confrontation. Otherwise they’d be even more screwed than they already were.
“Okay. They’re almost definitely monitoring our phones and stuff right now; so it’s a bad idea to try and contact Ana right now. But the first one of us who gets enough of a break to go out for a while should try to get over there and tell her to be careful, at least. If you don’t want to tell her it’s because of Team Rocket, then we can at least warn her about your family. I don’t think Katia being out for her will surprise her, considering how Marah was.”
"If Marah told Katia anything, perhaps it is best if either one of you go. Katia's always had it out for me, and you know she'll be following my every move like a staraptor," he stated, shaking his head. It made sense, all things considered. "So for now, we tell them that we don't know, but there might be something we're on to. We just need a little more time," he sounded oddly light in that statement, as if he didn't believe they really had the time.
"Yeah. I'd send Kenshin to do it, but if Remi's here..." she trailed off towards the end, visibly shuddering somewhat and clinging to the pokéball that had said pokémon in it. "I'll try to go, if I can, Ryk," she spoke softly. Eryk nodded his head towards her, and offered something of a smile in her direction.
"We might have to tell her it's Team Rocket. It would be safer that way," he started, shaking his head. "It would be safer to tell her both, that way she can at least be somewhat prepared," he continued, stopping only momentarily to glance in Kas's direction. "For now, we see what they say," he concluded.
Kas nodded. It wasn’t an ideal solution, but it would have to do. The best he could hope for was that Ana would be kept out of this completely. He wasn’t optimistic about that—chances were, they’d find out about her somehow… and then he wasn’t so sure what would happen. Ryk and Cy’s loyalty to the organization may have been mostly coerced, but it was still deep. There was no telling exactly what would happen when they were faced with a choice between defying their orders and betraying their friend.
He would be in the same situation pretty soon. Even he wasn’t completely sure how it would shake out, but…
“Well… I’m gonna go get some sleep, I guess. Don’t forget to put that bug back before anyone pays you a visit, Ryk.” He stood, smiling grimly for a second before he headed out.
He had a lot of things to think about, after all.
He hadn't bothered fixing his appearance today. He should have, but there were other things occupying his mind. He'd dressed back into his uniform, the white ones the Executives were supposed to wear. Cy had done the same thing, but she currently wasn't the one who felt like he was walking on those... what did they call them? Planks? That seemed right. He took a deep breath, and pushed himself out of his door, closing it behind him before he walked down the hall. He had been called, or more like summoned down to the room. He knew it was going to happen, he just had to make sure what he said was the same as what they'd agreed upon.
Katia would be there, though, and he wasn't entirely sure if he could keep his cool in her presence. She crawled under his skin, a lot more than usual, and he wanted to be nowhere near her. She was, undoubtedly, going to be a pain in the ass to deal with, and he was sure she was counting on it. He'd slip, or give something up if she was in the same room as he was, pushing the buttons he knew she could. She was getting to him even now, just being in his thoughts. Instead, he chose to focus on something else, like the smile she'd given him, and the day at the corsola reef. It, oddly, calmed his nerves down. Enough so, that he hadn't realized he'd reached his destination.
"Nero," her voice was just as sickeningly bland as it'd always been. He glanced in her direction, spotting her and Aidan. She had something in her hands, and it looked to be her trademark clipboard. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes, though. "This way," she continued. He simply followed her, but not before nodding his head in Aidan's direction.
The other man returned it, his face neutral, save a small trace of his usual blasé boredom. Aidan had a documented temper, but he kept a lid on it in most situations, and it tended to flare out quickly after flaring up. He certainly wasn’t the kind of person to fly off the handle for no reason, so he likely wouldn’t be as much of a problem during the interrogation. Chances were he wasn’t even interested in it, but he did what the boss told him to, all the time.
They led him to a room in the basement. There was one-way glass there, allowing whoever was in the adjoining room to see in, but not for them to see out. Whether there was anyone there or not was hard to say. The room had the standard setup—a metal table bolted to the ground and three chairs, one on one side and two on the other. Aidan settled into his, placing a short stack of files down in front of him, but leaving them unopened.
“Have a seat,” he said, glancing between Eryk and Katia.
He complied easily enough. It wasn't like he had much to hide. He had something to lose, though, or rather, someone. His chest tightened all of a sudden, and his eyes narrowed somewhat so that the discomfort wasn't noticeable. Katia took a seat next to Aidan, and pushing her glasses a little further up her nose. He didn't understand her need to do that, and wondered if she did that just to try and intimidate him. He didn't find anything intimidating about it, and if anything, it made her look more librarian. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes at her.
"Do you know why you're here?" Katia began, causing Ryk to give her a flat look. She returned it, though, and didn't seem amused by his response. "Eryk," she was pressuring a little, he could tell by the way her jaw settled and by the way she said his name. He almost smirked at it.
"I think that's why I'm here, is it not?" he retorted, earning a slight scoff. "If I knew, we wouldn't be here, now would we, Katia?" he continued, earning a slight glare from her. She didn't seem to happy about it, though.
"No one likes a smartass, Nero. We have some questions pertaining to," she paused, pulling out a file and setting it on the table, "one Anastasia Asher."
He didn't like the way she said her name. She glanced towards Aidan, though, as if asking him if he wanted to go first.
Aidan sighed. Apparently, this hadn’t been exactly the angle he’d wanted to start at, but he seemed willing enough to go along with it. “You’ve been investigating this woman for the better part of a year,” he said, flipping open one of his files. It looked like it might have copies of Eryk’s paperwork in it. “But the reports stop four months ago, minus an incomplete one from a couple weeks ago. It’s been made clear to you that this investigation is top priority. How do you explain the lack of adequate updates?”
"Because there hasn't been anything to update, yet," he spoke, though he knew that was probably not a complete answer to the question. He'd sent regular updates even when there wasn't anything to report. Katia seemed to have caught on to the end of his sentence, and raised a brow at him.
"What do you mean, yet? Is there something you're not telling us, Nero?" she spoke, and he could hear the disdain in her voice. "You sent reports regularly, but then all of a sudden, they stopped. What's this yet, for everything in between?" she continued. He wanted to grind his teeth, but he had to keep his composure. Any slip, and Katia would be on him like a sharpedo that smelled blood in the waters.
"You've read the reports; they all say the exact same thing. There hasn't been any new evidence of her showing anything, and in order to save resources," he began, keeping his gaze steady with Katia's, "not sending those reports was time spent further investigating."
It wasn't exactly untrue. He'd learned a few things during those four months he hadn't reported, however; he didn't think anything of it at the time. "The unfinished report that was sent was unfinished because we thought that we might have been on to something," he spoke, which was partly true, he supposed. Katia raised a brow in his direction, as if telling him to continue.
"We learned she is related to Sabrina."
“One of Rheinallt’s reports covered that,” Aidan said. His tone was neutral enough that it wasn’t clear if he found that to be a corroborating fact or a damning one. He seemed to have said it to inform Katia more than anything.
He turned his eyes on Eryk then, though; he wasn’t nearly as cutting as Katia, but if anything, his question hit closer to something important. “How well do you know her?”
"Well enough that she trusts me," he answered almost a little too quickly. He chanced a glance towards Katia, who seemed to have caught the way he said it, and raised a brow in his direction. "You already know I volunteer at her shelter. It was one of the ways we could get closer to her without her suspecting anything," he added. Katia didn't seem to buy it, though, and he could feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.
"Is that all? Because it sounded like there might have been a little something more in the way you said it during your interview," she said, giving him a strange look. He couldn't quite place it. "Did you honestly think we wouldn't be watching? Marah seemed to confirm it when she went back to Fucshia," she continued, and it finally dawned on him what she was talking about. She was referring to the tournament, and when they had interviewed him. He remembered the way he called her a friend. He should have known Marah would have caught on, too.
"Marah thinks she saw something that was there, that clearly isn't. Anastasia is a friend, and nothing more. We had to get close to her in order to study her, did we not? The only way she'd share something with us is if we were her friends. Friends are dear to each other, are they not, Katia?" he spoke, and he could almost see her hiss at him. It would have been amusing if he wasn't so... angry? "You didn't seem too concerned about it during my past missions. It's not the first time I've become close with a target to get the information we needed," and he was honestly a little sick with himself for even mentioning it that way, as if Ana was just another mission.
She might have been, at first, but it wasn't the same anymore, and he knew it, however; they didn't, and they didn't need to know.
Aidan was regarding him with sharp eyes. It was the same kind of look Kas gave him when he didn’t fully believe something Eryk said and was trying to decide how to handle it. “So let me ask straight out,” he said bluntly, raising an eyebrow. “Are you compromised with respect to this mission, or not?”
"I'm not."
Katia didn't seem to believe him, and seemed to study him for a minute. Her eyes narrowed, causing Eryk to return the expression. "Cut the bullshit, Nero. You're obviously lying," she finally spoke. Eryk wasn't fazed at all by the sudden statement, but merely regarded her with a confused look.
"When have you ever known me to lie, Katia?" he spoke back, watching as she chewed the bottom of her lip. He hadn't lied, not before, at least. He was always truthful, and they all knew that. That was, perhaps, the only thing he had going good for him. He never lied to the organization, with this being the only exception.
"Are you shitting me? Are you really shitting me, Nero? It's fucking obvious that you're compromised, that Anastasia means more to you than you're letting on. I can read your fucking body language, and it's tense as fuck. Not only that, what you did to Marah and what she said," she was getting angry with him, he could tell because she was swearing a lot more. She only really did that whenever she got angry. At him. He could probably use this to his advantage. Remaining as calm as he could be, which wasn't too hard, he regarded her with an even stare.
"I did nothing to the woman. She almost compromised the mission by saying things she shouldn't have in order to spite me. I had no choice but to tell her to leave," he replied. That much had been true, though. She'd told Ana a few things that could have seriously fucked with the mission, but nobody seemed to care too much, because they were all focused on him. Katia, however, slammed her clipboard down on the table.
"Stop this fucking charade, Nero, and tell the goddamn truth," she nearly shouted at him. If he could have, he would have smirked.
“Katia.” A smooth, masculine tenor interrupted them over the intercom. “It is time for you to take a break from the questioning.” There was no hint of a suggestion in the words: it was obviously a command, and obviously from someone who expected to be obeyed.
No sooner had Katia left than the boss himself entered, his expression cool. Stefan Gregorovich was at the upper end of middle age, but he still clearly looked like someone who could do his own dirty work if it was necessary. His uniform was pristine, matching the neat way he kept his hair and beard, both a greying blond. Like Katia, he wore glasses. Unlike her, he did not need their assistance to be an intimidating appearance.
He sat in the chair Katia had vacated; Aidan stood, moving to position himself behind Stefan’s shoulder.
Once positioned, Gregorovich sighed. “I’m hoping you can help me out here, Eryk,” he said, smiling wryly and folding his hands on the table in front of him. “You see, I’ve received some conflicting information, and getting to the bottom of it is proving to be difficult. Your paperwork—all sorts, not just the mission reports—has been in decline for a period of at least six months. You’ve taken multiple vacations in the past year, more combined than you’ve taken in your entire career combined before now.”
He fixed Eryk with pale grey eyes. “I do understand that sometimes, unconventional approaches are necessary in order to get close enough to a target. Friendliness, flattery—even seduction is a valuable tool, plied in the right circumstances. It is not unreasonable to suppose that perhaps you have brought Miss Asher along on all of these vacations to further her trust. But—and here is where I’m having difficulty, you see—” he paused, still regarding Eryk unblinkingly.
“How is it that you've gone to all this trouble, and still been unable to discover the answer to a single simple question?”
Sometimes, he wished that his boss wasn't the kind of man he was. The man had basically trapped him, and he knew it. He could understand the difficulty that the man was having in believing anything he was saying. Fuck, he was cornered here. What could he say that would appease his boss, and keep them from anything more? There wasn't much he could say, but he couldn't admit that he, technically, was lying to them. Taking in a breath, slowly so that it looked like he was centering himself to answer properly, he stared at his boss.
"She has Everett's, sir," he mentally winced at the statement and the way it was delivered. With no ounce of care. What her disease had to do with it, he didn't quite know, but he supposed he could use it to his advantage. "We are aware at how delicate the disease is, and if I did not take it slow, she would be dead, and useless to you, " he spoke, keeping his voice oddly calm.
"Would you rather me put her in that kind of situation, rather than be an asset to you?" he stated, though there was only respect in his voice. "From my understanding, she is much more valuable alive, than she is dead. She has trusted me enough to tell me that much, and I believe it is only a matter of weeks, if not days, that she will reveal any further information that may be beneficial and useful to you."
“I see.” It was impossible to tell whether Gregorovich bought this as an excuse, but he did reach up to stroke his beard thoughtfully. “Ah, but that is the way of it, I suppose. The most desirable and medicinal of flowers tend to be the most… delicate, don’t they?” He half-smiled, and stood.
“My Birds were quite convinced that you were compromised, Eryk. I’m glad to learn that this is not the case. After all… to extract the medicine, one does often need to crush the flower, lovely though it may be.”
And unfortunate.
"If I feel myself becoming compromised, you will be the first to know. I will endeavor to keep up with the updates from now on," because neglecting them wasn't exactly an option, now, was it?
“Good."
Katia would be there, though, and he wasn't entirely sure if he could keep his cool in her presence. She crawled under his skin, a lot more than usual, and he wanted to be nowhere near her. She was, undoubtedly, going to be a pain in the ass to deal with, and he was sure she was counting on it. He'd slip, or give something up if she was in the same room as he was, pushing the buttons he knew she could. She was getting to him even now, just being in his thoughts. Instead, he chose to focus on something else, like the smile she'd given him, and the day at the corsola reef. It, oddly, calmed his nerves down. Enough so, that he hadn't realized he'd reached his destination.
"Nero," her voice was just as sickeningly bland as it'd always been. He glanced in her direction, spotting her and Aidan. She had something in her hands, and it looked to be her trademark clipboard. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes, though. "This way," she continued. He simply followed her, but not before nodding his head in Aidan's direction.
The other man returned it, his face neutral, save a small trace of his usual blasé boredom. Aidan had a documented temper, but he kept a lid on it in most situations, and it tended to flare out quickly after flaring up. He certainly wasn’t the kind of person to fly off the handle for no reason, so he likely wouldn’t be as much of a problem during the interrogation. Chances were he wasn’t even interested in it, but he did what the boss told him to, all the time.
They led him to a room in the basement. There was one-way glass there, allowing whoever was in the adjoining room to see in, but not for them to see out. Whether there was anyone there or not was hard to say. The room had the standard setup—a metal table bolted to the ground and three chairs, one on one side and two on the other. Aidan settled into his, placing a short stack of files down in front of him, but leaving them unopened.
“Have a seat,” he said, glancing between Eryk and Katia.
He complied easily enough. It wasn't like he had much to hide. He had something to lose, though, or rather, someone. His chest tightened all of a sudden, and his eyes narrowed somewhat so that the discomfort wasn't noticeable. Katia took a seat next to Aidan, and pushing her glasses a little further up her nose. He didn't understand her need to do that, and wondered if she did that just to try and intimidate him. He didn't find anything intimidating about it, and if anything, it made her look more librarian. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes at her.
"Do you know why you're here?" Katia began, causing Ryk to give her a flat look. She returned it, though, and didn't seem amused by his response. "Eryk," she was pressuring a little, he could tell by the way her jaw settled and by the way she said his name. He almost smirked at it.
"I think that's why I'm here, is it not?" he retorted, earning a slight scoff. "If I knew, we wouldn't be here, now would we, Katia?" he continued, earning a slight glare from her. She didn't seem to happy about it, though.
"No one likes a smartass, Nero. We have some questions pertaining to," she paused, pulling out a file and setting it on the table, "one Anastasia Asher."
He didn't like the way she said her name. She glanced towards Aidan, though, as if asking him if he wanted to go first.
Aidan sighed. Apparently, this hadn’t been exactly the angle he’d wanted to start at, but he seemed willing enough to go along with it. “You’ve been investigating this woman for the better part of a year,” he said, flipping open one of his files. It looked like it might have copies of Eryk’s paperwork in it. “But the reports stop four months ago, minus an incomplete one from a couple weeks ago. It’s been made clear to you that this investigation is top priority. How do you explain the lack of adequate updates?”
"Because there hasn't been anything to update, yet," he spoke, though he knew that was probably not a complete answer to the question. He'd sent regular updates even when there wasn't anything to report. Katia seemed to have caught on to the end of his sentence, and raised a brow at him.
"What do you mean, yet? Is there something you're not telling us, Nero?" she spoke, and he could hear the disdain in her voice. "You sent reports regularly, but then all of a sudden, they stopped. What's this yet, for everything in between?" she continued. He wanted to grind his teeth, but he had to keep his composure. Any slip, and Katia would be on him like a sharpedo that smelled blood in the waters.
"You've read the reports; they all say the exact same thing. There hasn't been any new evidence of her showing anything, and in order to save resources," he began, keeping his gaze steady with Katia's, "not sending those reports was time spent further investigating."
It wasn't exactly untrue. He'd learned a few things during those four months he hadn't reported, however; he didn't think anything of it at the time. "The unfinished report that was sent was unfinished because we thought that we might have been on to something," he spoke, which was partly true, he supposed. Katia raised a brow in his direction, as if telling him to continue.
"We learned she is related to Sabrina."
“One of Rheinallt’s reports covered that,” Aidan said. His tone was neutral enough that it wasn’t clear if he found that to be a corroborating fact or a damning one. He seemed to have said it to inform Katia more than anything.
He turned his eyes on Eryk then, though; he wasn’t nearly as cutting as Katia, but if anything, his question hit closer to something important. “How well do you know her?”
"Well enough that she trusts me," he answered almost a little too quickly. He chanced a glance towards Katia, who seemed to have caught the way he said it, and raised a brow in his direction. "You already know I volunteer at her shelter. It was one of the ways we could get closer to her without her suspecting anything," he added. Katia didn't seem to buy it, though, and he could feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.
"Is that all? Because it sounded like there might have been a little something more in the way you said it during your interview," she said, giving him a strange look. He couldn't quite place it. "Did you honestly think we wouldn't be watching? Marah seemed to confirm it when she went back to Fucshia," she continued, and it finally dawned on him what she was talking about. She was referring to the tournament, and when they had interviewed him. He remembered the way he called her a friend. He should have known Marah would have caught on, too.
"Marah thinks she saw something that was there, that clearly isn't. Anastasia is a friend, and nothing more. We had to get close to her in order to study her, did we not? The only way she'd share something with us is if we were her friends. Friends are dear to each other, are they not, Katia?" he spoke, and he could almost see her hiss at him. It would have been amusing if he wasn't so... angry? "You didn't seem too concerned about it during my past missions. It's not the first time I've become close with a target to get the information we needed," and he was honestly a little sick with himself for even mentioning it that way, as if Ana was just another mission.
She might have been, at first, but it wasn't the same anymore, and he knew it, however; they didn't, and they didn't need to know.
Aidan was regarding him with sharp eyes. It was the same kind of look Kas gave him when he didn’t fully believe something Eryk said and was trying to decide how to handle it. “So let me ask straight out,” he said bluntly, raising an eyebrow. “Are you compromised with respect to this mission, or not?”
"I'm not."
Katia didn't seem to believe him, and seemed to study him for a minute. Her eyes narrowed, causing Eryk to return the expression. "Cut the bullshit, Nero. You're obviously lying," she finally spoke. Eryk wasn't fazed at all by the sudden statement, but merely regarded her with a confused look.
"When have you ever known me to lie, Katia?" he spoke back, watching as she chewed the bottom of her lip. He hadn't lied, not before, at least. He was always truthful, and they all knew that. That was, perhaps, the only thing he had going good for him. He never lied to the organization, with this being the only exception.
"Are you shitting me? Are you really shitting me, Nero? It's fucking obvious that you're compromised, that Anastasia means more to you than you're letting on. I can read your fucking body language, and it's tense as fuck. Not only that, what you did to Marah and what she said," she was getting angry with him, he could tell because she was swearing a lot more. She only really did that whenever she got angry. At him. He could probably use this to his advantage. Remaining as calm as he could be, which wasn't too hard, he regarded her with an even stare.
"I did nothing to the woman. She almost compromised the mission by saying things she shouldn't have in order to spite me. I had no choice but to tell her to leave," he replied. That much had been true, though. She'd told Ana a few things that could have seriously fucked with the mission, but nobody seemed to care too much, because they were all focused on him. Katia, however, slammed her clipboard down on the table.
"Stop this fucking charade, Nero, and tell the goddamn truth," she nearly shouted at him. If he could have, he would have smirked.
“Katia.” A smooth, masculine tenor interrupted them over the intercom. “It is time for you to take a break from the questioning.” There was no hint of a suggestion in the words: it was obviously a command, and obviously from someone who expected to be obeyed.
No sooner had Katia left than the boss himself entered, his expression cool. Stefan Gregorovich was at the upper end of middle age, but he still clearly looked like someone who could do his own dirty work if it was necessary. His uniform was pristine, matching the neat way he kept his hair and beard, both a greying blond. Like Katia, he wore glasses. Unlike her, he did not need their assistance to be an intimidating appearance.
He sat in the chair Katia had vacated; Aidan stood, moving to position himself behind Stefan’s shoulder.
Once positioned, Gregorovich sighed. “I’m hoping you can help me out here, Eryk,” he said, smiling wryly and folding his hands on the table in front of him. “You see, I’ve received some conflicting information, and getting to the bottom of it is proving to be difficult. Your paperwork—all sorts, not just the mission reports—has been in decline for a period of at least six months. You’ve taken multiple vacations in the past year, more combined than you’ve taken in your entire career combined before now.”
He fixed Eryk with pale grey eyes. “I do understand that sometimes, unconventional approaches are necessary in order to get close enough to a target. Friendliness, flattery—even seduction is a valuable tool, plied in the right circumstances. It is not unreasonable to suppose that perhaps you have brought Miss Asher along on all of these vacations to further her trust. But—and here is where I’m having difficulty, you see—” he paused, still regarding Eryk unblinkingly.
“How is it that you've gone to all this trouble, and still been unable to discover the answer to a single simple question?”
Sometimes, he wished that his boss wasn't the kind of man he was. The man had basically trapped him, and he knew it. He could understand the difficulty that the man was having in believing anything he was saying. Fuck, he was cornered here. What could he say that would appease his boss, and keep them from anything more? There wasn't much he could say, but he couldn't admit that he, technically, was lying to them. Taking in a breath, slowly so that it looked like he was centering himself to answer properly, he stared at his boss.
"She has Everett's, sir," he mentally winced at the statement and the way it was delivered. With no ounce of care. What her disease had to do with it, he didn't quite know, but he supposed he could use it to his advantage. "We are aware at how delicate the disease is, and if I did not take it slow, she would be dead, and useless to you, " he spoke, keeping his voice oddly calm.
"Would you rather me put her in that kind of situation, rather than be an asset to you?" he stated, though there was only respect in his voice. "From my understanding, she is much more valuable alive, than she is dead. She has trusted me enough to tell me that much, and I believe it is only a matter of weeks, if not days, that she will reveal any further information that may be beneficial and useful to you."
“I see.” It was impossible to tell whether Gregorovich bought this as an excuse, but he did reach up to stroke his beard thoughtfully. “Ah, but that is the way of it, I suppose. The most desirable and medicinal of flowers tend to be the most… delicate, don’t they?” He half-smiled, and stood.
“My Birds were quite convinced that you were compromised, Eryk. I’m glad to learn that this is not the case. After all… to extract the medicine, one does often need to crush the flower, lovely though it may be.”
And unfortunate.
"If I feel myself becoming compromised, you will be the first to know. I will endeavor to keep up with the updates from now on," because neglecting them wasn't exactly an option, now, was it?
“Good."
Ana sighed, checking her phone for what had to be the twelfth time in the last hour. She hadn’t heard from Eryk, Cy, or Kas in two days. That would have been fine, but the thing was, they usually took special care to inform her if they were going to be out of contact for a while for a mission or something, and they hadn’t done that this time. She hoped everything was all right, but…
Shaking her head, she got back to work, scrubbing the pool down with a hard-bristled brush. There was a bit of dirt that was being particularly stubborn, but Ana worked at it until it gave. Replacing the scrubber in the bucket, she lifted that out of the pool and followed, climbing out with the assistance of the ladder. Now all she had to do was hose it clean and then refill it to the right temperature.
“Excuse me,” a man’s voice, aristocratic and smooth, came from behind her.
Ana jumped at the unexpected sound, whirling to meet the person. A man of perhaps middle age or slightly older stood a polite distance away, his hands folded behind him. The suit he wore suggested a great deal of wealth, but it wasn’t ostentatious. His hair was longer than she’d expect, the blond fading to grey, and pulled away from his head to gather at the nape of his neck in a low ponytail. His beard, the same color, was meticulously combed and trimmed neatly. He wore rimless square glasses; they did little to hide the cool brightness of his grey eyes.
“Ah, forgive me, miss. I did not mean to startle you.” He smiled amiably, and Ana felt herself relax a little.
“Oh, no, that’s all right,” she said, answering the smile with one of her own. “We’re definitely open; I just wasn’t expecting anyone, and didn’t hear you.” She adjusted her grip on the bucket. “Is there something I can help you with, sir?” She wasn’t exactly sure what such a person was doing here at her little shelter, but she’d seen all sorts.
“Yes, actually,” he replied. “I was hoping to being the process of adopting a pokémon, and I’m told you’re the one to go to for that.”
She blinked; Ana felt her smile grow wider. She always loved it when someone wanted to take one of her charges home. She did as much as she could for them here, but nothing beat the personal attention of a trainer or just someone who’d keep the pokémon around their house as a pet.
“That’s wonderful!” she exclaimed, then closed her mouth sheepishly, a bit of a blush appearing on her cheeks. “Er—sorry. I’m just… that’s good to hear. Do you know what type of pokémon you’re interested in adopting? There are some legal requirements for the different types, but that will depend on whether you intend to train and travel with the pokémon or keep it at your home.”
“Well,” he said, appearing to give the question some thought, “I do travel from time to time, and I battle occasionally, but I think for the most part I’m just looking for a companion. I don’t really have a preference for type; I think it might be better if it didn’t require a tank, however.”
Ana smiled sympathetically. “The regulations on those can be tough on private citizens,” she said. “We’ll stick to land-dwelling pokémon then. If you don’t mind following me, I can show you around, and we’ll see if you hit it off with anyone.”
She ducked into the storage shed to put away her cleaning supplies. Ana paused a moment to neaten her apron—she wasn’t exactly at her most professional-looking after she’d cleaned the pool, and this man seemed so well-put-together that she almost felt awkward.
“I’m sorry sir,” she said upon reappearing, “I don’t believe I ever got your name. I’m Anastasia Asher—I run the shelter. Though I suppose you might have known that already.” She extended a hand towards him.
He gripped it gently; his skin was warm and slightly dry. “Stefan Gregorovich,” he said, dipping his head in an almost deferential manner. “Forgive me for saying so, Miss Asher, but you have the most lovely eyes.”
They widened; Ana wasn’t used to compliments, particularly not ones about her appearance. She blushed—she doubted Mr. Gregorovich meant anything by it, but still… to have such a distinguished-looking person delivering such a compliment was rather embarrassing. “Oh—thank you. That’s so kind.” She barely saved herself from stammering, keeping her dignity intact at least that much.
Clearing her throat, she shifted the topic back around, aware that he was smiling at her with amusement. “A-anyway… most of the pokémon are still inside this morning. I was just about to let them out anyway, so this seems like a good opportunity for you to meet them.”
His light chuckle followed her as she led him towards the main shelter building, opening the large barn-style door in the front. “We only have about twenty-five residents at the moment. We’re licensed for up to fifty, but I try to keep the number down if I can.”
“We?” he asked curiously. “I was under the impression that you ran the center by yourself.”
“Well… kind of,” Ana admitted easily. “I’m the owner, but I have several volunteers that are pretty much indispensable to me at this point. They’ve been really helpful with everything, especially the things it’s difficult for me to do by myself.”
“Let me guess: the lifting of heavy objects and such? I admit I would struggle with some of those crates you had in your shed.”
She didn’t really think so—he seemed to be quite in-shape—but she appreciated the thought. “I’ll admit, they’re helpful for that. But they also just give me a hand with all the daily chores. I’d kind of forgotten how many there were, until I had to explain them to someone else.”
Ana led Mr. Gregorovich further into the building, pausing to open kennels and group enclosures as she went. Rufus waddled up briefly, sniffed at the man, and tilted his head. When Stefan leaned down to pet him, however, he growled softly and backed off.
“Sorry about that,” Ana said. “Rufus rarely likes anyone the first time he meets them.” In fact, it had pretty much only been the three of them—Eryk especially—that he’d ever taken a shine to, besides her. Though she supposed he did love Auntie Miranda.
“It’s quite all right,” Mr. Gregorovich replied calmly. “I’m sure that many of the pokémon here have undergone much trauma, and sometimes we can remind them of that whether or not we intend to.”
She smiled. “That’s true. It can be hard to explain it to people, though—I’m glad you understand.”
For a while, she simply introduced him to all the pokémon. Most of them seemed to like him; she was especially happy to see that Ekans let him get close and pet his scales. “He’s been here for close to eight months now,” she said, smiling at the exchange. “He came in with a case of scale rot, but thankfully that was his only problem. Some of them here have dealt with worse.”
“You know that for sure?” he asked curiously, standing from his crouched position to look at her curiously.
Ana nodded slightly. “Yes, actually. Well—I asked him, and that’s what he showed me, anyway.”
“Showed you?”
Ana reminded herself that she was trying to be more open with people, and this was a good place to start—by sharing the benefits of her abilities with them as much as she could. Her friends had surely taught her that it was okay to be herself with people, right? She figured they’d at least rid her of some of her shyness.
“Mhm. Ekans don’t have human speech, but they can send feelings and pictures through mental links.”
He blinked in apparent surprise. “You’re a psychic?”
“Yes, sir.”
There was an expectant silence; she waited for ridicule or lots of questions, or some other uncomfortable response, but to her surprise, none of them were forthcoming. Instead, Mr. Gregorovich smiled kindly. “Well, I suppose that would be most useful in your line of work.”
She smiled brightly back at him. “I think so.”
He chuckled, then his expression sobered for a moment. “Well, Miss Asher, I thank you for showing me around. It’s a big decision to make, of course, and I’d like a few days to think on it, if you don’t mind?” His tone was apologetic.
Ana immediately shook her head. “Oh, I don’t mind at all. Take your time; we’ll be here waiting when you decide.”
His smile returned; something glittered in his eyes. “I’m ever so delighted to hear that.”
Shaking her head, she got back to work, scrubbing the pool down with a hard-bristled brush. There was a bit of dirt that was being particularly stubborn, but Ana worked at it until it gave. Replacing the scrubber in the bucket, she lifted that out of the pool and followed, climbing out with the assistance of the ladder. Now all she had to do was hose it clean and then refill it to the right temperature.
“Excuse me,” a man’s voice, aristocratic and smooth, came from behind her.
Ana jumped at the unexpected sound, whirling to meet the person. A man of perhaps middle age or slightly older stood a polite distance away, his hands folded behind him. The suit he wore suggested a great deal of wealth, but it wasn’t ostentatious. His hair was longer than she’d expect, the blond fading to grey, and pulled away from his head to gather at the nape of his neck in a low ponytail. His beard, the same color, was meticulously combed and trimmed neatly. He wore rimless square glasses; they did little to hide the cool brightness of his grey eyes.
“Ah, forgive me, miss. I did not mean to startle you.” He smiled amiably, and Ana felt herself relax a little.
“Oh, no, that’s all right,” she said, answering the smile with one of her own. “We’re definitely open; I just wasn’t expecting anyone, and didn’t hear you.” She adjusted her grip on the bucket. “Is there something I can help you with, sir?” She wasn’t exactly sure what such a person was doing here at her little shelter, but she’d seen all sorts.
“Yes, actually,” he replied. “I was hoping to being the process of adopting a pokémon, and I’m told you’re the one to go to for that.”
She blinked; Ana felt her smile grow wider. She always loved it when someone wanted to take one of her charges home. She did as much as she could for them here, but nothing beat the personal attention of a trainer or just someone who’d keep the pokémon around their house as a pet.
“That’s wonderful!” she exclaimed, then closed her mouth sheepishly, a bit of a blush appearing on her cheeks. “Er—sorry. I’m just… that’s good to hear. Do you know what type of pokémon you’re interested in adopting? There are some legal requirements for the different types, but that will depend on whether you intend to train and travel with the pokémon or keep it at your home.”
“Well,” he said, appearing to give the question some thought, “I do travel from time to time, and I battle occasionally, but I think for the most part I’m just looking for a companion. I don’t really have a preference for type; I think it might be better if it didn’t require a tank, however.”
Ana smiled sympathetically. “The regulations on those can be tough on private citizens,” she said. “We’ll stick to land-dwelling pokémon then. If you don’t mind following me, I can show you around, and we’ll see if you hit it off with anyone.”
She ducked into the storage shed to put away her cleaning supplies. Ana paused a moment to neaten her apron—she wasn’t exactly at her most professional-looking after she’d cleaned the pool, and this man seemed so well-put-together that she almost felt awkward.
“I’m sorry sir,” she said upon reappearing, “I don’t believe I ever got your name. I’m Anastasia Asher—I run the shelter. Though I suppose you might have known that already.” She extended a hand towards him.
He gripped it gently; his skin was warm and slightly dry. “Stefan Gregorovich,” he said, dipping his head in an almost deferential manner. “Forgive me for saying so, Miss Asher, but you have the most lovely eyes.”
They widened; Ana wasn’t used to compliments, particularly not ones about her appearance. She blushed—she doubted Mr. Gregorovich meant anything by it, but still… to have such a distinguished-looking person delivering such a compliment was rather embarrassing. “Oh—thank you. That’s so kind.” She barely saved herself from stammering, keeping her dignity intact at least that much.
Clearing her throat, she shifted the topic back around, aware that he was smiling at her with amusement. “A-anyway… most of the pokémon are still inside this morning. I was just about to let them out anyway, so this seems like a good opportunity for you to meet them.”
His light chuckle followed her as she led him towards the main shelter building, opening the large barn-style door in the front. “We only have about twenty-five residents at the moment. We’re licensed for up to fifty, but I try to keep the number down if I can.”
“We?” he asked curiously. “I was under the impression that you ran the center by yourself.”
“Well… kind of,” Ana admitted easily. “I’m the owner, but I have several volunteers that are pretty much indispensable to me at this point. They’ve been really helpful with everything, especially the things it’s difficult for me to do by myself.”
“Let me guess: the lifting of heavy objects and such? I admit I would struggle with some of those crates you had in your shed.”
She didn’t really think so—he seemed to be quite in-shape—but she appreciated the thought. “I’ll admit, they’re helpful for that. But they also just give me a hand with all the daily chores. I’d kind of forgotten how many there were, until I had to explain them to someone else.”
Ana led Mr. Gregorovich further into the building, pausing to open kennels and group enclosures as she went. Rufus waddled up briefly, sniffed at the man, and tilted his head. When Stefan leaned down to pet him, however, he growled softly and backed off.
“Sorry about that,” Ana said. “Rufus rarely likes anyone the first time he meets them.” In fact, it had pretty much only been the three of them—Eryk especially—that he’d ever taken a shine to, besides her. Though she supposed he did love Auntie Miranda.
“It’s quite all right,” Mr. Gregorovich replied calmly. “I’m sure that many of the pokémon here have undergone much trauma, and sometimes we can remind them of that whether or not we intend to.”
She smiled. “That’s true. It can be hard to explain it to people, though—I’m glad you understand.”
For a while, she simply introduced him to all the pokémon. Most of them seemed to like him; she was especially happy to see that Ekans let him get close and pet his scales. “He’s been here for close to eight months now,” she said, smiling at the exchange. “He came in with a case of scale rot, but thankfully that was his only problem. Some of them here have dealt with worse.”
“You know that for sure?” he asked curiously, standing from his crouched position to look at her curiously.
Ana nodded slightly. “Yes, actually. Well—I asked him, and that’s what he showed me, anyway.”
“Showed you?”
Ana reminded herself that she was trying to be more open with people, and this was a good place to start—by sharing the benefits of her abilities with them as much as she could. Her friends had surely taught her that it was okay to be herself with people, right? She figured they’d at least rid her of some of her shyness.
“Mhm. Ekans don’t have human speech, but they can send feelings and pictures through mental links.”
He blinked in apparent surprise. “You’re a psychic?”
“Yes, sir.”
There was an expectant silence; she waited for ridicule or lots of questions, or some other uncomfortable response, but to her surprise, none of them were forthcoming. Instead, Mr. Gregorovich smiled kindly. “Well, I suppose that would be most useful in your line of work.”
She smiled brightly back at him. “I think so.”
He chuckled, then his expression sobered for a moment. “Well, Miss Asher, I thank you for showing me around. It’s a big decision to make, of course, and I’d like a few days to think on it, if you don’t mind?” His tone was apologetic.
Ana immediately shook her head. “Oh, I don’t mind at all. Take your time; we’ll be here waiting when you decide.”
His smile returned; something glittered in his eyes. “I’m ever so delighted to hear that.”
The only thing that clouded her vision was a pair of lips, and the feeling of them against her own. The tempo of music playing rang through her ears, and she was so close...
Cyrilla's eyes snapped open, rolling over so that she fell out of her bed, hitting the floor with a soft thud. You have interesting dreams, you know, Kenshin spoke, glancing down as he stood above her. She merely blinked at him, and sighed. She rolled so that she was no longer tangled in the blankets, and managed to get her foot unstuck from one of the thinner blankets. She piled them back onto her bed, and kept her hand there for a moment.
"I'm not sure if you'd call them interesting," she replied back, letting out a rather depleated sigh. She was tired, she knew that, but she didn't exactly know why. "I'm going to go shower," she spoke, dragging her feet across the floor and headed towards her bathroom. She'd grabbed her clothes along the way, and allowed herself to stand underneath the warm water once she set the shower on. It felt nice, soothing even, however; she had to get her thoughts together. Ever since they got back from Cinnabar, which was only two days ago, she'd been having the same dream. She wasn't ignorant to what it was about, and who it was, but that still didn't stop the small sting in her heart.
She finished her bath and dressed before stepping out of her bathroom, glancing at Kenshin who laid, curled, on her bed. He lifted his head to acknowledge her, and she shook her head. "I don't know what to do, Kenny," she spoke softly, taking her gaze from him and walking to the chair in her room. "How do you show someone you love them? How do you go about doing that?" she asked, though she knew he didn't have an answer for her. There were only a few ways she could do that, but she wasn't entirely sure if they were the right ways to do it.
You should still try. It's never stopped you before, he responded, apparently sensing the current conflict within herself. He probably did, by reading her aura. You're dreaming about him, now, and that's a first. Something happened, that you haven't told me about, and you haven't stopped. Perhaps, you should do whatever it is you humans do in professing your love for each other, or something, he continued. At least he managed to make her smile. He didn't know what he was talking about, and that was fine. She didn't need him to.
"Because there are different ways to show someone you love them. Apparently, one of those ways isn't exactly going to help," if what Harper said was true, anyway. She shook her head, though, and glanced at the door handle. "I'm going for a walk, Kenny. They're still around, so you can either join me, or you can stay here all cooped up in the room," she spoke, watching as he raised his head somewhat. He seemed to think about it since he knew who they were. He just shook his head.
I'm going to stay here. She doesn't scare me, he replied, laying his head back down on the bed. She wasn't going to force him to go with her if he didn't want to. Plus, maybe if she went on a walk, she could clear her head more, and figure out what she wanted to do. Maybe she'll even pay Ana a visit. She'd been interviewed the day after Eryk had been, so they knew of her friendship with Ana. Luckily, it wasn't really her job to get the information they wanted. She was only there to help speed things up, apparently.
"Well, if anyone comes looking for me..."
You're at Ana's.
She nodded her head and left her room. She didn't get too far, though, before she stopped by Kas's door. It was closed, so he was either out, or inside and didn't necessarily want to be bothered. She'd raised her hand to knock on it, but decided not to. It was awkward enough as it was, and she didn't need to make it any worse. She'll talk to him when she was ready, she supposed. For now, she needed guidance, and the only person she could ask was someone whom she considered her best friend, and sister. Of course, Ana wasn't Harper, and she couldn't, exactly, give her the same insight, but she could still seek counsel from her, right?
And it wasn't like she was going to ask her anything too personal. Ana was a psychic, and that could probably help her figure out how to show... whatever it is she needed to show. With that in mind, she pushed herself away from his door, and went to leave the mansion. She didn't have any fear of being followed, at least.
When she reached the shelter, it was to find Ana working in the garden. Kas’s mother’s gardener, Earnest, had provided Ana with a large number of bulbs and seeds after she’d shown interest in the plants in his garden. It looked like Ana had chosen today to plant them, if the overturned dirt and tools laying around were anything to go by.
Ana herself, while working steadily, was also in the middle of receiving a hug of sorts from Ekans—the pokémon had wrapped himself around her, with his head laying on her shoulder and several of his coils around her waist. Her arms had been left free, and she of course didn’t look to be in any danger.
When Cyrilla approached, Ana looked up, her eyes going wide for a moment. “Cy! You’re all right! No one’s been answering their phones; I’ve been worried since I didn’t hear from you for a few days. Is everything okay?” She stood, brushing soil off the knees of her pants. Ekans shuffled a little bit, so that he was around her more snugly.
"Yeah, everything's fine. We just had... an unexpected visitor is all," she replied, shaking her head softly. It was unexpected since none of them knew that he was even going to arrive, let alone have all of them under investigation. She wasn't entirely sure what to do or say, at the moment. Judging from what Ana just said, Kas might not have come out here, yet, so Ana didn't know. They had agreed to tell Ana about what was going on, but she wasn't entirely sure how much she should tell Ana. She smiled somewhat, though.
"Ana, this visitor, these visitors... they're not like us. They're... different. One of them is our boss. We don't know why he's here, yet, but please," she spoke a little softly this time glancing up towards Ana and offering her a rather serious expression. "Please be careful who you talk to, okay? Katia's here, too, and she knows about you and Ryk. At least, she thinks she knows. If she comes to you and asks you about Ryk and your relationship, if anyone comes by and asks about it..." she paused, swallowing a lump in her throat. She didn't exactly want Ana to not pretend it wasn't a relationship, but she also wanted them to both be safe.
"Tell them that it's nothing more than a friendship. Eryk... he's trying to protect you from them," she spoke, though she could only hope Ana would take them as his family. "That's why no one has been able to answer their phone. We're sorry about that, but we want to keep you safe right now," because it was the only way they could, at the moment.
It was hard to read Ana’s expression for a moment; she seemed to be almost confused. Her mouth turned down from the earlier smile; her brows furrowed. A line appeared just above her nose. She ran one of her hands along Ekans’s scales, glancing off to the side for a moment. “I have to admit, I’m not really… how come every time someone from out of town comes here for Team Rocket… it somehow ends up involving me?”
She shook her head. “No—sorry, I’m just thinking strangely. But… it does seem like every time they do, the three of you are running some kind of damage control in general. I can’t imagine you…” she trailed off, but it was apparent enough what she was getting at. If Team Rocket was this dangerous, why on earth were they still working for it?
She was polite enough not to say that, though. Instead, she seemed to shift the topic abruptly. “Um… you wouldn’t happen to know someone named Stefan Gregorovich, would you?”
Cyrilla inwardly sighed. She wanted to tell Ana the truth, why everything always involved her, but she couldn't. She wanted to, it was right there on the tip of her tongue, but she just couldn't. Maybe, Ryk would tell her before it was too late, and maybe then... she shook the thoughts from her mind, however; Ana's next statement. Stefan. How did Ana know that name? She didn't even bother to hide the worried expression on her face.
"Ana, you can't tell him anything. Don't tell him anything about your powers, or yourself. Please dont," she almost pleaded. If Stefan came here, there was a good chance that he might have said something to her, but on the offchance he just wanted to meet Ana, to see what caused Eryk to miss his updates, then that would be okay.
"He's our boss, Ana. He's not... he's not a good man, either," of that she was certain. "Ana..." she began, glancing to meet her gaze. She wanted to tell her so badly. She was her best friend, her sister. How could she do this to her? She could feel the sting in the back of her eyes. It's because she wasn't a good person. She was deceitful, and she lied. And she would, inevitably, hurt her best friend. She'd come here with the purpose of asking for her advice, pretending that they were sisters, however; that wasn't true, was it?
"I'm sorry," she stated, shaking her head instead. She couldn't tell Ana, but she wanted to. She wanted to tell her to leave, to take off somewhere, anywhere, so she could be safe, but she couldn't even bring herself to say that much.
Ana looked alarmed, perhaps at the obvious distress Cyrilla was in. She hesitated for a long moment, visibly warring with herself over something, then spoke quietly. “It’s… it’s a bit too late for that,” she said softly. “He came by yesterday and introduced himself—he said he wanted to adopt a pokémon from the shelter.” She licked her lips, glancing down at the ground. “I… I had no idea who he was. He just introduced himself by name and said some friend of his had told him about the shelter. That kind of thing happens often enough that I didn’t think anything of it.”
She sighed, lifting her eyes back to Cy’s. “I’m sorry—I told him, about my telepathy. We were talking about the trauma that pokémon undergo, and he wanted to know how I knew that Ekans had never been abused.” The rest was obvious. It would never have naturally occurred to Ana to lie—she wasn’t that kind of person. So she’d told him the truth, and now he knew.
She couldn't hold it in. She was trying to, but what Ana just told her, her heart broke. She could feel it breaking and it hurt so much that she sputtered. She was crying, and she could feel it on her face, and she could hear it as her shoulders shook. She was going to lose her best friend. She knew she was. It was only a matter of time before Stefan would decide that he wanted to use Ana for whatever Project Nebula was, and she was going to lose her best friend. Not only that, she had to let it happen. She couldn't stop it, even if she wanted to. Even if she told Ana to leave right now, they wouldn't let her get far. They probably had her under surveillance with someone watching her right now.
"Ana, I'm so... so sorry, I never," the words were right there. So close she could taste them. She almost ran at Ana, and enveloped her in a hug, holding onto her tightly as she cried on her shoulder. "I never meant for any of this to happen, I'm so, so sorry," she spoke between sobs.
"Well, well, well, what have we here?" the familiar voice caused Cyrilla to tense abruptly. "Little pidove, what are you doing?" Remi's voice was just as cheerful and piercing as she remembered it. She let Ana go, and turned towards Remi, who was hanging out on Ana's gate. She was just leaning on it, with her mightyena out of his ball. He was sitting at her side, as if waiting for her to give a signal of some sorts.
"Nothing, Remi. One of the shelter pokémon didn't make it last night. I was... hoping to adopt him," she tried to speak with an even voice, but it cracked. She couldn't tell Remi what she was about to do. If she did, Remi would not hesitate. She would take Cyrilla with her, and have her either demoted, or worse, thrown into the interrogation room. It wasn't the same as the one she'd been in the other day. At least with this excuse, Remi would buy it, she hoped.
"Were you looking to replace your lucario? Oh, did he die?" she spoke, some hint of morbid curiosity and laughter lacing her voice. It took a lot not to shudder at her voice, and to keep herself from crying more, however; Remi scared her. It did not stop her from glaring at her, though. Kenshin had nearly died because of her, and she looked happy about it.
"He's still alive," she almost winced at the sound of her voice. It was weak, and she knew it.
"Oh, that's a shame."
"Is there something you need, Remi?" she needed to get Remi out of here, but Remi only smiled widely.
"Just keeping an eye on my favorite Pidove, is all," she replied before pushing herself off of the gate. She didn't enter, which Cyrilla was grateful for. "I'll be waiting right over here whenever you're done, pidove. Don't keep me waiting too long, 'kay? Otherwise Shades will get a little impatient," she spoke, winking before she walked off, the mightyena following after her. She turned back towards Ana, and wiped the tears as best as she could from her own eyes.
"Ana, I'm sorry."
Ana looked extremely confused; but that passed as well—when Remi appeared, her expression hardened. When the other executive walked off, she stepped forward, wrapping Cyrilla in a gentle hug, and spoke low in her ear—far too low for Remi to hear, as was probably the point. “It’s okay,” She said softly, rubbing Cy’s back.
“I don’t know exactly what’s going on, but it’s all right. Whatever happens, whatever has made you feel like this—like you need to apologize to me—it’s okay. I forgive you.” The weight in the words suggested that Ana wasn’t taking the potential danger lightly at all. Perhaps she had figured things out, at least to some extent.
"But it's not okay, and you shouldn't forgive me. I don't... I don't deserve it," she whispered back, and she meant every word of it. Ana should not forgive a despicable human being like herself. She should hate her, and be angry with her. She shouldn't forgive such a monster. That's what she was, right? A monster. For what else could she be and do this much harm to another person knowingly. She tried to keep herself from crying more, and held onto Ana as if her life depended on it. Maybe it did, and she just didn't want to let go of that.
Ana sighed softly, moving her hand up and down Cyrilla’s back. She didn’t seem inclined to get into an argument about it, and just held her instead. She was warm and her breathing was steady, and she leaned the side of her head against Cyrilla’s.
“You probably shouldn’t keep her waiting,” she said at last, sadness and a faint hint of anger finding their way into her tone. Pulling a scrap of cloth from her apron pocket, Ana dabbed Cy’s cheeks carefully. “Cy… whatever happens… I believe in you, okay? You’re my friend.”
"You wouldn't say that if you knew," she whispered so softly, she wasn't sure Ana heard it. As close as they were, she probably did. Shaking her head, she said her goodbye to Ana, and went to find Remi. She really was a despicable human being, wasn't she?
Cyrilla's eyes snapped open, rolling over so that she fell out of her bed, hitting the floor with a soft thud. You have interesting dreams, you know, Kenshin spoke, glancing down as he stood above her. She merely blinked at him, and sighed. She rolled so that she was no longer tangled in the blankets, and managed to get her foot unstuck from one of the thinner blankets. She piled them back onto her bed, and kept her hand there for a moment.
"I'm not sure if you'd call them interesting," she replied back, letting out a rather depleated sigh. She was tired, she knew that, but she didn't exactly know why. "I'm going to go shower," she spoke, dragging her feet across the floor and headed towards her bathroom. She'd grabbed her clothes along the way, and allowed herself to stand underneath the warm water once she set the shower on. It felt nice, soothing even, however; she had to get her thoughts together. Ever since they got back from Cinnabar, which was only two days ago, she'd been having the same dream. She wasn't ignorant to what it was about, and who it was, but that still didn't stop the small sting in her heart.
She finished her bath and dressed before stepping out of her bathroom, glancing at Kenshin who laid, curled, on her bed. He lifted his head to acknowledge her, and she shook her head. "I don't know what to do, Kenny," she spoke softly, taking her gaze from him and walking to the chair in her room. "How do you show someone you love them? How do you go about doing that?" she asked, though she knew he didn't have an answer for her. There were only a few ways she could do that, but she wasn't entirely sure if they were the right ways to do it.
You should still try. It's never stopped you before, he responded, apparently sensing the current conflict within herself. He probably did, by reading her aura. You're dreaming about him, now, and that's a first. Something happened, that you haven't told me about, and you haven't stopped. Perhaps, you should do whatever it is you humans do in professing your love for each other, or something, he continued. At least he managed to make her smile. He didn't know what he was talking about, and that was fine. She didn't need him to.
"Because there are different ways to show someone you love them. Apparently, one of those ways isn't exactly going to help," if what Harper said was true, anyway. She shook her head, though, and glanced at the door handle. "I'm going for a walk, Kenny. They're still around, so you can either join me, or you can stay here all cooped up in the room," she spoke, watching as he raised his head somewhat. He seemed to think about it since he knew who they were. He just shook his head.
I'm going to stay here. She doesn't scare me, he replied, laying his head back down on the bed. She wasn't going to force him to go with her if he didn't want to. Plus, maybe if she went on a walk, she could clear her head more, and figure out what she wanted to do. Maybe she'll even pay Ana a visit. She'd been interviewed the day after Eryk had been, so they knew of her friendship with Ana. Luckily, it wasn't really her job to get the information they wanted. She was only there to help speed things up, apparently.
"Well, if anyone comes looking for me..."
You're at Ana's.
She nodded her head and left her room. She didn't get too far, though, before she stopped by Kas's door. It was closed, so he was either out, or inside and didn't necessarily want to be bothered. She'd raised her hand to knock on it, but decided not to. It was awkward enough as it was, and she didn't need to make it any worse. She'll talk to him when she was ready, she supposed. For now, she needed guidance, and the only person she could ask was someone whom she considered her best friend, and sister. Of course, Ana wasn't Harper, and she couldn't, exactly, give her the same insight, but she could still seek counsel from her, right?
And it wasn't like she was going to ask her anything too personal. Ana was a psychic, and that could probably help her figure out how to show... whatever it is she needed to show. With that in mind, she pushed herself away from his door, and went to leave the mansion. She didn't have any fear of being followed, at least.
When she reached the shelter, it was to find Ana working in the garden. Kas’s mother’s gardener, Earnest, had provided Ana with a large number of bulbs and seeds after she’d shown interest in the plants in his garden. It looked like Ana had chosen today to plant them, if the overturned dirt and tools laying around were anything to go by.
Ana herself, while working steadily, was also in the middle of receiving a hug of sorts from Ekans—the pokémon had wrapped himself around her, with his head laying on her shoulder and several of his coils around her waist. Her arms had been left free, and she of course didn’t look to be in any danger.
When Cyrilla approached, Ana looked up, her eyes going wide for a moment. “Cy! You’re all right! No one’s been answering their phones; I’ve been worried since I didn’t hear from you for a few days. Is everything okay?” She stood, brushing soil off the knees of her pants. Ekans shuffled a little bit, so that he was around her more snugly.
"Yeah, everything's fine. We just had... an unexpected visitor is all," she replied, shaking her head softly. It was unexpected since none of them knew that he was even going to arrive, let alone have all of them under investigation. She wasn't entirely sure what to do or say, at the moment. Judging from what Ana just said, Kas might not have come out here, yet, so Ana didn't know. They had agreed to tell Ana about what was going on, but she wasn't entirely sure how much she should tell Ana. She smiled somewhat, though.
"Ana, this visitor, these visitors... they're not like us. They're... different. One of them is our boss. We don't know why he's here, yet, but please," she spoke a little softly this time glancing up towards Ana and offering her a rather serious expression. "Please be careful who you talk to, okay? Katia's here, too, and she knows about you and Ryk. At least, she thinks she knows. If she comes to you and asks you about Ryk and your relationship, if anyone comes by and asks about it..." she paused, swallowing a lump in her throat. She didn't exactly want Ana to not pretend it wasn't a relationship, but she also wanted them to both be safe.
"Tell them that it's nothing more than a friendship. Eryk... he's trying to protect you from them," she spoke, though she could only hope Ana would take them as his family. "That's why no one has been able to answer their phone. We're sorry about that, but we want to keep you safe right now," because it was the only way they could, at the moment.
It was hard to read Ana’s expression for a moment; she seemed to be almost confused. Her mouth turned down from the earlier smile; her brows furrowed. A line appeared just above her nose. She ran one of her hands along Ekans’s scales, glancing off to the side for a moment. “I have to admit, I’m not really… how come every time someone from out of town comes here for Team Rocket… it somehow ends up involving me?”
She shook her head. “No—sorry, I’m just thinking strangely. But… it does seem like every time they do, the three of you are running some kind of damage control in general. I can’t imagine you…” she trailed off, but it was apparent enough what she was getting at. If Team Rocket was this dangerous, why on earth were they still working for it?
She was polite enough not to say that, though. Instead, she seemed to shift the topic abruptly. “Um… you wouldn’t happen to know someone named Stefan Gregorovich, would you?”
Cyrilla inwardly sighed. She wanted to tell Ana the truth, why everything always involved her, but she couldn't. She wanted to, it was right there on the tip of her tongue, but she just couldn't. Maybe, Ryk would tell her before it was too late, and maybe then... she shook the thoughts from her mind, however; Ana's next statement. Stefan. How did Ana know that name? She didn't even bother to hide the worried expression on her face.
"Ana, you can't tell him anything. Don't tell him anything about your powers, or yourself. Please dont," she almost pleaded. If Stefan came here, there was a good chance that he might have said something to her, but on the offchance he just wanted to meet Ana, to see what caused Eryk to miss his updates, then that would be okay.
"He's our boss, Ana. He's not... he's not a good man, either," of that she was certain. "Ana..." she began, glancing to meet her gaze. She wanted to tell her so badly. She was her best friend, her sister. How could she do this to her? She could feel the sting in the back of her eyes. It's because she wasn't a good person. She was deceitful, and she lied. And she would, inevitably, hurt her best friend. She'd come here with the purpose of asking for her advice, pretending that they were sisters, however; that wasn't true, was it?
"I'm sorry," she stated, shaking her head instead. She couldn't tell Ana, but she wanted to. She wanted to tell her to leave, to take off somewhere, anywhere, so she could be safe, but she couldn't even bring herself to say that much.
Ana looked alarmed, perhaps at the obvious distress Cyrilla was in. She hesitated for a long moment, visibly warring with herself over something, then spoke quietly. “It’s… it’s a bit too late for that,” she said softly. “He came by yesterday and introduced himself—he said he wanted to adopt a pokémon from the shelter.” She licked her lips, glancing down at the ground. “I… I had no idea who he was. He just introduced himself by name and said some friend of his had told him about the shelter. That kind of thing happens often enough that I didn’t think anything of it.”
She sighed, lifting her eyes back to Cy’s. “I’m sorry—I told him, about my telepathy. We were talking about the trauma that pokémon undergo, and he wanted to know how I knew that Ekans had never been abused.” The rest was obvious. It would never have naturally occurred to Ana to lie—she wasn’t that kind of person. So she’d told him the truth, and now he knew.
She couldn't hold it in. She was trying to, but what Ana just told her, her heart broke. She could feel it breaking and it hurt so much that she sputtered. She was crying, and she could feel it on her face, and she could hear it as her shoulders shook. She was going to lose her best friend. She knew she was. It was only a matter of time before Stefan would decide that he wanted to use Ana for whatever Project Nebula was, and she was going to lose her best friend. Not only that, she had to let it happen. She couldn't stop it, even if she wanted to. Even if she told Ana to leave right now, they wouldn't let her get far. They probably had her under surveillance with someone watching her right now.
"Ana, I'm so... so sorry, I never," the words were right there. So close she could taste them. She almost ran at Ana, and enveloped her in a hug, holding onto her tightly as she cried on her shoulder. "I never meant for any of this to happen, I'm so, so sorry," she spoke between sobs.
"Well, well, well, what have we here?" the familiar voice caused Cyrilla to tense abruptly. "Little pidove, what are you doing?" Remi's voice was just as cheerful and piercing as she remembered it. She let Ana go, and turned towards Remi, who was hanging out on Ana's gate. She was just leaning on it, with her mightyena out of his ball. He was sitting at her side, as if waiting for her to give a signal of some sorts.
"Nothing, Remi. One of the shelter pokémon didn't make it last night. I was... hoping to adopt him," she tried to speak with an even voice, but it cracked. She couldn't tell Remi what she was about to do. If she did, Remi would not hesitate. She would take Cyrilla with her, and have her either demoted, or worse, thrown into the interrogation room. It wasn't the same as the one she'd been in the other day. At least with this excuse, Remi would buy it, she hoped.
"Were you looking to replace your lucario? Oh, did he die?" she spoke, some hint of morbid curiosity and laughter lacing her voice. It took a lot not to shudder at her voice, and to keep herself from crying more, however; Remi scared her. It did not stop her from glaring at her, though. Kenshin had nearly died because of her, and she looked happy about it.
"He's still alive," she almost winced at the sound of her voice. It was weak, and she knew it.
"Oh, that's a shame."
"Is there something you need, Remi?" she needed to get Remi out of here, but Remi only smiled widely.
"Just keeping an eye on my favorite Pidove, is all," she replied before pushing herself off of the gate. She didn't enter, which Cyrilla was grateful for. "I'll be waiting right over here whenever you're done, pidove. Don't keep me waiting too long, 'kay? Otherwise Shades will get a little impatient," she spoke, winking before she walked off, the mightyena following after her. She turned back towards Ana, and wiped the tears as best as she could from her own eyes.
"Ana, I'm sorry."
Ana looked extremely confused; but that passed as well—when Remi appeared, her expression hardened. When the other executive walked off, she stepped forward, wrapping Cyrilla in a gentle hug, and spoke low in her ear—far too low for Remi to hear, as was probably the point. “It’s okay,” She said softly, rubbing Cy’s back.
“I don’t know exactly what’s going on, but it’s all right. Whatever happens, whatever has made you feel like this—like you need to apologize to me—it’s okay. I forgive you.” The weight in the words suggested that Ana wasn’t taking the potential danger lightly at all. Perhaps she had figured things out, at least to some extent.
"But it's not okay, and you shouldn't forgive me. I don't... I don't deserve it," she whispered back, and she meant every word of it. Ana should not forgive a despicable human being like herself. She should hate her, and be angry with her. She shouldn't forgive such a monster. That's what she was, right? A monster. For what else could she be and do this much harm to another person knowingly. She tried to keep herself from crying more, and held onto Ana as if her life depended on it. Maybe it did, and she just didn't want to let go of that.
Ana sighed softly, moving her hand up and down Cyrilla’s back. She didn’t seem inclined to get into an argument about it, and just held her instead. She was warm and her breathing was steady, and she leaned the side of her head against Cyrilla’s.
“You probably shouldn’t keep her waiting,” she said at last, sadness and a faint hint of anger finding their way into her tone. Pulling a scrap of cloth from her apron pocket, Ana dabbed Cy’s cheeks carefully. “Cy… whatever happens… I believe in you, okay? You’re my friend.”
"You wouldn't say that if you knew," she whispered so softly, she wasn't sure Ana heard it. As close as they were, she probably did. Shaking her head, she said her goodbye to Ana, and went to find Remi. She really was a despicable human being, wasn't she?
Kas glanced around before accepting the incoming phone call. He didn’t want to deal with this right now, but it was absolutely necessary that he do so.
“Yeah?” He fixed his eyes out on the ocean. Breaks had been few and far between recently, but he’d been cleared yesterday of misconduct—a pretty easy result since he’d kept up on his paperwork over the last few months, and had never been directly responsible for anything to do with Ana.
Of course, that was only for his fake job. His real job was another matter.
“What the fuck, Rheinallt? I’ve been waiting for your new report for a month. Now you’re not even answering direct communications?” Steele was ripshit pissed—she’d never been one to hide that sort of thing.
He sighed. “Shit’s a bit dicey right now, Steele,” he replied, shaking his head even though she couldn’t see it.
Her tone shifted to one of interest. “Dicey how?”
“Well, I just got cleared of charges of misconduct in an internal investigation, but a couple of my coworkers probably aren’t going to be that lucky.” He pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger.
“They taking a fall for something you did?”
It kind of bothered him, that she assumed he was setting someone else up to cover up his own activities in the organization. But then… it was exactly the kind of thing he would have to do, if the risk of him getting discovered demanded it. But he was careful enough that by this point, he doubted he’d be discovered until he unmasked himself.
“No,” he replied. “It’s mixed up with this Project Nebula stuff.”
“They still want that girl?”
“Yeah.” He released a breath, watching a wave roll in over the shore and wishing it brought him the same kind of comfort it had used to, back when he was a kid and his problems were kids’ problems. “No, I still don’t know exactly what they’re using her for. But I’m going to find out soon, I’m sure.”
“You gonna report that to me quickly after you find out, or am I gonna have to harass you until I get it?”
“Probably neither,” he replied grimly. “If Project Nebula turns out to be as important as I think it is… I might have to break cover to stop it.”
She didn’t seem too pleased with that, from the noise she made into the phone. “You’re the only one we’ve got left, Rheinallt. You sure this’ll be worth it?”
Of course, he railed internally. But that was his feelings speaking. Steele would want logic. Facts. Cold, hard particulars.
“No,” he said, “but if I find out enough about this project and it turns out to be, I’m not going to hesitate. This could be what we’ve been waiting for.” A chance to catch Team Rocket definitively going beyond the pale of their supposed duties to pokémon and trainers.
“Fine,” she said; he could hear her sigh on the other end of the line. “I trust your judgement; it’s why you’re there in the first place.”
If only he had the same faith in himself.
Hanging up, Kas cleared record of the call from his phone and stuffed it into his pocket, heading back up towards the mansion. He’d been careful not to be followed, but the moment he left the cove, he knew nothing he said or did was private anymore. He ducked back into the mansion itself, but his progress upstairs was interrupted by Aidan.
“Meeting in the basement,” he said. “You’re the last one here, so let’s go.”
His life really was an endless parade of disasters lately, wasn’t it?
Kas flowed Aidan down to the basement, where Cy, Ryk, Remi, Katia and the boss were already gathered. The room they were in was quite large—it had until recently been one of the development labs. Kas had seen people hauling a ton of boxes down here over the last couple of days. Now he knew why.
It looked like some kind of space-age device—all sleek chrome and titanium. It was overall a sphere, several feet in radius and taking up the center of the room. It was open at the front, several panels recessed to reveal what looked like a padded chair inside. He couldn’t see the interior very well, but there was a high-frequency hum that he could feel through the soles of his feet. He’d bet a million pokédollars that the Halcyon Reactor was powering this—whatever it was.
He also had a feeling he was about to find out.
Katia had the same grim expression on her face that she always wore. She gave Aidan a nod of acknowledgment, and turned her attention to Remi, who was playing absentmindedly with a strand of her own hair. She had a wide grin on her face, but that was normal. She rarely seemed to frown or be upset about things. It was as if she took things to be nothing more than a game, and she probably did. Eryk, however, seemed a little odd. He wasn't relaxed, but he wasn't tense, either. His face was passive, unblinking and didn't even show an ounce of the Ryk that he was becoming.
It was vacant. He didn't even acknowledge Kas when he came in, not even Cyrilla did. She wasn't looking at anything in particular, and seemed intent on staring at the floor. There was something in her posture, too, something that looked lost. It was like she'd given up on something. Ryk finally glanced towards Kas, though, and acknowledged him with a light nod of his head.
"Now we have all the little pidoves here," Remi spoke, clasping her hands together, and then placing them behind her back. She rocked on her heels, and glanced towards Katia and Aidan. "Are we allowed to ruffle their feathers, first?" she spoke, but Katia sent her a look.
"Cut it out, Remi," Katia said as she glanced towards the boss.
He seemed sanguine about their byplay, mostly ignoring them. But then, that was the boss—he could put up with pretty much any level of depravity or inanity in his subordinates as long as they did what he said, when he said. It was an extremely pragmatic attitude, and it characterized everything that he did. Kas doubted he had any principles left at all, but of course he wasn’t going to say that here.
“It has come to my attention,” Stefan began, “that our initial suspicions were correct: the subject I asked the Cinnabar Island Branch of Team Rocket to investigate is, indeed, a telepath.”
Kas didn’t let his expression change, except to show some mild surprise, like this was news to him. He hadn’t forgotten the cover story after all. Still… he was more than a little shocked that the boss had been able to discover this within a couple of days of arriving here. Even they’d needed several months, though he had to admit he hadn’t been especially focused on it—and they’d not initially been told exactly what they were looking for in the first place.
“This is a rather fortuitous coincidence, as it enables us to move into the final stage of Project Nebula, something which I’m sure you’re quite curious about.”
Coincidence his ass. Kas might have actually made a snide comment there, but the information to follow was too important to be interrupting. He needed to save his good graces for the day for any vital questions he might think of.
“Put simply, this machine, the Nebula Device, is powered by the Halcyon Engine that the three of your procured for us several months ago. Its purpose is to locate and make contact with certain important and powerful pokémon, wherever in the world they may be.”
Unlike Kas, Eryk didn't express anything, not even mild surprise. But then again, Ryk was never expressive to begin with, so that might actually have been a good thing. Cyrilla, however, didn't express anything at all, which might be a little unnerving. She just glanced up at the mentioning of the device and what it was for. Eryk pursed his lips together, though, and looked a little bit confused.
"Why would we need to contact important pokémon, let alone powerful ones, for?" he asked, earning a mild chuckle from Remi. She looked like she was going to reply, but Katia gave her a look that said otherwise. "Are you referring to the legendary pokémon?" Eryk looked genuinely confused by the prospect of such a thing. If that were true, then perhaps they were trying to locate them.
“Those precisely,” Stefan confirmed. “Their existence has long been a matter of speculation—a few eyewitness accounts now and then, old legends, the occasional rumor of some child encountering one. But their existence has never been confirmed. With this device, we will be able to do that.” He paused, adjusting his glasses slightly.
“More specifically, we will be able to capture them, using new Master Ball technology that we have also developed.”
Kas had been passing information on that development to Steele for a while; he wondered now if anything had come of it. Because it was certainly paying dividends on Team Rocket’s end.
“Why bother?” he asked, phrasing it as a matter of curiosity rather than criticism. “I mean, obviously that’s a lot of pokémon power, but as things are, it’s not like they’d interfere with anything we’re doing—so what’s the concern?” He had a feeling he knew, but he kept his question ambiguous and a little misleading, to see if he’d get a bite.
He did.
“That’s quite a reactionary frame of thinking, Kasimir,” Stefan said, sounding almost disappointed. “Consider not the defensive angle, but the opposite one.” He smiled slightly. “With power of that sort at our disposal, Team Rocket would be in possession of unparalleled leverage. With the primal pokémon of the elements and creation under our influence, there wouldn’t be a civil government in the world that would fight us. And so it would become easy to spread our vision of the world with no violence necessary.”
Just a lot of intimidation and very potent threats, then. Great. This was fucking huge—and terrifying, if it worked.
Eryk frowned considerably. He didn't say anything, though, however; Cyrilla's expression shifted just slightly. "Wouldn't that... be the same as dominating the world? No government could oppose us, if we had that kind of power. Isn't that reason why we shouldn't? I thought... I thought we were trying to branch out from that ideology?" she questioned softly. She didn't seem to have a strong voice at the moment.
"Team Rocket is supposed to be about overseeing the distribution of pokémon to fit trainers, right?" she probably couldn't understand exactly what the organization really did. Despite being an Executive, there were things that even they didn't know if they didn't have proper access to it. Not even being a Koga could give them that much clearance.
“Quite so,” Stefan replied.
For a moment, Kas found Cyrilla’s naïveté absolutely breathtaking. But he said nothing, allowing the boss to do the explaining, for now.
“But at present, our efforts can be hindered by various regional governments. Here in Kanto, where our hold is relatively solid, this is seldom an issue. In other regions, lawmakers have attempted and do attempt to make our activities illegal, or to prosecute us for confiscating pokémon from trainers we have identified as unfit. They argue that we should not be permitted to decide such matters, that they should be the jurisdiction of regional courts.”
He pursed his lips at that. “As though such institutions have ever given the pokémon a fair shake in the past. As though allowing children without fully-developed senses of right and wrong to command such sentient beings is an acceptable idea.”
Even Kas had to admit, it sounded good when put in that way. He knew quite well that instances of abuse were legion—that the world needed places like Ana’s was testament to that. And he could certainly get behind only allowing legal adults to undertake journeys. But as much as the surface-level Team Rocket was something that he could almost sympathize with, he’d seen more than enough of the dirty underbelly not to buy it.
“So how does the machine work?” he asked. “And what does whether or not the woman’s a telepath make a difference?” He spoke callously of her because he had to. He’d done worse for his cover before. Hopefully he wouldn’t have to do worse again.
“It serves to tap into the psychic’s neural network, allowing her to expand her awareness of other minds much further out than she would ever naturally be able. Of course, to touch the outer bounds of our planet, she’d have to be extremely powerful to begin with—which is why we initiated our search with established psychic lineages. There is no guarantee that she has the power required—but I do believe she is our best chance.”
Eryk's expression relaxed, and so did Cyrilla's, when he replied. They seemed to take the information in some stride. "But if she's a direct descendant of Sabrina's, wouldn't that qualify her regardless?" Eryk spoke, sounding about as neutral as he used to. There wasn't an ounce of emotion behind his voice, as if whatever they had never meant anything. That was a good thing, too, perhaps. It wouldn't be good if they found out how close he actually was.
"Sabrina's family has produced exceptionally powerful psychics before," he continued. Cyrilla glanced at him, her brows furrowed as if she were trying to understand what he was saying, but it must have dawned on her, and she dropped her gaze. "If she does have the required power to use the machine, how will it work, exactly. She would be the only one to use it and be in contact, correct?" he continued asking, apparently trying to see just how far this machine actually worked.
“It is likely she’ll be capable of operating it, yes,” Stefan replied, “but not even her lineage alone is a guarantee. This is considerably beyond the pale of anything that has been done before, after all. She will be the one who gains the information, and then relays it to us.”
Something about that didn’t sound quite right to Kas, but it wasn’t the sort of thing he could bring up now. Instead, he asked a question that had been nagging at him for a while.
“And this… stretching, of her ability. Do we have any idea how it’s going to interact with her Everett’s? If it puts strain on her, her body might not be able to handle much at a time.” Even if they didn’t care about her personally, they had to have some concern for whether or not their project lasted long enough for them to get what they wanted.
“That is a complication,” Stefano conceded. “To begin with, we will keep the sessions short. Should even that prove too much, we will consider where to go from there.”
“So what’s the story then? I can’t imagine we’re going to let her walk in and out of here with this information, even if she comes with us on the pretense of friendship.”
Stefan shrugged. “We keep her here. Her relatives are informed she’s away on a trip, and she suffers a tragic episode of her disease while away from them. It gives us the time we need, and prevents too many questions. No one will find it suspicious that a woman with Everett’s died at age twenty—most of them die before then.” He tilted his head. “As for getting her here, I believe Eryk and Katia will be sufficient to that purpose, don’t you? It’s not as though she could put up much of a fight… and I don’t believe she’ll try.”
The keen way he slanted his glance at Eryk made Kas wonder just how much the boss had really guessed.
If Eryk was bothered by the news, he didn't show it. "She won't resist," he replied just as monotonous as he'd been before. "Katia isn't needed, though. She'll likely cause Anastasia to have an early episode. I don't think that's wise if you want to use her for this," he continued, glancing towards Katia. She was glaring at him.
"Don't be stupid, Nero. She doesn't have a reason to be stressed out with me."
"You threatened to close down her facility. Do you think she forgot about that?" he shot back, narrowing his eyes in his direction. It took a hand being placed on his shoulder to calm him. Cy just glanced at Ryk, her hand on his shoulder, and she shook her head. "Fine," he conceded. "How long do we have until the machine is running properly?" he asked, glancing towards the boss.
“That’s why I called you here,” Stefan replied.
“It’s ready.”
Fuck.
“Yeah?” He fixed his eyes out on the ocean. Breaks had been few and far between recently, but he’d been cleared yesterday of misconduct—a pretty easy result since he’d kept up on his paperwork over the last few months, and had never been directly responsible for anything to do with Ana.
Of course, that was only for his fake job. His real job was another matter.
“What the fuck, Rheinallt? I’ve been waiting for your new report for a month. Now you’re not even answering direct communications?” Steele was ripshit pissed—she’d never been one to hide that sort of thing.
He sighed. “Shit’s a bit dicey right now, Steele,” he replied, shaking his head even though she couldn’t see it.
Her tone shifted to one of interest. “Dicey how?”
“Well, I just got cleared of charges of misconduct in an internal investigation, but a couple of my coworkers probably aren’t going to be that lucky.” He pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger.
“They taking a fall for something you did?”
It kind of bothered him, that she assumed he was setting someone else up to cover up his own activities in the organization. But then… it was exactly the kind of thing he would have to do, if the risk of him getting discovered demanded it. But he was careful enough that by this point, he doubted he’d be discovered until he unmasked himself.
“No,” he replied. “It’s mixed up with this Project Nebula stuff.”
“They still want that girl?”
“Yeah.” He released a breath, watching a wave roll in over the shore and wishing it brought him the same kind of comfort it had used to, back when he was a kid and his problems were kids’ problems. “No, I still don’t know exactly what they’re using her for. But I’m going to find out soon, I’m sure.”
“You gonna report that to me quickly after you find out, or am I gonna have to harass you until I get it?”
“Probably neither,” he replied grimly. “If Project Nebula turns out to be as important as I think it is… I might have to break cover to stop it.”
She didn’t seem too pleased with that, from the noise she made into the phone. “You’re the only one we’ve got left, Rheinallt. You sure this’ll be worth it?”
Of course, he railed internally. But that was his feelings speaking. Steele would want logic. Facts. Cold, hard particulars.
“No,” he said, “but if I find out enough about this project and it turns out to be, I’m not going to hesitate. This could be what we’ve been waiting for.” A chance to catch Team Rocket definitively going beyond the pale of their supposed duties to pokémon and trainers.
“Fine,” she said; he could hear her sigh on the other end of the line. “I trust your judgement; it’s why you’re there in the first place.”
If only he had the same faith in himself.
Hanging up, Kas cleared record of the call from his phone and stuffed it into his pocket, heading back up towards the mansion. He’d been careful not to be followed, but the moment he left the cove, he knew nothing he said or did was private anymore. He ducked back into the mansion itself, but his progress upstairs was interrupted by Aidan.
“Meeting in the basement,” he said. “You’re the last one here, so let’s go.”
His life really was an endless parade of disasters lately, wasn’t it?
Kas flowed Aidan down to the basement, where Cy, Ryk, Remi, Katia and the boss were already gathered. The room they were in was quite large—it had until recently been one of the development labs. Kas had seen people hauling a ton of boxes down here over the last couple of days. Now he knew why.
It looked like some kind of space-age device—all sleek chrome and titanium. It was overall a sphere, several feet in radius and taking up the center of the room. It was open at the front, several panels recessed to reveal what looked like a padded chair inside. He couldn’t see the interior very well, but there was a high-frequency hum that he could feel through the soles of his feet. He’d bet a million pokédollars that the Halcyon Reactor was powering this—whatever it was.
He also had a feeling he was about to find out.
Katia had the same grim expression on her face that she always wore. She gave Aidan a nod of acknowledgment, and turned her attention to Remi, who was playing absentmindedly with a strand of her own hair. She had a wide grin on her face, but that was normal. She rarely seemed to frown or be upset about things. It was as if she took things to be nothing more than a game, and she probably did. Eryk, however, seemed a little odd. He wasn't relaxed, but he wasn't tense, either. His face was passive, unblinking and didn't even show an ounce of the Ryk that he was becoming.
It was vacant. He didn't even acknowledge Kas when he came in, not even Cyrilla did. She wasn't looking at anything in particular, and seemed intent on staring at the floor. There was something in her posture, too, something that looked lost. It was like she'd given up on something. Ryk finally glanced towards Kas, though, and acknowledged him with a light nod of his head.
"Now we have all the little pidoves here," Remi spoke, clasping her hands together, and then placing them behind her back. She rocked on her heels, and glanced towards Katia and Aidan. "Are we allowed to ruffle their feathers, first?" she spoke, but Katia sent her a look.
"Cut it out, Remi," Katia said as she glanced towards the boss.
He seemed sanguine about their byplay, mostly ignoring them. But then, that was the boss—he could put up with pretty much any level of depravity or inanity in his subordinates as long as they did what he said, when he said. It was an extremely pragmatic attitude, and it characterized everything that he did. Kas doubted he had any principles left at all, but of course he wasn’t going to say that here.
“It has come to my attention,” Stefan began, “that our initial suspicions were correct: the subject I asked the Cinnabar Island Branch of Team Rocket to investigate is, indeed, a telepath.”
Kas didn’t let his expression change, except to show some mild surprise, like this was news to him. He hadn’t forgotten the cover story after all. Still… he was more than a little shocked that the boss had been able to discover this within a couple of days of arriving here. Even they’d needed several months, though he had to admit he hadn’t been especially focused on it—and they’d not initially been told exactly what they were looking for in the first place.
“This is a rather fortuitous coincidence, as it enables us to move into the final stage of Project Nebula, something which I’m sure you’re quite curious about.”
Coincidence his ass. Kas might have actually made a snide comment there, but the information to follow was too important to be interrupting. He needed to save his good graces for the day for any vital questions he might think of.
“Put simply, this machine, the Nebula Device, is powered by the Halcyon Engine that the three of your procured for us several months ago. Its purpose is to locate and make contact with certain important and powerful pokémon, wherever in the world they may be.”
Unlike Kas, Eryk didn't express anything, not even mild surprise. But then again, Ryk was never expressive to begin with, so that might actually have been a good thing. Cyrilla, however, didn't express anything at all, which might be a little unnerving. She just glanced up at the mentioning of the device and what it was for. Eryk pursed his lips together, though, and looked a little bit confused.
"Why would we need to contact important pokémon, let alone powerful ones, for?" he asked, earning a mild chuckle from Remi. She looked like she was going to reply, but Katia gave her a look that said otherwise. "Are you referring to the legendary pokémon?" Eryk looked genuinely confused by the prospect of such a thing. If that were true, then perhaps they were trying to locate them.
“Those precisely,” Stefan confirmed. “Their existence has long been a matter of speculation—a few eyewitness accounts now and then, old legends, the occasional rumor of some child encountering one. But their existence has never been confirmed. With this device, we will be able to do that.” He paused, adjusting his glasses slightly.
“More specifically, we will be able to capture them, using new Master Ball technology that we have also developed.”
Kas had been passing information on that development to Steele for a while; he wondered now if anything had come of it. Because it was certainly paying dividends on Team Rocket’s end.
“Why bother?” he asked, phrasing it as a matter of curiosity rather than criticism. “I mean, obviously that’s a lot of pokémon power, but as things are, it’s not like they’d interfere with anything we’re doing—so what’s the concern?” He had a feeling he knew, but he kept his question ambiguous and a little misleading, to see if he’d get a bite.
He did.
“That’s quite a reactionary frame of thinking, Kasimir,” Stefan said, sounding almost disappointed. “Consider not the defensive angle, but the opposite one.” He smiled slightly. “With power of that sort at our disposal, Team Rocket would be in possession of unparalleled leverage. With the primal pokémon of the elements and creation under our influence, there wouldn’t be a civil government in the world that would fight us. And so it would become easy to spread our vision of the world with no violence necessary.”
Just a lot of intimidation and very potent threats, then. Great. This was fucking huge—and terrifying, if it worked.
Eryk frowned considerably. He didn't say anything, though, however; Cyrilla's expression shifted just slightly. "Wouldn't that... be the same as dominating the world? No government could oppose us, if we had that kind of power. Isn't that reason why we shouldn't? I thought... I thought we were trying to branch out from that ideology?" she questioned softly. She didn't seem to have a strong voice at the moment.
"Team Rocket is supposed to be about overseeing the distribution of pokémon to fit trainers, right?" she probably couldn't understand exactly what the organization really did. Despite being an Executive, there were things that even they didn't know if they didn't have proper access to it. Not even being a Koga could give them that much clearance.
“Quite so,” Stefan replied.
For a moment, Kas found Cyrilla’s naïveté absolutely breathtaking. But he said nothing, allowing the boss to do the explaining, for now.
“But at present, our efforts can be hindered by various regional governments. Here in Kanto, where our hold is relatively solid, this is seldom an issue. In other regions, lawmakers have attempted and do attempt to make our activities illegal, or to prosecute us for confiscating pokémon from trainers we have identified as unfit. They argue that we should not be permitted to decide such matters, that they should be the jurisdiction of regional courts.”
He pursed his lips at that. “As though such institutions have ever given the pokémon a fair shake in the past. As though allowing children without fully-developed senses of right and wrong to command such sentient beings is an acceptable idea.”
Even Kas had to admit, it sounded good when put in that way. He knew quite well that instances of abuse were legion—that the world needed places like Ana’s was testament to that. And he could certainly get behind only allowing legal adults to undertake journeys. But as much as the surface-level Team Rocket was something that he could almost sympathize with, he’d seen more than enough of the dirty underbelly not to buy it.
“So how does the machine work?” he asked. “And what does whether or not the woman’s a telepath make a difference?” He spoke callously of her because he had to. He’d done worse for his cover before. Hopefully he wouldn’t have to do worse again.
“It serves to tap into the psychic’s neural network, allowing her to expand her awareness of other minds much further out than she would ever naturally be able. Of course, to touch the outer bounds of our planet, she’d have to be extremely powerful to begin with—which is why we initiated our search with established psychic lineages. There is no guarantee that she has the power required—but I do believe she is our best chance.”
Eryk's expression relaxed, and so did Cyrilla's, when he replied. They seemed to take the information in some stride. "But if she's a direct descendant of Sabrina's, wouldn't that qualify her regardless?" Eryk spoke, sounding about as neutral as he used to. There wasn't an ounce of emotion behind his voice, as if whatever they had never meant anything. That was a good thing, too, perhaps. It wouldn't be good if they found out how close he actually was.
"Sabrina's family has produced exceptionally powerful psychics before," he continued. Cyrilla glanced at him, her brows furrowed as if she were trying to understand what he was saying, but it must have dawned on her, and she dropped her gaze. "If she does have the required power to use the machine, how will it work, exactly. She would be the only one to use it and be in contact, correct?" he continued asking, apparently trying to see just how far this machine actually worked.
“It is likely she’ll be capable of operating it, yes,” Stefan replied, “but not even her lineage alone is a guarantee. This is considerably beyond the pale of anything that has been done before, after all. She will be the one who gains the information, and then relays it to us.”
Something about that didn’t sound quite right to Kas, but it wasn’t the sort of thing he could bring up now. Instead, he asked a question that had been nagging at him for a while.
“And this… stretching, of her ability. Do we have any idea how it’s going to interact with her Everett’s? If it puts strain on her, her body might not be able to handle much at a time.” Even if they didn’t care about her personally, they had to have some concern for whether or not their project lasted long enough for them to get what they wanted.
“That is a complication,” Stefano conceded. “To begin with, we will keep the sessions short. Should even that prove too much, we will consider where to go from there.”
“So what’s the story then? I can’t imagine we’re going to let her walk in and out of here with this information, even if she comes with us on the pretense of friendship.”
Stefan shrugged. “We keep her here. Her relatives are informed she’s away on a trip, and she suffers a tragic episode of her disease while away from them. It gives us the time we need, and prevents too many questions. No one will find it suspicious that a woman with Everett’s died at age twenty—most of them die before then.” He tilted his head. “As for getting her here, I believe Eryk and Katia will be sufficient to that purpose, don’t you? It’s not as though she could put up much of a fight… and I don’t believe she’ll try.”
The keen way he slanted his glance at Eryk made Kas wonder just how much the boss had really guessed.
If Eryk was bothered by the news, he didn't show it. "She won't resist," he replied just as monotonous as he'd been before. "Katia isn't needed, though. She'll likely cause Anastasia to have an early episode. I don't think that's wise if you want to use her for this," he continued, glancing towards Katia. She was glaring at him.
"Don't be stupid, Nero. She doesn't have a reason to be stressed out with me."
"You threatened to close down her facility. Do you think she forgot about that?" he shot back, narrowing his eyes in his direction. It took a hand being placed on his shoulder to calm him. Cy just glanced at Ryk, her hand on his shoulder, and she shook her head. "Fine," he conceded. "How long do we have until the machine is running properly?" he asked, glancing towards the boss.
“That’s why I called you here,” Stefan replied.
“It’s ready.”
Fuck.
Eryk pushed a heavy sigh through his nose. He wasn't expecting that, at all. What the hell was he supposed to do now? The machine was ready, and they wanted him and Katia to go retrieve her. The conversation he just had with Cyrilla wasn't making things easier, either. She was going to... the thought, he couldn't quite finish. He didn't understand why she decided it, or why she was going to go through with it. Kenshin sat in the chair to his side. He hadn't left with Cyrilla when she left, and instead, stayed in the office with Ryk.
Do you think she's actually going to do it? he asked, glancing in Ryk's direction. Eryk couldn't say for certain, but he did believe that the possibility was great. If she didn't want to do this, be here when it happened, then there was a possibility that she would do what she said she was going to do. She was going to ask them to demote her, transfer her somewhere else, and get her divorce from Kas. She'd also told him about what happened at Ana's, in choice words, and that had caused his heart to constrict.
I don't know, Kenshin. I honestly don't, he finally replied. The rooms were bugged, so he had to be careful of what he said. So, he refrained from saying anything at all. He was, partially, glad for his telepathic abilities, because this meant he could have the conversation with Kenshin without ever saying a word, and they wouldn't be the wiser.
Something just doesn't seem right. Before she decides anything on a more permanent basis, she said she wanted to talk to Kas, but I don't think she is, he continued. He could hear Kenshin sigh from his seat, and glanced towards the lucario. Shaking his head, Kenshin stood and pushed himself from the chair.
This isn't good, Ryk, and you know it. You should talk to her before she does something stupid. She relies on you, you know, for a lot of things. She always has, he spoke, causing Eryk to sigh. He knew that, perhaps a lot better than he wished he did. They were, essentially, all each other had. She had been there for him on more occasions than he could count and he... he was hardly there for her in the way she needed him, sometimes. But he just didn't know how to be. He wasn't the same person he was almost seven years ago, when he'd made that decision for her.
I'll talk to her, then, because that was all he could do. He wasn't sure he could do much else for her. Kenshin nodded his head and disappeared, leaving Eryk to himself. Fuck. This was a mess, and he wasn't sure how to even clean it up. Could he even do that? Sighing heavily, he pushed himself from his desk, and put all of his documents in order before he left his room. He knew he could find her in her office, and that's where she was when he found her. Knocking gently on her door, she lifted her gaze to spot him, and offered him a smile. It looked almost broken somehow. He sighed.
"You need a break, Cy," he spoke, not giving her much of an option. She must have known, because she glanced back at her paperwork, and shook her head. "I'm not asking."
"I know, Ryk, but... I have a lot to do. I need to finish these papers before," she paused in her words, and it looked like she was having trouble breathing. It wasn't a decision she could make lightly, and it was weighing on her, he could tell. "Let me sign this," she spoke, scribbling her signature on a piece of paper before she set the pen down.
"We can't go anywhere at the moment, but we can have some privacy in the kitchen," he spoke. Though privacy wasn't exactly the word he'd use because they probably bugged even that. "And you're going to eat something," he wasn't giving her much of an option in that, either. She offered him another one of those broken smiles, and he could feel something in his chest constrict. He hated that look on her face. Once they were in the kitchen, he set to making her a sandwich. It wasn't much, since he couldn't cook, and he offered it to her. She took it willingly enough, and sat down on the table.
"Cy," he began once she was comfortable and half-way through her sandwich. "Are you sure this is something you want to do?" he asked, giving her his full attention. She glanced at him, and furrowed her brows. She seemed to think about the question for a moment.
"I am," she finally replied, setting the leftovers down. She folded her hands together on the table, and stared at them. "I don't want to do this, anymore, Ryk. I... don't know how much more I can take," she spoke softly. He could hear the way her voice was cracking slightly, and he resisted the urge to sigh. "I asked Kenshin to get the papers for me, and the ones for Kas. If I do this now, then... then," she repeated herself, as if she couldn't finish the sentence.
"Do you really want that, though?" he asked, and she glanced up at him. He could see the way her eyes were watering that she wanted to cry, but she was keeping herself from doing so. "Because I remember almost a week ago a young woman dancing her heart out with someone she loved. I've never seen her so happy," he spoke, gentling his voice so that she wouldn't pull away. She didn't, but she did drop her gaze.
"I don't know anymore, Ryk. I mean, I know I love him, but... I'm no different," she spoke softly, and he furrowed his brows in confusion. How was she no different? "I shouldn't tell you this, but I trust you enough not to say anything," she spoke softly, reaching over to grab his hand in hers. "Someone hurt him, Kas, really bad. She used him, and... and I don't want to do that to him, because that's exactly what I'm doing. I'm using him, and... I can't bring myself to do it anymore," she finally spoke, dropping her gaze, but keeping her hand enclosed with his. She was rubbing the back of his hand in circles, and he could tell it was calming her down.
"Cy, you're not using him," he replied softly. "He asked you, and you said yes, Cy. That's not using someone," he wasn't entirely sure if he was even getting through to her. She shook her head.
"It is, Ryk, because I could have chosen someone else, but I chose him," she replied back. Eryk sighed heavily, and shook his head. "You don't understand, Ryk. How... how do you tell someone you love them if they don't believe in words. How do you show someone you love them if you don't even know where to begin?" she continued, causing him to purse his lips. He wasn't entirely sure, but he also knew that there was something deeper going on.
"And I don't want to keep hurting my friends and the people I love. I'm... tired, Ryk," she spoke, and he could hear it in her voice. He understood. He could definitely understand where she was coming from, however; he just didn't understand what her logic was.
"I know, Cy, but there isn't much we can do about it," as much as he might wish otherwise. He wanted to change the outcome of what was going to happen, but he couldn't. "At least... you should speak with him, Cy, before you do anything rash. Talk with him, and if you have to make him understand, then try. If it's worth just the slightest bit of happiness for you, Cy, that's... what I want for you," he spoke truthfully. He just wanted her to be happy in whatever decision she made. "But Cy, don't... don't give up, okay?" because he was sure he'd be afraid of the outcome if she did. She took in a shaky breath, and shook her head.
"I... think I already have, Ryk. I'm not... I can't... I'm not a good person, Ryk, and you know that. Look at what I've done. I'm... I'm a monster, and all I keep doing is hurting the people I care about. I've hurt you, I've hurt Ana, and I'm... I'm hurting Kas. That's all... that's all I ever do is hurt people, Ryk. I can't... I can't be loved because of it. I don't think anyone ever could," she was visibly crying now, and Eryk pursed his lips together. Is that how she really saw things?
"You didn't hurt me, Cy," he said, gently lifting her hands into his. He forced her hand to open, and placed it on the side of his face where his scar was. "This, this isn't your fault, Cy. I've never blamed you for it, and I never will. This was a decision I made, and I would make it again if I had to," he began, leaving her hand on his face, and grabbing the other one. If anyone saw the position they were in, they would think it intimate, but it wasn't.
"Because you are important to me, like..." he couldn't finish that sentence. "You're my sister, Cy, and I would make that decision over and over again if it meant sparing you from this," he continued, reaching over with his hand, letting go of the one he was holding. He brushed the pad of his thumb over the scar on her face, wiping a few of her tears away in the process.
"And you're wrong, Cy. You're not a bad person. If anything, you represent what this place was supposed to be about. You love, unconditionally and deeply, and it hurts you. Your love is a hurtful kind, but it is also rewarding because look at what it has brought you. You have people who love you, who trust you enough to speak their thoughts and who feel safe with you. Ask Hayley and Luke, or any of the other grunts you've helped. Look... at me," he spoke, forcing her to meet his gaze.
"I'm a better person because of you, and because of her. Only someone like you could love someone like us, Cy, and that includes Kas," he said as he released her hand, letting her draw it back, however; he kept his on her chin, and over the scar.
"When did you get so good at saying things," she spoke softly, and there was something light in her voice that caused the slightest quirk in his lips. "I'm sorry, Ryk," she spoke, pushing his hand away from her face, and standing. She crossed to the other side of the room, and placed both of her hands on his face, tilting his head so that she could press her lips to his forehead. He sighed softly. "No matter how badly I want to believe you, this decision that I'm making is the only one I can say I made. I won't stop loving you, or him, but... I can't do this anymore and pretend that it's okay," she spoke softly, resting her forehead against his, like she used to when she was younger.
"You would rather face the family?" he finally spoke, and he could feel her tense. If she was really willing to go to that length, he didn't know what he could do.
"I'm willing to face them, yes. At least then... I can atone for what I've done," she spoke, pulling away slightly, however; his hand grabbed hold of her forearm, and kept her from going.
"You've done nothing wrong, Cy. If you go through with this, there's no turning back. You might lose all of them, including Kenshin. Are you really willing to risk them?" it was a low blow, he knew, however; he couldn't accept that this was the decision she was coming to. She tensed, and he could see the bottom of her lip quivering.
"Yes."
He didn't believe her, not for one second. He stood up abruptly, catching her off guard, and he forced her into the wall behind them. "Cy, stop," he stated, and she flinched. He could hear it in the way he spoke to her, and the way she flinched from him, however; he was angry. He was about to do something to the woman he loved, without so much as a fight because he didn't have a choice. She, however, did. And she was willing to throw it all away.
"I know how you feel. Trust me, I know, and it's a fucking pain in the ass, but you need to stop this. Stop acting like this, because this isn't who you are, Cy," he continued, backing away slightly so that he could pull her away from the wall. He pulled her into an embrace, and rested his head on top of hers. "This isn't the Cy I know, the one who would fight for everything and everyone she loves. She wouldn't give up so easily on something she believed so strongly in, and she wouldn't give up on the person she loved because it seemed hopeless," he tightened his hold around her. He was glad the others weren't around right now, because Katia wouldn't take it too kindly.
"She would keep fighting because she believed in it, and because she loves just as strongly," he couldn't say anything more, and he pulled away, however; she didn't move, and only kept her hand on his shoulder. Her fingers were curled into his sleeves, and her face was buried in his shoulder. He stroked her head gently, running his fingers through her hair in the comforting manner he used to do a long time ago. She was crying, but no one could hear it. He would make sure of it.
"I don't know what to do, Ryk."
"Just keep being you, and fight. We'll get through this, Cy, you'll see," because he had to believe they would.
Do you think she's actually going to do it? he asked, glancing in Ryk's direction. Eryk couldn't say for certain, but he did believe that the possibility was great. If she didn't want to do this, be here when it happened, then there was a possibility that she would do what she said she was going to do. She was going to ask them to demote her, transfer her somewhere else, and get her divorce from Kas. She'd also told him about what happened at Ana's, in choice words, and that had caused his heart to constrict.
I don't know, Kenshin. I honestly don't, he finally replied. The rooms were bugged, so he had to be careful of what he said. So, he refrained from saying anything at all. He was, partially, glad for his telepathic abilities, because this meant he could have the conversation with Kenshin without ever saying a word, and they wouldn't be the wiser.
Something just doesn't seem right. Before she decides anything on a more permanent basis, she said she wanted to talk to Kas, but I don't think she is, he continued. He could hear Kenshin sigh from his seat, and glanced towards the lucario. Shaking his head, Kenshin stood and pushed himself from the chair.
This isn't good, Ryk, and you know it. You should talk to her before she does something stupid. She relies on you, you know, for a lot of things. She always has, he spoke, causing Eryk to sigh. He knew that, perhaps a lot better than he wished he did. They were, essentially, all each other had. She had been there for him on more occasions than he could count and he... he was hardly there for her in the way she needed him, sometimes. But he just didn't know how to be. He wasn't the same person he was almost seven years ago, when he'd made that decision for her.
I'll talk to her, then, because that was all he could do. He wasn't sure he could do much else for her. Kenshin nodded his head and disappeared, leaving Eryk to himself. Fuck. This was a mess, and he wasn't sure how to even clean it up. Could he even do that? Sighing heavily, he pushed himself from his desk, and put all of his documents in order before he left his room. He knew he could find her in her office, and that's where she was when he found her. Knocking gently on her door, she lifted her gaze to spot him, and offered him a smile. It looked almost broken somehow. He sighed.
"You need a break, Cy," he spoke, not giving her much of an option. She must have known, because she glanced back at her paperwork, and shook her head. "I'm not asking."
"I know, Ryk, but... I have a lot to do. I need to finish these papers before," she paused in her words, and it looked like she was having trouble breathing. It wasn't a decision she could make lightly, and it was weighing on her, he could tell. "Let me sign this," she spoke, scribbling her signature on a piece of paper before she set the pen down.
"We can't go anywhere at the moment, but we can have some privacy in the kitchen," he spoke. Though privacy wasn't exactly the word he'd use because they probably bugged even that. "And you're going to eat something," he wasn't giving her much of an option in that, either. She offered him another one of those broken smiles, and he could feel something in his chest constrict. He hated that look on her face. Once they were in the kitchen, he set to making her a sandwich. It wasn't much, since he couldn't cook, and he offered it to her. She took it willingly enough, and sat down on the table.
"Cy," he began once she was comfortable and half-way through her sandwich. "Are you sure this is something you want to do?" he asked, giving her his full attention. She glanced at him, and furrowed her brows. She seemed to think about the question for a moment.
"I am," she finally replied, setting the leftovers down. She folded her hands together on the table, and stared at them. "I don't want to do this, anymore, Ryk. I... don't know how much more I can take," she spoke softly. He could hear the way her voice was cracking slightly, and he resisted the urge to sigh. "I asked Kenshin to get the papers for me, and the ones for Kas. If I do this now, then... then," she repeated herself, as if she couldn't finish the sentence.
"Do you really want that, though?" he asked, and she glanced up at him. He could see the way her eyes were watering that she wanted to cry, but she was keeping herself from doing so. "Because I remember almost a week ago a young woman dancing her heart out with someone she loved. I've never seen her so happy," he spoke, gentling his voice so that she wouldn't pull away. She didn't, but she did drop her gaze.
"I don't know anymore, Ryk. I mean, I know I love him, but... I'm no different," she spoke softly, and he furrowed his brows in confusion. How was she no different? "I shouldn't tell you this, but I trust you enough not to say anything," she spoke softly, reaching over to grab his hand in hers. "Someone hurt him, Kas, really bad. She used him, and... and I don't want to do that to him, because that's exactly what I'm doing. I'm using him, and... I can't bring myself to do it anymore," she finally spoke, dropping her gaze, but keeping her hand enclosed with his. She was rubbing the back of his hand in circles, and he could tell it was calming her down.
"Cy, you're not using him," he replied softly. "He asked you, and you said yes, Cy. That's not using someone," he wasn't entirely sure if he was even getting through to her. She shook her head.
"It is, Ryk, because I could have chosen someone else, but I chose him," she replied back. Eryk sighed heavily, and shook his head. "You don't understand, Ryk. How... how do you tell someone you love them if they don't believe in words. How do you show someone you love them if you don't even know where to begin?" she continued, causing him to purse his lips. He wasn't entirely sure, but he also knew that there was something deeper going on.
"And I don't want to keep hurting my friends and the people I love. I'm... tired, Ryk," she spoke, and he could hear it in her voice. He understood. He could definitely understand where she was coming from, however; he just didn't understand what her logic was.
"I know, Cy, but there isn't much we can do about it," as much as he might wish otherwise. He wanted to change the outcome of what was going to happen, but he couldn't. "At least... you should speak with him, Cy, before you do anything rash. Talk with him, and if you have to make him understand, then try. If it's worth just the slightest bit of happiness for you, Cy, that's... what I want for you," he spoke truthfully. He just wanted her to be happy in whatever decision she made. "But Cy, don't... don't give up, okay?" because he was sure he'd be afraid of the outcome if she did. She took in a shaky breath, and shook her head.
"I... think I already have, Ryk. I'm not... I can't... I'm not a good person, Ryk, and you know that. Look at what I've done. I'm... I'm a monster, and all I keep doing is hurting the people I care about. I've hurt you, I've hurt Ana, and I'm... I'm hurting Kas. That's all... that's all I ever do is hurt people, Ryk. I can't... I can't be loved because of it. I don't think anyone ever could," she was visibly crying now, and Eryk pursed his lips together. Is that how she really saw things?
"You didn't hurt me, Cy," he said, gently lifting her hands into his. He forced her hand to open, and placed it on the side of his face where his scar was. "This, this isn't your fault, Cy. I've never blamed you for it, and I never will. This was a decision I made, and I would make it again if I had to," he began, leaving her hand on his face, and grabbing the other one. If anyone saw the position they were in, they would think it intimate, but it wasn't.
"Because you are important to me, like..." he couldn't finish that sentence. "You're my sister, Cy, and I would make that decision over and over again if it meant sparing you from this," he continued, reaching over with his hand, letting go of the one he was holding. He brushed the pad of his thumb over the scar on her face, wiping a few of her tears away in the process.
"And you're wrong, Cy. You're not a bad person. If anything, you represent what this place was supposed to be about. You love, unconditionally and deeply, and it hurts you. Your love is a hurtful kind, but it is also rewarding because look at what it has brought you. You have people who love you, who trust you enough to speak their thoughts and who feel safe with you. Ask Hayley and Luke, or any of the other grunts you've helped. Look... at me," he spoke, forcing her to meet his gaze.
"I'm a better person because of you, and because of her. Only someone like you could love someone like us, Cy, and that includes Kas," he said as he released her hand, letting her draw it back, however; he kept his on her chin, and over the scar.
"When did you get so good at saying things," she spoke softly, and there was something light in her voice that caused the slightest quirk in his lips. "I'm sorry, Ryk," she spoke, pushing his hand away from her face, and standing. She crossed to the other side of the room, and placed both of her hands on his face, tilting his head so that she could press her lips to his forehead. He sighed softly. "No matter how badly I want to believe you, this decision that I'm making is the only one I can say I made. I won't stop loving you, or him, but... I can't do this anymore and pretend that it's okay," she spoke softly, resting her forehead against his, like she used to when she was younger.
"You would rather face the family?" he finally spoke, and he could feel her tense. If she was really willing to go to that length, he didn't know what he could do.
"I'm willing to face them, yes. At least then... I can atone for what I've done," she spoke, pulling away slightly, however; his hand grabbed hold of her forearm, and kept her from going.
"You've done nothing wrong, Cy. If you go through with this, there's no turning back. You might lose all of them, including Kenshin. Are you really willing to risk them?" it was a low blow, he knew, however; he couldn't accept that this was the decision she was coming to. She tensed, and he could see the bottom of her lip quivering.
"Yes."
He didn't believe her, not for one second. He stood up abruptly, catching her off guard, and he forced her into the wall behind them. "Cy, stop," he stated, and she flinched. He could hear it in the way he spoke to her, and the way she flinched from him, however; he was angry. He was about to do something to the woman he loved, without so much as a fight because he didn't have a choice. She, however, did. And she was willing to throw it all away.
"I know how you feel. Trust me, I know, and it's a fucking pain in the ass, but you need to stop this. Stop acting like this, because this isn't who you are, Cy," he continued, backing away slightly so that he could pull her away from the wall. He pulled her into an embrace, and rested his head on top of hers. "This isn't the Cy I know, the one who would fight for everything and everyone she loves. She wouldn't give up so easily on something she believed so strongly in, and she wouldn't give up on the person she loved because it seemed hopeless," he tightened his hold around her. He was glad the others weren't around right now, because Katia wouldn't take it too kindly.
"She would keep fighting because she believed in it, and because she loves just as strongly," he couldn't say anything more, and he pulled away, however; she didn't move, and only kept her hand on his shoulder. Her fingers were curled into his sleeves, and her face was buried in his shoulder. He stroked her head gently, running his fingers through her hair in the comforting manner he used to do a long time ago. She was crying, but no one could hear it. He would make sure of it.
"I don't know what to do, Ryk."
"Just keep being you, and fight. We'll get through this, Cy, you'll see," because he had to believe they would.
Ana tapped the papers on the end of her desk, straightening them all out so they matched each other. She laid them neatly on the desk’s surface, checking to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything. She’d made the necessary calls, asking her Aunt Joy to check in on the shelter over the next couple of days, and explaining that she didn’t feel well. She had left instructions for whomever next ran the shelter, explaining all the idiosyncrasies of the residents so that the transition would be as smooth as possible.
She hadn’t quite figured out the entirety of what was going on, but Cyrilla’s reaction—as well as Remi’s presence—was enough to tip her off that things were bad. And bad for her specifically. And that it had something to do with her powers. Marah’s words swam through her mind, tugging at the connections she felt to her friends, but for the moment, they held fast. She believed in them. She had to.
Leaving the papers where they were, Ana headed downstairs, making sure that everything was put away in the kitchen. How she knew today would be the day things changed was beyond her, but she knew that it was. She’d called Auntie Miranda this morning and spoken to her, but only Ana had the deep suspicion that it would be the last time. She’d tried not to convey that to her aunt. Hopefully her disappearance would be sudden, but taken as well as it could be. She smoothed down her shirt, and said a silent goodbye to what had been her home for almost two years.
Her own pokéballs, she had in a small satchel, but she would take nothing else with her when she went. Now, all she had to do was wait.
There was a light knock on her door. It could only be one of three people, but with the recent visitors, it could have been one of them, too. When the door was opened, it was Eryk and Katia. She had an expression on her face, a smile, but it wasn't soft. It wasn't even malicious. It was just there, perhaps for formality. Eryk's expression was different, though. His face was blank, and unreadable which was a bit strange. His expressions had been so that she could read them, but now there wasn't even an ounce of that person. It was almost as if he never existed, however; there was something behind his eyes.
It looked like regret, or maybe something close to pain. It was hard to tell because they hardened somewhat. "Anastasia Asher," Katia spoke first, glancing at her, and then towards Eryk. "We require your presence back at the Mansion. If you would be so kind as to accompany us, we would like to make this as pleasant as possible. If you refuse," she trailed off there for a second. Eryk merely regarded Katia with a stare before his gaze shifted towards Ana.
"Ms. Asher, would you please accompany us back?" he spoke at last, and his voice sounded off, too. It was hollow, and as monotonous as it had been when they had first met. There was no ounce of emotion in it, but perhaps that might have been false. There was something, but it was hard to read.
It struck her hard, to hear him refer to her with that voice, that mode of address. More even than the sudden distance, though, she was afraid of what that lack of emotion meant. For him. She spared a glance at Katia, but she couldn’t keep her eyes from him for long, as much as she wanted to.
“I’ll go,” she said softly. She had a thousand questions, but she knew just by looking at him that he wasn’t going to provide the answers. Not now. Ana tried not to feel betrayed by that. Her trust in him was stronger than this, and she held on tightly to it, even as she preceded them out of the house.
Rufus made to waddle up to her, but she shook her head at him. He paused, tilting his head inquisitively; Ana forced herself to open up a mental connection and command him to remain still. His hurt and confusion almost undid her—she swallowed thickly and looked away, hastening to the gate. Once everyone was outside of it, she locked it behind them, pocketing the key and pressing her forehead to the wrought iron for a moment.
Goodbye, everyone. I love you.
The walk back was silent for the most part, but Katia would occasionally glance back at Ana, and then towards Ryk. He hadn't looked back at her, once. He was walking a little ahead of them, and there was something stiff in his posture. His shoulders were, however, slumped a little, not quite as straight as the rest of him had stood. Katia, perhaps tired of the silence, allowed something of a smile on her face, but there was something behind it. A trace of malice, or perhaps a trace of morbid curiosity, it was hard to tell.
"You really do know how to pick them, Ryk. I mean, she's coming along so willingly," Katia's voice was low, like she hadn't intended for Ana to hear, however; it was also loud enough that she could. Eryk didn't bother to acknowledge her, and didn't say anything. "Seriously, Ryk, lighten up a bit. You did a good job," she continued, actually nudging him in the shoulder. He tensed considerably at that.
"Katia, do not touch me," he spoke, the threat clear in his voice. She merely raised a brow at him, before scoffing. "And you need to shut up. We haven't arrived yet," he spoke, finally sparing a glance over his shoulder towards Ana.
His eyes caught hers, but she immediately dropped them. It was hard to know what she was supposed to think. She knew she was being brought to the mansion because Team Rocket wanted her to do something, and that it likely had to do with her powers. She could infer that she wasn’t going to like it.
And…
She knew that this had been their intention from the very beginning. Marah’s words, though cruel, had been true in a sense. She should have been more suspicious of the fact that three Rocket executives suddenly had an interest in her, and her life. Really… how could she ever have thought it was anything but a setup? What about her was supposedly so interesting or unique that the three of them would all turn out to be her friends? Surely, they had all met much more interesting, important people than her before.
Part of her refused to accept that what Katia was implying—what Marah had already implied—was true. She believed her friends were good people. She believed they were really her friends. But… but what if they weren’t? She wasn’t infallible; she could trust when she shouldn’t. It wasn’t impossible that she’d made that sort of mistake. It wasn’t impossible that all of it, from the Camilla Festival last year up to her invitation to Crystal’s wedding, had all been an attempt to be sure she’d be docile and cooperative now.
If that had been the reason for everything… then they’d certainly succeeded. Her heart was breaking before she even knew exactly what they wanted her to do. Because it was possible that whatever it was was all they’d ever wanted her for at all. And even the possibility was…
Ana swallowed hard. The ground under her feet changed to paving-stones; they’d reached the mansion. She stared up at the gate in front of them, unable to muster her feelings enough to express them. They were just an inchoate mess, half-formed and painful. So her facial muscles were slack, her eyes dull, as she turned to wait for one of them to open it.
Eryk was the one who opened it, and waited for them to step through. Katia was first, and she turned just slightly to wait for Ana. Eryk narrowed his eyes at her, and she moved to the side a bit. Once they were all through the gate, Eryk stopped in his steps, causing Katia to do the same and give him a questioning glance. "Katia, give me a minute," he spoke, and though it sounded like a request, it was more of a demand. She narrowed her eyes at him, the gleam behind them, suspicious.
"Why would I want to do that?" she shot back almost immediately. Eryk's gaze turned a little harder than it usually was, and there was something cold behind it. "You have two minutes, and not a second longer, Nero," she finally conceded, rolling her eyes at him. He didn't say anything, and she stepped to the side, giving them some privacy. Once she was far enough, Eryk turned towards Ana, and something in his expression changed. It wasn't like how he first looked at her when they had arrived. It was the softer expression, the one that she was used to seeing on his face.
"Ana," he called her by her name this time, and the way he said it conveyed something deep. It was hard to tell what exactly was behind the way he said it. Anger. Sadness. Regret. Pain. It was hard to pinpoint which emotion it was. "I told you, you shouldn't have loved someone like me," he spoke the words softly, lowering his gaze from her. His entire posture shifted to something defeated, and it was wearing on him, heavily. It was a good thing Katia was a bit of distance away.
"This... wasn't," he paused, visibly swallowing what was a lump in his throat. "This wasn't what I wanted," he spoke, so softly it had to be registered as a whisper. He fixed his posture, though, so that he wasn't slumped anymore. Katia was no doubt watching, but she couldn't see his face. Not like Ana could, which was done on purpose. So that she could be the only one to see his expressions.
“You didn’t give me much of a choice,” she said softly by way of response, dredging up a halfhearted smile from somewhere inside herself. By her reckoning, it was true. Whether it had been real or false, the way he’d acted, the things she’d believed—they’d led her almost inevitably to love him.
She realized, then, that if she had the choice, she’d do it all over again anyway. Even not knowing how much of it had been real on the other side. Even not knowing precisely what it was that he regretted. A friend could regret involving her. Even a stranger, if they were a decent person, could regret that they’d brought her to this. But some part of her didn’t want to know. And another part knew that, in some sense, it didn’t matter.
If she had to choose a thousand more times how to live this last year of her life, she’d choose a thousand times to do it just the way she had.
Easing the satchel off her shoulder, she held it out to him. “My pokémon,” she informed him quietly. “I know they’ll probably be confiscated so I can’t use them to help me escape… whatever is waiting for me in there.” She felt a lump forming at the back of her throat. “If any of it—” Ana choked back a sob.
“If any of it was even a little bit true, a little bit real, then… please look after them for me. If my… if the fact that I love you means anything to you at all, then…” She glanced away, raising her free hand to her mouth and closing her eyes to hold her tears back.
She would not fall apart. She had to be strong now.
She had to.
He took the satchel from her hands, letting his fingers linger in her hand. "Ana, I wasn't lying when I told you I loved you. I wasn't lying when I told you that you were the only person who made me feel that way," he spoke softly, glancing down at her, staring her as best as he could, it seemed. He sighed softly, retracting his hand from hers. He held onto her satchel, and from the way he held it, it was as if he were holding something precious.
"I'm... no amount of words could express how sorry I am that it had to come to this. Ana, I," he paused in his words, and perhaps it was best that he did. His expression shifted back to the way it was earlier: cold and distant. Katia was behind him, and it was almost as if he knew. Turning his head, he regarded Katia with the same expression, before he stepped away.
"Time's up, let's get going," she spoke, glancing between the both of them, and quirking a brow. "You know, Ryk, you really had me going. I really thought you were compromised," she spoke, something of a smug smile taking over her lips. "You really are good at your job."
"It was a job, and nothing more," the way he delivered it seemed almost believable.
Ana wasn’t sure what was believable anymore, to be honest.
But she’d resolved to meet her fate, and she would.
She hadn’t quite figured out the entirety of what was going on, but Cyrilla’s reaction—as well as Remi’s presence—was enough to tip her off that things were bad. And bad for her specifically. And that it had something to do with her powers. Marah’s words swam through her mind, tugging at the connections she felt to her friends, but for the moment, they held fast. She believed in them. She had to.
Leaving the papers where they were, Ana headed downstairs, making sure that everything was put away in the kitchen. How she knew today would be the day things changed was beyond her, but she knew that it was. She’d called Auntie Miranda this morning and spoken to her, but only Ana had the deep suspicion that it would be the last time. She’d tried not to convey that to her aunt. Hopefully her disappearance would be sudden, but taken as well as it could be. She smoothed down her shirt, and said a silent goodbye to what had been her home for almost two years.
Her own pokéballs, she had in a small satchel, but she would take nothing else with her when she went. Now, all she had to do was wait.
There was a light knock on her door. It could only be one of three people, but with the recent visitors, it could have been one of them, too. When the door was opened, it was Eryk and Katia. She had an expression on her face, a smile, but it wasn't soft. It wasn't even malicious. It was just there, perhaps for formality. Eryk's expression was different, though. His face was blank, and unreadable which was a bit strange. His expressions had been so that she could read them, but now there wasn't even an ounce of that person. It was almost as if he never existed, however; there was something behind his eyes.
It looked like regret, or maybe something close to pain. It was hard to tell because they hardened somewhat. "Anastasia Asher," Katia spoke first, glancing at her, and then towards Eryk. "We require your presence back at the Mansion. If you would be so kind as to accompany us, we would like to make this as pleasant as possible. If you refuse," she trailed off there for a second. Eryk merely regarded Katia with a stare before his gaze shifted towards Ana.
"Ms. Asher, would you please accompany us back?" he spoke at last, and his voice sounded off, too. It was hollow, and as monotonous as it had been when they had first met. There was no ounce of emotion in it, but perhaps that might have been false. There was something, but it was hard to read.
It struck her hard, to hear him refer to her with that voice, that mode of address. More even than the sudden distance, though, she was afraid of what that lack of emotion meant. For him. She spared a glance at Katia, but she couldn’t keep her eyes from him for long, as much as she wanted to.
“I’ll go,” she said softly. She had a thousand questions, but she knew just by looking at him that he wasn’t going to provide the answers. Not now. Ana tried not to feel betrayed by that. Her trust in him was stronger than this, and she held on tightly to it, even as she preceded them out of the house.
Rufus made to waddle up to her, but she shook her head at him. He paused, tilting his head inquisitively; Ana forced herself to open up a mental connection and command him to remain still. His hurt and confusion almost undid her—she swallowed thickly and looked away, hastening to the gate. Once everyone was outside of it, she locked it behind them, pocketing the key and pressing her forehead to the wrought iron for a moment.
Goodbye, everyone. I love you.
The walk back was silent for the most part, but Katia would occasionally glance back at Ana, and then towards Ryk. He hadn't looked back at her, once. He was walking a little ahead of them, and there was something stiff in his posture. His shoulders were, however, slumped a little, not quite as straight as the rest of him had stood. Katia, perhaps tired of the silence, allowed something of a smile on her face, but there was something behind it. A trace of malice, or perhaps a trace of morbid curiosity, it was hard to tell.
"You really do know how to pick them, Ryk. I mean, she's coming along so willingly," Katia's voice was low, like she hadn't intended for Ana to hear, however; it was also loud enough that she could. Eryk didn't bother to acknowledge her, and didn't say anything. "Seriously, Ryk, lighten up a bit. You did a good job," she continued, actually nudging him in the shoulder. He tensed considerably at that.
"Katia, do not touch me," he spoke, the threat clear in his voice. She merely raised a brow at him, before scoffing. "And you need to shut up. We haven't arrived yet," he spoke, finally sparing a glance over his shoulder towards Ana.
His eyes caught hers, but she immediately dropped them. It was hard to know what she was supposed to think. She knew she was being brought to the mansion because Team Rocket wanted her to do something, and that it likely had to do with her powers. She could infer that she wasn’t going to like it.
And…
She knew that this had been their intention from the very beginning. Marah’s words, though cruel, had been true in a sense. She should have been more suspicious of the fact that three Rocket executives suddenly had an interest in her, and her life. Really… how could she ever have thought it was anything but a setup? What about her was supposedly so interesting or unique that the three of them would all turn out to be her friends? Surely, they had all met much more interesting, important people than her before.
Part of her refused to accept that what Katia was implying—what Marah had already implied—was true. She believed her friends were good people. She believed they were really her friends. But… but what if they weren’t? She wasn’t infallible; she could trust when she shouldn’t. It wasn’t impossible that she’d made that sort of mistake. It wasn’t impossible that all of it, from the Camilla Festival last year up to her invitation to Crystal’s wedding, had all been an attempt to be sure she’d be docile and cooperative now.
If that had been the reason for everything… then they’d certainly succeeded. Her heart was breaking before she even knew exactly what they wanted her to do. Because it was possible that whatever it was was all they’d ever wanted her for at all. And even the possibility was…
Ana swallowed hard. The ground under her feet changed to paving-stones; they’d reached the mansion. She stared up at the gate in front of them, unable to muster her feelings enough to express them. They were just an inchoate mess, half-formed and painful. So her facial muscles were slack, her eyes dull, as she turned to wait for one of them to open it.
Eryk was the one who opened it, and waited for them to step through. Katia was first, and she turned just slightly to wait for Ana. Eryk narrowed his eyes at her, and she moved to the side a bit. Once they were all through the gate, Eryk stopped in his steps, causing Katia to do the same and give him a questioning glance. "Katia, give me a minute," he spoke, and though it sounded like a request, it was more of a demand. She narrowed her eyes at him, the gleam behind them, suspicious.
"Why would I want to do that?" she shot back almost immediately. Eryk's gaze turned a little harder than it usually was, and there was something cold behind it. "You have two minutes, and not a second longer, Nero," she finally conceded, rolling her eyes at him. He didn't say anything, and she stepped to the side, giving them some privacy. Once she was far enough, Eryk turned towards Ana, and something in his expression changed. It wasn't like how he first looked at her when they had arrived. It was the softer expression, the one that she was used to seeing on his face.
"Ana," he called her by her name this time, and the way he said it conveyed something deep. It was hard to tell what exactly was behind the way he said it. Anger. Sadness. Regret. Pain. It was hard to pinpoint which emotion it was. "I told you, you shouldn't have loved someone like me," he spoke the words softly, lowering his gaze from her. His entire posture shifted to something defeated, and it was wearing on him, heavily. It was a good thing Katia was a bit of distance away.
"This... wasn't," he paused, visibly swallowing what was a lump in his throat. "This wasn't what I wanted," he spoke, so softly it had to be registered as a whisper. He fixed his posture, though, so that he wasn't slumped anymore. Katia was no doubt watching, but she couldn't see his face. Not like Ana could, which was done on purpose. So that she could be the only one to see his expressions.
“You didn’t give me much of a choice,” she said softly by way of response, dredging up a halfhearted smile from somewhere inside herself. By her reckoning, it was true. Whether it had been real or false, the way he’d acted, the things she’d believed—they’d led her almost inevitably to love him.
She realized, then, that if she had the choice, she’d do it all over again anyway. Even not knowing how much of it had been real on the other side. Even not knowing precisely what it was that he regretted. A friend could regret involving her. Even a stranger, if they were a decent person, could regret that they’d brought her to this. But some part of her didn’t want to know. And another part knew that, in some sense, it didn’t matter.
If she had to choose a thousand more times how to live this last year of her life, she’d choose a thousand times to do it just the way she had.
Easing the satchel off her shoulder, she held it out to him. “My pokémon,” she informed him quietly. “I know they’ll probably be confiscated so I can’t use them to help me escape… whatever is waiting for me in there.” She felt a lump forming at the back of her throat. “If any of it—” Ana choked back a sob.
“If any of it was even a little bit true, a little bit real, then… please look after them for me. If my… if the fact that I love you means anything to you at all, then…” She glanced away, raising her free hand to her mouth and closing her eyes to hold her tears back.
She would not fall apart. She had to be strong now.
She had to.
He took the satchel from her hands, letting his fingers linger in her hand. "Ana, I wasn't lying when I told you I loved you. I wasn't lying when I told you that you were the only person who made me feel that way," he spoke softly, glancing down at her, staring her as best as he could, it seemed. He sighed softly, retracting his hand from hers. He held onto her satchel, and from the way he held it, it was as if he were holding something precious.
"I'm... no amount of words could express how sorry I am that it had to come to this. Ana, I," he paused in his words, and perhaps it was best that he did. His expression shifted back to the way it was earlier: cold and distant. Katia was behind him, and it was almost as if he knew. Turning his head, he regarded Katia with the same expression, before he stepped away.
"Time's up, let's get going," she spoke, glancing between the both of them, and quirking a brow. "You know, Ryk, you really had me going. I really thought you were compromised," she spoke, something of a smug smile taking over her lips. "You really are good at your job."
"It was a job, and nothing more," the way he delivered it seemed almost believable.
Ana wasn’t sure what was believable anymore, to be honest.
But she’d resolved to meet her fate, and she would.
Cyrilla took a deep breath, slowly writting her name on the papers. She had to do this now, because she wouldn't get another chance. Because she was leaving. She could feel Kenshin staring at her, and she could almost feel the disappointment behind his stare. He didn't understand why she was doing this, and perhaps, that was for the best. For so long, she thought she could do this, to do what she did, however; she can't. It hurts too much, and she would rather face her family, would rather be forced to marry someone she didn't love, than have to deal with the fact that she was hurting the people she loved.
Eryk didn't understand, and she didn't blame him. He was dealing with his own problems right now, and she would never want him to turn his focus on hers. This was for the best, she had to keep telling herself that. This would, in the long run, save everyone. It would save her, him, and...
Cy, you know this is stupid, Kenshin's voice invaded her mind, as if he were forcing it in there to occupy it of whatever thoughts she had. She turned to him, and noticed the furrowed expression on his face. She offered him a weary smile. Don't give me that, Cy. You know this decision you are making is because you're being selfish, he spoke, causing the smile to fade. He wasn't wrong. She was selfish, but that's why she was doing this. She didn't want to be selfish anymore. She didn't want to be the person who kept hurting other people because of her own selfishness. She could hear Kenshin sigh, and shake his head.
"I don't expect you to understand, Kenny," she finally spoke, causing Kenshin to glare at her. "I just don't want to hurt anyone anymore," she continued, her voice growing quieter.
So you would rather hurt yourself? Cy, don't, he took a step forward, but she shook her head, and stood from her chair. Crossing the room, she stopped in front of him and stooped to hug him. She held onto him for a moment, allowing his warmth to fuel her nerves. Please don't do this, Cy, he spoke, wrapping his arms around her, and she smiled softly.
"It'll be okay, Kenshin," she spoke, though she wasn't sure if she was being convincing enough, because he just shook his head. He pulled back, and stared at her. He said nothing, and left her room, causing the warmth that she'd just felt to leave with him. Taking in a breath, she gathered the documents, and slipped them back into the yellow envelope, closing it and tucking it beneath her arm. She closed the door to her office, waiting for the click before she walked towards her destination. Once she arrived, she paused by his office door, her hand lingering in the air. It was now or never.
"Kas, are you there?" she called out as she knocked on the door.
She could hear what sounded like Kas talking, but his voice was pitched too low for her to hear him through the door. A few seconds later, though, he elevated his volume. “Just a second, Cy,” he said, and she could make out the sound of things being shuffled around, probably on his desk. Kas never exactly kept it pristine, though he weirdly seemed to know where everything was.
It was more than a second, but not more than a minute, before he pulled the door open. Probably in deference to the boss’s presence, he was wearing his executives’ uniform, the everyday one rather than the fancy dress one. His hair was pulled back like usual, but it looked like he’d tried to run his hands through it more than once—several pieces had fallen out to hang next to his face.
“Oh,” he said, clearly taking in the look on her face. Perhaps her mood was obvious to him. They usually seemed to be, after all. “Uh… why don’t you come in? No use talking out here in the hall.” He stepped back, allowing her to enter, but shutting the door behind her.
"Thanks," she said softly as she stood to the side. She held the envelope in her hand, and fiddled with it, for a moment. "Kas, we need to talk," she finally spoke, though she knew that much was obvious. He even said it, so why was she repeating it? Shaking the thought from her mind, she glanced up at him, trying to read his face. She couldn't. She'd never been able to read his face, properly. Shaking her head, she made her way to sit in his spare chair, and waited until he was seated as well.
"I want to ask you something, though," she spoke, trying to keep her voice as calm and even as she could. She doubted he knew the answer, but she just wanted to ask anyway. "Do you... do you know why I joined Team Rocket?" she questioned, her eyes never leaving his face. She could at least say this much, first, before she asked him to sign the papers.
It was impossible to say how much he’d already figured out about her reasons for being there; his eyes landed on the envelope, and then flickered back up to her face. Without his usual smile, his face was every bit as neutral as Ryk’s—all the stranger and more indecipherable for how unusual it was to see him with such an expression.
He tilted his head, though, arching an eyebrow as he leaned back into his desk chair. It seemed like a silent comment on the strangeness of her asking that question now, of all times. But perhaps he understood, or maybe he just went with it. “I might not be able to put it in your exact words,” he said, “but I do believe it had everything to do with supporting and protecting Ryk, right?”
She shook her head. "Yes, and no," she answered, feeling her heart constrict. "I joined Team Rocket to save Ryk, not support him, or protect him. He was half of the reason I joined," she spoke honestly. She wasn't going to lie to him. She couldn't do that, not now. She glanced at the folder in her lap, now, and sighed softly. "You... you were the second half of the reason as to why I joined, if not the complete reason," she confessed softly. She joined because of both of them. Because she was naive enough to believe she could save them both.
"I joined so that I could try to save you both, because you... it might seem silly, and maybe childish to say, but," she continued, pushing herself to say the words she needed to say. "Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't, but it felt like I fell in love at first sight. The way you were with Ryk, the way you seemed to just be there, I fell in love with you, Kas," she allowed her gaze to drop again, taking in a soft breath.
"And... I think I only fell more in love with you when you did things that no one else did. You cared about us, in a way that we didn't know," she started again, finding it a little hard to breath again. She took in a gentle breath to steady her heartbeat, and she smiled. "Even now, you still cause my heartbeat to rise. Maybe... maybe I misread the situation. Maybe you didn't care for us, but, if that were true, then you wouldn't have been there for Ryk, or for me."
"Kas, you were the reason I joined Team Rocket." She wasn't lying about that.
He stared at her, with nothing by way of response or acknowledgement, for several long, slow seconds. It was hard to say, but she might well have surprised him with that statement. He pushed out a deep, heavy breath, and shook his head.
“Sorry, Cy… but now I know you’re confused. There’s no such thing as love at first sight.” He smiled, but it didn't look like his normal one at all. There was something sad about it; his eyes softened too, or so it looked to her. “And if that’s really true then… I’m sorry. I never meant to be even part of the reason you went though all of this.”
Kas closed his eyes a moment; when he opened them again, he was making direct eye contact. “But I don’t know where you got this idea that I might not care about you and Ryk. That hurts my feelings, you know? Of course I care.”
She smiled sadly at him. Of course he wouldn't believe her when she said that. She wasn't confused; she knew exactly what she felt that day she saw him. "It's not your fault, Kas. You don't get to control how people feel, or what you think they feel. They just do. I... I thought that there might be a way to show you, to make you feel what I feel, but I'm not so sure anymore. All I know is that, even if you don't believe me, even if I can't show you how I feel, it doesn't change the fact that I do feel it. I'm not... I don't," she felt her throat constrict somewhat. She didn't want to lie to him, and she didn't want to pretend that she didn't know why he didn't believe in love, anymore.
"I know you care, Kas, and it's because you care, that... I love you. It's because you care that I fell in love with you, but Kas, I have to confess to you," she took a deep breath so she could finish her sentence. "I'm just using you, and I don't want to do that anymore. I don't want to use you because you deserve better than that. When I married you, I did it because I was being selfish, because I wanted you. I didn't want anyone else, and I wanted to be able to say that you were mine. I realize now, that that is not the case, because what I'm doing is... is the same as she did. I don't want to be her, Kas. I don't."
"Harper... she told me what happened, and," she had to pause to swallow the sudden lump in her throat. "And I don't want to do to you, what she did. I don't want to use you, Kas," she spoke, lifting the folder up to place it on the desk. "That's why... I think it's time that we stop this charade. I want... I want to set you free from me, so you can go back to your life, the way it was before you married me, before..." she couldn't breath now. Why was this so hard, now?
"Before everything," she couldn't look at him. It was too hard. He was probably going to tell her that Harper didn't have the right to tell her about Leila, that she shouldn't butt into his business, but Cyrilla couldn't bring herself to care. She deserved it, she supposed. She deserved whatever he was going to tell her. It would break her heart more than it already was, but she deserved it.
Placing his hand on the envelope, Kasimir slid it over his desk towards himself, opening the flap so it lay flat but not actually taking out the papers they both knew were in there. He stared at it for several moments, his expression completely unreadable. Compressing his lips together, he closed the flap back over and set the envelope to the side with a decisive motion.
“If that’s really what you want,” he said quietly, “then I’ll fill these out and get them back to you. Considering everything else that’s going on, it might take a day or so, but no longer.” There were no rebukes, no insistences that his private life was no business of hers. In fact, he gave her no reaction at all—she could glean none of this thoughts from his facial expression or even his words.
“But Cyrilla,” he said suddenly, his eyes flicking up to hers. “You don’t give me enough credit if you think that you were manipulating or taking advantage of me. Using me, as you put it. I knew what I was doing the whole time. If you used me, it was because I let you. If there’s fault to be meted out here, I’ll bear my share of it.”
That only made this worse. If that were true, if what he said was true, it was only causing her heart to break even more. It wasn't what she wanted. It could never be what she wanted, because what she wanted was him, more-so than anything else in the world. Damn her family, damn the organization. She'd damn everything if only she could have him. But she couldn't, and she knew it. She offered him a small smile, but she knew it didn't quite reach her eyes.
"I don't..." she began, pausing only momentarily to keep his eyes. She hated how much she loved them, the way they always seemed to make her feel. She stood from her chair, and made her way towards him. She was standing in front of him, now, and she bit the bottom of her lip. There was no going back from her decision, but she had to do something before it finally ended. With that in mind, she leaned forward, grabbing one of his arms and sliding her fingers down his forearm until she was holding his hand. Slowly, she brought it up, using her free hand to unbutton two of her uniform buttons. Once she was sure it was open somewhat, she slipped his hand until it was right over her heart, closing her eyes softly.
"Do you feel that?" she questioned, referring to her heart beat. It was beating a little fast, not because of what she was doing, but because that's how she always felt. "That's what you do to me, every time you're around. Every time I spend time with you, it always does that. Only you do that," she paused, opening her eyes somewhat. "No one has ever managed to do that for me," she spoke, pausing only for a second to take a breath. "And no one ever will. It's... not what I want, Kas, but... it's what's best," she wasn't even sure if she believed that, though.
“Yes,” he said, “it is.” He left his hand where she’d put it though. He didn’t move it, or attempt anything indecent, he just… kept his palm right over her heart. His hands were big enough that his fingers almost could have brushed her chin, if he’d tried, but he didn’t, letting them rest gently against her collarbone and neck instead.
“But can I ask one last favor, before I sign?”
"Anything," she spoke, because she couldn't deny him even if she wanted to.
His free arm wrapped firmly around her waist, and with one quick, strong tug, she was in his lap. “Let me feel what your heart does now,” he murmured, and pressed his mouth to hers.
It became abruptly clear in this moment that in every previous interaction they’d had, however physical, Kas had been holding back in his approach. Whether he still was now was impossible to say. The kiss wasn’t warm and tender and soft, and it certainly wasn’t chaste. It was hot enough to blister; he licked her lips with his tongue, clearly a request—or, more accurately, a demand—that she open to him.
And she did just that. She didn't even hesitate. She wasn't going to deny him anything, and if that's what he wanted, then that's what she'd give him. She had to brace herself, somewhat, on the back of his chair when he'd pulled her forward, but she shifted her hand so that it was tangled in his hair, using that as leverage. She managed to reposition herself so that her legs were on either side of him, sitting comfortably and properly, in his lap. If he wanted to feel what her heart does, she'd do that. She'd show him in the only way she knew how, and she wasn't going to regret it. Whatever he wanted, she would give it to him. When they broke for air, she could feel the sensation she'd felt that night, the way shivers went down her spine, and the way she could feel the tips of her fingers, and even her toes, begin to burn. She stared at him.
"If that's what you want," she finally spoke, and pressed her lips to his with as much fervor as she could muster. She would return the favor. She wanted him to feel what she felt, and if this was the way to do it, then she'd do it a thousand times over.
His hands shifted as if to move her even closer, so that there was no space between them at all. The one at her waist found the hem of her shirt; he skimmed callus-roughened fingers along the bare skin of her waist. The other reached up to cradle the side of her face; his thumb dragged over her cheekbone. He broke their kiss, only to trail more of them along the line of her jaw, on the opposite side from his hand, and then down her neck. Kas wasn’t hurried or impatient—each was laid in its place with deliberate care and attention, held until it was nearly intolerable. Only then would he move to the next.
“I can’t give you what I don’t have,” he said softly, into her neck. “But I’ll give you anything else. Just name it, Cyrilla, and it’s yours.”
She trembled with his touches, and everything else. She couldn't think straight, however; when he spoke into her neck, she let a shiver escape her lips. She reached up so that her hand was placed on the back of his head, tangling her fingers through his hair and curling in somewhat. "Only you, Kas. It's... all I've ever wanted," she finally spoke, allowing her entire body to relax. If he couldn't give her his heart, then she wanted him. "Only you."
She could feel him take in a sharp breath against her skin; it was then she discovered she wasn’t the only one shaking. His arms, at first to steady and sure, shook where they were held against her, and the same tremors seemed to afflict the very core of him, bone-deep and inexplicable. He bowed over her like a leaning tree, supported only by her strength; his hand curved around the back of her neck, tangling in the hairs at her nape.
“Then I—”
His words were interrupted by a knock on the office door. It was followed quickly by Hayley’s voice. “Sir? You asked me to let you know when Miss Asher arrived. They’re back—and she’s with them.”
With what seemed like great effort, Kas lifted his head, clearing his throat softly. When he spoke, it was in the same tone he’d used to respond to Cyrilla’s knock—as though he were perfectly alone and not at all distracted. “Thanks, Hayley; I’ll be there soon.”
When the sound of her footsteps had receded from the doorway, his grip on Cy loosened. He heaved a sigh. “Back to the real world, I guess,” he muttered, almost to himself.
The real world.
A world where she couldn't have him. An illusion, that's all this was. She sighed as well, but she didn't quite leave his lap yet. Instead, she placed both hands on the side of his face, and lifted it so she could see his eyes. Slowly, she placed a soft kiss on his lips, gentle and tender all at once, before she pulled back. She rested her forehead against his for a moment before she pulled away. It had to be this way. Fixing her appearance, she made her way towards his door, glancing back over her shoulder.
"Goodbye Kasimir," she spoke softly. She didn't even wait for his response, and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her. She hadn't even realized she was crying until she felt them streaming down her face. Why did it have to hurt.
Eryk didn't understand, and she didn't blame him. He was dealing with his own problems right now, and she would never want him to turn his focus on hers. This was for the best, she had to keep telling herself that. This would, in the long run, save everyone. It would save her, him, and...
Cy, you know this is stupid, Kenshin's voice invaded her mind, as if he were forcing it in there to occupy it of whatever thoughts she had. She turned to him, and noticed the furrowed expression on his face. She offered him a weary smile. Don't give me that, Cy. You know this decision you are making is because you're being selfish, he spoke, causing the smile to fade. He wasn't wrong. She was selfish, but that's why she was doing this. She didn't want to be selfish anymore. She didn't want to be the person who kept hurting other people because of her own selfishness. She could hear Kenshin sigh, and shake his head.
"I don't expect you to understand, Kenny," she finally spoke, causing Kenshin to glare at her. "I just don't want to hurt anyone anymore," she continued, her voice growing quieter.
So you would rather hurt yourself? Cy, don't, he took a step forward, but she shook her head, and stood from her chair. Crossing the room, she stopped in front of him and stooped to hug him. She held onto him for a moment, allowing his warmth to fuel her nerves. Please don't do this, Cy, he spoke, wrapping his arms around her, and she smiled softly.
"It'll be okay, Kenshin," she spoke, though she wasn't sure if she was being convincing enough, because he just shook his head. He pulled back, and stared at her. He said nothing, and left her room, causing the warmth that she'd just felt to leave with him. Taking in a breath, she gathered the documents, and slipped them back into the yellow envelope, closing it and tucking it beneath her arm. She closed the door to her office, waiting for the click before she walked towards her destination. Once she arrived, she paused by his office door, her hand lingering in the air. It was now or never.
"Kas, are you there?" she called out as she knocked on the door.
She could hear what sounded like Kas talking, but his voice was pitched too low for her to hear him through the door. A few seconds later, though, he elevated his volume. “Just a second, Cy,” he said, and she could make out the sound of things being shuffled around, probably on his desk. Kas never exactly kept it pristine, though he weirdly seemed to know where everything was.
It was more than a second, but not more than a minute, before he pulled the door open. Probably in deference to the boss’s presence, he was wearing his executives’ uniform, the everyday one rather than the fancy dress one. His hair was pulled back like usual, but it looked like he’d tried to run his hands through it more than once—several pieces had fallen out to hang next to his face.
“Oh,” he said, clearly taking in the look on her face. Perhaps her mood was obvious to him. They usually seemed to be, after all. “Uh… why don’t you come in? No use talking out here in the hall.” He stepped back, allowing her to enter, but shutting the door behind her.
"Thanks," she said softly as she stood to the side. She held the envelope in her hand, and fiddled with it, for a moment. "Kas, we need to talk," she finally spoke, though she knew that much was obvious. He even said it, so why was she repeating it? Shaking the thought from her mind, she glanced up at him, trying to read his face. She couldn't. She'd never been able to read his face, properly. Shaking her head, she made her way to sit in his spare chair, and waited until he was seated as well.
"I want to ask you something, though," she spoke, trying to keep her voice as calm and even as she could. She doubted he knew the answer, but she just wanted to ask anyway. "Do you... do you know why I joined Team Rocket?" she questioned, her eyes never leaving his face. She could at least say this much, first, before she asked him to sign the papers.
It was impossible to say how much he’d already figured out about her reasons for being there; his eyes landed on the envelope, and then flickered back up to her face. Without his usual smile, his face was every bit as neutral as Ryk’s—all the stranger and more indecipherable for how unusual it was to see him with such an expression.
He tilted his head, though, arching an eyebrow as he leaned back into his desk chair. It seemed like a silent comment on the strangeness of her asking that question now, of all times. But perhaps he understood, or maybe he just went with it. “I might not be able to put it in your exact words,” he said, “but I do believe it had everything to do with supporting and protecting Ryk, right?”
She shook her head. "Yes, and no," she answered, feeling her heart constrict. "I joined Team Rocket to save Ryk, not support him, or protect him. He was half of the reason I joined," she spoke honestly. She wasn't going to lie to him. She couldn't do that, not now. She glanced at the folder in her lap, now, and sighed softly. "You... you were the second half of the reason as to why I joined, if not the complete reason," she confessed softly. She joined because of both of them. Because she was naive enough to believe she could save them both.
"I joined so that I could try to save you both, because you... it might seem silly, and maybe childish to say, but," she continued, pushing herself to say the words she needed to say. "Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't, but it felt like I fell in love at first sight. The way you were with Ryk, the way you seemed to just be there, I fell in love with you, Kas," she allowed her gaze to drop again, taking in a soft breath.
"And... I think I only fell more in love with you when you did things that no one else did. You cared about us, in a way that we didn't know," she started again, finding it a little hard to breath again. She took in a gentle breath to steady her heartbeat, and she smiled. "Even now, you still cause my heartbeat to rise. Maybe... maybe I misread the situation. Maybe you didn't care for us, but, if that were true, then you wouldn't have been there for Ryk, or for me."
"Kas, you were the reason I joined Team Rocket." She wasn't lying about that.
He stared at her, with nothing by way of response or acknowledgement, for several long, slow seconds. It was hard to say, but she might well have surprised him with that statement. He pushed out a deep, heavy breath, and shook his head.
“Sorry, Cy… but now I know you’re confused. There’s no such thing as love at first sight.” He smiled, but it didn't look like his normal one at all. There was something sad about it; his eyes softened too, or so it looked to her. “And if that’s really true then… I’m sorry. I never meant to be even part of the reason you went though all of this.”
Kas closed his eyes a moment; when he opened them again, he was making direct eye contact. “But I don’t know where you got this idea that I might not care about you and Ryk. That hurts my feelings, you know? Of course I care.”
She smiled sadly at him. Of course he wouldn't believe her when she said that. She wasn't confused; she knew exactly what she felt that day she saw him. "It's not your fault, Kas. You don't get to control how people feel, or what you think they feel. They just do. I... I thought that there might be a way to show you, to make you feel what I feel, but I'm not so sure anymore. All I know is that, even if you don't believe me, even if I can't show you how I feel, it doesn't change the fact that I do feel it. I'm not... I don't," she felt her throat constrict somewhat. She didn't want to lie to him, and she didn't want to pretend that she didn't know why he didn't believe in love, anymore.
"I know you care, Kas, and it's because you care, that... I love you. It's because you care that I fell in love with you, but Kas, I have to confess to you," she took a deep breath so she could finish her sentence. "I'm just using you, and I don't want to do that anymore. I don't want to use you because you deserve better than that. When I married you, I did it because I was being selfish, because I wanted you. I didn't want anyone else, and I wanted to be able to say that you were mine. I realize now, that that is not the case, because what I'm doing is... is the same as she did. I don't want to be her, Kas. I don't."
"Harper... she told me what happened, and," she had to pause to swallow the sudden lump in her throat. "And I don't want to do to you, what she did. I don't want to use you, Kas," she spoke, lifting the folder up to place it on the desk. "That's why... I think it's time that we stop this charade. I want... I want to set you free from me, so you can go back to your life, the way it was before you married me, before..." she couldn't breath now. Why was this so hard, now?
"Before everything," she couldn't look at him. It was too hard. He was probably going to tell her that Harper didn't have the right to tell her about Leila, that she shouldn't butt into his business, but Cyrilla couldn't bring herself to care. She deserved it, she supposed. She deserved whatever he was going to tell her. It would break her heart more than it already was, but she deserved it.
Placing his hand on the envelope, Kasimir slid it over his desk towards himself, opening the flap so it lay flat but not actually taking out the papers they both knew were in there. He stared at it for several moments, his expression completely unreadable. Compressing his lips together, he closed the flap back over and set the envelope to the side with a decisive motion.
“If that’s really what you want,” he said quietly, “then I’ll fill these out and get them back to you. Considering everything else that’s going on, it might take a day or so, but no longer.” There were no rebukes, no insistences that his private life was no business of hers. In fact, he gave her no reaction at all—she could glean none of this thoughts from his facial expression or even his words.
“But Cyrilla,” he said suddenly, his eyes flicking up to hers. “You don’t give me enough credit if you think that you were manipulating or taking advantage of me. Using me, as you put it. I knew what I was doing the whole time. If you used me, it was because I let you. If there’s fault to be meted out here, I’ll bear my share of it.”
That only made this worse. If that were true, if what he said was true, it was only causing her heart to break even more. It wasn't what she wanted. It could never be what she wanted, because what she wanted was him, more-so than anything else in the world. Damn her family, damn the organization. She'd damn everything if only she could have him. But she couldn't, and she knew it. She offered him a small smile, but she knew it didn't quite reach her eyes.
"I don't..." she began, pausing only momentarily to keep his eyes. She hated how much she loved them, the way they always seemed to make her feel. She stood from her chair, and made her way towards him. She was standing in front of him, now, and she bit the bottom of her lip. There was no going back from her decision, but she had to do something before it finally ended. With that in mind, she leaned forward, grabbing one of his arms and sliding her fingers down his forearm until she was holding his hand. Slowly, she brought it up, using her free hand to unbutton two of her uniform buttons. Once she was sure it was open somewhat, she slipped his hand until it was right over her heart, closing her eyes softly.
"Do you feel that?" she questioned, referring to her heart beat. It was beating a little fast, not because of what she was doing, but because that's how she always felt. "That's what you do to me, every time you're around. Every time I spend time with you, it always does that. Only you do that," she paused, opening her eyes somewhat. "No one has ever managed to do that for me," she spoke, pausing only for a second to take a breath. "And no one ever will. It's... not what I want, Kas, but... it's what's best," she wasn't even sure if she believed that, though.
“Yes,” he said, “it is.” He left his hand where she’d put it though. He didn’t move it, or attempt anything indecent, he just… kept his palm right over her heart. His hands were big enough that his fingers almost could have brushed her chin, if he’d tried, but he didn’t, letting them rest gently against her collarbone and neck instead.
“But can I ask one last favor, before I sign?”
"Anything," she spoke, because she couldn't deny him even if she wanted to.
His free arm wrapped firmly around her waist, and with one quick, strong tug, she was in his lap. “Let me feel what your heart does now,” he murmured, and pressed his mouth to hers.
It became abruptly clear in this moment that in every previous interaction they’d had, however physical, Kas had been holding back in his approach. Whether he still was now was impossible to say. The kiss wasn’t warm and tender and soft, and it certainly wasn’t chaste. It was hot enough to blister; he licked her lips with his tongue, clearly a request—or, more accurately, a demand—that she open to him.
And she did just that. She didn't even hesitate. She wasn't going to deny him anything, and if that's what he wanted, then that's what she'd give him. She had to brace herself, somewhat, on the back of his chair when he'd pulled her forward, but she shifted her hand so that it was tangled in his hair, using that as leverage. She managed to reposition herself so that her legs were on either side of him, sitting comfortably and properly, in his lap. If he wanted to feel what her heart does, she'd do that. She'd show him in the only way she knew how, and she wasn't going to regret it. Whatever he wanted, she would give it to him. When they broke for air, she could feel the sensation she'd felt that night, the way shivers went down her spine, and the way she could feel the tips of her fingers, and even her toes, begin to burn. She stared at him.
"If that's what you want," she finally spoke, and pressed her lips to his with as much fervor as she could muster. She would return the favor. She wanted him to feel what she felt, and if this was the way to do it, then she'd do it a thousand times over.
His hands shifted as if to move her even closer, so that there was no space between them at all. The one at her waist found the hem of her shirt; he skimmed callus-roughened fingers along the bare skin of her waist. The other reached up to cradle the side of her face; his thumb dragged over her cheekbone. He broke their kiss, only to trail more of them along the line of her jaw, on the opposite side from his hand, and then down her neck. Kas wasn’t hurried or impatient—each was laid in its place with deliberate care and attention, held until it was nearly intolerable. Only then would he move to the next.
“I can’t give you what I don’t have,” he said softly, into her neck. “But I’ll give you anything else. Just name it, Cyrilla, and it’s yours.”
She trembled with his touches, and everything else. She couldn't think straight, however; when he spoke into her neck, she let a shiver escape her lips. She reached up so that her hand was placed on the back of his head, tangling her fingers through his hair and curling in somewhat. "Only you, Kas. It's... all I've ever wanted," she finally spoke, allowing her entire body to relax. If he couldn't give her his heart, then she wanted him. "Only you."
She could feel him take in a sharp breath against her skin; it was then she discovered she wasn’t the only one shaking. His arms, at first to steady and sure, shook where they were held against her, and the same tremors seemed to afflict the very core of him, bone-deep and inexplicable. He bowed over her like a leaning tree, supported only by her strength; his hand curved around the back of her neck, tangling in the hairs at her nape.
“Then I—”
His words were interrupted by a knock on the office door. It was followed quickly by Hayley’s voice. “Sir? You asked me to let you know when Miss Asher arrived. They’re back—and she’s with them.”
With what seemed like great effort, Kas lifted his head, clearing his throat softly. When he spoke, it was in the same tone he’d used to respond to Cyrilla’s knock—as though he were perfectly alone and not at all distracted. “Thanks, Hayley; I’ll be there soon.”
When the sound of her footsteps had receded from the doorway, his grip on Cy loosened. He heaved a sigh. “Back to the real world, I guess,” he muttered, almost to himself.
The real world.
A world where she couldn't have him. An illusion, that's all this was. She sighed as well, but she didn't quite leave his lap yet. Instead, she placed both hands on the side of his face, and lifted it so she could see his eyes. Slowly, she placed a soft kiss on his lips, gentle and tender all at once, before she pulled back. She rested her forehead against his for a moment before she pulled away. It had to be this way. Fixing her appearance, she made her way towards his door, glancing back over her shoulder.
"Goodbye Kasimir," she spoke softly. She didn't even wait for his response, and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her. She hadn't even realized she was crying until she felt them streaming down her face. Why did it have to hurt.
It wasn’t an especially intimidating-looking machine.
The contours were smooth, the exterior shiny chrome. It didn’t seem especially sinister, from the outside. But Ana had learned—painfully as the lesson had been imparted—that it was impossible to tell what was really true of something from how it seemed. Even after a very long time.
And what this device really was was a prison, and her tomb.
She was certain of that.
The first day of her presence in the mansion had been devoted to various tests of her telepathy. They were either uninterested in or unaware of her telekinesis. If it was the latter, she certainly had no intention of informing them. Technicians and scientists had had her do a full battery of tests, from simple things like guessing the identity of a card from the back side only and the number someone was thinking of all the way up to making various telepathic requests of different pokémon. Ones with language and ones without.
They must have been happy with the results, because today they were putting her inside the machine. Everyone was there—Eryk, Cyrilla, and Kas, as well as the three other executives and the man in charge. He was indeed the same Stefan Gregorovich as had visited her at the shelter. Perhaps she’d been her own undoing, trusting him. Perhaps he would have found out anyway. It seemed pointless to be concerned about it now.
“Our scientists tell us you’ve done exceptionally well, Miss Asher,” Stefan said, his voice that same pleasant, smooth-honey tone it had been the first time she met him.
Like he wasn’t holding her effectively prisoner here. Like she’d volunteered for this.
Then again, hadn’t she? She hadn’t resisted when they brought her here.
She’d never fight him. She wasn’t capable of it. She didn’t want to be just one more person in the long line of those who’d hurt him—couldn’t even bear the thought.
So here she was.
Stefan clearly didn’t require her actual input in this conversation—he was perfectly capable of carrying it forward all by himself. “As they explained to you yesterday, what you will be doing today and in the future is using our Nebula Device to locate and contact legendary pokémon. We are confident that they exist; there’s no need to worry about that. We’ve prepared a list of the ones we’d like you to look for today, and of course Katia has already explained to you what you are to say to them when you make contact. Please do not deviate from the script; it would be extremely unfortunate.”
The threat wasn’t even an implication—it was simply understood. They had her pokémon. They had her friends, too—whether or not she was their friend, they were hers, and they mattered to her.
“I understand,” she said quietly.
“Good.”
Eryk had the same expression on his face as the one he'd worn that day. It hadn't changed, save for the appearance of being tired. His eyes were slightly dark underneath, like he hadn't slept the last couple of days, and he probably hadn't. There was something more in his appearance, too. Even though his expression was the same, his body language wasn't. It was... softer? It wasn't tense like he'd been that day he and Katia showed up at her door. It looked almost as tired as his eyes did.
Kas was completely unreadable. He could have been either entirely unrepentant or inwardly screaming, and she’d never know the difference. He’d always been like that when he wanted to be—she knew she couldn’t take his expression as any indication of his thoughts, whatever they might be.
Something seemed off with Cyrilla too, but unlike Eryk, her expression was readable. She was staring at Ana with regret written all over her face, and even if she didn't say it, Cyrilla was trying her best to apologize to Ana. Her eyes were the same as Ryk's, but perhaps with a little more puffiness to them. Perhaps she'd been crying the night before, or recently? Maybe it just followed her? The sound of something popping could be heard, though, and both Eryk and Cy turned towards the source.
"What? It's bubble gum, do you want some?" Remi spoke, blowing another bubble from her chewing gum. It popped again, and Eryk simply glared at her. "Oh, seriously? You're annoyed by bubble gum?" she spoke as she folded her arms beneath her chest.
"Remi, be professional for once in your life," Katia spoke, pushing up the rim of her glasses. Remi merely grinned.
Ana turned away from all of them and stepped into the machine. She had to turn around to be seated in it, which meant she faced all of them again, but she couldn’t bring herself to make eye contact of any kind. The one technician in the room helped her into the device—attaching sticky nodes like those on monitors to her temples. Each one had an attached green wire, which ran up to the ceiling of the titanium dome.
She wasn’t exactly surprised when he strapped her arms and legs down, too—she didn’t fight it. This was what she’d chosen, and there was no way she could get out of it herself, even if she wanted to. And she did—this was not the way Ana wanted to spend the rest of her life. But it was what they wanted, in the end, or they’d be helping her escape. She could believe they regretted that it had come to this, but not that they wanted anything else enough to try… because they weren’t trying.
It was okay, though. She understood. Why risk a whole, healthy life for whatever months she might have left? She’d never ask any of them to do that.
The technician backed out of the device; the recessed doors closed, enveloping her in solitary darkness. The temptation to reach out for the comfort of another mind—his mind, was high, but she resisted it. It would only bring more trouble to him.
Instead, she closed her eyes, allowing her breathing to steady. She’d seen the images and read the material—they wanted her to find. They were looking for an old experiment of the former Team Rocket—Mewtwo, the clone of Mew. They also wanted her to seek out six legendary pokémon that they thought would be easiest to contact, as they were all believed to be land-dwelling and not too far underground or the water: Virizion, Terrakion, Cobalion, Suicune, Raikou, and Entei.
Ana exhaled softly, and extended her mind.
The sensation was immediately overwhelming: she was almost instantly bombarded by thoughts and emotions from all the people standing in the room, mixed together in a jumble of hurt, interest, glee, anticipation, guilt, and too many other things to identify or place with a particular person.
Pushing past all of it, she touched on the consciounesses of all the other humans and pokémon in the building. Even within their pokéballs, she could feel her team’s anxiety for her; she brushed past them quickly, unable to bear the shame of having given them up, even to Eryk. Moving out further, well beyond the bounds of anything she’d attempted by herself before, she flew above Cinnabar in her mind alone, each mind below a pinprick of light on a dark, empty canvas.
A slight whirring sound started up; she could feel the machine itself in contact with her mind; it was like a sensation in her own head, pushing her forward but lending her no assistance in achieving that. She didn’t think it could fulfill its function; she might be able to explain that to them and get herself off the hook.
But what would be the use of that, if they simply found a new victim to collect once they’d fixed it? Ana decided to push herself further, see how far she could go with the limited aid of the technology.
What did she have to lose that she hadn’t already lost?
Zooming out even further proved to be almost easy; it was certainly intoxicating. To feather her mind over so many others like she might feather her fingers over the surface of a pond. To create ripples without true disturbance, to catch a whisper of thought from someone half a world away. She found her aunt, enjoying her travels in Sinnoh now, at the base of Mount Coronet. She found her parents and her brother, ensconced at home for lunch in Celadon City.
And the pokémon—she felt them too. Mewtwo resisted her intrusion into his own powerful mind—but less so when she warned him of what was coming.
She’d never intended to follow their script. How would they ever know if she hadn’t?
Mew seemed almost overjoyed to have someone to speak to; the others were harder to find since they weren’t strictly psychic-types, but all of them were intelligent enough to use language.
All in all, it felt like only a couple of minutes she was in there; when she finally came to, it was to the wet, sticky-warm sensation of a nosebleed. She hadn’t even noticed her own body’s peril.
“—have to get her out of there,” a familiar voice was saying. “She’s been unconscious for two days; if her body fails now, it’s coming down on your head, Remi, and you know the boss isn’t going to like it.” It was Kas, she determined after a moment.
But… two days? It had been so long? That would certainly explain the fact that she felt like she couldn’t move, for how weak she was.
"Oh shut up, Kas. You're like an annoying beedrill. She's fine, look," it was Remi's voice, and it seemed she was talking to Kas. "See? She's fine, she has a nosebleed, that's all. Besides, the boss wants results, do you honestly think he really cares if her body gives or not? If it does, oh well. There are others out there they can use. She's replaceable," Remi continued, and there was something in her voice, something like joy. She seemed to be happy about the idea of Ana dying.
“You wouldn’t know ‘fine’ if it smacked you in your smug face, you goddamn psychopath,” Kas replied, his tone jarringly pleasant for the nastiness of the words. The recessed door, which had started to part, finished opening when he pushed some kind of button.
He crowded into the space, tugging at her bonds until they were loose again. Ana tried to slide her arms out, but found that she simply didn’t have the strength. “Kas…”
“I’ve gotcha,” he said soothingly, moving her arms for her and then doing the same with her legs. He picked her up off the seat like she was a child, drawing her forward so that she could slump more or less comfortably against him. “Let’s get you something to eat before you pass out.” He shot Remi a glare on the way out of the room, then started up the stairs to the first floor.
“Where…” she mumbled weakly, exhaling a soft sigh.
“Kitchen,” he said. “We’re gonna get an ‘escort’ any minute now, but either of the other two is a damn sight better than Remi.”
As it turned out, it was Ryk. Katia was probably somewhere close by, though, since she always seemed to be glued to his side. He pursed his lips together as he stared at them. "Kas?" he asked, the slightest hint of concern and confusion lacing his voice. It was apparent in his eyes, though, that he was worried about something. Perhaps because of her condition, or because of the fact that Kas had her, and he was taking her somewhere that wasn't the machine.
"What happened?" he finally asked, glancing at Ana's face. He could probably see some of the blood on her nose.
She was probably bleeding all over Kas’s shoulder, wasn’t she? She should really apologize for that.
“She just came out of the machine. Most people need to eat a few times in a two-day period, you know. Since she hasn’t, I’m taking her to the kitchen to make something for her before she passes out. You’re welcome to come, but you should decide quickly—I’m not really sure how long she’s going to be awake for.”
His voice seemed to be swimming in and out a little, but she could at least make out the words. He seemed worried. She wanted to tell him not to be worried, but she couldn’t really muster the words.
"I'll go with. It'll keep Remi away, and Katia won't bother me," he replied just as quickly. He glanced towards Ana, though, and his brows furrowed. "She's... she might need something more than something to eat, Kas. She's not looking too well," he spoke. He'd always been perceptive, but never too good with words. "They might need to hook her up to the IV's, and it's just a nosebleed, but she's losing a lot of blood," he continued, his voice dropping with every word he spoke. He seemed genuinely worried about her. Whether it was because of everything he'd said, or if it was because she was important for the machine, it was a little hard to tell.
“We’ll see,” Kas said. “I’m gonna try things my way first, though. I think she’s had about enough of hospitals for one lifetime, don’t you?”
They made it to the kitchen. Kas settled Ana carefully in a chair and immediately sat a glass of fruit juice down in front of her. “Drink,” he said. “The sugar will metabolize quickly and give you enough of a boost to last until you can eat some real food.” Next to the glass, he placed several paper towels.
“Sorry,” she said, noticing him using another to blot her blood off his shoulder.
The look he gave her was almost stern. “Don’t you dare apologize to me,” he said sharply. “Let’s get one thing straight, Ana: we’re the ones who should be begging for your forgiveness. You don’t owe us a damn thing.”
She swallowed, tasting blood, and raised one of the paper towels to her nose.
Eryk hadn't glanced at her when they entered. Not even when Kas spoke. He remained where he was, standing still and almost unmoving. It was almost like he wasn't even there, but only a cut-out of him, or a statue. Finally, he lifted his gaze, meeting hers. "He's right, Ana," he finally spoke, his tone carrying the same odd gentleness he used to have. He sighed heavily, taking a seat next to her. Gently, he took the paper towel from her hand, and tilted her head back softly. Then, he placed the towel beneath her nose and just held it there.
"Even though we should be asking for your forgiveness, we do not deserve it. Look... at what we're doing to you," he spoke, his voice soft and unusually warm. "We're hurting you, Ana. This...," he didn't seem capable of finishing that sentence, and instead, he fell silent.
She wasn’t really sure she had anything to say to that. Ana sighed softly, avoiding the urge to shake her head. That would defeat the purpose of the paper towel, after all. “I’ll be okay,” she said, fixing her eyes on the ceiling. “I think… I think I succeeded, so hopefully I’ll have a little time to rest before I have to do that again.”
“You… really did it?” Kas glanced at her over his shoulder. She could hear the sizzle of something frying in a pan, but she obviously couldn’t identify it by smell right now.
“Mhm,” she replied softly.
He snorted. “Well, they can wait for the news until you’ve eaten, I think.”
The contours were smooth, the exterior shiny chrome. It didn’t seem especially sinister, from the outside. But Ana had learned—painfully as the lesson had been imparted—that it was impossible to tell what was really true of something from how it seemed. Even after a very long time.
And what this device really was was a prison, and her tomb.
She was certain of that.
The first day of her presence in the mansion had been devoted to various tests of her telepathy. They were either uninterested in or unaware of her telekinesis. If it was the latter, she certainly had no intention of informing them. Technicians and scientists had had her do a full battery of tests, from simple things like guessing the identity of a card from the back side only and the number someone was thinking of all the way up to making various telepathic requests of different pokémon. Ones with language and ones without.
They must have been happy with the results, because today they were putting her inside the machine. Everyone was there—Eryk, Cyrilla, and Kas, as well as the three other executives and the man in charge. He was indeed the same Stefan Gregorovich as had visited her at the shelter. Perhaps she’d been her own undoing, trusting him. Perhaps he would have found out anyway. It seemed pointless to be concerned about it now.
“Our scientists tell us you’ve done exceptionally well, Miss Asher,” Stefan said, his voice that same pleasant, smooth-honey tone it had been the first time she met him.
Like he wasn’t holding her effectively prisoner here. Like she’d volunteered for this.
Then again, hadn’t she? She hadn’t resisted when they brought her here.
She’d never fight him. She wasn’t capable of it. She didn’t want to be just one more person in the long line of those who’d hurt him—couldn’t even bear the thought.
So here she was.
Stefan clearly didn’t require her actual input in this conversation—he was perfectly capable of carrying it forward all by himself. “As they explained to you yesterday, what you will be doing today and in the future is using our Nebula Device to locate and contact legendary pokémon. We are confident that they exist; there’s no need to worry about that. We’ve prepared a list of the ones we’d like you to look for today, and of course Katia has already explained to you what you are to say to them when you make contact. Please do not deviate from the script; it would be extremely unfortunate.”
The threat wasn’t even an implication—it was simply understood. They had her pokémon. They had her friends, too—whether or not she was their friend, they were hers, and they mattered to her.
“I understand,” she said quietly.
“Good.”
Eryk had the same expression on his face as the one he'd worn that day. It hadn't changed, save for the appearance of being tired. His eyes were slightly dark underneath, like he hadn't slept the last couple of days, and he probably hadn't. There was something more in his appearance, too. Even though his expression was the same, his body language wasn't. It was... softer? It wasn't tense like he'd been that day he and Katia showed up at her door. It looked almost as tired as his eyes did.
Kas was completely unreadable. He could have been either entirely unrepentant or inwardly screaming, and she’d never know the difference. He’d always been like that when he wanted to be—she knew she couldn’t take his expression as any indication of his thoughts, whatever they might be.
Something seemed off with Cyrilla too, but unlike Eryk, her expression was readable. She was staring at Ana with regret written all over her face, and even if she didn't say it, Cyrilla was trying her best to apologize to Ana. Her eyes were the same as Ryk's, but perhaps with a little more puffiness to them. Perhaps she'd been crying the night before, or recently? Maybe it just followed her? The sound of something popping could be heard, though, and both Eryk and Cy turned towards the source.
"What? It's bubble gum, do you want some?" Remi spoke, blowing another bubble from her chewing gum. It popped again, and Eryk simply glared at her. "Oh, seriously? You're annoyed by bubble gum?" she spoke as she folded her arms beneath her chest.
"Remi, be professional for once in your life," Katia spoke, pushing up the rim of her glasses. Remi merely grinned.
Ana turned away from all of them and stepped into the machine. She had to turn around to be seated in it, which meant she faced all of them again, but she couldn’t bring herself to make eye contact of any kind. The one technician in the room helped her into the device—attaching sticky nodes like those on monitors to her temples. Each one had an attached green wire, which ran up to the ceiling of the titanium dome.
She wasn’t exactly surprised when he strapped her arms and legs down, too—she didn’t fight it. This was what she’d chosen, and there was no way she could get out of it herself, even if she wanted to. And she did—this was not the way Ana wanted to spend the rest of her life. But it was what they wanted, in the end, or they’d be helping her escape. She could believe they regretted that it had come to this, but not that they wanted anything else enough to try… because they weren’t trying.
It was okay, though. She understood. Why risk a whole, healthy life for whatever months she might have left? She’d never ask any of them to do that.
The technician backed out of the device; the recessed doors closed, enveloping her in solitary darkness. The temptation to reach out for the comfort of another mind—his mind, was high, but she resisted it. It would only bring more trouble to him.
Instead, she closed her eyes, allowing her breathing to steady. She’d seen the images and read the material—they wanted her to find. They were looking for an old experiment of the former Team Rocket—Mewtwo, the clone of Mew. They also wanted her to seek out six legendary pokémon that they thought would be easiest to contact, as they were all believed to be land-dwelling and not too far underground or the water: Virizion, Terrakion, Cobalion, Suicune, Raikou, and Entei.
Ana exhaled softly, and extended her mind.
The sensation was immediately overwhelming: she was almost instantly bombarded by thoughts and emotions from all the people standing in the room, mixed together in a jumble of hurt, interest, glee, anticipation, guilt, and too many other things to identify or place with a particular person.
Pushing past all of it, she touched on the consciounesses of all the other humans and pokémon in the building. Even within their pokéballs, she could feel her team’s anxiety for her; she brushed past them quickly, unable to bear the shame of having given them up, even to Eryk. Moving out further, well beyond the bounds of anything she’d attempted by herself before, she flew above Cinnabar in her mind alone, each mind below a pinprick of light on a dark, empty canvas.
A slight whirring sound started up; she could feel the machine itself in contact with her mind; it was like a sensation in her own head, pushing her forward but lending her no assistance in achieving that. She didn’t think it could fulfill its function; she might be able to explain that to them and get herself off the hook.
But what would be the use of that, if they simply found a new victim to collect once they’d fixed it? Ana decided to push herself further, see how far she could go with the limited aid of the technology.
What did she have to lose that she hadn’t already lost?
Zooming out even further proved to be almost easy; it was certainly intoxicating. To feather her mind over so many others like she might feather her fingers over the surface of a pond. To create ripples without true disturbance, to catch a whisper of thought from someone half a world away. She found her aunt, enjoying her travels in Sinnoh now, at the base of Mount Coronet. She found her parents and her brother, ensconced at home for lunch in Celadon City.
And the pokémon—she felt them too. Mewtwo resisted her intrusion into his own powerful mind—but less so when she warned him of what was coming.
She’d never intended to follow their script. How would they ever know if she hadn’t?
Mew seemed almost overjoyed to have someone to speak to; the others were harder to find since they weren’t strictly psychic-types, but all of them were intelligent enough to use language.
All in all, it felt like only a couple of minutes she was in there; when she finally came to, it was to the wet, sticky-warm sensation of a nosebleed. She hadn’t even noticed her own body’s peril.
“—have to get her out of there,” a familiar voice was saying. “She’s been unconscious for two days; if her body fails now, it’s coming down on your head, Remi, and you know the boss isn’t going to like it.” It was Kas, she determined after a moment.
But… two days? It had been so long? That would certainly explain the fact that she felt like she couldn’t move, for how weak she was.
"Oh shut up, Kas. You're like an annoying beedrill. She's fine, look," it was Remi's voice, and it seemed she was talking to Kas. "See? She's fine, she has a nosebleed, that's all. Besides, the boss wants results, do you honestly think he really cares if her body gives or not? If it does, oh well. There are others out there they can use. She's replaceable," Remi continued, and there was something in her voice, something like joy. She seemed to be happy about the idea of Ana dying.
“You wouldn’t know ‘fine’ if it smacked you in your smug face, you goddamn psychopath,” Kas replied, his tone jarringly pleasant for the nastiness of the words. The recessed door, which had started to part, finished opening when he pushed some kind of button.
He crowded into the space, tugging at her bonds until they were loose again. Ana tried to slide her arms out, but found that she simply didn’t have the strength. “Kas…”
“I’ve gotcha,” he said soothingly, moving her arms for her and then doing the same with her legs. He picked her up off the seat like she was a child, drawing her forward so that she could slump more or less comfortably against him. “Let’s get you something to eat before you pass out.” He shot Remi a glare on the way out of the room, then started up the stairs to the first floor.
“Where…” she mumbled weakly, exhaling a soft sigh.
“Kitchen,” he said. “We’re gonna get an ‘escort’ any minute now, but either of the other two is a damn sight better than Remi.”
As it turned out, it was Ryk. Katia was probably somewhere close by, though, since she always seemed to be glued to his side. He pursed his lips together as he stared at them. "Kas?" he asked, the slightest hint of concern and confusion lacing his voice. It was apparent in his eyes, though, that he was worried about something. Perhaps because of her condition, or because of the fact that Kas had her, and he was taking her somewhere that wasn't the machine.
"What happened?" he finally asked, glancing at Ana's face. He could probably see some of the blood on her nose.
She was probably bleeding all over Kas’s shoulder, wasn’t she? She should really apologize for that.
“She just came out of the machine. Most people need to eat a few times in a two-day period, you know. Since she hasn’t, I’m taking her to the kitchen to make something for her before she passes out. You’re welcome to come, but you should decide quickly—I’m not really sure how long she’s going to be awake for.”
His voice seemed to be swimming in and out a little, but she could at least make out the words. He seemed worried. She wanted to tell him not to be worried, but she couldn’t really muster the words.
"I'll go with. It'll keep Remi away, and Katia won't bother me," he replied just as quickly. He glanced towards Ana, though, and his brows furrowed. "She's... she might need something more than something to eat, Kas. She's not looking too well," he spoke. He'd always been perceptive, but never too good with words. "They might need to hook her up to the IV's, and it's just a nosebleed, but she's losing a lot of blood," he continued, his voice dropping with every word he spoke. He seemed genuinely worried about her. Whether it was because of everything he'd said, or if it was because she was important for the machine, it was a little hard to tell.
“We’ll see,” Kas said. “I’m gonna try things my way first, though. I think she’s had about enough of hospitals for one lifetime, don’t you?”
They made it to the kitchen. Kas settled Ana carefully in a chair and immediately sat a glass of fruit juice down in front of her. “Drink,” he said. “The sugar will metabolize quickly and give you enough of a boost to last until you can eat some real food.” Next to the glass, he placed several paper towels.
“Sorry,” she said, noticing him using another to blot her blood off his shoulder.
The look he gave her was almost stern. “Don’t you dare apologize to me,” he said sharply. “Let’s get one thing straight, Ana: we’re the ones who should be begging for your forgiveness. You don’t owe us a damn thing.”
She swallowed, tasting blood, and raised one of the paper towels to her nose.
Eryk hadn't glanced at her when they entered. Not even when Kas spoke. He remained where he was, standing still and almost unmoving. It was almost like he wasn't even there, but only a cut-out of him, or a statue. Finally, he lifted his gaze, meeting hers. "He's right, Ana," he finally spoke, his tone carrying the same odd gentleness he used to have. He sighed heavily, taking a seat next to her. Gently, he took the paper towel from her hand, and tilted her head back softly. Then, he placed the towel beneath her nose and just held it there.
"Even though we should be asking for your forgiveness, we do not deserve it. Look... at what we're doing to you," he spoke, his voice soft and unusually warm. "We're hurting you, Ana. This...," he didn't seem capable of finishing that sentence, and instead, he fell silent.
She wasn’t really sure she had anything to say to that. Ana sighed softly, avoiding the urge to shake her head. That would defeat the purpose of the paper towel, after all. “I’ll be okay,” she said, fixing her eyes on the ceiling. “I think… I think I succeeded, so hopefully I’ll have a little time to rest before I have to do that again.”
“You… really did it?” Kas glanced at her over his shoulder. She could hear the sizzle of something frying in a pan, but she obviously couldn’t identify it by smell right now.
“Mhm,” she replied softly.
He snorted. “Well, they can wait for the news until you’ve eaten, I think.”
Eryk was certain he knew pain on an intimate level. He'd experienced it before, with his scars, however; that was physical pain. The torment he was feeling now ran so much deeper than that. Whatever torture he'd been subjected to over his years, whatever might have poked and prodded his body, it was nothing compared to the thing that was stabbing at his heart. It ached, and it hurt so much that he could barely tolerate it. It was hard, keeping up the facade that he didn't care. He did, and that was what hurt the most. He could see it on her, even if he didn't want to. The stress from using the machine had worn on her moreso than he'd like to admit. Perhaps, with this new development, though, she could get some rest.
He reached towards his belt, feeling the slight stirring of pokémon in the pokéballs. He had his and Ana's pokémon with him. He was going to take care of them for her, at least until he couldn't any longer. It wouldn't be long before he'd be asked to hand them over, but he wasn't so sure that he could. He could potentially keep them if he played it off as keeping them for souvenirs. As cruel as it sounded, it would at least protect them from going elsewhere, and if Ana, perchance, wanted to see them, then he could let her. Speaking of which, he glanced towards her and felt the stabbing feeling in his chest all over again. After she had eaten, they had lingered in the kitchen for a moment longer. It wouldn't be much longer until Remi grew tired of waiting, and would go tell the boss about what Kas had done, however; if they were to meet him first, perhaps there was a chance that he'd be lenient.
He'd let her rest. Maybe that was hoping for too much, but he had to try, at least. They were going to meet the boss, to relay the information that she'd contacted the pokémon, but he wasn't in a hurry to put her back in that thing. He didn't have much of a choice, though. Perhaps he did, and he just couldn't see it. He hadn't realized he'd been staring at her until he turned to glance in front of him, and sighed.
"Are you feeling better?" he decided to speak. He was, genuinely, concerned about her well-being, but if she was still feeling a bit under, he wasn't going to force her to hurry. He didn't even want to take her back, so perhaps it would be a good thing if she said no.
As had frequently been the case up until now, she seemed to have difficulty making eye contact. Or perhaps she simply didn’t want to. It was oddly-difficult to read her right now. “I’m all right,” she said, holding one hand out in front of her. “The shaking has stopped, and my nose isn’t bleeding anymore.”
“That’s a pretty low bar, Ana, but… if you say so. If you’re up to it, we should probably head down to the boss. If you can give him a decent report soon, he’ll be more likely to give you a break while he follows up on the info, I think.”
She nodded, slowly pushing herself up off the kitchen chair into a standing position. It didn’t look easy, certainly, but her knees held, and she seemed at least able to hold herself upright. Kas frowned for just a moment, but it disappeared quickly.
He was torn between helping her, carrying her himself, or letting her do what she wanted. Instead, he let her be. He wouldn't touch her, because if he did, he was certain he would have led her somewhere else. Somewhere not here. Pushing a soft sigh from his thoughts, he stood as well, making sure that she could still stand on her own. Once he was satisfied, he led the way towards the basement. He glanced at Kas for a moment, hoping that he would do what he could not: to make sure she didn't fall if her legs gave out on her. He wasn't so sure he could do it, because he knew...
"If you're feeling up to it, then it's best we don't keep him waiting," he repeated the words to himself as well. This was weighing on him more-so than he ever thought it could. Why did he have to become personally involved? In all the missions he's ever had, he'd never once become personally involved. Perhaps he made it seem that way, but with her, it was different. He felt something, for the first time in years, and it was all because of her. Damn her for making him feel this way, and damn himself for falling the way he did.
He wanted to, more than anything, he wanted to set her free. To take her somewhere where they'd never find her, and let her live out the rest of her life peacefully. Even if it meant living it without him, he wanted her to live. He hadn't realized his fists were clenched until they started stinging. He was putting too much pressure on them, and even now the color barely receded on his knuckles.
“Wouldn’t want to do that,” she murmured, tone indecipherable. She straightened where she stood—it was the first time he’d actually seen her put on the illusion that she was in better condition than she was. The difference was remarkable. Though she’d looked about ready to collapse a few seconds ago, the change in her posture and her facial expression chased that impression away almost completely. She looked about the same as she ever did.
And when she walked, she did so unaided. Kas positioned himself just behind her and to the left, but he didn’t touch her—it didn’t seem like something she wanted. The stairs, which should have been a considerable obstacle considering the shape she was in, proved none at all. Her steps were light down them. If she could fake health this well, it was hard to know how often she was actually feeling well.
When they reached the basement level, Aidan was waiting for them. “You ate?” he asked her. Of the three, he was the only one that generally spoke to her directly. The other two mostly just spoke to whomever was with her—about her, like she wasn’t even there.
“Yes,” she said. “I’m all right now.”
He furrowed his brows for a moment, but then resumed his normal bored expression and nodded. “Boss is in there. He wants the information, so I hope you have it.”
Inside the room was a conference table with several chairs. Stefan did indeed sit in one of them—he was studying what looked like a global map. When the three of them entered, Aidan resuming his post outside the door, he glanced up, barely acknowledging Eryk and Kasimir before his attention moved fully to Ana.
“Were you successful in making contact with the legendary pokémon?” he asked.
She nodded slowly. “I told them what Katia told me to say. I don’t know how well it will work, but they seemed generally… receptive.” It was difficult to discern exactly what she meant by that.
Stefan either understood better than Eryk did or simply didn’t care. Gesturing for Ana to sit, he handed her a marker. “Show me where they are.”
Pulling the cap off the marker, Ana scanned the map for a moment, then leaned forward and started in the south of it, circling one of the northernmost Orange Islands and writing Mewtwo beneath it.
She’d identified the locations of Cobalion, Terrakion, and Virizion as well when suddenly, a loud bang, followed immediately by a quaking rumble that rattled the floor beneath them, issued into the conference room.
“What the—” Kas started, only to be interrupted by Aidan barging into the room.
“Stefan, there was an explosion. Exterior wall, I think. Most likely a bomb.”
Stefan snatched up the map away from Ana’s hands, rolling it quickly. “Get to the site—take the technicians and make sure there aren’t any others.”
At that precise moment, the lights cut. Ana gasped; Eryk could hear the scrape of chair legs as she stood up.
The backup generator went into operation, returning their visibility, though much less—pretty much only emergency track lights. “Nero, Rheinallt, secure the girl. I must get everything in order here.”
He left the room in advance of them; the door clicked shut behind him. Kas was at Ana’s side immediately, sweeping her up into a carry despite her own surprised protest.
“Hang on, Ana. We’re getting out of here.” Two pairs of eyes turned to Ryk in the gloom, one gold, one blue. “And I’m betting Ryk here is going to let us. How about it?”
Eryk wasn't entirely sure what to think or do. The explosion had caught him off guard, and the sudden change in Kasimir also confused him. It was only when Kas actually spoke that Eryk realized what was going on. He didn't completely understand, but he most likely would in the coming moments. He glanced at Ana, and then back towards Kas, nodding his head. He wasn't going to stop them. If Kas could get her out of here, then he was going to let him, however; it wouldn't be easy. He knew that.
"I think... you should take these," he spoke, reaching for the place where her pokémon were. He walked closer to Kas so that he could reach her, in hurried steps. Handing the belt to her, he lingered for only a moment before he dipped his head, catching her lips with his. It was the most passionate he ever was with any of the kisses he'd given to her before, and he wanted her to know that he was sorry. He didn't even care that she was in Kas's hold. When he pulled back, he glanced towards Kas.
"You have to make it believable," he spoke, standing as still as he could. It was obvious what he wanted Kas to do. He had to sport some kind of injury, and he could take it. He'd taken worse.
“But—” Ana looked about as confused as he felt. She clutched her pokémon to her, glancing between Eryk and Kas. “Aren’t you… aren’t you coming, too?”
It stabbed him right in the heart, a pain so great that he had to do everything in his willpower to keep from giving in to it. He shook his head softly. "I can't, Ana. I have to stay here, to make sure you both get away safely. If I don't... there's a chance you will both be caught, and I can't have that," he replied. He didn't want that at all. If anything, he could slow the others down, pretend that they took off in another direction. He'd let them escape, and if he could, maybe he'd follow after them. But it couldn't be now.
"Dumbass, you need to hurry," Eryk spoke directly to Kas this time, offering him the familiar, yet somewhat sentimental, nickname he'd given Kas those years before. "You don't have much time."
That, and he was so close to giving in to the temptation to leave with them.
“Yeah,” Kas agreed, though it sounded strained. “Sorry about this, Ryk. I’ll explain everything soon.” Shifting his grip on Ana, he drew back one of his hands and stepped forward, clocking Eryk right in the jaw. The blow was measured—probably not enough to cause actual damage, but it’d leave an impressive bruise.
“We’ve got one pit-stop to make, and then we’re outta here, so it shouldn’t be long.”
With no further explanation than that, they were gone, disappearing into the poorly-lit, smoky hallway.
He watched them leave, refusing to rub at the place where he'd been hit. It stung, he wasn't going to lie, but he couldn't determine what hurt more: his face, or his heart.
He reached towards his belt, feeling the slight stirring of pokémon in the pokéballs. He had his and Ana's pokémon with him. He was going to take care of them for her, at least until he couldn't any longer. It wouldn't be long before he'd be asked to hand them over, but he wasn't so sure that he could. He could potentially keep them if he played it off as keeping them for souvenirs. As cruel as it sounded, it would at least protect them from going elsewhere, and if Ana, perchance, wanted to see them, then he could let her. Speaking of which, he glanced towards her and felt the stabbing feeling in his chest all over again. After she had eaten, they had lingered in the kitchen for a moment longer. It wouldn't be much longer until Remi grew tired of waiting, and would go tell the boss about what Kas had done, however; if they were to meet him first, perhaps there was a chance that he'd be lenient.
He'd let her rest. Maybe that was hoping for too much, but he had to try, at least. They were going to meet the boss, to relay the information that she'd contacted the pokémon, but he wasn't in a hurry to put her back in that thing. He didn't have much of a choice, though. Perhaps he did, and he just couldn't see it. He hadn't realized he'd been staring at her until he turned to glance in front of him, and sighed.
"Are you feeling better?" he decided to speak. He was, genuinely, concerned about her well-being, but if she was still feeling a bit under, he wasn't going to force her to hurry. He didn't even want to take her back, so perhaps it would be a good thing if she said no.
As had frequently been the case up until now, she seemed to have difficulty making eye contact. Or perhaps she simply didn’t want to. It was oddly-difficult to read her right now. “I’m all right,” she said, holding one hand out in front of her. “The shaking has stopped, and my nose isn’t bleeding anymore.”
“That’s a pretty low bar, Ana, but… if you say so. If you’re up to it, we should probably head down to the boss. If you can give him a decent report soon, he’ll be more likely to give you a break while he follows up on the info, I think.”
She nodded, slowly pushing herself up off the kitchen chair into a standing position. It didn’t look easy, certainly, but her knees held, and she seemed at least able to hold herself upright. Kas frowned for just a moment, but it disappeared quickly.
He was torn between helping her, carrying her himself, or letting her do what she wanted. Instead, he let her be. He wouldn't touch her, because if he did, he was certain he would have led her somewhere else. Somewhere not here. Pushing a soft sigh from his thoughts, he stood as well, making sure that she could still stand on her own. Once he was satisfied, he led the way towards the basement. He glanced at Kas for a moment, hoping that he would do what he could not: to make sure she didn't fall if her legs gave out on her. He wasn't so sure he could do it, because he knew...
"If you're feeling up to it, then it's best we don't keep him waiting," he repeated the words to himself as well. This was weighing on him more-so than he ever thought it could. Why did he have to become personally involved? In all the missions he's ever had, he'd never once become personally involved. Perhaps he made it seem that way, but with her, it was different. He felt something, for the first time in years, and it was all because of her. Damn her for making him feel this way, and damn himself for falling the way he did.
He wanted to, more than anything, he wanted to set her free. To take her somewhere where they'd never find her, and let her live out the rest of her life peacefully. Even if it meant living it without him, he wanted her to live. He hadn't realized his fists were clenched until they started stinging. He was putting too much pressure on them, and even now the color barely receded on his knuckles.
“Wouldn’t want to do that,” she murmured, tone indecipherable. She straightened where she stood—it was the first time he’d actually seen her put on the illusion that she was in better condition than she was. The difference was remarkable. Though she’d looked about ready to collapse a few seconds ago, the change in her posture and her facial expression chased that impression away almost completely. She looked about the same as she ever did.
And when she walked, she did so unaided. Kas positioned himself just behind her and to the left, but he didn’t touch her—it didn’t seem like something she wanted. The stairs, which should have been a considerable obstacle considering the shape she was in, proved none at all. Her steps were light down them. If she could fake health this well, it was hard to know how often she was actually feeling well.
When they reached the basement level, Aidan was waiting for them. “You ate?” he asked her. Of the three, he was the only one that generally spoke to her directly. The other two mostly just spoke to whomever was with her—about her, like she wasn’t even there.
“Yes,” she said. “I’m all right now.”
He furrowed his brows for a moment, but then resumed his normal bored expression and nodded. “Boss is in there. He wants the information, so I hope you have it.”
Inside the room was a conference table with several chairs. Stefan did indeed sit in one of them—he was studying what looked like a global map. When the three of them entered, Aidan resuming his post outside the door, he glanced up, barely acknowledging Eryk and Kasimir before his attention moved fully to Ana.
“Were you successful in making contact with the legendary pokémon?” he asked.
She nodded slowly. “I told them what Katia told me to say. I don’t know how well it will work, but they seemed generally… receptive.” It was difficult to discern exactly what she meant by that.
Stefan either understood better than Eryk did or simply didn’t care. Gesturing for Ana to sit, he handed her a marker. “Show me where they are.”
Pulling the cap off the marker, Ana scanned the map for a moment, then leaned forward and started in the south of it, circling one of the northernmost Orange Islands and writing Mewtwo beneath it.
She’d identified the locations of Cobalion, Terrakion, and Virizion as well when suddenly, a loud bang, followed immediately by a quaking rumble that rattled the floor beneath them, issued into the conference room.
“What the—” Kas started, only to be interrupted by Aidan barging into the room.
“Stefan, there was an explosion. Exterior wall, I think. Most likely a bomb.”
Stefan snatched up the map away from Ana’s hands, rolling it quickly. “Get to the site—take the technicians and make sure there aren’t any others.”
At that precise moment, the lights cut. Ana gasped; Eryk could hear the scrape of chair legs as she stood up.
The backup generator went into operation, returning their visibility, though much less—pretty much only emergency track lights. “Nero, Rheinallt, secure the girl. I must get everything in order here.”
He left the room in advance of them; the door clicked shut behind him. Kas was at Ana’s side immediately, sweeping her up into a carry despite her own surprised protest.
“Hang on, Ana. We’re getting out of here.” Two pairs of eyes turned to Ryk in the gloom, one gold, one blue. “And I’m betting Ryk here is going to let us. How about it?”
Eryk wasn't entirely sure what to think or do. The explosion had caught him off guard, and the sudden change in Kasimir also confused him. It was only when Kas actually spoke that Eryk realized what was going on. He didn't completely understand, but he most likely would in the coming moments. He glanced at Ana, and then back towards Kas, nodding his head. He wasn't going to stop them. If Kas could get her out of here, then he was going to let him, however; it wouldn't be easy. He knew that.
"I think... you should take these," he spoke, reaching for the place where her pokémon were. He walked closer to Kas so that he could reach her, in hurried steps. Handing the belt to her, he lingered for only a moment before he dipped his head, catching her lips with his. It was the most passionate he ever was with any of the kisses he'd given to her before, and he wanted her to know that he was sorry. He didn't even care that she was in Kas's hold. When he pulled back, he glanced towards Kas.
"You have to make it believable," he spoke, standing as still as he could. It was obvious what he wanted Kas to do. He had to sport some kind of injury, and he could take it. He'd taken worse.
“But—” Ana looked about as confused as he felt. She clutched her pokémon to her, glancing between Eryk and Kas. “Aren’t you… aren’t you coming, too?”
It stabbed him right in the heart, a pain so great that he had to do everything in his willpower to keep from giving in to it. He shook his head softly. "I can't, Ana. I have to stay here, to make sure you both get away safely. If I don't... there's a chance you will both be caught, and I can't have that," he replied. He didn't want that at all. If anything, he could slow the others down, pretend that they took off in another direction. He'd let them escape, and if he could, maybe he'd follow after them. But it couldn't be now.
"Dumbass, you need to hurry," Eryk spoke directly to Kas this time, offering him the familiar, yet somewhat sentimental, nickname he'd given Kas those years before. "You don't have much time."
That, and he was so close to giving in to the temptation to leave with them.
“Yeah,” Kas agreed, though it sounded strained. “Sorry about this, Ryk. I’ll explain everything soon.” Shifting his grip on Ana, he drew back one of his hands and stepped forward, clocking Eryk right in the jaw. The blow was measured—probably not enough to cause actual damage, but it’d leave an impressive bruise.
“We’ve got one pit-stop to make, and then we’re outta here, so it shouldn’t be long.”
With no further explanation than that, they were gone, disappearing into the poorly-lit, smoky hallway.
He watched them leave, refusing to rub at the place where he'd been hit. It stung, he wasn't going to lie, but he couldn't determine what hurt more: his face, or his heart.
“Kas… where are we going?” Ana held on tightly to him as they navigated the dark hallways of the mansion. On the rare occasion they encountered another member of Team Rocket, no one seemed to suspect anything. She supposed it looked perfectly expected for the crazy situation—an executive, trusted and highly-ranked, with the prisoner in his custody, moving away from the site of a recent explosion. No one so much as questioned him.
Now they’d turned into a dark room, one that looked to contain lots of machines. A server room, if she had her guess. Kas set her down carefully in the only chair, bending over a small table and opening a waiting laptop. She didn’t want to interrupt his concentration, but she was still not exactly clear what was happening to her.
“Well, right now I’m about to wipe the Cinnabar server completely clean of data,” he explained, typing his logon credentials into the laptop. He inserted a portable drive of some kind into the computer, prompting a menu to pop up. He opened some kind of program—it looked to be copying files. “It won’t erase everything, because most of this stuff is backed up elsewhere or in hard copy at the Saffron HQ, but it’ll slow them down and give them a nice, big headache, I think.”
Ana pulled her knees up to her chest. Her heart was pounding; her entire body was coiled up like a spring, ready to react at the slightest of sounds from the hall. But all the commotion was at the other end of the building. She could feel a fine tremor starting in her limbs. She hugged her legs tighter.
“Were you…?”
“The one who set the bomb?” He was still looking at the screen, typing quickly enough into a command box or something that she couldn’t hope to follow the process. Ana didn’t know a whole lot about computers, really; all she could guess was that he was copying over data that he wanted, and maybe uploading something. “Yeah, that was me. It was on a timer, or I’d have set it off sooner—so you wouldn’t have to give Stefan that information. I was hoping it would take longer for you to eat, but I couldn’t delay once you were done.”
She figured he was probably right. It would have looked suspicious, and it seemed the whole point of this whole setup was for him to be able to walk around freely while everyone else was panicking and looking for other bombs, or evacuating.
“Did it… hurt anyone?”
He snorted. “Only you would be worried about the people holding you prisoner and forcing you to help them fuck over the rest of the world.” Kas sighed. “No, Ana, it shouldn’t have. I set it on a part of the building that isn’t structurally vital, and no one uses the rooms back there. I can’t promise there wasn’t some kind of unusual circumstance, but I didn’t plan to hurt anyone and I doubt I did.”
That seemed somehow cold to her—not the way he’d planned it, but the way he was willing to accept that his precautions were good enough without even knowing the result. That was either a lot of confidence and knowledge, or… well.
“Kas… who are you, really?” It was rapidly becoming clear that even the little things she thought she’d known were now subject to speculation. This was not the action of a Team Rocket executive—not a normal one, anyway.
“You know a lot of it,” he replied. “You’ve met my family—they’re really my family. I’m just… not really a member of Team Rocket.”
She supposed that was true—she’d learned a lot about him as a person, and honestly not much of it had hinged on his job. But was it really only his job that was different from what she thought? “And Eryk and Cy…?”
He pulled the flash drive from the side of the laptop and pocketed it, typing a few more lines of something before pushing away from the table. “They’re really members of Team Rocket, Ana. I was lying to them the same way they were lying to you. In a way, I’m the worst of us all. I’d ask you to forgive me for that, but I don’t expect you to. And no matter what you think of me now, I’m your way out of here.” He stretched a hand out to her. “We have to hurry.”
Ana wanted to tell him that she couldn’t think any less of him for this—he was, after all, the one who was trying to make this better. Make it right. And she knew the others had a lot at stake, and maybe they wanted to leave, too. But they were impeded, and Kas was not.
She could put her faith in him, knowing that.
Ana took his hand. He pulled her up, and then crouched so she could climb onto his back. It’d be a lot easier to carry her that way, she supposed, though it would look much less like she was his prisoner. She hated that she was too weak right now to run alongside him, but… she’d take her chance, however imperfect it was.
Their path out of the mansion was circuitous, and often harrowing. Kas went out of his way to avoid Team Rocket members, now, which involved a lot of stop-and-go, and listening at every door or corner. The evacuation progress was working against them now; many of the people formerly in the building would not be outside. Kas took them out a first-floor window so they didn’t have to use the door.
Ana thought the gate would be another worrying obstacle, but he surprised her. “Can you lift us over the fence, or should I climb?”
She hadn’t even thought about that, strange as it was. “I don't know,” she confessed. She was nearly drained of power at the moment, and while she could capably lift herself, he was a lot heavier than she was. “At least I can help you.”
He nodded, running for the fence at a soft-footed sprint. He sprung at the last moment and caught the top edge of the wrought-iron; Ana used his momentum to help him swing them both up and over the other side. They landed lightly enough that he could take off running again right away.
“When do you think they’ll notice we’re gone?” she asked. “Is… is my family going to be okay?”
“I scrubbed all their info off the server,” he said, “which should give us plenty of time to set up security for them. I doubt Team Rocket will come after your family—that’s a little too public for them, since most of them are well-known members of their communities. An attack of any kind on a Joy or a member of the family would be public news pretty quick. They only got away with taking you because no one would be that surprised to learn you’d died.”
She appreciated the honesty; it was a little strange to hear it in such blunt terms from him, but at least he wasn’t trying to dodge the question.
“What about… what about your family? And Cy and Eryk?”
He sighed; they were still moving through the tropical forested areas on the edge of the island. “Mom, dad, Michelle, and Crystal are easy to put under protection: they live in one place, and we’ve got people ready to go near them anyway. Harper’s… well, I’ve already requested protection for her. She’ll be a little harder for them to find, but that means she’ll be harder for Team Rocket to find as well.” He paused, slowing to a fast-paced walk as they navigated through the trees. From the smell on the air, they were headed towards the ocean, but not the pier. She wasn’t sure what to make of that.
“Eryk and Cy, well… they should be fine. Ryk did a pretty good job pretending he didn’t give a shit about you, for the most part, and since I punched him pretty hard, it’ll look like he put up a fight before we overpowered him and took your pokémon back. He can act like he was out for a while before he came back to, so that should fly. Cy… there’s nothing tying her to me anymore. I made sure of that.”
They both fell silent after that. Kas picked his way through the jungle until it spat them out on a familiar stretch of beach. A small boat, not unlike the motor boats used by the Coast Guard, was waiting a short distance out.
“There’s our ride,” he said. “They’re expecting us to fly out, so this’ll be better.” He waded out into the ocean, passing her up into the arms of a red-haired woman with glasses. She looked to be in her mid-thirties, with a stern resting expression.
She was careful with Ana, though, setting her down on a seat gently while Kas pulled himself up and over the rails, too.
“Let’s get out of here,” she called to the boat’s driver, who nodded.
Soon, they were speeding away from Cinnabar Island, and the last traces of the life Ana had built for herself over the past year.
Kas came to sit beside her. Ana crawled into his lap, sitting sideways, and wrapped her arms around him. It seemed that he was all she had left, now.
Above her, she heard him sigh softly. He dropped his chin so that it rested on the top of her head, and held her in a warm, secure hug. “Sleep now, Ana,” he told her kindly. “We can talk about the rest of this when you wake up.”
She didn’t really want to sleep, but Ana found that it was impossible to resist the urge, and so she slid into oblivion.
Now they’d turned into a dark room, one that looked to contain lots of machines. A server room, if she had her guess. Kas set her down carefully in the only chair, bending over a small table and opening a waiting laptop. She didn’t want to interrupt his concentration, but she was still not exactly clear what was happening to her.
“Well, right now I’m about to wipe the Cinnabar server completely clean of data,” he explained, typing his logon credentials into the laptop. He inserted a portable drive of some kind into the computer, prompting a menu to pop up. He opened some kind of program—it looked to be copying files. “It won’t erase everything, because most of this stuff is backed up elsewhere or in hard copy at the Saffron HQ, but it’ll slow them down and give them a nice, big headache, I think.”
Ana pulled her knees up to her chest. Her heart was pounding; her entire body was coiled up like a spring, ready to react at the slightest of sounds from the hall. But all the commotion was at the other end of the building. She could feel a fine tremor starting in her limbs. She hugged her legs tighter.
“Were you…?”
“The one who set the bomb?” He was still looking at the screen, typing quickly enough into a command box or something that she couldn’t hope to follow the process. Ana didn’t know a whole lot about computers, really; all she could guess was that he was copying over data that he wanted, and maybe uploading something. “Yeah, that was me. It was on a timer, or I’d have set it off sooner—so you wouldn’t have to give Stefan that information. I was hoping it would take longer for you to eat, but I couldn’t delay once you were done.”
She figured he was probably right. It would have looked suspicious, and it seemed the whole point of this whole setup was for him to be able to walk around freely while everyone else was panicking and looking for other bombs, or evacuating.
“Did it… hurt anyone?”
He snorted. “Only you would be worried about the people holding you prisoner and forcing you to help them fuck over the rest of the world.” Kas sighed. “No, Ana, it shouldn’t have. I set it on a part of the building that isn’t structurally vital, and no one uses the rooms back there. I can’t promise there wasn’t some kind of unusual circumstance, but I didn’t plan to hurt anyone and I doubt I did.”
That seemed somehow cold to her—not the way he’d planned it, but the way he was willing to accept that his precautions were good enough without even knowing the result. That was either a lot of confidence and knowledge, or… well.
“Kas… who are you, really?” It was rapidly becoming clear that even the little things she thought she’d known were now subject to speculation. This was not the action of a Team Rocket executive—not a normal one, anyway.
“You know a lot of it,” he replied. “You’ve met my family—they’re really my family. I’m just… not really a member of Team Rocket.”
She supposed that was true—she’d learned a lot about him as a person, and honestly not much of it had hinged on his job. But was it really only his job that was different from what she thought? “And Eryk and Cy…?”
He pulled the flash drive from the side of the laptop and pocketed it, typing a few more lines of something before pushing away from the table. “They’re really members of Team Rocket, Ana. I was lying to them the same way they were lying to you. In a way, I’m the worst of us all. I’d ask you to forgive me for that, but I don’t expect you to. And no matter what you think of me now, I’m your way out of here.” He stretched a hand out to her. “We have to hurry.”
Ana wanted to tell him that she couldn’t think any less of him for this—he was, after all, the one who was trying to make this better. Make it right. And she knew the others had a lot at stake, and maybe they wanted to leave, too. But they were impeded, and Kas was not.
She could put her faith in him, knowing that.
Ana took his hand. He pulled her up, and then crouched so she could climb onto his back. It’d be a lot easier to carry her that way, she supposed, though it would look much less like she was his prisoner. She hated that she was too weak right now to run alongside him, but… she’d take her chance, however imperfect it was.
Their path out of the mansion was circuitous, and often harrowing. Kas went out of his way to avoid Team Rocket members, now, which involved a lot of stop-and-go, and listening at every door or corner. The evacuation progress was working against them now; many of the people formerly in the building would not be outside. Kas took them out a first-floor window so they didn’t have to use the door.
Ana thought the gate would be another worrying obstacle, but he surprised her. “Can you lift us over the fence, or should I climb?”
She hadn’t even thought about that, strange as it was. “I don't know,” she confessed. She was nearly drained of power at the moment, and while she could capably lift herself, he was a lot heavier than she was. “At least I can help you.”
He nodded, running for the fence at a soft-footed sprint. He sprung at the last moment and caught the top edge of the wrought-iron; Ana used his momentum to help him swing them both up and over the other side. They landed lightly enough that he could take off running again right away.
“When do you think they’ll notice we’re gone?” she asked. “Is… is my family going to be okay?”
“I scrubbed all their info off the server,” he said, “which should give us plenty of time to set up security for them. I doubt Team Rocket will come after your family—that’s a little too public for them, since most of them are well-known members of their communities. An attack of any kind on a Joy or a member of the family would be public news pretty quick. They only got away with taking you because no one would be that surprised to learn you’d died.”
She appreciated the honesty; it was a little strange to hear it in such blunt terms from him, but at least he wasn’t trying to dodge the question.
“What about… what about your family? And Cy and Eryk?”
He sighed; they were still moving through the tropical forested areas on the edge of the island. “Mom, dad, Michelle, and Crystal are easy to put under protection: they live in one place, and we’ve got people ready to go near them anyway. Harper’s… well, I’ve already requested protection for her. She’ll be a little harder for them to find, but that means she’ll be harder for Team Rocket to find as well.” He paused, slowing to a fast-paced walk as they navigated through the trees. From the smell on the air, they were headed towards the ocean, but not the pier. She wasn’t sure what to make of that.
“Eryk and Cy, well… they should be fine. Ryk did a pretty good job pretending he didn’t give a shit about you, for the most part, and since I punched him pretty hard, it’ll look like he put up a fight before we overpowered him and took your pokémon back. He can act like he was out for a while before he came back to, so that should fly. Cy… there’s nothing tying her to me anymore. I made sure of that.”
They both fell silent after that. Kas picked his way through the jungle until it spat them out on a familiar stretch of beach. A small boat, not unlike the motor boats used by the Coast Guard, was waiting a short distance out.
“There’s our ride,” he said. “They’re expecting us to fly out, so this’ll be better.” He waded out into the ocean, passing her up into the arms of a red-haired woman with glasses. She looked to be in her mid-thirties, with a stern resting expression.
She was careful with Ana, though, setting her down on a seat gently while Kas pulled himself up and over the rails, too.
“Let’s get out of here,” she called to the boat’s driver, who nodded.
Soon, they were speeding away from Cinnabar Island, and the last traces of the life Ana had built for herself over the past year.
Kas came to sit beside her. Ana crawled into his lap, sitting sideways, and wrapped her arms around him. It seemed that he was all she had left, now.
Above her, she heard him sigh softly. He dropped his chin so that it rested on the top of her head, and held her in a warm, secure hug. “Sleep now, Ana,” he told her kindly. “We can talk about the rest of this when you wake up.”
She didn’t really want to sleep, but Ana found that it was impossible to resist the urge, and so she slid into oblivion.
Yesterday was chaotic. After the explosion, news hit that Ana was gone, and with her, Kas. He'd taken her, apparently. She was confused, she knew that, but Cyrilla was slightly glad that he did what he did. She didn't understand, but Eryk had informed her of some of the things that happened. She was slightly alarmed, though, when he came to her, since he was sporting a rather large bruise on his jaw. Any closer, and it looked like it might have split his lip. He looked slightly shaken, and when he informed her that it was Kas's doing, and that he let him, she wasn't entirely sure what to do, or think.
Eryk had taken a hit for Ana to escape, and Kas. She pushed a sigh through her nose, softly. Everyone was still running around, trying to figure out what had happened, exactly, and from her understanding, where some of the information had gone. It was, apparently, wiped out, and she could only assume that was Kas's doing. He was always good with computers. A swift knock on her door caused her to look up, spotting Eryk in the door frame. He glanced over his shoulder for a moment before he stepped inside.
"Cy," he spoke, as if to acknowledge her. She nodded her head at him, frowning slightly at the bruise on his face. It had gotten darker, but it didn't look like it hurt him. Then again, if it did, he wouldn't show it. She sighed softly, and offered him the seat next to her. He took it, and leaned forward on her desk. She hadn't even had time to start up her computer yet. Despite the events that had happened, she was still required to do work. Only this time, they were supposed to be finding information on where they might be.
"Does it still hurt?" she asked, pressing the button to her computer to start it. It whirred, and she glanced towards him. He shook his head softly, though he did bring his hand up to rub at it.
"It doesn't. It's fine," he replied just as casually. She tried to offer him a smile, but it just didn't quite reach her lips. There were so many things going on at the moment. He laid his hand on her shoulder, though, and gave a reassuring squeeze. He made to stand, however; something on her computer caught his attention. "You have a message," he spoke, causing her to glance at the screen. That was, she'd admit, odd. Maybe not, considering she hadn't been able to check her computer yesterday. She'd been busy helping out with the explosion and making sure that everyone was alright.
"Well, let's see what it is," she spoke, clicking on the message to open it up. She didn't have to worry about Ryk seeing it. It was probably an update on what was going on, or something similar.
But when she clicked on it, a new window popped up. It looked to be an image of Kas, taken from his computer in his office; the background was familiar. Though it looked still at first, it started to move; apparently it was a video.
On the screen, Kas half-smiled, letting out what sounded like a small sigh. “Hey Cy,” he said quietly. “If you’re watching this… I’m gone. Maybe they got me, maybe I’m in some cell in the basement—but most likely, I got away, I think.” His smile took on a confident, self-assured edge; like something he’d show her when making a ridiculous bet. It faded quickly though, and he shook his head. “And if I did my job right, Ana’s with me. I know… there’s a lot I haven’t explained, but… if you’re willing to listen to the rest of this, I promise I’ll explain everything. I’ve left Ryk a message like this, too, so if he’s with you, tell him to watch at his own damn computer.” He looked directly into the camera.
“Because these words are only for you.”
Eryk pursed his lips together, and glanced at her. She merely shrugged her shoulders, and made a soft shooing motion with her hands. Ryk shook his head softly before he stood. "I'll go check my computer, and I'll be back," he spoke, placing a hand on her head before he left. She turned back towards the screen after Eryk had shut the door. She could feel her heart jump into her throat, but it managed to crawl back down. From what Eryk had said, Kas escaped, and she was slightly thankful for that. If Ana was with him, that made her happier because that meant Ana would be safe, now.
Shaking her head, she cleared her mind and waited for the video to continue.
As though he’d guessed about how long the whole exchange was going to take, the Kas on the screen resumed speaking. “I told you once,” he said quietly, “that I’m not the man you think I am. I couldn’t tell you then who I was, but… I can tell you now.” He took in a deep breath, sitting back slightly in his office chair.
“My childhood was exactly as I’ve told you. Or as Harper has told you, I guess.” He smiled ruefully, but there didn’t seem to be much happiness in it. “When I was eighteen years old, I’d ended my journey, and wasn’t really sure where I wanted to go from there. A friend of mine talked me into taking the entrance test for the Orange Islands Police Academy. I passed.”
There was a pause; perhaps he was remembering something. “Right after graduation, I was scouted into the Kanto Pokémon Special Forces.” She’d heard the name, of course—they were paramilitary organization with a history of friction with Team Rocket. “Given my particular skill set, I was chosen for a classified mission, one that required long-term infiltration and espionage… in Team Rocket.”
He cleared his throat, dropping his eyes from the camera for a moment. “From the very first time we met, I’ve been lying to you. To both of you—but especially to you. I was never loyal to Team Rocket. I was always here to skim information and pass it along to my superiors, and I did that for five damn years.” Lifting his eyes back to the camera, he pursed his lips. “I won’t ask you to forgive me for that. I don’t deserve it.”
She let a breath go that she hadn't realized she was holding. He was part of the KPSF? She narrowed her eyes in confusion. So, all this time, the person that she thought he was, it was all a sham? She couldn't help but feel her heart drop, and her stomach twisted into knots. Did that mean that the person she fell in love with was also a sham? Did she make the decision to join Team Rocket because she fell in love with someone who... she couldn't finish the thought, and shook her head. She took in a shuddering breath, and released it slowly.
It hurt, her heart. To know this so far, she wasn't entirely sure if she wanted to keep watching. She released a soft sigh, and forced herself to glance back at the screen.
“It was dangerous, but I used mostly my own history over the course of my time with Team Rocket. I knew things would check out that way—I wasn’t sure how deep I expected to get, really. Deep enough that some coworkers might meet some family. Definitely not as deep as I actually got.” He shook his head, a pained expression crossing his face.
“I never thought it would last five years. I only planned for the short term: get in, get a little information, get out. So I didn’t… I didn’t keep people at arms’ length as much as I should have. I just… acted like I would with my actual coworkers, you know? And then… then we were friends. More than that. Family, maybe, I dunno. And doing things together was normal. Easy.” He snorted. “I kind of blame Ana for that one. She changed us all, me included.”
Kasimir inclined himself forward, leaning his elbows on his desk. “And you…” he trailed off into a breathy laugh, a hint of disbelief flickering over his face. He was being so much more… open, with his emotions at the moment. Was this what he was really like?
“You just confuse me, you know. This whole time, I’ve been convinced that this… these feelings you have. That they just amount to a crush, or simple infatuation. But you…” Kas scrubbed his hands up and down his face. “I believe you, when you say you…” It seemed he couldn’t quite finish the sentence.
“And I… I knew I couldn’t risk any more damage than I’d already done. I know it… I know it probably hurts now, learning that I betrayed you both. I’m sorry. Truly. But it… it would have been worse, if I’d told you. If I told you all the things you make me…” He swallowed, leaning further forward.
“Do yourself a favor, Cyrilla. I’ve signed the papers, like you asked. They’re in the drawer to your right. Turn them in. Free yourself. Forget me. I’m a selfish asshole, and I know it—but this is the one thing I feel like I ever did right. I stayed away, just enough that—just enough.” He shook his head.
“Have a good life, Cy. Have the best life. I don’t have the right to make requests of you, but it’s the only thing I want.” He smiled, half his mouth tugging upwards at the corner.
“Goodbye, Cyrilla Niav.”
The screen went dark.
She stared at the screen even after it went dark. She just kept staring at it, not even blinking. Something felt like it was twisting in her chest, and it was painful. She found it incredibly hard to breathe, now. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she glanced to her right, towards the spot. She reached towards the drawer and pulled it open. The envelope was there, and she pulled it out. Slowly, she opened it, and pulled the papers out. There, in the box that was designated for him, was his signature. He'd signed the papers. He'd actually signed them. She had almost a thousand thoughts floating around in her mind, but for some reason, they all paled in comparison to the one thought that plagued her.
Was he alright?
This question, it was the only thing she could think about. But she knew, deep down, that what he'd said she should do was something she could never do. She couldn't forget him. She could never forget him, nor the things she'd felt, still feels, when she was with him. When she thought about him. She put the papers back into the envelope, and left it on her desk, burying her face in her hands. It wouldn't be the same without him. A life without Kasimir, a life without Ana, it didn't seem like a life worth having. It would be empty, hollow almost. It just didn't fit. She took in a shuddering breath before she picked up her head, and glanced one last time at the screen.
"Goodbye, Kas."
Eryk had taken a hit for Ana to escape, and Kas. She pushed a sigh through her nose, softly. Everyone was still running around, trying to figure out what had happened, exactly, and from her understanding, where some of the information had gone. It was, apparently, wiped out, and she could only assume that was Kas's doing. He was always good with computers. A swift knock on her door caused her to look up, spotting Eryk in the door frame. He glanced over his shoulder for a moment before he stepped inside.
"Cy," he spoke, as if to acknowledge her. She nodded her head at him, frowning slightly at the bruise on his face. It had gotten darker, but it didn't look like it hurt him. Then again, if it did, he wouldn't show it. She sighed softly, and offered him the seat next to her. He took it, and leaned forward on her desk. She hadn't even had time to start up her computer yet. Despite the events that had happened, she was still required to do work. Only this time, they were supposed to be finding information on where they might be.
"Does it still hurt?" she asked, pressing the button to her computer to start it. It whirred, and she glanced towards him. He shook his head softly, though he did bring his hand up to rub at it.
"It doesn't. It's fine," he replied just as casually. She tried to offer him a smile, but it just didn't quite reach her lips. There were so many things going on at the moment. He laid his hand on her shoulder, though, and gave a reassuring squeeze. He made to stand, however; something on her computer caught his attention. "You have a message," he spoke, causing her to glance at the screen. That was, she'd admit, odd. Maybe not, considering she hadn't been able to check her computer yesterday. She'd been busy helping out with the explosion and making sure that everyone was alright.
"Well, let's see what it is," she spoke, clicking on the message to open it up. She didn't have to worry about Ryk seeing it. It was probably an update on what was going on, or something similar.
But when she clicked on it, a new window popped up. It looked to be an image of Kas, taken from his computer in his office; the background was familiar. Though it looked still at first, it started to move; apparently it was a video.
On the screen, Kas half-smiled, letting out what sounded like a small sigh. “Hey Cy,” he said quietly. “If you’re watching this… I’m gone. Maybe they got me, maybe I’m in some cell in the basement—but most likely, I got away, I think.” His smile took on a confident, self-assured edge; like something he’d show her when making a ridiculous bet. It faded quickly though, and he shook his head. “And if I did my job right, Ana’s with me. I know… there’s a lot I haven’t explained, but… if you’re willing to listen to the rest of this, I promise I’ll explain everything. I’ve left Ryk a message like this, too, so if he’s with you, tell him to watch at his own damn computer.” He looked directly into the camera.
“Because these words are only for you.”
Eryk pursed his lips together, and glanced at her. She merely shrugged her shoulders, and made a soft shooing motion with her hands. Ryk shook his head softly before he stood. "I'll go check my computer, and I'll be back," he spoke, placing a hand on her head before he left. She turned back towards the screen after Eryk had shut the door. She could feel her heart jump into her throat, but it managed to crawl back down. From what Eryk had said, Kas escaped, and she was slightly thankful for that. If Ana was with him, that made her happier because that meant Ana would be safe, now.
Shaking her head, she cleared her mind and waited for the video to continue.
As though he’d guessed about how long the whole exchange was going to take, the Kas on the screen resumed speaking. “I told you once,” he said quietly, “that I’m not the man you think I am. I couldn’t tell you then who I was, but… I can tell you now.” He took in a deep breath, sitting back slightly in his office chair.
“My childhood was exactly as I’ve told you. Or as Harper has told you, I guess.” He smiled ruefully, but there didn’t seem to be much happiness in it. “When I was eighteen years old, I’d ended my journey, and wasn’t really sure where I wanted to go from there. A friend of mine talked me into taking the entrance test for the Orange Islands Police Academy. I passed.”
There was a pause; perhaps he was remembering something. “Right after graduation, I was scouted into the Kanto Pokémon Special Forces.” She’d heard the name, of course—they were paramilitary organization with a history of friction with Team Rocket. “Given my particular skill set, I was chosen for a classified mission, one that required long-term infiltration and espionage… in Team Rocket.”
He cleared his throat, dropping his eyes from the camera for a moment. “From the very first time we met, I’ve been lying to you. To both of you—but especially to you. I was never loyal to Team Rocket. I was always here to skim information and pass it along to my superiors, and I did that for five damn years.” Lifting his eyes back to the camera, he pursed his lips. “I won’t ask you to forgive me for that. I don’t deserve it.”
She let a breath go that she hadn't realized she was holding. He was part of the KPSF? She narrowed her eyes in confusion. So, all this time, the person that she thought he was, it was all a sham? She couldn't help but feel her heart drop, and her stomach twisted into knots. Did that mean that the person she fell in love with was also a sham? Did she make the decision to join Team Rocket because she fell in love with someone who... she couldn't finish the thought, and shook her head. She took in a shuddering breath, and released it slowly.
It hurt, her heart. To know this so far, she wasn't entirely sure if she wanted to keep watching. She released a soft sigh, and forced herself to glance back at the screen.
“It was dangerous, but I used mostly my own history over the course of my time with Team Rocket. I knew things would check out that way—I wasn’t sure how deep I expected to get, really. Deep enough that some coworkers might meet some family. Definitely not as deep as I actually got.” He shook his head, a pained expression crossing his face.
“I never thought it would last five years. I only planned for the short term: get in, get a little information, get out. So I didn’t… I didn’t keep people at arms’ length as much as I should have. I just… acted like I would with my actual coworkers, you know? And then… then we were friends. More than that. Family, maybe, I dunno. And doing things together was normal. Easy.” He snorted. “I kind of blame Ana for that one. She changed us all, me included.”
Kasimir inclined himself forward, leaning his elbows on his desk. “And you…” he trailed off into a breathy laugh, a hint of disbelief flickering over his face. He was being so much more… open, with his emotions at the moment. Was this what he was really like?
“You just confuse me, you know. This whole time, I’ve been convinced that this… these feelings you have. That they just amount to a crush, or simple infatuation. But you…” Kas scrubbed his hands up and down his face. “I believe you, when you say you…” It seemed he couldn’t quite finish the sentence.
“And I… I knew I couldn’t risk any more damage than I’d already done. I know it… I know it probably hurts now, learning that I betrayed you both. I’m sorry. Truly. But it… it would have been worse, if I’d told you. If I told you all the things you make me…” He swallowed, leaning further forward.
“Do yourself a favor, Cyrilla. I’ve signed the papers, like you asked. They’re in the drawer to your right. Turn them in. Free yourself. Forget me. I’m a selfish asshole, and I know it—but this is the one thing I feel like I ever did right. I stayed away, just enough that—just enough.” He shook his head.
“Have a good life, Cy. Have the best life. I don’t have the right to make requests of you, but it’s the only thing I want.” He smiled, half his mouth tugging upwards at the corner.
“Goodbye, Cyrilla Niav.”
The screen went dark.
She stared at the screen even after it went dark. She just kept staring at it, not even blinking. Something felt like it was twisting in her chest, and it was painful. She found it incredibly hard to breathe, now. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she glanced to her right, towards the spot. She reached towards the drawer and pulled it open. The envelope was there, and she pulled it out. Slowly, she opened it, and pulled the papers out. There, in the box that was designated for him, was his signature. He'd signed the papers. He'd actually signed them. She had almost a thousand thoughts floating around in her mind, but for some reason, they all paled in comparison to the one thought that plagued her.
Was he alright?
This question, it was the only thing she could think about. But she knew, deep down, that what he'd said she should do was something she could never do. She couldn't forget him. She could never forget him, nor the things she'd felt, still feels, when she was with him. When she thought about him. She put the papers back into the envelope, and left it on her desk, burying her face in her hands. It wouldn't be the same without him. A life without Kasimir, a life without Ana, it didn't seem like a life worth having. It would be empty, hollow almost. It just didn't fit. She took in a shuddering breath before she picked up her head, and glanced one last time at the screen.
"Goodbye, Kas."
Eryk sighed, rubbing his cheek with his hand. It'd been nearly two weeks since those events, and they were barely getting back up to speed. Most of the files, the ones that had been wiped by Kas, were almost completely back. The boss hadn't left, which suprised Eryk, albeit mildly. The other three, Katia, Remi, and Aidan, had all come and gone as they'd been directed to. Currently, Remi and Aidan were gone, supposedly on a mission of sorts that the boss trusted them with. Eryk didn't really care who the boss trusted. He'd made that a little too clear and noticeable.
He'd almost been demoted, however; Katia, of all people, managed to convince them not to. He didn't understand why she did that, but perhaps he'd fooled her into thinking that he was still the same Eryk. The one who didn't care about people; the one who actually did what he had to for the sake of the mission: for the sake of the family. He pushed a sigh through his nose, deciding that he wasn't going to get any more work done by just staring at the computer. Oddly, Gengar had been out of his pokéball, and had been rather quiet. He'd hover here and there, but he seemed to reflect Eryk's mood. He missed Ana, that much was obvious.
Shaking his head, he pushed himself from his desk. No sooner than he did, a swift knock on his door interrupted his thoughts. It opened almost immediately after, and it was obvious why. Katia opened the door without so much as waiting for him to reply back. She had something of an amused expression across her face, and something almost sinister. She was happy about something, that much he could tell. It was almost the same face she'd had when she'd poisoned his ekans. He merely pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes.
"Meeting, foyer. Niav's already down there, but I think you want to be there, too," she spoke, not bothering to hide the amusement in her voice. For a moment, Eryk felt his lungs constrict. Did they find her? Did they find Ana? He sucked in a deep breath, and forced his face to remain neutral. That couldn't be it, because Katia wouldn't have had that expression on her face. She would have had a different kind, one that would have mimicked victory, not a temporary set-back.
"I'll be down in a second," he replied in a simple tone. She seemed to take it well enough, and walked out. He took that second to compose himself, and straightened out his uniform. He could at least go see what she was talking about. It was weird that they were having a meeting in the foyer if all places, though. It only took him another few minutes before he stood in the entrance, glancing somewhat confusedly towards Cy before he turned his attention towards the others who were present.
Aidan was standing at the boss’s right shoulder, as usual. He actually looked like he’d been roughed up a little—there was an emerging bruise over one of his eyes. Someone had evidently punched him in the face. There were very few people who’d dare to do that. Remi was still missing, though.
The boss stood in the foyer with his hands folded neatly behind his back. He waited a few minutes after Eryk got there, apparently for other members of the team to file in. Once he was satisfied with the number of people present, he began to speak.
“By now, most of you are aware of the security breach that we underwent,” he said, letting his eyes slide over the crowd like a bright steel knife over tender skin. It was the same feeling of being cut. “One of our longtime comrades and executives, Kasimir Rheinallt of the Three Beasts, exposed himself as a traitor: he detonated a bomb on the grounds of these very headquarters, disrupted our power supply, wiped the contents of our internal severs, and made off with an asset crucial to our latest and most important project.”
It was the first time anyone in the higher ranks had directly acknowledged what happened. Murmurs swept through the ranks; the looks on everyone’s faces varied between shock and resolve. That wasn’t surprising—Kas had been extremely well-liked here. Certainly more liked than any of the outsiders from Saffron HQ were. Sometimes, Eryk caught them talking about it.
“I am pleased to say that most of the data has now been restored, from existing copies stored elsewhere. However, there is no replacing the asset he stole from us, and as a result we have been looking for ways to bring Mr. Rheinallt to the bargaining table. He has, thus far, been entirely uncooperative with our efforts to contact him.” The boss shook his head, as if this were some great shame.
“Knowing, of course, how absolutely vital this project is to the future not only of Team Rocket, but the world itself, we have elected to force him to negotiate. To that end, I sent Executive Administrators Klein and Dodds out on a very special mission a few days ago: to find and retrieve leverage against Mr. Rheinallt. I am pleased to say they succeeded. We anticipate his swift cooperation. Remember, however, that if he should try to contact any of you, you are to record the conversation and report it immediately.” He paused, giving the entire gathering a hard look, lingering on Eryk and Cyrilla last and longest of all.
“It is imperative that we remind everyone who might think to follow in Mr. Rheinallt’s footsteps of how foolish and misguided any such actions against us are. No one likes to make the hard decisions, the sacrifices, that are often required to accomplish great things. You will find that I am nevertheless willing and able to do so. And to defend this cause we all believe in, so must you be. Grunts and technicians, dismissed.”
To her credit, Cyrilla didn't reel or flinch away from the boss's gaze. She simply regarded him, and nothing more. Eryk furrowed his brows lightly at that. Instead, he chose to focus on what the boss had just said. They'd acquired leverage over Kas, but that didn't seem possible. What could they have that would cause Kas to give Ana up. Eryk searched his brain for anything that could remotely resemble something important to Kas. Important enough that he'd be willing to give up Ana. Nothing came to his immediate attention. Not even his family. His family was important to him, that much Eryk knew. But he also knew that Kas's family would be well protected, if not capable themselves.
So what had they acquired that made them think they could have leverage over Kas? He glanced towards Cyrilla for a moment, and her expression shifted just the slightest bit. She didn't seem worried, but she did seem just as curious as he did. When the Grunts and everyone else, were dismissed, Eryk and Cyrilla remained. They hadn't been dismissed. They weren't Grunts or technicians. They were still executives, and they were still obligated to stay. Once they were alone, Eryk straightened his posture, and glanced towards Stefan.
"What is this leverage?" he finally asked, keeping his tone as flat and montonous as he could. "I don't think Rheinallt is going to just hand over Asher without a proper bargaining tool. There isn't much he cares about," he continued, though he did let an ounce of confusion slip through into his tone. He could almost hear Katia scoff at him, but she remained quiet.
“We have his sister. The younger one.” Aidan said. It was difficult to tell, but he sounded vaguely… disgusted?
The boss gave him a sharp glance; his mouth snapped shut, but he didn’t quite make it back to his normal bored expression. He was glowering a little.
Stefan, however, merely nodded. “Miss Rheinallt was difficult to find, and apparently even more difficult to apprehend. I understand both she and her pokémon put up quite the resistance.” The reason for Aidan’s black eye was suddenly obvious.
“You need to put a fucking lid on Remi,” Aidan snapped. “That’s the second battle she’s taken too far in the last two she’s had.” He crossed his arms over his chest.
The boss waved a hand dismissively. “Yes, yes. I will speak to her about that. You secured the girl’s pokémon?”
Aiden moved his coat aside on the left; a second belt lay above his usual one around his waist. Stefan nodded, satisfied, then returned his attention to Eryk and Cyrilla. “I understand the two of you knew this girl? You weren’t friends, I hope?”
"We know her, yes," Cyrilla spoke, causing Eryk to furrow his brows. She seemed to correct the way Stefan spoke of Harper, however; she didn't seem to do it intentionally. It just seemed to come out that way. Her voice was also a little flat when she said it. "We met her when she came to the island to challenge the Gym Leader, Drake. We met her again when we attended Rheinallt's sister's wedding," she spoke, speaking with an odd coldness to Kas's name. He was assuming that she was making it seem that she no longer cared about him. Maybe she didn't? He would have to talk with her about that if it were true. But then again, she could just be putting up a front.
She was never good with those, but it seemed a little too easy, now. "We thought she was the sister of a comrade. It was the only reason why we became her friends," Eryk decided to interject before Cy could say anything else. She seemed almost relieved that he did. "I take it Dodds has taken her to the basement?" he stated rather than questioned. It was the only other explanation as to why Remi was missing, and Harper wasn't present.
"Is that concern I hear coming from Ryky?" speak of the devil and she shall appear. Remi was smiling widely. So widely that it looked like her face was split in half. She was sporting a rather nasty bruise on her face, reminiscent to the one he had a week prior. Some small part of him actually smiled at that. The bitch got punched in the face. Or kicked, he couldn't be too sure. Judging by the size, though, it had to have been something bigger than a fist. He felt a small swell of... pride?
"For you? No," he replied just as coldly. She pouted somewhat, but it didn't linger too long on her face. Instead, she seemed to skip towards Stefan and the others.
Their byplay seemed to be of no concern at all to the boss, and he ignored it completely. “It is possible that after he receives news, Rheinallt will try to contact one of you two first. You were, after all, his direct peers. If that happens, I trust you will know what to do.” He arched a brow at them for a moment, then turned to Remi.
“Ms. Dodds, I will see you in my office. Now.” They left. Aidan followed, shaking his head slightly. What he was thinking of all of this was anyone’s guess, but he didn’t seem too happy with some of it, at least.
Eryk didn't even acknowledge them as they left. Instead, his attention was turned towards Cyrilla. "Cy," he began, however; her expression had changed considerably when the others left. He furrowed his brows lightly. So it was just a ruse. She was worried, and he could see it behind her eyes.
"Eryk, this isn't good. We... we need to do something. We need to," she spoke softly. So softly that he almost didn't hear her. He placed a hand on her shoulder and shook his head, though.
"There's nothing we can do right now, Cy. The best thing we can do for Harper right now, is make sure she's okay, and that she's at least comfortable," he replied. She glanced up at him, and he could only feel the ache in his heart grow. He hated seeing the people he cared about in distress. The way Ana had looked when she was in the machine had nearly broken his damn heart, and his resolve to not get involved. He had been so close, but part of him was glad that it was Kas.
"Come on Cy, let's go. They won't say anything if it's us, who goes to visit Harper," he spoke, because he knew she wanted to do that. He knew she wanted to see Harper, but there wasn't much they could say to her. What could they say? Shaking his head, he glanced at her. "It'll be okay. Kas will figure something out. He always does," and with that, they left.
He'd almost been demoted, however; Katia, of all people, managed to convince them not to. He didn't understand why she did that, but perhaps he'd fooled her into thinking that he was still the same Eryk. The one who didn't care about people; the one who actually did what he had to for the sake of the mission: for the sake of the family. He pushed a sigh through his nose, deciding that he wasn't going to get any more work done by just staring at the computer. Oddly, Gengar had been out of his pokéball, and had been rather quiet. He'd hover here and there, but he seemed to reflect Eryk's mood. He missed Ana, that much was obvious.
Shaking his head, he pushed himself from his desk. No sooner than he did, a swift knock on his door interrupted his thoughts. It opened almost immediately after, and it was obvious why. Katia opened the door without so much as waiting for him to reply back. She had something of an amused expression across her face, and something almost sinister. She was happy about something, that much he could tell. It was almost the same face she'd had when she'd poisoned his ekans. He merely pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes.
"Meeting, foyer. Niav's already down there, but I think you want to be there, too," she spoke, not bothering to hide the amusement in her voice. For a moment, Eryk felt his lungs constrict. Did they find her? Did they find Ana? He sucked in a deep breath, and forced his face to remain neutral. That couldn't be it, because Katia wouldn't have had that expression on her face. She would have had a different kind, one that would have mimicked victory, not a temporary set-back.
"I'll be down in a second," he replied in a simple tone. She seemed to take it well enough, and walked out. He took that second to compose himself, and straightened out his uniform. He could at least go see what she was talking about. It was weird that they were having a meeting in the foyer if all places, though. It only took him another few minutes before he stood in the entrance, glancing somewhat confusedly towards Cy before he turned his attention towards the others who were present.
Aidan was standing at the boss’s right shoulder, as usual. He actually looked like he’d been roughed up a little—there was an emerging bruise over one of his eyes. Someone had evidently punched him in the face. There were very few people who’d dare to do that. Remi was still missing, though.
The boss stood in the foyer with his hands folded neatly behind his back. He waited a few minutes after Eryk got there, apparently for other members of the team to file in. Once he was satisfied with the number of people present, he began to speak.
“By now, most of you are aware of the security breach that we underwent,” he said, letting his eyes slide over the crowd like a bright steel knife over tender skin. It was the same feeling of being cut. “One of our longtime comrades and executives, Kasimir Rheinallt of the Three Beasts, exposed himself as a traitor: he detonated a bomb on the grounds of these very headquarters, disrupted our power supply, wiped the contents of our internal severs, and made off with an asset crucial to our latest and most important project.”
It was the first time anyone in the higher ranks had directly acknowledged what happened. Murmurs swept through the ranks; the looks on everyone’s faces varied between shock and resolve. That wasn’t surprising—Kas had been extremely well-liked here. Certainly more liked than any of the outsiders from Saffron HQ were. Sometimes, Eryk caught them talking about it.
“I am pleased to say that most of the data has now been restored, from existing copies stored elsewhere. However, there is no replacing the asset he stole from us, and as a result we have been looking for ways to bring Mr. Rheinallt to the bargaining table. He has, thus far, been entirely uncooperative with our efforts to contact him.” The boss shook his head, as if this were some great shame.
“Knowing, of course, how absolutely vital this project is to the future not only of Team Rocket, but the world itself, we have elected to force him to negotiate. To that end, I sent Executive Administrators Klein and Dodds out on a very special mission a few days ago: to find and retrieve leverage against Mr. Rheinallt. I am pleased to say they succeeded. We anticipate his swift cooperation. Remember, however, that if he should try to contact any of you, you are to record the conversation and report it immediately.” He paused, giving the entire gathering a hard look, lingering on Eryk and Cyrilla last and longest of all.
“It is imperative that we remind everyone who might think to follow in Mr. Rheinallt’s footsteps of how foolish and misguided any such actions against us are. No one likes to make the hard decisions, the sacrifices, that are often required to accomplish great things. You will find that I am nevertheless willing and able to do so. And to defend this cause we all believe in, so must you be. Grunts and technicians, dismissed.”
To her credit, Cyrilla didn't reel or flinch away from the boss's gaze. She simply regarded him, and nothing more. Eryk furrowed his brows lightly at that. Instead, he chose to focus on what the boss had just said. They'd acquired leverage over Kas, but that didn't seem possible. What could they have that would cause Kas to give Ana up. Eryk searched his brain for anything that could remotely resemble something important to Kas. Important enough that he'd be willing to give up Ana. Nothing came to his immediate attention. Not even his family. His family was important to him, that much Eryk knew. But he also knew that Kas's family would be well protected, if not capable themselves.
So what had they acquired that made them think they could have leverage over Kas? He glanced towards Cyrilla for a moment, and her expression shifted just the slightest bit. She didn't seem worried, but she did seem just as curious as he did. When the Grunts and everyone else, were dismissed, Eryk and Cyrilla remained. They hadn't been dismissed. They weren't Grunts or technicians. They were still executives, and they were still obligated to stay. Once they were alone, Eryk straightened his posture, and glanced towards Stefan.
"What is this leverage?" he finally asked, keeping his tone as flat and montonous as he could. "I don't think Rheinallt is going to just hand over Asher without a proper bargaining tool. There isn't much he cares about," he continued, though he did let an ounce of confusion slip through into his tone. He could almost hear Katia scoff at him, but she remained quiet.
“We have his sister. The younger one.” Aidan said. It was difficult to tell, but he sounded vaguely… disgusted?
The boss gave him a sharp glance; his mouth snapped shut, but he didn’t quite make it back to his normal bored expression. He was glowering a little.
Stefan, however, merely nodded. “Miss Rheinallt was difficult to find, and apparently even more difficult to apprehend. I understand both she and her pokémon put up quite the resistance.” The reason for Aidan’s black eye was suddenly obvious.
“You need to put a fucking lid on Remi,” Aidan snapped. “That’s the second battle she’s taken too far in the last two she’s had.” He crossed his arms over his chest.
The boss waved a hand dismissively. “Yes, yes. I will speak to her about that. You secured the girl’s pokémon?”
Aiden moved his coat aside on the left; a second belt lay above his usual one around his waist. Stefan nodded, satisfied, then returned his attention to Eryk and Cyrilla. “I understand the two of you knew this girl? You weren’t friends, I hope?”
"We know her, yes," Cyrilla spoke, causing Eryk to furrow his brows. She seemed to correct the way Stefan spoke of Harper, however; she didn't seem to do it intentionally. It just seemed to come out that way. Her voice was also a little flat when she said it. "We met her when she came to the island to challenge the Gym Leader, Drake. We met her again when we attended Rheinallt's sister's wedding," she spoke, speaking with an odd coldness to Kas's name. He was assuming that she was making it seem that she no longer cared about him. Maybe she didn't? He would have to talk with her about that if it were true. But then again, she could just be putting up a front.
She was never good with those, but it seemed a little too easy, now. "We thought she was the sister of a comrade. It was the only reason why we became her friends," Eryk decided to interject before Cy could say anything else. She seemed almost relieved that he did. "I take it Dodds has taken her to the basement?" he stated rather than questioned. It was the only other explanation as to why Remi was missing, and Harper wasn't present.
"Is that concern I hear coming from Ryky?" speak of the devil and she shall appear. Remi was smiling widely. So widely that it looked like her face was split in half. She was sporting a rather nasty bruise on her face, reminiscent to the one he had a week prior. Some small part of him actually smiled at that. The bitch got punched in the face. Or kicked, he couldn't be too sure. Judging by the size, though, it had to have been something bigger than a fist. He felt a small swell of... pride?
"For you? No," he replied just as coldly. She pouted somewhat, but it didn't linger too long on her face. Instead, she seemed to skip towards Stefan and the others.
Their byplay seemed to be of no concern at all to the boss, and he ignored it completely. “It is possible that after he receives news, Rheinallt will try to contact one of you two first. You were, after all, his direct peers. If that happens, I trust you will know what to do.” He arched a brow at them for a moment, then turned to Remi.
“Ms. Dodds, I will see you in my office. Now.” They left. Aidan followed, shaking his head slightly. What he was thinking of all of this was anyone’s guess, but he didn’t seem too happy with some of it, at least.
Eryk didn't even acknowledge them as they left. Instead, his attention was turned towards Cyrilla. "Cy," he began, however; her expression had changed considerably when the others left. He furrowed his brows lightly. So it was just a ruse. She was worried, and he could see it behind her eyes.
"Eryk, this isn't good. We... we need to do something. We need to," she spoke softly. So softly that he almost didn't hear her. He placed a hand on her shoulder and shook his head, though.
"There's nothing we can do right now, Cy. The best thing we can do for Harper right now, is make sure she's okay, and that she's at least comfortable," he replied. She glanced up at him, and he could only feel the ache in his heart grow. He hated seeing the people he cared about in distress. The way Ana had looked when she was in the machine had nearly broken his damn heart, and his resolve to not get involved. He had been so close, but part of him was glad that it was Kas.
"Come on Cy, let's go. They won't say anything if it's us, who goes to visit Harper," he spoke, because he knew she wanted to do that. He knew she wanted to see Harper, but there wasn't much they could say to her. What could they say? Shaking his head, he glanced at her. "It'll be okay. Kas will figure something out. He always does," and with that, they left.
“How the fuck could you let this happen?!”
Ana had never heard Kasimir shout before—not in anger. In fact, she hadn’t seen him angry, that she could recall. The times that had come closest, he’d just generally maintained a sort of false serenity with a faint hint of malice. But this… there was no question that this was unadulterated rage.
She couldn’t blame him.
He lunged forward, sweeping the documents piled neatly on Steele’s desk off onto the floor. She sat in her office chair, staring him down coldly, but Ana didn’t have to be a psychic to know that she was unnerved by the strength of his reaction.
“She’s my sister! You promised me she would be protected, so how the fuck is it that I have to hear about what happened from her boyfriend before you know what’s going on?” He leaned across the empty desk, intentionally violating Steele’s personal space and forcing her to lean back, on the defensive.
Everything had started with a phone call. Two weeks, they’d been here at the safehouse. Two weeks in which Ana only felt the hole in her heart growing larger with each passing day. Two weeks in which she watched Kas’s smile become more and more strained. Two weeks in which they went to sleep in the same place because they couldn’t stand to be without someone who understood. She clung to him and he to her—even though they both truly wished to be holding someone else—because neither of them could stand to be alone.
So she’d been there when his phone rang, a confused and distressed Drake on the other end of the line, explaining how he’d been speaking with Harper when she told him something was wrong. She’d dropped the phone; he’d been able to hear the sounds of a struggle before someone hung up. Calling back had resulted in nothing but Harper’s answering machine. It was obvious enough what had happened, especially in light of everything they’d talked about—including the risk to his family.
“You had two damn weeks to find her, Steele! Is everyone else here so fucking incompetent that they can’t find one girl on Victory Road with two weeks to do it?! If you were having fucking trouble, you should have just told me to do it!”
“Get out of my face, Rheinallt,” Steele said smoothly, with enforced calm.
Kas leaned further forward. “No.”
She hit him. Or tried to. Kas caught the incoming blow like he’d been ready for it, squeezing her fist in his hand until his knuckles turned white. Steele didn’t so much as flinch. They stared each other down like a seviper and a zangoose.
“Get out, or you’re not going to have a job tomorrow.”
He smiled. Ana thought it looked utterly vicious—enough that she almost feared him right then.
“Why not both?” he drawled. His eyes slid to Ana’s at the same moment as he let go of Steele’s hand.
“Are you quitting? You can’t take her with you. She’s a material witness. You both are.”
He straightened, glaring down at her with sharp eyes. “No, I’m not quitting. But I’m not going to sit here and take orders from someone who can’t even protect one girl from Team Rocket. So you can consider me insubordinate and report me to HQ, if you want. But we all know they like me a hell of a lot more than they like you right now, since I gave them all that nice data to chew on. Your choice, Steele. But you’re not keeping Ana here if it’s not where she wants to be.”
This time, when his eyes returned to her, they were kinder—more like she was used to seeing from him.
Wordlessly, Ana followed him from the office and down the corridor to their shared bedroom. She sat on her bed quietly while he sorted through their things, throwing some of them together on his mattress and discarding others.
“What are we going to do, Kas?” she asked softly, watching his clipped movements with a growing sense of dread.
He paused long enough to glance at her over his shoulder, then resumed his motions with a shake of his head. “You heard her—Team Rocket has made their demands. They want you for Harper. I don’t intend to give them you, but I’m not letting them keep my sister, either, so… I’ll think of something.” He pursed his lips for a moment, pushing a sigh out through his nose.
Ana supposed he might be able to think of something like that—maybe a way to sneak into the Cinnabar base and get Harper out. Maybe Drake would help—they wouldn’t dare imprison a Gym Leader, especially not one with a relative like Blaine. But if he was trespassing… she didn’t like how many ways something like that could go wrong. But there was an alternative.
“What if… what if you just made the trade?” she asked. He froze. “You could… you could bring Drake along to make sure they honor the deal, and just… trade me for Harper.”
“Ana.” He turned to face her, a troubled expression knitting his brows and turning his mouth down. “You can’t want to go back there. You know what it would mean.”
They both did. Ana looked down at the quilt underneath her—plain beige, like almost everything else in the safehouse. Her life had been plain beige for these last two weeks, too. Like his had. Just… sitting around and waiting for things to happen. Occasionally answering questions. Enduring the looks from people who didn’t understand why she was so miserable here. Because she was free, wasn’t she? And how could someone who was free be miserable?
“I do,” she said, tracing one of the diamond shapes stitched into the quilt. It was rough under the pad of her index finger. “It means I’ll die. But Kas… I’m dying anyway.” She forced her eyes up to meet his. “Here, in this place… we’re both just…” The strain of all this might be something he could withstand, but it was too much for her. She felt weaker every day.
“And if I’m going to die I…” Ana felt a hot sting at the back of her eyes. She tried to ignore it, but a lump rose in her throat as well, and she couldn’t contain the fact that both things thickened her voice, giving away her emotions. She wanted her death to mean something. She wanted to use it to save Harper. And…
“I want to die near him.”
“Ana—” Kas knelt in front of her bed, holding her steady by the shoulders as she slumped forward. The tears spilled forward, dropping heavily into her lap. She sobbed once, pressing her forehead to his shoulder.
His hands moved; one of them cradled the back of her head gently. The other rubbed soothingly at her back.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I must seem s-so ungrateful right now. I’m not—I’ll always be grateful to you for—for risking all that for me. I-if I was anyone else, it might have been worth it.” If he hadn’t just taken her from one death to another.
“No, Ana,” he murmured soothingly. “It was worth it. You were worth it. I promise.” He ran his hand up and down the top half of her back, letting her sob into his shirt with no complaints.
“I miss him,” she whispered. “All I want is for things to go back to how they were.” She hiccuped. “No… no, I’d just take him, any way he’d have me.”
She felt him lean the side of his head against hers and sigh. “All right,” he said. “All right. We’ll… I’ll take you back. We’ll do the exchange. Just… Ana… promise me. Promise me this is exactly what you want.”
She could tell it hurt him to think about giving her back to Team Rocket. Bracing her hands on his shoulders, she pulled back a little, giving him a watery smile. His eyes weren’t dry, either. Reaching forward, she brushed away his tears with the pads of her thumbs. He really was a sweet, good person. She was glad he was her friend. Her family.
“I promise,” she said softly. “I promise this is what I want. I’m so grateful to you for everything you’ve done for me, Kas, but… I can’t keep going like this. I want—I need to be where he is. Even if… even if he doesn’t want me there. Even if it kills me.”
“How the hell did you get so brave?” he asked, cracking a melancholy smile.
“I’m not,” she said. “I just know that I… that I can’t stand to be without him. I’m too selfish for that. I can’t… I can’t make noble sacrifices so that other people are free of me. Not anymore.” Love was, maybe, a fundamentally selfish thing. To want the person you loved to be happy, but to prefer above all else that they be happy with you. Maybe some people managed to hold to the first part, and refuse the temptation of the second, but Ana wasn’t that strong.
She was weak, and afraid. And so she did what anyone did when they were weak and afraid:
She sought the one place she’d ever felt truly safe.
Ana had never heard Kasimir shout before—not in anger. In fact, she hadn’t seen him angry, that she could recall. The times that had come closest, he’d just generally maintained a sort of false serenity with a faint hint of malice. But this… there was no question that this was unadulterated rage.
She couldn’t blame him.
He lunged forward, sweeping the documents piled neatly on Steele’s desk off onto the floor. She sat in her office chair, staring him down coldly, but Ana didn’t have to be a psychic to know that she was unnerved by the strength of his reaction.
“She’s my sister! You promised me she would be protected, so how the fuck is it that I have to hear about what happened from her boyfriend before you know what’s going on?” He leaned across the empty desk, intentionally violating Steele’s personal space and forcing her to lean back, on the defensive.
Everything had started with a phone call. Two weeks, they’d been here at the safehouse. Two weeks in which Ana only felt the hole in her heart growing larger with each passing day. Two weeks in which she watched Kas’s smile become more and more strained. Two weeks in which they went to sleep in the same place because they couldn’t stand to be without someone who understood. She clung to him and he to her—even though they both truly wished to be holding someone else—because neither of them could stand to be alone.
So she’d been there when his phone rang, a confused and distressed Drake on the other end of the line, explaining how he’d been speaking with Harper when she told him something was wrong. She’d dropped the phone; he’d been able to hear the sounds of a struggle before someone hung up. Calling back had resulted in nothing but Harper’s answering machine. It was obvious enough what had happened, especially in light of everything they’d talked about—including the risk to his family.
“You had two damn weeks to find her, Steele! Is everyone else here so fucking incompetent that they can’t find one girl on Victory Road with two weeks to do it?! If you were having fucking trouble, you should have just told me to do it!”
“Get out of my face, Rheinallt,” Steele said smoothly, with enforced calm.
Kas leaned further forward. “No.”
She hit him. Or tried to. Kas caught the incoming blow like he’d been ready for it, squeezing her fist in his hand until his knuckles turned white. Steele didn’t so much as flinch. They stared each other down like a seviper and a zangoose.
“Get out, or you’re not going to have a job tomorrow.”
He smiled. Ana thought it looked utterly vicious—enough that she almost feared him right then.
“Why not both?” he drawled. His eyes slid to Ana’s at the same moment as he let go of Steele’s hand.
“Are you quitting? You can’t take her with you. She’s a material witness. You both are.”
He straightened, glaring down at her with sharp eyes. “No, I’m not quitting. But I’m not going to sit here and take orders from someone who can’t even protect one girl from Team Rocket. So you can consider me insubordinate and report me to HQ, if you want. But we all know they like me a hell of a lot more than they like you right now, since I gave them all that nice data to chew on. Your choice, Steele. But you’re not keeping Ana here if it’s not where she wants to be.”
This time, when his eyes returned to her, they were kinder—more like she was used to seeing from him.
Wordlessly, Ana followed him from the office and down the corridor to their shared bedroom. She sat on her bed quietly while he sorted through their things, throwing some of them together on his mattress and discarding others.
“What are we going to do, Kas?” she asked softly, watching his clipped movements with a growing sense of dread.
He paused long enough to glance at her over his shoulder, then resumed his motions with a shake of his head. “You heard her—Team Rocket has made their demands. They want you for Harper. I don’t intend to give them you, but I’m not letting them keep my sister, either, so… I’ll think of something.” He pursed his lips for a moment, pushing a sigh out through his nose.
Ana supposed he might be able to think of something like that—maybe a way to sneak into the Cinnabar base and get Harper out. Maybe Drake would help—they wouldn’t dare imprison a Gym Leader, especially not one with a relative like Blaine. But if he was trespassing… she didn’t like how many ways something like that could go wrong. But there was an alternative.
“What if… what if you just made the trade?” she asked. He froze. “You could… you could bring Drake along to make sure they honor the deal, and just… trade me for Harper.”
“Ana.” He turned to face her, a troubled expression knitting his brows and turning his mouth down. “You can’t want to go back there. You know what it would mean.”
They both did. Ana looked down at the quilt underneath her—plain beige, like almost everything else in the safehouse. Her life had been plain beige for these last two weeks, too. Like his had. Just… sitting around and waiting for things to happen. Occasionally answering questions. Enduring the looks from people who didn’t understand why she was so miserable here. Because she was free, wasn’t she? And how could someone who was free be miserable?
“I do,” she said, tracing one of the diamond shapes stitched into the quilt. It was rough under the pad of her index finger. “It means I’ll die. But Kas… I’m dying anyway.” She forced her eyes up to meet his. “Here, in this place… we’re both just…” The strain of all this might be something he could withstand, but it was too much for her. She felt weaker every day.
“And if I’m going to die I…” Ana felt a hot sting at the back of her eyes. She tried to ignore it, but a lump rose in her throat as well, and she couldn’t contain the fact that both things thickened her voice, giving away her emotions. She wanted her death to mean something. She wanted to use it to save Harper. And…
“I want to die near him.”
“Ana—” Kas knelt in front of her bed, holding her steady by the shoulders as she slumped forward. The tears spilled forward, dropping heavily into her lap. She sobbed once, pressing her forehead to his shoulder.
His hands moved; one of them cradled the back of her head gently. The other rubbed soothingly at her back.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I must seem s-so ungrateful right now. I’m not—I’ll always be grateful to you for—for risking all that for me. I-if I was anyone else, it might have been worth it.” If he hadn’t just taken her from one death to another.
“No, Ana,” he murmured soothingly. “It was worth it. You were worth it. I promise.” He ran his hand up and down the top half of her back, letting her sob into his shirt with no complaints.
“I miss him,” she whispered. “All I want is for things to go back to how they were.” She hiccuped. “No… no, I’d just take him, any way he’d have me.”
She felt him lean the side of his head against hers and sigh. “All right,” he said. “All right. We’ll… I’ll take you back. We’ll do the exchange. Just… Ana… promise me. Promise me this is exactly what you want.”
She could tell it hurt him to think about giving her back to Team Rocket. Bracing her hands on his shoulders, she pulled back a little, giving him a watery smile. His eyes weren’t dry, either. Reaching forward, she brushed away his tears with the pads of her thumbs. He really was a sweet, good person. She was glad he was her friend. Her family.
“I promise,” she said softly. “I promise this is what I want. I’m so grateful to you for everything you’ve done for me, Kas, but… I can’t keep going like this. I want—I need to be where he is. Even if… even if he doesn’t want me there. Even if it kills me.”
“How the hell did you get so brave?” he asked, cracking a melancholy smile.
“I’m not,” she said. “I just know that I… that I can’t stand to be without him. I’m too selfish for that. I can’t… I can’t make noble sacrifices so that other people are free of me. Not anymore.” Love was, maybe, a fundamentally selfish thing. To want the person you loved to be happy, but to prefer above all else that they be happy with you. Maybe some people managed to hold to the first part, and refuse the temptation of the second, but Ana wasn’t that strong.
She was weak, and afraid. And so she did what anyone did when they were weak and afraid:
She sought the one place she’d ever felt truly safe.
She didn't understand what was going on. Ryk and she had been called down, apparently because something was happening. She didn't know what, but it had to be important if they wanted all six of them present. The former Beasts, and the current ones. Or at least the last remaining two. She had managed to set her papers aside, making sure they were in a neat pile before taking a long glance at the drawer. Shaking her head, she gave Kenshin a glance as well, nodding her head to tell him she'd be right back. He responded in kind, and went to sit at her desk. She smiled a bit at that.
With that, she made her way downstairs, running into Eryk as they both turned the corner. She'd almost bumped into him. "Eryk," she greeted. He nodded a greeting in return, but he didn't say anything. He didn't have to say anything. The expression on his face worried her a bit. It was pulled into a deep scowl, as if he were angry. Maybe he was? "Ryk, what's wrong?" she asked. She didn't like the way he was glaring. He didn't acknowledge her. He just kept his gaze towards the front.
"They're making the trade," were the only words he murmured. She felt it then, the drop of her heart, and the way her throat constricted. They were back. If they were back, that meant Kas brought Ana back. Suddenly, she understood why Eryk was seething. He wasn't even attempting to hide his anger. It was as apparent as a mankey's, but he was not blindly charging through. It was even, and controlled. She didn't like it at all. "We're meeting them outside the gate right now. That's why they called for us. Drake's there, too," he spoke, and Cyrilla could only feel her heart break. If Drake was here, then that means he knew.
She mustered the best passive face she could, and followed Eryk out of the building. He seemed to do the same thing, all traces of anger were suddenly gone. It looked foreign on his face, but she wasn't going to say anything. She couldn't say anything. Instead, she sucked in a breath, and forced herself to remain neutral in her appearance, even if she was falling apart on the inside.
They’d set the meeting for outside the building. Probably good—if they hadn’t, then the other executives might have found some way to trap them all inside. The Birds and the boss, as well as several of the larger, stronger grunts stood just in front of the gate. Harper was on her feet, handcuffed, with each arm in the grip of one of the largest men. Her lip was split; it seemed she’d scuffled with them before they’d managed to subdue her.
On the other side was only a trio. Kas was holding tightly to Ana’s hand, and she in turn to his. His face didn’t give anything away, but she looked almost… relieved, particularly after she caught sight of them. She didn’t smile, but her shoulders relaxed perceptibly. She looked even thinner and sicker than the last time Cyrilla had seen her, though it was hard to tell if that was due to the machine or the two weeks since—Cy hadn’t seen much of her while she was here last time.
For a brief moment, Kas met her eyes; he quickly blinked and glanced away. A muscle in his jaw ticked, but it was impossible to know what that meant, if anything.
To see Ana like that, though, caused Cyrilla's neutrality to be compromised. She couldn't help the way her face twisted somewhat, however; she managed to force it back. It wasn't easy, and she almost gave in again, when Kas looked at her. She chanced a glance towards Eryk, and he looked pissed. If the others had seen it, they would probably take it as anger towards Kas for punching him, and betraying them. But Cy knew it was much deeper than that. She could see how broken that anger was, because his eyes were glued to Ana. He didn't move them.
But it was Drake's gaze that almost undid her. His face, at first filled with worry for Harper, turned into something like disgust when he set his eyes on her and Eryk. She didn't blame him. She glanced away from them, because it hurt too much to see them like that. Eryk, however, glanced at her, and gave her a look. She couldn't read it, but she knew she had to look back at the others. From the side, she could see Remi and Katia standing next to Gregorovich. Remi was standing behind him, though, and didn't seem too happy to be there.
"We're here, now give us Harper back," Drake spoke. To his credit, his voice wasn't wavering as she had expected it to be. It was steady and even, kind of like Eryk's anger had been. Eryk's fists tightened, but he didn't say anything.
"You're in no position to make demands, boy," Katia spatted, but Drake didn't even flinch.
“On the contrary.” For all her evident frailty, Ana’s voice was strong. She took a step forward. “We have what you need—me. You’ll let her go right now if you want me to take even one more step toward you.” Her expression was stern; she held her head high.
“The terms have changed,” Stefan said smoothly. “We want the girl—and the traitor.”
“That’s not what was agreed on,” Ana replied, gripping Kas’s hand tighter.
“No,” the boss agreed. “But it’s what you’ll give us.” He glanced to one of the grunts, who reached down to his hip and unsheathed a knife. He placed it carefully at the side of Harper’s neck.
“Fine,” Kas said. “Here’s how it’s going to go: we walk over. You uncuff my sister and let her and one other person meet us at the middle point. We finish walking—she and Drake leave here completely unharmed, immediately, and Ana and I go with you. How’s that?”
Harper was scowling. “You idiot—” She was cut off by the blade pressing closer to her throat, close enough to draw a thin line of blood.
Kas’s expression was a thundercloud. “Unharmed, Gregorovich.”
The boss appeared to consider that for a moment, then nodded, gesturing Aidan forward. The redheaded man uncuffed Harper immediately, apparently wary of her fists. She didn’t attempt to strike him, though—smart, considering how many people were around to pile on if she tried anything.
The exchange itself was tense; in the middle, Aidan transferred the cuffs onto an unresisting Kas. Ana wasn’t deemed enough of a threat to warrant them, apparently. Harper looked like she wanted to try something, but a warning look from Kas stopped her. She kept walking until she reached Drake.
Kas said something too low to hear. Ana nodded, unbuckling his belt for him and tossing it to Harper, followed by her own. No doubt they didn’t want to risk their pokémon being hurt or used against them in some way.
“Mirmir, Ana…” Harper tried to speak to them, but they were already being led back towards the gate by Aidan.
Her brother glanced back over his shoulder. “Don’t worry, Melly. We’ll be fine.” he flashed a big smile before the gate closed behind them.
Cyrilla wasn't too sure about that.
Drake looked relieved to see Harper, and was immediately checking her neck wound. Even if it was small, it still drew blood, and Drake was worried. She would have smiled if the situation were different. If they were different. She glanced towards Ana and Kas, offering Ana the smallest hints of a smile, but couldn't bring herself to smile any further. If she did, she was afraid that it would undo her. She couldn't even bring herself to look fully at Kas, either. She barely managed to glance up to his chest, but dropped her gaze.
Eryk, however, seemed to have calmed somewhat, and he was staring at Ana. If he was aware of his surroundings, he didn't show it. Perhaps they were communicating? She didn't know, but even so, this was not good. They had Ana again, and now they had him. She was almost terrified of what they might do to him, however; she pushed the unwelcomed thought from her mind. She was worried for Ana. She didn't look too good, and if this continued... she didn't want to finish that thought.
"You shouldn't say things you don't know, Rheinallt," Katia spoke, her voice uninterested and unamused. "You won't be fine," she spoke, though there was a hint of something in her voice. If Cyrilla remembered, Katia had actually liked Kas, too. He was probably one of the only people she actually liked, aside from Aidan of course. Maybe she was still bitter about his betrayal?
“Yeah?” Kas replied, tilting his head.
“Bring it.”
Stefan sighed. “Well, now that that’s done with: Aidan, please escort Mr. Rheinallt to the cell block in the basement. Solitary, please. I will deal with him shortly. Katia, make sure that Miss Asher is given something to eat and a chance to rest. She will be returning to the Nebula Device tomorrow morning.”
For a split second, Eryk's expression changed. It almost looked like he'd smirked at Kas's comment, but maybe it was her imagination. Katia scoffed lightly, but glanced towards Ana and escorted her away. Eryk seemed to want to follow after, but he remained in his spot. Perhaps that was for the best. He didn't need to give the boss reason to suspect him of anything, not right now. Sighing softly, Cyrilla watched as Aidan took Kas away.
She kept her expression as neutral as possible, but she didn't know how much longer she could do that. She was falling apart. Eryk was probably falling apart, too. Maybe, if she was lucky, she could at least go see Kas one last time. She was, technically, still married to him. She could use that excuse, any excuse, to see him. She knew Eryk would do the same with Ana. He probably would as soon as Stefan left, but that didn't seem anytime soon. He was still here, and they had yet to be dismissed. Remi was still there, too.
"What about me?" she asked, glancing towards Stefan. "You gave them all the best jobs," she almost seemed to be whining. It didn't stop the shiver from going down Cyrilla's spine, though.
“If there’s anything left of the traitor after tomorrow, you can have at him,” Stefan replied darkly. “But I would not hold my breath were I you, Remi.” A few of the grunts—the ones he’d brought with him—chuckled slightly. With that, he waved everyone off, the gesture a clear dismissal.
He seemed totally unconcerned that Kas’s former teammates had heard that. Either he believed the façade that they had no remaining connection to him, or else he simply didn’t care what they might do.
But as soon as he reached the interior of the mansion himself, he headed straight for the basement.
Cyrilla had never known fear so intimately as she did now.
With that, she made her way downstairs, running into Eryk as they both turned the corner. She'd almost bumped into him. "Eryk," she greeted. He nodded a greeting in return, but he didn't say anything. He didn't have to say anything. The expression on his face worried her a bit. It was pulled into a deep scowl, as if he were angry. Maybe he was? "Ryk, what's wrong?" she asked. She didn't like the way he was glaring. He didn't acknowledge her. He just kept his gaze towards the front.
"They're making the trade," were the only words he murmured. She felt it then, the drop of her heart, and the way her throat constricted. They were back. If they were back, that meant Kas brought Ana back. Suddenly, she understood why Eryk was seething. He wasn't even attempting to hide his anger. It was as apparent as a mankey's, but he was not blindly charging through. It was even, and controlled. She didn't like it at all. "We're meeting them outside the gate right now. That's why they called for us. Drake's there, too," he spoke, and Cyrilla could only feel her heart break. If Drake was here, then that means he knew.
She mustered the best passive face she could, and followed Eryk out of the building. He seemed to do the same thing, all traces of anger were suddenly gone. It looked foreign on his face, but she wasn't going to say anything. She couldn't say anything. Instead, she sucked in a breath, and forced herself to remain neutral in her appearance, even if she was falling apart on the inside.
They’d set the meeting for outside the building. Probably good—if they hadn’t, then the other executives might have found some way to trap them all inside. The Birds and the boss, as well as several of the larger, stronger grunts stood just in front of the gate. Harper was on her feet, handcuffed, with each arm in the grip of one of the largest men. Her lip was split; it seemed she’d scuffled with them before they’d managed to subdue her.
On the other side was only a trio. Kas was holding tightly to Ana’s hand, and she in turn to his. His face didn’t give anything away, but she looked almost… relieved, particularly after she caught sight of them. She didn’t smile, but her shoulders relaxed perceptibly. She looked even thinner and sicker than the last time Cyrilla had seen her, though it was hard to tell if that was due to the machine or the two weeks since—Cy hadn’t seen much of her while she was here last time.
For a brief moment, Kas met her eyes; he quickly blinked and glanced away. A muscle in his jaw ticked, but it was impossible to know what that meant, if anything.
To see Ana like that, though, caused Cyrilla's neutrality to be compromised. She couldn't help the way her face twisted somewhat, however; she managed to force it back. It wasn't easy, and she almost gave in again, when Kas looked at her. She chanced a glance towards Eryk, and he looked pissed. If the others had seen it, they would probably take it as anger towards Kas for punching him, and betraying them. But Cy knew it was much deeper than that. She could see how broken that anger was, because his eyes were glued to Ana. He didn't move them.
But it was Drake's gaze that almost undid her. His face, at first filled with worry for Harper, turned into something like disgust when he set his eyes on her and Eryk. She didn't blame him. She glanced away from them, because it hurt too much to see them like that. Eryk, however, glanced at her, and gave her a look. She couldn't read it, but she knew she had to look back at the others. From the side, she could see Remi and Katia standing next to Gregorovich. Remi was standing behind him, though, and didn't seem too happy to be there.
"We're here, now give us Harper back," Drake spoke. To his credit, his voice wasn't wavering as she had expected it to be. It was steady and even, kind of like Eryk's anger had been. Eryk's fists tightened, but he didn't say anything.
"You're in no position to make demands, boy," Katia spatted, but Drake didn't even flinch.
“On the contrary.” For all her evident frailty, Ana’s voice was strong. She took a step forward. “We have what you need—me. You’ll let her go right now if you want me to take even one more step toward you.” Her expression was stern; she held her head high.
“The terms have changed,” Stefan said smoothly. “We want the girl—and the traitor.”
“That’s not what was agreed on,” Ana replied, gripping Kas’s hand tighter.
“No,” the boss agreed. “But it’s what you’ll give us.” He glanced to one of the grunts, who reached down to his hip and unsheathed a knife. He placed it carefully at the side of Harper’s neck.
“Fine,” Kas said. “Here’s how it’s going to go: we walk over. You uncuff my sister and let her and one other person meet us at the middle point. We finish walking—she and Drake leave here completely unharmed, immediately, and Ana and I go with you. How’s that?”
Harper was scowling. “You idiot—” She was cut off by the blade pressing closer to her throat, close enough to draw a thin line of blood.
Kas’s expression was a thundercloud. “Unharmed, Gregorovich.”
The boss appeared to consider that for a moment, then nodded, gesturing Aidan forward. The redheaded man uncuffed Harper immediately, apparently wary of her fists. She didn’t attempt to strike him, though—smart, considering how many people were around to pile on if she tried anything.
The exchange itself was tense; in the middle, Aidan transferred the cuffs onto an unresisting Kas. Ana wasn’t deemed enough of a threat to warrant them, apparently. Harper looked like she wanted to try something, but a warning look from Kas stopped her. She kept walking until she reached Drake.
Kas said something too low to hear. Ana nodded, unbuckling his belt for him and tossing it to Harper, followed by her own. No doubt they didn’t want to risk their pokémon being hurt or used against them in some way.
“Mirmir, Ana…” Harper tried to speak to them, but they were already being led back towards the gate by Aidan.
Her brother glanced back over his shoulder. “Don’t worry, Melly. We’ll be fine.” he flashed a big smile before the gate closed behind them.
Cyrilla wasn't too sure about that.
Drake looked relieved to see Harper, and was immediately checking her neck wound. Even if it was small, it still drew blood, and Drake was worried. She would have smiled if the situation were different. If they were different. She glanced towards Ana and Kas, offering Ana the smallest hints of a smile, but couldn't bring herself to smile any further. If she did, she was afraid that it would undo her. She couldn't even bring herself to look fully at Kas, either. She barely managed to glance up to his chest, but dropped her gaze.
Eryk, however, seemed to have calmed somewhat, and he was staring at Ana. If he was aware of his surroundings, he didn't show it. Perhaps they were communicating? She didn't know, but even so, this was not good. They had Ana again, and now they had him. She was almost terrified of what they might do to him, however; she pushed the unwelcomed thought from her mind. She was worried for Ana. She didn't look too good, and if this continued... she didn't want to finish that thought.
"You shouldn't say things you don't know, Rheinallt," Katia spoke, her voice uninterested and unamused. "You won't be fine," she spoke, though there was a hint of something in her voice. If Cyrilla remembered, Katia had actually liked Kas, too. He was probably one of the only people she actually liked, aside from Aidan of course. Maybe she was still bitter about his betrayal?
“Yeah?” Kas replied, tilting his head.
“Bring it.”
Stefan sighed. “Well, now that that’s done with: Aidan, please escort Mr. Rheinallt to the cell block in the basement. Solitary, please. I will deal with him shortly. Katia, make sure that Miss Asher is given something to eat and a chance to rest. She will be returning to the Nebula Device tomorrow morning.”
For a split second, Eryk's expression changed. It almost looked like he'd smirked at Kas's comment, but maybe it was her imagination. Katia scoffed lightly, but glanced towards Ana and escorted her away. Eryk seemed to want to follow after, but he remained in his spot. Perhaps that was for the best. He didn't need to give the boss reason to suspect him of anything, not right now. Sighing softly, Cyrilla watched as Aidan took Kas away.
She kept her expression as neutral as possible, but she didn't know how much longer she could do that. She was falling apart. Eryk was probably falling apart, too. Maybe, if she was lucky, she could at least go see Kas one last time. She was, technically, still married to him. She could use that excuse, any excuse, to see him. She knew Eryk would do the same with Ana. He probably would as soon as Stefan left, but that didn't seem anytime soon. He was still here, and they had yet to be dismissed. Remi was still there, too.
"What about me?" she asked, glancing towards Stefan. "You gave them all the best jobs," she almost seemed to be whining. It didn't stop the shiver from going down Cyrilla's spine, though.
“If there’s anything left of the traitor after tomorrow, you can have at him,” Stefan replied darkly. “But I would not hold my breath were I you, Remi.” A few of the grunts—the ones he’d brought with him—chuckled slightly. With that, he waved everyone off, the gesture a clear dismissal.
He seemed totally unconcerned that Kas’s former teammates had heard that. Either he believed the façade that they had no remaining connection to him, or else he simply didn’t care what they might do.
But as soon as he reached the interior of the mansion himself, he headed straight for the basement.
Cyrilla had never known fear so intimately as she did now.
Fuck.
Kas had expected a beating. Hell, he’d expected to be tortured. They were talking about an unrepentant organization with its roots in organized crime, after all.
He hadn’t expected Stefan to get his own hands dirty with it, though. And he hadn’t expected him to be so damn good at it. Apparently, he’d done dirty work for Giovanni way back in the day—there didn’t seem to be any other explanation for how he was this skilled in the science of pain.
Because he was in a lot of pain.
They’d let him up from the chair he’d been tied to—though he’d had a bit of fun knocking out the first three idiots who tried to manhandle him into it—but plenty of evidence of the day’s abuses remained. He was pretty sure most of his torso was one big bruise at this point. They’d cut him in more than one place as well; he’d pulled on his clothes and hidden most of them, but there was no missing the massive gash stretching from just underneath his left eye to his jawline on the same side. It still bled freely, as did his split lip.
The last three fingers on his left hand had been snapped; he was trying to set them as well as he could so they’d heal right, at least, but it was rough going without anything for a splint. He sat on the chair, staring down at the digits with a sort of detached disgust. He wondered if he’d earned a respite for today, or if Gregorovich would be down again later, after what the KPSF knew.
There were muffled voices coming from behind the door, but they were too low. Nothing could be made out, however; the door slowly opened. It took at least a minute, or maybe two, before someone stepped inside. It was Cyrilla. She glanced over her shoulder, shook her head at the person behind the door, before it was closed. She walked over towards him, her expression oddly hard to read. Perhaps it was just the lighting of the room that made it that way, because it changed considerably once she was closer to him. It looked pained, and something apologetic.
"Look at what he's done," she whispered softly. She didn't come any closer, instead, standing at least a good two feet from him. "Why? Why did you bring her back? Why did you come back?" she asked. It was almost strained in the way she said it. She sighed softly as she grabbed one of the chairs and brought it closer to him. She placed it so that it was directly in front of him, and she sat in it. She reached into her pocket, pulling something from it, and placed it in front of her. It looked like a piece of cloth, and she tore it.
"It's not going to help much, but if I can get your fingers tied together, they'll act as a splint against each other until..." she paused, and it looked like she bit her lip to keep from saying anything further. She sighed and shook her head. "Can you... give me your hand so I can do this," she spoke softly. She didn't seem to want to speak any louder, perhaps because she didn't want anyone but him to hear what she was saying.
He couldn’t describe exactly what it was, seeing her face again after all this time, except to say that it felt, for all the shittiness of the surrounding circumstances, like coming home. He didn’t know when she’d become that for him, but it was such a stark, crystallized piece of reality in that moment that he couldn’t deny it anymore.
His tongue, always so quick to provide a quip or a witticism, felt leaden in his mouth where it had once been bright silver. Mutely, he held out his hand to her.
It took a few more moments before he spoke. “You shouldn’t be here, Cyrilla,” he told her softly. “If the Birds or the boss find out… this will be the least of my worries.” This, he could handle. The thought of her being punished because of him… that was harder to contemplate.
She took his hand, softly, and pressed the three fingers together, and slowly, she began wrapping them. She was being careful so she wouldn't hurt him, or at least it seemed that way. She stayed quiet for a moment, and didn't reply right away. She was either thinking about it, or she was more concerned with his fingers. Once they were wrapped, a little tightly so that they were left completely straight, she glanced up at him.
"The only reason why I was allowed down here was because I wanted to see why my traitor husband betrayed us. I just... I had to make sure you were okay, though," she finally spoke, sighing softly before she reached up with the other half of the cloth. She pressed it against his face, applying a bit of pressure where the cut was. "There's only one guard outside right now, but I managed to convince him to leave the speaker off," she continued, moving the cloth down so that she could dab at his split lip.
"We're both worried about you, and Ana," she said softly, her expression softening as well. "We're... it's going to be okay," she spoke, though it was hard to tell if she was trying to convince him, or herself.
He sighed, his breath gusting over the fingers she held close to his mouth. “To answer the original question,” he said, still speaking quietly, “we’re here because neither of us could let Harper come to harm, and… Ana insisted that we make the trade. I tried to persuade her not to, but it’s what she wanted. I think…” he hesitated. “I think she’s close to the end. She wanted to be with Ryk. I wasn’t going to keep her away in a situation like that. Next to trading her, trading myself was easy.”
Kas was sure the boss had banked on that—banked on the fact that he’d rather throw himself into the package deal than risk harm coming to his sister. Ana was the bigger win—he was just included as a way to remind everyone who had the control. Knowing he was here in a cell now after betraying Team Rocket and apparently getting away with it was a powerful message to anyone who might be doubting the cause. Or who might be tempted to follow him. It was good politics, not simple petty vengeance.
Though he didn’t doubt petty vengeance was also involved.
Her brows deepened when he spoke. "After everything, she still wants to be here, with him?" she seemed almost skeptical about the idea of Ana wanting to be here with Eryk. She was probably thinking along the same lines he had, that she should be away from here, somewhere safe. It's what Eryk had wanted in the first place. She sighed softly, dropping her hand as she did so. "That's not... that's no way to go, though. She... she deserves better than that," she said as she shook her head. She smiled, a hint of melancholy just touching her lips.
"But, I suppose I understand where she's coming from," she spoke. "I guess I can understand where you are both coming from," she continued, glancing up to finally meet his gaze. She'd been avoiding it since she walked in.
“She does,” he agreed. It was his turn to avoid her eyes now. It was easier to talk about Ana than himself. “But she wants to be with him, and as far as deaths go, I can think of worse than dying with someone you love.” Kas cleared his throat, feeling more awkward than he let on. Or maybe it was obvious. He didn’t rightly know at the moment.
He felt… weird. It was a particular feeling he hadn’t dealt with since he was young—he felt shy, of all the ridiculous things. There were so many words on the tip of his tongue, so many things he wanted to say or do, but this… it was hardly the time or place, was it? So he just met her eyes and then dropped his to the floor, unsure what he should say, if anything at all. Eventually, he settled on something else entirely.
“Thanks, Cy.”
She just smiled at him. "You shouldn't thank me, Kas. Not yet," she spoke the last words softly. A little too softly, that it could barely be registered as anything more than a whisper. She stood from her chair and stepped closer to him. "I don't... I don't know how, but we'll get through this. We'll..." she paused in her words, and stared at him. There was something strange behind her eyes, something like resolve, perhaps.
"If you can hold on... just a little longer," she spoke softly, reaching both hands up to place them on his face. She placed her head next to his, and stayed there for a second. "If you can hold on, we'll get you out of here. Both of you," she whispered into his ear. She wanted only him to hear, if she'd gotten that close. "I promise."
He huffed softly, reaching up to tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear. He used his bad hand, so it was a little clumsy, but even so he managed all right. He gave her a tiny smile, drawing back enough to press his forehead to hers. “I’ll make it,” he said. “What else could I do, when a pretty girl’s promising to take me away?” Kas closed his eyes, pulling in a long, slow breath. Even over the general dinginess of the cell, he could smell her from this close.
With his eyes shut, it was almost like he was somewhere else entirely. “I’ll withdraw my thanks for now, then,” he continued, barely breathing the words so there was no chance of being overheard. “And thank you properly when we’re all somewhere else. I’ll even let you decide what counts as thanks; how’s that?”
"I think," she began, pausing momentarily to allow a light scoff to escape her, "that sounds like a promise."
"Just hold on."
He dredged up a wider smile, pulling back to a more polite distance and winking at her.
“Remi’s got nothing on me, just you wait and see.”
Kas had expected a beating. Hell, he’d expected to be tortured. They were talking about an unrepentant organization with its roots in organized crime, after all.
He hadn’t expected Stefan to get his own hands dirty with it, though. And he hadn’t expected him to be so damn good at it. Apparently, he’d done dirty work for Giovanni way back in the day—there didn’t seem to be any other explanation for how he was this skilled in the science of pain.
Because he was in a lot of pain.
They’d let him up from the chair he’d been tied to—though he’d had a bit of fun knocking out the first three idiots who tried to manhandle him into it—but plenty of evidence of the day’s abuses remained. He was pretty sure most of his torso was one big bruise at this point. They’d cut him in more than one place as well; he’d pulled on his clothes and hidden most of them, but there was no missing the massive gash stretching from just underneath his left eye to his jawline on the same side. It still bled freely, as did his split lip.
The last three fingers on his left hand had been snapped; he was trying to set them as well as he could so they’d heal right, at least, but it was rough going without anything for a splint. He sat on the chair, staring down at the digits with a sort of detached disgust. He wondered if he’d earned a respite for today, or if Gregorovich would be down again later, after what the KPSF knew.
There were muffled voices coming from behind the door, but they were too low. Nothing could be made out, however; the door slowly opened. It took at least a minute, or maybe two, before someone stepped inside. It was Cyrilla. She glanced over her shoulder, shook her head at the person behind the door, before it was closed. She walked over towards him, her expression oddly hard to read. Perhaps it was just the lighting of the room that made it that way, because it changed considerably once she was closer to him. It looked pained, and something apologetic.
"Look at what he's done," she whispered softly. She didn't come any closer, instead, standing at least a good two feet from him. "Why? Why did you bring her back? Why did you come back?" she asked. It was almost strained in the way she said it. She sighed softly as she grabbed one of the chairs and brought it closer to him. She placed it so that it was directly in front of him, and she sat in it. She reached into her pocket, pulling something from it, and placed it in front of her. It looked like a piece of cloth, and she tore it.
"It's not going to help much, but if I can get your fingers tied together, they'll act as a splint against each other until..." she paused, and it looked like she bit her lip to keep from saying anything further. She sighed and shook her head. "Can you... give me your hand so I can do this," she spoke softly. She didn't seem to want to speak any louder, perhaps because she didn't want anyone but him to hear what she was saying.
He couldn’t describe exactly what it was, seeing her face again after all this time, except to say that it felt, for all the shittiness of the surrounding circumstances, like coming home. He didn’t know when she’d become that for him, but it was such a stark, crystallized piece of reality in that moment that he couldn’t deny it anymore.
His tongue, always so quick to provide a quip or a witticism, felt leaden in his mouth where it had once been bright silver. Mutely, he held out his hand to her.
It took a few more moments before he spoke. “You shouldn’t be here, Cyrilla,” he told her softly. “If the Birds or the boss find out… this will be the least of my worries.” This, he could handle. The thought of her being punished because of him… that was harder to contemplate.
She took his hand, softly, and pressed the three fingers together, and slowly, she began wrapping them. She was being careful so she wouldn't hurt him, or at least it seemed that way. She stayed quiet for a moment, and didn't reply right away. She was either thinking about it, or she was more concerned with his fingers. Once they were wrapped, a little tightly so that they were left completely straight, she glanced up at him.
"The only reason why I was allowed down here was because I wanted to see why my traitor husband betrayed us. I just... I had to make sure you were okay, though," she finally spoke, sighing softly before she reached up with the other half of the cloth. She pressed it against his face, applying a bit of pressure where the cut was. "There's only one guard outside right now, but I managed to convince him to leave the speaker off," she continued, moving the cloth down so that she could dab at his split lip.
"We're both worried about you, and Ana," she said softly, her expression softening as well. "We're... it's going to be okay," she spoke, though it was hard to tell if she was trying to convince him, or herself.
He sighed, his breath gusting over the fingers she held close to his mouth. “To answer the original question,” he said, still speaking quietly, “we’re here because neither of us could let Harper come to harm, and… Ana insisted that we make the trade. I tried to persuade her not to, but it’s what she wanted. I think…” he hesitated. “I think she’s close to the end. She wanted to be with Ryk. I wasn’t going to keep her away in a situation like that. Next to trading her, trading myself was easy.”
Kas was sure the boss had banked on that—banked on the fact that he’d rather throw himself into the package deal than risk harm coming to his sister. Ana was the bigger win—he was just included as a way to remind everyone who had the control. Knowing he was here in a cell now after betraying Team Rocket and apparently getting away with it was a powerful message to anyone who might be doubting the cause. Or who might be tempted to follow him. It was good politics, not simple petty vengeance.
Though he didn’t doubt petty vengeance was also involved.
Her brows deepened when he spoke. "After everything, she still wants to be here, with him?" she seemed almost skeptical about the idea of Ana wanting to be here with Eryk. She was probably thinking along the same lines he had, that she should be away from here, somewhere safe. It's what Eryk had wanted in the first place. She sighed softly, dropping her hand as she did so. "That's not... that's no way to go, though. She... she deserves better than that," she said as she shook her head. She smiled, a hint of melancholy just touching her lips.
"But, I suppose I understand where she's coming from," she spoke. "I guess I can understand where you are both coming from," she continued, glancing up to finally meet his gaze. She'd been avoiding it since she walked in.
“She does,” he agreed. It was his turn to avoid her eyes now. It was easier to talk about Ana than himself. “But she wants to be with him, and as far as deaths go, I can think of worse than dying with someone you love.” Kas cleared his throat, feeling more awkward than he let on. Or maybe it was obvious. He didn’t rightly know at the moment.
He felt… weird. It was a particular feeling he hadn’t dealt with since he was young—he felt shy, of all the ridiculous things. There were so many words on the tip of his tongue, so many things he wanted to say or do, but this… it was hardly the time or place, was it? So he just met her eyes and then dropped his to the floor, unsure what he should say, if anything at all. Eventually, he settled on something else entirely.
“Thanks, Cy.”
She just smiled at him. "You shouldn't thank me, Kas. Not yet," she spoke the last words softly. A little too softly, that it could barely be registered as anything more than a whisper. She stood from her chair and stepped closer to him. "I don't... I don't know how, but we'll get through this. We'll..." she paused in her words, and stared at him. There was something strange behind her eyes, something like resolve, perhaps.
"If you can hold on... just a little longer," she spoke softly, reaching both hands up to place them on his face. She placed her head next to his, and stayed there for a second. "If you can hold on, we'll get you out of here. Both of you," she whispered into his ear. She wanted only him to hear, if she'd gotten that close. "I promise."
He huffed softly, reaching up to tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear. He used his bad hand, so it was a little clumsy, but even so he managed all right. He gave her a tiny smile, drawing back enough to press his forehead to hers. “I’ll make it,” he said. “What else could I do, when a pretty girl’s promising to take me away?” Kas closed his eyes, pulling in a long, slow breath. Even over the general dinginess of the cell, he could smell her from this close.
With his eyes shut, it was almost like he was somewhere else entirely. “I’ll withdraw my thanks for now, then,” he continued, barely breathing the words so there was no chance of being overheard. “And thank you properly when we’re all somewhere else. I’ll even let you decide what counts as thanks; how’s that?”
"I think," she began, pausing momentarily to allow a light scoff to escape her, "that sounds like a promise."
"Just hold on."
He dredged up a wider smile, pulling back to a more polite distance and winking at her.
“Remi’s got nothing on me, just you wait and see.”
Eryk couldn't help the expression on his face. He'd watched them put her back in the machine, and he'd watched it take its toll on her. He wasn't sure how much more she could take before her body buckled beneath the strain of it all. And it was killing him. His chest hurt, the thing inside of it was twisting in ways he didn't know it was capable of doing, and there wasn't anything he could do about it. He wanted to. He wanted to do something about it, but what could he do? He didn't have a plan, he didn't have anyone to go to if they did succeed, however; these were thoughts that he knew he shouldn't have. He'd likely get them all killed rather than somewhere safe.
He wasn't sure if he wanted to risk that.
But looking at her, how much she looked like she was in pain, he wanted to do something about it. She didn't deserve this. She deserved so much more, and he knew they were to blame for her current condition. He most of all, though. He'd led her to believe that he was her friend, that he genuinely cared for her well-being. Perhaps, at first, that's what it was. Nothing more than a facade, a ruse to get her to trust him, however; he didn't intend for all of that to become real. Most of all, he hadn't intended to fall in love with her. He tried to put distance between them, but he found that he sought her company more than anything else.
He'd sought her ought because she made him feel better. She made him feel, and he hated her for it. Hated and loved. He forced himself back to reality, watching as the machine whirred to life. Ana was standing beside him, and it took everything he had to resist the urge to hold her hand. He wanted to comfort her somehow, but he wasn't sure how. He couldn't hold her hand because then he'd give himself up. He'd show he'd been compromised. And he wouldn't let her go. He wouldn't let her go into that damn machine.
"You're rested, I'm sure?" Katia spoke with a strange deference to her tone. Perhaps because Ana was important for this, whatever this was. He managed to spare a glance in Ana's direction, and he felt his heart clenching inside his chest. It hurt to see her like this.
“Yes,” she rasped. They’d put her back in twice more since she arrived back in Cinnabar. Each visit had deteriorated her further. Each period of recovery had helped her less than the one before.
She didn’t look at him. She never did. Perhaps she respected the ruse and tried to go along with it. Maybe she was starting to believe it. Without communicating with her, it was hard to tell.
Ana started to move forward towards the machine, but paused two steps away from him, turning around so that she was facing him again. She looked him in the eye, a searching expression morphing her features. She parted her lips, as if to speak, but seemed to think better of it. Instead, he felt the gentle brush of her mind as she opened a link with his. She kept everything on her end carefully contained; the contact was minimal.
I’m sorry, she said into his thoughts. Even her telepathic voice was weak. This will be the last time I go into the machine. I don’t think I’m going to wake up this time. So… can I ask you to put me in this time? Usually, Katia or one of the technicians actually strapped her into the device.
I want… I’d like it if the last thing I could see would be your face, Eryk. You don't—you don’t have to. Just… the thought trailed off.
Eryk wasn't sure what happened. Perhaps it was the way she said it, or perhaps it was the look on her face, but he knows he felt something akin to being stabbed. It was painful, and it burned. It felt like his insides were on fire, and it was difficult to breathe. The last time? That meant she was going to... something inside of him rebelled at the thought. This wouldn't be the last time. It couldn't be, but he knew better by now than to question her. She knew her own body and sickness better than he did.
Ana, he finally spoke, his voice coming out just as pained as he felt. He wanted to reach up, to touch her face, to hold her hand, to hold her, but he couldn't. Are... are you sure? because he wasn't so sure if he was. He shook his head softly, though, and gave in to the temptation. He lifted her hand softly, and guided her towards the machine. Katia didn't seem too interested in what was happening, though she did look slightly confused as to why she, or someone else, wasn't strapping Ana in. He didn't bother to explain himself. He simply hovered by the machine, keeping her behind him as he stared into it.
"What are you waiting for, Ryk? Put her in," Katia spoke, sounding a little impatient. He gripped Ana's hand a little tighter, but not enough that he was hurting her. He turned to regard Katia, who raised a brow in his direction. If you don't hurry up," she began, narrowing her eyes at him. He responded in kind.
Ana, I'm sorry, though he knew no amount of apologies could ever properly convey how sorry he truly was. This was going to be the last time he saw her. The last time he heard her voice. She would be gone, and he was going to be the one to blame for it. He was going to kill the woman he loved, and he didn't do anything to prevent it. That same rebellion, the one that couldn't accept that she was going to die, swelled in his chest again.
"No," he spoke, turning towards Katia who looked mildly surprised. "I'm not putting her in there, again," he spoke, turning around so that he stood facing Katia. He wasn't going to put Ana back in that machine. Katia looked confused, perhaps rightly so. He didn't even know what he was doing, however; she seemed to catch on.
"I fucking knew it! You asshole! You were comp—what the fuck is this?" she nearly shouted, slapping her hand on the back of her neck. She seemed to pull something out, and turned to glance behind her. "Niav? What... the," she spoke, but her words were coming out slurred. She slumped forward after that, hitting the ground. It was only then that Eryk was able to see her. Cyrilla was standing behind Katia, holding what looked to be a dart of some kind, and two bags of something else.
"Ryk, we don't have much time. We need to get out of here, but I need to go get Kas," she spoke, moving quickly into the room. She handed him a bag, and he took it with his free hand. The other one still had Ana's hand. "The poison in Katia's system will give us at least twenty minutes to get out of here, but not the building. Those in your hand," she spoke, nodding towards the bag. "Those you need to use with caution. If you do use them, keep your mouths covered; you don't want to inhale the spores. They're a mixture of Stun Spore and Sleep Powder," she explained.
"Cy, what's going on?" he spoke, but she shook her head.
"Now isn't the time to ask questions, Ryk. You need to get Ana out of here. Harper and Drake will be waiting outside of the fence for us, but we need to leave now. We don't have much time," she spoke, before turning to leave. He reached out to grab her arm though. She turned her head to gaze at him.
"Be careful," were the only words he could say, and she nodded before disappearing again. He glanced down at Ana, his expression becoming worried. "Ana, can you walk?" he asked. If she couldn't, then he'd have to carry her. It would probably be easier to do that.
“I—” it seemed to take a moment for her to process what was happening, but only that. When she turned to him, her eyes were clear and resolute. “If you can carry me, I can help us both get out of here. Or I can walk, but I won’t be able to do much else, and I might get in the way. It’s… it’s up to you.” Around his hand, her fingers tightened.
Without relinquishing his hold on her hand, he lifted her. "I'm sorry," he spoke again, leaning forward so that his forehead was touching hers. She seemed a little warm, but that was probably because her body was at its limits. "But we need to get you out of here, first," he spoke. With that in mind, he walked in a hurried fashion. He didn't want to move too fast for her, but he couldn't exactly take a normal pace, either. He'd passed down a hallway, but had to press up against a wall when he heard voices on the other side.
"Yeah, but to think," the voice was almost recognizable. He peered around it, and spotted Hayley. She was talking to another Grunt, one he didn't recognize. He was probably part of the group Stefan brought with him. If that were the case... he gently placed Ana down.
"Stay here for a second," he spoke, putting a finger to his lips, motioning for her to remain quiet.
He walked around the corner, and immediately, Hayley straightened up. "Mr. Nero," she greeted. The Grunt she was talking to merely glowered at him, but Eryk didn't care. He only needed one. Without so much as a word to Hayley, or the Grunt, Eryk grabbed the Grunt's head, and forced it into the wall. The sound of something cracking, however, did catch his attention, as well as Hayley's. "Eryk! What did you do?" she nearly yelled, however; Eryk merely gave her the same motion he'd given Ana.
"If you don't want to get involved, Hayley, I suggest you turn a blind eye. If you want to help, then help me get her out of here," he spoke, watching as the emotions flickered over Hayley's face. It looked like it took a moment before she realized who he was talking about. She was, perhaps, one of the only people in the organization he could trust. He could actually trust her. She'd put up with him and his weird ways, and was still here.
"What do you need me to do?" she asked, standing up straight again. He would have smiled, honestly.
"Distract," were the only words he imparted upon her as she nodded. "If they ask," he began, watching as a grin formed on her lips.
"I haven't seen you and Josh here tripped into the wall, hitting his head pretty good," she responded. He tapped her shoulder before walking back towards where Ana was.
"Let's go," he spoke, leaning down to pick her back up. "I won't leave you again," he said softly. "I promise."
“Okay,” she murmured. Her voice was weaker than it should be, but she seemed to be holding up all right for the time being. She looped her arms around his neck, keeping herself in place enough that he could use one of his arms if he really had to.
“There’s two people down the hall to the right,” she said. A glimmer in her eye gave away her use of telepathy. “But the left is clear.” She closed her eyes and leaned her head sideways against him. “I’ll keep watch; I can tell you who’s where if you want me to find anyone specific.”
He shook his head. "Don't," he spoke, shaking his head softly. "Using your powers is going to take its toll on you, and you need to save your strength," he continued. He didn't want her using her powers because it always drained her somehow. Add to the fact that she'd been using her powers recently in an amplified way, and he was certain that she was weaker than she looked. That was saying a lot. Instead, he reached for the side of his belt, feeling for his pokéballs and grabbed two of them. He pushed them both, and watched as Gengar and Mankey appeared.
Gengar, I need you to be a scout. Merge with the shadows and help us get out of here. Use Hypnosis on anyone you come into contact with, he spoke directly to Gengar who seemed more than willing to do so. He was gone just as soon as he'd appeared. Eryk turned his attention to Mankey afterwards. "Mankey, help," were the only words he needed to speak. He was certain Mankey could figure out what was going on, and since he was attached to Ana, he'd be willing to help them escape. Mankey nodded, a strangely serious expression crossing his face.
"Ana, I just... I need you to rest and focus on yourself right now. We're going to get out of here one way or another," of that he was certain of.
“All right.” She seemed willing to acquiesce; perhaps she was simply too exhausted to argue. She kept still in his grip, obviously trying not to make carrying her around any more of a burden than it already was. Ana’s eyes remained shut, but from the way she held herself slightly tense, she was not asleep or otherwise unconscious.
It didn’t take long for Cyrilla to catch up with them again. This time, she had Kas with her. Quite honestly, he looked like shit. There was a large cut scabbing over on his face, from under one of his eyes all the way to his jawbone. He was walking less-than-gracefully, more at a shambling jog than anything. Several wet patches on his dark clothes might have been blood, but it was hard to say at this distance. He wore a smile, though; it faltered a little when he caught sight of Ana.
“What are we looking at?” he asked in a low voice, seeking for Eryk’s strategic understanding of the situation.
It took a minute for Eryk to gather his thoughts. He didn't exactly have a plan, but that didn't mean he couldn't think of one. "We can't go out the front," the reason was obvious enough. They would get caught because that would be the first place they would station guards. They couldn't take any of the back doors, either, because they'd had contingency plans for things like that. There was one other door they could take, though, one that they wouldn't necessarily think to guard. It would require going back through the basement, but he wasn't too sure. Maybe they'd have that guarded, too?
"There's a chance we can make it out of the basement cellar doors. But we'll still need a distraction to even make it down there," he continued, making his voice as low as he could in case there was someone around the corner. He sighed heavily.
"I'll do it," Cyrilla spoke, causing Eryk to furrow his brows. "It'll be easier for me, Ryk. I'm smaller than both of you, and I know the mansion inside out," she continued, trying to convince him. He wasn't.
"Cy, it's too dangerous for you. We all need to get out," he replied, his tone becoming a little harsh. She just smiled at him.
"Ryk, that's a chance I'm willing to take. You need to get Ana out of here, and Kas. I'll be fine, I promise. I have... if it goes bad, at least I have Kenshin and the others to help me out. Just have some faith in me, will you?" she continued, not letting up. "Besides, I have these to help me out, too," she started, lifting the bag that contained the bombs she'd made. He just shook his head.
"Cy," he began. He really didn't want her doing this, but they didn't have much time, either. He chanced a glance towards Kas, before turning his attention back to her. "Just be careful, will you?" because he wasn't sure if he could handle losing her, too.
Kas looked as unhappy with the plan as Eryk felt, but he didn’t protest, at least not directly. Instead, he took hold of Cy’s arm as she moved past him, halting her in her tracks and leaning down. Their lips met, briefly and on Kas’s part even a bit desperately. He pulled back a little, swallowing thickly.
“Don’t forget you’ve got a promise to collect on,” he said. “I’ll be waiting.” He released her, sighing and turning his attention to Eryk and the shallowly-breathing Ana.
“Let’s go. The faster we are, the less time she spends in danger.”
Eryk wasn't going to protest.
He wasn't sure if he wanted to risk that.
But looking at her, how much she looked like she was in pain, he wanted to do something about it. She didn't deserve this. She deserved so much more, and he knew they were to blame for her current condition. He most of all, though. He'd led her to believe that he was her friend, that he genuinely cared for her well-being. Perhaps, at first, that's what it was. Nothing more than a facade, a ruse to get her to trust him, however; he didn't intend for all of that to become real. Most of all, he hadn't intended to fall in love with her. He tried to put distance between them, but he found that he sought her company more than anything else.
He'd sought her ought because she made him feel better. She made him feel, and he hated her for it. Hated and loved. He forced himself back to reality, watching as the machine whirred to life. Ana was standing beside him, and it took everything he had to resist the urge to hold her hand. He wanted to comfort her somehow, but he wasn't sure how. He couldn't hold her hand because then he'd give himself up. He'd show he'd been compromised. And he wouldn't let her go. He wouldn't let her go into that damn machine.
"You're rested, I'm sure?" Katia spoke with a strange deference to her tone. Perhaps because Ana was important for this, whatever this was. He managed to spare a glance in Ana's direction, and he felt his heart clenching inside his chest. It hurt to see her like this.
“Yes,” she rasped. They’d put her back in twice more since she arrived back in Cinnabar. Each visit had deteriorated her further. Each period of recovery had helped her less than the one before.
She didn’t look at him. She never did. Perhaps she respected the ruse and tried to go along with it. Maybe she was starting to believe it. Without communicating with her, it was hard to tell.
Ana started to move forward towards the machine, but paused two steps away from him, turning around so that she was facing him again. She looked him in the eye, a searching expression morphing her features. She parted her lips, as if to speak, but seemed to think better of it. Instead, he felt the gentle brush of her mind as she opened a link with his. She kept everything on her end carefully contained; the contact was minimal.
I’m sorry, she said into his thoughts. Even her telepathic voice was weak. This will be the last time I go into the machine. I don’t think I’m going to wake up this time. So… can I ask you to put me in this time? Usually, Katia or one of the technicians actually strapped her into the device.
I want… I’d like it if the last thing I could see would be your face, Eryk. You don't—you don’t have to. Just… the thought trailed off.
Eryk wasn't sure what happened. Perhaps it was the way she said it, or perhaps it was the look on her face, but he knows he felt something akin to being stabbed. It was painful, and it burned. It felt like his insides were on fire, and it was difficult to breathe. The last time? That meant she was going to... something inside of him rebelled at the thought. This wouldn't be the last time. It couldn't be, but he knew better by now than to question her. She knew her own body and sickness better than he did.
Ana, he finally spoke, his voice coming out just as pained as he felt. He wanted to reach up, to touch her face, to hold her hand, to hold her, but he couldn't. Are... are you sure? because he wasn't so sure if he was. He shook his head softly, though, and gave in to the temptation. He lifted her hand softly, and guided her towards the machine. Katia didn't seem too interested in what was happening, though she did look slightly confused as to why she, or someone else, wasn't strapping Ana in. He didn't bother to explain himself. He simply hovered by the machine, keeping her behind him as he stared into it.
"What are you waiting for, Ryk? Put her in," Katia spoke, sounding a little impatient. He gripped Ana's hand a little tighter, but not enough that he was hurting her. He turned to regard Katia, who raised a brow in his direction. If you don't hurry up," she began, narrowing her eyes at him. He responded in kind.
Ana, I'm sorry, though he knew no amount of apologies could ever properly convey how sorry he truly was. This was going to be the last time he saw her. The last time he heard her voice. She would be gone, and he was going to be the one to blame for it. He was going to kill the woman he loved, and he didn't do anything to prevent it. That same rebellion, the one that couldn't accept that she was going to die, swelled in his chest again.
"No," he spoke, turning towards Katia who looked mildly surprised. "I'm not putting her in there, again," he spoke, turning around so that he stood facing Katia. He wasn't going to put Ana back in that machine. Katia looked confused, perhaps rightly so. He didn't even know what he was doing, however; she seemed to catch on.
"I fucking knew it! You asshole! You were comp—what the fuck is this?" she nearly shouted, slapping her hand on the back of her neck. She seemed to pull something out, and turned to glance behind her. "Niav? What... the," she spoke, but her words were coming out slurred. She slumped forward after that, hitting the ground. It was only then that Eryk was able to see her. Cyrilla was standing behind Katia, holding what looked to be a dart of some kind, and two bags of something else.
"Ryk, we don't have much time. We need to get out of here, but I need to go get Kas," she spoke, moving quickly into the room. She handed him a bag, and he took it with his free hand. The other one still had Ana's hand. "The poison in Katia's system will give us at least twenty minutes to get out of here, but not the building. Those in your hand," she spoke, nodding towards the bag. "Those you need to use with caution. If you do use them, keep your mouths covered; you don't want to inhale the spores. They're a mixture of Stun Spore and Sleep Powder," she explained.
"Cy, what's going on?" he spoke, but she shook her head.
"Now isn't the time to ask questions, Ryk. You need to get Ana out of here. Harper and Drake will be waiting outside of the fence for us, but we need to leave now. We don't have much time," she spoke, before turning to leave. He reached out to grab her arm though. She turned her head to gaze at him.
"Be careful," were the only words he could say, and she nodded before disappearing again. He glanced down at Ana, his expression becoming worried. "Ana, can you walk?" he asked. If she couldn't, then he'd have to carry her. It would probably be easier to do that.
“I—” it seemed to take a moment for her to process what was happening, but only that. When she turned to him, her eyes were clear and resolute. “If you can carry me, I can help us both get out of here. Or I can walk, but I won’t be able to do much else, and I might get in the way. It’s… it’s up to you.” Around his hand, her fingers tightened.
Without relinquishing his hold on her hand, he lifted her. "I'm sorry," he spoke again, leaning forward so that his forehead was touching hers. She seemed a little warm, but that was probably because her body was at its limits. "But we need to get you out of here, first," he spoke. With that in mind, he walked in a hurried fashion. He didn't want to move too fast for her, but he couldn't exactly take a normal pace, either. He'd passed down a hallway, but had to press up against a wall when he heard voices on the other side.
"Yeah, but to think," the voice was almost recognizable. He peered around it, and spotted Hayley. She was talking to another Grunt, one he didn't recognize. He was probably part of the group Stefan brought with him. If that were the case... he gently placed Ana down.
"Stay here for a second," he spoke, putting a finger to his lips, motioning for her to remain quiet.
He walked around the corner, and immediately, Hayley straightened up. "Mr. Nero," she greeted. The Grunt she was talking to merely glowered at him, but Eryk didn't care. He only needed one. Without so much as a word to Hayley, or the Grunt, Eryk grabbed the Grunt's head, and forced it into the wall. The sound of something cracking, however, did catch his attention, as well as Hayley's. "Eryk! What did you do?" she nearly yelled, however; Eryk merely gave her the same motion he'd given Ana.
"If you don't want to get involved, Hayley, I suggest you turn a blind eye. If you want to help, then help me get her out of here," he spoke, watching as the emotions flickered over Hayley's face. It looked like it took a moment before she realized who he was talking about. She was, perhaps, one of the only people in the organization he could trust. He could actually trust her. She'd put up with him and his weird ways, and was still here.
"What do you need me to do?" she asked, standing up straight again. He would have smiled, honestly.
"Distract," were the only words he imparted upon her as she nodded. "If they ask," he began, watching as a grin formed on her lips.
"I haven't seen you and Josh here tripped into the wall, hitting his head pretty good," she responded. He tapped her shoulder before walking back towards where Ana was.
"Let's go," he spoke, leaning down to pick her back up. "I won't leave you again," he said softly. "I promise."
“Okay,” she murmured. Her voice was weaker than it should be, but she seemed to be holding up all right for the time being. She looped her arms around his neck, keeping herself in place enough that he could use one of his arms if he really had to.
“There’s two people down the hall to the right,” she said. A glimmer in her eye gave away her use of telepathy. “But the left is clear.” She closed her eyes and leaned her head sideways against him. “I’ll keep watch; I can tell you who’s where if you want me to find anyone specific.”
He shook his head. "Don't," he spoke, shaking his head softly. "Using your powers is going to take its toll on you, and you need to save your strength," he continued. He didn't want her using her powers because it always drained her somehow. Add to the fact that she'd been using her powers recently in an amplified way, and he was certain that she was weaker than she looked. That was saying a lot. Instead, he reached for the side of his belt, feeling for his pokéballs and grabbed two of them. He pushed them both, and watched as Gengar and Mankey appeared.
Gengar, I need you to be a scout. Merge with the shadows and help us get out of here. Use Hypnosis on anyone you come into contact with, he spoke directly to Gengar who seemed more than willing to do so. He was gone just as soon as he'd appeared. Eryk turned his attention to Mankey afterwards. "Mankey, help," were the only words he needed to speak. He was certain Mankey could figure out what was going on, and since he was attached to Ana, he'd be willing to help them escape. Mankey nodded, a strangely serious expression crossing his face.
"Ana, I just... I need you to rest and focus on yourself right now. We're going to get out of here one way or another," of that he was certain of.
“All right.” She seemed willing to acquiesce; perhaps she was simply too exhausted to argue. She kept still in his grip, obviously trying not to make carrying her around any more of a burden than it already was. Ana’s eyes remained shut, but from the way she held herself slightly tense, she was not asleep or otherwise unconscious.
It didn’t take long for Cyrilla to catch up with them again. This time, she had Kas with her. Quite honestly, he looked like shit. There was a large cut scabbing over on his face, from under one of his eyes all the way to his jawbone. He was walking less-than-gracefully, more at a shambling jog than anything. Several wet patches on his dark clothes might have been blood, but it was hard to say at this distance. He wore a smile, though; it faltered a little when he caught sight of Ana.
“What are we looking at?” he asked in a low voice, seeking for Eryk’s strategic understanding of the situation.
It took a minute for Eryk to gather his thoughts. He didn't exactly have a plan, but that didn't mean he couldn't think of one. "We can't go out the front," the reason was obvious enough. They would get caught because that would be the first place they would station guards. They couldn't take any of the back doors, either, because they'd had contingency plans for things like that. There was one other door they could take, though, one that they wouldn't necessarily think to guard. It would require going back through the basement, but he wasn't too sure. Maybe they'd have that guarded, too?
"There's a chance we can make it out of the basement cellar doors. But we'll still need a distraction to even make it down there," he continued, making his voice as low as he could in case there was someone around the corner. He sighed heavily.
"I'll do it," Cyrilla spoke, causing Eryk to furrow his brows. "It'll be easier for me, Ryk. I'm smaller than both of you, and I know the mansion inside out," she continued, trying to convince him. He wasn't.
"Cy, it's too dangerous for you. We all need to get out," he replied, his tone becoming a little harsh. She just smiled at him.
"Ryk, that's a chance I'm willing to take. You need to get Ana out of here, and Kas. I'll be fine, I promise. I have... if it goes bad, at least I have Kenshin and the others to help me out. Just have some faith in me, will you?" she continued, not letting up. "Besides, I have these to help me out, too," she started, lifting the bag that contained the bombs she'd made. He just shook his head.
"Cy," he began. He really didn't want her doing this, but they didn't have much time, either. He chanced a glance towards Kas, before turning his attention back to her. "Just be careful, will you?" because he wasn't sure if he could handle losing her, too.
Kas looked as unhappy with the plan as Eryk felt, but he didn’t protest, at least not directly. Instead, he took hold of Cy’s arm as she moved past him, halting her in her tracks and leaning down. Their lips met, briefly and on Kas’s part even a bit desperately. He pulled back a little, swallowing thickly.
“Don’t forget you’ve got a promise to collect on,” he said. “I’ll be waiting.” He released her, sighing and turning his attention to Eryk and the shallowly-breathing Ana.
“Let’s go. The faster we are, the less time she spends in danger.”
Eryk wasn't going to protest.
Jogging back down the way they’d come to the basement was not easy on Kas. Several of his ribs were bruised, he was bleeding from more than one open wound. There was a fair amount of other, more minor damage, but the splitting headache might have actually been the worst. It made thinking difficult.
Scratch that—the worst was not knowing how Cyrilla was doing. If he’d been in any shape to help, he would have, but as it was, he’d only slow her down. Still… there was one thing he could do. As soon as they hit the basement, he veered right. “Let’s get to the server room. I’ve got a virus I can put in really quick; it’ll knock out the cameras so they can’t track her.”
Eryk hesitated for a moment, but he followed after Kas. He shifted his hold on Ana, to make sure she was comfortable, perhaps. He was worried about her well-being; that was easy to read on his face. "How long will it take?" he asked, his voice soft, probably as to not disturb Ana. Before he could do anything else, Gengar appeared, and seemed to stare at Eryk. He was probably relaying a message. Eryk nodded his head, and watched as Gengar disappeared again.
"He's going to stand out as guard," he spoke, glancing towards Kas. "He'll give us a heads up if anyone comes."
“Not more than a minute,” Kas said, belatedly replying to the question. The virus was already prepped and on a flash drive they hadn’t taken from him. All he’d have to do was put it on the computer in the server room. He wasn’t interested in copying their data this time, only destroying it.
While Gengar stood guard, they ducked into the cool, dry room. Assorted electronic paraphernalia testified to the effort they’d spent to fix what he’d done the last time; this would be distinctly more hostile—the virus would be able to transmit itself to severs elsewhere as soon as someone hooked one of those machines up to this one for a data restore. If he was lucky, he’d have the whole network down in a week or so.
Kas plugged the USB into the laptop. “I need your login credentials, Ryk. My password doesn’t work anymore. What’s yours?”
"Anastasia."
He didn't even hesitate to speak the name. He must have changed it over the past few months. He kept glancing back and forth between Ana and Kas, shaking his head slightly. He must have been growing anxious.
Honestly, that would have been Kas’s guess. It wasn’t a particularly secure password, for anyone that knew him, but it was sweet. “Got it,” he said, successfully logging in.
The virus was made to be deployed with only a few keystrokes. Kas did so, then straightened from the desk. There wasn’t enough time to stay and made sure the process completed; they’d just have to take what they could get. The cameras would be the first thing to go, replaced by a crude loop of footage. Not ideal, considering how much running around was happening, but it might take anyone in the monitor room at least a little while longer to notice than if everything just went dark.
“All right. Let’s make for the door. This’ll take care of itself.”
Eryk nodded his head. He seemed just as ready to get out as everyone else. "Let's go," he seemed to echo, and made for the door. With his free hand, he opened it, and stuck his head out for a moment. He glanced back and forth, and nodded his head. "We're clear," he spoke, opening the door wider so that they could all step out. Once they were, they continued down the hall, however; a pair of footsteps caused Eryk to pause. He glanced towards Kas, and then towards the source. It was apparent that he was going to do something to whoever it was, however; the voice that called out, caused him to relax.
"It's just me," Cyrilla spoke softly, stopping to catch her breath, it seemed. "I managed to get them to the left wing of the mansion, but it'll only buy us a few more minutes," she continued.
We set up a trap that will set off a few of the distraction bombs on that side, Kenshin spoke. He was the second pair of footsteps. He glanced at all four of them, and his brows furrowed.
"That's all we need, is a few more minutes," Eryk replied, and glanced towards Kas. "Let's keep going."
Kas nodded, turning them down a less-used hallway. They’d be unlikely to run into anyone new down this way, rather than by taking the direct route to the basement escape route.
Unfortunately, someone stepped into the hallway in front of them, turning his head immediately in their direction. Aidan’s eyes widened slightly. Next to him, his manectric bristled, but he didn’t immediately order an attack. Kas tensed. Eryk’s hands were full, Cy probably wouldn’t beat him in a direct fight, and he was in shitty shape. Their chances didn’t look good, even before considering how good he was as a trainer.
His eyes flicked down to Ana for a moment, then over to Kas himself. He sighed heavily.
“I’m gonna go search the sever room,” he said aloud, as though to no one in particular. “I guess they didn’t come down this way.” Nodding his head to the group of them, he moved back the way he’d come.
“Huh. Wasn’t expecting that.”
"I don't think anyone was," Eryk replied, looking mildly surprised.
"You don't give him enough credit," Cyrilla spoke softly. "He's... no different than you, Ryk. It's just... let's keep going," she spoke, shaking her head. Eryk only nodded his head.
"We're almost there," he replied. They continued down the hall, only occasionally pausing to make sure no one else would appear. It only took them another five minutes before they reached the door they needed to exit, however; what greeted them wasn't entirely what they were expecting.
"Well, look what we have here, the pidoves are trying to escape," Remi spoke, using the same malicious tone she'd used during the first battle with Cyrilla. "I'm not so sure Stefy would like that," she continued, twirling a pokéball in her hand. She seemed uninterested in the fact, though, but the smile remained. "Shall we see if I can convince you to stay?" she spoke, bringing the ball to a stop, and closed her fist over it. Runt was already out of his pokéball. He seemed almost as anxious as she was, however; she was still grinning.
Dammit.
Of all the people to run into here, Remi was probably the least reasonable. Kas and Ana had no pokémon with them at all, so the help they’d be able to be in a battle was limited. Though… no one said the battle had to stick to pokémon. He might be battered, but he still knew what he was doing.
There wasn’t any point in trying to negotiate with her, though. Remi wasn’t like the others—she wasn’t reasonable. She just did whatever the fuck she wanted without caring about the organization’s goals, and the boss kept her around because she was strong and Aidan and Katia could keep her in line most of the time. Unfortunately, neither of them were here right now, though he wasn’t sure it would have been better if they were.
In Ryk’s arms, Ana stirred. Cracking her eyes open, she took in the situation quickly, from the look of things.
“Get out of the way, Remi,” Kas said slowly, hoping against hope that maybe her whimsical nature would decide their escape was too boring for her.
She laughed. "No can do, sweetheart. Stefy wants you both, and it's my job to make sure you stay. Now, we can do this the easy way, or, as I'd prefer, we can do it the hard way," she replied, the grin on her face stretching further. It looked like it was going to split her face if she kept going.
"You're not going to stop us, Remi," Eryk replied, his gaze narrowing into a dangerous glare. She didn't seeme fazed by it, and perhaps nothing really fazed her. She just shrugged her shoulders.
"As much as I'd like to say you're right, I can't. I am going to stop you, and there's nothing you can do about it. Besides, I didn't get to have my fun, yet, with that one," she spoke, turning her attention back to Kas.
Overhead, the lights flickered. Not far behind Remi, a pipe or something in the wall exploded, dousing her and her pokémon in what looked like extremely dirty water. It seeped onto the floor in greenish puddles.
The cause of the disturbance wasn’t immediately obvious, but it got much clearer when he chanced a glance in Ryk’s direction. Ana was rigid in his arms, her hair standing on end out to the sides. Her eyes were impossibly-bright blue; the door itself blew off its hinges with a bang, one of the heavy steel plates nearly hitting the tyrantrum in the side. It wasn’t clear to Kas how much control Ana had over what was happening, but at the very least, she was causing it.
“Let us go,” she repeated, turning her eyes on the pokémon. As big as he was, his feet left the ground, leaving him dangling helplessly a few feet off the ground.
“Now.”
"Oh, look Runt, you can fly!" Remi spoke, seemingly a little awed by the phenomenon. She didn't seem too worried about her own pokémon, though. Runt seemed a little uneasy, but he remained as he was. "Aren't you precious. Now I see why Stefy definitely wants to keep you. And here I thought it was for perverted old man stuff," she replied. She didn't even seem fazed by the fact that she was doused in dirty water. She rang some of it out of her hair, and wiped her face.
"Like I said, no can do, sweetheart. You're just killing yourself faster. Do you really want to die, after they're risking so much for you, here?" she spoke, the grin still on her face. Eryk looked like his jaw clenched tightly, but he didn't say anything. If Ana was exerting her power like this, she was likely straining herself, and that worried Eryk, or at least it looked like it did.
"Ana, don't hurt yourself," he spoke softly, the concern laced in his voice. Cyrilla looked just as worried, and Kenshin let loose a low growl in Remi's direction.
“If she won’t let us past,” Ana replied, furrowing her brows in concentration, “then we have to go through.” She floated the tyrantrum off to one side. Not a second later, Remi herself was wrapped in the same blue energy and hauled off her feet as well. The lift was definitely not as smooth as the last one, though Ana was clearly making effort not to hurt anyone.
“Ryk, we’ve gotta go,” Kas said, starting for the wide-open door.
Ana’s nose was bleeding again.
Eryk nodded his head, and followed after Kas, with Cyrilla and Kenshin behind them. They made it past Remi, however; Kenshin stopped. It caused Cyrilla to stop to, and gave him a questioning look. "Kenny, what are you doing? We need to go, now," she spoke, causing him to shake his head.
She's going to follow after us once she's free, he spoke to them, and something flickered across his face.
"We can make it, Kenny. Let's go," she spoke, but he just shook his head.
Kas stopped between Cy and Ryk. He was halfway to agreeing with Cyrilla when Ana made a small noise of distress and went slack in Ryk’s arms. Remi and her pokémon both dropped abruptly to the ground.
Shit.
Scratch that—the worst was not knowing how Cyrilla was doing. If he’d been in any shape to help, he would have, but as it was, he’d only slow her down. Still… there was one thing he could do. As soon as they hit the basement, he veered right. “Let’s get to the server room. I’ve got a virus I can put in really quick; it’ll knock out the cameras so they can’t track her.”
Eryk hesitated for a moment, but he followed after Kas. He shifted his hold on Ana, to make sure she was comfortable, perhaps. He was worried about her well-being; that was easy to read on his face. "How long will it take?" he asked, his voice soft, probably as to not disturb Ana. Before he could do anything else, Gengar appeared, and seemed to stare at Eryk. He was probably relaying a message. Eryk nodded his head, and watched as Gengar disappeared again.
"He's going to stand out as guard," he spoke, glancing towards Kas. "He'll give us a heads up if anyone comes."
“Not more than a minute,” Kas said, belatedly replying to the question. The virus was already prepped and on a flash drive they hadn’t taken from him. All he’d have to do was put it on the computer in the server room. He wasn’t interested in copying their data this time, only destroying it.
While Gengar stood guard, they ducked into the cool, dry room. Assorted electronic paraphernalia testified to the effort they’d spent to fix what he’d done the last time; this would be distinctly more hostile—the virus would be able to transmit itself to severs elsewhere as soon as someone hooked one of those machines up to this one for a data restore. If he was lucky, he’d have the whole network down in a week or so.
Kas plugged the USB into the laptop. “I need your login credentials, Ryk. My password doesn’t work anymore. What’s yours?”
"Anastasia."
He didn't even hesitate to speak the name. He must have changed it over the past few months. He kept glancing back and forth between Ana and Kas, shaking his head slightly. He must have been growing anxious.
Honestly, that would have been Kas’s guess. It wasn’t a particularly secure password, for anyone that knew him, but it was sweet. “Got it,” he said, successfully logging in.
The virus was made to be deployed with only a few keystrokes. Kas did so, then straightened from the desk. There wasn’t enough time to stay and made sure the process completed; they’d just have to take what they could get. The cameras would be the first thing to go, replaced by a crude loop of footage. Not ideal, considering how much running around was happening, but it might take anyone in the monitor room at least a little while longer to notice than if everything just went dark.
“All right. Let’s make for the door. This’ll take care of itself.”
Eryk nodded his head. He seemed just as ready to get out as everyone else. "Let's go," he seemed to echo, and made for the door. With his free hand, he opened it, and stuck his head out for a moment. He glanced back and forth, and nodded his head. "We're clear," he spoke, opening the door wider so that they could all step out. Once they were, they continued down the hall, however; a pair of footsteps caused Eryk to pause. He glanced towards Kas, and then towards the source. It was apparent that he was going to do something to whoever it was, however; the voice that called out, caused him to relax.
"It's just me," Cyrilla spoke softly, stopping to catch her breath, it seemed. "I managed to get them to the left wing of the mansion, but it'll only buy us a few more minutes," she continued.
We set up a trap that will set off a few of the distraction bombs on that side, Kenshin spoke. He was the second pair of footsteps. He glanced at all four of them, and his brows furrowed.
"That's all we need, is a few more minutes," Eryk replied, and glanced towards Kas. "Let's keep going."
Kas nodded, turning them down a less-used hallway. They’d be unlikely to run into anyone new down this way, rather than by taking the direct route to the basement escape route.
Unfortunately, someone stepped into the hallway in front of them, turning his head immediately in their direction. Aidan’s eyes widened slightly. Next to him, his manectric bristled, but he didn’t immediately order an attack. Kas tensed. Eryk’s hands were full, Cy probably wouldn’t beat him in a direct fight, and he was in shitty shape. Their chances didn’t look good, even before considering how good he was as a trainer.
His eyes flicked down to Ana for a moment, then over to Kas himself. He sighed heavily.
“I’m gonna go search the sever room,” he said aloud, as though to no one in particular. “I guess they didn’t come down this way.” Nodding his head to the group of them, he moved back the way he’d come.
“Huh. Wasn’t expecting that.”
"I don't think anyone was," Eryk replied, looking mildly surprised.
"You don't give him enough credit," Cyrilla spoke softly. "He's... no different than you, Ryk. It's just... let's keep going," she spoke, shaking her head. Eryk only nodded his head.
"We're almost there," he replied. They continued down the hall, only occasionally pausing to make sure no one else would appear. It only took them another five minutes before they reached the door they needed to exit, however; what greeted them wasn't entirely what they were expecting.
"Well, look what we have here, the pidoves are trying to escape," Remi spoke, using the same malicious tone she'd used during the first battle with Cyrilla. "I'm not so sure Stefy would like that," she continued, twirling a pokéball in her hand. She seemed uninterested in the fact, though, but the smile remained. "Shall we see if I can convince you to stay?" she spoke, bringing the ball to a stop, and closed her fist over it. Runt was already out of his pokéball. He seemed almost as anxious as she was, however; she was still grinning.
Dammit.
Of all the people to run into here, Remi was probably the least reasonable. Kas and Ana had no pokémon with them at all, so the help they’d be able to be in a battle was limited. Though… no one said the battle had to stick to pokémon. He might be battered, but he still knew what he was doing.
There wasn’t any point in trying to negotiate with her, though. Remi wasn’t like the others—she wasn’t reasonable. She just did whatever the fuck she wanted without caring about the organization’s goals, and the boss kept her around because she was strong and Aidan and Katia could keep her in line most of the time. Unfortunately, neither of them were here right now, though he wasn’t sure it would have been better if they were.
In Ryk’s arms, Ana stirred. Cracking her eyes open, she took in the situation quickly, from the look of things.
“Get out of the way, Remi,” Kas said slowly, hoping against hope that maybe her whimsical nature would decide their escape was too boring for her.
She laughed. "No can do, sweetheart. Stefy wants you both, and it's my job to make sure you stay. Now, we can do this the easy way, or, as I'd prefer, we can do it the hard way," she replied, the grin on her face stretching further. It looked like it was going to split her face if she kept going.
"You're not going to stop us, Remi," Eryk replied, his gaze narrowing into a dangerous glare. She didn't seeme fazed by it, and perhaps nothing really fazed her. She just shrugged her shoulders.
"As much as I'd like to say you're right, I can't. I am going to stop you, and there's nothing you can do about it. Besides, I didn't get to have my fun, yet, with that one," she spoke, turning her attention back to Kas.
Overhead, the lights flickered. Not far behind Remi, a pipe or something in the wall exploded, dousing her and her pokémon in what looked like extremely dirty water. It seeped onto the floor in greenish puddles.
The cause of the disturbance wasn’t immediately obvious, but it got much clearer when he chanced a glance in Ryk’s direction. Ana was rigid in his arms, her hair standing on end out to the sides. Her eyes were impossibly-bright blue; the door itself blew off its hinges with a bang, one of the heavy steel plates nearly hitting the tyrantrum in the side. It wasn’t clear to Kas how much control Ana had over what was happening, but at the very least, she was causing it.
“Let us go,” she repeated, turning her eyes on the pokémon. As big as he was, his feet left the ground, leaving him dangling helplessly a few feet off the ground.
“Now.”
"Oh, look Runt, you can fly!" Remi spoke, seemingly a little awed by the phenomenon. She didn't seem too worried about her own pokémon, though. Runt seemed a little uneasy, but he remained as he was. "Aren't you precious. Now I see why Stefy definitely wants to keep you. And here I thought it was for perverted old man stuff," she replied. She didn't even seem fazed by the fact that she was doused in dirty water. She rang some of it out of her hair, and wiped her face.
"Like I said, no can do, sweetheart. You're just killing yourself faster. Do you really want to die, after they're risking so much for you, here?" she spoke, the grin still on her face. Eryk looked like his jaw clenched tightly, but he didn't say anything. If Ana was exerting her power like this, she was likely straining herself, and that worried Eryk, or at least it looked like it did.
"Ana, don't hurt yourself," he spoke softly, the concern laced in his voice. Cyrilla looked just as worried, and Kenshin let loose a low growl in Remi's direction.
“If she won’t let us past,” Ana replied, furrowing her brows in concentration, “then we have to go through.” She floated the tyrantrum off to one side. Not a second later, Remi herself was wrapped in the same blue energy and hauled off her feet as well. The lift was definitely not as smooth as the last one, though Ana was clearly making effort not to hurt anyone.
“Ryk, we’ve gotta go,” Kas said, starting for the wide-open door.
Ana’s nose was bleeding again.
Eryk nodded his head, and followed after Kas, with Cyrilla and Kenshin behind them. They made it past Remi, however; Kenshin stopped. It caused Cyrilla to stop to, and gave him a questioning look. "Kenny, what are you doing? We need to go, now," she spoke, causing him to shake his head.
She's going to follow after us once she's free, he spoke to them, and something flickered across his face.
"We can make it, Kenny. Let's go," she spoke, but he just shook his head.
Kas stopped between Cy and Ryk. He was halfway to agreeing with Cyrilla when Ana made a small noise of distress and went slack in Ryk’s arms. Remi and her pokémon both dropped abruptly to the ground.
Shit.
Kenshin glanced towards Cyrilla and the others, feeling the knot growing in his stomach. Remi wasn't going to let them leave, and they all knew that. Kenshin sighed softly, and he could almost hear the plea in Cyrilla's stare. He couldn't battle, not anymore. But this... they had to do something; he had to do something. Ana was going to hurt herself, the others would get caught, and he couldn't have that. He glanced towards the four of them.
Take care of her, he spoke to Kas and Eryk only, watching as Eryk's jaw tightened considerably. He looked like he wanted to say something, but he didn't. He only nodded his head. Kenshin turned his attention to Cyrilla next, and stared at her. I'm sorry, Cy, he spoke to her, turning his head towards Kas. She's... not going to like this, Kas. I... need you to take her and make sure she doesn't try anything, he spoke directly to Kas. Cyrilla just looked confused.
He could see it, though, the way the fear and pain lit behind her eyes. She was calling out to him, desparately trying to get him to come to her. But he couldn't. He had to do this, if only to give them enough time to escape. It wasn't her fault, and he would never blame her for it. He smiled. She was a good person, up until the end, and he hoped one day she would be able to continue seeing that. He could only hope, though, that she didn't blame herself for this. This would be the one gift he could give her, at his own expense, because he believed in his trainer. And he loved her. He could hear her pleading to him not to do this, but he shook his head. Time was precious, and he glanced in their direction.
Kas grimaced. “I promise,” he said quietly. Reaching forward, he took Cy’s arm in a gentle grip.
“Cyrilla. We have to go.” He looked like he didn’t want to force her, and his voice was remarkably soft. But he still tugged on her, trying to prompt her into following him under her own power.
Kenshin smiled softly. "I can't leave him behind, Kas. Kenshin, please! Don't do this," she pleaded with him. He shook his head, though. He couldn't go with them, because if he did, they wouldn't be able to escape. He had to give them time. Enough time so that they could at least get out and get somewhere safe. "Let me go, Kas! I need to get to him. Kenshin!" she was desparate now, and he could hear it in her voice. He turned and gave her a solemn smile. That's all he ever wanted, was for her to be safe.
Goodbye, Cyrilla, he spoke to her, and only her. She stopped, and her eyes widened. He could see the tears falling freely now. He hated seeing her like that, but he supposed it was only natural that the last time he'd see his trainer would be when she's in pain. He smiled sadly, and turned his back towards them. He couldn't look at her now. He made his mind up, and this was something he needed... wanted to do. It would kill him, of that he was certain. But death did not frighten him. No, not death. The thing he feared most was losing his trainer, his Cyrilla, and he would never forgive himself if that happened.
You have a promise to keep, Kas, he said softly, and took a deep breath.
“I’m sorry, Cy,” Kas said, throwing her over his shoulder with a grunt. “But we can’t stay, and he won’t leave.” Carrying her, especially when she didn’t want to be carried, couldn’t have been easy on him, battered and bloody as he was. But he did it anyway, turning to follow Ryk and Ana to through the exit and to the outside.
The smile he gave them as they retreated was sad, but happy. They would be safe. The tyrantrum in front of him only glowered at him, and he could see the malicious look behind Remi's eyes. Of course it would be her, and that damn tyrantrum. A sudden image popped into his head, one of a small white-haired child smiling brightly at him when he was still a Riolu. She had offered her hand towards him, and he merely huffed at it, glancing away as if he were too good for it. He smiled softly at that memory. Another memory appeared, this time of a young girl on the verge of tears as blood trailed down her chin. He frowned. He remembered that day. He opened his eyes, having realized that he'd closed them, and stood in a defensive stance. He remembered the days after, too. The one at the lake; the one during Eryk's birthday; the day of Crystal's wedding; the moment he tore up the papers.
Perhaps there was some truth to when the humans said 'Your life flashes before your eyes,' before they died. Cyrilla would be in pain. She would probably curse him for leaving her, but he couldn't bring himself to care. All that mattered was that she was going to be safe, her friends would be safe, and that this decision was his to make. He could hear her screaming still, and the sounds of their footsteps faded behind him. He was sorry for doing this to her, but he wanted to protect her. She was important to him, and as a result, the people who were important to her were also important to him. He would give them enough time to escape safely, and he could hold off Remi and her tyrantrum just long enough before she...
He smiled.
One last memory flashed into his mind. It was of a young woman in love, smiling so brightly at him that he felt like he was being blinded by the sun. She was so happy. That was the face he wanted to remember. The face of his trainer so happy that he had no regrets. He was at peace. He steeled himself, his eyes hardening as he stared down Runt. Remi threw her arm out, ordering Runt to attack, but Kenshin was prepared this time. He would stop them both, and he would save his trainer. He could do that much.
He could ignore the pain in his body as he moved, dodging with everything he had. He could ignore the pain as Runt thrashed his tail at him, throwing him against the wall. He could ignore the pain as the tyrantrum charged, crushing him beneath his foot. He could ignore the pain in his body as he struggled to get up. He could ignore the pain as Runt pushed him further into the ground, the bones in his body snapping as a result and piercing organs with the pressure. He could ignore the pain that shot through him as he could feel warm liquid coating his mouth. He smiled softly. He pulled in one last breath, and closed his eyes. He could ignore the pain just long enough, to whisper a final goodbye.
And he breathed no more.
Take care of her, he spoke to Kas and Eryk only, watching as Eryk's jaw tightened considerably. He looked like he wanted to say something, but he didn't. He only nodded his head. Kenshin turned his attention to Cyrilla next, and stared at her. I'm sorry, Cy, he spoke to her, turning his head towards Kas. She's... not going to like this, Kas. I... need you to take her and make sure she doesn't try anything, he spoke directly to Kas. Cyrilla just looked confused.
He could see it, though, the way the fear and pain lit behind her eyes. She was calling out to him, desparately trying to get him to come to her. But he couldn't. He had to do this, if only to give them enough time to escape. It wasn't her fault, and he would never blame her for it. He smiled. She was a good person, up until the end, and he hoped one day she would be able to continue seeing that. He could only hope, though, that she didn't blame herself for this. This would be the one gift he could give her, at his own expense, because he believed in his trainer. And he loved her. He could hear her pleading to him not to do this, but he shook his head. Time was precious, and he glanced in their direction.
Kas grimaced. “I promise,” he said quietly. Reaching forward, he took Cy’s arm in a gentle grip.
“Cyrilla. We have to go.” He looked like he didn’t want to force her, and his voice was remarkably soft. But he still tugged on her, trying to prompt her into following him under her own power.
Kenshin smiled softly. "I can't leave him behind, Kas. Kenshin, please! Don't do this," she pleaded with him. He shook his head, though. He couldn't go with them, because if he did, they wouldn't be able to escape. He had to give them time. Enough time so that they could at least get out and get somewhere safe. "Let me go, Kas! I need to get to him. Kenshin!" she was desparate now, and he could hear it in her voice. He turned and gave her a solemn smile. That's all he ever wanted, was for her to be safe.
Goodbye, Cyrilla, he spoke to her, and only her. She stopped, and her eyes widened. He could see the tears falling freely now. He hated seeing her like that, but he supposed it was only natural that the last time he'd see his trainer would be when she's in pain. He smiled sadly, and turned his back towards them. He couldn't look at her now. He made his mind up, and this was something he needed... wanted to do. It would kill him, of that he was certain. But death did not frighten him. No, not death. The thing he feared most was losing his trainer, his Cyrilla, and he would never forgive himself if that happened.
You have a promise to keep, Kas, he said softly, and took a deep breath.
“I’m sorry, Cy,” Kas said, throwing her over his shoulder with a grunt. “But we can’t stay, and he won’t leave.” Carrying her, especially when she didn’t want to be carried, couldn’t have been easy on him, battered and bloody as he was. But he did it anyway, turning to follow Ryk and Ana to through the exit and to the outside.
The smile he gave them as they retreated was sad, but happy. They would be safe. The tyrantrum in front of him only glowered at him, and he could see the malicious look behind Remi's eyes. Of course it would be her, and that damn tyrantrum. A sudden image popped into his head, one of a small white-haired child smiling brightly at him when he was still a Riolu. She had offered her hand towards him, and he merely huffed at it, glancing away as if he were too good for it. He smiled softly at that memory. Another memory appeared, this time of a young girl on the verge of tears as blood trailed down her chin. He frowned. He remembered that day. He opened his eyes, having realized that he'd closed them, and stood in a defensive stance. He remembered the days after, too. The one at the lake; the one during Eryk's birthday; the day of Crystal's wedding; the moment he tore up the papers.
Perhaps there was some truth to when the humans said 'Your life flashes before your eyes,' before they died. Cyrilla would be in pain. She would probably curse him for leaving her, but he couldn't bring himself to care. All that mattered was that she was going to be safe, her friends would be safe, and that this decision was his to make. He could hear her screaming still, and the sounds of their footsteps faded behind him. He was sorry for doing this to her, but he wanted to protect her. She was important to him, and as a result, the people who were important to her were also important to him. He would give them enough time to escape safely, and he could hold off Remi and her tyrantrum just long enough before she...
He smiled.
One last memory flashed into his mind. It was of a young woman in love, smiling so brightly at him that he felt like he was being blinded by the sun. She was so happy. That was the face he wanted to remember. The face of his trainer so happy that he had no regrets. He was at peace. He steeled himself, his eyes hardening as he stared down Runt. Remi threw her arm out, ordering Runt to attack, but Kenshin was prepared this time. He would stop them both, and he would save his trainer. He could do that much.
He could ignore the pain in his body as he moved, dodging with everything he had. He could ignore the pain as Runt thrashed his tail at him, throwing him against the wall. He could ignore the pain as the tyrantrum charged, crushing him beneath his foot. He could ignore the pain in his body as he struggled to get up. He could ignore the pain as Runt pushed him further into the ground, the bones in his body snapping as a result and piercing organs with the pressure. He could ignore the pain that shot through him as he could feel warm liquid coating his mouth. He smiled softly. He pulled in one last breath, and closed his eyes. He could ignore the pain just long enough, to whisper a final goodbye.
I love you... Cyrilla.
And he breathed no more.
Kas pushed open the door, throwing the light switch into the ‘on’ position. The safehouse was a little dingy compared to some of the others, but it was only a temporary stop. They’d managed to get off Cinnabar, and to an underground bunker on one of the outlying small islands. The chance of it being spotted from the air was nearly nil; Harper and Drake were outside camouflaging the boat they’d taken this far out.
He stepped inside, careful not to jostle Cyrilla. It was difficult, considering how badly he was shambling, but he managed. Like he’d managed so far.
He honestly had no idea if she’d ever forgive him for what he’d done—what he’d just done was probably the worst of it, by her reckoning. Fortunately, if he was to face her wrath for it, he could wait until a little later. She was asleep now; maybe the boat trip had done it, maybe it was just the exhaustion of the day. In either case, he shuffled down the hallway into one of the rooms and laid her down carefully in one of the cots, ignoring how badly his ribcage protested when he bent over to do it.
“Ryk,” he said, poking his head back out into the hallway. “There’s another cot in here if you want to put Ana down. Or there’s two across the hall, if you’d rather…” Stay with her. He let the sentence finish itself.
Eryk nodded his head in reply. "I'll do that," he replied softly, taking Ana down towards the two other cots. He probably wanted to keep an eye on her, to make sure she'd be okay, even if she didn't look like she was. He came back a moment later, though, and glanced at Kas. He must have been inspecting his injuries from the way he kept looking at him.
"Gregorovich really did a number on you," he spoke, his tone light. "Kas," he began, speaking with a little more substance to his tone. "You alright?" he spoke, probably because he didn't know what else to say. The day had worn on them all, and Eryk wasn't even hiding that fact.
Kas sighed heavily, leaning back against the wall. “No,” he replied simply. “But none of us are, right now. I’m gonna patch myself up a bit, then see about supplies in the kitchen.” The bunker didn’t have a lot, obviously, but it should have plenty to last them a night or so. It was important that they didn’t stay any longer than that. Team Rocket was probably casting a net for them, and if they delayed too long, they’d be caught in it.
But they could sleep for one night. They had to, or they’d fall apart tomorrow. Dragging a hand down his face, Kas winced when he accidentally touched his new scab wound. “Looks like we’re both gonna have scars on our faces in a bit here,” he said, his tone dry and observational. His eyes flicked up to Eryk.
“There wasn’t any time to say this before but… I’m sorry, Ryk. For… for everything.” Even if betraying Team Rocket was the right thing to do—for both of them—it didn’t change the fact that inherent in that act had been a betrayal of his best friend. A person he called brother.
For a moment, Eryk remained quiet. He didn't move, only keeping his gaze fixed on the floor. It looked like he was searching for the words he wanted to use. He shook his head faintly, allowing his gaze to soften from the days events. He glanced back up towards Kas, and met his gaze. There was a sort of refined look to them, something that seemed angry, yet accepting. It was hard to tell just which one it was, though. He cleared his throat softly.
"Were the situation different, I might have been angry with you," he spoke, shaking his head. "You were my brother, Kas. I don't know if I could have forgiven you, or even wanted to," he continued, speaking lowly so as to not disturb anyone. "But... I'm glad you did betray me. If it weren't for you, Ana..." he spoke, clenching his jaw tightly before releasing it. He seemed to have trouble speaking, and his words seemed to come out in a way he wasn't really expecting them to.
"You don't have to apologize to me, Kas. I'm not the one you should apologize to," he continued, shaking his head again. "I'll get over it, because we're... family. Sometimes, we do stupid things to hurt each other," he scoffed lightly to himself. He would know that a little too personally. "But then again, we inadvertently hurt each other to protect each other, so... don't apologize to me."
“I won’t again, if you don’t want me to,” he said with half a smile. “But it won’t change the fact that I feel guilty about it.” He sighed again. “I know I need to apologize to her. About a lot of things, really. And I will, but… not now.”
It hardly seemed like the right time. She was exhausted. When she woke up, she’d be grieving, and probably justifiably angry at him for taking her away when Kenshin had decided to stay behind. And he had so many things to say, and half a dozen confused trails of thought jumbled up in his head, and it wasn’t fair to ask her to sort out his mess. Especially not now, while they were all still in danger.
"I'll take that, then, you feeling guilty," Eryk responded in a light huff. He sighed softly, and dropped his gaze. "For now, we should all get some rest before tomorrow. Do you... have somewhere we can go? As you know, we don't have anyone we can go to," he spoke, glancing towards Cyrilla. They couldn't go to their families, that was obvious.
"We won't be of much help because of it," he added.
Kasimir nodded slightly. “Yeah. I know where there are a bunch of other safehouses. I’ve got clearance to use them. We’ll get out of the blast radius of this, and then…” He shrugged. It wasn’t completely clear where they went from here. Maybe they didn’t go anywhere; if Ana’s condition kept deteriorating, there might be nowhere else to go. Nothing else to be done.
He didn’t have that choice—his mission wasn’t over yet. Whether he liked it or not, he’d be back in the field as soon as he’d recovered. Maybe before. But they at least would have a choice. He’d make sure of that much.
Eryk sighed, but nodded his head. "Alright, Kas," he spoke, standing from his spot. He reached over towards Kas, and placed his hand on his shoulder, tapping it a few times before pulling back. "We'll have tomorrow to figure it out then. You should get some rest. I'm going to go check on Ana," he spoke, making his way towards where Ana was laying. He paused, though, and glanced over his shoulder.
"You... shouldn't beat yourself up too much about what's been done. We've all done things we regret, but," he stopped, dropping his gaze. "At least you did it for a better cause." He left the room after that.
Kas shook his head slightly. Much as he’d like to get some rest, he had things to take care of, first. Pausing for a moment to poke his head into the other room and check that Cy was, indeed, still asleep, he stepped into the bathroom at the end of the hall and locked the door behind him. The first aid kit under the counter was fully-stocked, but he’d probably need to order a new one to the house after he was done with it.
Peeling his shirt off was a painful process; the fabric had started to stick to his open wounds. Several of them broke open again when he removed it and tossed it onto the floor; he hissed when the scabs cracked and pulled. He needed disinfectant right away or he risked infection, something he had neither the time nor inclination to deal with.
He heard the bunker door open and close; Drake and Harper were speaking in low voices. They passed into one of the other rooms and he lost track of what they were saying. It was quiet, then; quiet enough for him to hear the slight rasp on the edge of his own breathing. Cy hadn’t exactly been enthusiastic about being carried away from Kenshin; she probably hadn’t even realized she was striking him right on some of his wounds. He decided not to tell her in any case.
Kasimir’s chest and back were covered in slashes, slowly oozing blood now that the scabs had come away. Gregorovich had resorted to a hot poker when the knife had proved ineffective. That had hurt more. The welts he’d created with it were of a regular size and shape, uniformly about an inch thick and four or five long, where the side of the poker had been pressed into his skin. Those oozed, too—pus, mostly.
His legs weren’t quite as bad—those were mostly bruised. But he wrapped them first, because they were easier, and he wasn’t sure he’d have the energy left to do them once everything else was done. He doused several swabs in disinfectant, gritting his teeth against the sting of it on his open wounds. Some of the ones on his back required more than a little contorting to reach; he was lucky he was flexible. His broken fingers didn’t make things any easier, nor did the injured rib. He wasn’t sure if it was cracked or just bruised, but it wasn’t floating free, at least, so if he could wrap it tightly enough, he’d be all right for now. He’d need a doctor eventually, but likely not as soon as Ana would.
It took him over half an hour to do the bandages to his liking; he quickly ducked back into the room he’d put Cy in thereafter; he didn’t really want anyone seeing the extent of his injuries. He hadn’t done too badly at concealing them so far; obviously there was no way to hide the fact that he was injured full stop, but he could downplay it for now. One less distraction.
He stayed only long enough to throw on a new shirt from the small footlocker next to one of the cots. He’d asked for this place to be stocked according to the group’s needs before he’d gone to make the trade. He hadn’t planned for this, exactly, but he had gone in with a glimmer of hope that Cy or Ryk might turn, and more than an inkling that the boss would demand him in addition to Ana.
Sometimes, he really hated being right.
He debated staying in the room with Cy, but he wasn’t sure if that was what she’d want right now, with everything that had happened. More likely, she’d seek Ryk when she woke up. He hadn’t ever done anything but look out for her, after all. He hadn’t dragged her away from her first pokémon and closest companion when he sacrificed himself. He hadn’t ever broken her heart.
Not like Kas had done.
Sighing softly, he fled the room, settling in the one across the hall, instead. He’d ask Harper to sleep in Cy’s room, to be there in case she woke up and needed someone right there.
It was certainly a possibility.
He stepped inside, careful not to jostle Cyrilla. It was difficult, considering how badly he was shambling, but he managed. Like he’d managed so far.
He honestly had no idea if she’d ever forgive him for what he’d done—what he’d just done was probably the worst of it, by her reckoning. Fortunately, if he was to face her wrath for it, he could wait until a little later. She was asleep now; maybe the boat trip had done it, maybe it was just the exhaustion of the day. In either case, he shuffled down the hallway into one of the rooms and laid her down carefully in one of the cots, ignoring how badly his ribcage protested when he bent over to do it.
“Ryk,” he said, poking his head back out into the hallway. “There’s another cot in here if you want to put Ana down. Or there’s two across the hall, if you’d rather…” Stay with her. He let the sentence finish itself.
Eryk nodded his head in reply. "I'll do that," he replied softly, taking Ana down towards the two other cots. He probably wanted to keep an eye on her, to make sure she'd be okay, even if she didn't look like she was. He came back a moment later, though, and glanced at Kas. He must have been inspecting his injuries from the way he kept looking at him.
"Gregorovich really did a number on you," he spoke, his tone light. "Kas," he began, speaking with a little more substance to his tone. "You alright?" he spoke, probably because he didn't know what else to say. The day had worn on them all, and Eryk wasn't even hiding that fact.
Kas sighed heavily, leaning back against the wall. “No,” he replied simply. “But none of us are, right now. I’m gonna patch myself up a bit, then see about supplies in the kitchen.” The bunker didn’t have a lot, obviously, but it should have plenty to last them a night or so. It was important that they didn’t stay any longer than that. Team Rocket was probably casting a net for them, and if they delayed too long, they’d be caught in it.
But they could sleep for one night. They had to, or they’d fall apart tomorrow. Dragging a hand down his face, Kas winced when he accidentally touched his new scab wound. “Looks like we’re both gonna have scars on our faces in a bit here,” he said, his tone dry and observational. His eyes flicked up to Eryk.
“There wasn’t any time to say this before but… I’m sorry, Ryk. For… for everything.” Even if betraying Team Rocket was the right thing to do—for both of them—it didn’t change the fact that inherent in that act had been a betrayal of his best friend. A person he called brother.
For a moment, Eryk remained quiet. He didn't move, only keeping his gaze fixed on the floor. It looked like he was searching for the words he wanted to use. He shook his head faintly, allowing his gaze to soften from the days events. He glanced back up towards Kas, and met his gaze. There was a sort of refined look to them, something that seemed angry, yet accepting. It was hard to tell just which one it was, though. He cleared his throat softly.
"Were the situation different, I might have been angry with you," he spoke, shaking his head. "You were my brother, Kas. I don't know if I could have forgiven you, or even wanted to," he continued, speaking lowly so as to not disturb anyone. "But... I'm glad you did betray me. If it weren't for you, Ana..." he spoke, clenching his jaw tightly before releasing it. He seemed to have trouble speaking, and his words seemed to come out in a way he wasn't really expecting them to.
"You don't have to apologize to me, Kas. I'm not the one you should apologize to," he continued, shaking his head again. "I'll get over it, because we're... family. Sometimes, we do stupid things to hurt each other," he scoffed lightly to himself. He would know that a little too personally. "But then again, we inadvertently hurt each other to protect each other, so... don't apologize to me."
“I won’t again, if you don’t want me to,” he said with half a smile. “But it won’t change the fact that I feel guilty about it.” He sighed again. “I know I need to apologize to her. About a lot of things, really. And I will, but… not now.”
It hardly seemed like the right time. She was exhausted. When she woke up, she’d be grieving, and probably justifiably angry at him for taking her away when Kenshin had decided to stay behind. And he had so many things to say, and half a dozen confused trails of thought jumbled up in his head, and it wasn’t fair to ask her to sort out his mess. Especially not now, while they were all still in danger.
"I'll take that, then, you feeling guilty," Eryk responded in a light huff. He sighed softly, and dropped his gaze. "For now, we should all get some rest before tomorrow. Do you... have somewhere we can go? As you know, we don't have anyone we can go to," he spoke, glancing towards Cyrilla. They couldn't go to their families, that was obvious.
"We won't be of much help because of it," he added.
Kasimir nodded slightly. “Yeah. I know where there are a bunch of other safehouses. I’ve got clearance to use them. We’ll get out of the blast radius of this, and then…” He shrugged. It wasn’t completely clear where they went from here. Maybe they didn’t go anywhere; if Ana’s condition kept deteriorating, there might be nowhere else to go. Nothing else to be done.
He didn’t have that choice—his mission wasn’t over yet. Whether he liked it or not, he’d be back in the field as soon as he’d recovered. Maybe before. But they at least would have a choice. He’d make sure of that much.
Eryk sighed, but nodded his head. "Alright, Kas," he spoke, standing from his spot. He reached over towards Kas, and placed his hand on his shoulder, tapping it a few times before pulling back. "We'll have tomorrow to figure it out then. You should get some rest. I'm going to go check on Ana," he spoke, making his way towards where Ana was laying. He paused, though, and glanced over his shoulder.
"You... shouldn't beat yourself up too much about what's been done. We've all done things we regret, but," he stopped, dropping his gaze. "At least you did it for a better cause." He left the room after that.
Kas shook his head slightly. Much as he’d like to get some rest, he had things to take care of, first. Pausing for a moment to poke his head into the other room and check that Cy was, indeed, still asleep, he stepped into the bathroom at the end of the hall and locked the door behind him. The first aid kit under the counter was fully-stocked, but he’d probably need to order a new one to the house after he was done with it.
Peeling his shirt off was a painful process; the fabric had started to stick to his open wounds. Several of them broke open again when he removed it and tossed it onto the floor; he hissed when the scabs cracked and pulled. He needed disinfectant right away or he risked infection, something he had neither the time nor inclination to deal with.
He heard the bunker door open and close; Drake and Harper were speaking in low voices. They passed into one of the other rooms and he lost track of what they were saying. It was quiet, then; quiet enough for him to hear the slight rasp on the edge of his own breathing. Cy hadn’t exactly been enthusiastic about being carried away from Kenshin; she probably hadn’t even realized she was striking him right on some of his wounds. He decided not to tell her in any case.
Kasimir’s chest and back were covered in slashes, slowly oozing blood now that the scabs had come away. Gregorovich had resorted to a hot poker when the knife had proved ineffective. That had hurt more. The welts he’d created with it were of a regular size and shape, uniformly about an inch thick and four or five long, where the side of the poker had been pressed into his skin. Those oozed, too—pus, mostly.
His legs weren’t quite as bad—those were mostly bruised. But he wrapped them first, because they were easier, and he wasn’t sure he’d have the energy left to do them once everything else was done. He doused several swabs in disinfectant, gritting his teeth against the sting of it on his open wounds. Some of the ones on his back required more than a little contorting to reach; he was lucky he was flexible. His broken fingers didn’t make things any easier, nor did the injured rib. He wasn’t sure if it was cracked or just bruised, but it wasn’t floating free, at least, so if he could wrap it tightly enough, he’d be all right for now. He’d need a doctor eventually, but likely not as soon as Ana would.
It took him over half an hour to do the bandages to his liking; he quickly ducked back into the room he’d put Cy in thereafter; he didn’t really want anyone seeing the extent of his injuries. He hadn’t done too badly at concealing them so far; obviously there was no way to hide the fact that he was injured full stop, but he could downplay it for now. One less distraction.
He stayed only long enough to throw on a new shirt from the small footlocker next to one of the cots. He’d asked for this place to be stocked according to the group’s needs before he’d gone to make the trade. He hadn’t planned for this, exactly, but he had gone in with a glimmer of hope that Cy or Ryk might turn, and more than an inkling that the boss would demand him in addition to Ana.
Sometimes, he really hated being right.
He debated staying in the room with Cy, but he wasn’t sure if that was what she’d want right now, with everything that had happened. More likely, she’d seek Ryk when she woke up. He hadn’t ever done anything but look out for her, after all. He hadn’t dragged her away from her first pokémon and closest companion when he sacrificed himself. He hadn’t ever broken her heart.
Not like Kas had done.
Sighing softly, he fled the room, settling in the one across the hall, instead. He’d ask Harper to sleep in Cy’s room, to be there in case she woke up and needed someone right there.
It was certainly a possibility.
With a sudden intake of air, Cyrilla shot up in her cot, a cold sweat covering her body. She was breathing heavily, she knew that. The dream... that's what it had to be, surely. She reached over, and felt an empty spot next to her. She didn't want to look. She didn't want to confirm that it wasn't a dream, that he was still here, with her. That he hadn't left her, and that she hadn't lost him. Her eyes welled with hot tears as she fought them back. Slowly, she turned her head in the direction, and saw the empty space next to her. He was really gone. Kenshin... he was gone. Her best friend, her first pokémon, was gone, and he wasn't coming back. She glanced towards the side, and spotted Harper, sleeping in the cot next to her.
Without making a sound, she stood from her bed, and padded quietly out of the room. She made her way towards the front of the bunker, stopping by the door and pressed her forehead against it. She took in a shakey breath before opening it as quietly as she could. She just wanted to be left alone for the moment. She wanted to collect herself, to collect her thoughts and come to terms with the fact that he was gone. Once she was outside, it was still dark. It must have been early morning if the sun hadn't risen, yet. She walked a little bit out, stopping only when she was certain she was far enough, yet still in no danger of being spotted by anyone who might be looking for them.
She took a seat near the closest tree, and pulled her legs up to her chest. Burying her face in her knees, she let loose the tears that had returned. "Kenshin," she spoke his name in a strained tone, trying her best not to be too loud. Just because she couldn't be seen, didn't mean she couldn't be heard. She sucked in another breath, as if her life was dependant on it, and she felt the familiar tap of her bracelet on her wrist. She lifted her head to glance at it, and the tears only continued. There, the lucario charm hung softly off of the bracelet. What was she going to do without him? She'd told him everything, and he'd listened to her. He was with her since the beginning, and now... now he was gone. She allowed her tears to keep flowing, because she couldn't do anything else.
She couldn't even save her best friend.
Unfortunately, it seemed as though she wasn’t entirely alone. There was a rustle from a few feet away, and Kas appeared from between a pair of trees. His gait hitched when he spotted her—it was obvious he hadn’t been expecting to see her there. For a moment, he just looked at her, face unreadable, but then he dropped his eyes, murmuring something under his breath. It was soft enough that she didn’t catch it. He hovered in his spot, apparently unsure of what to do.
Ultimately, he cleared his throat. “Sorry. I’ll, uh—I’ll go.” His entire posture looked defeated, somehow. His shoulders were slumped; he was hunched forward slightly awkwardly. All in all, a graceless imitation of his usual self. He turned, apparently fully intending to leave her alone. It was clear he believed that was what she wanted—to be by herself.
It hurt. Everything hurt, and even more-so now that he was here. For a split second, she felt her heart break further, because he'd been the one who'd taken her from Kenshin. He took her from her best friend, and it hurt, however; it wasn't his fault. It wasn't any of their fault, but she'd probably said some things to him, hurtful things, whenever he'd taken her from Kenshin. She couldn't remember exactly what she said, but it must have been something for him to look the way he did.
"Please don't go," she managed to choke out. Even if she'd come out here with the intention of being alone, she didn't want to be, not now. She was afraid of what might become of her if she were left alone, and she didn't want that. "Please don't leave me, too," she continued, standing up from her spot. She walked quickly to where he was, and gently, wrapped her arms around him. She didn't want him to leave her, not like Kenshin had. She buried her face into his shirt, trying her best not to soak it with her tears, but she failed.
He pulled in a breath through clenched teeth, it sounded like—the sound was almost a hiss, but it didn’t sound like anger. More like… pain? It was difficult to be sure. Gingerly, almost with hesitation, his arms wrapped around her, returning the soft hold she had on him. Carefully, he eased them to the ground, putting his back against a tree with a muted grunt of effort. His broken hand clumsily stroked her hair, the last three fingers now all splinted and still tied together.
“No,” he said, voice hoarse and thick with something she could not name. “Never again. As long as you want me here, I’m here. I promise.” He cradled the back of her head in one big hand, letting his other one settle at the base of her spine.
“I’m sorry, Cy. I’m so sorry.”
She let out a mangled sob, and buried her face deeper into his shirt. "He's gone, Kas. Kenny... he's... he's gone," she spoke, the realization finally hitting her a little too hard. Kenshin was gone, Ana was probably hurting, Eryk was hurting in a more emotional way, and Kas was probably hurting too, but for some reason, she couldn't bring herself to care because she was hurting. She'd lost her best friend, she might lose the only sister she'd ever had, and the people she loved were hurting.
"We... we could have made it out. He didn't have to, but he did. Kas..." she continued speaking as softly as she could. She was mourning, she knew, but what else could she do? Kenshin had been her anchor for most of her life when she couldn't talk to Ryk. He'd been her confidante when she'd joined Team Rocket, telling him of all the awful things she'd done to people, and he'd comfort her. He'd remind her that it was okay, but he was gone now. She'd never see him again, or his ridiculous smile when he wore the bow tie. She'd never see him again.
"What do I do?"
He was quiet for a long moment. It seemed he was thinking her question over. There was a slight weight on her head as he dropped his chin to rest on it, drawing her a little closer. As usual, he was giving off a great deal of warmth—probably a side effect of being as big and tall as he was. Eventually, he sighed; she could feel it more than hear it.
“I can’t decide that for you, Cy. You do… you do whatever you want. I think… I think he would have wanted you to live as much as you can, as well as you can. He loved you, and he acted to protect you because of that love. Maybe the way to pay him back is… to thrive, and be as happy as possible.”
He curled his hand into her hair; perhaps it was unintentional. “That’s hard right now. Maybe impossible. But it won’t be impossible forever.”
But how could she be happy? She'd lost the one important person in her life. She furrowed her brows at that thought. Kenshin was important, but he wasn't the only person who was. Even if he was a pokémon, he was still an important person to her. She shifted in her spot, moving so that she could stare at him. She was searching his face for something, anything. Pulling back a little further, she regarded him with an even stare, even though her tears were still falling. She pulled in a slow breath, trying to steady her nerves and calm her emotions. It wasn't easy.
To pay him back was to be happy, that's what Kas said. She wanted to be happy, but she wanted to be happy with the people she loved. She couldn't be happy with the person she loved, because she didn't even know if he loved her. His video had confused her, and she didn't know what he meant by it.
"Kas," she began slowly. She was unsure of herself or if she should even ask at a time like this. But she had to know. "Kas, the only way I could be happy is if I got to spend my life with the people I loved. I've already lost one and I'm not sure if I could bear losing another," she continued just as slowly.
"I don't know if I could be happy, but... I might be able to, in time," she could feel her voice crack. Maybe she could in time, be happy. Maybe not. "But... can I ask you something?" she settled on that, instead.
He looked back at her with a solemn expression. No jokes, no quips. She could see his shoulders rise as he took in a breath. Kas dropped his eyes a little, focusing on her cheeks, where he carefully wiped away the tracks her tears had left with the thumb of his good hand. “You can ask me anything, Cy,” he replied, still not quite making eye contact.
"What am I to you?" she asked. She wanted to know where she stood with him. She would go from there. Her heart dropped a little at the possibility that she was just a friend, but she could take it. She'd told him a few times that she loved him, and that wasn't an easy thing for her to do. But if she could find out where she stood with him, maybe... just maybe she could go from there. Even if her heart was already broken, even if she felt like she was dying on the inside, whatever he said couldn't amplify it. It would only be absorbed into it, and she would deal with it as best as she could.
He flinched when she asked it, it looked like. His mouth pulled to one side; his eyes flicked away to study the surrounding vegetation as though it were suddenly of great interest. His hands fell away from her face, but he made no effort at all to create more distance between them, either. “You’re…” Kasimir visibly hesitated, an almost-pained expression crossing his face before receding again.
“You’re everything,” he murmured, so softly she almost didn’t hear him. Perhaps she’d heard wrongly?
But his words continued in the same vein. “You’re the first thing I think about when I wake up in the morning, and the last thing I think about before I sleep. You’re the only thing I dream about. For better and worse.” He let out a breath; it almost seemed to shudder from him, like something was shaking him at his very center. Perceptible color rose to his face; he chanced a guilty-looking glance at her before his eyes darted away again.
“You’re the person I want most to protect, out of everyone I know. You’re the only person who makes me happier just by being… by being nearby. You’re one of my best friends. You’re the person I like teasing the most… and the person I like kissing the most.” He shook his head. “You’re the only person I’ve ever been jealous over in my life. When Lukas—” He frowned deeply, the expression etching itself into his features. “I usually pity idiots. I hated him. Because of how he made you feel. Because of how he made me feel.”
He swallowed thickly, a small half-smile tugging at his mouth for just a moment. “You’re definitely the only person I’ve ever married. The only person I ever will.” With what looked to be great effort, he forced himself to look her in the eye.
“To me, you’re the most beautiful woman in the world, and you always will be. I still don’t—” he cleared his throat. “I still don’t know how to love someone. But I know… I know now that I do.”
He reached forward. “And this is the wrong time to say it. But it’s always the wrong time, lately, and I don’t… I can’t wait anymore. You’re… you’re the woman that I love, Cyrilla, and I’m sorry. I wanted you to be able to get free of this, to move on from it, and I tried to make it so you would. But I… I can’t, anymore. I don’t want you to be free from me. And I don’t want to be free from you. Never again.” His fingertips alighted on the side of her face, smoothing feather-light down her skin to her neck. He let them rest right at her sternum, but moved no closer. It was so unusually tentative for him, so unusually careful.
She was, for once, speechless. She didn't know how to respond to that, or even know what to say. He really thought all of that? She could feel the bottom of her lip quivering somewhat, but she didn't move. Something in her heart felt a little tight, but it was beating. It had fallen silent, and she couldn't hear it, but now she could. It was beating in the same irregular thump that he'd always managed to make it do. He loved her, and hearing the words made everything else fall into place. She took a steady breath to keep herself from shaking.
"Kas... I," she sucked in another deep breath. Shaking her head, she lifted her hand so that it rested against his. "I've told you before, that someone loves you, deeply and irrevocably. That it would never change because only you made me feel this way, and only you ever could," she spoke, pressing his hand over her heart so that he could feel her heart beat. If he really thought all of that, if he loved her, and she loved him, maybe she could do that for Kenshin. Maybe she could keep going on, living for him and being happy for him. She would never forget him, her Kenshin. He would always be with her, but she couldn't let this be the end for her.
"I love you, Kas. Always you, only you," she spoke. She couldn't force herself her smile, but she did feel slightly lighter. She leaned forward and pressed her forehead against his, steadying her breathing so that she could calm the last of her tears. She still held onto his hand, though. "And when this is all over, I will show you, and I will keep telling you every day so that you don't ever doubt it. So that... you'll always know." It was the least she could do. She would hurt still, she would be in pain, but it would be easier to bear when she had him.
“I don’t deserve you,” he murmured. “But I’ll try to.”
She sighed softly. "You don't even have to try, Kas. Just... be you," she spoke, leaning further so that she could place a soft kiss on his cheek, the one where his scar would be forming. "That's all I want from you, is for you to keep being you." She wouldn't want him any other way.
Without making a sound, she stood from her bed, and padded quietly out of the room. She made her way towards the front of the bunker, stopping by the door and pressed her forehead against it. She took in a shakey breath before opening it as quietly as she could. She just wanted to be left alone for the moment. She wanted to collect herself, to collect her thoughts and come to terms with the fact that he was gone. Once she was outside, it was still dark. It must have been early morning if the sun hadn't risen, yet. She walked a little bit out, stopping only when she was certain she was far enough, yet still in no danger of being spotted by anyone who might be looking for them.
She took a seat near the closest tree, and pulled her legs up to her chest. Burying her face in her knees, she let loose the tears that had returned. "Kenshin," she spoke his name in a strained tone, trying her best not to be too loud. Just because she couldn't be seen, didn't mean she couldn't be heard. She sucked in another breath, as if her life was dependant on it, and she felt the familiar tap of her bracelet on her wrist. She lifted her head to glance at it, and the tears only continued. There, the lucario charm hung softly off of the bracelet. What was she going to do without him? She'd told him everything, and he'd listened to her. He was with her since the beginning, and now... now he was gone. She allowed her tears to keep flowing, because she couldn't do anything else.
She couldn't even save her best friend.
Unfortunately, it seemed as though she wasn’t entirely alone. There was a rustle from a few feet away, and Kas appeared from between a pair of trees. His gait hitched when he spotted her—it was obvious he hadn’t been expecting to see her there. For a moment, he just looked at her, face unreadable, but then he dropped his eyes, murmuring something under his breath. It was soft enough that she didn’t catch it. He hovered in his spot, apparently unsure of what to do.
Ultimately, he cleared his throat. “Sorry. I’ll, uh—I’ll go.” His entire posture looked defeated, somehow. His shoulders were slumped; he was hunched forward slightly awkwardly. All in all, a graceless imitation of his usual self. He turned, apparently fully intending to leave her alone. It was clear he believed that was what she wanted—to be by herself.
It hurt. Everything hurt, and even more-so now that he was here. For a split second, she felt her heart break further, because he'd been the one who'd taken her from Kenshin. He took her from her best friend, and it hurt, however; it wasn't his fault. It wasn't any of their fault, but she'd probably said some things to him, hurtful things, whenever he'd taken her from Kenshin. She couldn't remember exactly what she said, but it must have been something for him to look the way he did.
"Please don't go," she managed to choke out. Even if she'd come out here with the intention of being alone, she didn't want to be, not now. She was afraid of what might become of her if she were left alone, and she didn't want that. "Please don't leave me, too," she continued, standing up from her spot. She walked quickly to where he was, and gently, wrapped her arms around him. She didn't want him to leave her, not like Kenshin had. She buried her face into his shirt, trying her best not to soak it with her tears, but she failed.
He pulled in a breath through clenched teeth, it sounded like—the sound was almost a hiss, but it didn’t sound like anger. More like… pain? It was difficult to be sure. Gingerly, almost with hesitation, his arms wrapped around her, returning the soft hold she had on him. Carefully, he eased them to the ground, putting his back against a tree with a muted grunt of effort. His broken hand clumsily stroked her hair, the last three fingers now all splinted and still tied together.
“No,” he said, voice hoarse and thick with something she could not name. “Never again. As long as you want me here, I’m here. I promise.” He cradled the back of her head in one big hand, letting his other one settle at the base of her spine.
“I’m sorry, Cy. I’m so sorry.”
She let out a mangled sob, and buried her face deeper into his shirt. "He's gone, Kas. Kenny... he's... he's gone," she spoke, the realization finally hitting her a little too hard. Kenshin was gone, Ana was probably hurting, Eryk was hurting in a more emotional way, and Kas was probably hurting too, but for some reason, she couldn't bring herself to care because she was hurting. She'd lost her best friend, she might lose the only sister she'd ever had, and the people she loved were hurting.
"We... we could have made it out. He didn't have to, but he did. Kas..." she continued speaking as softly as she could. She was mourning, she knew, but what else could she do? Kenshin had been her anchor for most of her life when she couldn't talk to Ryk. He'd been her confidante when she'd joined Team Rocket, telling him of all the awful things she'd done to people, and he'd comfort her. He'd remind her that it was okay, but he was gone now. She'd never see him again, or his ridiculous smile when he wore the bow tie. She'd never see him again.
"What do I do?"
He was quiet for a long moment. It seemed he was thinking her question over. There was a slight weight on her head as he dropped his chin to rest on it, drawing her a little closer. As usual, he was giving off a great deal of warmth—probably a side effect of being as big and tall as he was. Eventually, he sighed; she could feel it more than hear it.
“I can’t decide that for you, Cy. You do… you do whatever you want. I think… I think he would have wanted you to live as much as you can, as well as you can. He loved you, and he acted to protect you because of that love. Maybe the way to pay him back is… to thrive, and be as happy as possible.”
He curled his hand into her hair; perhaps it was unintentional. “That’s hard right now. Maybe impossible. But it won’t be impossible forever.”
But how could she be happy? She'd lost the one important person in her life. She furrowed her brows at that thought. Kenshin was important, but he wasn't the only person who was. Even if he was a pokémon, he was still an important person to her. She shifted in her spot, moving so that she could stare at him. She was searching his face for something, anything. Pulling back a little further, she regarded him with an even stare, even though her tears were still falling. She pulled in a slow breath, trying to steady her nerves and calm her emotions. It wasn't easy.
To pay him back was to be happy, that's what Kas said. She wanted to be happy, but she wanted to be happy with the people she loved. She couldn't be happy with the person she loved, because she didn't even know if he loved her. His video had confused her, and she didn't know what he meant by it.
"Kas," she began slowly. She was unsure of herself or if she should even ask at a time like this. But she had to know. "Kas, the only way I could be happy is if I got to spend my life with the people I loved. I've already lost one and I'm not sure if I could bear losing another," she continued just as slowly.
"I don't know if I could be happy, but... I might be able to, in time," she could feel her voice crack. Maybe she could in time, be happy. Maybe not. "But... can I ask you something?" she settled on that, instead.
He looked back at her with a solemn expression. No jokes, no quips. She could see his shoulders rise as he took in a breath. Kas dropped his eyes a little, focusing on her cheeks, where he carefully wiped away the tracks her tears had left with the thumb of his good hand. “You can ask me anything, Cy,” he replied, still not quite making eye contact.
"What am I to you?" she asked. She wanted to know where she stood with him. She would go from there. Her heart dropped a little at the possibility that she was just a friend, but she could take it. She'd told him a few times that she loved him, and that wasn't an easy thing for her to do. But if she could find out where she stood with him, maybe... just maybe she could go from there. Even if her heart was already broken, even if she felt like she was dying on the inside, whatever he said couldn't amplify it. It would only be absorbed into it, and she would deal with it as best as she could.
He flinched when she asked it, it looked like. His mouth pulled to one side; his eyes flicked away to study the surrounding vegetation as though it were suddenly of great interest. His hands fell away from her face, but he made no effort at all to create more distance between them, either. “You’re…” Kasimir visibly hesitated, an almost-pained expression crossing his face before receding again.
“You’re everything,” he murmured, so softly she almost didn’t hear him. Perhaps she’d heard wrongly?
But his words continued in the same vein. “You’re the first thing I think about when I wake up in the morning, and the last thing I think about before I sleep. You’re the only thing I dream about. For better and worse.” He let out a breath; it almost seemed to shudder from him, like something was shaking him at his very center. Perceptible color rose to his face; he chanced a guilty-looking glance at her before his eyes darted away again.
“You’re the person I want most to protect, out of everyone I know. You’re the only person who makes me happier just by being… by being nearby. You’re one of my best friends. You’re the person I like teasing the most… and the person I like kissing the most.” He shook his head. “You’re the only person I’ve ever been jealous over in my life. When Lukas—” He frowned deeply, the expression etching itself into his features. “I usually pity idiots. I hated him. Because of how he made you feel. Because of how he made me feel.”
He swallowed thickly, a small half-smile tugging at his mouth for just a moment. “You’re definitely the only person I’ve ever married. The only person I ever will.” With what looked to be great effort, he forced himself to look her in the eye.
“To me, you’re the most beautiful woman in the world, and you always will be. I still don’t—” he cleared his throat. “I still don’t know how to love someone. But I know… I know now that I do.”
He reached forward. “And this is the wrong time to say it. But it’s always the wrong time, lately, and I don’t… I can’t wait anymore. You’re… you’re the woman that I love, Cyrilla, and I’m sorry. I wanted you to be able to get free of this, to move on from it, and I tried to make it so you would. But I… I can’t, anymore. I don’t want you to be free from me. And I don’t want to be free from you. Never again.” His fingertips alighted on the side of her face, smoothing feather-light down her skin to her neck. He let them rest right at her sternum, but moved no closer. It was so unusually tentative for him, so unusually careful.
She was, for once, speechless. She didn't know how to respond to that, or even know what to say. He really thought all of that? She could feel the bottom of her lip quivering somewhat, but she didn't move. Something in her heart felt a little tight, but it was beating. It had fallen silent, and she couldn't hear it, but now she could. It was beating in the same irregular thump that he'd always managed to make it do. He loved her, and hearing the words made everything else fall into place. She took a steady breath to keep herself from shaking.
"Kas... I," she sucked in another deep breath. Shaking her head, she lifted her hand so that it rested against his. "I've told you before, that someone loves you, deeply and irrevocably. That it would never change because only you made me feel this way, and only you ever could," she spoke, pressing his hand over her heart so that he could feel her heart beat. If he really thought all of that, if he loved her, and she loved him, maybe she could do that for Kenshin. Maybe she could keep going on, living for him and being happy for him. She would never forget him, her Kenshin. He would always be with her, but she couldn't let this be the end for her.
"I love you, Kas. Always you, only you," she spoke. She couldn't force herself her smile, but she did feel slightly lighter. She leaned forward and pressed her forehead against his, steadying her breathing so that she could calm the last of her tears. She still held onto his hand, though. "And when this is all over, I will show you, and I will keep telling you every day so that you don't ever doubt it. So that... you'll always know." It was the least she could do. She would hurt still, she would be in pain, but it would be easier to bear when she had him.
“I don’t deserve you,” he murmured. “But I’ll try to.”
She sighed softly. "You don't even have to try, Kas. Just... be you," she spoke, leaning further so that she could place a soft kiss on his cheek, the one where his scar would be forming. "That's all I want from you, is for you to keep being you." She wouldn't want him any other way.
In her dreams, Ana floated.
It was almost like she was still in that machine—she felt the same way, like she’d come almost untethered from her body. It was at once soothing and terrifying. Soothing, because she felt no pain in such a state. Terrifying because she imagined it must be a lot like what dying would be, and she didn’t want to die.
Just because it was inevitable didn’t mean she accepted it. She’d been able to, once, but not anymore. Not when she had more to live for than she’d ever imagined.
It was because of all the reasons she had to live that she found the strength to wake, to push her consciousness back into her heavy, frail body, like sinking under the surface of a bog. Everything was duller, painful, difficult. Her return to wakefulness was clumsy and long and slow—and it hurt. She became aware, gradually and then suddenly, of the physical boundaries of her body and then all the things that were wrong with it. The way her limbs were sluggish. The way her lungs were sore and felt like they burned. The way every heartbeat was a slow, aching throb in her head.
Part of her just wanted to go back to sleep. For the pain to be over. To be light and free again someplace she could float.
But the rest—the majority—would stand all of this and so much worse for the chance to return to the waking world of the living. To return to them. To him.
Ana cracked her eyes open; the dim light was either due to a late hour or the absence of windows in this room. Maybe both; she had no way to know what time of day it was. She was laid on what seemed to be a cot, from the way it formed around her. Someone had put a pillow under her head; it smelled slightly off, but it was better for her than nothing. The blanket draped over her was scratchy; probably made of rough wool. She couldn’t quite make out the color in the gloom. With a soft groan, she forced one of her arms to lift, and held it in front of her face. She probably wasn’t strong enough to sit up right now; she watched her hand, pale and thin, tremble before her eyes.
Why did she have to be so weak? Why couldn’t she be stronger? If her body didn’t always fail her like this, she could have… she could have prevented so much harm. Could have held Remi and her pokémon long enough to make their escape. Could have stood enough sessions in that machine that Ryk and Cy wouldn’t have had to risk themselves for her. Or Kas, the first and second times. She could have helped them, instead of being one more weight on their shoulders.
Ana’s hand fell back to her abdomen; she was too tired to hold it up right now. She was too tired to do anything.
But not, apparently, too tired to cry. It was a mercifully silent process; nothing more than hot liquid sliding down her cheeks. No sobs, no sniffles yet. Just her, and her weakness.
She wasn't alone, though. The sound of someone shuffling over towards her could be heard, and a face loomed in her vision. It was Eryk, and he had a distinct look of worry on his face. "Ana, are you alright?" he asked, his voice coming out the same. He moved so that he wasn't looming over her, and instead, standing beside her. "Do... you want me to go, or?" he seemed a little hesitant at that, but it was apparent that he was worried about her. He was also giving her the decision of whether or not she wanted him to leave, or if he should stay. He wasn't good at comforting people, but he tried sometimes.
She shook her head, not trusting herself to speak. Why would she ever want him to go? Didn’t he know that she’d gone back to that place, gone back to the mansion with the machine and everything, just so she’d be where he was? Helping Harper had been important, but… Ana might have gone back even if that wasn’t an issue. More than any other single thing she’d lost, she’d missed him. Was that too much to say? Too much to burden him with? Her lower lip quivered; a single word escaped, raspy and raw.
“Stay.”
His expression softened, and he nodded his head. "Okay," he spoke, but he paused. "Hold on," he spoke, leaving the room for a moment. He returned not more than a minute later with a chair in hand. He set it beside her cot, and sat in it. He glanced at her for a long moment, like he was studying her face. He pushed a deep sigh from his lips, and he leaned back in his chair.
Would it be easier for you to talk this way? he asked, opening the link between them. He must have heard the way her voice sounded.
She managed a small smile at his thoughtfulness. Yes, she said softly into his mind. Thank you. As usual, she kept the connection between them very light. It was important to do for a lot of reasons, but one very big one in particular. Ana blinked slowly; even her eyelids were heavy. With some effort, she reached out with one of her hands, making it far enough to skim the back of his right one with her fingertips. She settled it there, more heavily than she intended, and sighed weakly.
I’m… I’m sorry, she said, her thoughts feeling fuzzy at the edges. I didn’t mean to… I didn’t mean for you to have to leave. Regardless of what she thought of it, Team Rocket had been such a huge part of Eryk’s life. She wasn’t deluded; she knew he’d left, at least in part, for her.
Eryk furrowed his brows. He didn't seem to understand why she was apologizing to him. His lips pursed deeply, though, when she continued speaking. You shouldn't apologize for that, he spoke softly, but it was apparent that his voice was stern, too. It was my decision to leave, Ana. I wasn't... I wasn't going to let you, he seemed to have difficulty finishing that sentence, but the implication was clear. He wasn't going to let her die there.
And I'd do it all over again, but, he paused, taking in a shaky breath. I wish I had done it sooner, he spoke, flipping his hand over so that he held her hand. If I had, you wouldn't be in this condition. I should have never, he paused again, swallowing thickly. I should have never gotten you involved. I shouldn't have gotten you hurt, he continued, the pain evident in his connection. He rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb in a gentle motion.
But I didn't, and for that... I'm sorry.
I’m not, she replied, pursing her lips. Not for that. With some effort, she turned on her side to face him, moving into a smaller subsection of the cot and lifting the blanket with one hand. The invitation was clear, but she voiced it in his mind anyway.
Come here. Her mental tone was shy, perhaps fitting of the slight blush on her cheeks and nose. It was only faint, probably because she was a little too wan for more than that, but she didn’t take it back. She had something to tell him, and she wanted to be close to him when she did. Since she wasn't really strong enough right now to get out of bed, he’d have to get in.
He sighed softly, but he didn't decline. Instead, he stood from his chair, and moved so that he was on the cot with her. He had a bit of difficulty adjusting himself, but once he did, his arms wrapped around her, and he pulled her closer to him. He was gentle about it, though. He was like that. He was always gentle with her. Even his kisses had been gentle except for the one where she'd been taken the first time, by Kas.
I'm here, he finally spoke. With the both of them laying down, it was easier for him to look directly in her eyes.
Ana reached forward the short distance, smoothing his hair back from his face where it fell over his cheek. It felt nice, to be this close to him. To feel the warmth that was his, his reassuring solidity. She didn’t know exactly when it had become so precious to her, but it had. Perhaps it was simply one of those gradual things, falling in love. Something that snuck up on you.
I’m not sorry I became involved in this, she told him, running her hand through his hair. How was it that her heart hurt just to look at him? She couldn’t help but think she’d caused him pain. She’d tried so hard not to—too many people already had. She hadn’t wanted to be just another on the list. Because if it hadn’t been for that mission, hadn’t been for the fact that your boss wanted to build that machine… I would never have met you. And… and maybe you don’t believe me, but… to me, that’s worth all of this. I still…
Ana leaned forward, touching her brow to his. Her fingers curled softly into his nape. I still love you. And I came back because… because I couldn’t bear the thought of never seeing you again. It was… it was selfish of me, but all I could think about was how if you were there, it would be okay if I died. Because all I needed was you.
He let a slow breath out, and closed his eyes when she leaned forward. But you wouldn't be this far along if it weren't for me, Ana, he spoke. It was clear he still blamed himself for the condition she was in, and no matter what she said, he didn't seem to change his mind. I told you, you shouldn't love someone like me, he began again after a moment of silence. He seemed hesitant to continue, but he'd opened his eyes by this time, and he was staring at her again.
But I do not regret you, nor do I regret the fact that I fell in love with you, he continued. I guess that makes us selfish people, Ana, he spoke, his arms wrapping around her a little tighter. He still seemed conscious of her condition, and it wasn't enough for it to feel suffocating or tight at all.
Because I wanted to see you one last time. I wanted to tell you, again, that I loved you, and that I would never regret falling in love with you. I... told someone once that I wasn't a good person, but you made me want to be. You still make me want to be good, to do good, he softly sighed, his breath gusting over her face.
Even... even after all of this, after everything that will be said and done, I still want to do good for you and by you. You've... made me believe in all the things I thought were pointless to believe in. Things like dreams, friendships, but most of all, he paused so that his gaze was steady with her.
Most of all, love, Ana. You've made me believe in it where I thought it didn't exist.
Ana blinked, conscious of the fact that her eyelashes were damp. You are good, she said firmly. And you’ve been good to me. And no one can take that away. She paused, pulling in a shaky breath.
If I… if I make it past this… It was almost too optimistic a thought to have. She felt so weak now, but… she’d felt weak before, too, and she was still alive. Away from the machine and the forced strain on her body, maybe… I want… to reopen the shelter. Do you think maybe… maybe you’d like to run it with me, officially this time? It was such a strange thought, a pipe dream, really. But hadn’t he said she’d taught him to believe in dreams again?
Maybe he’d taught her how, too.
He gave her the smallest of smiles. It wasn't quite the same one he'd used specifically for her, but it was a smile nonetheless. When you make it past this, we'll reopen the shelter. If you want me to run it with you, then I will. I couldn't say no even if I wanted to, he replied softly, bringing one of his hands up to rub her cheek softly.
Someone also told me that I should believe in you, and to have a little more faith in you, his voice was quiet, almost like he'd whispered it. When you get past this, when everything's finished, we'll reopen the shelter, together.
She did manage to smile, for him.
It’s a promise, then, she said, leaning forward to brush her lips softly over his, just for a moment. She could feel sleep pulling at her again, but she didn’t fear it this time.
Right now, she didn’t fear anything at all.
It was almost like she was still in that machine—she felt the same way, like she’d come almost untethered from her body. It was at once soothing and terrifying. Soothing, because she felt no pain in such a state. Terrifying because she imagined it must be a lot like what dying would be, and she didn’t want to die.
Just because it was inevitable didn’t mean she accepted it. She’d been able to, once, but not anymore. Not when she had more to live for than she’d ever imagined.
It was because of all the reasons she had to live that she found the strength to wake, to push her consciousness back into her heavy, frail body, like sinking under the surface of a bog. Everything was duller, painful, difficult. Her return to wakefulness was clumsy and long and slow—and it hurt. She became aware, gradually and then suddenly, of the physical boundaries of her body and then all the things that were wrong with it. The way her limbs were sluggish. The way her lungs were sore and felt like they burned. The way every heartbeat was a slow, aching throb in her head.
Part of her just wanted to go back to sleep. For the pain to be over. To be light and free again someplace she could float.
But the rest—the majority—would stand all of this and so much worse for the chance to return to the waking world of the living. To return to them. To him.
Ana cracked her eyes open; the dim light was either due to a late hour or the absence of windows in this room. Maybe both; she had no way to know what time of day it was. She was laid on what seemed to be a cot, from the way it formed around her. Someone had put a pillow under her head; it smelled slightly off, but it was better for her than nothing. The blanket draped over her was scratchy; probably made of rough wool. She couldn’t quite make out the color in the gloom. With a soft groan, she forced one of her arms to lift, and held it in front of her face. She probably wasn’t strong enough to sit up right now; she watched her hand, pale and thin, tremble before her eyes.
Why did she have to be so weak? Why couldn’t she be stronger? If her body didn’t always fail her like this, she could have… she could have prevented so much harm. Could have held Remi and her pokémon long enough to make their escape. Could have stood enough sessions in that machine that Ryk and Cy wouldn’t have had to risk themselves for her. Or Kas, the first and second times. She could have helped them, instead of being one more weight on their shoulders.
Ana’s hand fell back to her abdomen; she was too tired to hold it up right now. She was too tired to do anything.
But not, apparently, too tired to cry. It was a mercifully silent process; nothing more than hot liquid sliding down her cheeks. No sobs, no sniffles yet. Just her, and her weakness.
She wasn't alone, though. The sound of someone shuffling over towards her could be heard, and a face loomed in her vision. It was Eryk, and he had a distinct look of worry on his face. "Ana, are you alright?" he asked, his voice coming out the same. He moved so that he wasn't looming over her, and instead, standing beside her. "Do... you want me to go, or?" he seemed a little hesitant at that, but it was apparent that he was worried about her. He was also giving her the decision of whether or not she wanted him to leave, or if he should stay. He wasn't good at comforting people, but he tried sometimes.
She shook her head, not trusting herself to speak. Why would she ever want him to go? Didn’t he know that she’d gone back to that place, gone back to the mansion with the machine and everything, just so she’d be where he was? Helping Harper had been important, but… Ana might have gone back even if that wasn’t an issue. More than any other single thing she’d lost, she’d missed him. Was that too much to say? Too much to burden him with? Her lower lip quivered; a single word escaped, raspy and raw.
“Stay.”
His expression softened, and he nodded his head. "Okay," he spoke, but he paused. "Hold on," he spoke, leaving the room for a moment. He returned not more than a minute later with a chair in hand. He set it beside her cot, and sat in it. He glanced at her for a long moment, like he was studying her face. He pushed a deep sigh from his lips, and he leaned back in his chair.
Would it be easier for you to talk this way? he asked, opening the link between them. He must have heard the way her voice sounded.
She managed a small smile at his thoughtfulness. Yes, she said softly into his mind. Thank you. As usual, she kept the connection between them very light. It was important to do for a lot of reasons, but one very big one in particular. Ana blinked slowly; even her eyelids were heavy. With some effort, she reached out with one of her hands, making it far enough to skim the back of his right one with her fingertips. She settled it there, more heavily than she intended, and sighed weakly.
I’m… I’m sorry, she said, her thoughts feeling fuzzy at the edges. I didn’t mean to… I didn’t mean for you to have to leave. Regardless of what she thought of it, Team Rocket had been such a huge part of Eryk’s life. She wasn’t deluded; she knew he’d left, at least in part, for her.
Eryk furrowed his brows. He didn't seem to understand why she was apologizing to him. His lips pursed deeply, though, when she continued speaking. You shouldn't apologize for that, he spoke softly, but it was apparent that his voice was stern, too. It was my decision to leave, Ana. I wasn't... I wasn't going to let you, he seemed to have difficulty finishing that sentence, but the implication was clear. He wasn't going to let her die there.
And I'd do it all over again, but, he paused, taking in a shaky breath. I wish I had done it sooner, he spoke, flipping his hand over so that he held her hand. If I had, you wouldn't be in this condition. I should have never, he paused again, swallowing thickly. I should have never gotten you involved. I shouldn't have gotten you hurt, he continued, the pain evident in his connection. He rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb in a gentle motion.
But I didn't, and for that... I'm sorry.
I’m not, she replied, pursing her lips. Not for that. With some effort, she turned on her side to face him, moving into a smaller subsection of the cot and lifting the blanket with one hand. The invitation was clear, but she voiced it in his mind anyway.
Come here. Her mental tone was shy, perhaps fitting of the slight blush on her cheeks and nose. It was only faint, probably because she was a little too wan for more than that, but she didn’t take it back. She had something to tell him, and she wanted to be close to him when she did. Since she wasn't really strong enough right now to get out of bed, he’d have to get in.
He sighed softly, but he didn't decline. Instead, he stood from his chair, and moved so that he was on the cot with her. He had a bit of difficulty adjusting himself, but once he did, his arms wrapped around her, and he pulled her closer to him. He was gentle about it, though. He was like that. He was always gentle with her. Even his kisses had been gentle except for the one where she'd been taken the first time, by Kas.
I'm here, he finally spoke. With the both of them laying down, it was easier for him to look directly in her eyes.
Ana reached forward the short distance, smoothing his hair back from his face where it fell over his cheek. It felt nice, to be this close to him. To feel the warmth that was his, his reassuring solidity. She didn’t know exactly when it had become so precious to her, but it had. Perhaps it was simply one of those gradual things, falling in love. Something that snuck up on you.
I’m not sorry I became involved in this, she told him, running her hand through his hair. How was it that her heart hurt just to look at him? She couldn’t help but think she’d caused him pain. She’d tried so hard not to—too many people already had. She hadn’t wanted to be just another on the list. Because if it hadn’t been for that mission, hadn’t been for the fact that your boss wanted to build that machine… I would never have met you. And… and maybe you don’t believe me, but… to me, that’s worth all of this. I still…
Ana leaned forward, touching her brow to his. Her fingers curled softly into his nape. I still love you. And I came back because… because I couldn’t bear the thought of never seeing you again. It was… it was selfish of me, but all I could think about was how if you were there, it would be okay if I died. Because all I needed was you.
He let a slow breath out, and closed his eyes when she leaned forward. But you wouldn't be this far along if it weren't for me, Ana, he spoke. It was clear he still blamed himself for the condition she was in, and no matter what she said, he didn't seem to change his mind. I told you, you shouldn't love someone like me, he began again after a moment of silence. He seemed hesitant to continue, but he'd opened his eyes by this time, and he was staring at her again.
But I do not regret you, nor do I regret the fact that I fell in love with you, he continued. I guess that makes us selfish people, Ana, he spoke, his arms wrapping around her a little tighter. He still seemed conscious of her condition, and it wasn't enough for it to feel suffocating or tight at all.
Because I wanted to see you one last time. I wanted to tell you, again, that I loved you, and that I would never regret falling in love with you. I... told someone once that I wasn't a good person, but you made me want to be. You still make me want to be good, to do good, he softly sighed, his breath gusting over her face.
Even... even after all of this, after everything that will be said and done, I still want to do good for you and by you. You've... made me believe in all the things I thought were pointless to believe in. Things like dreams, friendships, but most of all, he paused so that his gaze was steady with her.
Most of all, love, Ana. You've made me believe in it where I thought it didn't exist.
Ana blinked, conscious of the fact that her eyelashes were damp. You are good, she said firmly. And you’ve been good to me. And no one can take that away. She paused, pulling in a shaky breath.
If I… if I make it past this… It was almost too optimistic a thought to have. She felt so weak now, but… she’d felt weak before, too, and she was still alive. Away from the machine and the forced strain on her body, maybe… I want… to reopen the shelter. Do you think maybe… maybe you’d like to run it with me, officially this time? It was such a strange thought, a pipe dream, really. But hadn’t he said she’d taught him to believe in dreams again?
Maybe he’d taught her how, too.
He gave her the smallest of smiles. It wasn't quite the same one he'd used specifically for her, but it was a smile nonetheless. When you make it past this, we'll reopen the shelter. If you want me to run it with you, then I will. I couldn't say no even if I wanted to, he replied softly, bringing one of his hands up to rub her cheek softly.
Someone also told me that I should believe in you, and to have a little more faith in you, his voice was quiet, almost like he'd whispered it. When you get past this, when everything's finished, we'll reopen the shelter, together.
She did manage to smile, for him.
It’s a promise, then, she said, leaning forward to brush her lips softly over his, just for a moment. She could feel sleep pulling at her again, but she didn’t fear it this time.
Right now, she didn’t fear anything at all.
Eryk sighed softly, running a hand through his hair and down his face. It was time for them to leave. They had stayed an extra day, which was longer than necessary, but he supposed it was. Kas needed time to recover, and Ana needed the rest. Even though they were all still tired, they needed to keep moving. He glanced towards the others, watching as they took their time to set everything right, and gathered whatever they would need. He spared Cyrilla a glance. He hadn't been able to talk to her about what happened, but partly because he wasn't sure if he should. She seemed okay at the moment, but he knew his cousin a lot better than that. She looked okay, but he knew she wasn't entirely okay. Sighing softly, he shook his head.
"We're almost ready, Ryk," she spoke to him softly. He furrowed his brows. She didn't even look him in the eye when she said that. She turned to go back in, but he placed a hand on her shoulder. She turned to glance at him, but her eyes didn't seem to make it all the way up.
"Cyrilla," he spoke softly. Now wasn't the best time, but he just wanted to make sure she was okay. "Are you alright?" he asked softly, and she shook her head.
"No... no Ryk, I'm not," she replied just as soft. "But I'll be okay. I just... I need some time is all, to come to terms with it. I think... I think I have, but it'll still be awhile yet," she spoke, rubbing her bracelet in an absentminded fashion. He sighed. "Don't worry, it'll be fine, Ryk," she spoke, offering him a smile. At least it wasn't forced. He'd take that. He let her go and watched as she ducked back into the bunker. She came back out a moment later, though, and made her way towards Harper and Drake.
"Kas, is there anything else we need to do?" he spoke towards Kasimir, sparing a glance in Ana's direction.
Kas shook his head. “I’ve already called in the supplies that will need replacement, and other than that, as long as the place is clean, we’re good to go.” It wasn’t like anyone had made a mess while they were there or anything; they’d pretty much just slept, ate, and kept company in low voices.
“Kas, I’m gonna go get the boat started while you guys finish up here.” That was Harper. With a short nod to the rest of them, she took off through the tangle of vegetation leading out to where they’d camouflaged it. Thankfully, the beach pulled in at a certain spot, so they hadn’t needed to run it aground to hide it, making it much easier to get back out on the water.
Her brother glanced between all of them. “All right, guys. Make sure you didn’t forget anything. Then we can lock this place up and get out of here. You’ll want to spend time below the deck if you can—all of us visible at once will definitely get attention if they’re looking this way.” They’d have to risk it sometimes, of course, but one person matching one description was a lot less than a bunch who all matched someone Team Rocket wanted. Most likely, Harper and Drake would do the majority of the piloting for just that reason.
Cyrilla nodded her head as did Eryk. "I have everything, what about you?" he asked, turning towards her. She nodded her head in response, and shifted in her spot. Nodding his head, he turned back towards Kas and Ana. He took a step forward, and offered Ana his hand. He didn't want her to fall or trip. He'd carry her, but he wasn't entirely sure how she'd feel about that. Actually... it was probably better if he did. Even though she looked slightly better, he knew that she was probably still tired. So, he shifted his hand slightly, and slipped it behind her knees, and cradled her shoulders.
"It'll be easier this way," he spoke, offering her a small smile. It also gave him an excuse to be closer to her. Not that he really needed one, but he supposed it was because there were still plenty of people around. He wasn't used to being affectionate in public. This way, it just looked like he was holding her for her benefit, and not his.
“Sneaky, Ryk,” Kas muttered, apparently unconvinced by the bluff. He didn’t say anything else about it, though, only leading them through the tropical underbrush after Harper.
Ana sighed slightly when he picked her up, but she didn’t seem to mind, and leaned herself against his chest, which had the benefit both of making her easier to carry and also of moving them closer together.
By the time they reached the boat, Harper already had it started and ready to go; they had to wade out a bit so they could climb aboard. As suggested, everyone but Harper and Drake moved under the deck; Kas lingered for a bit to talk to his sister, presumably about their direction. When he returned below with the rest of them, he settled himself onto a padded bench next to Cy. He didn’t touch her, but their closeness spoke for itself, in a way.
“All right, so… you all have a decision to make, now,” he said, glancing at each of them in turn. “My mission’s not over—I still have to prevent Team Rocket from following through with this plan of theirs to capture and control the legendary pokémon that Ana found. It’s… not going to be easy, but it’s KPSF business now, and you don’t have to be involved.”
He leaned forward, draping his arms over his knees. He looked tired, but Eryk had learned long ago that Kas was much tougher than he seemed. Lazy though he might be, he could work for a long time with little rest and still not lose his edge. “We’ve got bigger safehouses in further locations—at this point, you can pick a place in Kanto and we can find you a place to stay there. My boss is willing to help you all file for witness protection, too. They can make you disappear, and not even Team Rocket will be able to find you again.” He shrugged, but he wasn’t as casual as he seemed. His eyes were too serious.
“I want to help you.” Ana was the first to speak. “When I made contact with the pokémon, I… I told them what Team Rocket planned to do, as far as I knew it. They’re prepared, but… they might still be in danger. I want to help them. It’s the right thing to do. And… if you have me, you might be able to find them faster than the others can.”
Eryk sighed. "I'll help, too," he spoke. It was the least he could do. After everything, he wanted to repent for his transgressions. He wanted to atone for what he did to Ana, for what he almost did. "We don't need the protection," he continued. Cyrilla nodded her head in agreement, moving just the slightest bit towards Kas, and laid her head on his shoulder as best as she could.
"I want to help, too. For... for Kenny, for you," she began, glancing at Ana before shifting her gaze towards Eryk. "And for you," she continued, glancing up at Kas. Eryk felt his lips tilt upwards slightly.
"So, what will you have us do, Kas?" he stated, quirking a brow in his direction. "Because from where I see it, you're kind of stuck with us," he continued, a small smirk appearing on his lips. It was true, in a way. He wasn't going to leave Ana behind, and if she wanted to help, he wanted to help, too. He also knew that Cyrilla wasn't going to leave, either. Even if she wanted to help, he knew she wanted them to pay for Kenshin, for Ana, and for what they did to Kas. She just wasn't really aware of that. She wasn't that kind of person. He also wanted to make them pay for what they did to Ana. Even if she said he was a good person, these particular thoughts he had made him feel like he wasn't.
But... then again, didn't everyone have thoughts of retribution?
Kas snorted. “Guess the whole team’s in, then, because Melly and Drake have already told me in no uncertain terms that they’re helping too.” In some way or another, Team Rocket had hurt them all, either directly or via people that they loved. Perhaps the retributive instinct was natural. Maybe it was people like Ana, who didn't seem to have it, who were the stranger ones.
“In that case… we’re gonna dock in Vermilion. From there, we’ll be able to fly out to our destination. My guess is they’re going for the Swords of Justice first; they’re a little closer and it’s exactly the kind of symbolic bullshit that the boss loves.” He rolled his eyes. “My boss is gonna want people on that she trusts more than us. But while they’re busy with that, we can track down our namesakes, I figure.”
“Namesakes?” Ana looked confused.
He grinned. “Yeah. As Executives, we were called the Three Beasts, you know. Cy here was Suicune, I was Raikou, and Ryk was Entei. Probably because of the hair more than anything.”
"Kas, that's mean. You shouldn't insult Entei that way," Cy spoke, causing Ryk to roll his eyes. He smiled a little wider, though. At least she was well enough to crack the small joke. The smile on her face when she looked at him didn't quite reach her eyes, but at least it looked like she was trying a bit.
"Apparently because my hair's always shaggy," he began, running a hand through his hair, "They thought it was fit to name me as such." He shrugged. He honestly didn't know why or how they came up with the concept of how he was Entei, but he'd take it. "Is there an actual plan as to what we're going to do if we manage to find them?" he asked. Finding the Legendary Beasts wouldn't be too hard if Ana's already talked to them, but what were they supposed to do when they encountered them?
Try and talk to them to see if they'd be willing to enter into a form of witness protection?
Ana considered the explanation for a moment. Slowly, her face turned pink, though she didn’t give any indication as to why.
Kas seemed to know, from the way he grinned at her. That might have just made it more confusing, though. “As for what we do when we find them… that’s going to depend a lot on them. But… if they can help us thwart Team Rocket’s plans, we might weaken them enough—publicly—that they’ll lose some of their political backing. If we can do that, it’ll only be a matter of time before they can be properly arrested and charged for their crimes. They’ve certainly committed enough. But we have to weaken their support base before we can do anything about it. A scheme this grand failing terribly would be a good start, don’t you think?”
Eryk snorted softly. "Yeah, I think it would be," he replied. It would be a good start at starting over, too. If he could help them, then from there, he would do as he told Ana he would. He would do right by her, for her. He would try to fix the mess that he'd made, and begin over. A small tinge in his chest, something that felt like hope, hoped he could start over with her. Because if he couldn't... he wouldn't know where to begin.
"I suggest we get some more rest. It'll still be a couple of hours before we reach Vermilion," he spoke. Cyrilla nodded her head, opting to keep it where it was, on Kas's shoulder. She'd closed her eyes, and it didn't take long before she dozed off. He huffed lightly. She must still be tired. He glanced towards Ana. "You should rest, too," he stated. Out of the three of them, he wasn't as strained, so he didn't need much rest. He considered himself a little lucky for that, but he wasn't entirely sure how lucky.
All he knew was that they were going to bring down Team Rocket, and make them pay. He'd make sure of it... personally.
"We're almost ready, Ryk," she spoke to him softly. He furrowed his brows. She didn't even look him in the eye when she said that. She turned to go back in, but he placed a hand on her shoulder. She turned to glance at him, but her eyes didn't seem to make it all the way up.
"Cyrilla," he spoke softly. Now wasn't the best time, but he just wanted to make sure she was okay. "Are you alright?" he asked softly, and she shook her head.
"No... no Ryk, I'm not," she replied just as soft. "But I'll be okay. I just... I need some time is all, to come to terms with it. I think... I think I have, but it'll still be awhile yet," she spoke, rubbing her bracelet in an absentminded fashion. He sighed. "Don't worry, it'll be fine, Ryk," she spoke, offering him a smile. At least it wasn't forced. He'd take that. He let her go and watched as she ducked back into the bunker. She came back out a moment later, though, and made her way towards Harper and Drake.
"Kas, is there anything else we need to do?" he spoke towards Kasimir, sparing a glance in Ana's direction.
Kas shook his head. “I’ve already called in the supplies that will need replacement, and other than that, as long as the place is clean, we’re good to go.” It wasn’t like anyone had made a mess while they were there or anything; they’d pretty much just slept, ate, and kept company in low voices.
“Kas, I’m gonna go get the boat started while you guys finish up here.” That was Harper. With a short nod to the rest of them, she took off through the tangle of vegetation leading out to where they’d camouflaged it. Thankfully, the beach pulled in at a certain spot, so they hadn’t needed to run it aground to hide it, making it much easier to get back out on the water.
Her brother glanced between all of them. “All right, guys. Make sure you didn’t forget anything. Then we can lock this place up and get out of here. You’ll want to spend time below the deck if you can—all of us visible at once will definitely get attention if they’re looking this way.” They’d have to risk it sometimes, of course, but one person matching one description was a lot less than a bunch who all matched someone Team Rocket wanted. Most likely, Harper and Drake would do the majority of the piloting for just that reason.
Cyrilla nodded her head as did Eryk. "I have everything, what about you?" he asked, turning towards her. She nodded her head in response, and shifted in her spot. Nodding his head, he turned back towards Kas and Ana. He took a step forward, and offered Ana his hand. He didn't want her to fall or trip. He'd carry her, but he wasn't entirely sure how she'd feel about that. Actually... it was probably better if he did. Even though she looked slightly better, he knew that she was probably still tired. So, he shifted his hand slightly, and slipped it behind her knees, and cradled her shoulders.
"It'll be easier this way," he spoke, offering her a small smile. It also gave him an excuse to be closer to her. Not that he really needed one, but he supposed it was because there were still plenty of people around. He wasn't used to being affectionate in public. This way, it just looked like he was holding her for her benefit, and not his.
“Sneaky, Ryk,” Kas muttered, apparently unconvinced by the bluff. He didn’t say anything else about it, though, only leading them through the tropical underbrush after Harper.
Ana sighed slightly when he picked her up, but she didn’t seem to mind, and leaned herself against his chest, which had the benefit both of making her easier to carry and also of moving them closer together.
By the time they reached the boat, Harper already had it started and ready to go; they had to wade out a bit so they could climb aboard. As suggested, everyone but Harper and Drake moved under the deck; Kas lingered for a bit to talk to his sister, presumably about their direction. When he returned below with the rest of them, he settled himself onto a padded bench next to Cy. He didn’t touch her, but their closeness spoke for itself, in a way.
“All right, so… you all have a decision to make, now,” he said, glancing at each of them in turn. “My mission’s not over—I still have to prevent Team Rocket from following through with this plan of theirs to capture and control the legendary pokémon that Ana found. It’s… not going to be easy, but it’s KPSF business now, and you don’t have to be involved.”
He leaned forward, draping his arms over his knees. He looked tired, but Eryk had learned long ago that Kas was much tougher than he seemed. Lazy though he might be, he could work for a long time with little rest and still not lose his edge. “We’ve got bigger safehouses in further locations—at this point, you can pick a place in Kanto and we can find you a place to stay there. My boss is willing to help you all file for witness protection, too. They can make you disappear, and not even Team Rocket will be able to find you again.” He shrugged, but he wasn’t as casual as he seemed. His eyes were too serious.
“I want to help you.” Ana was the first to speak. “When I made contact with the pokémon, I… I told them what Team Rocket planned to do, as far as I knew it. They’re prepared, but… they might still be in danger. I want to help them. It’s the right thing to do. And… if you have me, you might be able to find them faster than the others can.”
Eryk sighed. "I'll help, too," he spoke. It was the least he could do. After everything, he wanted to repent for his transgressions. He wanted to atone for what he did to Ana, for what he almost did. "We don't need the protection," he continued. Cyrilla nodded her head in agreement, moving just the slightest bit towards Kas, and laid her head on his shoulder as best as she could.
"I want to help, too. For... for Kenny, for you," she began, glancing at Ana before shifting her gaze towards Eryk. "And for you," she continued, glancing up at Kas. Eryk felt his lips tilt upwards slightly.
"So, what will you have us do, Kas?" he stated, quirking a brow in his direction. "Because from where I see it, you're kind of stuck with us," he continued, a small smirk appearing on his lips. It was true, in a way. He wasn't going to leave Ana behind, and if she wanted to help, he wanted to help, too. He also knew that Cyrilla wasn't going to leave, either. Even if she wanted to help, he knew she wanted them to pay for Kenshin, for Ana, and for what they did to Kas. She just wasn't really aware of that. She wasn't that kind of person. He also wanted to make them pay for what they did to Ana. Even if she said he was a good person, these particular thoughts he had made him feel like he wasn't.
But... then again, didn't everyone have thoughts of retribution?
Kas snorted. “Guess the whole team’s in, then, because Melly and Drake have already told me in no uncertain terms that they’re helping too.” In some way or another, Team Rocket had hurt them all, either directly or via people that they loved. Perhaps the retributive instinct was natural. Maybe it was people like Ana, who didn't seem to have it, who were the stranger ones.
“In that case… we’re gonna dock in Vermilion. From there, we’ll be able to fly out to our destination. My guess is they’re going for the Swords of Justice first; they’re a little closer and it’s exactly the kind of symbolic bullshit that the boss loves.” He rolled his eyes. “My boss is gonna want people on that she trusts more than us. But while they’re busy with that, we can track down our namesakes, I figure.”
“Namesakes?” Ana looked confused.
He grinned. “Yeah. As Executives, we were called the Three Beasts, you know. Cy here was Suicune, I was Raikou, and Ryk was Entei. Probably because of the hair more than anything.”
"Kas, that's mean. You shouldn't insult Entei that way," Cy spoke, causing Ryk to roll his eyes. He smiled a little wider, though. At least she was well enough to crack the small joke. The smile on her face when she looked at him didn't quite reach her eyes, but at least it looked like she was trying a bit.
"Apparently because my hair's always shaggy," he began, running a hand through his hair, "They thought it was fit to name me as such." He shrugged. He honestly didn't know why or how they came up with the concept of how he was Entei, but he'd take it. "Is there an actual plan as to what we're going to do if we manage to find them?" he asked. Finding the Legendary Beasts wouldn't be too hard if Ana's already talked to them, but what were they supposed to do when they encountered them?
Try and talk to them to see if they'd be willing to enter into a form of witness protection?
Ana considered the explanation for a moment. Slowly, her face turned pink, though she didn’t give any indication as to why.
Kas seemed to know, from the way he grinned at her. That might have just made it more confusing, though. “As for what we do when we find them… that’s going to depend a lot on them. But… if they can help us thwart Team Rocket’s plans, we might weaken them enough—publicly—that they’ll lose some of their political backing. If we can do that, it’ll only be a matter of time before they can be properly arrested and charged for their crimes. They’ve certainly committed enough. But we have to weaken their support base before we can do anything about it. A scheme this grand failing terribly would be a good start, don’t you think?”
Eryk snorted softly. "Yeah, I think it would be," he replied. It would be a good start at starting over, too. If he could help them, then from there, he would do as he told Ana he would. He would do right by her, for her. He would try to fix the mess that he'd made, and begin over. A small tinge in his chest, something that felt like hope, hoped he could start over with her. Because if he couldn't... he wouldn't know where to begin.
"I suggest we get some more rest. It'll still be a couple of hours before we reach Vermilion," he spoke. Cyrilla nodded her head, opting to keep it where it was, on Kas's shoulder. She'd closed her eyes, and it didn't take long before she dozed off. He huffed lightly. She must still be tired. He glanced towards Ana. "You should rest, too," he stated. Out of the three of them, he wasn't as strained, so he didn't need much rest. He considered himself a little lucky for that, but he wasn't entirely sure how lucky.
All he knew was that they were going to bring down Team Rocket, and make them pay. He'd make sure of it... personally.
From Vermilion, they’d taken a plane to Goldenrod City in Johto, which as far as Ana could tell was as near to their destination as they were going to get by such a method of transportation. She believed the Swords of Justice to be in Orre at the moment, and Kas had said those were the ones that both Team Rocket and his superiors would be going after first, so they had at least a little time. More, since she wasn’t with Team Rocket to make things any more specific.
Of course, she wasn’t entirely sure she’d be able to help much now, but at the very least she could passively extend her senses outwards and know if they passed by anything unusual. Doing that wasn’t much drain on her. Her dreams seemed to be helping, too. It wasn’t perfect, but when she fell asleep, she could almost replicate what it was like being in the machine, if she pushed her powers outward to the furthest limit like it had made her do. Obviously, no one wanted her to do that unless it was absolutely necessary, but it was an option of last resort, anyway.
Currently, the six of them were heading north from Goldenrod, towards the National Park. Ana just had a vague feeling that it would be good if they went there, though she couldn’t say exactly why. Maybe one of the pokémon they were looking for was there, maybe it wasn’t. It was hard to say.
She was walking at her own insistence. It was probably slowing the group down a little, but she didn’t want to wear Eryk out by forcing him to carry her everywhere, and it was probably better for the moment that they didn’t draw too much attention to themselves by having her ride a pokémon or anything like that. The route to the National Park was quite scenic, and more often than not, other people were in sight. They even passed a few trainers having battles, though as of yet none of them had been challenged.
Even though she was walking at a slower pace, Eryk was beside her, slowing his steps down as best as he could, it seemed. He wasn't exceptionally tall, like Kas was, but he was still there, so it didn't seem too easy for him. Still, it looked like he managed pretty well. Drake looked a little distracted, perhaps because of the battles that were taking place. Perhaps it was just a reflex he had for being a Gym Leader, and the constant challenges he'd dealt with most of last year. As she had learned, Eryk had been the one who sent the challengers on a daily basis.
Cyrilla was actually walking with Harper, the two of them occasionally saying something to each other before falling silent. She didn't look quite as happy as she used to be, but it looked like she was slowly getting there. She didn't look quite as deflated.
Are you doing alright? Eryk asked her softly. He'd insisted that they speak this way, perhaps because it was easier. He didn't glance in her direction, though, and only kept his gaze forward.
I’m okay, she confirmed. I don’t know how much further I’ll be able to walk, but exercise is actually good for me right now. It will help me recover. That was the very idea of physical therapy, after all. Maybe applied on a slightly-accelerated schedule now, but she’d handle it. She had to.
Reaching out, Ana found his hand with hers, though like him, she kept her eyes turned forward. It was important that she pay special attention towards her surroundings right now, with every sense she had.
The group of them passed through the gate into the National Park. It was huge on the map, miles and miles of sprawling forest. She figured the best place to start would be any lakes or rivers, considering the pokémon she believed was calling to her. She could hear it, just at the very edges of her perception, like the soft chiming of a bell.
“We should head west as soon as we can,” she informed the group. “I can… I can sense something, sort of.”
Eryk squeezed her hand gently and nodded his head. He didn't say anything, though, and remained quiet as they continued their trek through the park. When she informed them of the direction to go, Cy and Ryk both nodded their heads, almost simultaneously, which earned a slight shake of Ryk's head. "Is there any particular sensation you're getting now?" Eryk spoke, finally glancing down at her. Even though they were in a wooded area, there wasn't any concern of walking into something.
"We've barely begun walking in this direction, Ryk. I don't think it works like that," Cyrilla spoke softly, glancing over her shoulder towards him. She apparently heard him, even though she was walking a few feet ahead. "Patience is a virtue, you know," she continued, offering him a small smile.
"I don't think you have to worry about that with him. I've never seen Ryk anything but patient." Ryk just furrowed his brows.
Ana blinked. “Honestly? We’re looking for Suicune. I’m not sure if what I’m feeling is it, but I know it’s around here somewhere—in this part of Johto, I mean.”
Harper raised both eyebrows, glancing back with a slight smile on her face. “That’s amazing. Both that you can do that and that we’re gonna find Suicune. It’s kind of nuts to think of these pokémon as really existing. Before this, they were just… stories.”
Kaimir huffed a soft laugh. “I know, right? But if anyone could find them, it’d be our Ana.”
She’d really never thought of her powers as anything that special. Rare, certainly, but not inherently valuable. She supposed, though, that if they were ever going to have a use to be put to, this was it.
The canopy gradually grew thicker overhead; the shade of the trees was deep even in the middle of the day. They hiked for several hours, in total, occasionally redirected when Ana stopped, closed her eyes, and recalibrated her internal map of the National Park and the situation. She was grateful that their attitudes remained positive; she knew this was taking longer than they might want. But the bell-sound in her mind was getting louder; she could feel another consciousness growing closer to hers. She suspected Eryk might be able to feel it faintly too, through their connection.
“There’s a lake near here,” she said urgently, after once more pausing the group. “We have to find it.”
"But there's so much forest around. Are you sure there's a lake nearby?" Drake spoke. Eryk fixed him with a gaze, and raised his brow. "Well, I mean," he spoke, laughing a little nervously before he fixed his gaze outwards. They continued pressing forward, pausing only when someone thought they heard water. Mostly, it was just Drake. Perhaps he was just as anxious and excited to meet a legendary.
"It's starting to smell like... wet grass," Cyrilla spoke suddenly, furrowing her brows slightly. "Kind of like a rainforest, but not... quite a rainforest?" she continued, seemingly unsure as how to describe the smell.
"Don't think too hard on it, Cy. We'll find it when we find it," Eryk said as glanced around. It was only a few moments later that they finally came across the lake.
"It's empty. Maybe it's the wrong lake?" Cyrilla stated softly, a vocal observation more than anything.
“No,” Ana replied, eyes wide. She pointed to the far shore of the lake. “Look.”
It was hard to see the opposite bank, but the issue resolved itself when the figure she saw there began to walk across the water. Each of its footsteps left a little ripple on the surface, but it did not sink.
Suicune resembled some of the art of itself she’d seen in books, but not completely. It was predominantly blue, with white diamond-shaped markings on its flanks and shoulders. Its underbelly was white as well; tis tail split in two and trailed forwards along its sides, a pale flowing ribbon. Its head was vaguely lupine, with a purple crest extending backwards from its crown.
It came to a stop about ten feet out on the water. The air around it smelled fresh, pure—like the air just after a thunderstorm. Hello, little one, The voice in her mind somehow recalled the sound of the bell; she knew without a doubt now that it had been causing that sensation to lead them here.
It moved its attention to the others, running jewel-colored eyes over all of them. You are more numerous than expected, but your enemies are more numerous still. That, she could tell, was broadcasted to everyone.
Cyrilla and Drake both stared with an odd sense of fascination. They'd never seen it in person; that was obvious enough. No one did. Eryk merely regarded the pokémon with a steady gaze. He didn't seem at all fazed by its appearance, but there was little that surprised Eryk, apparently. Only emotions and new things to feel seemed to surprise him. He nodded his head, though, when Suicune spoke to them.
"They are," he replied. They were only a handful of people where as Stefan had an endless amount of people. A small army wouldn't exactly be an exaggeration, but it wouldn't necessarily be false, either.
"We're only here to make sure they don't..." Cyrilla seemed to pause in her words, swallowing a little thickly as if the words were a little too heavy to say. "We just want to make sure you're safe, and everyone else," she finally continued. Eryk spared her a glance before he glanced down at Ana.
But that is not quite all, is it? the pokémon replied, still transmitting its thoughts to everyone. You seek my aid in freeing those that may have already been captured, and in routing the forces mustered against us all.
It paused, tilting its head slightly to the side, regarding them all with serene eyes.
I will assist you… on one condition.
Of course, she wasn’t entirely sure she’d be able to help much now, but at the very least she could passively extend her senses outwards and know if they passed by anything unusual. Doing that wasn’t much drain on her. Her dreams seemed to be helping, too. It wasn’t perfect, but when she fell asleep, she could almost replicate what it was like being in the machine, if she pushed her powers outward to the furthest limit like it had made her do. Obviously, no one wanted her to do that unless it was absolutely necessary, but it was an option of last resort, anyway.
Currently, the six of them were heading north from Goldenrod, towards the National Park. Ana just had a vague feeling that it would be good if they went there, though she couldn’t say exactly why. Maybe one of the pokémon they were looking for was there, maybe it wasn’t. It was hard to say.
She was walking at her own insistence. It was probably slowing the group down a little, but she didn’t want to wear Eryk out by forcing him to carry her everywhere, and it was probably better for the moment that they didn’t draw too much attention to themselves by having her ride a pokémon or anything like that. The route to the National Park was quite scenic, and more often than not, other people were in sight. They even passed a few trainers having battles, though as of yet none of them had been challenged.
Even though she was walking at a slower pace, Eryk was beside her, slowing his steps down as best as he could, it seemed. He wasn't exceptionally tall, like Kas was, but he was still there, so it didn't seem too easy for him. Still, it looked like he managed pretty well. Drake looked a little distracted, perhaps because of the battles that were taking place. Perhaps it was just a reflex he had for being a Gym Leader, and the constant challenges he'd dealt with most of last year. As she had learned, Eryk had been the one who sent the challengers on a daily basis.
Cyrilla was actually walking with Harper, the two of them occasionally saying something to each other before falling silent. She didn't look quite as happy as she used to be, but it looked like she was slowly getting there. She didn't look quite as deflated.
Are you doing alright? Eryk asked her softly. He'd insisted that they speak this way, perhaps because it was easier. He didn't glance in her direction, though, and only kept his gaze forward.
I’m okay, she confirmed. I don’t know how much further I’ll be able to walk, but exercise is actually good for me right now. It will help me recover. That was the very idea of physical therapy, after all. Maybe applied on a slightly-accelerated schedule now, but she’d handle it. She had to.
Reaching out, Ana found his hand with hers, though like him, she kept her eyes turned forward. It was important that she pay special attention towards her surroundings right now, with every sense she had.
The group of them passed through the gate into the National Park. It was huge on the map, miles and miles of sprawling forest. She figured the best place to start would be any lakes or rivers, considering the pokémon she believed was calling to her. She could hear it, just at the very edges of her perception, like the soft chiming of a bell.
“We should head west as soon as we can,” she informed the group. “I can… I can sense something, sort of.”
Eryk squeezed her hand gently and nodded his head. He didn't say anything, though, and remained quiet as they continued their trek through the park. When she informed them of the direction to go, Cy and Ryk both nodded their heads, almost simultaneously, which earned a slight shake of Ryk's head. "Is there any particular sensation you're getting now?" Eryk spoke, finally glancing down at her. Even though they were in a wooded area, there wasn't any concern of walking into something.
"We've barely begun walking in this direction, Ryk. I don't think it works like that," Cyrilla spoke softly, glancing over her shoulder towards him. She apparently heard him, even though she was walking a few feet ahead. "Patience is a virtue, you know," she continued, offering him a small smile.
"I don't think you have to worry about that with him. I've never seen Ryk anything but patient." Ryk just furrowed his brows.
Ana blinked. “Honestly? We’re looking for Suicune. I’m not sure if what I’m feeling is it, but I know it’s around here somewhere—in this part of Johto, I mean.”
Harper raised both eyebrows, glancing back with a slight smile on her face. “That’s amazing. Both that you can do that and that we’re gonna find Suicune. It’s kind of nuts to think of these pokémon as really existing. Before this, they were just… stories.”
Kaimir huffed a soft laugh. “I know, right? But if anyone could find them, it’d be our Ana.”
She’d really never thought of her powers as anything that special. Rare, certainly, but not inherently valuable. She supposed, though, that if they were ever going to have a use to be put to, this was it.
The canopy gradually grew thicker overhead; the shade of the trees was deep even in the middle of the day. They hiked for several hours, in total, occasionally redirected when Ana stopped, closed her eyes, and recalibrated her internal map of the National Park and the situation. She was grateful that their attitudes remained positive; she knew this was taking longer than they might want. But the bell-sound in her mind was getting louder; she could feel another consciousness growing closer to hers. She suspected Eryk might be able to feel it faintly too, through their connection.
“There’s a lake near here,” she said urgently, after once more pausing the group. “We have to find it.”
"But there's so much forest around. Are you sure there's a lake nearby?" Drake spoke. Eryk fixed him with a gaze, and raised his brow. "Well, I mean," he spoke, laughing a little nervously before he fixed his gaze outwards. They continued pressing forward, pausing only when someone thought they heard water. Mostly, it was just Drake. Perhaps he was just as anxious and excited to meet a legendary.
"It's starting to smell like... wet grass," Cyrilla spoke suddenly, furrowing her brows slightly. "Kind of like a rainforest, but not... quite a rainforest?" she continued, seemingly unsure as how to describe the smell.
"Don't think too hard on it, Cy. We'll find it when we find it," Eryk said as glanced around. It was only a few moments later that they finally came across the lake.
"It's empty. Maybe it's the wrong lake?" Cyrilla stated softly, a vocal observation more than anything.
“No,” Ana replied, eyes wide. She pointed to the far shore of the lake. “Look.”
It was hard to see the opposite bank, but the issue resolved itself when the figure she saw there began to walk across the water. Each of its footsteps left a little ripple on the surface, but it did not sink.
Suicune resembled some of the art of itself she’d seen in books, but not completely. It was predominantly blue, with white diamond-shaped markings on its flanks and shoulders. Its underbelly was white as well; tis tail split in two and trailed forwards along its sides, a pale flowing ribbon. Its head was vaguely lupine, with a purple crest extending backwards from its crown.
It came to a stop about ten feet out on the water. The air around it smelled fresh, pure—like the air just after a thunderstorm. Hello, little one, The voice in her mind somehow recalled the sound of the bell; she knew without a doubt now that it had been causing that sensation to lead them here.
It moved its attention to the others, running jewel-colored eyes over all of them. You are more numerous than expected, but your enemies are more numerous still. That, she could tell, was broadcasted to everyone.
Cyrilla and Drake both stared with an odd sense of fascination. They'd never seen it in person; that was obvious enough. No one did. Eryk merely regarded the pokémon with a steady gaze. He didn't seem at all fazed by its appearance, but there was little that surprised Eryk, apparently. Only emotions and new things to feel seemed to surprise him. He nodded his head, though, when Suicune spoke to them.
"They are," he replied. They were only a handful of people where as Stefan had an endless amount of people. A small army wouldn't exactly be an exaggeration, but it wouldn't necessarily be false, either.
"We're only here to make sure they don't..." Cyrilla seemed to pause in her words, swallowing a little thickly as if the words were a little too heavy to say. "We just want to make sure you're safe, and everyone else," she finally continued. Eryk spared her a glance before he glanced down at Ana.
But that is not quite all, is it? the pokémon replied, still transmitting its thoughts to everyone. You seek my aid in freeing those that may have already been captured, and in routing the forces mustered against us all.
It paused, tilting its head slightly to the side, regarding them all with serene eyes.
I will assist you… on one condition.
It was still something, glancing at a legendary pokémon and hearing its thoughts. It wasn't quite the same as it had been with him, but it was a familiar sensation all the same, to Cyrilla. She'd glanced towards Eryk for a moment, watching his expression go from not really interested, to something more curious. Suicune would help them, but there was a condition being placed upon that help. For a moment, Cyrilla pursed her lips together. What could a legendary pokémon possibly want in return for its aid? They were free, allowed to be as they were. There couldn't be much that they could want, could there? She turned her attention back towards Suicune.
"What is it?" she spoke first. Whatever this condition was, she'd do it. Whatever it was that Suicune would demand, she would do it because she wanted to help some way or another. Ryk would probably do it, too, but this was something she wanted to do first. It would be a step forward for her, a step in continuing further so that he wouldn't be forgotten, or his death in vain. She felt a slight shiver go down her spine, but she ignored it all the same.
The pokémon’s attention seemed to focus on her for a moment. The purplish cloud on its back rippled as if stirred by some unfelt breeze. It blinked. If I am to aid you, I must see that you have a chance to succeed. I will not simply go to my own capture. It paused a moment, taking several more steps forward on the surface of the lake.
You have borne my name, human. Show me that you are strong enough to keep it.
It wanted to battle? Is that what it wanted? Cyrilla furrowed her brows softly, glancing down for a moment. She wasn't sure if she could. She wasn't exactly the one who battled with her team, and the last time she'd battled... she paused in that thought, and clenched her fist softly. She pulled one of the pokéballs from her belt and stared at it. He was one of two options, but he was probably her best option, at the moment. Sighing softly, she glanced back up towards Suicune.
"If that is your condition, then I shall fulfill it," she spoke softly. There wasn't much behind her voice, but there was some resolve in it. She owed it to Kenshin. She smiled softly as Eryk placed a hand on her shoulder, nodding his head. "Thanks, Ryk," she muttered. He managed to calm her nerves with that one motion. She took in a slow breath, and tossed the pokéball towards the lake. Gyarados emerged with a loud roar before he took in his surroundings. His eyes landed on Suicune, and immediately, he growled.
"If it is a battle you want, then I will prove my worth to you, Suicune," she spoke, watching as Gyarados readied himself. "Dragon Pulse!" she ordered, watching as Gyarados charged Suicune.
Suicune seemed to disappear from in front of them; the attack crashed into the surface of the water, splashing into the lake without hitting anything. As fast as it had vanished, Suicune reappeared to the left. The air rippled and distorted as it rushed forward—it seemed to be a gust attack, aimed at knocking Gyarados right out of the air.
"Gyarados, dive under the water!" she spoke, watching as the attack nearly hit. She let loose a soft sigh before quickly ordering another attack. "Hydro Pump, Gyarados... now." Gyarados reemerged from the waters not a second sooner, and released the stream of water towards Suicune. She knew it wouldn't be very effective against it, being a water-type attack, but that didn't mean it wouldn't be at least somewhat effective.
Unfortunately, it seemed to be even worse. The jet of water hit Suicune, who simply withstood it, apparently seeing no need to move. The reason why became clear a second later—it was absorbing the attack. Some pokémon could do that; apparently, Suicune was one of them.
When the Hydro Pump stream died down, Suicune whipped up another gust. The force of its winds was powerful—certainly far moreso than anything a typical user of that move could generate. But it didn't seem to be actively trying to defeat Gyarados, just to force Cyrilla to deal with what it was throwing at them. Perhaps... perhaps it really was testing her somehow.
Cyrilla bit her lip somewhat as the gust of air managed to hit Gyarados, sending him further back towards the edge of the lake. "Gyarados," she spoke glancing over him to make sure he was okay. He was, but the attack seemed to hit pretty hard. He didn't seem appreciative of it, and roared in Suicune's direction. This wasn't good. If Gyarados got too angry, he'd stop obeying her. She furrowed her brows.
"Gyarados, Tackle it!" she ordered. If she could keep his attention on attacking, then she'd be okay. He charged Suicune, throwing his entire self towards it. At least with Tackle, he'd be able to use his full body to exert some of that pent up anger towards Suicune.
Suicune dodged to the side, letting Gyarados pass it by harmlessly. It seemed there really was a reason such pokémon were the targets of Team Rocket's operations. It was certainly a formidable opponent.
While Gyarados recovered and turned around, Suicune swung to face him, its eyes taking on a light blue glow not entirely unlike Ana's sometimes had. The Extrasensory attack halted Gyarados in mid-turn, picking him up and flinging him further away still.
She hadn't realized she'd bit her lip enough to cause it to bleed, however; the metallic taste was not enough to distract her. Gyarados was flung across, and hit the ground pretty good. He struggled to get up, and Cyrilla's eyes widened somewhat. It wasn't quite the same thing, but the memories of that day surfaced. Even if Suicune was testing her, she couldn't help the feeling that surfaced. The fear of her pokémon getting hurt. She could feel it, the constricting of her heart, however; she felt something brush against her mind. It felt odd.
Cy, it's okay, Ryk's voice was soft. He seemed to see the way her body tensed, and she glanced towards him. He didn't move, but he kept his gaze locked with hers. She couldn't reply in the same way he'd spoken. She wasn't a telepath like he was, however; she offered him a small nod. She took in a deep breath to calm herself. If she didn't want her pokémon to get hurt anymore, then she had to do something about it. If she didn't want any of them getting hurt, then she had to be something more than what she was. Gyarados looked like he was still struggling, and she recalled him.
"Thanks, Gyarados," she spoke softy, tucking the ball away before reaching for another one. This was her last chance. Lithe and Rapidash really didn't stand a chance against Suicune, but she didn't need them to. Type advantage was just that: an advantage. It didn't mean the end of a battle, however; it wasn't either of the two she sent out next.
"Dazzling Gleam, Snow!" she commanded, her voice as even and calm as she could make it. The ninetales shimmered as she appeared from her pokéball, and immediately, she began glowing.
That attack hit; Suicune didn't seem too fazed, but it had definitely connected the way it should. It darted to the right, landing on the surface of the lake once again. The Gust it called this time was stronger—clearly, it had decided to up the pressure. Quite possibly, it knew of the struggle she was facing now. If anything, it seemed to want to push her past it. How it could know so much was hard to say, but... it had been in telepathic contact with Ana. Who could say how much it had gleaned from her memory and thoughts?
Surprisingly, it chose that moment to address her. Do not falter. Your enemies surely will not. You must not simply oppose them. You must win. You. Not only your friends.
If she didn't win, her friends would be hurt. It was simple, but difficult. How could she win against people who didn't necessarily care? How could she win when she cared too much about the well-being of her own pokémon? Suicune was right, though. If she faltered, it would give her enemies the opening they needed in order to win, and her friends would be hurt. Not just her pokémon, but Eryk, Ana, Kas, Drake and Harper, too. They would all get hurt somehow. Remi's laughter echoed through her ears, and she could feel the sudden stabbing sensation in her heart.
Kenshin wouldn't want that. He'd be mad at her right now for even thinking what she was. He would be yelling at her, or some other equivalent, and she could almost see the disappointment behind his eyes. She didn't want to lose anymore of her friends, nor the people she loved. She couldn't. She wouldn't. "Never again," she replied just as firmly. She straightened out her back, and stared at Suicune. "I won't hesitate anymore. I won't let anyone else get hurt because of me," or her own weaknesses.
"Snow, Extrasensory," she spoke with a little more resolve to her voice. Snow's eyes began to glow in the same manner as Suicune's had.
Suicune met the attack with the same one of its own—the blasts connected in midair, producing a shockwave that flattened nearby grass and disturbed the surface of the lake. Neither pokémon wound up hit, though the impact was clearly greater on their side than on Suicune's—meaning that its blast was the heavier one.
Without warning, Suicune darted forward, closing the gap between them with Extreme Speed. It lowered its shoulder, aiming squarely for Snow.
"Dazzling Gleam!" she commanded, watching as Suicune's attack came closer. The closer it was, the more effective Snow's attack would be. She wasn't going to hesitate anymore, and she was going to prove that.
The blast threw off Suicune's trajectory, knocking it off-course. The Extreme Speed attack still connected with Snow, but not as heavily as it otherwise would have. Suicune recovered first and threw another Gust forward.
"Counter it with Blizzard," she spoke, watching as Snow's eyes illuminated somewhat, her coat shimmering and releasing small hints of snow. It quickly twirled around her, though, and she aimed it towards Suicune.
The two attacks met in midair again, the force of Suicune's wind pushing against Snow's blizzard. A massive jet of water cut through both, hitting Snow square in the chest. Hydro Pump, most likely.
Snow was pushed back, a little too hard. She recovered, nonetheless. She shook the water from her fur, and Cyrilla sighed with relief. Straightening back up, she glanced at Snow, who locked eyes with her. Both nodded in unison. "Moonblast!" she commanded. Even if the moon wasn't out directly, Snow could still use the attack.
Suicune changed tactics then, becoming much more aggressive. Dodging the Moonblast entirely, it rushed forward, slamming hard into Snow with another Extreme Speed. While the Ninetales was down, it made eye contact with Cyrilla.
I am satisfied. I will join you in your endeavors, for now. Do not forget what you have decided today.
Cyrilla kept her gaze with Suicune's and nodded her head. She grabbed one of the pokéballs from her bracelet, the one she'd intended to use for him. She pushed the button on it, watching as it increased in size and stared at it for a moment. She smiled softly before tossing it in Suicune's direction. Once she had Suicune, she picked the ball up and held it to her face.
"I won't, I promise." It was a promise she intended to keep, too. For everyone's sake as well as her own. "And when this is all over, you'll be free again," because she wasn't going to keep a Legendary Beast, no matter the way she'd caught it. Suicune, as did the rest of them, deserved to be free.
"What is it?" she spoke first. Whatever this condition was, she'd do it. Whatever it was that Suicune would demand, she would do it because she wanted to help some way or another. Ryk would probably do it, too, but this was something she wanted to do first. It would be a step forward for her, a step in continuing further so that he wouldn't be forgotten, or his death in vain. She felt a slight shiver go down her spine, but she ignored it all the same.
The pokémon’s attention seemed to focus on her for a moment. The purplish cloud on its back rippled as if stirred by some unfelt breeze. It blinked. If I am to aid you, I must see that you have a chance to succeed. I will not simply go to my own capture. It paused a moment, taking several more steps forward on the surface of the lake.
You have borne my name, human. Show me that you are strong enough to keep it.
It wanted to battle? Is that what it wanted? Cyrilla furrowed her brows softly, glancing down for a moment. She wasn't sure if she could. She wasn't exactly the one who battled with her team, and the last time she'd battled... she paused in that thought, and clenched her fist softly. She pulled one of the pokéballs from her belt and stared at it. He was one of two options, but he was probably her best option, at the moment. Sighing softly, she glanced back up towards Suicune.
"If that is your condition, then I shall fulfill it," she spoke softly. There wasn't much behind her voice, but there was some resolve in it. She owed it to Kenshin. She smiled softly as Eryk placed a hand on her shoulder, nodding his head. "Thanks, Ryk," she muttered. He managed to calm her nerves with that one motion. She took in a slow breath, and tossed the pokéball towards the lake. Gyarados emerged with a loud roar before he took in his surroundings. His eyes landed on Suicune, and immediately, he growled.
"If it is a battle you want, then I will prove my worth to you, Suicune," she spoke, watching as Gyarados readied himself. "Dragon Pulse!" she ordered, watching as Gyarados charged Suicune.
Suicune seemed to disappear from in front of them; the attack crashed into the surface of the water, splashing into the lake without hitting anything. As fast as it had vanished, Suicune reappeared to the left. The air rippled and distorted as it rushed forward—it seemed to be a gust attack, aimed at knocking Gyarados right out of the air.
"Gyarados, dive under the water!" she spoke, watching as the attack nearly hit. She let loose a soft sigh before quickly ordering another attack. "Hydro Pump, Gyarados... now." Gyarados reemerged from the waters not a second sooner, and released the stream of water towards Suicune. She knew it wouldn't be very effective against it, being a water-type attack, but that didn't mean it wouldn't be at least somewhat effective.
Unfortunately, it seemed to be even worse. The jet of water hit Suicune, who simply withstood it, apparently seeing no need to move. The reason why became clear a second later—it was absorbing the attack. Some pokémon could do that; apparently, Suicune was one of them.
When the Hydro Pump stream died down, Suicune whipped up another gust. The force of its winds was powerful—certainly far moreso than anything a typical user of that move could generate. But it didn't seem to be actively trying to defeat Gyarados, just to force Cyrilla to deal with what it was throwing at them. Perhaps... perhaps it really was testing her somehow.
Cyrilla bit her lip somewhat as the gust of air managed to hit Gyarados, sending him further back towards the edge of the lake. "Gyarados," she spoke glancing over him to make sure he was okay. He was, but the attack seemed to hit pretty hard. He didn't seem appreciative of it, and roared in Suicune's direction. This wasn't good. If Gyarados got too angry, he'd stop obeying her. She furrowed her brows.
"Gyarados, Tackle it!" she ordered. If she could keep his attention on attacking, then she'd be okay. He charged Suicune, throwing his entire self towards it. At least with Tackle, he'd be able to use his full body to exert some of that pent up anger towards Suicune.
Suicune dodged to the side, letting Gyarados pass it by harmlessly. It seemed there really was a reason such pokémon were the targets of Team Rocket's operations. It was certainly a formidable opponent.
While Gyarados recovered and turned around, Suicune swung to face him, its eyes taking on a light blue glow not entirely unlike Ana's sometimes had. The Extrasensory attack halted Gyarados in mid-turn, picking him up and flinging him further away still.
She hadn't realized she'd bit her lip enough to cause it to bleed, however; the metallic taste was not enough to distract her. Gyarados was flung across, and hit the ground pretty good. He struggled to get up, and Cyrilla's eyes widened somewhat. It wasn't quite the same thing, but the memories of that day surfaced. Even if Suicune was testing her, she couldn't help the feeling that surfaced. The fear of her pokémon getting hurt. She could feel it, the constricting of her heart, however; she felt something brush against her mind. It felt odd.
Cy, it's okay, Ryk's voice was soft. He seemed to see the way her body tensed, and she glanced towards him. He didn't move, but he kept his gaze locked with hers. She couldn't reply in the same way he'd spoken. She wasn't a telepath like he was, however; she offered him a small nod. She took in a deep breath to calm herself. If she didn't want her pokémon to get hurt anymore, then she had to do something about it. If she didn't want any of them getting hurt, then she had to be something more than what she was. Gyarados looked like he was still struggling, and she recalled him.
"Thanks, Gyarados," she spoke softy, tucking the ball away before reaching for another one. This was her last chance. Lithe and Rapidash really didn't stand a chance against Suicune, but she didn't need them to. Type advantage was just that: an advantage. It didn't mean the end of a battle, however; it wasn't either of the two she sent out next.
"Dazzling Gleam, Snow!" she commanded, her voice as even and calm as she could make it. The ninetales shimmered as she appeared from her pokéball, and immediately, she began glowing.
That attack hit; Suicune didn't seem too fazed, but it had definitely connected the way it should. It darted to the right, landing on the surface of the lake once again. The Gust it called this time was stronger—clearly, it had decided to up the pressure. Quite possibly, it knew of the struggle she was facing now. If anything, it seemed to want to push her past it. How it could know so much was hard to say, but... it had been in telepathic contact with Ana. Who could say how much it had gleaned from her memory and thoughts?
Surprisingly, it chose that moment to address her. Do not falter. Your enemies surely will not. You must not simply oppose them. You must win. You. Not only your friends.
If she didn't win, her friends would be hurt. It was simple, but difficult. How could she win against people who didn't necessarily care? How could she win when she cared too much about the well-being of her own pokémon? Suicune was right, though. If she faltered, it would give her enemies the opening they needed in order to win, and her friends would be hurt. Not just her pokémon, but Eryk, Ana, Kas, Drake and Harper, too. They would all get hurt somehow. Remi's laughter echoed through her ears, and she could feel the sudden stabbing sensation in her heart.
Kenshin wouldn't want that. He'd be mad at her right now for even thinking what she was. He would be yelling at her, or some other equivalent, and she could almost see the disappointment behind his eyes. She didn't want to lose anymore of her friends, nor the people she loved. She couldn't. She wouldn't. "Never again," she replied just as firmly. She straightened out her back, and stared at Suicune. "I won't hesitate anymore. I won't let anyone else get hurt because of me," or her own weaknesses.
"Snow, Extrasensory," she spoke with a little more resolve to her voice. Snow's eyes began to glow in the same manner as Suicune's had.
Suicune met the attack with the same one of its own—the blasts connected in midair, producing a shockwave that flattened nearby grass and disturbed the surface of the lake. Neither pokémon wound up hit, though the impact was clearly greater on their side than on Suicune's—meaning that its blast was the heavier one.
Without warning, Suicune darted forward, closing the gap between them with Extreme Speed. It lowered its shoulder, aiming squarely for Snow.
"Dazzling Gleam!" she commanded, watching as Suicune's attack came closer. The closer it was, the more effective Snow's attack would be. She wasn't going to hesitate anymore, and she was going to prove that.
The blast threw off Suicune's trajectory, knocking it off-course. The Extreme Speed attack still connected with Snow, but not as heavily as it otherwise would have. Suicune recovered first and threw another Gust forward.
"Counter it with Blizzard," she spoke, watching as Snow's eyes illuminated somewhat, her coat shimmering and releasing small hints of snow. It quickly twirled around her, though, and she aimed it towards Suicune.
The two attacks met in midair again, the force of Suicune's wind pushing against Snow's blizzard. A massive jet of water cut through both, hitting Snow square in the chest. Hydro Pump, most likely.
Snow was pushed back, a little too hard. She recovered, nonetheless. She shook the water from her fur, and Cyrilla sighed with relief. Straightening back up, she glanced at Snow, who locked eyes with her. Both nodded in unison. "Moonblast!" she commanded. Even if the moon wasn't out directly, Snow could still use the attack.
Suicune changed tactics then, becoming much more aggressive. Dodging the Moonblast entirely, it rushed forward, slamming hard into Snow with another Extreme Speed. While the Ninetales was down, it made eye contact with Cyrilla.
I am satisfied. I will join you in your endeavors, for now. Do not forget what you have decided today.
Cyrilla kept her gaze with Suicune's and nodded her head. She grabbed one of the pokéballs from her bracelet, the one she'd intended to use for him. She pushed the button on it, watching as it increased in size and stared at it for a moment. She smiled softly before tossing it in Suicune's direction. Once she had Suicune, she picked the ball up and held it to her face.
"I won't, I promise." It was a promise she intended to keep, too. For everyone's sake as well as her own. "And when this is all over, you'll be free again," because she wasn't going to keep a Legendary Beast, no matter the way she'd caught it. Suicune, as did the rest of them, deserved to be free.
Once they'd found Suicune, they'd had to hike back through the National Park and to Goldenrod City. Ana hadn't yet figured out exactly where the next one was; apparently in order to do that, she needed to sleep. Harper figured that made about as much sense as anything else did right now, and wasn't about to disrupt the process.
They'd checked into a hotel, giving themselves three rooms. No one seemed inclined to be too modest about that kind of thing anymore. They'd just booked three singles. Eryk refused to not be in the same place as Ana, likely to make sure she didn't overuse her powers. Kas hadn't made a big thing of it, but he'd put his stuff down in the same room as Cy, mumbling something about a couch. Harper didn't mind sharing with Drake, so she didn't put up a fight about it. Things like that—the silly little ways they'd had so much fun embarrassing each other—had all but fallen by the wayside. What they were doing now was far too serious.
And what they'd already been through was far too painful. Harper pushed her brother back towards his room, having insisted that she didn't need to talk about anything with him, but that wasn't quite true. She didn't want to talk about anything. Especially not what she knew he'd go after if they sat down to have a proper conversation. But she might need to.
Well... it didn't matter. There were bigger issues to deal with right now than that. More important ones. So she called down to order room service and plopped down onto the couch with a huff and a soft groan. She was used to walking all over the place all the time, but today had worn her out in more than one way. Her hand fell to rest over her abdomen; she imagined she could feel the scars through the fabric of her shirt. She couldn't, really. It was all in her mind.
But that didn't make it any less real.
"Some day it's been, huh," Drake spoke, sitting down next to her. He didn't move in close or anything, and sat a polite distance away. He was being careful with her, it was obvious. "How you holding up?" he asked, turning his head so that he was glancing at her. He was worried, and if he was trying to hide it, he was doing a poor job. It was written all over his expression and even in the slight pull of his face.
"Uh, but if you don't want to talk about it..." he trailed off softly, rubbing the back of his neck.
She offered him a tired smile. He was so kind; truly. Harper had only seldom known people like that, and she'd never dated any. Taking a deep breath, she sank a little further into the sofa. “I... yeah," she said slowly. “I honestly can't even believe that's a thing that just happened to us. Meeting a real, live legend and all."
Harper tipped her head back, letting it rest against the back of the couch and propping her legs on the coffee table. “I ordered us room service, by the way. You're getting a bacon cheeseburger." Her lips turned up slightly at the corners. If there was ever an appropriate time for comfort food, this was probably it, right? The hotel wasn't super-ritzy like the one they'd stayed at in Saffron, but it had a nice-looking restaurant attached, which was apparently where the room service orders came from. They'd probably be camping soon enough; might as well take advantage of whatever luxuries they could get.
His eyes lit up at the mentioning of a burger. "You're the best, you know that?" he spoke, leaning a little towards the side. He didn't quite make it all the way. He seemed almost uncertain that way. He must have made up his mind, though, because he moved closer to her. He wrapped one arm around her shoulders, and pulled her towards him. He shifted so that they were both comfortable, and laid his head on hers.
"You do know that, right?" he spoke, a little more seriously this time. He was rarely serious about most things, except for the few things that dealt with her, or his Gym. "Because I'll annoy you with it until you can't stand it," he continued, his voice regaining some lightness to it.
She managed a short laugh. “And you're horribly predictable," she replied. Harper relaxed into his side. “I kind of like that about you, though. You like what you like, and it doesn't change just because of what other people say." He could be counted on to be basically the same good person in any situation. That was... that was unexpectedly nice.
The arm that had hooked around her abdomen stretched across his instead, completing their odd little half-hug, impeded slightly by the couch, but also very comfortable. She leaned her cheek against his shoulder, a sigh gusting warmly over his chest. “I know I'm awesome," she mumbled, though it lacked a little of her typical breezy confidence.
“I just really don't feel like it right now."
He sighed softly, his breath ghosting over her head. He didn't say anything, remaining mostly silent for a good few minutes. He either didn't know what to say, or he was thinking about it. He shifted just the slightest bit, but it wasn't enough to disrupt the comfortableness of the hug. Instead, he moved his arm, the one that had been around her shoulders, and angled it so he could run his fingers through her hair.
"Considering the week we've had," he spoke softly, as if he didn't want to bring it up. But he did anyway. "It hasn't been an easy week, not on any of us. I can... I can only imagine what you must be going through right now, though, and it... it hurts to know that there isn't much I can do about it," he spoke softly at first, and his voice died off towards the end. If he hadn't been this close, she might not have heard him.
"For the first time in my life, I was terrified. When you'd dropped your phone suddenly, when all I could hear was a struggle, and the sound of some maniac laughing, I was scared. But now, you're safe, but that still doesn't mean I'm not terrified of something happening to you again. It... almost makes me not want to leave you alone, anymore," he continued his small confession.
“I was afraid, too." Harper swallowed. While the experience hadn't been exactly the same as the last time she was attacked, it had definitely called up the same fear. Fear she'd tried very herd to conquer in the wake of everything that had happened with Derek. To know that, on some level, she would always be vulnerable, no matter how much martial arts she knew or how careful she was... she'd always known it deep down, but she'd kept it deep down, kept it from interfering with her life as much as possible.
In time, she would hopefully be at that point again. But right now, with all this going on and the time she'd spend holed up in a cell, unsure whether she was meant to survive or not, unsure what was happening to her pokémon and her brother and her friends... it was hard. Hard to feel safe.
“Afraid of what might happen, and..." she paused, swallowing. “Afraid I might never see you again." It had surprised her, at the time, that that thought specifically had occurred to her more than once. Even more surprising was the amount of worry and pain it had caused her when it did. “I didn't... I didn't realize it before, but it hit me then. I don't... I don't want you to leave either. I don't want to be alone anymore, and I don't want to be without you."
She turned her face into his shoulder a bit, concealing the expression on her face. It was difficult to say. Harper had always valued her independence, her ability to get along in the world without help. She'd cultivated that, after Derek. If she could do everything herself, there was no need to trust anyone else too much, except maybe Kas and her family. But it was important that she could do well even without their help. This, though... Harper didn't think this was something she could do alone anymore.
And she didn't want to.
He continued running his fingers through her hair, his breathing kept at a steady pace. She could feel it with the rise and fall of his chest. There was something that hitched in his breath, though, and he let it go slowly. He stopped the motion with his fingers, and instead, shifted them so that he was holding her out in front of him. He seemed to be searching her face for something, but he smiled.
"Then you don't have to be alone, or without me. I'll stay with you, I promise. For as long as you want me to, I'll be here with you, for you," he spoke softly, pressing his thumb underneath her lip and held her chin. "I'm yours, remember?" he spoke, the stupid grin forming on his face as he leaned in closer, pressing his lips gently to hers. He didn't linger, and pulled back, the grin still on his face.
"Because who else can put up with me and my burger-eating ways?"
Harper smiled, feeling a little lighter, and smacked his chest. Not hard; it was more of a playful shove than anything. “Since your biggest flaw is your tragically-restricted palate, I think there are lots of people who could put up with you. But it's too late for that—you're mine now, and no one else can have you."
She'd attempted to say that lightheartedly, but it came out with a certain seriousness. Her hand curled into his shirt, and she pushed herself up a little further, chasing his mouth with her own. She paused a hairsbreadth from contact, eyes narrow. For several moments, they exchanged breath, and Harper gathered her courage.
“I trust you," she breathed. It was a difficult admission to make, considering everything she'd been through. Everything he knew of her. But he'd earned that; he'd shown himself to be exactly the kind of person she could trust. Never pushing her into anything. Always patient, always kind.
Being able to admit that made the other admission so much easier. Closing the distance between them, she kissed him softly.
“I love you."
He smiled against her lips, returning it with the same softness. "I love you, too, Harper Rheinallt," he managed to say when they pulled apart. "But I think you underestimate people's patience when it comes to my burger-eating ways. I mean, there was that one time..." he trailed off at the end, tapping his chin with his forefinger slightly. He still had that stupid grin on his face, but it was softer.
"I know what," he stated suddenly. "If you still want, after all of this is over with," he began, giving her a slightly serious look. "I know you were on Victory Road, and you didn't get to finish, but, after all of this, do you want to finish? I'll go with you. I'll even get gramps or my pops to cover the gym."
A thick lump rose in Harper's throat. “You'd... you'd do that?"
But of course he would. That was exactly the type of person he was. Swallowing hard, Harper threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. One day, she'd be able to travel on her own again. She knew that. But... to know she wouldn't have to wait for that day to finish what she'd started all those years ago was freeing. It didn't have to be Derek again. It didn't have to set back her entire life again.
“Thank you. Thank you so much."
"Of course I'd do that, and you're welcome," he replied, returning the hug and burying his face in her hair. "I'm going to help you reach your dreams, and if you get tired of me, you can kick me out. I'll still wait for you, though." From the way he said it, it sounded like he meant it.
“Oh no," she replied, shaking her head slightly. “None of that. You're stuck with me now. Better get used to it."
Harper had always thought it was hokey and stupid when people said of someone else that they just knew that they were looking at the person they were going to marry long before it happened. But when she pulled back a little bit to smile at Drake. She knew.
She was going to marry this man, someday.
And she was more than okay with that.
They'd checked into a hotel, giving themselves three rooms. No one seemed inclined to be too modest about that kind of thing anymore. They'd just booked three singles. Eryk refused to not be in the same place as Ana, likely to make sure she didn't overuse her powers. Kas hadn't made a big thing of it, but he'd put his stuff down in the same room as Cy, mumbling something about a couch. Harper didn't mind sharing with Drake, so she didn't put up a fight about it. Things like that—the silly little ways they'd had so much fun embarrassing each other—had all but fallen by the wayside. What they were doing now was far too serious.
And what they'd already been through was far too painful. Harper pushed her brother back towards his room, having insisted that she didn't need to talk about anything with him, but that wasn't quite true. She didn't want to talk about anything. Especially not what she knew he'd go after if they sat down to have a proper conversation. But she might need to.
Well... it didn't matter. There were bigger issues to deal with right now than that. More important ones. So she called down to order room service and plopped down onto the couch with a huff and a soft groan. She was used to walking all over the place all the time, but today had worn her out in more than one way. Her hand fell to rest over her abdomen; she imagined she could feel the scars through the fabric of her shirt. She couldn't, really. It was all in her mind.
But that didn't make it any less real.
"Some day it's been, huh," Drake spoke, sitting down next to her. He didn't move in close or anything, and sat a polite distance away. He was being careful with her, it was obvious. "How you holding up?" he asked, turning his head so that he was glancing at her. He was worried, and if he was trying to hide it, he was doing a poor job. It was written all over his expression and even in the slight pull of his face.
"Uh, but if you don't want to talk about it..." he trailed off softly, rubbing the back of his neck.
She offered him a tired smile. He was so kind; truly. Harper had only seldom known people like that, and she'd never dated any. Taking a deep breath, she sank a little further into the sofa. “I... yeah," she said slowly. “I honestly can't even believe that's a thing that just happened to us. Meeting a real, live legend and all."
Harper tipped her head back, letting it rest against the back of the couch and propping her legs on the coffee table. “I ordered us room service, by the way. You're getting a bacon cheeseburger." Her lips turned up slightly at the corners. If there was ever an appropriate time for comfort food, this was probably it, right? The hotel wasn't super-ritzy like the one they'd stayed at in Saffron, but it had a nice-looking restaurant attached, which was apparently where the room service orders came from. They'd probably be camping soon enough; might as well take advantage of whatever luxuries they could get.
His eyes lit up at the mentioning of a burger. "You're the best, you know that?" he spoke, leaning a little towards the side. He didn't quite make it all the way. He seemed almost uncertain that way. He must have made up his mind, though, because he moved closer to her. He wrapped one arm around her shoulders, and pulled her towards him. He shifted so that they were both comfortable, and laid his head on hers.
"You do know that, right?" he spoke, a little more seriously this time. He was rarely serious about most things, except for the few things that dealt with her, or his Gym. "Because I'll annoy you with it until you can't stand it," he continued, his voice regaining some lightness to it.
She managed a short laugh. “And you're horribly predictable," she replied. Harper relaxed into his side. “I kind of like that about you, though. You like what you like, and it doesn't change just because of what other people say." He could be counted on to be basically the same good person in any situation. That was... that was unexpectedly nice.
The arm that had hooked around her abdomen stretched across his instead, completing their odd little half-hug, impeded slightly by the couch, but also very comfortable. She leaned her cheek against his shoulder, a sigh gusting warmly over his chest. “I know I'm awesome," she mumbled, though it lacked a little of her typical breezy confidence.
“I just really don't feel like it right now."
He sighed softly, his breath ghosting over her head. He didn't say anything, remaining mostly silent for a good few minutes. He either didn't know what to say, or he was thinking about it. He shifted just the slightest bit, but it wasn't enough to disrupt the comfortableness of the hug. Instead, he moved his arm, the one that had been around her shoulders, and angled it so he could run his fingers through her hair.
"Considering the week we've had," he spoke softly, as if he didn't want to bring it up. But he did anyway. "It hasn't been an easy week, not on any of us. I can... I can only imagine what you must be going through right now, though, and it... it hurts to know that there isn't much I can do about it," he spoke softly at first, and his voice died off towards the end. If he hadn't been this close, she might not have heard him.
"For the first time in my life, I was terrified. When you'd dropped your phone suddenly, when all I could hear was a struggle, and the sound of some maniac laughing, I was scared. But now, you're safe, but that still doesn't mean I'm not terrified of something happening to you again. It... almost makes me not want to leave you alone, anymore," he continued his small confession.
“I was afraid, too." Harper swallowed. While the experience hadn't been exactly the same as the last time she was attacked, it had definitely called up the same fear. Fear she'd tried very herd to conquer in the wake of everything that had happened with Derek. To know that, on some level, she would always be vulnerable, no matter how much martial arts she knew or how careful she was... she'd always known it deep down, but she'd kept it deep down, kept it from interfering with her life as much as possible.
In time, she would hopefully be at that point again. But right now, with all this going on and the time she'd spend holed up in a cell, unsure whether she was meant to survive or not, unsure what was happening to her pokémon and her brother and her friends... it was hard. Hard to feel safe.
“Afraid of what might happen, and..." she paused, swallowing. “Afraid I might never see you again." It had surprised her, at the time, that that thought specifically had occurred to her more than once. Even more surprising was the amount of worry and pain it had caused her when it did. “I didn't... I didn't realize it before, but it hit me then. I don't... I don't want you to leave either. I don't want to be alone anymore, and I don't want to be without you."
She turned her face into his shoulder a bit, concealing the expression on her face. It was difficult to say. Harper had always valued her independence, her ability to get along in the world without help. She'd cultivated that, after Derek. If she could do everything herself, there was no need to trust anyone else too much, except maybe Kas and her family. But it was important that she could do well even without their help. This, though... Harper didn't think this was something she could do alone anymore.
And she didn't want to.
He continued running his fingers through her hair, his breathing kept at a steady pace. She could feel it with the rise and fall of his chest. There was something that hitched in his breath, though, and he let it go slowly. He stopped the motion with his fingers, and instead, shifted them so that he was holding her out in front of him. He seemed to be searching her face for something, but he smiled.
"Then you don't have to be alone, or without me. I'll stay with you, I promise. For as long as you want me to, I'll be here with you, for you," he spoke softly, pressing his thumb underneath her lip and held her chin. "I'm yours, remember?" he spoke, the stupid grin forming on his face as he leaned in closer, pressing his lips gently to hers. He didn't linger, and pulled back, the grin still on his face.
"Because who else can put up with me and my burger-eating ways?"
Harper smiled, feeling a little lighter, and smacked his chest. Not hard; it was more of a playful shove than anything. “Since your biggest flaw is your tragically-restricted palate, I think there are lots of people who could put up with you. But it's too late for that—you're mine now, and no one else can have you."
She'd attempted to say that lightheartedly, but it came out with a certain seriousness. Her hand curled into his shirt, and she pushed herself up a little further, chasing his mouth with her own. She paused a hairsbreadth from contact, eyes narrow. For several moments, they exchanged breath, and Harper gathered her courage.
“I trust you," she breathed. It was a difficult admission to make, considering everything she'd been through. Everything he knew of her. But he'd earned that; he'd shown himself to be exactly the kind of person she could trust. Never pushing her into anything. Always patient, always kind.
Being able to admit that made the other admission so much easier. Closing the distance between them, she kissed him softly.
“I love you."
He smiled against her lips, returning it with the same softness. "I love you, too, Harper Rheinallt," he managed to say when they pulled apart. "But I think you underestimate people's patience when it comes to my burger-eating ways. I mean, there was that one time..." he trailed off at the end, tapping his chin with his forefinger slightly. He still had that stupid grin on his face, but it was softer.
"I know what," he stated suddenly. "If you still want, after all of this is over with," he began, giving her a slightly serious look. "I know you were on Victory Road, and you didn't get to finish, but, after all of this, do you want to finish? I'll go with you. I'll even get gramps or my pops to cover the gym."
A thick lump rose in Harper's throat. “You'd... you'd do that?"
But of course he would. That was exactly the type of person he was. Swallowing hard, Harper threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. One day, she'd be able to travel on her own again. She knew that. But... to know she wouldn't have to wait for that day to finish what she'd started all those years ago was freeing. It didn't have to be Derek again. It didn't have to set back her entire life again.
“Thank you. Thank you so much."
"Of course I'd do that, and you're welcome," he replied, returning the hug and burying his face in her hair. "I'm going to help you reach your dreams, and if you get tired of me, you can kick me out. I'll still wait for you, though." From the way he said it, it sounded like he meant it.
“Oh no," she replied, shaking her head slightly. “None of that. You're stuck with me now. Better get used to it."
Harper had always thought it was hokey and stupid when people said of someone else that they just knew that they were looking at the person they were going to marry long before it happened. But when she pulled back a little bit to smile at Drake. She knew.
She was going to marry this man, someday.
And she was more than okay with that.
The day had been long, and tiring. After the events with Suicune, Eryk had been slightly worried about Ana's health. She looked fine, but he knew better by now than to go off by just how she looked. She could be exhausted, and still look fine. They'd entered the room they were going to share, and immediately, he took hold of her hand, keeping her from going anywhere further. He stared down at her, trying to read her face, but he couldn't. He let her hand go, and sighed softly.
"How are you feeling?" he asked. He wanted to know so that he could help out accordingly. Of course, she needed to sleep so that they could find the next Beast, however; she could be hungry, or she might want to rest, first. Being tired and being sleepy were two different things, after all. Or maybe he was the only one who saw it that way?
"Do you want me to get anything for you?" he might as well ask now.
She smiled at him. It wasn't brilliant or big like many of them had been; that alone was enough to give away that something was off. “I should probably eat something," she admitted, shaking her head. “Maybe we should just order room service? I don't want to send you on an errand for me or anything." She paused a moment, furrowing her brow.
“There are some multivitamins in my bag, too; I should take one. Just to make sure I'm getting enough of everything." She sank down on the foot of the bed, taking off her shoes with her toes, then drawing her knees up to her chest. “I'm tired, Eryk. There's no point in denying it. But... I'll be all right if I remember to take care of myself." Her tone wasn't entirely convincing; it seemed like she was trying to reassure them both with the words.
He sighed, perhaps a little too heavily. He took a seat next to her, and draped an arm around her shoulders, hugging her close to him. He leaned slightly over so that his head was against hers, but it wasn't with too much weight or pressure. He hated the way the knot in his stomach grew, and twisted with every word she said. She was tired, but at least she told him she was. He furrowed his brows. He didn't want her doing this anymore, but he knew that if he told her that, she'd be against it. She wanted to help, but some selfish part of him didn't want her to. He shook the thought from his mind, though.
Is there anything in particular you want to eat? he decided to ask this way. It would help her conserve her energy, hopefully. I'll order you whatever you want, he continued. He'd get her vitamins in a minute. He just wanted to be closer to her, because he never knew when he might not get the chance to do it again. It was suddenly harder to breathe, now.
The feeling of telepathic connection was getting more familiar. Honestly by this point it was harder to shut it down than establish it, as though neither of them could quite bring themselves to disconnect from one another's minds entirely. Whether on purpose or accidentally, her side of the connection had started to open up more, as well. He could feel her thinking about her answer to his question, as well as a few of her background emotions. Fatigue was there, as was concern: for the mission and their friends, for him most of all, and even to some extent for herself as well.
Under his arm, she shifted a little, settling more comfortably into his side. “I think... today I want spaghetti," she said, huffing softly. “Nothing fancy, just... whatever they have that's like that."
His expression softened at her answer. "If that's what you want," he replied, leaving their connection open just in case. He placed a soft kiss on her crown, moving just the slightest bit so that they were closer together. He wasn't going to lie, he was terrified. The emotion, at once so foreign, was now a common thing. Terrified for a number of reasons. One, he didn't know what was going to happen between now and then. Anything could happen from him losing her, to losing everyone else in between during the skirmish that would, undoubtedly, come.
She could probably feel how terrified he was, so he tried to get it under control. "Are you sure?" he finally stated, though he knew it was slightly vague. Sighing softly, he gathered his words carefully. "Are you sure you want to keep doing this?" he spoke again, this time, delivering the words softly and carefully. He almost knew what she was going to say, but he wanted to ask anyway.
“I'm sure." she replied softly. “I was... I was trying to do this anyway, you know. When I was in the machine, I... I told the pokémon what was really happening." Her breathing was shallower than it probably should be, and he could feel the faintest rasp on the end of each one, like there was something obstructing her lungs, but it was steady at least.
If she was doing what she said, it had been an extremely dangerous thing to do. While it might have gone undiscovered until the first excursion to retrieve the pokémon, the boss would have known after that. Known that she'd sabotaged his plan, years in the making and dependent on being able to catch the pokémon either by surprise or under guise of benevolence. If she'd still been around when they'd found out what she did.
“But I have even more reasons now. If this really works—if it really brings down Team Rocket—then I know I... I know I really helped you. I know I did something good."
Mentally, he felt her smile. And I know I've done something, to repay you for that debt you think I don't have.
He swallowed thickly. She didn't owe him anything. He owed her, if anything else. She'd been the one to show him the things he'd thought he'd forgotten. Things that he thought were pointless to have or even think about. He'd told her that, too. He pulled her, if at all possible, closer to him. He didn't bother hiding it this time. There was a slight shake in his body, and he could feel it running down his spine. It was unfair, really, that he was going to, inevitably, lose the one person who mattered most to him. He was trying to be optimistic about it, trying to see the light at the end of dark tunnel, but he couldn't. It was hard, especially seeing her like this.
You don't have to repay me for anything, Ana. You shouldn't repay me for anything. After everything I've done to you, it's not fair for you to even forgive me, but I know you do, he spoke, leaning his head against hers. He took a slow breath, letting it go just as slowly, but he couldn't stop the shakiness to his voice. Telepathy or not, it was shaking.
I just... I want, he couldn't even finish the thought. Instead, he let her feel what he wanted. He wanted her to live, to stop what she was doing just so that she could. It was almost desperate, and selfish. But he'd told her before that he was selfish. They were both selfish, but his was a terrible kind of selfishness.
Almost as if in response to the force of his emotions, Ana's mind opened up to him. Her own feelings came tumbling out, washing over him like a warm wave from the ocean. There were threads of fear in it, a fear that echoed his. Fear that she would soon be gone from the world, that their optimism would prove unfounded. But there was another kind of fear. Fear that, after she was gone, he would not be safe from Team Rocket. It was accompanied by a resolve, steely and fierce, that those people would forever be unable to reach him, and unable to reach Cyrilla and Kasimir and Harper and everyone else they'd ever hurt. She wanted that, deeply, righteously and almost ferociously.
So too was she tired and weak, and some small part of her was almost ready to give up, to let go. To stop trying to push her body and her mind past their natural limits. To hoard all the time that she had left and spend it far away from the conflict and the pain. But she knew how necessary she was to the success of the plan. Knew that there would be no finding the rest of the pokémon without her help.
But more than anything, her feelings and her thoughts were about him. They sank into his mind, warm and comfortable, like she was hugging him mentally as well as physically, wrapping him in herself and trying to soothe away his fear and his apprehension. She saw everything he felt and accepted it, just as it was. There was no deception in telepathy; her insistence that she loved him just as he was, with all of his flaws intact, was the absolute truth.
Ana shifted slightly in his hold, pressing a tender kiss to the place between his neck and shoulders, all she could reach as they were. Trust me, she said, but it was a request rather than a command. Trust me to know where my limits are, and to know whether it's worth it to push past them. And I'll trust you to be there to catch me if I fall.
How could he not? He trusted her more than he trusted anyone else, and perhaps, that was what caused him to smile. He moved his head a little so that he could stare directly down at her. He tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, and held her face with the same hand. He stared at her, keeping her gaze with his, and offered her the only smile he could muster: her smile. Leaning down, he placed a gentle kiss upon her lips, hovering for a few more seconds before he pulled away, leaning his forehead against hers.
"I do trust you, more than anything," he decided to say these words. She could feel it, too, with their connection, but he believed in saying words when they were more important to be said. "I love you, Anastasia," such as those words. He let a slow breath out, and swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat.
"More than anything." He loved her more than life itself.
Given the complete lack of filter between them now, he could almost feel the strange flutter she felt when he said her full name. Apparently, that had significance for her. Her entire self brightened and warmed from the inside out when he told her he loved her; a fact that was reflected in her smile.
Her eyelashes brushed against his when she blinked—that was how close they were. “I love you just the same, Eryk," she murmured. More than anything.
More than life itself.
From most people, that phrase had little meaning, or at least remained permanently untested. But between them, for her especially, it had a very poignant meaning. She may be forced to prove it, in the days to come. But it was clear that she had accepted that. That she was willing to make the sacrifice if it was truly necessary.
All the reason why he loved her more.
He pulled back, hesitantly, and still kept the smile on his face. How about we get you, your spaghetti, now? he spoke. She was probably still hungry, and he was reminded just how important everything was, now. He'd trust her to know her own limits.
He'd trust her to trust him.
"How are you feeling?" he asked. He wanted to know so that he could help out accordingly. Of course, she needed to sleep so that they could find the next Beast, however; she could be hungry, or she might want to rest, first. Being tired and being sleepy were two different things, after all. Or maybe he was the only one who saw it that way?
"Do you want me to get anything for you?" he might as well ask now.
She smiled at him. It wasn't brilliant or big like many of them had been; that alone was enough to give away that something was off. “I should probably eat something," she admitted, shaking her head. “Maybe we should just order room service? I don't want to send you on an errand for me or anything." She paused a moment, furrowing her brow.
“There are some multivitamins in my bag, too; I should take one. Just to make sure I'm getting enough of everything." She sank down on the foot of the bed, taking off her shoes with her toes, then drawing her knees up to her chest. “I'm tired, Eryk. There's no point in denying it. But... I'll be all right if I remember to take care of myself." Her tone wasn't entirely convincing; it seemed like she was trying to reassure them both with the words.
He sighed, perhaps a little too heavily. He took a seat next to her, and draped an arm around her shoulders, hugging her close to him. He leaned slightly over so that his head was against hers, but it wasn't with too much weight or pressure. He hated the way the knot in his stomach grew, and twisted with every word she said. She was tired, but at least she told him she was. He furrowed his brows. He didn't want her doing this anymore, but he knew that if he told her that, she'd be against it. She wanted to help, but some selfish part of him didn't want her to. He shook the thought from his mind, though.
Is there anything in particular you want to eat? he decided to ask this way. It would help her conserve her energy, hopefully. I'll order you whatever you want, he continued. He'd get her vitamins in a minute. He just wanted to be closer to her, because he never knew when he might not get the chance to do it again. It was suddenly harder to breathe, now.
The feeling of telepathic connection was getting more familiar. Honestly by this point it was harder to shut it down than establish it, as though neither of them could quite bring themselves to disconnect from one another's minds entirely. Whether on purpose or accidentally, her side of the connection had started to open up more, as well. He could feel her thinking about her answer to his question, as well as a few of her background emotions. Fatigue was there, as was concern: for the mission and their friends, for him most of all, and even to some extent for herself as well.
Under his arm, she shifted a little, settling more comfortably into his side. “I think... today I want spaghetti," she said, huffing softly. “Nothing fancy, just... whatever they have that's like that."
His expression softened at her answer. "If that's what you want," he replied, leaving their connection open just in case. He placed a soft kiss on her crown, moving just the slightest bit so that they were closer together. He wasn't going to lie, he was terrified. The emotion, at once so foreign, was now a common thing. Terrified for a number of reasons. One, he didn't know what was going to happen between now and then. Anything could happen from him losing her, to losing everyone else in between during the skirmish that would, undoubtedly, come.
She could probably feel how terrified he was, so he tried to get it under control. "Are you sure?" he finally stated, though he knew it was slightly vague. Sighing softly, he gathered his words carefully. "Are you sure you want to keep doing this?" he spoke again, this time, delivering the words softly and carefully. He almost knew what she was going to say, but he wanted to ask anyway.
“I'm sure." she replied softly. “I was... I was trying to do this anyway, you know. When I was in the machine, I... I told the pokémon what was really happening." Her breathing was shallower than it probably should be, and he could feel the faintest rasp on the end of each one, like there was something obstructing her lungs, but it was steady at least.
If she was doing what she said, it had been an extremely dangerous thing to do. While it might have gone undiscovered until the first excursion to retrieve the pokémon, the boss would have known after that. Known that she'd sabotaged his plan, years in the making and dependent on being able to catch the pokémon either by surprise or under guise of benevolence. If she'd still been around when they'd found out what she did.
“But I have even more reasons now. If this really works—if it really brings down Team Rocket—then I know I... I know I really helped you. I know I did something good."
Mentally, he felt her smile. And I know I've done something, to repay you for that debt you think I don't have.
He swallowed thickly. She didn't owe him anything. He owed her, if anything else. She'd been the one to show him the things he'd thought he'd forgotten. Things that he thought were pointless to have or even think about. He'd told her that, too. He pulled her, if at all possible, closer to him. He didn't bother hiding it this time. There was a slight shake in his body, and he could feel it running down his spine. It was unfair, really, that he was going to, inevitably, lose the one person who mattered most to him. He was trying to be optimistic about it, trying to see the light at the end of dark tunnel, but he couldn't. It was hard, especially seeing her like this.
You don't have to repay me for anything, Ana. You shouldn't repay me for anything. After everything I've done to you, it's not fair for you to even forgive me, but I know you do, he spoke, leaning his head against hers. He took a slow breath, letting it go just as slowly, but he couldn't stop the shakiness to his voice. Telepathy or not, it was shaking.
I just... I want, he couldn't even finish the thought. Instead, he let her feel what he wanted. He wanted her to live, to stop what she was doing just so that she could. It was almost desperate, and selfish. But he'd told her before that he was selfish. They were both selfish, but his was a terrible kind of selfishness.
Almost as if in response to the force of his emotions, Ana's mind opened up to him. Her own feelings came tumbling out, washing over him like a warm wave from the ocean. There were threads of fear in it, a fear that echoed his. Fear that she would soon be gone from the world, that their optimism would prove unfounded. But there was another kind of fear. Fear that, after she was gone, he would not be safe from Team Rocket. It was accompanied by a resolve, steely and fierce, that those people would forever be unable to reach him, and unable to reach Cyrilla and Kasimir and Harper and everyone else they'd ever hurt. She wanted that, deeply, righteously and almost ferociously.
So too was she tired and weak, and some small part of her was almost ready to give up, to let go. To stop trying to push her body and her mind past their natural limits. To hoard all the time that she had left and spend it far away from the conflict and the pain. But she knew how necessary she was to the success of the plan. Knew that there would be no finding the rest of the pokémon without her help.
But more than anything, her feelings and her thoughts were about him. They sank into his mind, warm and comfortable, like she was hugging him mentally as well as physically, wrapping him in herself and trying to soothe away his fear and his apprehension. She saw everything he felt and accepted it, just as it was. There was no deception in telepathy; her insistence that she loved him just as he was, with all of his flaws intact, was the absolute truth.
Ana shifted slightly in his hold, pressing a tender kiss to the place between his neck and shoulders, all she could reach as they were. Trust me, she said, but it was a request rather than a command. Trust me to know where my limits are, and to know whether it's worth it to push past them. And I'll trust you to be there to catch me if I fall.
How could he not? He trusted her more than he trusted anyone else, and perhaps, that was what caused him to smile. He moved his head a little so that he could stare directly down at her. He tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, and held her face with the same hand. He stared at her, keeping her gaze with his, and offered her the only smile he could muster: her smile. Leaning down, he placed a gentle kiss upon her lips, hovering for a few more seconds before he pulled away, leaning his forehead against hers.
"I do trust you, more than anything," he decided to say these words. She could feel it, too, with their connection, but he believed in saying words when they were more important to be said. "I love you, Anastasia," such as those words. He let a slow breath out, and swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat.
"More than anything." He loved her more than life itself.
Given the complete lack of filter between them now, he could almost feel the strange flutter she felt when he said her full name. Apparently, that had significance for her. Her entire self brightened and warmed from the inside out when he told her he loved her; a fact that was reflected in her smile.
Her eyelashes brushed against his when she blinked—that was how close they were. “I love you just the same, Eryk," she murmured. More than anything.
More than life itself.
From most people, that phrase had little meaning, or at least remained permanently untested. But between them, for her especially, it had a very poignant meaning. She may be forced to prove it, in the days to come. But it was clear that she had accepted that. That she was willing to make the sacrifice if it was truly necessary.
All the reason why he loved her more.
He pulled back, hesitantly, and still kept the smile on his face. How about we get you, your spaghetti, now? he spoke. She was probably still hungry, and he was reminded just how important everything was, now. He'd trust her to know her own limits.
He'd trust her to trust him.
After a night of rest, Ana had said that they were heading for the Ruins of Alph. Apparently, the next of the pokémon they were looking for resided there right now, though Kas had no idea which one it was. She hadn't been able to specify just yet, which he supposed was fair. He didn't really know how psychic powers worked, but assuming she operated something like a radar, it made sense that some details would only get clearer as they got closer.
So they were back out on the road the next day, headed for the ruins, outside of Violet City. Given the need for swiftness and the distance they had to travel, they forewent the advantage of unobtrusiveness. Ana sat on Sledge, who floated easily along next to Eryk. The rest of them kept up a brisk pace. Kas walked in front next to Cy; there wasn't a need to take directions yet. The Ruins only had one entrance, and they wouldn't need help navigating until then.
They were probably still half an hour out, anyway. They'd been walking nearly constantly for three days, but no one was too worn out yet, thankfully.
“How's Suicune doing?" He asked Cy, glancing down at her. She was apparently actually using the bracelet now. Something about that was a little more embarrassing now than it had been when he'd given it to her. Kas was beginning to suspect there was something wrong with him.
All he could think about whenever he saw it now was how it would've made a really good engagement trinket. He wasn't sure if that made him happy or not. Even if he'd acknowledged his feelings for her, it was a far cry from that... wasn't it?
She glanced up at him, and for a moment, just stared. Her expression softened, though, and she glanced at the bracelet. "I think, he's doing fine right now. You said that these work in the same fashion as a luxury ball, right? I'm pretty sure he's comfortable. I... actually plan on letting him out the next time we're near a lake, or just out by the river, or something like that," she replied, holding the bracelet up a little over her head. She had to tilt her head back a bit so it looked like she was looking upwards. Although Suicune was genderless, she'd resulted to calling it, him. Probably just by default. She lowered her hand after that.
"What about you? How are you doing? Do... do your fingers still hurt? Are you healing okay?" she spoke all at once. It was obvious she was worried, and unlike Ryk, she didn't hide that fact. Everything she felt was always apparent on her face.
It was utterly endearing, really. He'd always thought so, but now the thought was tinged with no guilt. Lighter. The corner of Kas's mouth tugged upwards. “They're still broken, but I've splinted them, so they should be back in working order in another three or four weeks. I'm not in pain." They twinged, to be sure, but it was nothing he couldn't handle.
The rest of his injuries, the ones no one really knew anything about, still hurt like a bastard after this much hard travel, and the floor of his tent last night had not been kind, but he could deal with that, too. With his good hand, he reached out and ran his fingers through her hair. It was getting longer again; it reached her shoulders now.
“You're amazing, you know," He said it with no shame or embarrassment, though he did keep his voice low to maintain the privacy of their conversation. “What you did to earn his trust. That was incredible." He didn't even mean the battle itself, though that had certainly been impressive. But it was the way she'd handled herself, found her resolve, that had really impressed him.
Clearly, it had impressed Suicune as well.
She huffed slightly, the barest hint of pink touching her cheeks. "I don't think it was," she muttered in an embarrassing way. She didn't seem to believe what she did was anything remotely amazing. "But... he helped me find my will and resolve to keep going," she added, smiling softly in the process. She shook her head softly, though, and glanced up at him.
"I... I don't want to lose anyone else. I can't. Losing Kenshin, it... hurt. I don't want that feeling again, so I have to be better. I have to be stronger so I can protect everyone I love," she spoke softly, dropping her gaze. The smile didn't leave her face, though. She didn't seem so melancholic when she spoke of her lucario, which was a good sign that she was recovering. Slowly, perhaps, but recovering nonetheless.
"Besides, you're not the only one who gets to protect people," she spoke, the smile inching just the slightest bit, wider.
He gave her a lopsided grin in return. “You're gonna put me out of a job," he said. “We're gonna get done here and the KPSF is going to think to themselves 'why bother with that pain in the ass? Cyrilla's so much better and more impressive. Not to mention prettier.'" He let his hand rest loosely at the nape of her neck, running his fingers along the spot between her ear and her jaw. He knew she was sensitive in that general area.
He looked forward to finding out where else she liked to be touched, but Kas knew how to keep his priorities in order. Stop Team Rocket first. Teach Cyrilla the benefits of having him in particular for a lover later.
She flinched slightly, ducking her head somewhat and let out a soft snort. She covered her mouth almost instantly, and the color on her face darkened somewhat. She glanced up at him and pursed her lips together. "That tickles," she muttered, furrowing her brows at the same time. It almost looked like she was pouting. "And no they wouldn't. They'd say I was too boring, not like you," she shot back, but the smile on her face meant that she was only joking about it.
"You know how to have fun, I don't. I thought that was apparent? Remember? I couldn't even think of a proper... uh, what was it again?" she paused for a moment and held a thoughtful expression. "Oh, that's right, a proper wager," she continued, raising her brow at him. She was probably referring to the bet they made about Eryk confessing to Ana the day they went camping.
He hummed. “Trust me, they don't know how to have fun, either." Kas rolled his eyes. He did remember something else, though. Letting his hand go slack and drop, he hooked a finger around her belt and tugged her slightly closer to him, so they nearly brushed while walking. It didn't bother him that everyone could see him do it, since they were walking in front.
“But you know, you have a chance to make up for being a bad bettor. I do recall promising to thank you for getting me out of the base the second time. And I said you get to decide what counts as thanks. So... I'll let you think about that. I'm sure you'll decide on something fun, hm?" He grinned in an obviously-lacivious fashion and ducked his head to whisper.
“I don't usually let people order me around, so you should take advantage of it while you can."
It was obvious she was embarrassed, though. Her face grew darker, almost the color of her eyes, and she dropped her gaze from him. They were close enough that he could feel her shiver when he whispered in her ear, and it looked like she was trying her best to stay calm. She finally glanced up at him, brow raised, and the blush still on her face. She cleared her throat, leaning a little closer so that she could whisper into his ear.
"If that's the case," she spoke slowly, leaning even closer so that her lips were on the shell of his ear. "I think, there is a way for you to thank me. Maybe," she continued, pausing only slightly to pull back somewhat. "The next time we camp out, we can both go skinny-dipping," she suggested, however; the last word she whispered closer to him that he could feel her lips graze his ear.
"But that's up to you," she stated, pulling back suddenly, a growing smirk on her face.
Now that was an enticing idea, to be sure. Kasimir arched an eyebrow, huffing a short laugh. “Name the time and place, Cy. I'll be there and my clothes won't; that's a promise."
So they were back out on the road the next day, headed for the ruins, outside of Violet City. Given the need for swiftness and the distance they had to travel, they forewent the advantage of unobtrusiveness. Ana sat on Sledge, who floated easily along next to Eryk. The rest of them kept up a brisk pace. Kas walked in front next to Cy; there wasn't a need to take directions yet. The Ruins only had one entrance, and they wouldn't need help navigating until then.
They were probably still half an hour out, anyway. They'd been walking nearly constantly for three days, but no one was too worn out yet, thankfully.
“How's Suicune doing?" He asked Cy, glancing down at her. She was apparently actually using the bracelet now. Something about that was a little more embarrassing now than it had been when he'd given it to her. Kas was beginning to suspect there was something wrong with him.
All he could think about whenever he saw it now was how it would've made a really good engagement trinket. He wasn't sure if that made him happy or not. Even if he'd acknowledged his feelings for her, it was a far cry from that... wasn't it?
She glanced up at him, and for a moment, just stared. Her expression softened, though, and she glanced at the bracelet. "I think, he's doing fine right now. You said that these work in the same fashion as a luxury ball, right? I'm pretty sure he's comfortable. I... actually plan on letting him out the next time we're near a lake, or just out by the river, or something like that," she replied, holding the bracelet up a little over her head. She had to tilt her head back a bit so it looked like she was looking upwards. Although Suicune was genderless, she'd resulted to calling it, him. Probably just by default. She lowered her hand after that.
"What about you? How are you doing? Do... do your fingers still hurt? Are you healing okay?" she spoke all at once. It was obvious she was worried, and unlike Ryk, she didn't hide that fact. Everything she felt was always apparent on her face.
It was utterly endearing, really. He'd always thought so, but now the thought was tinged with no guilt. Lighter. The corner of Kas's mouth tugged upwards. “They're still broken, but I've splinted them, so they should be back in working order in another three or four weeks. I'm not in pain." They twinged, to be sure, but it was nothing he couldn't handle.
The rest of his injuries, the ones no one really knew anything about, still hurt like a bastard after this much hard travel, and the floor of his tent last night had not been kind, but he could deal with that, too. With his good hand, he reached out and ran his fingers through her hair. It was getting longer again; it reached her shoulders now.
“You're amazing, you know," He said it with no shame or embarrassment, though he did keep his voice low to maintain the privacy of their conversation. “What you did to earn his trust. That was incredible." He didn't even mean the battle itself, though that had certainly been impressive. But it was the way she'd handled herself, found her resolve, that had really impressed him.
Clearly, it had impressed Suicune as well.
She huffed slightly, the barest hint of pink touching her cheeks. "I don't think it was," she muttered in an embarrassing way. She didn't seem to believe what she did was anything remotely amazing. "But... he helped me find my will and resolve to keep going," she added, smiling softly in the process. She shook her head softly, though, and glanced up at him.
"I... I don't want to lose anyone else. I can't. Losing Kenshin, it... hurt. I don't want that feeling again, so I have to be better. I have to be stronger so I can protect everyone I love," she spoke softly, dropping her gaze. The smile didn't leave her face, though. She didn't seem so melancholic when she spoke of her lucario, which was a good sign that she was recovering. Slowly, perhaps, but recovering nonetheless.
"Besides, you're not the only one who gets to protect people," she spoke, the smile inching just the slightest bit, wider.
He gave her a lopsided grin in return. “You're gonna put me out of a job," he said. “We're gonna get done here and the KPSF is going to think to themselves 'why bother with that pain in the ass? Cyrilla's so much better and more impressive. Not to mention prettier.'" He let his hand rest loosely at the nape of her neck, running his fingers along the spot between her ear and her jaw. He knew she was sensitive in that general area.
He looked forward to finding out where else she liked to be touched, but Kas knew how to keep his priorities in order. Stop Team Rocket first. Teach Cyrilla the benefits of having him in particular for a lover later.
She flinched slightly, ducking her head somewhat and let out a soft snort. She covered her mouth almost instantly, and the color on her face darkened somewhat. She glanced up at him and pursed her lips together. "That tickles," she muttered, furrowing her brows at the same time. It almost looked like she was pouting. "And no they wouldn't. They'd say I was too boring, not like you," she shot back, but the smile on her face meant that she was only joking about it.
"You know how to have fun, I don't. I thought that was apparent? Remember? I couldn't even think of a proper... uh, what was it again?" she paused for a moment and held a thoughtful expression. "Oh, that's right, a proper wager," she continued, raising her brow at him. She was probably referring to the bet they made about Eryk confessing to Ana the day they went camping.
He hummed. “Trust me, they don't know how to have fun, either." Kas rolled his eyes. He did remember something else, though. Letting his hand go slack and drop, he hooked a finger around her belt and tugged her slightly closer to him, so they nearly brushed while walking. It didn't bother him that everyone could see him do it, since they were walking in front.
“But you know, you have a chance to make up for being a bad bettor. I do recall promising to thank you for getting me out of the base the second time. And I said you get to decide what counts as thanks. So... I'll let you think about that. I'm sure you'll decide on something fun, hm?" He grinned in an obviously-lacivious fashion and ducked his head to whisper.
“I don't usually let people order me around, so you should take advantage of it while you can."
It was obvious she was embarrassed, though. Her face grew darker, almost the color of her eyes, and she dropped her gaze from him. They were close enough that he could feel her shiver when he whispered in her ear, and it looked like she was trying her best to stay calm. She finally glanced up at him, brow raised, and the blush still on her face. She cleared her throat, leaning a little closer so that she could whisper into his ear.
"If that's the case," she spoke slowly, leaning even closer so that her lips were on the shell of his ear. "I think, there is a way for you to thank me. Maybe," she continued, pausing only slightly to pull back somewhat. "The next time we camp out, we can both go skinny-dipping," she suggested, however; the last word she whispered closer to him that he could feel her lips graze his ear.
"But that's up to you," she stated, pulling back suddenly, a growing smirk on her face.
Now that was an enticing idea, to be sure. Kasimir arched an eyebrow, huffing a short laugh. “Name the time and place, Cy. I'll be there and my clothes won't; that's a promise."
It was at least another couple of hours before they'd reached the Ruins of Alph. Eryk was constantly glancing between Ana, and the group, though he did roll his eyes when he glanced at Drake and Harper. He supposed it was a good thing they had each other, like he had Ana, but now wasn't exactly the time to be thinking about things like that. There were other things to focus on, other things that needed his attention. He couldn't quite drop it just because seeing Drake happy actually made him happy. He paused in that thought and blinked a little too rapidly. Since when did he ever care about Drake's happiness? He shook the unpleasant thought out of his mind, and glanced at Ana.
Are feeling anything yet? he inquired. It would probably be best to keep his attention where it needed to be, and not on stupid things like Drake and Harper.
Her eyes went out of focus for a moment. Fortunately, she was still sitting atop Kas's metang's head, so she wasn't in any danger of hurting herself by tripping over something. She hummed a moment later, shaking her head. I am, but...
She blinked, returning her eyes to focus, and looked over at the others. “Um... it wants us to find a secret room in the ruins before it'll talk to us. It says there are a lot of obstacles and things in the way. Puzzles, or something. It wants us to prove that one of us is smart enough to solve them."
Harper's mouth pulled to the side. “Puzzles, huh? Make him do it." She pointed at Kas. “He's the biggest nerd I've ever met."
“Thanks Harper," Kas replied, rolling his eyes. “Did it want anyone specific?" He directed the question to Ana.
She blinked several times. “It says you'll do. It seems kind of interested, actually, so that's... probably good?"
"I hope some of the puzzles are not like riddles. I hate riddles," Drake spoke. Ryk glanced at him and raised a brow. Blaine implemented riddles in his challenges back in his day, so why didn't Drake? Wasn't he Blaine's grandson? Ryk actually rolled his eyes this time, and Cyrilla only laughed softly at them both.
"Aren't you supposed to be good at riddles, though?" he decided to speak, earning a slight frown from Drake.
"Hey, that was all gramps. He had those stupid riddles for his Gym, but I took them down once I took over. He wasn't happy about it, but," Drake retorted, giving a light shrug of his shoulders showing that he didn't really care too much about it. Eryk scoffed lightly before glancing towards Kas.
"Looks like you're it, Kas," he spoke. "Shouldn't be too hard for you," he spoke, offering Kas a tiny smirk.
“Great," he replied with a sigh. “Now if it were a battle, lemme at 'em. But no. Puzzles." He didn't actually seem too upset by the news; perhaps he had confidence in his abilities to handle the situation.
They entered the Ruins through the main gate. As soon as they'd known it was their destination, the local police had been called in to clear it of the archaeologists and scientists who usually worked there. Apparently, that was what connections could do for a person. Then again, Team Rocket had exploited such things, too, though usually for more nefarious purposes than this.
The central building in the ruins seemed like a good place to start. They entered the gloomy place, surrounded by crumbling and flaking stonework. They were also clearly not alone; no sooner had they entered than more than a dozen unown floated out towards them. They seemed primarily attracted to Ana, floating around her and Ryk himself and rotating around them in lazy circles.
She reached out to touch one that looked like an 'A.' It glowed a little when her fingertips brushed along one of the legs of its shape, making a strange little trilling sound. It darted away and came to rest in the middle of the room, over what looked to be a tablet or something.
The group approached it; the image on the tablet seemed to be broken down into squares, five by five, but one was missing from the bottom corner.
“A slider puzzle?" Kas asked, grimacing.
“A big one," said Harper. “And super old. Have fun with that."
He sighed. “This might take a while. Feel free to wander around or something. I'll get to work."
"I almost pity you," Ryk spoke. "Almost," because really, he was glad Kas was doing the puzzle work. Ryk wasn't exactly puzzle-ready. His job hadn't required that kind of thing of him. It was mostly just about lies and deception. He was glad that that life was not one he had to have anymore. If he could remain optimistic, perhaps then, he could retire from it, and join Ana in reopening the shelter. It was what he'd promised, after all.
"I'm going to stay right here," Cyrilla spoke, making it clear that she wasn't going to leave Kas's side, but she also wasn't in his way. She stood off to the side a bit. Drake shrugged his shoulders, though, and glanced around. He didn't seem too intent on moving, but then again it was probably best if he did. Old or not, puzzle or not, the ruins were old, and there was probably a trap of some kind laying around. They didn't need to set it off.
"The unown seem fond of you," he decided to speak with Ana, instead, leaving Kas to work on the slider puzzle.
She half-smiled. “I think it's just the psychic energy, actually. I bet if you opened up your connection to them, they'd be just as interested in you." Carefully, she lowered herself from Sledge Hammer, patting him on his metal head. He bumped very gently against her and drifted off.
“Should we take a look around? We might be able to find the next puzzle for Kas, or something."
"Sounds like a bad idea," he spoke, referring to her first statement. Even if he did, he was sure he'd frighten them off rather than the opposite. "But it might be a good idea to find the next puzzle for Kas. That way, we don't spend too much time looking for it after he completes them," he agreed on that. He held out his hand for her, so that she could take it. It's not that he wasn't sure if she should be walking on her own, but rather, he just wanted to hold her hand. He liked being able to do that. He didn't mind so much that the others were with them.
"I don't think all of them will be sliding picture puzzles," he spoke out loud, glancing around the area they were in. There was debris in most places, evidence of the scientists work, and different digging tools laying about. There was even a brush standing in what looked like a kicked over bucket. Someone must have been in a hurry to leave. An unown, however, managed to float in front of him, and he blinked slowly at it. They both stayed like that for at least a good minute, before Eryk sighed. It seemed happy enough that it landed on his shoulder. It was in the shape of an 'I' so it looked slightly weird in its place.
"I didn't even open a connection," he spoke, frowning just lightly. He would never understand why most of the pokémon he knew, and owned, liked his shoulder. Was it some sort of pad that said 'lay here'?
Ana giggled. “It must just be charmed by your winning disposition." She seemed amused, shifting their hands to lace her fingers through his. “I suppose I can understand though; your shoulders are pretty comfortable."
She started forward, pulling him and his new passenger along as she scanned over the walls. There were large, painted murals on all of them; they actually looked a little bit like Kas's tattoos. The style had some similarities, actually. Then again, that made sense, since the one on his arm was of a creature that only really appeared in ancient cave paintings like these.
The murals had lots of symbols on them—there was one of a bunch of people gathered around a lake, another with several fire-type pokémon settled by an open flame. Others were of large storms or floods, and more seemed to depict what must have been daily life long ago. They seemed to link together in some kind of story, though it wasn't clear exactly what it was supposed to be about.
The unown didn't seem too inclined to leave his shoulder, and instead, seemed quite content where it was. He sighed softly, scanning the area as he did so. Something must have caught the unown's eye, because it shifted from his shoulder, and floated over to one of the murals. He raised a brow at it, and followed, tugging just gently enough on Ana's hand so that she could follow him. Once he was in sight, he glanced at the spot where the unown had stopped. It looked almost similar to the first puzzle, however; it wasn't exactly a sliding puzzle. It looked like there were images of the unown carved into it.
"I think it's spelling something out," he spoke, pursing his lips slightly. "If we can find out what it says, maybe it'll lead us to the next puzzle," if it wasn't the puzzle itself. Perhaps it was, but he doubted that was true.
“'We humans must learn to walk in harmony with them. We depart for their sakes.' I'm not sure if this is related to the puzzles or not," Ana said, frowning slightly. “It seems more like it might be connected to the meaning of these murals." Apparently, she didn't have difficulty telling what letters the unown were supposed to represent; her reading was only a little slower than normal.
She glanced back over her shoulder; Drake and Harper were at the other side of the cave, perhaps doing the same thing there. Kas looked to be making some progress on the puzzle, but it was obviously slow going. He was scowling at it like it irritated him, but perhaps that was to be expected.
Eryk pursed his lips softly, and shook his head. "Perhaps," he spoke, glancing over the murals again. He glanced at the unown that had led him there, and raised a brow. It stayed in its place, hovering slightly to the left. Eryk followed it with his gaze and noticed another set of words. He pursed his lips together and tried to make it out. It looked like it said 'light'. What did that mean? It looked like there was plenty of light around; perhaps it didn't mean anything.
You're not helping, he spoke to the unown, and it looked a little deflated. He sighed softly. I didn't mean it that way, he spoke, watching as the unown perked back up. It hovered back over towards him, and let itself hang on his shoulder again. He sighed deeper.
"Doesn't look like we'll find anything on this side. We should probably check the other side," he spoke, glancing down at Ana.
She nodded, and was turning to do just that when there was a soft grinding sound from the direction of the puzzle.
“Ha!" Kas said with a grin, moving the last bit of the puzzle into place. Perhaps he'd been closer to solving it last time than he looked. “Gotcha." He smoothed both hands over the stone panel, brushing away what looked like rock dust. When assembled, it appeared to be more letters, heavily faded and barely legible.
“Feed what cannot drink with something that is harder to catch the faster you run." He seemed more amused by that than anything else. “Guess there's a riddle after all, Drake."
Drake looked slightly mortified at what Kas said, however; Eryk merely rolled his eyes. "Please warn me before you read it," Drake spoke, causing Eryk to raise his brow in confusion. "You don't understand, riddles are practically the bane of my existence. Do you know how hard it was to tell gramps lunch was ready? I couldn't leave the gym until he made me answer one of his stupid riddles," he continued, groaning just slightly.
"So, if we wanted you to leave, all we had to do was start telling riddles to you?"
"Ryk, that wasn't nice."
"What? It was just a question," that he was curious about the answer to.
Ana sighed. Kas seemed to be ignoring them.
“Feed what cannot drink. Eat, but not drink; something that can eat, but not drink," he murmured. He narrowed his eyes at the panel, and then raised them to the walls. “Feed it what is harder to catch the more I run. Catch, catch... harder to catch."
His expression brightened; it seemed he'd figured it out. “Hey. Did you guys see any pictures of fire anywhere on the walls?
"Over there," Ryk replied, pointing in the direction they had seen it. The unown on his shoulder made a slight sound and Eryk tried to ignore it. It almost sounded like it was trying to say 'told you' in a weird kind of way.
"It'll take you to it," he spoke, watching as the unown hovered off of his shoulder and towards Kas. It then made its way towards the mural they had passed.
Kas followed the pokémon, stopping in front of the image of the fire pokémon gathered. Stepping right up to it, he ran his hands over the mural, then shook his head. “This is going to look dumb, but I swear it makes sense," he grumbled.
Leaning forward, he opened his mouth and exhaled on the image. For a moment, nothing happened, but then it began to glow bright blue. A grinding sound, low and deep, sounded from behind the wall, and the mural split along a seam that had been previously invisible, parting to reveal a hidden chamber.
Inside stood another of the three legendary beasts. This one was yellow with sharp black stripes. It had a much more feline appearance than Suicune, who looked more lupine. Like its counterpart, however, it had a cloudlike formation on its back. Electricity crackled in its fur, occasionally sparking off the end of its thin, bent tail.
“Raikou, I presume?" Kas lifted an eyebrow. “Satisfied that we're smart enough not to screw this up?"
I could do without your glibness, Kasimir Rheinallt, but yes. I will aid you in your mission.
“The glibness is part of the package, unfortunately. You'll get used to it." Kas tossed a pokéball. Raikou snorted, but did not resist. The sixth ball on Kas's belt disappeared, automatically transferred to the PC system.
“Sorry, Meep," Kas said. “It's probably safer if you don't get caught up in this, anyway."
"Dumbass," was the only thing Ryk could say. Two down, one to go.
Are feeling anything yet? he inquired. It would probably be best to keep his attention where it needed to be, and not on stupid things like Drake and Harper.
Her eyes went out of focus for a moment. Fortunately, she was still sitting atop Kas's metang's head, so she wasn't in any danger of hurting herself by tripping over something. She hummed a moment later, shaking her head. I am, but...
She blinked, returning her eyes to focus, and looked over at the others. “Um... it wants us to find a secret room in the ruins before it'll talk to us. It says there are a lot of obstacles and things in the way. Puzzles, or something. It wants us to prove that one of us is smart enough to solve them."
Harper's mouth pulled to the side. “Puzzles, huh? Make him do it." She pointed at Kas. “He's the biggest nerd I've ever met."
“Thanks Harper," Kas replied, rolling his eyes. “Did it want anyone specific?" He directed the question to Ana.
She blinked several times. “It says you'll do. It seems kind of interested, actually, so that's... probably good?"
"I hope some of the puzzles are not like riddles. I hate riddles," Drake spoke. Ryk glanced at him and raised a brow. Blaine implemented riddles in his challenges back in his day, so why didn't Drake? Wasn't he Blaine's grandson? Ryk actually rolled his eyes this time, and Cyrilla only laughed softly at them both.
"Aren't you supposed to be good at riddles, though?" he decided to speak, earning a slight frown from Drake.
"Hey, that was all gramps. He had those stupid riddles for his Gym, but I took them down once I took over. He wasn't happy about it, but," Drake retorted, giving a light shrug of his shoulders showing that he didn't really care too much about it. Eryk scoffed lightly before glancing towards Kas.
"Looks like you're it, Kas," he spoke. "Shouldn't be too hard for you," he spoke, offering Kas a tiny smirk.
“Great," he replied with a sigh. “Now if it were a battle, lemme at 'em. But no. Puzzles." He didn't actually seem too upset by the news; perhaps he had confidence in his abilities to handle the situation.
They entered the Ruins through the main gate. As soon as they'd known it was their destination, the local police had been called in to clear it of the archaeologists and scientists who usually worked there. Apparently, that was what connections could do for a person. Then again, Team Rocket had exploited such things, too, though usually for more nefarious purposes than this.
The central building in the ruins seemed like a good place to start. They entered the gloomy place, surrounded by crumbling and flaking stonework. They were also clearly not alone; no sooner had they entered than more than a dozen unown floated out towards them. They seemed primarily attracted to Ana, floating around her and Ryk himself and rotating around them in lazy circles.
She reached out to touch one that looked like an 'A.' It glowed a little when her fingertips brushed along one of the legs of its shape, making a strange little trilling sound. It darted away and came to rest in the middle of the room, over what looked to be a tablet or something.
The group approached it; the image on the tablet seemed to be broken down into squares, five by five, but one was missing from the bottom corner.
“A slider puzzle?" Kas asked, grimacing.
“A big one," said Harper. “And super old. Have fun with that."
He sighed. “This might take a while. Feel free to wander around or something. I'll get to work."
"I almost pity you," Ryk spoke. "Almost," because really, he was glad Kas was doing the puzzle work. Ryk wasn't exactly puzzle-ready. His job hadn't required that kind of thing of him. It was mostly just about lies and deception. He was glad that that life was not one he had to have anymore. If he could remain optimistic, perhaps then, he could retire from it, and join Ana in reopening the shelter. It was what he'd promised, after all.
"I'm going to stay right here," Cyrilla spoke, making it clear that she wasn't going to leave Kas's side, but she also wasn't in his way. She stood off to the side a bit. Drake shrugged his shoulders, though, and glanced around. He didn't seem too intent on moving, but then again it was probably best if he did. Old or not, puzzle or not, the ruins were old, and there was probably a trap of some kind laying around. They didn't need to set it off.
"The unown seem fond of you," he decided to speak with Ana, instead, leaving Kas to work on the slider puzzle.
She half-smiled. “I think it's just the psychic energy, actually. I bet if you opened up your connection to them, they'd be just as interested in you." Carefully, she lowered herself from Sledge Hammer, patting him on his metal head. He bumped very gently against her and drifted off.
“Should we take a look around? We might be able to find the next puzzle for Kas, or something."
"Sounds like a bad idea," he spoke, referring to her first statement. Even if he did, he was sure he'd frighten them off rather than the opposite. "But it might be a good idea to find the next puzzle for Kas. That way, we don't spend too much time looking for it after he completes them," he agreed on that. He held out his hand for her, so that she could take it. It's not that he wasn't sure if she should be walking on her own, but rather, he just wanted to hold her hand. He liked being able to do that. He didn't mind so much that the others were with them.
"I don't think all of them will be sliding picture puzzles," he spoke out loud, glancing around the area they were in. There was debris in most places, evidence of the scientists work, and different digging tools laying about. There was even a brush standing in what looked like a kicked over bucket. Someone must have been in a hurry to leave. An unown, however, managed to float in front of him, and he blinked slowly at it. They both stayed like that for at least a good minute, before Eryk sighed. It seemed happy enough that it landed on his shoulder. It was in the shape of an 'I' so it looked slightly weird in its place.
"I didn't even open a connection," he spoke, frowning just lightly. He would never understand why most of the pokémon he knew, and owned, liked his shoulder. Was it some sort of pad that said 'lay here'?
Ana giggled. “It must just be charmed by your winning disposition." She seemed amused, shifting their hands to lace her fingers through his. “I suppose I can understand though; your shoulders are pretty comfortable."
She started forward, pulling him and his new passenger along as she scanned over the walls. There were large, painted murals on all of them; they actually looked a little bit like Kas's tattoos. The style had some similarities, actually. Then again, that made sense, since the one on his arm was of a creature that only really appeared in ancient cave paintings like these.
The murals had lots of symbols on them—there was one of a bunch of people gathered around a lake, another with several fire-type pokémon settled by an open flame. Others were of large storms or floods, and more seemed to depict what must have been daily life long ago. They seemed to link together in some kind of story, though it wasn't clear exactly what it was supposed to be about.
The unown didn't seem too inclined to leave his shoulder, and instead, seemed quite content where it was. He sighed softly, scanning the area as he did so. Something must have caught the unown's eye, because it shifted from his shoulder, and floated over to one of the murals. He raised a brow at it, and followed, tugging just gently enough on Ana's hand so that she could follow him. Once he was in sight, he glanced at the spot where the unown had stopped. It looked almost similar to the first puzzle, however; it wasn't exactly a sliding puzzle. It looked like there were images of the unown carved into it.
"I think it's spelling something out," he spoke, pursing his lips slightly. "If we can find out what it says, maybe it'll lead us to the next puzzle," if it wasn't the puzzle itself. Perhaps it was, but he doubted that was true.
“'We humans must learn to walk in harmony with them. We depart for their sakes.' I'm not sure if this is related to the puzzles or not," Ana said, frowning slightly. “It seems more like it might be connected to the meaning of these murals." Apparently, she didn't have difficulty telling what letters the unown were supposed to represent; her reading was only a little slower than normal.
She glanced back over her shoulder; Drake and Harper were at the other side of the cave, perhaps doing the same thing there. Kas looked to be making some progress on the puzzle, but it was obviously slow going. He was scowling at it like it irritated him, but perhaps that was to be expected.
Eryk pursed his lips softly, and shook his head. "Perhaps," he spoke, glancing over the murals again. He glanced at the unown that had led him there, and raised a brow. It stayed in its place, hovering slightly to the left. Eryk followed it with his gaze and noticed another set of words. He pursed his lips together and tried to make it out. It looked like it said 'light'. What did that mean? It looked like there was plenty of light around; perhaps it didn't mean anything.
You're not helping, he spoke to the unown, and it looked a little deflated. He sighed softly. I didn't mean it that way, he spoke, watching as the unown perked back up. It hovered back over towards him, and let itself hang on his shoulder again. He sighed deeper.
"Doesn't look like we'll find anything on this side. We should probably check the other side," he spoke, glancing down at Ana.
She nodded, and was turning to do just that when there was a soft grinding sound from the direction of the puzzle.
“Ha!" Kas said with a grin, moving the last bit of the puzzle into place. Perhaps he'd been closer to solving it last time than he looked. “Gotcha." He smoothed both hands over the stone panel, brushing away what looked like rock dust. When assembled, it appeared to be more letters, heavily faded and barely legible.
“Feed what cannot drink with something that is harder to catch the faster you run." He seemed more amused by that than anything else. “Guess there's a riddle after all, Drake."
Drake looked slightly mortified at what Kas said, however; Eryk merely rolled his eyes. "Please warn me before you read it," Drake spoke, causing Eryk to raise his brow in confusion. "You don't understand, riddles are practically the bane of my existence. Do you know how hard it was to tell gramps lunch was ready? I couldn't leave the gym until he made me answer one of his stupid riddles," he continued, groaning just slightly.
"So, if we wanted you to leave, all we had to do was start telling riddles to you?"
"Ryk, that wasn't nice."
"What? It was just a question," that he was curious about the answer to.
Ana sighed. Kas seemed to be ignoring them.
“Feed what cannot drink. Eat, but not drink; something that can eat, but not drink," he murmured. He narrowed his eyes at the panel, and then raised them to the walls. “Feed it what is harder to catch the more I run. Catch, catch... harder to catch."
His expression brightened; it seemed he'd figured it out. “Hey. Did you guys see any pictures of fire anywhere on the walls?
"Over there," Ryk replied, pointing in the direction they had seen it. The unown on his shoulder made a slight sound and Eryk tried to ignore it. It almost sounded like it was trying to say 'told you' in a weird kind of way.
"It'll take you to it," he spoke, watching as the unown hovered off of his shoulder and towards Kas. It then made its way towards the mural they had passed.
Kas followed the pokémon, stopping in front of the image of the fire pokémon gathered. Stepping right up to it, he ran his hands over the mural, then shook his head. “This is going to look dumb, but I swear it makes sense," he grumbled.
Leaning forward, he opened his mouth and exhaled on the image. For a moment, nothing happened, but then it began to glow bright blue. A grinding sound, low and deep, sounded from behind the wall, and the mural split along a seam that had been previously invisible, parting to reveal a hidden chamber.
Inside stood another of the three legendary beasts. This one was yellow with sharp black stripes. It had a much more feline appearance than Suicune, who looked more lupine. Like its counterpart, however, it had a cloudlike formation on its back. Electricity crackled in its fur, occasionally sparking off the end of its thin, bent tail.
“Raikou, I presume?" Kas lifted an eyebrow. “Satisfied that we're smart enough not to screw this up?"
I could do without your glibness, Kasimir Rheinallt, but yes. I will aid you in your mission.
“The glibness is part of the package, unfortunately. You'll get used to it." Kas tossed a pokéball. Raikou snorted, but did not resist. The sixth ball on Kas's belt disappeared, automatically transferred to the PC system.
“Sorry, Meep," Kas said. “It's probably safer if you don't get caught up in this, anyway."
"Dumbass," was the only thing Ryk could say. Two down, one to go.
It was a pretty damn surreal feeling, having a living legend hanging out in a pokéball on his belt. Kas had to admit that. It certainly wasn't anything he'd ever expected to do; this whole thing was so far beyond even his wildest aspirations that he was really still having some difficulty believing it.
They were setting up camp for the night, some distance away from the ruins. Ana had no idea yet where the next pokémon would be, so they had to stop to let her sleep and search for it before they had any idea where they were going. If pattern held, it would be Entei, but Mew and Mewtwo were still possibly out there somewhere too. Mewtwo was apparently on an island on the north side of the Orange Archipelago, but Mew was much harder to pin down, according to Ana's initial report, anyway.
Maybe it was different now; Kas didn't know. Unzipping the flap to his tent, he tossed his bag inside and zipped it up again, taking a seat next to Harper on the log near their fire. Drake was on her other side.
“So... fire was the thing that eats but doesn't drink, I get that, but how did you know to breathe on it?" she asked, passing him some jerky.
Kas accepted, chewing a bite of it before answering. “Harder to catch the faster you run. It's your breath. Feed the fire with your breath. It makes sense, since fire consumes air to burn. Though technically it feeds on oxygen, not carbon dioxide." He shrugged. It wasn't like he'd been asked to feed an actual fire. Metaphors were loose like that.
"Could you guys not talk about riddles, and such things when I'm around, please," Drake spoke, putting his face in his hands and shaking his head. He really didn't seem to like riddles, or anything that dealt with them. It seemed to amuse Ryk, somewhat as he came out of his tent. Cyrilla followed after him, probably helping with Ana. Ryk made to sit, however; before he could, Cy gave him a hug. It caught him off guard, it looked like, since he blinked a few times before glancing down at her.
"You guys enjoy the fire, I'm going to go see if I can find a water source near by," she spoke, glancing at the group. "I'm going to let Suicune out for a little while," was the explanation she gave. Ryk shrugged his shoulders lightly.
"Do you want me to come with?" Ryk asked. She just shook her head though. "Don't wander too far, then," he spoke, placing a hand on her head before letting it drop.
"Thanks, dad, I'll stay close by," Cyrilla responded, earning a slight scoff from Ryk. Drake snorted softly, too.
"You would be that kind of dad, wouldn't you?" Drake spoke, causing Ryk to furrow his brows at him. "Hey, I'm just stating the obvious," he continued, holding his hands up in his defense. Cyrilla shook her head and rolled her eyes before letting her gaze land on Kas for a moment. She smiled at him before she walked off, presumably to find this water source.
He was tempted to follow, and maybe tease her a little bit about skinny-dipping, but Kas figured it was pretty important that she spend the time with Suicune. They were going to need to work together, after all, and the more they knew each other, the better they could do that. He leaned back a little, propping his hands on the log to either side of him.
Ana was already in one of the tents, probably trying to sleep. The journey was clearly wearing on her, though not as much as he might have thought, considering how bad she'd been after he'd broken her out the first time. He supposed that was a good thing, but on the other hand it was kind of hard to tell. Episodes came and went for her, with seemingly little provocation other than exhaustion. It was worrying, but he figured no one knew how far she could go better than she did; he tried not to let the worry eat at him in the quiet moments like this.
“Yeah, but... you'd be the dad telling incredibly-cheesy dad jokes, Drake, so I don't think you get to talk." He grinned, narrowing his eyes. “I suppose that'd be a good balance for Harper though; if she ever has kids, I'm not sure they'll make it out of the boot camp that is their childhood."
“Shut up, Kas," Harper said, elbowing him in the side. He pretended to be more hurt than he was, but he couldn't help laughing at the very slight redness to her dark face. He could only see it because he was sitting right next to her.
Eryk actually snorted a little bit at that statement while Drake looked confused for a second. It must have finally dawned on him, because his face turned the slightest bit red, and he rubbed the back of his neck. "I guess, but at least it won't be riddles!" he tried to be a little more graceful about it, but he wasn't doing a good job. The color on his face only darkened causing Eryk to roll his eyes.
"Don't feel bad, Harper," Eryk began. Even though it was a little dark, the fire seemed to highlight something behind Ryk's eyes as he stared at Kas. "Kas has a headstart. He's already married." If Eryk could grin, he was probably grinning right now. But as it was, Eryk's face was just the slightest bit amused, if not a relaxed kind of passive. Drake looked confused.
"I think she was even trying to get him to go with her, but it looks like that didn't happen," he continued. He was staring at Harper when he said this, probably because he was being more specific on the who.
"Hey, congrats, Kas! Wait... who'd you marry?" Drake started, but seemed confused, still. Eryk rolled his eyes. "Because I don't recall there being anyone..." he trailed off as Eryk stared at him.
Harper laughed. “There's a story here, and I'd better hear it when this is all over." Clearly, she knew exactly what Eryk was talking about.
Kas rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, laugh it up," he said, waving a hand casually. “I, meanwhile, am going to take a walk. Don't burn the food." Harper was probably the only one he could trust with such instructions, because Ana was asleep, Ryk was a terrible cook, and he wasn't at all sure about Drake.
He checked the stew on the fire one last time and then stood. Kas hadn't quite interpreted Cy's look right, he supposed; maybe it was just because of the strangeness of the situation. He'd figured it'd be better to give her time with Suicune. But it wouldn't hurt to check up on them, in any case.
It wasn't hard to find the nearest body of water—they had a map and he knew how to read it, after all. He moved quietly through the trees until they ended, at which point he cleared his throat so he wouldn't be taking anyone by surprise. “Cy? You still out here?"
"Over here, Kas," she called out. It wasn't too hard to find her. She had her head turned slightly around her, sitting near the lake's edge with her hand in the air. It almost looked like she was signaling him, or something. She dropped it once she spotted him. Suicune was sitting next to her, and it looked like she was leaning on him, somewhat. In a way, it almost looked like they were leaning on each other.
"What brings you out here?" she asked, tilting her head to the side somewhat. She didn't look confused, nor did she sound surprised. Maybe Eryk had been wrong? Maybe he was just joking? That would be a first.
In either case, it wasn't a big deal. He let a smile tug up the corner of his mouth. “Nothing much," he replied. “I thought I'd see how the two of you were doing. He glanced from her to Suicune, shaking his head faintly. “Obviously there was no need for concern."
"Concern?" she questioned softly. Suicune stood from his spot and left a bit of ways, perhaps sensing something else. She blinked as he left, and shrugged her shoulders. "Come, sit," she spoke, patting the ground where Suicune had just been. "I was just admiring the lake and how pretty it was. Suicune was telling me about the different places, like Blue Moon Falls, Purity Lake, and the Lake of Life. They all sounded really pretty," she continued, the same small smile she'd given him earlier, on her lips.
He sat where she told him to, folding his legs underneath him. Considering how nice it was out, he figured he might as well follow her example. Reaching down to his belt, he removed the pokéball Raikou currently resided in and gave it a short toss.
When the pokémon emerged from its ball, it shook itself down, throwing a few incidental sparks from its coat. It spent a moment studying Kas, then nodded at him, moving off wordlessly, perhaps to catch up with Suicune, or just explore the surrounding area. He wasn't worried about it running away or anything.
“Sounds like we've got a list, then," he said mildly, looking out over the lake. “Of places to visit when this is all over."
"Oh, but I don't think we could actually visit them. Blue Moon Falls, maybe, since it's where there are apparently a lot of quagsire. The other two places aren't really meant for humans, I don't think," she replied with a light shake of her head. "I think, if there was any place I could go to after this," she began, turning her gaze to the sky before turning it to him.
"Would be wherever you go," she seemed to admit it a little shyly, and her face turned just the slightest bit pink. She glanced away for a second, and actually moved a little closer to him so she could set her head on his shoulder. "I mean, wherever you go is where I would want to go," she continued, as if trying to explain herself.
Kas huffed a soft laugh. “You're adorable, you know that?" he told her, remaining still so as to let her lean against him. It was a nice feeling; he shifted slightly so that his hand rested on her opposite hip, tucking her more securely into his side. She was a little too short for him to rest his chin on her head without hunching uncomfortably right now. But that was all right.
“I'm open to suggestions, though," he told her. “Since after all one of my goals is to make you happy, as many ways as I can."
She scoffed slightly, shaking her head. She moved so that she was peering up at him, a strange, contemplative look on her face. She seemed to study his face for a moment before she sighed. "You know, I have a confession to make," she started, moving so that she was as close as possible to him. "Remember when we were on the boat, just after Crystal's wedding?" she began, glancing out towards the lake. She paused for a moment, as if she were trying to put her words together before speaking again.
"Do you remember when you told me that you knew what I was doing? When you were putting the sun screen on my back," she continued. She hadn't looked at him yet. "I'm sure you know, but... I lied," she admitted, ducking her head slightly. "I did know what I was doing, but not at first," she continued. "It's just... I wanted..." she spoke with a strange kind of reluctance to continue. She pushed a sigh through her lips, and it looked like she was forcing herself to look up at him.
"I wanted to know what it would feel like," she didn't have to elaborate for him to know what she meant. Her face did, however, turn a brillant shade of red. "But... I mean," she stuttered, turning away from him.
Kas resisted the urge to groan. “You're killing me, Cy," he muttered. Twisting around, he gently pushed back on her shoulder until she was laying in the grass, swinging a leg over her hips. He kept himself on his hands and knees, though, bracing his arms on either side of her head. “I'm trying to be good, you know. We have priorities to think about here." It was hardly the right time. There was a mission to finish, and... even if she'd forgiven him for lying to her all that time, he wanted to make sure she had a chance to really think it through.
That and the fact that he knew he was light-years ahead of her in the physical experience department. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing, though it did present a bit of an inequality. In fact, he thought of it as mostly good; he knew what he was doing, which made him less likely to screw things up on that end. He knew how to be patient and slow and gentle—he wasn't going to make an amateur mistake and rush her or hurt her.
Shifting his weight onto only one of his hands, he reached down to her face with the other, cradling the side of her face. Her hair shone in the scant light from overhead, like a star itself. Even her skin was almost luminescent. One of Kas's callused thumbs ran over her lower lip. Soft and warm, like velvet or suede.
“You're so beautiful," he said softly, almost without meaning to. But then, he didn't mind if she knew. She was beautiful. Inside and out.
It didn't stop the color from her face, fading. It remained where it was, but at least she was holding his gaze. The smallest of smirks graced her features, however; her hands reached up to cradle his face. "And what if I don't want you to be good?" she spoke softly, just as softly as when he'd spoken. "Yes, we have priorities, but that doesn't mean much to me right now. We're, technically, on a break right now until Ana can find the next Beast," she continued, pulling his face closer to hers.
"Besides, I've told you before," she spoke, their faces just inches apart. There was an unusual amount of seriousness to her eyes. "I'm not a good person," she finished. There was nothing gentle in the way she kissed him.
When they broke apart, he chuckled slightly, ducking his head again to lay a kiss just under her ear. He bit lightly at the spot, soothing the hurt with his tongue. “We'll have to agree to disagree on that," he murmured into her ear.
As much as he wanted to capitulate—it would not be the first time he'd done something like this outdoors—Kas knew he shouldn't. Everything was too chaotic right now to allow the right kind of decision-making. As much as he wanted to, he wanted to do so the right way. After all the stress was gone and in their own time. Not according to some schedule imposed upon them by the urgency of their task. Not in some idle moment in lieu of thinking about something else.
Of course, there were plenty of other things they could do in such an idle moment. He thought she might enjoy learning about some of those. In fact, he was willing to bet on it.
They were setting up camp for the night, some distance away from the ruins. Ana had no idea yet where the next pokémon would be, so they had to stop to let her sleep and search for it before they had any idea where they were going. If pattern held, it would be Entei, but Mew and Mewtwo were still possibly out there somewhere too. Mewtwo was apparently on an island on the north side of the Orange Archipelago, but Mew was much harder to pin down, according to Ana's initial report, anyway.
Maybe it was different now; Kas didn't know. Unzipping the flap to his tent, he tossed his bag inside and zipped it up again, taking a seat next to Harper on the log near their fire. Drake was on her other side.
“So... fire was the thing that eats but doesn't drink, I get that, but how did you know to breathe on it?" she asked, passing him some jerky.
Kas accepted, chewing a bite of it before answering. “Harder to catch the faster you run. It's your breath. Feed the fire with your breath. It makes sense, since fire consumes air to burn. Though technically it feeds on oxygen, not carbon dioxide." He shrugged. It wasn't like he'd been asked to feed an actual fire. Metaphors were loose like that.
"Could you guys not talk about riddles, and such things when I'm around, please," Drake spoke, putting his face in his hands and shaking his head. He really didn't seem to like riddles, or anything that dealt with them. It seemed to amuse Ryk, somewhat as he came out of his tent. Cyrilla followed after him, probably helping with Ana. Ryk made to sit, however; before he could, Cy gave him a hug. It caught him off guard, it looked like, since he blinked a few times before glancing down at her.
"You guys enjoy the fire, I'm going to go see if I can find a water source near by," she spoke, glancing at the group. "I'm going to let Suicune out for a little while," was the explanation she gave. Ryk shrugged his shoulders lightly.
"Do you want me to come with?" Ryk asked. She just shook her head though. "Don't wander too far, then," he spoke, placing a hand on her head before letting it drop.
"Thanks, dad, I'll stay close by," Cyrilla responded, earning a slight scoff from Ryk. Drake snorted softly, too.
"You would be that kind of dad, wouldn't you?" Drake spoke, causing Ryk to furrow his brows at him. "Hey, I'm just stating the obvious," he continued, holding his hands up in his defense. Cyrilla shook her head and rolled her eyes before letting her gaze land on Kas for a moment. She smiled at him before she walked off, presumably to find this water source.
He was tempted to follow, and maybe tease her a little bit about skinny-dipping, but Kas figured it was pretty important that she spend the time with Suicune. They were going to need to work together, after all, and the more they knew each other, the better they could do that. He leaned back a little, propping his hands on the log to either side of him.
Ana was already in one of the tents, probably trying to sleep. The journey was clearly wearing on her, though not as much as he might have thought, considering how bad she'd been after he'd broken her out the first time. He supposed that was a good thing, but on the other hand it was kind of hard to tell. Episodes came and went for her, with seemingly little provocation other than exhaustion. It was worrying, but he figured no one knew how far she could go better than she did; he tried not to let the worry eat at him in the quiet moments like this.
“Yeah, but... you'd be the dad telling incredibly-cheesy dad jokes, Drake, so I don't think you get to talk." He grinned, narrowing his eyes. “I suppose that'd be a good balance for Harper though; if she ever has kids, I'm not sure they'll make it out of the boot camp that is their childhood."
“Shut up, Kas," Harper said, elbowing him in the side. He pretended to be more hurt than he was, but he couldn't help laughing at the very slight redness to her dark face. He could only see it because he was sitting right next to her.
Eryk actually snorted a little bit at that statement while Drake looked confused for a second. It must have finally dawned on him, because his face turned the slightest bit red, and he rubbed the back of his neck. "I guess, but at least it won't be riddles!" he tried to be a little more graceful about it, but he wasn't doing a good job. The color on his face only darkened causing Eryk to roll his eyes.
"Don't feel bad, Harper," Eryk began. Even though it was a little dark, the fire seemed to highlight something behind Ryk's eyes as he stared at Kas. "Kas has a headstart. He's already married." If Eryk could grin, he was probably grinning right now. But as it was, Eryk's face was just the slightest bit amused, if not a relaxed kind of passive. Drake looked confused.
"I think she was even trying to get him to go with her, but it looks like that didn't happen," he continued. He was staring at Harper when he said this, probably because he was being more specific on the who.
"Hey, congrats, Kas! Wait... who'd you marry?" Drake started, but seemed confused, still. Eryk rolled his eyes. "Because I don't recall there being anyone..." he trailed off as Eryk stared at him.
Harper laughed. “There's a story here, and I'd better hear it when this is all over." Clearly, she knew exactly what Eryk was talking about.
Kas rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, laugh it up," he said, waving a hand casually. “I, meanwhile, am going to take a walk. Don't burn the food." Harper was probably the only one he could trust with such instructions, because Ana was asleep, Ryk was a terrible cook, and he wasn't at all sure about Drake.
He checked the stew on the fire one last time and then stood. Kas hadn't quite interpreted Cy's look right, he supposed; maybe it was just because of the strangeness of the situation. He'd figured it'd be better to give her time with Suicune. But it wouldn't hurt to check up on them, in any case.
It wasn't hard to find the nearest body of water—they had a map and he knew how to read it, after all. He moved quietly through the trees until they ended, at which point he cleared his throat so he wouldn't be taking anyone by surprise. “Cy? You still out here?"
"Over here, Kas," she called out. It wasn't too hard to find her. She had her head turned slightly around her, sitting near the lake's edge with her hand in the air. It almost looked like she was signaling him, or something. She dropped it once she spotted him. Suicune was sitting next to her, and it looked like she was leaning on him, somewhat. In a way, it almost looked like they were leaning on each other.
"What brings you out here?" she asked, tilting her head to the side somewhat. She didn't look confused, nor did she sound surprised. Maybe Eryk had been wrong? Maybe he was just joking? That would be a first.
In either case, it wasn't a big deal. He let a smile tug up the corner of his mouth. “Nothing much," he replied. “I thought I'd see how the two of you were doing. He glanced from her to Suicune, shaking his head faintly. “Obviously there was no need for concern."
"Concern?" she questioned softly. Suicune stood from his spot and left a bit of ways, perhaps sensing something else. She blinked as he left, and shrugged her shoulders. "Come, sit," she spoke, patting the ground where Suicune had just been. "I was just admiring the lake and how pretty it was. Suicune was telling me about the different places, like Blue Moon Falls, Purity Lake, and the Lake of Life. They all sounded really pretty," she continued, the same small smile she'd given him earlier, on her lips.
He sat where she told him to, folding his legs underneath him. Considering how nice it was out, he figured he might as well follow her example. Reaching down to his belt, he removed the pokéball Raikou currently resided in and gave it a short toss.
When the pokémon emerged from its ball, it shook itself down, throwing a few incidental sparks from its coat. It spent a moment studying Kas, then nodded at him, moving off wordlessly, perhaps to catch up with Suicune, or just explore the surrounding area. He wasn't worried about it running away or anything.
“Sounds like we've got a list, then," he said mildly, looking out over the lake. “Of places to visit when this is all over."
"Oh, but I don't think we could actually visit them. Blue Moon Falls, maybe, since it's where there are apparently a lot of quagsire. The other two places aren't really meant for humans, I don't think," she replied with a light shake of her head. "I think, if there was any place I could go to after this," she began, turning her gaze to the sky before turning it to him.
"Would be wherever you go," she seemed to admit it a little shyly, and her face turned just the slightest bit pink. She glanced away for a second, and actually moved a little closer to him so she could set her head on his shoulder. "I mean, wherever you go is where I would want to go," she continued, as if trying to explain herself.
Kas huffed a soft laugh. “You're adorable, you know that?" he told her, remaining still so as to let her lean against him. It was a nice feeling; he shifted slightly so that his hand rested on her opposite hip, tucking her more securely into his side. She was a little too short for him to rest his chin on her head without hunching uncomfortably right now. But that was all right.
“I'm open to suggestions, though," he told her. “Since after all one of my goals is to make you happy, as many ways as I can."
She scoffed slightly, shaking her head. She moved so that she was peering up at him, a strange, contemplative look on her face. She seemed to study his face for a moment before she sighed. "You know, I have a confession to make," she started, moving so that she was as close as possible to him. "Remember when we were on the boat, just after Crystal's wedding?" she began, glancing out towards the lake. She paused for a moment, as if she were trying to put her words together before speaking again.
"Do you remember when you told me that you knew what I was doing? When you were putting the sun screen on my back," she continued. She hadn't looked at him yet. "I'm sure you know, but... I lied," she admitted, ducking her head slightly. "I did know what I was doing, but not at first," she continued. "It's just... I wanted..." she spoke with a strange kind of reluctance to continue. She pushed a sigh through her lips, and it looked like she was forcing herself to look up at him.
"I wanted to know what it would feel like," she didn't have to elaborate for him to know what she meant. Her face did, however, turn a brillant shade of red. "But... I mean," she stuttered, turning away from him.
Kas resisted the urge to groan. “You're killing me, Cy," he muttered. Twisting around, he gently pushed back on her shoulder until she was laying in the grass, swinging a leg over her hips. He kept himself on his hands and knees, though, bracing his arms on either side of her head. “I'm trying to be good, you know. We have priorities to think about here." It was hardly the right time. There was a mission to finish, and... even if she'd forgiven him for lying to her all that time, he wanted to make sure she had a chance to really think it through.
That and the fact that he knew he was light-years ahead of her in the physical experience department. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing, though it did present a bit of an inequality. In fact, he thought of it as mostly good; he knew what he was doing, which made him less likely to screw things up on that end. He knew how to be patient and slow and gentle—he wasn't going to make an amateur mistake and rush her or hurt her.
Shifting his weight onto only one of his hands, he reached down to her face with the other, cradling the side of her face. Her hair shone in the scant light from overhead, like a star itself. Even her skin was almost luminescent. One of Kas's callused thumbs ran over her lower lip. Soft and warm, like velvet or suede.
“You're so beautiful," he said softly, almost without meaning to. But then, he didn't mind if she knew. She was beautiful. Inside and out.
It didn't stop the color from her face, fading. It remained where it was, but at least she was holding his gaze. The smallest of smirks graced her features, however; her hands reached up to cradle his face. "And what if I don't want you to be good?" she spoke softly, just as softly as when he'd spoken. "Yes, we have priorities, but that doesn't mean much to me right now. We're, technically, on a break right now until Ana can find the next Beast," she continued, pulling his face closer to hers.
"Besides, I've told you before," she spoke, their faces just inches apart. There was an unusual amount of seriousness to her eyes. "I'm not a good person," she finished. There was nothing gentle in the way she kissed him.
When they broke apart, he chuckled slightly, ducking his head again to lay a kiss just under her ear. He bit lightly at the spot, soothing the hurt with his tongue. “We'll have to agree to disagree on that," he murmured into her ear.
As much as he wanted to capitulate—it would not be the first time he'd done something like this outdoors—Kas knew he shouldn't. Everything was too chaotic right now to allow the right kind of decision-making. As much as he wanted to, he wanted to do so the right way. After all the stress was gone and in their own time. Not according to some schedule imposed upon them by the urgency of their task. Not in some idle moment in lieu of thinking about something else.
Of course, there were plenty of other things they could do in such an idle moment. He thought she might enjoy learning about some of those. In fact, he was willing to bet on it.
The journey to Ecruteak City from Violet City wasn't a long one. It had only taken them a day and a half to reach it. Apparently, the next Beast had revealed its location to Ana, and they were to find it, oddly enough, at the Burned Tower. If Eryk recalled correctly, the Burned Tower was where it all began, at least for the particular beasts they were named after. It's legend told of how the tower had burned to the ground after being struck by lightning. Supposedly, the real reason as to why it burned down was never mentioned, however; Raikou, Entei, and Suicune were among the pokémon that supposedly perished. Ho-oh revived them, or some other nonsense.
Eryk sighed softly as they continued down their path, they had to pass by the Bell Tower, a building similar to the burned tower. The path it was on was called the Bellchime Trail, but it split off towards the west. He glanced at the group, watching as Cyrilla stood next to Harper, occasionally saying something that would make her laugh. He couldn't see Harper's reaction so he wasn't too sure if she found it funny, or not. Drake was on the other side of Harper, seemingly interested in his surroundings rather than the conversation, it seemed.
He allowed his gaze to drop towards Ana, though. She was walking beside him this time, and he held onto her hand in a soft manner. He was like that, he supposed, always gentle and soft when it came to her. He didn't know how to be anything else, really, and he'd accepted that. It's who he was, but it took awhile for him to find himself again. At least that's what he thought it was. He shook the thought from his mind, though, and glanced back forward. He did find it slightly odd that the Beast they were after, his namesake, would be here of all places, where it all began. He wondered if Entei was just sentimental, or if it held some other significant meaning to it.
He was going to bet on the latter. Entei, if he recalled, was a proud creature. It seemed slightly fitting, he supposed. Of course, getting into the Burned Tower wasn't going to be easy, though. The walls and some of the foundation were not structurely sound. Any wrong movement could cause a collapse of some kind. He wasn't going to risk them for that, but he also knew that they wouldn't just stand back, either. He sighed softly, giving Ana's hand a gentle squeeze. It was more for reassuring himself rather than anything else.
When we get there, he spoke to her, keeping his gaze forward. Will you wait outside for me? he asked. He just didn't want anything to happen to her, and it wasn't like he'd have to go through a myriad of doors or floors to find his Beast. He knew where it would be, or at least he thought he did.
From the corner of his eye, he could see her look up at him. Are you sure? she asked. If something happens, I'll be the only one who can do much about it. Structurally unsound as the building was, she was likely the only person who'd be able to hold off a collapsing wall or something long enough for them to get out, so her point was understandable.
And also slightly unnerving. I'm sure. I don't want any of you to go in with me. I want you all to stand outside and wait for me. I don't want you stressing yourself out by using your power if something does happen. And in the offchance that something does, you and the others will be safe. The worst thing that could happen to me is I break something, he responded. He'd rather have them outside where it was safe. He could do this on his own. It was a nice feeling to have that he didn't have to do it alone, though.
If I promise to make it out in one piece, will you wait? he decided to say. It wasn't going to be an easy promise to keep, if she decided to accept it, however; it would give him the resolve to keep it.
On one condition, she replied. If you let me stay linked to you like this when you go in. I promise the range won't put any extra stress on me, but I want to know if something happens so I can help, okay? At least that way she wouldn't be putting herself in direct danger. But if you're willing to let me do that, then I'll accept your promise... and I'll wait for you.
He smiled just the slightest bit, and nodded his head. Alright, he replied softly. As long as it doesn't put any unnecessary stress on you, we'll stay linked like this when I go inside. For now, though, we should worry about getting there, he continued. There wasn't any particular danger on the trail, and because it was more sacred than anything, they didn't have to worry about trainers trying to randomly challenge them. If they did, he would volunteer Drake. He was a Kanto Gym Leader. Surely that was more exciting than battling some random trainers?
Drake could be useful in that case. He had to stop that train of thought since he forgot, momentarily, that he was still connected to Ana. She'd probably glimpsed some of that. He shook his head, though, and pushed forward.
She must have caught at least most of it; he could feel her amusement through the connection. I'll never understand why you feel that way about him, she said. He can be a little silly, but no sillier than Kas, and Kas is your best friend. She wasn't scolding him or anything, though.
Eryk scoffed for a second and shook his head. Believe it or not, he began slowly. It's not like he had anything to hide from her, anymore. He wanted her to know him, he supposed, and this was a good way to start. I used to be jealous of him, he confessed. There were reasons behind that jealousy, he supposed, but looking back on them now, it all seemed so petty.
Drake was the kind of person I wasn't, and couldn't be. He attracted people to him like flies, and he was good with them. He made it look easy, making friends and being sociable. Before I met you, I wasn't even capable of holding proper conversations unless I really needed to. And I scared people, he continued, sighing softly. It all came easily to him, and I had, still have to, struggle with it, he added. It was slightly true.
He still struggled with being sociable and more pleasant with people. He was getting used to being less forward, and being more honest. It was a long journey, but he'd managed somewhat. And correction, Kas is my brother, he said, raising an amused brow in her direction.
I think he's both, she replied with a broad smile. It softened, though; she seemed to consider his words carefully. He felt a twinge of sympathy from her side of the connection. But not pity—Ana didn't ever seem to pity him, regardless of the situation.
You didn't scare me, she replied. He could feel the honesty in the words. You're a little intimidating, but I'm not sure how much you can help that. You're just tall and very... he could feel her searching for the word she wanted, discarding several others on the way. You're intense. Most people try to be careful about how much of themselves they show the world. They try to be gentler or softer so they don't accidentally offend someone. You didn't. That's not necessarily bad, exactly, but it does make talking to people harder.
She touched her forehead to his arm for a moment as they walked. Now I kind of like it. It makes me feel like I did something right if you smile at me, because you don't just do that for any reason at all. I... might be a terrible person.
It felt weird, and Eryk wasn't entirely sure what happened, exactly. All he knew was that he made a strange sound, and Cy had stopped walking. She was staring at him with an odd expression on her face, and he stopped walking as well, pulling Ana into a stop next to him. He blinked at her, and she returned the blink before she glanced up towards Kas. She pointed at him, a look of disbelief still on her face.
"Did he just laugh?" she asked, still looking slightly confused. Did he just laugh? Is that what that sound was?
Kas, Ana, and Harper were all staring at him with incredulous expressions.
Kas was the first to recover. “He totally did. I blame Ana. She must have said something to him." he tapped his temple to indicate what he meant.
Ana shook her head slightly, smiling brightly. “I didn't think it was particularly funny, but I guess he disagreed." She squeezed his hand.
Eryk pursed his lips together and narrowed his eyes at his friends. It didn't last very long, and he blinked at the way he'd described them. His friends. He sighed heavily. Something must be wrong with him, seriously wrong. He shook his head at them, though, and resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "If it keeps this way, I won't laugh again," he spoke, narrowing his eyes slightly. He'd found it funny, for some reason, at how serious Ana had been when she'd said she was a terrible person.
Far from it, actually. She wasn't terrible at all. He wasn't entirely sure if she could be given all the things she'd endured in her life. "Did I miss something?" Drake spoke. Apparently he had walked a little further ahead and missed the laugh. He wasn't sure if he was grateful for that, or not.
"We're almost there," he replied instead. It was a few minutes more before they actually reached the Burned Tower, and to its name, it was charred. It was strange that they wouldn't have destroyed the rest of it, and, perhaps, removed the building entirely, however; it was still there. He glanced at Ana and the others.
"I told Ana to wait outside with the rest of you," he spoke. He didn't want them going in with him because of the chance they might get hurt. He didn't want that for either of them. "It won't take me too long," or at least he didn't think it would, "and it will be easier and safer if it were only one person going in."
Cyrilla looked halfway to objecting, however; she remained quiet, and nodded her head. Drake didn't seem to want to protest at all, and nodded as well. He glanced towards Kas and Harper. "I'd rather everyone stay out here than come inside with me. If something should happen, at least you all could continue the mission," he stated.
“Yeah right, dumbass," Kas said, giving him a lopsided grin. “If anything happens, we're coming in after you. But go on, go be the hero of the hour. We'll be here when you're done." Harper nodded, apparently in agreement with her brother.
You'll succeed, Ana told him. Just don't forget who you are and what you're trying to do. She stood on her toes to kiss him briefly before letting go of his hand.
I love you.
I love you, too, he responded. It was difficult letting her hand go, but he did. He would have rolled his eyes at Kas's statement, but he wanted this to be over with, already. He wanted it all to be over with. With a heavy sigh, he walked forward, entering the building. Some of the floors creaked beneath his feet, and he had to duck a few times to avoid colliding with hanging debris. He pursed his lips together, keeping the connection open to Ana like he said he would.
He let everything he was feeling, flow between them. Calmness. Serenity. Love. They were all being projected to her so that she wouldn't worry too much about him. Instead, he allowed the connection to widen slightly, so that he could feel if he was going in the right direction. He couldn't tell, exactly, but he knew it'd been more than a few minutes of searching. It wasn't until he turned around to go back, that he felt it. It was a strange pulling sensation, and it pulled him further down into the building. He must have hit the end since there were no more flights of stairs to go down.
It was then that there was a sudden wall of flames that circled around him, the heat licking at his skin, but it did not burn him. He didn't move, nor did he allow any sense of emotion to overcome him. He became as he used to be: void of everything with the exception of one thing. Her. It wasn't as unnerving as he thought it would be, glancing at his namesake. There were small embers radiating from its coat, and it merely stared back down on Eryk.
Eryk Nero, the one they call Entei it spoke, and Eryk could almost feel the rumbling of its voice. It seemed to shake him to his very core, but he did not waver. I know why it is you seek me, but what makes you worthy of me? it spoke with as much pride as Eryk expected it to. He narrowed his eyes slightly. The flames that surrounded him were burning just a little brighter. In a way, it was like being baptized in fire.
"Nothing," he responded, clenching his fists just slightly. "Nothing makes me remotely worthy of you, but I've learned long ago that, even if I am not worthy," he began, taking in a slow, steady breath. "Even if I might not deserve it, there are things that I value above all else to protect. And in order to do that, I am not leaving here without your aid," he continued, keeping his gaze steady with Entei's.
Entei didn't seem to appreciate what he said, but Eryk meant what he said. He wasn't going to leave here without Entei's help because there were things, people, he wanted to protect. With a bold statement like that, what makes you think I am inclined to give you my aid? What is so valuable to you? it retorted, a low rumble in its throat. It almost sounded like Entei was growling at him. Maybe he was?
"The people who stand outside of this place, waiting for my return, but most of all," he continued. Entei's gaze was just as bright and intense as Eryk's own, and he could feel his own eyes narrowing slightly. "Her." he didn't need to elaborate more than that. He knew Entei would know exactly who he was talking about.
You would protect her, knowing what her fate is? it spoke, and Eryk could feel his jaw tighten. Why? he seemed slightly curious, or at least it seemed like that to Eryk. The faintest of smiles pulled at his lips, and he knew Ana could feel it too.
"Because she is love in its purest form. Unconditional, forgiving, and someone like myself is undeserving of it. She is light, and she is my future. For her, I would risk everything," he answered.
Even your life?
"Even that." If Entei wanted to test that, it was welcome to. It seemed that it did, and Entei lept from its perch, making straight for Eryk. He didn't move. The Beast was much larger than Eryk, and it had him pinned beneath its massive feet. He still did not move. His gaze was still steady with Entei's, and they both seemed to stare at each other. He was unsure of how much time had passed, but it must have been at least half an hour before Entei relented his hold on him, and pulled back.
You speak the truth. I will aid you on one condition, it spoke. Eryk stood, still keeping eye contact with Entei. If what you say is true, if she is your future, you will not waver from this path you have chosen, no matter how brief it may be, it spoke. Eryk felt the slightest pull of his lips, almost like a smirk had crossed his face. He didn't have much of a choice.
"I don't have much of a choice," he replied. He could almost feel Entei scoff at him. He pulled a pokéball from his belt, an empty one, and tossed it towards Entei. With it secured, it was only a matter of minutes before Ryk reemerged to greet his friends. It must have been longer than he'd anticipated because the sky, once bright and afternoon, was now twilight.
"I didn't think it would take that long," he spoke honestly.
Something abruptly collided with his middle. It took a second to register right, but it was clearly Ana, wrapping her arms around his waist and holding him as tightly as her thin arms would allow, it seemed. Almost too softly for him to hear, she sniffled.
Though the connection between them remained open, no words came across it. Only feelings. Relief, love, and a certain sense of almost-incredulous wonder. Well, she'd felt everything through his mind, after all.
Kas smiled, devoid of the expression's usual mocking edge. “She spent most of the time in a trance," he explained. “She looked really worried for a while there. Had me on edge, too."
He wrapped his arms around her as best as he could, and rested leaned down slightly so that his head was resting on hers. I meant everything I said, he spoke to her, smiling softly against her hair. He lifted his gaze partially to meet Kas's. "It might have had to do with the fact that Entei nearly crushed me beneath its weight," he replied. While true, it wasn't necessarily the entire truth. Entei had managed to crush him beneath its paws, but it wasn't like it had broken anything. He was just slightly sore on his shoulders and parts of his abdomen.
"Well, at least give us a heads up next time you decide to spend a couple of hours beneath a legendary," Cyrilla spoke, but she smiled at him.
"I'll make sure to ask the next one how long it'll take so you will all know," he retorted lightly, earning a slight snort from Cy.
"I think Entei might have broken something, or Ryk's learning how to joke," she spoke, a grin spreading across her face. Eryk rolled his eyes.
“See? Miracles do happen."
Eryk sighed softly as they continued down their path, they had to pass by the Bell Tower, a building similar to the burned tower. The path it was on was called the Bellchime Trail, but it split off towards the west. He glanced at the group, watching as Cyrilla stood next to Harper, occasionally saying something that would make her laugh. He couldn't see Harper's reaction so he wasn't too sure if she found it funny, or not. Drake was on the other side of Harper, seemingly interested in his surroundings rather than the conversation, it seemed.
He allowed his gaze to drop towards Ana, though. She was walking beside him this time, and he held onto her hand in a soft manner. He was like that, he supposed, always gentle and soft when it came to her. He didn't know how to be anything else, really, and he'd accepted that. It's who he was, but it took awhile for him to find himself again. At least that's what he thought it was. He shook the thought from his mind, though, and glanced back forward. He did find it slightly odd that the Beast they were after, his namesake, would be here of all places, where it all began. He wondered if Entei was just sentimental, or if it held some other significant meaning to it.
He was going to bet on the latter. Entei, if he recalled, was a proud creature. It seemed slightly fitting, he supposed. Of course, getting into the Burned Tower wasn't going to be easy, though. The walls and some of the foundation were not structurely sound. Any wrong movement could cause a collapse of some kind. He wasn't going to risk them for that, but he also knew that they wouldn't just stand back, either. He sighed softly, giving Ana's hand a gentle squeeze. It was more for reassuring himself rather than anything else.
When we get there, he spoke to her, keeping his gaze forward. Will you wait outside for me? he asked. He just didn't want anything to happen to her, and it wasn't like he'd have to go through a myriad of doors or floors to find his Beast. He knew where it would be, or at least he thought he did.
From the corner of his eye, he could see her look up at him. Are you sure? she asked. If something happens, I'll be the only one who can do much about it. Structurally unsound as the building was, she was likely the only person who'd be able to hold off a collapsing wall or something long enough for them to get out, so her point was understandable.
And also slightly unnerving. I'm sure. I don't want any of you to go in with me. I want you all to stand outside and wait for me. I don't want you stressing yourself out by using your power if something does happen. And in the offchance that something does, you and the others will be safe. The worst thing that could happen to me is I break something, he responded. He'd rather have them outside where it was safe. He could do this on his own. It was a nice feeling to have that he didn't have to do it alone, though.
If I promise to make it out in one piece, will you wait? he decided to say. It wasn't going to be an easy promise to keep, if she decided to accept it, however; it would give him the resolve to keep it.
On one condition, she replied. If you let me stay linked to you like this when you go in. I promise the range won't put any extra stress on me, but I want to know if something happens so I can help, okay? At least that way she wouldn't be putting herself in direct danger. But if you're willing to let me do that, then I'll accept your promise... and I'll wait for you.
He smiled just the slightest bit, and nodded his head. Alright, he replied softly. As long as it doesn't put any unnecessary stress on you, we'll stay linked like this when I go inside. For now, though, we should worry about getting there, he continued. There wasn't any particular danger on the trail, and because it was more sacred than anything, they didn't have to worry about trainers trying to randomly challenge them. If they did, he would volunteer Drake. He was a Kanto Gym Leader. Surely that was more exciting than battling some random trainers?
Drake could be useful in that case. He had to stop that train of thought since he forgot, momentarily, that he was still connected to Ana. She'd probably glimpsed some of that. He shook his head, though, and pushed forward.
She must have caught at least most of it; he could feel her amusement through the connection. I'll never understand why you feel that way about him, she said. He can be a little silly, but no sillier than Kas, and Kas is your best friend. She wasn't scolding him or anything, though.
Eryk scoffed for a second and shook his head. Believe it or not, he began slowly. It's not like he had anything to hide from her, anymore. He wanted her to know him, he supposed, and this was a good way to start. I used to be jealous of him, he confessed. There were reasons behind that jealousy, he supposed, but looking back on them now, it all seemed so petty.
Drake was the kind of person I wasn't, and couldn't be. He attracted people to him like flies, and he was good with them. He made it look easy, making friends and being sociable. Before I met you, I wasn't even capable of holding proper conversations unless I really needed to. And I scared people, he continued, sighing softly. It all came easily to him, and I had, still have to, struggle with it, he added. It was slightly true.
He still struggled with being sociable and more pleasant with people. He was getting used to being less forward, and being more honest. It was a long journey, but he'd managed somewhat. And correction, Kas is my brother, he said, raising an amused brow in her direction.
I think he's both, she replied with a broad smile. It softened, though; she seemed to consider his words carefully. He felt a twinge of sympathy from her side of the connection. But not pity—Ana didn't ever seem to pity him, regardless of the situation.
You didn't scare me, she replied. He could feel the honesty in the words. You're a little intimidating, but I'm not sure how much you can help that. You're just tall and very... he could feel her searching for the word she wanted, discarding several others on the way. You're intense. Most people try to be careful about how much of themselves they show the world. They try to be gentler or softer so they don't accidentally offend someone. You didn't. That's not necessarily bad, exactly, but it does make talking to people harder.
She touched her forehead to his arm for a moment as they walked. Now I kind of like it. It makes me feel like I did something right if you smile at me, because you don't just do that for any reason at all. I... might be a terrible person.
It felt weird, and Eryk wasn't entirely sure what happened, exactly. All he knew was that he made a strange sound, and Cy had stopped walking. She was staring at him with an odd expression on her face, and he stopped walking as well, pulling Ana into a stop next to him. He blinked at her, and she returned the blink before she glanced up towards Kas. She pointed at him, a look of disbelief still on her face.
"Did he just laugh?" she asked, still looking slightly confused. Did he just laugh? Is that what that sound was?
Kas, Ana, and Harper were all staring at him with incredulous expressions.
Kas was the first to recover. “He totally did. I blame Ana. She must have said something to him." he tapped his temple to indicate what he meant.
Ana shook her head slightly, smiling brightly. “I didn't think it was particularly funny, but I guess he disagreed." She squeezed his hand.
Eryk pursed his lips together and narrowed his eyes at his friends. It didn't last very long, and he blinked at the way he'd described them. His friends. He sighed heavily. Something must be wrong with him, seriously wrong. He shook his head at them, though, and resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "If it keeps this way, I won't laugh again," he spoke, narrowing his eyes slightly. He'd found it funny, for some reason, at how serious Ana had been when she'd said she was a terrible person.
Far from it, actually. She wasn't terrible at all. He wasn't entirely sure if she could be given all the things she'd endured in her life. "Did I miss something?" Drake spoke. Apparently he had walked a little further ahead and missed the laugh. He wasn't sure if he was grateful for that, or not.
"We're almost there," he replied instead. It was a few minutes more before they actually reached the Burned Tower, and to its name, it was charred. It was strange that they wouldn't have destroyed the rest of it, and, perhaps, removed the building entirely, however; it was still there. He glanced at Ana and the others.
"I told Ana to wait outside with the rest of you," he spoke. He didn't want them going in with him because of the chance they might get hurt. He didn't want that for either of them. "It won't take me too long," or at least he didn't think it would, "and it will be easier and safer if it were only one person going in."
Cyrilla looked halfway to objecting, however; she remained quiet, and nodded her head. Drake didn't seem to want to protest at all, and nodded as well. He glanced towards Kas and Harper. "I'd rather everyone stay out here than come inside with me. If something should happen, at least you all could continue the mission," he stated.
“Yeah right, dumbass," Kas said, giving him a lopsided grin. “If anything happens, we're coming in after you. But go on, go be the hero of the hour. We'll be here when you're done." Harper nodded, apparently in agreement with her brother.
You'll succeed, Ana told him. Just don't forget who you are and what you're trying to do. She stood on her toes to kiss him briefly before letting go of his hand.
I love you.
I love you, too, he responded. It was difficult letting her hand go, but he did. He would have rolled his eyes at Kas's statement, but he wanted this to be over with, already. He wanted it all to be over with. With a heavy sigh, he walked forward, entering the building. Some of the floors creaked beneath his feet, and he had to duck a few times to avoid colliding with hanging debris. He pursed his lips together, keeping the connection open to Ana like he said he would.
He let everything he was feeling, flow between them. Calmness. Serenity. Love. They were all being projected to her so that she wouldn't worry too much about him. Instead, he allowed the connection to widen slightly, so that he could feel if he was going in the right direction. He couldn't tell, exactly, but he knew it'd been more than a few minutes of searching. It wasn't until he turned around to go back, that he felt it. It was a strange pulling sensation, and it pulled him further down into the building. He must have hit the end since there were no more flights of stairs to go down.
It was then that there was a sudden wall of flames that circled around him, the heat licking at his skin, but it did not burn him. He didn't move, nor did he allow any sense of emotion to overcome him. He became as he used to be: void of everything with the exception of one thing. Her. It wasn't as unnerving as he thought it would be, glancing at his namesake. There were small embers radiating from its coat, and it merely stared back down on Eryk.
Eryk Nero, the one they call Entei it spoke, and Eryk could almost feel the rumbling of its voice. It seemed to shake him to his very core, but he did not waver. I know why it is you seek me, but what makes you worthy of me? it spoke with as much pride as Eryk expected it to. He narrowed his eyes slightly. The flames that surrounded him were burning just a little brighter. In a way, it was like being baptized in fire.
"Nothing," he responded, clenching his fists just slightly. "Nothing makes me remotely worthy of you, but I've learned long ago that, even if I am not worthy," he began, taking in a slow, steady breath. "Even if I might not deserve it, there are things that I value above all else to protect. And in order to do that, I am not leaving here without your aid," he continued, keeping his gaze steady with Entei's.
Entei didn't seem to appreciate what he said, but Eryk meant what he said. He wasn't going to leave here without Entei's help because there were things, people, he wanted to protect. With a bold statement like that, what makes you think I am inclined to give you my aid? What is so valuable to you? it retorted, a low rumble in its throat. It almost sounded like Entei was growling at him. Maybe he was?
"The people who stand outside of this place, waiting for my return, but most of all," he continued. Entei's gaze was just as bright and intense as Eryk's own, and he could feel his own eyes narrowing slightly. "Her." he didn't need to elaborate more than that. He knew Entei would know exactly who he was talking about.
You would protect her, knowing what her fate is? it spoke, and Eryk could feel his jaw tighten. Why? he seemed slightly curious, or at least it seemed like that to Eryk. The faintest of smiles pulled at his lips, and he knew Ana could feel it too.
"Because she is love in its purest form. Unconditional, forgiving, and someone like myself is undeserving of it. She is light, and she is my future. For her, I would risk everything," he answered.
Even your life?
"Even that." If Entei wanted to test that, it was welcome to. It seemed that it did, and Entei lept from its perch, making straight for Eryk. He didn't move. The Beast was much larger than Eryk, and it had him pinned beneath its massive feet. He still did not move. His gaze was still steady with Entei's, and they both seemed to stare at each other. He was unsure of how much time had passed, but it must have been at least half an hour before Entei relented his hold on him, and pulled back.
You speak the truth. I will aid you on one condition, it spoke. Eryk stood, still keeping eye contact with Entei. If what you say is true, if she is your future, you will not waver from this path you have chosen, no matter how brief it may be, it spoke. Eryk felt the slightest pull of his lips, almost like a smirk had crossed his face. He didn't have much of a choice.
"I don't have much of a choice," he replied. He could almost feel Entei scoff at him. He pulled a pokéball from his belt, an empty one, and tossed it towards Entei. With it secured, it was only a matter of minutes before Ryk reemerged to greet his friends. It must have been longer than he'd anticipated because the sky, once bright and afternoon, was now twilight.
"I didn't think it would take that long," he spoke honestly.
Something abruptly collided with his middle. It took a second to register right, but it was clearly Ana, wrapping her arms around his waist and holding him as tightly as her thin arms would allow, it seemed. Almost too softly for him to hear, she sniffled.
Though the connection between them remained open, no words came across it. Only feelings. Relief, love, and a certain sense of almost-incredulous wonder. Well, she'd felt everything through his mind, after all.
Kas smiled, devoid of the expression's usual mocking edge. “She spent most of the time in a trance," he explained. “She looked really worried for a while there. Had me on edge, too."
He wrapped his arms around her as best as he could, and rested leaned down slightly so that his head was resting on hers. I meant everything I said, he spoke to her, smiling softly against her hair. He lifted his gaze partially to meet Kas's. "It might have had to do with the fact that Entei nearly crushed me beneath its weight," he replied. While true, it wasn't necessarily the entire truth. Entei had managed to crush him beneath its paws, but it wasn't like it had broken anything. He was just slightly sore on his shoulders and parts of his abdomen.
"Well, at least give us a heads up next time you decide to spend a couple of hours beneath a legendary," Cyrilla spoke, but she smiled at him.
"I'll make sure to ask the next one how long it'll take so you will all know," he retorted lightly, earning a slight snort from Cy.
"I think Entei might have broken something, or Ryk's learning how to joke," she spoke, a grin spreading across her face. Eryk rolled his eyes.
“See? Miracles do happen."
That night, they stayed in Ecruteak City. The hotel this time was an old-style one, with futons on the floor instead of beds, and an onsen inside the back part of the building.
It was also, she had noticed, home to more than one ghost. Ana was used to seeing such beings even when no one else could; humans and pokémon both occasionally left behind such specters, and that was in addition to gastly, shuppet, and other ghost-type pokémon.
Bidding farewell to the wandering banette, she shook her head and went back to what she was doing, which was making an inspection of the room. The closet had several yukata of various sized in it; they were in the hotel's own pattern, of course, meant to be used by guests. She wondered if maybe she should take a bath. The water might be good for her. Though... perhaps she should talk to Eryk first. She'd been putting off telling him something that was kind of important.
On the other hand, she wasn't so sure she'd be able to make either her tongue or her thoughts work right around him at the moment; she hadn't exactly expected to hear what she did when she asked him to leave that connection open. Loving someone was one thing. To know that he thought that about her was... well, it was overwhelming to say the least. It might be better to bathe first, and give herself some time to process it all.
That didn't seem to be the case, though, because there was a soft knock on her door. From the other side, she could hear someone shuffling and the faintest sound of someone asking if she was in there. From the sounds of it, it sounded like Cyrilla. The door opened to reveal that it was, indeed, Cyrilla. She seemed to be talking to someone before she stepped fully into the room with Ana, a small smile on her face.
"Eryk gave me his key so I could come check on you. He's going right now, down to the lobby to get something to eat. He said he's bringing up more spaghetti, too," she spoke, seemingly trying to explain why she was in the room all of a sudden. The smile didn't fade from her face, though, and she leaned slightly on the wall, folding her arms over her chest.
"Are you doing okay?" she asked, her face taking on a light seriousness to it. Like the rest of them, she was worried about Ana, too, but perhaps not so much so as Eryk was. At least Cy hadn't insisted that she try and rest or stop what she was doing. She seemed to understand just a little bit more than Ryk, but he had eventually come around to it.
Ana nodded, offering her a small smile. “I'm all right. It's... it's tiring, I won't lie, but I'm doing everything I can to keep the symptoms under control." Vitamins, regular meals, and decent sleep were helping. The traveling was hard, but in the end, her years running the shelter had kept her in good enough shape that she wasn't struggling as much as she could be.
“I was thinking of taking a bath, actually, to relax a little. Maybe you and Harper would like to come? It's an onsen here, so..." The baths were public, but separated by gender.
"Oh, that sounds like a good idea," she replied, a broad smile crossing her features. "Let's go ask Harper if she wants to go," she continued, walking in further into the room so she could link their arms together. Once that was done, she managed to pull Ana down to where Harper and Drake's room was. She knocked softly on it, but she didn't exactly wait before she called out to her.
"Harper! It's us! We're going to take a bath and you need to come with us!" it didn't sound like she was giving her much of a choice.
A muffled thud followed her words, and then the clear sound of footsteps. Harper pulled open the door, cocking her head at them for a moment before she grinned. “Oh, that's right. They have an onsen here. Let me grab my yukata and we'll go."
The three of them headed down to the baths. Fortunately, they were open to women only at this time, so they were able to get in right away. After a quick scrub down, Ana wrapped a towel around herself and piled all her hair atop her head in a messy bun. Padding out to the onsen itself, she slowly let herself sink into the water.
Harper followed almost immediately, sighing as she sat on one of the submerged ledges. “Oh, man. This is perfect. I didn't even know I needed this."
“It does feel nice, doesn't it?"
"It really does," Cyrilla muttered, submerging herself completely until only the top of her head was visible. She came back up a few seconds latter, and grinned. Her eyes were closed, though, and she stayed in her spot. "Who would have thought that they'd have something like this, here, in Ecruteak?" she continued, finally opening her eyes and glancing around.
"What do you think, Harper? Do you think we could convince Drake to turn one of his indoor pools into an onsen so we could have one on Cinnabar?" she stated, raising a brow in Harper's direction. "Because I think that you could convince him, without really trying."
Harper laughed. “I think I could be that persuasive, sure. I mean, the place sits right near a volcano. There's probably a natural spring or two that just needs tapping. That's how they build these places, right?"
“I think so," Ana agreed. She was fairly sure she'd read something once, about heat underground providing the natural energy for onsen and other hot springs. It made sense that a place with a volcano nearby would be especially good for them.
She relaxed back further into the pool, sinking down to her neck. She'd prefer not to get her hair wet; it was generally considered bad form anyway.
“I'm kinda hoping we can go back to thinking about stuff like that soon," Harper admitted. “All of this has been... really intense. Emphasis on tense."
Cyrilla's grin faltered for a second, and she'd lowered her gaze to the water. "It has been," she spoke softly, taking in a slow breath. It'd been intense for all of them, really. They had all had one thing or another happen to them. Cyrilla shook her head softly, though, as if she were chasing off a thought, and glanced back up at them.
"I think... once this is all over, I'm going to try and open my own little restaurant on the island. I know there's a few, but I like... cooking. And I want the rest of my pokémon to live out the rest of their lives without," she paused a moment and smiled softly. "I think I'd rather have them enjoy themselves rather than battle," she spoke.
"What about you, Harper, Ana? What do both of you want to do when this is all over?" she asked, a curious tone highlighting her voice.
“Mom and Crystal could probably help you out with the restaurant thing," Harper said. “And my brother, obviously. Don't let him be too lazy to help: he's a good cook and good at the business side of things, so definitely use him." She grinned, then shook her head.
“As for me... I'm finishing my journey. I wanna battle the Elite Four and finish things the right way, you know? After that... I haven't thought about it too much, but maybe I'll start a dojo or something. I want to teach people to be able to defend themselves, with or without pokémon to help."
Ana could tell from the tone of her voice that she was taking it very seriously. Doubtless she would be, considering her personal experience with kidnapping now.
She let her eyes fall to the surface of the water, sloshing slightly as they moved around. “I've... always tried not to think too hard about the future," she said softly. That was how she had to handle it, when she didn't know if there would be one. She planned as if there would be, but not in too much detail. “I guess if I got to choose, I'd say I wanted to keep running the shelter. And maybe go back to school; get fully certified as a pokémon doctor or something."
"You'd be really good at it, Ana," Cyrilla spoke, her smile softening somewhat. They all knew what Ana had meant by that. "You know what?" she began, sitting up a little straighter in the water. "When you finish your journey, Harper," she continued, turning to face Harper. "If you're going to be on Cinnabar, we could open a dual type of business. Dojo slash restaurant. Everyone knows after a good work out, you're going to need a good meal, and Kas could help out both ways, ne?" she spoke in a hurried breath. She seemed a little excited about the prospect.
"Not only that, if the people who come to the dojo decide they want to start a journey, they could probably choose a pokémon from Ana's shelter. We'd basically all be helping each other out," she continued, still in the same hurried breath. "Oh, but maybe I'm getting a little ahead of myself," she stated, glancing away for a moment.
Ana actually outright laughed. “Maybe just build the dojo next to the restaurant? Unless you want students crashing into your kitchen on accident?"
Harper seemed to find the thought amusing. “We could name them thematically. The dojo could have a sign that says "Fight" and the restaurant could have one that says "Bite.""
"Well, that's what I meant," Cyrilla spoke, laughing just slightly in a nervous fashion. "But that's assuming you could put up with being near your brother on a constant basis. He's a lot to handle, right?" she spoke, shaking her head, it seemed, at herself. "Besides, if anyone gets too rowdy, we could always get Ryk to go into the dojo. All he has to do is look at them, like this," she stated, trying to pull her face into one of Ryk's more passive ones.
She was doing a poor job at mimicking his face, but she was probably doing that on purpose. "He intimidates most people just by doing that," she laughed this time.
“Hmm..." Harper drawled, laying her elbows back on the rim of the onsen. “You don't seem to be having any trouble handling him, Rilla. How's that going, by the way?"
Cyrilla's face turned a dark red when Harper asked the question, and she sputtered for a second. She coughed into her hand and tried to look at anything but Harper. "Uh... it's um, it's going?" she spoke a little unsure if that was the right word or not. She shook her head, though, and pursed her lips together.
"Honestly? Frustrating," she spoke in a low voice, as if there were other people around even though there weren't. "He's... such a tease and he just, ugh," she continued, ducking her head for a second. "But otherwise, I think it's going fine," she decided to say finally, shrugging her shoulders and meeting Harper's gaze.
Ana was getting embarrassed just from proximity to such a conversation, but Harper threw back her head and cackled. “Yeah, I bet. He's probably wearing the velvet gloves with you, isn't he?" She shook her head. “He doesn't seem like that kind of guy, but... when he really cares about something, he's so careful it's a little maddening. Doubly so when it's that kind of thing, I bet."
“That's kind of nice though, right?" Ana asked, tilting her head and entering the conversation despite herself. “To know that he's being careful because he cares about you so much."
Cyrilla just groaned at Harper, the color fading a bit from her face. "Ana, you have no idea. If Eryk did to you what Kas does to me, you wouldn't be saying that. It's nice, yes, but it's getting to the point that I don't want him to be careful anymore. Ugh," she made a weird gurgling sound as she sank into the water a bit. "I didn't think I could get this frustrated, really," she continued, rubbing her cheeks with both hands.
"Seriously, Harper, how do I get him to stop? I don't think I can take anymore of it," she questioned, though it didn't sound entirely serious.
Harper snorted. “He owes you a favor, right?" she said. “Use it. Boss him around a little. If he's sure you're sure, he'll be more likely to do what you ask. Something to note, though," she paused, glancing between both of them.
“It actually does help if your lover or boyfriend or whatever has taken the time to get to know your body first. It might be frustrating, and I have no doubt he's making it worse than it needs to be because he's a tease, but it'll pay off." Harper shrugged. “I get the frustration, believe me, but you've got time."
Ana supposed she could see the logic in that. Though it was very strange to think about this sort of thing in terms of logic. Or to think about it at all, actually. It seemed unlikely that Eryk thought about it. She coughed, sinking up to her nose in the water.
Definitely not.
'But I'm not a bossy person, and I thought I'd made it pretty clear the last time. Right after we found Raikou," Cyrilla muttered against the water. Her head sank a bit so that her lips were just partly above the water's surface. She looked slightly deflated at that, but like Harper said, they had time. She sighed softly and sat back up so that she wasn't sinking any more. "When you put it that way, though..." she trailed off, a thoughtful expression crossing her features.
"I guess I can try and be a little bossy. Maybe..." she trailed off again and seemed to get lost in her own thoughts.
“Well, you're gonna want to wait till the mission's over, at least. He probably wants to make sure you won't actually hate him when everything's over and we don't all have to work together anymore. A lot of stuff has happened to you, Cy—and people can act in weird ways when they're dealing with it. He knows that." Because of me, went the unstated addendum.
Ana nodded. That made sense. “A-anyway," she said quietly, “we should probably get out before the heat makes us dizzy or something." Dehydration was also an issue, ironically enough. It was better not to soak in a bath, hot spring, or jacuzzi for too long for that reason.
“At least we have fresh yukata, right?"
"I suppose you're right," she spoke, a hint of understanding in her voice. She didn't seem upset or anything, just more relieved? Perhaps that wasn't the right word, but she smiled again and nodded her head. "Yeah, we do," she spoke, answering Ana's question. She paued for a moment and glanced at the both of them before a bright smile pulled at her lips.
"I'm glad I have you both as friends, and sisters," she spoke, sincerity lacing her voice. She meant it, too, it seemed.
“Me too," Ana said warmly.
Harper chuckled. “Literally, in our case. Or so Ryk said the other night." She arched an eyebrow at Cyrilla. “But... me too, definitely. It's been such a long time since I had close female friends. I forgot how cool it was."
“Just promise I'm invited to the real wedding ceremony, whenever you get around to it, okay?"
Cyrilla chuckled softly. "Eryk couldn't resist, could he? But yes, you're invited... if we get around to it. I'm... I'm going to need a second bridesmaid, after all," she spoke, a light flutter in her voice. "But definitely, you're invited."
“Good."
It was also, she had noticed, home to more than one ghost. Ana was used to seeing such beings even when no one else could; humans and pokémon both occasionally left behind such specters, and that was in addition to gastly, shuppet, and other ghost-type pokémon.
Bidding farewell to the wandering banette, she shook her head and went back to what she was doing, which was making an inspection of the room. The closet had several yukata of various sized in it; they were in the hotel's own pattern, of course, meant to be used by guests. She wondered if maybe she should take a bath. The water might be good for her. Though... perhaps she should talk to Eryk first. She'd been putting off telling him something that was kind of important.
On the other hand, she wasn't so sure she'd be able to make either her tongue or her thoughts work right around him at the moment; she hadn't exactly expected to hear what she did when she asked him to leave that connection open. Loving someone was one thing. To know that he thought that about her was... well, it was overwhelming to say the least. It might be better to bathe first, and give herself some time to process it all.
That didn't seem to be the case, though, because there was a soft knock on her door. From the other side, she could hear someone shuffling and the faintest sound of someone asking if she was in there. From the sounds of it, it sounded like Cyrilla. The door opened to reveal that it was, indeed, Cyrilla. She seemed to be talking to someone before she stepped fully into the room with Ana, a small smile on her face.
"Eryk gave me his key so I could come check on you. He's going right now, down to the lobby to get something to eat. He said he's bringing up more spaghetti, too," she spoke, seemingly trying to explain why she was in the room all of a sudden. The smile didn't fade from her face, though, and she leaned slightly on the wall, folding her arms over her chest.
"Are you doing okay?" she asked, her face taking on a light seriousness to it. Like the rest of them, she was worried about Ana, too, but perhaps not so much so as Eryk was. At least Cy hadn't insisted that she try and rest or stop what she was doing. She seemed to understand just a little bit more than Ryk, but he had eventually come around to it.
Ana nodded, offering her a small smile. “I'm all right. It's... it's tiring, I won't lie, but I'm doing everything I can to keep the symptoms under control." Vitamins, regular meals, and decent sleep were helping. The traveling was hard, but in the end, her years running the shelter had kept her in good enough shape that she wasn't struggling as much as she could be.
“I was thinking of taking a bath, actually, to relax a little. Maybe you and Harper would like to come? It's an onsen here, so..." The baths were public, but separated by gender.
"Oh, that sounds like a good idea," she replied, a broad smile crossing her features. "Let's go ask Harper if she wants to go," she continued, walking in further into the room so she could link their arms together. Once that was done, she managed to pull Ana down to where Harper and Drake's room was. She knocked softly on it, but she didn't exactly wait before she called out to her.
"Harper! It's us! We're going to take a bath and you need to come with us!" it didn't sound like she was giving her much of a choice.
A muffled thud followed her words, and then the clear sound of footsteps. Harper pulled open the door, cocking her head at them for a moment before she grinned. “Oh, that's right. They have an onsen here. Let me grab my yukata and we'll go."
The three of them headed down to the baths. Fortunately, they were open to women only at this time, so they were able to get in right away. After a quick scrub down, Ana wrapped a towel around herself and piled all her hair atop her head in a messy bun. Padding out to the onsen itself, she slowly let herself sink into the water.
Harper followed almost immediately, sighing as she sat on one of the submerged ledges. “Oh, man. This is perfect. I didn't even know I needed this."
“It does feel nice, doesn't it?"
"It really does," Cyrilla muttered, submerging herself completely until only the top of her head was visible. She came back up a few seconds latter, and grinned. Her eyes were closed, though, and she stayed in her spot. "Who would have thought that they'd have something like this, here, in Ecruteak?" she continued, finally opening her eyes and glancing around.
"What do you think, Harper? Do you think we could convince Drake to turn one of his indoor pools into an onsen so we could have one on Cinnabar?" she stated, raising a brow in Harper's direction. "Because I think that you could convince him, without really trying."
Harper laughed. “I think I could be that persuasive, sure. I mean, the place sits right near a volcano. There's probably a natural spring or two that just needs tapping. That's how they build these places, right?"
“I think so," Ana agreed. She was fairly sure she'd read something once, about heat underground providing the natural energy for onsen and other hot springs. It made sense that a place with a volcano nearby would be especially good for them.
She relaxed back further into the pool, sinking down to her neck. She'd prefer not to get her hair wet; it was generally considered bad form anyway.
“I'm kinda hoping we can go back to thinking about stuff like that soon," Harper admitted. “All of this has been... really intense. Emphasis on tense."
Cyrilla's grin faltered for a second, and she'd lowered her gaze to the water. "It has been," she spoke softly, taking in a slow breath. It'd been intense for all of them, really. They had all had one thing or another happen to them. Cyrilla shook her head softly, though, as if she were chasing off a thought, and glanced back up at them.
"I think... once this is all over, I'm going to try and open my own little restaurant on the island. I know there's a few, but I like... cooking. And I want the rest of my pokémon to live out the rest of their lives without," she paused a moment and smiled softly. "I think I'd rather have them enjoy themselves rather than battle," she spoke.
"What about you, Harper, Ana? What do both of you want to do when this is all over?" she asked, a curious tone highlighting her voice.
“Mom and Crystal could probably help you out with the restaurant thing," Harper said. “And my brother, obviously. Don't let him be too lazy to help: he's a good cook and good at the business side of things, so definitely use him." She grinned, then shook her head.
“As for me... I'm finishing my journey. I wanna battle the Elite Four and finish things the right way, you know? After that... I haven't thought about it too much, but maybe I'll start a dojo or something. I want to teach people to be able to defend themselves, with or without pokémon to help."
Ana could tell from the tone of her voice that she was taking it very seriously. Doubtless she would be, considering her personal experience with kidnapping now.
She let her eyes fall to the surface of the water, sloshing slightly as they moved around. “I've... always tried not to think too hard about the future," she said softly. That was how she had to handle it, when she didn't know if there would be one. She planned as if there would be, but not in too much detail. “I guess if I got to choose, I'd say I wanted to keep running the shelter. And maybe go back to school; get fully certified as a pokémon doctor or something."
"You'd be really good at it, Ana," Cyrilla spoke, her smile softening somewhat. They all knew what Ana had meant by that. "You know what?" she began, sitting up a little straighter in the water. "When you finish your journey, Harper," she continued, turning to face Harper. "If you're going to be on Cinnabar, we could open a dual type of business. Dojo slash restaurant. Everyone knows after a good work out, you're going to need a good meal, and Kas could help out both ways, ne?" she spoke in a hurried breath. She seemed a little excited about the prospect.
"Not only that, if the people who come to the dojo decide they want to start a journey, they could probably choose a pokémon from Ana's shelter. We'd basically all be helping each other out," she continued, still in the same hurried breath. "Oh, but maybe I'm getting a little ahead of myself," she stated, glancing away for a moment.
Ana actually outright laughed. “Maybe just build the dojo next to the restaurant? Unless you want students crashing into your kitchen on accident?"
Harper seemed to find the thought amusing. “We could name them thematically. The dojo could have a sign that says "Fight" and the restaurant could have one that says "Bite.""
"Well, that's what I meant," Cyrilla spoke, laughing just slightly in a nervous fashion. "But that's assuming you could put up with being near your brother on a constant basis. He's a lot to handle, right?" she spoke, shaking her head, it seemed, at herself. "Besides, if anyone gets too rowdy, we could always get Ryk to go into the dojo. All he has to do is look at them, like this," she stated, trying to pull her face into one of Ryk's more passive ones.
She was doing a poor job at mimicking his face, but she was probably doing that on purpose. "He intimidates most people just by doing that," she laughed this time.
“Hmm..." Harper drawled, laying her elbows back on the rim of the onsen. “You don't seem to be having any trouble handling him, Rilla. How's that going, by the way?"
Cyrilla's face turned a dark red when Harper asked the question, and she sputtered for a second. She coughed into her hand and tried to look at anything but Harper. "Uh... it's um, it's going?" she spoke a little unsure if that was the right word or not. She shook her head, though, and pursed her lips together.
"Honestly? Frustrating," she spoke in a low voice, as if there were other people around even though there weren't. "He's... such a tease and he just, ugh," she continued, ducking her head for a second. "But otherwise, I think it's going fine," she decided to say finally, shrugging her shoulders and meeting Harper's gaze.
Ana was getting embarrassed just from proximity to such a conversation, but Harper threw back her head and cackled. “Yeah, I bet. He's probably wearing the velvet gloves with you, isn't he?" She shook her head. “He doesn't seem like that kind of guy, but... when he really cares about something, he's so careful it's a little maddening. Doubly so when it's that kind of thing, I bet."
“That's kind of nice though, right?" Ana asked, tilting her head and entering the conversation despite herself. “To know that he's being careful because he cares about you so much."
Cyrilla just groaned at Harper, the color fading a bit from her face. "Ana, you have no idea. If Eryk did to you what Kas does to me, you wouldn't be saying that. It's nice, yes, but it's getting to the point that I don't want him to be careful anymore. Ugh," she made a weird gurgling sound as she sank into the water a bit. "I didn't think I could get this frustrated, really," she continued, rubbing her cheeks with both hands.
"Seriously, Harper, how do I get him to stop? I don't think I can take anymore of it," she questioned, though it didn't sound entirely serious.
Harper snorted. “He owes you a favor, right?" she said. “Use it. Boss him around a little. If he's sure you're sure, he'll be more likely to do what you ask. Something to note, though," she paused, glancing between both of them.
“It actually does help if your lover or boyfriend or whatever has taken the time to get to know your body first. It might be frustrating, and I have no doubt he's making it worse than it needs to be because he's a tease, but it'll pay off." Harper shrugged. “I get the frustration, believe me, but you've got time."
Ana supposed she could see the logic in that. Though it was very strange to think about this sort of thing in terms of logic. Or to think about it at all, actually. It seemed unlikely that Eryk thought about it. She coughed, sinking up to her nose in the water.
Definitely not.
'But I'm not a bossy person, and I thought I'd made it pretty clear the last time. Right after we found Raikou," Cyrilla muttered against the water. Her head sank a bit so that her lips were just partly above the water's surface. She looked slightly deflated at that, but like Harper said, they had time. She sighed softly and sat back up so that she wasn't sinking any more. "When you put it that way, though..." she trailed off, a thoughtful expression crossing her features.
"I guess I can try and be a little bossy. Maybe..." she trailed off again and seemed to get lost in her own thoughts.
“Well, you're gonna want to wait till the mission's over, at least. He probably wants to make sure you won't actually hate him when everything's over and we don't all have to work together anymore. A lot of stuff has happened to you, Cy—and people can act in weird ways when they're dealing with it. He knows that." Because of me, went the unstated addendum.
Ana nodded. That made sense. “A-anyway," she said quietly, “we should probably get out before the heat makes us dizzy or something." Dehydration was also an issue, ironically enough. It was better not to soak in a bath, hot spring, or jacuzzi for too long for that reason.
“At least we have fresh yukata, right?"
"I suppose you're right," she spoke, a hint of understanding in her voice. She didn't seem upset or anything, just more relieved? Perhaps that wasn't the right word, but she smiled again and nodded her head. "Yeah, we do," she spoke, answering Ana's question. She paued for a moment and glanced at the both of them before a bright smile pulled at her lips.
"I'm glad I have you both as friends, and sisters," she spoke, sincerity lacing her voice. She meant it, too, it seemed.
“Me too," Ana said warmly.
Harper chuckled. “Literally, in our case. Or so Ryk said the other night." She arched an eyebrow at Cyrilla. “But... me too, definitely. It's been such a long time since I had close female friends. I forgot how cool it was."
“Just promise I'm invited to the real wedding ceremony, whenever you get around to it, okay?"
Cyrilla chuckled softly. "Eryk couldn't resist, could he? But yes, you're invited... if we get around to it. I'm... I'm going to need a second bridesmaid, after all," she spoke, a light flutter in her voice. "But definitely, you're invited."
“Good."
Sometimes she really hated Kas, and sometimes she really loved him. It was unfair how he was, and it frustrated her. Sure, she understood where he was coming from, and it would be better to wait, however; sometimes... she didn't want to. It was such a strange and foreign feeling all at once that sometimes it felt weird. But what Harper had said, it made a lot of sense, too. Perhaps maybe she wasn't thinking properly? Maybe what she wanted was just a way to deal with everything that's been going on, and that was the only way her body could respond to it. She needed to come at this from a different angle, and figure out what she really needed.
She sighed softly, settling herself on the small chair inside their room. He was out somewhere, probably with Ryk, or Drake, getting supplies that they would need. Or he could have been somewhere, else, she didn't really know. At least she had time to clear her thoughts and, perhaps, properly mourn. With everything that was going on, between finding their namesakes, and resting, she hadn't had time to properly mourn her best friend. To mourn Kenshin. It still hurt, and she could feel the pang in her heart every time she thought about him. She'd promised Suicune that she wouldn't forget what she had decided, but that didn't mean that she couldn't feel something about it.
Even if Suicune wasn't her pokémon, she was still worried about him getting hurt. She was worried about all of them getting hurt, but she knew that was part of being a trainer. She might not have wanted to be, at least not that kind of trainer, but it didn't change the fact that she was. And she had found her resolve and will to keep going. It was hard, though, knowing that he wasn't around anymore. He wasn't here to keep her company, or to tease her. He wasn't even here to enjoy the silence with her. She could feel the slight sting behind her eyes, but she didn't allow the tears to fall. It's not that she didn't want them to fall, but rather, she wasn't ready for them.
She wanted to accept the fact that Kenshin was truly gone, now, but some part of her, some strange part, refused. She glanced at the charm on her bracelet, and allowed a small smile to cross her lips. Maybe he was still with her, in that strange kind of way when someone speaks of the dead. Even if they aren't physically with you, they're still in your heart, and they'll always be carried there. She smiled a little brighter at that. It would be hard to accept it, but maybe, slowly, she could. Taking a deep breath, she leaned her head back, resting it against the edge. Maybe she should go for a walk? The city's fresh air might actually help her clear her thoughts properly, and Ecruteak City seemed like a place to do that. With its particular history and all, maybe she can finally find some closure.
With that in mind, she pushed herself from the chair, and stood. Smoothing out her outfit, she made her way towards the door and opened it. She blinked for a second, contemplating whether or not she should leave a note. She decided against it. She wouldn't be too long, she didn't think, and if they needed her, they could call. She might even run into someone on the streets since she knew for a fact Drake and Ryk were both out getting the supplies. Nodding to no one in particular, she left her room, and the hotel. Even if it was dark outside, she didn't necessarily fear anything happening to her. She knew how to take care of herself, and she had her pokémon with her. She blinked slowly. Maybe she should let one of them out, just in case. She pulled a pokéball from her belt, and gave it a light toss, watching as Snow appeared. She was the only small pokémon she could let out.
"How about it, Snow? Care for a walk?" she asked, watching as Snow just stared at her. She chuckled softly as Snow began walking in front of her, almost as if she were expecting Cyrilla to follow her.
For a city, Ecruteak wasn't that large, and considering the fact that they were staying in a particular neighborhood of it, it wasn't entirely surprising that she ran into the object of some of her thoughts. Kas was sitting on a park bench not too far from the hotel. Dressed casually but so as to blend in, he occupied the bench by himself, one hand slung length wise along it. His other hand rested on his sternum, rubbing at it with the heel of his hand through the open 'v' of his shirt. He looked vaguely pained, but the expression eased when he turned towards her.
“Hey Cy," he said mildly, lifting the hand at his chest and waving casually with it. He seemed to expect that she'd continue walking, though; at least, he didn't try to stop her from doing so.
Well, to be honest, she wasn't really expecting to see him out. She waved back to him, though, and contemplated whether or not she should stop. Snow didn't seem to have the same reservations, though, since she made a bee-line for Kas. She rolled her eyes at her ninetales, and wondered just for a moment, if she really liked being near warm things. From her understanding of her ninetales, Snow didn't like being close to things even remotely warm. Perhaps body temperature was just different? She didn't stay too long in that thought as she came up to Kas.
"Does your chest hurt?" she decided to ask. He'd been rubbing it, but that didn't entirely mean that it hurt. Maybe it was just itching? "Maybe you should go back to the hotel and lay down if it does," she suggested, taking a seat next to him. She'd continue her walk later. For now, she wanted to make sure he was okay. She sighed inwardly at that thought. She always worried about everyone, and whether or not they were okay. She didn't think it was such a bad thing, but she was starting to realize how much it was wearing on her.
Not that that was a bad thing, either. She just needed to prioritize it properly. She shouldn't be worried about the small things, but perhaps more of the larger ones. That didn't make sense, even to herself. She would have laughed at herself if she wasn't near Kas.
He shook his head. “It's fine. Gregorovich did a number on my ribcage and stuff, is all. I'm healing fine, but all the walking we've been doing means I'm probably not resting as much as a doctor would recommend, you know?" He shrugged, apparently quite nonchalant about the whole thing. Maybe he was; it wasn't like they had much choice but to act on this schedule.
He tilted his head at her, regarding her with some amusement. “I see you availed yourself of the onsen. You smell like your shampoo." Her hair was still damp, too, so it probably wasn't hard to tell. “Did you enjoy the soak?" Oddly enough for him, it seemed to be a completely innocent question.
"I did, actually. Had a nice talk with Harper and Ana," she replied back just as casually. "You know, simple girl stuff, I guess," she continued, a slow smile spreading across her lips. She shook her head, though. If he knew what they really talked about, it would just be embarrassing for her, not him. She had some dignity left, after all. Or at least she liked to think she did.
"Next time, you should come with," she spoke, though she could feel her eyes widen slightly. She really needed to watch what she said around him. He'd take it and turn it around some how. "What I mean is, next time, you should go with the guys. I'm sure they'd appreciate it," she corrected herself. Her gaze faltered just the slightest bit, though, at his earlier comment. Gregorovich really did a number on him, and she could see it the first time she saw him in there. That basement room, the way it smelled, the way he looked. It'd nearly broken her heart to see him like that.
"Did he... hurt you anywhere else? I know your fingers were broken, and you said your ribcage just now. Did he do anything else to you? I just... I want to know so that I don't accidentally hurt you," she spoke. Come to think of it, she hadn't really been too gentle with her hugs, or any other way she'd held him. Her brows furrowed deeper. She probably hurt him, too, when he'd taken her from Kenshin.
"I'm sorry if I have, especially when..." she began, shaking her head softly. "Especially that day we escaped. If I hurt you, I'm sorry," she apologized. She didn't mean to hurt him if she did. She wasn't thinking clearly that day, though. Not that it was an excuse.
He shook his head, moving the hand that was on the bench slightly so that he was tracing a nonsense pattern on the back of her neck. “You weren't in a good place, Cy, and you had every right to be upset. I'm sorry I... I'm sorry I did that. No one should have to leave a friend behind like that." Kas sighed; his eyes fell closed for a moment.
“If it'd been one of mine... I know I'd be a wreck right now. You're a lot stronger than I am. Really."
She sighed a little too heavily. "No, Kas. I am a wreck right now. I just... I haven't been able to focus on myself, though. We have so much to do, so many more things that need to get done that I haven't..." she paused slightly to take a sharp breath of air. She hadn't realized that there was a constricting feeling around her heart. She let the breath out slowly, though, and shook her head.
"It wasn't your fault, Kas. You don't have to apologize for something you didn't do. I think... I think he knew. I just don't think I can properly mourn him right now. I want to, but... I don't know if I can properly. There's just too much going on right now," though she wasn't entirely sure if she was trying to convince herself of that, or if she just wanted to hang on a little longer to his memory. She wouldn't forget him, she knew that. It didn't stop the small voice in the back of her head saying otherwise, though.
"But... I'll make it through this," she didn't have much of a choice, otherwise. "I have good friends to help me through it, and... I... I have you, right?" she stated, glancing in his direction. If she had her friends, if she had him, then maybe that's all she would need. Maybe, that was the first step towards properly mourning Kenny? She couldn't even be sure what the first step would be, but she had to start somewhere.
“Always," he replied, almost too softly to be heard. “You'll always have me, Cy, whatever else happens." He sighed through his nose, running his fingers through her hair. He really did seem to be a tactile person—Harper had been right about that much.
“And when this is over, you'll have time. Hopefully we all will."
She had to smile, even if it was small, at that. She leaned over slightly so she could rest her head against his arm. He was still considerably taller than she was, and it made it difficult sometimes. "Yeah, we will," she replied softly, tilting her head up so she was staring at him. "You know, it's not fair that you get to be so tall," she spoke, a small smile playing at her lips. It really wasn't fair, now that she thought about it.
"It means I have to work harder," she spoke, though she left that open for his own interpretation.
He snorted. “You don't complain when you need things from shelves. Or when I put you on my shoulders. And you could always sit on my lap if you really need the boost." He raised his eyebrow in what could easily be interpreted as a challenging manner.
"Yeah?" she stated, raising a brow as well. She'd take that challenge. "Fine, I'll take that offer," she continued, standing from her spot. She stared at him for a moment, before she glanced around. It was a bit too public for her, and she really didn't want to embarrass herself. She knew he wouldn't be, though, but she wasn't going to let that opportunity pass her by entirely. Instead, she held out her hand to him.
"I'll tell you what," she began, still keeping her hand in place. "Let's go back to the hotel, and we'll just lay down and enjoy the rest of the night. If, by chance, we end up on the couch instead, then I'll sit in your lap. For now, though, you need to get some rest, and I think the bed will be more comfortable than this bench, or the couch," she declared. Besides, she would be fine just cuddling with him. She didn't get to do it before, since he always took the couch. This time, though, she wanted him to rest somewhere more comfortable, and she'd be content at just holding him.
"What do you say?"
Kas seemed highly amused by this. “Your bargaining skills could use a little work," he said, gently teasing her, “But I'll accept." He took her hand, but instead of using it to pull himself up, he brought it to his lips, just faintly brushing them over her knuckles and standing under his own power.
“When this is over," he said, choosing not to relinquish her hand even as they turned to walk back towards the hotel. “There's something I need to talk to you about. Don't let me forget, okay?"
"Well, my wagering skills are bad, so I didn't think my bargaining skills would be any better," she replied with a light shake of her head. She blinked slowly at his next statement, though, and just smiled. "As if I could ever let you forget," she replied.
"After this is all over, I'll remind you." She would.
She sighed softly, settling herself on the small chair inside their room. He was out somewhere, probably with Ryk, or Drake, getting supplies that they would need. Or he could have been somewhere, else, she didn't really know. At least she had time to clear her thoughts and, perhaps, properly mourn. With everything that was going on, between finding their namesakes, and resting, she hadn't had time to properly mourn her best friend. To mourn Kenshin. It still hurt, and she could feel the pang in her heart every time she thought about him. She'd promised Suicune that she wouldn't forget what she had decided, but that didn't mean that she couldn't feel something about it.
Even if Suicune wasn't her pokémon, she was still worried about him getting hurt. She was worried about all of them getting hurt, but she knew that was part of being a trainer. She might not have wanted to be, at least not that kind of trainer, but it didn't change the fact that she was. And she had found her resolve and will to keep going. It was hard, though, knowing that he wasn't around anymore. He wasn't here to keep her company, or to tease her. He wasn't even here to enjoy the silence with her. She could feel the slight sting behind her eyes, but she didn't allow the tears to fall. It's not that she didn't want them to fall, but rather, she wasn't ready for them.
She wanted to accept the fact that Kenshin was truly gone, now, but some part of her, some strange part, refused. She glanced at the charm on her bracelet, and allowed a small smile to cross her lips. Maybe he was still with her, in that strange kind of way when someone speaks of the dead. Even if they aren't physically with you, they're still in your heart, and they'll always be carried there. She smiled a little brighter at that. It would be hard to accept it, but maybe, slowly, she could. Taking a deep breath, she leaned her head back, resting it against the edge. Maybe she should go for a walk? The city's fresh air might actually help her clear her thoughts properly, and Ecruteak City seemed like a place to do that. With its particular history and all, maybe she can finally find some closure.
With that in mind, she pushed herself from the chair, and stood. Smoothing out her outfit, she made her way towards the door and opened it. She blinked for a second, contemplating whether or not she should leave a note. She decided against it. She wouldn't be too long, she didn't think, and if they needed her, they could call. She might even run into someone on the streets since she knew for a fact Drake and Ryk were both out getting the supplies. Nodding to no one in particular, she left her room, and the hotel. Even if it was dark outside, she didn't necessarily fear anything happening to her. She knew how to take care of herself, and she had her pokémon with her. She blinked slowly. Maybe she should let one of them out, just in case. She pulled a pokéball from her belt, and gave it a light toss, watching as Snow appeared. She was the only small pokémon she could let out.
"How about it, Snow? Care for a walk?" she asked, watching as Snow just stared at her. She chuckled softly as Snow began walking in front of her, almost as if she were expecting Cyrilla to follow her.
For a city, Ecruteak wasn't that large, and considering the fact that they were staying in a particular neighborhood of it, it wasn't entirely surprising that she ran into the object of some of her thoughts. Kas was sitting on a park bench not too far from the hotel. Dressed casually but so as to blend in, he occupied the bench by himself, one hand slung length wise along it. His other hand rested on his sternum, rubbing at it with the heel of his hand through the open 'v' of his shirt. He looked vaguely pained, but the expression eased when he turned towards her.
“Hey Cy," he said mildly, lifting the hand at his chest and waving casually with it. He seemed to expect that she'd continue walking, though; at least, he didn't try to stop her from doing so.
Well, to be honest, she wasn't really expecting to see him out. She waved back to him, though, and contemplated whether or not she should stop. Snow didn't seem to have the same reservations, though, since she made a bee-line for Kas. She rolled her eyes at her ninetales, and wondered just for a moment, if she really liked being near warm things. From her understanding of her ninetales, Snow didn't like being close to things even remotely warm. Perhaps body temperature was just different? She didn't stay too long in that thought as she came up to Kas.
"Does your chest hurt?" she decided to ask. He'd been rubbing it, but that didn't entirely mean that it hurt. Maybe it was just itching? "Maybe you should go back to the hotel and lay down if it does," she suggested, taking a seat next to him. She'd continue her walk later. For now, she wanted to make sure he was okay. She sighed inwardly at that thought. She always worried about everyone, and whether or not they were okay. She didn't think it was such a bad thing, but she was starting to realize how much it was wearing on her.
Not that that was a bad thing, either. She just needed to prioritize it properly. She shouldn't be worried about the small things, but perhaps more of the larger ones. That didn't make sense, even to herself. She would have laughed at herself if she wasn't near Kas.
He shook his head. “It's fine. Gregorovich did a number on my ribcage and stuff, is all. I'm healing fine, but all the walking we've been doing means I'm probably not resting as much as a doctor would recommend, you know?" He shrugged, apparently quite nonchalant about the whole thing. Maybe he was; it wasn't like they had much choice but to act on this schedule.
He tilted his head at her, regarding her with some amusement. “I see you availed yourself of the onsen. You smell like your shampoo." Her hair was still damp, too, so it probably wasn't hard to tell. “Did you enjoy the soak?" Oddly enough for him, it seemed to be a completely innocent question.
"I did, actually. Had a nice talk with Harper and Ana," she replied back just as casually. "You know, simple girl stuff, I guess," she continued, a slow smile spreading across her lips. She shook her head, though. If he knew what they really talked about, it would just be embarrassing for her, not him. She had some dignity left, after all. Or at least she liked to think she did.
"Next time, you should come with," she spoke, though she could feel her eyes widen slightly. She really needed to watch what she said around him. He'd take it and turn it around some how. "What I mean is, next time, you should go with the guys. I'm sure they'd appreciate it," she corrected herself. Her gaze faltered just the slightest bit, though, at his earlier comment. Gregorovich really did a number on him, and she could see it the first time she saw him in there. That basement room, the way it smelled, the way he looked. It'd nearly broken her heart to see him like that.
"Did he... hurt you anywhere else? I know your fingers were broken, and you said your ribcage just now. Did he do anything else to you? I just... I want to know so that I don't accidentally hurt you," she spoke. Come to think of it, she hadn't really been too gentle with her hugs, or any other way she'd held him. Her brows furrowed deeper. She probably hurt him, too, when he'd taken her from Kenshin.
"I'm sorry if I have, especially when..." she began, shaking her head softly. "Especially that day we escaped. If I hurt you, I'm sorry," she apologized. She didn't mean to hurt him if she did. She wasn't thinking clearly that day, though. Not that it was an excuse.
He shook his head, moving the hand that was on the bench slightly so that he was tracing a nonsense pattern on the back of her neck. “You weren't in a good place, Cy, and you had every right to be upset. I'm sorry I... I'm sorry I did that. No one should have to leave a friend behind like that." Kas sighed; his eyes fell closed for a moment.
“If it'd been one of mine... I know I'd be a wreck right now. You're a lot stronger than I am. Really."
She sighed a little too heavily. "No, Kas. I am a wreck right now. I just... I haven't been able to focus on myself, though. We have so much to do, so many more things that need to get done that I haven't..." she paused slightly to take a sharp breath of air. She hadn't realized that there was a constricting feeling around her heart. She let the breath out slowly, though, and shook her head.
"It wasn't your fault, Kas. You don't have to apologize for something you didn't do. I think... I think he knew. I just don't think I can properly mourn him right now. I want to, but... I don't know if I can properly. There's just too much going on right now," though she wasn't entirely sure if she was trying to convince herself of that, or if she just wanted to hang on a little longer to his memory. She wouldn't forget him, she knew that. It didn't stop the small voice in the back of her head saying otherwise, though.
"But... I'll make it through this," she didn't have much of a choice, otherwise. "I have good friends to help me through it, and... I... I have you, right?" she stated, glancing in his direction. If she had her friends, if she had him, then maybe that's all she would need. Maybe, that was the first step towards properly mourning Kenny? She couldn't even be sure what the first step would be, but she had to start somewhere.
“Always," he replied, almost too softly to be heard. “You'll always have me, Cy, whatever else happens." He sighed through his nose, running his fingers through her hair. He really did seem to be a tactile person—Harper had been right about that much.
“And when this is over, you'll have time. Hopefully we all will."
She had to smile, even if it was small, at that. She leaned over slightly so she could rest her head against his arm. He was still considerably taller than she was, and it made it difficult sometimes. "Yeah, we will," she replied softly, tilting her head up so she was staring at him. "You know, it's not fair that you get to be so tall," she spoke, a small smile playing at her lips. It really wasn't fair, now that she thought about it.
"It means I have to work harder," she spoke, though she left that open for his own interpretation.
He snorted. “You don't complain when you need things from shelves. Or when I put you on my shoulders. And you could always sit on my lap if you really need the boost." He raised his eyebrow in what could easily be interpreted as a challenging manner.
"Yeah?" she stated, raising a brow as well. She'd take that challenge. "Fine, I'll take that offer," she continued, standing from her spot. She stared at him for a moment, before she glanced around. It was a bit too public for her, and she really didn't want to embarrass herself. She knew he wouldn't be, though, but she wasn't going to let that opportunity pass her by entirely. Instead, she held out her hand to him.
"I'll tell you what," she began, still keeping her hand in place. "Let's go back to the hotel, and we'll just lay down and enjoy the rest of the night. If, by chance, we end up on the couch instead, then I'll sit in your lap. For now, though, you need to get some rest, and I think the bed will be more comfortable than this bench, or the couch," she declared. Besides, she would be fine just cuddling with him. She didn't get to do it before, since he always took the couch. This time, though, she wanted him to rest somewhere more comfortable, and she'd be content at just holding him.
"What do you say?"
Kas seemed highly amused by this. “Your bargaining skills could use a little work," he said, gently teasing her, “But I'll accept." He took her hand, but instead of using it to pull himself up, he brought it to his lips, just faintly brushing them over her knuckles and standing under his own power.
“When this is over," he said, choosing not to relinquish her hand even as they turned to walk back towards the hotel. “There's something I need to talk to you about. Don't let me forget, okay?"
"Well, my wagering skills are bad, so I didn't think my bargaining skills would be any better," she replied with a light shake of her head. She blinked slowly at his next statement, though, and just smiled. "As if I could ever let you forget," she replied.
"After this is all over, I'll remind you." She would.
That night, Ana dreamed of a mountaintop.
The air around her was cold—she knew that without really feeling it. She stood at the precipice of a sheer cliff face, looking down at the rest of the mountain from the summit. It was too tall for the trees to grown, but she could see many of them far below her, tiny green brush-strokes on a canvas that didn't seem quite real.
“Mew."
The sound drew her attention back up. Somehow, without her noticing, a pink, feline-looking pokémon had appeared virtually right in front of her. Its body was limned in telekinetic energy; she could feel the power of it without even consciously paying attention. It blinked wide, curious eyes at her, drifting closer until they were almost nose-to-nose.
“I see you," she said softly, “but I don't know what you want from me." It had always been there, on the edges of dreams, for as long as she'd been seeking after the legendary pokémon.
No. That wasn't right.
She'd been dreaming of this one since she was a small child. It was strange that she'd somehow forgotten those dreams until just now. But the sense of deja vu in this one was sudden and powerful. This was a being she'd met before, if only when her mind wandered untethered from her body. It tilted its head at her. She felt a connection forming between their minds, and she was immediately assaulted with a rush of images. Men and women in Team Rocket uniforms, surrounding a larger, more intimidating version of this same pokémon. One she'd warned. It blasted several of them away with a psychic burst, but they would not be deterred. They threw some kind of pokéball she'd never seen before. She felt it struggle against the capture, but it was unable to resist.
She saw those same people on a boat, headed for a Johto port, trekking north, into the mountains that separated it from Kanto. Saw them climbing to this very summit. It was unclear whether the events were present, past, or still future, but she felt the sharp urgency of the pokémon communicating them to her. She knew that the place she now stood was their next destination.
“We're coming," she murmured. “Hold on."
Abruptly, she jolted awake in her body, pulling in a sharp breath and sitting up too quickly. Her head swam; she raised a hand to it, trying to keep her breathing steady. Her body was still deteriorating. There was no telling how much time she had left. Their mission was a race against the clock in more ways than one. She'd been truthful when she told Eryk that she knew where too far was.
The problem was, too far had been reached before they even began their search. Everything she did was on borrowed time, now. She just hoped she'd borrowed enough.
To her side, Eryk moved softly, turning so that he had his gaze on her. Either he'd been awake this entire time, or he simply didn't have a morning look, the one most people have right after waking up. His gaze was too intense. Too focused. He furrowed his brows together, but didn't say anything. Instead, he sat up as well and placed a hand on her shoulder. He studied her for a minute longer.
Ana? even if he didn't look tired, the mental voice in which he spoke sounded like he'd just woken up. It was groggy, but there was some concern laced behind it. Is everything okay? he continued, keeping his hand on her shoulder, though his fingers curled slightly and gave it a gentle squeeze.
She was halfway through nodding when she realized that wasn't quite the right answer. I don't know, she said instead, opting for honesty. I just... A shudder ricocheted down her spine; she pushed out a shaky breath. Bracing herself against the futon with one arm, she dragged the other down her face.
This one... it was more vivid than the others. And it... I'm not sure how to describe it, but it feels like I know this pokémon somehow. And it's in danger. Team Rocket is... I think they're ahead of us.
Eryk pursed his lips together, and furrowed his brows. He was thinking about what she just said. She could feel it through their connection. The slight groggy feeling of having just woken up to the small bout of confusion that was laced with the words 'Team Rocket' and 'ahead'. It seemed like he was trying to put the two together, and when he finally did, his brows furrowed deeper. He sighed softly, but she could feel the heaviness in that sigh. It was almost like it wasn't enough. It receded, though, as he glanced back up at her.
They have more resources than we do, even if you're capable of pinpointing their exact location. Their man power, he began, pausing momentarily to shift a bit in his spot. They won't be for long, he, oddly, sounded hopeful. It was the most hopeful he'd ever been, or at least in the way it sounded.
You should be resting, though. We'll leave first thing morning light, unless, he continued, pausing for just a moment to stare at her. He still looked slightly asleep, but he was completely awake. He pushed a sigh through his nose. Unless you'd rather leave now. I can go wake the others. I don't think they'll mind, he suggested.
Ana sighed softly, then shook her head. No, I... we should let them sleep. Another couple of hours wouldn't make that much of a difference, she didn't think. And she was still exhausted; dreaming like that was hardly relaxing.
Slowly, she eased back onto her futon, trying to get comfortable under the blankets. Ana turned onto her side so she was facing Eryk. Anxiety sat uncomfortably in her chest; what if they didn't make it in time? What if Team Rocket beat them even if they did? It had been easier before, when she knew they had the time to make it to the Beasts before Team Rocket did. Now...
Eryk laid down beside her, but he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer to him that she could feel the warmth coming from him. He pressed his forehead to hers, and exhaled slowly. It almost sounded pained in some way or another, but he remained quiet for a few minutes. He simply laid there with her, holding her as close to him as possible. He placed a soft kiss on her forehead, and closed his eyes.
It'll be okay, Ana. We'll get through this, somehow, he spoke, as if trying to reassure her. Even if we don't make it in time, we'll get through this. We won't let them win. I won't let them, he continued. She could feel it in his thoughts that, even if he was just one person, even if it were just the six of them, he believed that they could do something.
Just... have a little more faith. I know it's hard, he continued, and he did know. He'd admitted to her that he had a hard time being optimistic, of just believing.
She nodded slightly. I... I will. I do. It's just... I've never done anything like this before, and I keep worrying that I'm going to mess things up somehow. She pursed her lips, trying to banish the thoughts. They weren't going to do her any good right now, anyway. This was the path she'd chosen. The one they'd chosen. All they could do was see it through to the end.
We should... probably close this link though. We're likely close to the time limit... She was reluctant, but it was a risk it was probably better not to take on. Actually... she did wonder if he knew about that.
"Alright," he whispered softly, allowing their link to close. He sighed softly, his eyes still closed, and relaxed his hold on her. "But, you should know," he began, opening his eyes slowly to stare at her. "You won't mess things up. It might seem that way, but you won't. Remember? You told me to trust you, and to catch you when you fell. Take it from someone who's messed up most of their life," he spoke softly, and shook his head.
"You won't mess this up."
“Okay," she whispered, shifting herself in closer to him. Ana rested her forehead against his chest. She'd talk to him about the link another time. It still wasn't a conversation she thought she'd be able to have without stuttering all the way through. And it was something to talk about when they didn't have all of this over their heads.
If she made it that far.
But thinking about if wasn't going to help anything now.
“Thanks, Eryk."
The air around her was cold—she knew that without really feeling it. She stood at the precipice of a sheer cliff face, looking down at the rest of the mountain from the summit. It was too tall for the trees to grown, but she could see many of them far below her, tiny green brush-strokes on a canvas that didn't seem quite real.
“Mew."
The sound drew her attention back up. Somehow, without her noticing, a pink, feline-looking pokémon had appeared virtually right in front of her. Its body was limned in telekinetic energy; she could feel the power of it without even consciously paying attention. It blinked wide, curious eyes at her, drifting closer until they were almost nose-to-nose.
“I see you," she said softly, “but I don't know what you want from me." It had always been there, on the edges of dreams, for as long as she'd been seeking after the legendary pokémon.
No. That wasn't right.
She'd been dreaming of this one since she was a small child. It was strange that she'd somehow forgotten those dreams until just now. But the sense of deja vu in this one was sudden and powerful. This was a being she'd met before, if only when her mind wandered untethered from her body. It tilted its head at her. She felt a connection forming between their minds, and she was immediately assaulted with a rush of images. Men and women in Team Rocket uniforms, surrounding a larger, more intimidating version of this same pokémon. One she'd warned. It blasted several of them away with a psychic burst, but they would not be deterred. They threw some kind of pokéball she'd never seen before. She felt it struggle against the capture, but it was unable to resist.
She saw those same people on a boat, headed for a Johto port, trekking north, into the mountains that separated it from Kanto. Saw them climbing to this very summit. It was unclear whether the events were present, past, or still future, but she felt the sharp urgency of the pokémon communicating them to her. She knew that the place she now stood was their next destination.
“We're coming," she murmured. “Hold on."
Abruptly, she jolted awake in her body, pulling in a sharp breath and sitting up too quickly. Her head swam; she raised a hand to it, trying to keep her breathing steady. Her body was still deteriorating. There was no telling how much time she had left. Their mission was a race against the clock in more ways than one. She'd been truthful when she told Eryk that she knew where too far was.
The problem was, too far had been reached before they even began their search. Everything she did was on borrowed time, now. She just hoped she'd borrowed enough.
To her side, Eryk moved softly, turning so that he had his gaze on her. Either he'd been awake this entire time, or he simply didn't have a morning look, the one most people have right after waking up. His gaze was too intense. Too focused. He furrowed his brows together, but didn't say anything. Instead, he sat up as well and placed a hand on her shoulder. He studied her for a minute longer.
Ana? even if he didn't look tired, the mental voice in which he spoke sounded like he'd just woken up. It was groggy, but there was some concern laced behind it. Is everything okay? he continued, keeping his hand on her shoulder, though his fingers curled slightly and gave it a gentle squeeze.
She was halfway through nodding when she realized that wasn't quite the right answer. I don't know, she said instead, opting for honesty. I just... A shudder ricocheted down her spine; she pushed out a shaky breath. Bracing herself against the futon with one arm, she dragged the other down her face.
This one... it was more vivid than the others. And it... I'm not sure how to describe it, but it feels like I know this pokémon somehow. And it's in danger. Team Rocket is... I think they're ahead of us.
Eryk pursed his lips together, and furrowed his brows. He was thinking about what she just said. She could feel it through their connection. The slight groggy feeling of having just woken up to the small bout of confusion that was laced with the words 'Team Rocket' and 'ahead'. It seemed like he was trying to put the two together, and when he finally did, his brows furrowed deeper. He sighed softly, but she could feel the heaviness in that sigh. It was almost like it wasn't enough. It receded, though, as he glanced back up at her.
They have more resources than we do, even if you're capable of pinpointing their exact location. Their man power, he began, pausing momentarily to shift a bit in his spot. They won't be for long, he, oddly, sounded hopeful. It was the most hopeful he'd ever been, or at least in the way it sounded.
You should be resting, though. We'll leave first thing morning light, unless, he continued, pausing for just a moment to stare at her. He still looked slightly asleep, but he was completely awake. He pushed a sigh through his nose. Unless you'd rather leave now. I can go wake the others. I don't think they'll mind, he suggested.
Ana sighed softly, then shook her head. No, I... we should let them sleep. Another couple of hours wouldn't make that much of a difference, she didn't think. And she was still exhausted; dreaming like that was hardly relaxing.
Slowly, she eased back onto her futon, trying to get comfortable under the blankets. Ana turned onto her side so she was facing Eryk. Anxiety sat uncomfortably in her chest; what if they didn't make it in time? What if Team Rocket beat them even if they did? It had been easier before, when she knew they had the time to make it to the Beasts before Team Rocket did. Now...
Eryk laid down beside her, but he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer to him that she could feel the warmth coming from him. He pressed his forehead to hers, and exhaled slowly. It almost sounded pained in some way or another, but he remained quiet for a few minutes. He simply laid there with her, holding her as close to him as possible. He placed a soft kiss on her forehead, and closed his eyes.
It'll be okay, Ana. We'll get through this, somehow, he spoke, as if trying to reassure her. Even if we don't make it in time, we'll get through this. We won't let them win. I won't let them, he continued. She could feel it in his thoughts that, even if he was just one person, even if it were just the six of them, he believed that they could do something.
Just... have a little more faith. I know it's hard, he continued, and he did know. He'd admitted to her that he had a hard time being optimistic, of just believing.
She nodded slightly. I... I will. I do. It's just... I've never done anything like this before, and I keep worrying that I'm going to mess things up somehow. She pursed her lips, trying to banish the thoughts. They weren't going to do her any good right now, anyway. This was the path she'd chosen. The one they'd chosen. All they could do was see it through to the end.
We should... probably close this link though. We're likely close to the time limit... She was reluctant, but it was a risk it was probably better not to take on. Actually... she did wonder if he knew about that.
"Alright," he whispered softly, allowing their link to close. He sighed softly, his eyes still closed, and relaxed his hold on her. "But, you should know," he began, opening his eyes slowly to stare at her. "You won't mess things up. It might seem that way, but you won't. Remember? You told me to trust you, and to catch you when you fell. Take it from someone who's messed up most of their life," he spoke softly, and shook his head.
"You won't mess this up."
“Okay," she whispered, shifting herself in closer to him. Ana rested her forehead against his chest. She'd talk to him about the link another time. It still wasn't a conversation she thought she'd be able to have without stuttering all the way through. And it was something to talk about when they didn't have all of this over their heads.
If she made it that far.
But thinking about if wasn't going to help anything now.
“Thanks, Eryk."
Morning came a little too fast. Whether everyone had rested or not, wasn't too apparent on anyone's face. Eryk's wasn't showing any sign of his fatigue, but she knew he was tired. They were all tired, in some way or another, but they had a mission to continue. Drake never looked tired, and Cyrilla wasn't entirely sure if he'd even known what fatigue was. He certainly seemed to have a lot of spare energy, but maybe that was a good thing. She knew she was tired, but she'd been through serious training, before. Her and Eryk, both, and they were used to pushing themselves further, despite how tired they might have been.
It was just something that never registered for the both of them. When this was all over, if they all made it out, they needed to do some serious vacationing. They needed to go to other places, or maybe even just vacation on Cinnabar Island, somehow. They could make it work. Once everyone had their things packed, Cyrilla shuffled somewhat in her spot, and spared Eryk a glance. He returned it with a light nod of his head, but he didn't say anything to her. He was standing next to Ana, his hand holding hers, and their fingers intertwined. It was adorable, honestly, and Cyrilla gave them a soft smile.
She really hoped they all made it past this, whatever this was. She wanted to be able to spend her freedom with her family. She knew Eryk felt the same; she could see it all over his face. It was such a foreign concept to the both of them, freedom. They'd always taken orders from their family, from Team Rocket, and never for themselves. Now, that was different. They weren't taking orders from anyone. It was almost liberating, in a sense.
"Is everyone ready? We'll be leaving soon," Eryk stated. Everyone had gathered in the lobby of the hotel, but whether they were ready or not, wasn't something Cyrilla could answer for anyone else. They all looked ready, but maybe they weren't? "Ana's located another," he spoke, but not informing them where. At this point, she didn't think it really mattered. They were going to the place regardless.
“Where?" Harper apparently thought it was important enough to ask after.
Ana glanced up. There were visible dark circles under her eyes. It was quite possible that the searching she did in her sleep meant it wasn't very restful. Or it could have something to do with her illness. It was honestly diffuclt to say.
“Mount Silver," she replied. “I think... we're probably going to have to climb."
“Well, no time like the present to get started, right?" Kas shrugged his backpack onto his shoulders.
Mount Silver, though, was a bit of ways away. It would take at least an hour by flight, and that was just to get to the Indigo Plateau. Then they'd have to journey west just to get to the mountain. She sighed softly. "Well, we should probably get the proper supplies we'll need for the climb if we have to. Mount Silver isn't exactly a place people go to for fun," she spoke softly. They could probably get some things here, in Ecruteak, but then they'd have to get the rest of the things in another city.
"Do you think we should get some of the supplies now, since we're here?" she stated. Eryk raised a brow in her direction, as if asking her to explain.
"They might have most of the supplies near the Indigo Plateau if we pass by it," Drake spoke.
“We have most of the things we'll need already," Kas pointed out. “It's not like we're going to be there for weeks. It's probably better if we get to the airport as soon as possible so we get the next flight for the Plateau."
“The next one leaves in two hours," Ana said. Apparently, she'd already looked it up. “With airport security and such, we should probably leave now."
She supposed that made sense. "Alright, let's go," she spoke, watching as Eryk nodded. It was only a few minutes from the hotel to the airport, and once they had everything they needed, Cyrilla stood off to the side with Eryk, waiting for everyone else to finish. She glanced up at him, and furrowed her brows together. He didn't look so well, but maybe she was the only one who noticed? Maybe Ana did, too, and they were both just a little tired.
"Are you doing alright, Ryk?" she asked, watching as he turned his attention to her. He seemed to study her for a moment before he nodded his head. She only sighed.
"I'm fine, Cy. I'm just... tired is all," he replied softly, shaking his head and allowed it to hang. She reached forward, grabbing his hand in hers, and gave it a soft squeeze. He returned it before she let their hands drift apart. He seemed a little reluctant to let it go, but she knew it wasn't her hand he wanted to hold. It actually caused her to smile softly. After all of the shitty things they'd been through, it was a weird feeling to know that he was happy. Truly so.
"Well, the plane ride will be a couple of hours. You should probably rest during the flight. You're going to need your strength," she spoke softly, patting his shoulder.
The flight itself lasted an hour, just as she'd predicted. It didn't take too long for them to get everything together after landing; the Indigo Plateau's airport, like the one in Ecruteak, was quite small, and had minimal traffic. There was probably only one direct flight a day between the two.
Harper looked around as they exited the airport, sighing through her nose.“Kinda not what I hoped I'd be doing my first time here," she said dryly. The League building itself loomed in the distance. It was by far the most eye-catching thing in the area, as it was doubtless meant to be. Steel and glass, mostly; it had been extensively modernized over recent years. Most battles the Elite Four took part in were televised on a national network devoted to top-level battling. Considering how popular battling was as a sport, that was hardly surprising.
“Think of it as training," Kas said, ruffling her hair. “We should get going though. I just asked the staff; apparently a private plane landed here half a day ago. It's probably them."
It could only be them. Part of her hoped that it wasn't, that maybe someone else who owned a private plane landed here for some kind of broadcasting service, or something of a similar nature. She sighed softly. "If it is, then we need to cover as much ground as possible," Eryk spoke, turning his head towards them. He spared Ana a glance, and she could see that even he was a little hesitant in the words he'd spoken. She wouldn't be able to move too fast, but there was a fix for that.
She could ride one of the pokémon until they couldn't go any further that way. But that was up to Ana and what she wanted to do. More than likely, though, it would probably be best to walk, first. If she wasn't feeling too good, Cyrilla was certain that Eryk would take care of it, somehow. "Alright, then let's get going. The sooner we do this, the sooner we can finish this," she spoke, resisting the urge to shake her head.
"Yeah, let's go. Mount Silver has a few trainers in there who are training for the Elite Four, but I don't think we'll have anything to worry about from them. They mostly keep to themselves, though," Drake spoke, though she wasn't entirely sure what he was trying to get at. Maybe it was his own nerves finally getting to him. She didn't blame him, though. She took a deep breath, instead, and pushed forward.
"We're so... close," to finishing. She just didn't know how it would end. Eryk remained quiet, and instead, walked beside Ana, keeping an eye on her.
"Do you know where we should head first?" he asked her. All they knew was that there was a pokémon here that needed their help. If a climb was necessary, then it was probably at the top. But for all she knew, the climb could also mean down. They'd probably have to go to the bottom of Mount Silver, rather than the top. Either way, they needed to make haste.
“The summit," she said decisively.
That involved a lot of upward climbing. Fortunately, it didn't take them long to get to the mountain trail that would take them most of the way there. As soon as they did, Ana glanced at Kas, who nodded and released Sledge again. The metang obligingly lowered himself so that Ana could take up a cross-legged seat on his flat body. Once she was settled, he hovered again. At least that bypassed the difficulty of the terrain. The rest of them would just have to climb; even Rapidash might turn a leg in this situation, so it was probably better not to risk it.
A gogoat would have been easier to make the journey. They were equipped for mountain ranges and things like that, however; as it were, none of them had one. Sledge was the best option because of it. The journey through the trail wasn't as arduous as she thought it was going to be. There was nothing around, no people, no pokémon, however; she didn't necessarily think that was a good thing. Eryk would occasionally spare a glance towards Ana, and then gaze around to the rest of them.
He probably noticed the lack of life in this place, too. With the exception of their feet hitting the floor, and the slight humming from Sledge, there was no sound in the place. It was a little unnerving, to be honest. She pushed the feeling out of her mind, and released a slow breath. "We're almost there," Eryk spoke first, breaking the silence. She glanced up at him, and then forward to see a faint light ahead. It still looked to be a good distance away, but they were close.
"We should all be ready," just in case Team Rocket was there. She could finish the sentence even if he didn't. It was a universal language at the moment, and they would all understand. It would be a little difficult, battling on such a place, but then again, they didn't have much of a choice. She just hoped it would be enough.
Kas nodded tightly; no one else even responded to his statement of the obvious. The climb had taken them the better part of the day in total; Mount Silver was hardly a short landmark.
In fact, no one said anything else at all until they reached what was obviously their destination. A cave entrance sat chiseled into the side of the mountain in front of them, wide enough for two people to pass through shoulder-to-shoulder, but no wider. The strangely-intense way Ana stared at it could only mean that she’d sensed something inside.
Unfortunately, they weren’t alone there. No sooner had they climbed up the rise and spotted it than a group of Team Rocket members exited it. They seemed surprised; their uniforms indicated they were executives, but lower-level ones than Cyrilla, Eryk, and Kasimir had been. There were six of them.
Harper stepped forward, a deep scowl on her face. “You guys get into that cave. I’ll hold these jerks here and keep the exit open.”
Eryk nodded, but Cyrilla pursed her lips together. One person against six wasn't exactly fair, however; Drake stepped next to her. "You guys go, we'll hold these jerks here," he spoke, placing a hand on Harper's shoulder before letting it drop to his belt. Again, Eryk didn't seem too hesitant to nod in agreement, and glanced at the others.
"Be careful, both of you," she spoke. She wanted all of them to make it back in one piece.
It was just something that never registered for the both of them. When this was all over, if they all made it out, they needed to do some serious vacationing. They needed to go to other places, or maybe even just vacation on Cinnabar Island, somehow. They could make it work. Once everyone had their things packed, Cyrilla shuffled somewhat in her spot, and spared Eryk a glance. He returned it with a light nod of his head, but he didn't say anything to her. He was standing next to Ana, his hand holding hers, and their fingers intertwined. It was adorable, honestly, and Cyrilla gave them a soft smile.
She really hoped they all made it past this, whatever this was. She wanted to be able to spend her freedom with her family. She knew Eryk felt the same; she could see it all over his face. It was such a foreign concept to the both of them, freedom. They'd always taken orders from their family, from Team Rocket, and never for themselves. Now, that was different. They weren't taking orders from anyone. It was almost liberating, in a sense.
"Is everyone ready? We'll be leaving soon," Eryk stated. Everyone had gathered in the lobby of the hotel, but whether they were ready or not, wasn't something Cyrilla could answer for anyone else. They all looked ready, but maybe they weren't? "Ana's located another," he spoke, but not informing them where. At this point, she didn't think it really mattered. They were going to the place regardless.
“Where?" Harper apparently thought it was important enough to ask after.
Ana glanced up. There were visible dark circles under her eyes. It was quite possible that the searching she did in her sleep meant it wasn't very restful. Or it could have something to do with her illness. It was honestly diffuclt to say.
“Mount Silver," she replied. “I think... we're probably going to have to climb."
“Well, no time like the present to get started, right?" Kas shrugged his backpack onto his shoulders.
Mount Silver, though, was a bit of ways away. It would take at least an hour by flight, and that was just to get to the Indigo Plateau. Then they'd have to journey west just to get to the mountain. She sighed softly. "Well, we should probably get the proper supplies we'll need for the climb if we have to. Mount Silver isn't exactly a place people go to for fun," she spoke softly. They could probably get some things here, in Ecruteak, but then they'd have to get the rest of the things in another city.
"Do you think we should get some of the supplies now, since we're here?" she stated. Eryk raised a brow in her direction, as if asking her to explain.
"They might have most of the supplies near the Indigo Plateau if we pass by it," Drake spoke.
“We have most of the things we'll need already," Kas pointed out. “It's not like we're going to be there for weeks. It's probably better if we get to the airport as soon as possible so we get the next flight for the Plateau."
“The next one leaves in two hours," Ana said. Apparently, she'd already looked it up. “With airport security and such, we should probably leave now."
She supposed that made sense. "Alright, let's go," she spoke, watching as Eryk nodded. It was only a few minutes from the hotel to the airport, and once they had everything they needed, Cyrilla stood off to the side with Eryk, waiting for everyone else to finish. She glanced up at him, and furrowed her brows together. He didn't look so well, but maybe she was the only one who noticed? Maybe Ana did, too, and they were both just a little tired.
"Are you doing alright, Ryk?" she asked, watching as he turned his attention to her. He seemed to study her for a moment before he nodded his head. She only sighed.
"I'm fine, Cy. I'm just... tired is all," he replied softly, shaking his head and allowed it to hang. She reached forward, grabbing his hand in hers, and gave it a soft squeeze. He returned it before she let their hands drift apart. He seemed a little reluctant to let it go, but she knew it wasn't her hand he wanted to hold. It actually caused her to smile softly. After all of the shitty things they'd been through, it was a weird feeling to know that he was happy. Truly so.
"Well, the plane ride will be a couple of hours. You should probably rest during the flight. You're going to need your strength," she spoke softly, patting his shoulder.
The flight itself lasted an hour, just as she'd predicted. It didn't take too long for them to get everything together after landing; the Indigo Plateau's airport, like the one in Ecruteak, was quite small, and had minimal traffic. There was probably only one direct flight a day between the two.
Harper looked around as they exited the airport, sighing through her nose.“Kinda not what I hoped I'd be doing my first time here," she said dryly. The League building itself loomed in the distance. It was by far the most eye-catching thing in the area, as it was doubtless meant to be. Steel and glass, mostly; it had been extensively modernized over recent years. Most battles the Elite Four took part in were televised on a national network devoted to top-level battling. Considering how popular battling was as a sport, that was hardly surprising.
“Think of it as training," Kas said, ruffling her hair. “We should get going though. I just asked the staff; apparently a private plane landed here half a day ago. It's probably them."
It could only be them. Part of her hoped that it wasn't, that maybe someone else who owned a private plane landed here for some kind of broadcasting service, or something of a similar nature. She sighed softly. "If it is, then we need to cover as much ground as possible," Eryk spoke, turning his head towards them. He spared Ana a glance, and she could see that even he was a little hesitant in the words he'd spoken. She wouldn't be able to move too fast, but there was a fix for that.
She could ride one of the pokémon until they couldn't go any further that way. But that was up to Ana and what she wanted to do. More than likely, though, it would probably be best to walk, first. If she wasn't feeling too good, Cyrilla was certain that Eryk would take care of it, somehow. "Alright, then let's get going. The sooner we do this, the sooner we can finish this," she spoke, resisting the urge to shake her head.
"Yeah, let's go. Mount Silver has a few trainers in there who are training for the Elite Four, but I don't think we'll have anything to worry about from them. They mostly keep to themselves, though," Drake spoke, though she wasn't entirely sure what he was trying to get at. Maybe it was his own nerves finally getting to him. She didn't blame him, though. She took a deep breath, instead, and pushed forward.
"We're so... close," to finishing. She just didn't know how it would end. Eryk remained quiet, and instead, walked beside Ana, keeping an eye on her.
"Do you know where we should head first?" he asked her. All they knew was that there was a pokémon here that needed their help. If a climb was necessary, then it was probably at the top. But for all she knew, the climb could also mean down. They'd probably have to go to the bottom of Mount Silver, rather than the top. Either way, they needed to make haste.
“The summit," she said decisively.
That involved a lot of upward climbing. Fortunately, it didn't take them long to get to the mountain trail that would take them most of the way there. As soon as they did, Ana glanced at Kas, who nodded and released Sledge again. The metang obligingly lowered himself so that Ana could take up a cross-legged seat on his flat body. Once she was settled, he hovered again. At least that bypassed the difficulty of the terrain. The rest of them would just have to climb; even Rapidash might turn a leg in this situation, so it was probably better not to risk it.
A gogoat would have been easier to make the journey. They were equipped for mountain ranges and things like that, however; as it were, none of them had one. Sledge was the best option because of it. The journey through the trail wasn't as arduous as she thought it was going to be. There was nothing around, no people, no pokémon, however; she didn't necessarily think that was a good thing. Eryk would occasionally spare a glance towards Ana, and then gaze around to the rest of them.
He probably noticed the lack of life in this place, too. With the exception of their feet hitting the floor, and the slight humming from Sledge, there was no sound in the place. It was a little unnerving, to be honest. She pushed the feeling out of her mind, and released a slow breath. "We're almost there," Eryk spoke first, breaking the silence. She glanced up at him, and then forward to see a faint light ahead. It still looked to be a good distance away, but they were close.
"We should all be ready," just in case Team Rocket was there. She could finish the sentence even if he didn't. It was a universal language at the moment, and they would all understand. It would be a little difficult, battling on such a place, but then again, they didn't have much of a choice. She just hoped it would be enough.
Kas nodded tightly; no one else even responded to his statement of the obvious. The climb had taken them the better part of the day in total; Mount Silver was hardly a short landmark.
In fact, no one said anything else at all until they reached what was obviously their destination. A cave entrance sat chiseled into the side of the mountain in front of them, wide enough for two people to pass through shoulder-to-shoulder, but no wider. The strangely-intense way Ana stared at it could only mean that she’d sensed something inside.
Unfortunately, they weren’t alone there. No sooner had they climbed up the rise and spotted it than a group of Team Rocket members exited it. They seemed surprised; their uniforms indicated they were executives, but lower-level ones than Cyrilla, Eryk, and Kasimir had been. There were six of them.
Harper stepped forward, a deep scowl on her face. “You guys get into that cave. I’ll hold these jerks here and keep the exit open.”
Eryk nodded, but Cyrilla pursed her lips together. One person against six wasn't exactly fair, however; Drake stepped next to her. "You guys go, we'll hold these jerks here," he spoke, placing a hand on Harper's shoulder before letting it drop to his belt. Again, Eryk didn't seem too hesitant to nod in agreement, and glanced at the others.
"Be careful, both of you," she spoke. She wanted all of them to make it back in one piece.
If the appearance of six executives wasn't enough to convince them that Team Rocket was already here, the disturbances to the interior of the cave should do it. For one, there were no wild pokémon around, not even zubat, indicating that someone had come through and disturbed them already, perhaps scaring them out for the moment.
Kas and the others navigated in the dark. Three of them were used to it, and it wasn't like being blind would be much of an inhibition to Ana, who could orient herself by detecting where they were. She occasionally stopped them and changed their direction—the cave turned out to be more of a network of tunnels than anything.
“I saw a van parked a ways from the cave entrance," he said quietly as they moved. It had been concealed pretty well, another sign they'd been here for a while. “Based on the size, I don't think there's more than another six people here." He'd be willing to bet it was the boss, the Birds, and a tech or two, to run whatever equipment they needed. Or maybe a tech and then a grunt to drive the van, whichever.
It meant they'd have to be prepared to run into the birds again, probably all at once. Aidan had been obliging to them once before; he wasn't likely to repeat that with the boss standing right there, though. And admittedly, even just the four of them would be a serious challenge to him and his friends. Maybe one they couldn't overcome.
But they had to try.
Eryk hummed in agreement. He'd been rather quiet ever since they'd entered the cave. He either didn't have anything to say, or he was focusing on something else. It was probably the latter. "That gives them the slight advantage by having more people," he finally spoke, his voice just as low as Kas's. The tone in his voice, however, suggested that he wasn't too worried about the extra people, but there was also a slight hint of concern.
Probably for the best. If the Birds were here, that would be a slight advantage on their side, considering the mental state of Eryk and Cyrilla. They both had their resolve, but that alone couldn't undo years of what they'd endured. They were trying, so perhaps that was a good thing. "In either case, we should still be cautious. We'll have to make use of our element of surprise. I doubt they'll be expecting us, exactly," Eryk spoke.
Hopefully, Harper and Drake could prevent any of the other executives from communicating with them. Because if they were forewarned, an ambush would be damn near impossible, and all of them knew it. Beside him, Ana slipped off Sledge, her feet landing softly on the cave floor.
“He hums," she explained softly. “If we want to get the drop on them, we should be quiet. I can... if you want, I can link us all up so we can speak telepathically?"
“Even if we're not psychics?" he replied, surprised. He withdrew Sledge and hooked the pokéball back onto his belt.
He heard the soft rustle as she nodded.
“What do you think, guys? Just until we get there?"
"If... it's not going to put too much strain on you, Ana, I'll do it. Just until we get there," Cyrilla spoke first. She sounded hesitant about it, but it was for a good reason. Eryk remained quiet for a second longer before he breathed out.
"I'll just hold your hand. You can guide me that way," Eryk spoke. He didn't seem too keen on the idea, but she was the one who suggested it.
“It's fine," Ana said.
Not a moment later, Kas felt the still-odd sensation of what he knew to be another mind brushing against his. It wasn't completely unlike talking to Kenshin, except... more. Ana's powers were clearly beyond simple telepathic projection, especially if she could link together minds that didn't have the ability at all.
It felt... kind of like being at one end of a telephone conversation. That was the closest way to describe it. Except that beyond just words, the communication also contained feelings that weren't his own, but that sent little sympathetic pangs of the same through him. He felt concerned for a moment, then realized it was Cyrilla's concern, on the other end of the line, so to speak. Concern for Ana, maybe.
Trippy, he said, testing his ability to "speak" into the connection. It seemed to work fine; he felt Ana smile in response, a tiny flicker of humor hitting him from her end.
It takes some getting used to. But I've kept it limited. You have to actually want the rest of us to hear in order to transmit. We won't get your private thoughts or anything.
Okay; how far away are they? he asked, figuring that the sooner they got to business, the less this would strain her.
He sensed her thinking. They're about a hundred meters, dead ahead. I don't think they've found the pokémon they're looking for, yet, but it's hard to say.
Is there any way to flank them?
I'm not sure, she replied. I don't have a map of this place in my head or anything, but there are some zubat in what must be a side tunnel, so I don't think they've been through there. I can ask them if it wraps around.
Lead the way, he said.
She nodded and took hold of Eryk's hand, diverting their path to the left.
The concerned feeling seemed to subside somewhat as they continued walking. Eryk would occasionally make a small sound, but that was probably due to him brushing against something. Cyrilla remained quiet on her end, though. How much further ahead? It was Eryk's voice that finally broke the silence. He didn't seem to have too much trouble connecting his own mind with Ana's, probably why they'd all heard it.
There was something that passed through, something warm, probably coming from Eryk. It was probably what he always felt with her, and even now, unintentionally let it pass through them. Cyrilla seemed to smile at it.
He was totally gone for her, wasn't he? Kas had known that, intellectually, for a while, but it was sort of a different thing, to get evidence of this kind. If they'd been in any other situation, he'd have probably teased them both about it, but he didn't.
Just a little further. The zubat say this tunnel connects to the cave room Team Rocket is in. There's a bend just ahead. We'll be able to see them once we go around. But...
They'll be able to see us, too, Kas finished. He felt Ana's assent through the connection, the mental equivalent of a nod. We should probably stop here, then, and at least release the three of them. That's a couple seconds we'll have going for us. Cy, if you can have Suicune knock out anyone who isn't a Bird or the boss with water, that would probably be best.
If there was one thing Kas had learned about team Rocket during his years there, it was that the Grunts and the techs were generally just ordinary people with day jobs, and rarely if ever aware of Team Rocket's ends and aims. Certainly not deserving of anything worse than incapacitation. And if things got violent afterward, which was a real possibility, he wanted to make sure they were safely out of the way.
Sure, I can do that, she replied. The slight sound of shuffling and then of something being unhooked, signaled that she was getting Suicune's pokéball ready. I can get him to use his Hydro Pump. It'll hurt, she began, and the feeling of guilt passed through briefly. But it'll be fast and easy, and they'll only be in pain, briefly, she continued.
It'll be a mercy upon them, Eryk spoke, though there was nothing in particular in the way he stated it. It was almost like it were a very normal thing for him to say. Perhaps that was a good thing that he didn't wish anyone ill who wasn't a Bird, or the Boss. Shuffling from Eryk's side could be heard, and so could the sound of the pokéball being expanded. There was a temporary flash of light that signaled both Entei and Suicune's release.
Cyrilla seemed to relay the information to Suicune, who nodded. There were light embers coming from Entei's coat so it was easier to see him, and also to see around them. It wasn't entirely bright to where it would draw attention, though. He seemed to regard Eryk with a stare, and Eryk merely stared back. They seemed to be having a private conversation since Eryk's connection to Ana disappeared for a moment.
Are you ready? Eryk spoke, his connection forming once again.
Kas let Raikou out as well, who only added to the light with the frequent sparks that jumped around in his fur and the cloudlike construction on his back. The beast nodded, apparently already cognizant of what needed to be done.
Ready, Kas confirmed. If worse comes to worst, Ryk, you and Ana deal with the boss. Cy and I will do what we can against the others. It was probably better to have some kind of plan in place.
Carefully, Ana cut the connection between them all. It was kind of strange to feel it disappear again; it probably would have been worse if he'd actually been able to get used to it being there.
Everyone glanced between themselves. Without further need for a signal, they all broke into a swift, quiet jog. Everyone shifted to let Cy and Suicune take the lead. When they turned the corner, Kas could see the right number of people. Gregorovich and Aidan were conculting with someone in a tech's gear; Katia, Remi, and a grunt were watching an entrance each.
They'd picked the entrance with the grunt.
That was good. Immediately, Suicune jumped forward, releasing the stream of water from his mouth, effectively pushing the grunt back. Katia and Remi, both, turned in their direction. Surprise was written on Katia's face, and Remi just looked the same as she always did: a smiling psychopath. Katia's eyes seemed to focuse on Ryk, though. Her grudge ran deep, it appeared, something that was always apparent from the moment they met.
"Oh, look, it's the pidoves. I missed you!" Remi began, the grin on her face stretching. It looked like she was going to say something more, however; Katia gave her a look, and she remained quiet.
"Nero, Niav, Rheinallt," she spoke, though the disdain was evident behind her voice. There was also something odd, something like betrayal laced in her voice.
"Gregorovich," Eryk spoke, not bothering to glance at Katia or even acknowledge her. He didn't even look at Remi.
The bespectacled boss of Team Rocket didn't look all that surprised to see them there, truthfully. Aidan was frowning, specifically at Ana, but he didn't say anything.
"It seems you cannot decide whether you prefer to be free of Team Rocket or forever tangled in its business," Gregorovich said, almost sighing at the end of the statement. The fact that the four of them, three legendary pokémon in tow, were there to confront him seemed to be a minor inconvenience to him more than anything.
Kas didn't like that. Gregorovich wasn't the type to get rattled, it was true, but he didn't even seem to be treating this with any type of urgency. That meant he didn't think he needed to—and that meant he already thought he had everything lined up that he needed to be victorious here.
Immediately, he started scanning the area, ignoring the conversations flowing around him and trying to focus on what was actually going on. When his eyes landed on the tech, kneeling behind Gregorovich and frantically fiddling with something, his brows knit.
When he happened to see a rectangular, metallic box situated not five feet to Cyrilla's left, he knew exactly what was going on.
“Bomb!" He shouted, lunging forward and pulling Cy to the ground. He shifted in midair so that his back was to the device, wrapping his body around hers to protect her as much as he could.
It exploded just as they hit the floor.
A second concussive bang alerted him to the fact that it wasn't the only one, and then the pain began. Shrapnel thudded into his back. Though he'd protected himself with a kevlar vest under his outermost shirt, some of the pieces made it through to his skin, tearing open his still-healing flesh. Heat washed over him from behind; he smelled his own hair singeing. He gripped Cy all the more tightly, curling around her and pressing his chest into her back.
"Kasimir, Cyrilla!" it was the first time Eryk ever called out their entire name. And the way he said it, it had more emotion to it than it ever had. In his arms, Cy seemed to groan softly, but she didn't move. The impact was probably enough to temporarily stun her.
Beyond that first impact though, nothing happened. Confused, Kas cracked his eyes open, then pulled in a sharp breath.
Clearly, the second explosion had been a controlled detonation where Gregorovich had been standing. He and the tech were nowhere to be seen—probably they'd gone into the passage created by the detonation.
But what could have otherwise been the end of his life had been stopped cold. Shrapnel from both explosions hung suspended in the air, almost as if time itself had frozen. He only had to move his eyes to Ana, hands outstretched, to understand what had happened. She'd stopped the motion of all those pieces of shrapnel and debris from moving.
He imagined it had to have been a lot of effort. His hypothesis was confirmed when her knees buckled and she fell to them on the ground, holding her hand up to her nose and doubling over. Everything she'd been holding up fell abruptly, tugged downwards by gravity; Kas turned his face away to protect his eyes until it all settled.
“Cy," he croaked, hissing when his back twinged with the effort of speaking. He tried again, this time more steadily. “Cy, are you all right?"
She stirred in his grip, and managed to turn her head somewhat. "I'm..." she began, but hissed softly. She tried moving her arms, but the way he had her kept her from doing so. "I'm alright, Kas. My head just hurts," she replied softly. "Are you alright?" she questioned back, seemingly more interested in his well-being than hers.
"Ana," Eryk spoke out, and his voice was laced with concern. He could hear Ryk move towards Ana, and kneeled down beside her. "Are you alright?" he asked.
"Aw, it looks like the little pidoves survived. What a shame," Remi's voice cut through, though she did sound disappointed that they were still alive. "Doesn't look like the pink pidove will be alive much longer, though," she continued. Her voice sounded almost thrilled at the knowledge.
Kas's ears were still ringing, making the voices difficult to hear, but he caught enough to understand what was going on. Easing his grip on Cyrilla, he stood, helping her up with him. Well, realistically they were helping each other up. The wounds on his back bled freely, but not too much. He'd be fine, but it was better that they take care of this quickly.
Once he was upright, Raikou moved towards him, allowing Kas to rest an arm on his shoulder to support himself while he caught his breath. For a moment—but this wasn't the time to think about that. The boss was gone, probably through that new passage, probably towards whatever pokémon he'd come here for. If they didn't stop Team Rocket now, they probably wouldn't get another chance.
Closer to where they'd entered, Ana was halfway through a nod to Eryk when her head snapped towards the new tunnel.
“No," she whispered. “No!" With more strength than Kas would have thought her capable of, she surged to her feet, making a break for the new tunnel.
An alarmed-looking Aidan, closest to it, made a grab for her, but his arm met some kind of resistance, and he snatched it back with a hiss. Ana disappeared into the tunnel at full sprint.
Kas had no idea what had caused that, but it couldn't be good. Unfortunately, their opportunity to follow was lost when the Birds closed ranks on the tunnel. If they wanted to get through after her, they were going to have to fight for that right.
Kas reached towards his belt.
Kas and the others navigated in the dark. Three of them were used to it, and it wasn't like being blind would be much of an inhibition to Ana, who could orient herself by detecting where they were. She occasionally stopped them and changed their direction—the cave turned out to be more of a network of tunnels than anything.
“I saw a van parked a ways from the cave entrance," he said quietly as they moved. It had been concealed pretty well, another sign they'd been here for a while. “Based on the size, I don't think there's more than another six people here." He'd be willing to bet it was the boss, the Birds, and a tech or two, to run whatever equipment they needed. Or maybe a tech and then a grunt to drive the van, whichever.
It meant they'd have to be prepared to run into the birds again, probably all at once. Aidan had been obliging to them once before; he wasn't likely to repeat that with the boss standing right there, though. And admittedly, even just the four of them would be a serious challenge to him and his friends. Maybe one they couldn't overcome.
But they had to try.
Eryk hummed in agreement. He'd been rather quiet ever since they'd entered the cave. He either didn't have anything to say, or he was focusing on something else. It was probably the latter. "That gives them the slight advantage by having more people," he finally spoke, his voice just as low as Kas's. The tone in his voice, however, suggested that he wasn't too worried about the extra people, but there was also a slight hint of concern.
Probably for the best. If the Birds were here, that would be a slight advantage on their side, considering the mental state of Eryk and Cyrilla. They both had their resolve, but that alone couldn't undo years of what they'd endured. They were trying, so perhaps that was a good thing. "In either case, we should still be cautious. We'll have to make use of our element of surprise. I doubt they'll be expecting us, exactly," Eryk spoke.
Hopefully, Harper and Drake could prevent any of the other executives from communicating with them. Because if they were forewarned, an ambush would be damn near impossible, and all of them knew it. Beside him, Ana slipped off Sledge, her feet landing softly on the cave floor.
“He hums," she explained softly. “If we want to get the drop on them, we should be quiet. I can... if you want, I can link us all up so we can speak telepathically?"
“Even if we're not psychics?" he replied, surprised. He withdrew Sledge and hooked the pokéball back onto his belt.
He heard the soft rustle as she nodded.
“What do you think, guys? Just until we get there?"
"If... it's not going to put too much strain on you, Ana, I'll do it. Just until we get there," Cyrilla spoke first. She sounded hesitant about it, but it was for a good reason. Eryk remained quiet for a second longer before he breathed out.
"I'll just hold your hand. You can guide me that way," Eryk spoke. He didn't seem too keen on the idea, but she was the one who suggested it.
“It's fine," Ana said.
Not a moment later, Kas felt the still-odd sensation of what he knew to be another mind brushing against his. It wasn't completely unlike talking to Kenshin, except... more. Ana's powers were clearly beyond simple telepathic projection, especially if she could link together minds that didn't have the ability at all.
It felt... kind of like being at one end of a telephone conversation. That was the closest way to describe it. Except that beyond just words, the communication also contained feelings that weren't his own, but that sent little sympathetic pangs of the same through him. He felt concerned for a moment, then realized it was Cyrilla's concern, on the other end of the line, so to speak. Concern for Ana, maybe.
Trippy, he said, testing his ability to "speak" into the connection. It seemed to work fine; he felt Ana smile in response, a tiny flicker of humor hitting him from her end.
It takes some getting used to. But I've kept it limited. You have to actually want the rest of us to hear in order to transmit. We won't get your private thoughts or anything.
Okay; how far away are they? he asked, figuring that the sooner they got to business, the less this would strain her.
He sensed her thinking. They're about a hundred meters, dead ahead. I don't think they've found the pokémon they're looking for, yet, but it's hard to say.
Is there any way to flank them?
I'm not sure, she replied. I don't have a map of this place in my head or anything, but there are some zubat in what must be a side tunnel, so I don't think they've been through there. I can ask them if it wraps around.
Lead the way, he said.
She nodded and took hold of Eryk's hand, diverting their path to the left.
The concerned feeling seemed to subside somewhat as they continued walking. Eryk would occasionally make a small sound, but that was probably due to him brushing against something. Cyrilla remained quiet on her end, though. How much further ahead? It was Eryk's voice that finally broke the silence. He didn't seem to have too much trouble connecting his own mind with Ana's, probably why they'd all heard it.
There was something that passed through, something warm, probably coming from Eryk. It was probably what he always felt with her, and even now, unintentionally let it pass through them. Cyrilla seemed to smile at it.
He was totally gone for her, wasn't he? Kas had known that, intellectually, for a while, but it was sort of a different thing, to get evidence of this kind. If they'd been in any other situation, he'd have probably teased them both about it, but he didn't.
Just a little further. The zubat say this tunnel connects to the cave room Team Rocket is in. There's a bend just ahead. We'll be able to see them once we go around. But...
They'll be able to see us, too, Kas finished. He felt Ana's assent through the connection, the mental equivalent of a nod. We should probably stop here, then, and at least release the three of them. That's a couple seconds we'll have going for us. Cy, if you can have Suicune knock out anyone who isn't a Bird or the boss with water, that would probably be best.
If there was one thing Kas had learned about team Rocket during his years there, it was that the Grunts and the techs were generally just ordinary people with day jobs, and rarely if ever aware of Team Rocket's ends and aims. Certainly not deserving of anything worse than incapacitation. And if things got violent afterward, which was a real possibility, he wanted to make sure they were safely out of the way.
Sure, I can do that, she replied. The slight sound of shuffling and then of something being unhooked, signaled that she was getting Suicune's pokéball ready. I can get him to use his Hydro Pump. It'll hurt, she began, and the feeling of guilt passed through briefly. But it'll be fast and easy, and they'll only be in pain, briefly, she continued.
It'll be a mercy upon them, Eryk spoke, though there was nothing in particular in the way he stated it. It was almost like it were a very normal thing for him to say. Perhaps that was a good thing that he didn't wish anyone ill who wasn't a Bird, or the Boss. Shuffling from Eryk's side could be heard, and so could the sound of the pokéball being expanded. There was a temporary flash of light that signaled both Entei and Suicune's release.
Cyrilla seemed to relay the information to Suicune, who nodded. There were light embers coming from Entei's coat so it was easier to see him, and also to see around them. It wasn't entirely bright to where it would draw attention, though. He seemed to regard Eryk with a stare, and Eryk merely stared back. They seemed to be having a private conversation since Eryk's connection to Ana disappeared for a moment.
Are you ready? Eryk spoke, his connection forming once again.
Kas let Raikou out as well, who only added to the light with the frequent sparks that jumped around in his fur and the cloudlike construction on his back. The beast nodded, apparently already cognizant of what needed to be done.
Ready, Kas confirmed. If worse comes to worst, Ryk, you and Ana deal with the boss. Cy and I will do what we can against the others. It was probably better to have some kind of plan in place.
Carefully, Ana cut the connection between them all. It was kind of strange to feel it disappear again; it probably would have been worse if he'd actually been able to get used to it being there.
Everyone glanced between themselves. Without further need for a signal, they all broke into a swift, quiet jog. Everyone shifted to let Cy and Suicune take the lead. When they turned the corner, Kas could see the right number of people. Gregorovich and Aidan were conculting with someone in a tech's gear; Katia, Remi, and a grunt were watching an entrance each.
They'd picked the entrance with the grunt.
That was good. Immediately, Suicune jumped forward, releasing the stream of water from his mouth, effectively pushing the grunt back. Katia and Remi, both, turned in their direction. Surprise was written on Katia's face, and Remi just looked the same as she always did: a smiling psychopath. Katia's eyes seemed to focuse on Ryk, though. Her grudge ran deep, it appeared, something that was always apparent from the moment they met.
"Oh, look, it's the pidoves. I missed you!" Remi began, the grin on her face stretching. It looked like she was going to say something more, however; Katia gave her a look, and she remained quiet.
"Nero, Niav, Rheinallt," she spoke, though the disdain was evident behind her voice. There was also something odd, something like betrayal laced in her voice.
"Gregorovich," Eryk spoke, not bothering to glance at Katia or even acknowledge her. He didn't even look at Remi.
The bespectacled boss of Team Rocket didn't look all that surprised to see them there, truthfully. Aidan was frowning, specifically at Ana, but he didn't say anything.
"It seems you cannot decide whether you prefer to be free of Team Rocket or forever tangled in its business," Gregorovich said, almost sighing at the end of the statement. The fact that the four of them, three legendary pokémon in tow, were there to confront him seemed to be a minor inconvenience to him more than anything.
Kas didn't like that. Gregorovich wasn't the type to get rattled, it was true, but he didn't even seem to be treating this with any type of urgency. That meant he didn't think he needed to—and that meant he already thought he had everything lined up that he needed to be victorious here.
Immediately, he started scanning the area, ignoring the conversations flowing around him and trying to focus on what was actually going on. When his eyes landed on the tech, kneeling behind Gregorovich and frantically fiddling with something, his brows knit.
When he happened to see a rectangular, metallic box situated not five feet to Cyrilla's left, he knew exactly what was going on.
“Bomb!" He shouted, lunging forward and pulling Cy to the ground. He shifted in midair so that his back was to the device, wrapping his body around hers to protect her as much as he could.
It exploded just as they hit the floor.
A second concussive bang alerted him to the fact that it wasn't the only one, and then the pain began. Shrapnel thudded into his back. Though he'd protected himself with a kevlar vest under his outermost shirt, some of the pieces made it through to his skin, tearing open his still-healing flesh. Heat washed over him from behind; he smelled his own hair singeing. He gripped Cy all the more tightly, curling around her and pressing his chest into her back.
"Kasimir, Cyrilla!" it was the first time Eryk ever called out their entire name. And the way he said it, it had more emotion to it than it ever had. In his arms, Cy seemed to groan softly, but she didn't move. The impact was probably enough to temporarily stun her.
Beyond that first impact though, nothing happened. Confused, Kas cracked his eyes open, then pulled in a sharp breath.
Clearly, the second explosion had been a controlled detonation where Gregorovich had been standing. He and the tech were nowhere to be seen—probably they'd gone into the passage created by the detonation.
But what could have otherwise been the end of his life had been stopped cold. Shrapnel from both explosions hung suspended in the air, almost as if time itself had frozen. He only had to move his eyes to Ana, hands outstretched, to understand what had happened. She'd stopped the motion of all those pieces of shrapnel and debris from moving.
He imagined it had to have been a lot of effort. His hypothesis was confirmed when her knees buckled and she fell to them on the ground, holding her hand up to her nose and doubling over. Everything she'd been holding up fell abruptly, tugged downwards by gravity; Kas turned his face away to protect his eyes until it all settled.
“Cy," he croaked, hissing when his back twinged with the effort of speaking. He tried again, this time more steadily. “Cy, are you all right?"
She stirred in his grip, and managed to turn her head somewhat. "I'm..." she began, but hissed softly. She tried moving her arms, but the way he had her kept her from doing so. "I'm alright, Kas. My head just hurts," she replied softly. "Are you alright?" she questioned back, seemingly more interested in his well-being than hers.
"Ana," Eryk spoke out, and his voice was laced with concern. He could hear Ryk move towards Ana, and kneeled down beside her. "Are you alright?" he asked.
"Aw, it looks like the little pidoves survived. What a shame," Remi's voice cut through, though she did sound disappointed that they were still alive. "Doesn't look like the pink pidove will be alive much longer, though," she continued. Her voice sounded almost thrilled at the knowledge.
Kas's ears were still ringing, making the voices difficult to hear, but he caught enough to understand what was going on. Easing his grip on Cyrilla, he stood, helping her up with him. Well, realistically they were helping each other up. The wounds on his back bled freely, but not too much. He'd be fine, but it was better that they take care of this quickly.
Once he was upright, Raikou moved towards him, allowing Kas to rest an arm on his shoulder to support himself while he caught his breath. For a moment—but this wasn't the time to think about that. The boss was gone, probably through that new passage, probably towards whatever pokémon he'd come here for. If they didn't stop Team Rocket now, they probably wouldn't get another chance.
Closer to where they'd entered, Ana was halfway through a nod to Eryk when her head snapped towards the new tunnel.
“No," she whispered. “No!" With more strength than Kas would have thought her capable of, she surged to her feet, making a break for the new tunnel.
An alarmed-looking Aidan, closest to it, made a grab for her, but his arm met some kind of resistance, and he snatched it back with a hiss. Ana disappeared into the tunnel at full sprint.
Kas had no idea what had caused that, but it couldn't be good. Unfortunately, their opportunity to follow was lost when the Birds closed ranks on the tunnel. If they wanted to get through after her, they were going to have to fight for that right.
Kas reached towards his belt.
"Katia, get out of my way," he didn't have time for this shit. Ana ran off after Gregorovich, and he needed to go after her. Katia merely pursed her lips together, reaching for a pokéball at her belt. She pulled it and tossed it out, and Eryk could only narrow his eyes as the pokémon emerged. It was her Nidoking. He narrowed his eyes at her, and reached for a pokéball of his own.
"You are in no position to bark orders, Nero," she spat back. He didn't need this from her. Without giving her a response, he threw the ball out into the open, watching as Milotic appeared with a soft trilling sound. She looked just as ready as he did to battle. She was usually more passive, more calm.
"Scald," he commanded, watching as the jet of hot water sprayed from her mouth. Nidoking was too slow to move completely out of the way, but Milotic managed to scrape him. He hissed in slight pain before he turned on her.
"Supersonic," Katia was probably going for confusion. It would be easier for her to attack a pokémon that wasn't exactly capable of defending itself, if it landed. He couldn't allow that.
"Hypnosis," he ordered. At least that way the two attacks would cancel each other out, somehow. Milotic obliged, the soft trill of her song penetrating the air. Nidoking somehow managed to avoid the attack, but so did Milotic. Scald, he would continue in a way that Katia couldn't follow. Milotic released the jet of stream, again, this time, catching Nidoking off guard. He blocked most of the oncoming stream with his arms, however; the steam that coated them meant that his arms were burnt.
"Thunderbolt," Katia commanded. Eryk pursed his lips further together. If the attack landed, it would seriously hurt Milotic. Nidoking's body began crackling before he released the attack. He tried to get Milotic to avoid the damage, however; she wasn't quick enough. Her trills echoed in his ears as he tried to think of something for her.
"Milotic, Ice Beam," he commanded once Nidoking's attack wore off. She managed to lift herself up and attacked him, catching his feet. She froze them to the floor, and Eryk watched as Nidoking struggled to get out of his temporary restraints. "Hydro Pump," he spoke, watching as Milotic shot out a powerful burst of water. It pushed Nidoking back, breaking him free of his restraints, however; the attack hit pretty hard, and Nidoking struggled to get up.
"Finish it with Dragon Breath," he spoke. Nidoking hit the side of the wall with the force of her attack, and he went down. Surprise flashed across Katia's face as her pokémon went down. This wasn't going as fast as he'd hoped it would. Almost as if sensing his temporary distraction, Katia sent out her Alakazam.
"Psybeam," she ordered, and Alakazam obeyed. He attacked Milotic, who couldn't move out of the way in time. It was a direct hit. "Use Thunder Punch, now," she continued. Milotic was still recovering from the first attack that, when the second one landed, she was down. She couldn't get back up. Pursing his lips together, Eryk threw another ball into the fray. Gengar appeared. "Really? You know he doesn't stand a chance against Alakazam," she seemed almost haughty about his decision.
"Be that as it may, I have something you don't," he replied, pulling out the gift Ana had given him. Gengar nodded before he began to glow. He hadn't been able to use Ana's gift during his tournament, but he had reason to use it now. Gengar evolved into his mega form, and he looked just as menacing as Eryk currently did. Katia seemed slightly surprised, but she recovered quickly enough.
"Doesn't mean anything, Nero. You're still going to lose. Zen Headbutt!" she commanded. Alakazam obliged, charging psychic energy to his head before he charged Gengar.
"Ice Punch," he spoke, watching as the ice formed around Gengar's hand. The attacks met, however; Gengar was able to push Alakazam back, far enough that Katia looked slightly pissed. Good. He wanted her to be angry. Eryk wasn't usually one to taunt his enemies, however; Katia deserved it. He was able to win that battle and the next one against her Arbok. If Eryk hadn't considered how serious the battle was, he would have figured Gengar was having too much fun. Gengar kept his grin on his face, and didn't let it falter, even when he'd been attacked by Arbok. By that time, Gengar was fatigued, his mega evolution had dispersed, and Eryk could see how worn out he was.
He was likely to lose the next fight.
"Shadow Claw," she commanded, and Nidoqueen's claw began to glow a dark color. She attacked Gengar with it who did his best to dodge, however; it wasn't easy, and she caught him. He was too weak to get back up. Eryk cursed beneath his breath as he sent out Zoroark. Zoroark would be his only advantage, however; there was a chance that Katia's nidoqueen would have an attack that could seriously hurt Zoroark.
"Extrasensory," he commanded, watching as Zoroark's eyes began glowing softly, and a blast of psychic energy was lashed towards Nidoqueen, knocking her back. She rolled before landing to her feet, and roared in Zoroark's direction. He didn't flinch, and only held her gaze.
"Focus Punch." Shit. The attack landed and Zoroark was knocked off his feet. He tumbled on the ground, rolling a few feet away before he managed to get back to his feet. He sneered at Nidoqueen and charged at her.
"Flamethrower," he stated, watching as Nidoqueen shook off the attack. He narrowed his eyes at the pokémon before she lunged at Zoroark again. It seemed like a few hours had passed as Zoroark and Nidoqueen went at each other, however; the reality was, was it had only been a few minutes. He was growing impatient.
"Finish it with Extrasensory," he commanded, watching as Zoroark's eyes glowed again.
"Flamethrower," Katia commanded just as Zoroark's attack landed. Unfortunately, Nidoqueen's attack also landed, causing Zoroark to pass out. Nidoqueen was down as well, and it didn't look like she'd be getting up. Eryk sighed a little too harshly as he reached for the next pokéball on his belt. It was down to Mankey and Entei, however; he wasn't entirely going to send out Entei quite yet. Eryk wasn't sure if Gregorovich was able to locate the other legendary pokémon. There was a good chance that he did, but Eryk couldn't be too sure. Katia sent out her Glaceon and watched as he trilled happily. He was probably excited to be battling again. From his side, Eryk could hear Princess Cinders roar followed by Gyarados. It seemed that everyone was battling just as hard as he was.
"Mankey, Karate Chop," he spoke, sending out his mankey. He would have the upper hand in type advantage, but that didn't mean much if a pokémon was raised to overcome that disadvantage. Mankey attacked Glaceon, however; Glaceon was a little too fast, and managed to dodge, landing an Iron Tail on Mankey. It sent him back, and he collided with the wall, however; Mankey was far from out. He jumped back to his feet, and glared at the glaceon, banging on his chest.
Again, Karate Chop, he spoke directly to Mankey this time. He couldn't have Mankey going on a rampage. He needed him to be cleared and focused on the battle, not the pokémon that was his opponent. He watched as the pokémon charged Glaceon.
"Ice Shard," Katia commanded. Immediately, Glaceon summoned shards of ice and hurled them in Mankey's direction. He tried to deflect them as best as he could, but some of the shards hit him square in the chest, causing Mankey to fall to his knees. This wasn't good. Mankey wasn't quite experienced like the others were, and he was still young.
Mankey, are you alright? he asked, watching as Mankey nodded his head. He was slightly worried about him, but they both knew that Ana was a priority right now. That was enough to fuel Mankey, or at least that's what Eryk could tell. Let Glaceon get in close. When he does, use Seismic Toss, he spoke. Mankey nodded and did just that. Glaceon tried to attack with another Iron Tail, however; Mankey was able to grab it, tossing it to the ground. It seemed to hurt the ice pokémon as it struggled to get up.
"Signal Beam!" Katia was sounding a little desperate.
Aerial Ace, it was the only move that would allow Mankey to avoid the attack quick enough, and manage to hit. Glaceon wasn't down, and managed to land one last Iron Tail on Mankey. Shit. This wasn't good at all. They were both down to their last pokémon. Even if he had Entei, there was no telling what pokémon she had. It could be anything, and he wouldn't know until she released it. She seemed angry that their battle had gone this way, but he didn't care. His only focus was getting to Ana.
Eryk, the Beast spoke into his mind, causing him to turn towards Entei. He narrowed his eyes softly as Entei stepped forward. Remember what it is you fight for. Your future, he spoke, roaring just loud enough to get Katia's attention. She didn't seem intimidated by the pokémon, and merely tossed her pokéball into the area. Eryk recognized the ball she'd thrown, and he cursed beneath his breath.
"Stone Edge!" she commanded the virizion. It didn't seem to happy, however; it obliged, lifting some stones from around them, and hurled them towards Entei. Entei managed to dodge them, however; one caught the back of his leg, and he hissed out in pain.
"Flamethrower," he spoke, watching as Entei allowed the stream of fire to escape his mouth. He chased Virizion with it, trying to catch the nimble pokémon, however; it was too fast to pin down. Despite his type advantage, Virizion was swifter. Eryk needed a way to keep it from moving too much.
"Extrasensory!" it was the only way he could get Virizion to stop moving long enough for Entei to actually attack. Entei's eyes glowed, and he managed to hit Virizion, however; Virizion was quick to recover.
"Giga Drain," she spoke, watching as Virizion glowed somewhat. Entei seemed to glow as well, and he could see the life being transferred from Entei, to Virizion. "Zen Headbutt!" she commanded, and Virizion's attack connected with Entei. It sent him back a few feet, and he fell over.
"Entei," he called out. Entei merely shook his coat out causing small embers to fall out and hit the ground. He glanced at Eryk, and they held each others gaze for a moment.
Perhaps I was wrong. You are not capable of protecting those you care about, nor your future. She will perish, because of you, Entei spoke, causing Ryk's jaw to lock. Entei was right. Even if they were down to their last pokémon, Eryk couldn't lose. Not here. Not now. Not ever.
"Fire Blast," he commanded, and Entei nodded. It was a risk he was willing to take. Fire Blast was rather large, but it would at least hit its mark if timed right. Eryk watched as Virizion moved about, trying to dodge Entei's attack, however; it couldn't dodge, and it was burned. It let out a painful cry, one that caused even Eryk to cringe. It wasn't Virizion's fault, however; he couldn't let up. He couldn't go easy on the pokémon just because it was innocent. He needed to get to Ana.
If he didn't...
"Extrasensory!" he couldn't let that happen. He wouldn't. Entei's attack landed, stronger than the last, and Virizion was down, but not out.
"Giga Drain, then use Sacred Sword," Katia commanded, watching as Virizion struggled to attack. The Giga Drain didn't have much effect on Entei, however; Virizion's horns began to glow. It charged Entei with them, landing squarely on his chest. The attack pushed him back a few feet, however; Entei managed to tangle himself with Virizion.
He was close enough to use, Flamethrower!
The flames spewed from Entei's mouth, coating Virizion entirely. Although the virizion wasn't entirely down, the attack had left it burned along parts of its body. He let out a soft shrill sound, as though it were on the verge of screaming. Eryk did his best to ignore the cry, and focused on Entei instead.
"Hyper Beam," he spoke. Entei shot the powerful beam towards Virizion, who didn't seem to have the energy to jump out of the way. The attack landed, sending Virizion back into Katia. She was unprepared for the pokémon, and they both crashed into the side of the wall. Virizion was out, and so was Katia. She deserved far worse than that, however; Eryk wasn't too concerned. He spared a glance towards Entei who seemed a little worn out. The embers falling from his coat, weren't as vibrant as they were, and his breathing looked a little shallow.
Thank you, he spoke. Entei collapsed just before Eryk could recall him. He wasn't out, but it was apparent that Entei needed to rest. Eryk managed to go to his side, and ran his hand through the beast's coat. We're almost finished, he spoke watching as Entei lifted his gaze.
And you still have a promise to keep, he replied back. Eryk nodded. He had a lot of promises to keep, but at the moment, there was only one that was the most important. The one he'd promised to keep above all others.
Ana.
"You are in no position to bark orders, Nero," she spat back. He didn't need this from her. Without giving her a response, he threw the ball out into the open, watching as Milotic appeared with a soft trilling sound. She looked just as ready as he did to battle. She was usually more passive, more calm.
"Scald," he commanded, watching as the jet of hot water sprayed from her mouth. Nidoking was too slow to move completely out of the way, but Milotic managed to scrape him. He hissed in slight pain before he turned on her.
"Supersonic," Katia was probably going for confusion. It would be easier for her to attack a pokémon that wasn't exactly capable of defending itself, if it landed. He couldn't allow that.
"Hypnosis," he ordered. At least that way the two attacks would cancel each other out, somehow. Milotic obliged, the soft trill of her song penetrating the air. Nidoking somehow managed to avoid the attack, but so did Milotic. Scald, he would continue in a way that Katia couldn't follow. Milotic released the jet of stream, again, this time, catching Nidoking off guard. He blocked most of the oncoming stream with his arms, however; the steam that coated them meant that his arms were burnt.
"Thunderbolt," Katia commanded. Eryk pursed his lips further together. If the attack landed, it would seriously hurt Milotic. Nidoking's body began crackling before he released the attack. He tried to get Milotic to avoid the damage, however; she wasn't quick enough. Her trills echoed in his ears as he tried to think of something for her.
"Milotic, Ice Beam," he commanded once Nidoking's attack wore off. She managed to lift herself up and attacked him, catching his feet. She froze them to the floor, and Eryk watched as Nidoking struggled to get out of his temporary restraints. "Hydro Pump," he spoke, watching as Milotic shot out a powerful burst of water. It pushed Nidoking back, breaking him free of his restraints, however; the attack hit pretty hard, and Nidoking struggled to get up.
"Finish it with Dragon Breath," he spoke. Nidoking hit the side of the wall with the force of her attack, and he went down. Surprise flashed across Katia's face as her pokémon went down. This wasn't going as fast as he'd hoped it would. Almost as if sensing his temporary distraction, Katia sent out her Alakazam.
"Psybeam," she ordered, and Alakazam obeyed. He attacked Milotic, who couldn't move out of the way in time. It was a direct hit. "Use Thunder Punch, now," she continued. Milotic was still recovering from the first attack that, when the second one landed, she was down. She couldn't get back up. Pursing his lips together, Eryk threw another ball into the fray. Gengar appeared. "Really? You know he doesn't stand a chance against Alakazam," she seemed almost haughty about his decision.
"Be that as it may, I have something you don't," he replied, pulling out the gift Ana had given him. Gengar nodded before he began to glow. He hadn't been able to use Ana's gift during his tournament, but he had reason to use it now. Gengar evolved into his mega form, and he looked just as menacing as Eryk currently did. Katia seemed slightly surprised, but she recovered quickly enough.
"Doesn't mean anything, Nero. You're still going to lose. Zen Headbutt!" she commanded. Alakazam obliged, charging psychic energy to his head before he charged Gengar.
"Ice Punch," he spoke, watching as the ice formed around Gengar's hand. The attacks met, however; Gengar was able to push Alakazam back, far enough that Katia looked slightly pissed. Good. He wanted her to be angry. Eryk wasn't usually one to taunt his enemies, however; Katia deserved it. He was able to win that battle and the next one against her Arbok. If Eryk hadn't considered how serious the battle was, he would have figured Gengar was having too much fun. Gengar kept his grin on his face, and didn't let it falter, even when he'd been attacked by Arbok. By that time, Gengar was fatigued, his mega evolution had dispersed, and Eryk could see how worn out he was.
He was likely to lose the next fight.
"Shadow Claw," she commanded, and Nidoqueen's claw began to glow a dark color. She attacked Gengar with it who did his best to dodge, however; it wasn't easy, and she caught him. He was too weak to get back up. Eryk cursed beneath his breath as he sent out Zoroark. Zoroark would be his only advantage, however; there was a chance that Katia's nidoqueen would have an attack that could seriously hurt Zoroark.
"Extrasensory," he commanded, watching as Zoroark's eyes began glowing softly, and a blast of psychic energy was lashed towards Nidoqueen, knocking her back. She rolled before landing to her feet, and roared in Zoroark's direction. He didn't flinch, and only held her gaze.
"Focus Punch." Shit. The attack landed and Zoroark was knocked off his feet. He tumbled on the ground, rolling a few feet away before he managed to get back to his feet. He sneered at Nidoqueen and charged at her.
"Flamethrower," he stated, watching as Nidoqueen shook off the attack. He narrowed his eyes at the pokémon before she lunged at Zoroark again. It seemed like a few hours had passed as Zoroark and Nidoqueen went at each other, however; the reality was, was it had only been a few minutes. He was growing impatient.
"Finish it with Extrasensory," he commanded, watching as Zoroark's eyes glowed again.
"Flamethrower," Katia commanded just as Zoroark's attack landed. Unfortunately, Nidoqueen's attack also landed, causing Zoroark to pass out. Nidoqueen was down as well, and it didn't look like she'd be getting up. Eryk sighed a little too harshly as he reached for the next pokéball on his belt. It was down to Mankey and Entei, however; he wasn't entirely going to send out Entei quite yet. Eryk wasn't sure if Gregorovich was able to locate the other legendary pokémon. There was a good chance that he did, but Eryk couldn't be too sure. Katia sent out her Glaceon and watched as he trilled happily. He was probably excited to be battling again. From his side, Eryk could hear Princess Cinders roar followed by Gyarados. It seemed that everyone was battling just as hard as he was.
"Mankey, Karate Chop," he spoke, sending out his mankey. He would have the upper hand in type advantage, but that didn't mean much if a pokémon was raised to overcome that disadvantage. Mankey attacked Glaceon, however; Glaceon was a little too fast, and managed to dodge, landing an Iron Tail on Mankey. It sent him back, and he collided with the wall, however; Mankey was far from out. He jumped back to his feet, and glared at the glaceon, banging on his chest.
Again, Karate Chop, he spoke directly to Mankey this time. He couldn't have Mankey going on a rampage. He needed him to be cleared and focused on the battle, not the pokémon that was his opponent. He watched as the pokémon charged Glaceon.
"Ice Shard," Katia commanded. Immediately, Glaceon summoned shards of ice and hurled them in Mankey's direction. He tried to deflect them as best as he could, but some of the shards hit him square in the chest, causing Mankey to fall to his knees. This wasn't good. Mankey wasn't quite experienced like the others were, and he was still young.
Mankey, are you alright? he asked, watching as Mankey nodded his head. He was slightly worried about him, but they both knew that Ana was a priority right now. That was enough to fuel Mankey, or at least that's what Eryk could tell. Let Glaceon get in close. When he does, use Seismic Toss, he spoke. Mankey nodded and did just that. Glaceon tried to attack with another Iron Tail, however; Mankey was able to grab it, tossing it to the ground. It seemed to hurt the ice pokémon as it struggled to get up.
"Signal Beam!" Katia was sounding a little desperate.
Aerial Ace, it was the only move that would allow Mankey to avoid the attack quick enough, and manage to hit. Glaceon wasn't down, and managed to land one last Iron Tail on Mankey. Shit. This wasn't good at all. They were both down to their last pokémon. Even if he had Entei, there was no telling what pokémon she had. It could be anything, and he wouldn't know until she released it. She seemed angry that their battle had gone this way, but he didn't care. His only focus was getting to Ana.
Eryk, the Beast spoke into his mind, causing him to turn towards Entei. He narrowed his eyes softly as Entei stepped forward. Remember what it is you fight for. Your future, he spoke, roaring just loud enough to get Katia's attention. She didn't seem intimidated by the pokémon, and merely tossed her pokéball into the area. Eryk recognized the ball she'd thrown, and he cursed beneath his breath.
"Stone Edge!" she commanded the virizion. It didn't seem to happy, however; it obliged, lifting some stones from around them, and hurled them towards Entei. Entei managed to dodge them, however; one caught the back of his leg, and he hissed out in pain.
"Flamethrower," he spoke, watching as Entei allowed the stream of fire to escape his mouth. He chased Virizion with it, trying to catch the nimble pokémon, however; it was too fast to pin down. Despite his type advantage, Virizion was swifter. Eryk needed a way to keep it from moving too much.
"Extrasensory!" it was the only way he could get Virizion to stop moving long enough for Entei to actually attack. Entei's eyes glowed, and he managed to hit Virizion, however; Virizion was quick to recover.
"Giga Drain," she spoke, watching as Virizion glowed somewhat. Entei seemed to glow as well, and he could see the life being transferred from Entei, to Virizion. "Zen Headbutt!" she commanded, and Virizion's attack connected with Entei. It sent him back a few feet, and he fell over.
"Entei," he called out. Entei merely shook his coat out causing small embers to fall out and hit the ground. He glanced at Eryk, and they held each others gaze for a moment.
Perhaps I was wrong. You are not capable of protecting those you care about, nor your future. She will perish, because of you, Entei spoke, causing Ryk's jaw to lock. Entei was right. Even if they were down to their last pokémon, Eryk couldn't lose. Not here. Not now. Not ever.
"Fire Blast," he commanded, and Entei nodded. It was a risk he was willing to take. Fire Blast was rather large, but it would at least hit its mark if timed right. Eryk watched as Virizion moved about, trying to dodge Entei's attack, however; it couldn't dodge, and it was burned. It let out a painful cry, one that caused even Eryk to cringe. It wasn't Virizion's fault, however; he couldn't let up. He couldn't go easy on the pokémon just because it was innocent. He needed to get to Ana.
If he didn't...
"Extrasensory!" he couldn't let that happen. He wouldn't. Entei's attack landed, stronger than the last, and Virizion was down, but not out.
"Giga Drain, then use Sacred Sword," Katia commanded, watching as Virizion struggled to attack. The Giga Drain didn't have much effect on Entei, however; Virizion's horns began to glow. It charged Entei with them, landing squarely on his chest. The attack pushed him back a few feet, however; Entei managed to tangle himself with Virizion.
He was close enough to use, Flamethrower!
The flames spewed from Entei's mouth, coating Virizion entirely. Although the virizion wasn't entirely down, the attack had left it burned along parts of its body. He let out a soft shrill sound, as though it were on the verge of screaming. Eryk did his best to ignore the cry, and focused on Entei instead.
"Hyper Beam," he spoke. Entei shot the powerful beam towards Virizion, who didn't seem to have the energy to jump out of the way. The attack landed, sending Virizion back into Katia. She was unprepared for the pokémon, and they both crashed into the side of the wall. Virizion was out, and so was Katia. She deserved far worse than that, however; Eryk wasn't too concerned. He spared a glance towards Entei who seemed a little worn out. The embers falling from his coat, weren't as vibrant as they were, and his breathing looked a little shallow.
Thank you, he spoke. Entei collapsed just before Eryk could recall him. He wasn't out, but it was apparent that Entei needed to rest. Eryk managed to go to his side, and ran his hand through the beast's coat. We're almost finished, he spoke watching as Entei lifted his gaze.
And you still have a promise to keep, he replied back. Eryk nodded. He had a lot of promises to keep, but at the moment, there was only one that was the most important. The one he'd promised to keep above all others.
Ana.
Kas, unsurprisingly, found himself directly across the cave from Aidan. It was obvious that Remi would choose to try and torment Cyrilla further—just as obvious as it was that Katia would choose to battle Eryk. In some sense, then, the two of them were the ones with the lowest stake in this. On the other hand, though... Aidan had been with this iteration of Team Rocket since near its founding. And Kas could say without arrogance that he was the catalyst for this turn of events. He was certainly the one who'd been committed to bringing the organization down for the longest of those here.
This wasn't personal. It was worse than that—it was about ideas, ideas that could change everything for either of them.
"I had a feeling it would come to this," Aidan said, sighing and throwing a pokéball. His salamence emerged, stretching his crimson wings. There was enough space in this chamber for three pokémon battles at once, but no guarantee they wouldn't get in each others' way.
“Then letting us go was a pretty bad strategic decision on your part, wasn't it?" Kas rejoined, trying to get under his skin. He threw the ball he'd grabbed, releasing Sledge. The metang's eyes glowed for a brief moment before it settled back into a ready position.
Aidan scowled. "Not every decision is strategic." By some nonverbal cue, or perhaps simply on his own volition, Salamence stepped forward, releasing a jet of Dragon Breath at Sledge.
It clipped one of its arms, but Sledge got mostly clear. “Meteor Mash." As the pokémon flew in, both arms raised to bludgeon, Kas kept talking. “So why not let us past now? You know what he'll do if he gets hold of her. You can't think it's right."
One of the blows caught heavily on Salamence. At a command from Aidan, he retaliated with a Fire Fang.
Shit.
“Iron Defense!" Sledge, unable to move away in time, hardened his carapace against the attack. It helped a little, but there was no mistaking fire's effectiveness on his steely carapace, and he reeled backwards.
"It isn't." Aidan seemed to agree readily to that, unflinching even as Sledge mashed Salamence in the snout with a Zen Headbutt.
Kas wanted to press, but he didn't get the chance—he was too busy trying to keep Sledge in the fight. The match was more or less even, which meant that Sledge eventually lost, due to the type advantage of the Fire Fang move. By the time he had to recall him, though, Salamence was visibly exhausted, wings drooping.
Unlike a practice match, however, this one had to go until someone had no resistance left. Aidan didn't withdraw Salamence, and Kas didn't expect him to. Jaws was next out; two streams of Dragon Breath met in midair, and the fresh one was the won that overpowered the other, taking Salamence down and bringing them back to the same number of pokémon.
“Why, then? Why do this at all if you already know it's wrong?" He hadn't been conditioned by a crazy family to do this shit for a living. Or at least, Kas didn't think he had. So why continue long past the point where his conscience started to bother him? Maybe it didn't.
Aidan released his walrein, and Kas tried not to curse under his breath. This was a shitty matchup all the way around for Jaws. But withdrawing would give a free attack opportunity. It was illegal to take advantage of that in a league match, but this was real life, and Aidan would do it. Kas would, too, if that's what it took to win.
"Ice Beam." Walrein launched the attack, and Jaws just barely managed to scramble out of the way. Earthquake would have been the best option here, but he couldn't risk disrupting the other battles, so he was hobbled considerably. He opted for an Iron Tail instead.
The blow cracked into Walrein's flank, hitting heavily. Jaws jumped back, gnashing his teeth.
"Because flaws in the means aren't always flaws in the ends." Aidan said, almost too quietly to be part of the conversation. Perhaps he was trying to reassure himself. "People like you have come and gone, Kasimir. Organizations like yours rise and fall all the time, for better and worse reasons. And when they're all fighting over what's exactly right, which regulations to impose and which to eliminate, tied up in legal battles and bureaucratic bullshit, no one's actually paying attention to the reality of the situation."
It was clear his ire was rising. Walrein's next Ice Beam hit Jaws square in the chest, knocking him out. Kas hissed, withdrawing him and sending out Lily.
He hadn't told anyone but Ana, mostly because of how recent the change was, but she'd evolved—the pokémon he fielded against Aidan was a gardevoir. On his wrist, the stone he'd bought a couple of weeks prior grew warm; the one Lily wore glowed in response. She was enveloped in light.
When it faded, she'd taken on her mega form, growing taller. Her skirtlike body fringe grew and split, flowing to the ground like a gown.
“Let's go, Lily. Magical Leaf." The attack was a guaranteed hit, and the bladed leaves scored a heavy hit on Walrein. Its blubber seemed to protect it from the worst, though, and it his Lily a glancing blow with a powerful Hydro Pump that Kas had to avoid as well.
"You don't get it. If we don't step in and say how things are going to be, no one will actually do anything. They let little kids out into the world, by themselves, and no one thinks it's strange. No one considers the danger. To them and to the pokémon they aren't qualified to train. No one but us."
Kas groaned, picking himself back up off the floor where he'd fallen to duck the jet of water. His back was killing him. “Yeah, but there's a reason we tie it up in all that bureaucracy. It's so that no one can do what the boss is doing and just decide for everyone what the rules have to be." He certainly wasn't going to object on the front that trainers went out into the world too young. They did. He knew that better than most people.
His sister knew it better than anyone, and she'd been fifteen on hers.
The battle between Lily and Walrein dragged longer than Kas would have wanted, but another well-placed Magical Leaf took him out. Aidan replaced him with Manectric, who had a Mega Evolution of his own, one Aidan took advantage of right away.
“Psychic."
Lily sent a massive telekinetic burst towards Manectric, but he dodged aside in a blue of motion. Aidan had him counter with a thunderbolt, one that struck far too quickly to avoid. Lily was losing health fast.
“Draining Kiss," Kas said, hoping she'd be able to get close enough.
Fortunately she did, immobilizing Manectric just barely long enough with her telekinesis to drain some energy from him. She straightened afterwards, throwing herself to the side to avoid another thunderbolt, which struck the ground hard enough to leave a scorch mark and kick up chunks of debris.
“Psychic, then Ice Punch."
She got him with the first attack, but the pin was unsuccessful, and her attempt to punch ran into a problem.
"Wild Charge!" The blow connected hard; Lily collapsed to the ground, her mega-evolution fading away.
Kas grimaced and withdrew her, sending Kaiser out in her stead. His absol had a mega-evolution of his own, one that Kas applied immediately.
They clashed in midair, both leaping forward at the same time. Kaiser's Night Slash connected, but so did the Wild Charge. Both were thrown backward. Kaiser was back on his feet first. “Psycho Cut, quickly."
"Signal Beam," Aidan growled.
“Shit, move!" Kaiser leaped left on his next landing. The signal Beam clipped him in one of his back legs; immediately he raised it, pulling it off the ground and refusing to put any more weight on it.
"Headbutt." Manectric closed in; with only three functioning legs, Kaiser wouldn't be able to get out of the way in time.
Kas knew he couldn't dodge; the only option was to meet the attack head-on. “Megahorn."
The pokémon collided with a sickening thud. Kaiser was forced backwards, but he dug his claws in hard, holding his position after a couple inches of give.
Manectric, on the other hand, collapsed sideways. The impact had knocked him out.
Scizor was next up, mega-evolved like most of Aidan's team. Given Kaiser's existing injuries, it was no surprise to Kas that one X-Scissor was enough to end the match.
He was down to two pokémon, including Raikou. The Beast, however, did not seem inclined to join the battle yet. Kas trusted its instincts and reached for the last pokéball on his belt. His oldest friend.
His mouth curled at the corners. He'd named her what he had so that he remembered never to take either of them too seriously. It was hard not to smile when he called her out, after all. “Let's go, Princess Cinders."
Even Aidan snorted. Kas only grinned wider. Because as ridiculous as her name was, the pokémon herself was ridiculously strong. She emerged from her ball with a roar, one echoed some distance to his left by Gyarados. Given the size of the latter, Kas and Aidan shifted their battle slightly to their left.
Theoretically, she too could mega-evolve. He'd even acquired the right stone. The thing was, she refused to do it. Kas had a feeling she felt she was plenty strong enough without resorting to such methods. He supposed they'd find out if that was true, one way or another.
It certainly didn't take her long to defeat Scizor. Even mega-evolved, he couldn't hold out against the sheer power of her flames, though he hit her with a pretty heavy Night Slash before he went down.
Aidan's mega Venusaur also had a type disadvantage, but not as much of one. It was made even tougher by his protective coating of blubber, which increased his resistance to heat well above that of a normal grass-type. He was also clearly Aidan's first pokémon—there was a certain smoothness to their coordination that was hard to miss. But then... Kas and Princess had the same smoothness. A little tougher given her temperamental nature, but she listened to him, and he to her.
They weren't going to lose. They couldn't.
"Sludge."
Princess dodged the initial burst of toxic gunk, taking to the air. There was limited room for such maneuvers here, though, and she couldn't get entirely out of Venusaur's range at any point. This was a fact that became especially clear when Aidan had his pokémon use Bind to try and pin her wings to her side.
She got mostly clear, but one of his vines still wrapped tightly around her back leg, yanking and slamming her hard to the floor. She hit hard enough to shake the ground under his feet. Kas grit his teeth, keeping himself intentionally calm.
“Burn it off." She was only too happy to oblige, a jet of blueish fire bursting from behind her teeth and singeing the vine wrapped around her until it snapped off.
Venusaur recoiled in pain. They took advantage.
“Air Cutter."
When Princess stood, he could see that one of her wings was bent at an awkward angle, probably broken. His blood boiled, but he clamped down on the anger and smothered it. She flapped the other one, sending a blade of air towards Venusaur. Since he was still recovering from the last blow, it caught him full in the face, splitting the flower on his forehead right down the middle.
He put up a serious a fight, but Princess was mad as Hell, and there was no stopping her. She was reeling by the time he fell, but she stood tall even when he was recalled.
Aidan was scowling just as deeply as Kasimir was by that point. He threw the las ball on his belt with a sharp motion. "Cobalion."
So they had captured the Swords of Justice.
Cobalion was the blue one, a Steel- and Fighting-type. Kas had read up on them all in preparation for this, an intelligence report compiled for him by one of the KPSF agents. Princess was in an excellent place in terms of type matchups, but she was also already nearly down. They needed to do whatever they could, because the rest was going to come down to Raikou, a pokémon Kas didn't know nearly as well.
“Flamethrower."
Cobalion charged at the same time as Princess exhaled. It was fast; the attack only just hit it. But it remained undeterred in its charge.
"Retaliate."
Fuck.
The blow was an awesome one; there was clearly a reason why this pokémon was considered a legend. Princess stubbornly fought to keep her feet, letting out a loud roar that hit Kas directly in his heart. She was fighting her damndest for him; he knew that. His hand curled into a fist. Unable to watch her take another blow, he flicked his glance to Raikou and nodded.
The beast leaped, planting himself between the combatants while Kas withdrew his charizard.
“It's been a Hell of a rematch, Aidan, but I think it's time to end it." Ana was still in there, and who knew what had happened by now?
"My thoughts exactly. Sacred Sword."
Cobalion reared back and charged, its feet thundering on the ground.
“Discharge!"
Raikou bounded forward to meet the attack, the electricity crackling in its fur building and snapping with a sound like a strange chirping, almost. They slammed into one another, sparks flying far enough to hit the other parts of the cave, where his friends were battling with their own legendary partners.
"Close Combat!"
“Extrasensory!"
Cobalion reared back, trying to knock Raikou with its hooves, but the beast stopped it in midair, sheathing it in psychic energy that stopped it dead, then threw it several feet back. Unfortunately, its dual-type protected it from a super-effective blow, but that was fine. They could compensate.
Cobalion landed hard, digging its hooves into the ground to stop itself from skidding too far back. At Aidan's command, it reversed its momentum with powerful movements of its leg muscles, and charged forward for a take down. Kas used the Discharge trick again; both pokémon staggered from the force of the impact. Raikou was panting, its breath moving in and out like air from a bellows. But it steadied itself first.
That was all Kas needed. “Thunder."
The pillar of electricity connected hard with the struggling Cobalion, knocking it to its knees, and one last Extrasensory put it down before it could recover.
He'd won.
He'd really beaten Aidan.
"Congratulations," said the man called Moltres. "Right or wrong, you're stronger than I am. So your vision is the one that will win... if you can stop Gregorovich."
“And you won't resist arrest?" Kas unhooked a pair of handcuffs from his belt. He had several more—and two pairs had Remi and Katia's names on them, for sure.
Aidan huffed softly, shaking his head. "Resist? No. Truthfully, I'm glad it's finally over. I suspect I owe dues. I'll have to pay them, like everyone on the losing side of a war."
He indeed did not resist when Kass cuffed him. He did so in front rather than behind out of respect, though he did take care to make them tight enough that escape would be impossible.
“Who knows?" He replied. “If you're as talkative to my superiors as they want you to be, you might be able to pay your dues in information, instead of time." If any of the Birds deserved a plea deal, it was probably Aidan. “But you have the right to remain silent."
This wasn't personal. It was worse than that—it was about ideas, ideas that could change everything for either of them.
"I had a feeling it would come to this," Aidan said, sighing and throwing a pokéball. His salamence emerged, stretching his crimson wings. There was enough space in this chamber for three pokémon battles at once, but no guarantee they wouldn't get in each others' way.
“Then letting us go was a pretty bad strategic decision on your part, wasn't it?" Kas rejoined, trying to get under his skin. He threw the ball he'd grabbed, releasing Sledge. The metang's eyes glowed for a brief moment before it settled back into a ready position.
Aidan scowled. "Not every decision is strategic." By some nonverbal cue, or perhaps simply on his own volition, Salamence stepped forward, releasing a jet of Dragon Breath at Sledge.
It clipped one of its arms, but Sledge got mostly clear. “Meteor Mash." As the pokémon flew in, both arms raised to bludgeon, Kas kept talking. “So why not let us past now? You know what he'll do if he gets hold of her. You can't think it's right."
One of the blows caught heavily on Salamence. At a command from Aidan, he retaliated with a Fire Fang.
Shit.
“Iron Defense!" Sledge, unable to move away in time, hardened his carapace against the attack. It helped a little, but there was no mistaking fire's effectiveness on his steely carapace, and he reeled backwards.
"It isn't." Aidan seemed to agree readily to that, unflinching even as Sledge mashed Salamence in the snout with a Zen Headbutt.
Kas wanted to press, but he didn't get the chance—he was too busy trying to keep Sledge in the fight. The match was more or less even, which meant that Sledge eventually lost, due to the type advantage of the Fire Fang move. By the time he had to recall him, though, Salamence was visibly exhausted, wings drooping.
Unlike a practice match, however, this one had to go until someone had no resistance left. Aidan didn't withdraw Salamence, and Kas didn't expect him to. Jaws was next out; two streams of Dragon Breath met in midair, and the fresh one was the won that overpowered the other, taking Salamence down and bringing them back to the same number of pokémon.
“Why, then? Why do this at all if you already know it's wrong?" He hadn't been conditioned by a crazy family to do this shit for a living. Or at least, Kas didn't think he had. So why continue long past the point where his conscience started to bother him? Maybe it didn't.
Aidan released his walrein, and Kas tried not to curse under his breath. This was a shitty matchup all the way around for Jaws. But withdrawing would give a free attack opportunity. It was illegal to take advantage of that in a league match, but this was real life, and Aidan would do it. Kas would, too, if that's what it took to win.
"Ice Beam." Walrein launched the attack, and Jaws just barely managed to scramble out of the way. Earthquake would have been the best option here, but he couldn't risk disrupting the other battles, so he was hobbled considerably. He opted for an Iron Tail instead.
The blow cracked into Walrein's flank, hitting heavily. Jaws jumped back, gnashing his teeth.
"Because flaws in the means aren't always flaws in the ends." Aidan said, almost too quietly to be part of the conversation. Perhaps he was trying to reassure himself. "People like you have come and gone, Kasimir. Organizations like yours rise and fall all the time, for better and worse reasons. And when they're all fighting over what's exactly right, which regulations to impose and which to eliminate, tied up in legal battles and bureaucratic bullshit, no one's actually paying attention to the reality of the situation."
It was clear his ire was rising. Walrein's next Ice Beam hit Jaws square in the chest, knocking him out. Kas hissed, withdrawing him and sending out Lily.
He hadn't told anyone but Ana, mostly because of how recent the change was, but she'd evolved—the pokémon he fielded against Aidan was a gardevoir. On his wrist, the stone he'd bought a couple of weeks prior grew warm; the one Lily wore glowed in response. She was enveloped in light.
When it faded, she'd taken on her mega form, growing taller. Her skirtlike body fringe grew and split, flowing to the ground like a gown.
“Let's go, Lily. Magical Leaf." The attack was a guaranteed hit, and the bladed leaves scored a heavy hit on Walrein. Its blubber seemed to protect it from the worst, though, and it his Lily a glancing blow with a powerful Hydro Pump that Kas had to avoid as well.
"You don't get it. If we don't step in and say how things are going to be, no one will actually do anything. They let little kids out into the world, by themselves, and no one thinks it's strange. No one considers the danger. To them and to the pokémon they aren't qualified to train. No one but us."
Kas groaned, picking himself back up off the floor where he'd fallen to duck the jet of water. His back was killing him. “Yeah, but there's a reason we tie it up in all that bureaucracy. It's so that no one can do what the boss is doing and just decide for everyone what the rules have to be." He certainly wasn't going to object on the front that trainers went out into the world too young. They did. He knew that better than most people.
His sister knew it better than anyone, and she'd been fifteen on hers.
The battle between Lily and Walrein dragged longer than Kas would have wanted, but another well-placed Magical Leaf took him out. Aidan replaced him with Manectric, who had a Mega Evolution of his own, one Aidan took advantage of right away.
“Psychic."
Lily sent a massive telekinetic burst towards Manectric, but he dodged aside in a blue of motion. Aidan had him counter with a thunderbolt, one that struck far too quickly to avoid. Lily was losing health fast.
“Draining Kiss," Kas said, hoping she'd be able to get close enough.
Fortunately she did, immobilizing Manectric just barely long enough with her telekinesis to drain some energy from him. She straightened afterwards, throwing herself to the side to avoid another thunderbolt, which struck the ground hard enough to leave a scorch mark and kick up chunks of debris.
“Psychic, then Ice Punch."
She got him with the first attack, but the pin was unsuccessful, and her attempt to punch ran into a problem.
"Wild Charge!" The blow connected hard; Lily collapsed to the ground, her mega-evolution fading away.
Kas grimaced and withdrew her, sending Kaiser out in her stead. His absol had a mega-evolution of his own, one that Kas applied immediately.
They clashed in midair, both leaping forward at the same time. Kaiser's Night Slash connected, but so did the Wild Charge. Both were thrown backward. Kaiser was back on his feet first. “Psycho Cut, quickly."
"Signal Beam," Aidan growled.
“Shit, move!" Kaiser leaped left on his next landing. The signal Beam clipped him in one of his back legs; immediately he raised it, pulling it off the ground and refusing to put any more weight on it.
"Headbutt." Manectric closed in; with only three functioning legs, Kaiser wouldn't be able to get out of the way in time.
Kas knew he couldn't dodge; the only option was to meet the attack head-on. “Megahorn."
The pokémon collided with a sickening thud. Kaiser was forced backwards, but he dug his claws in hard, holding his position after a couple inches of give.
Manectric, on the other hand, collapsed sideways. The impact had knocked him out.
Scizor was next up, mega-evolved like most of Aidan's team. Given Kaiser's existing injuries, it was no surprise to Kas that one X-Scissor was enough to end the match.
He was down to two pokémon, including Raikou. The Beast, however, did not seem inclined to join the battle yet. Kas trusted its instincts and reached for the last pokéball on his belt. His oldest friend.
His mouth curled at the corners. He'd named her what he had so that he remembered never to take either of them too seriously. It was hard not to smile when he called her out, after all. “Let's go, Princess Cinders."
Even Aidan snorted. Kas only grinned wider. Because as ridiculous as her name was, the pokémon herself was ridiculously strong. She emerged from her ball with a roar, one echoed some distance to his left by Gyarados. Given the size of the latter, Kas and Aidan shifted their battle slightly to their left.
Theoretically, she too could mega-evolve. He'd even acquired the right stone. The thing was, she refused to do it. Kas had a feeling she felt she was plenty strong enough without resorting to such methods. He supposed they'd find out if that was true, one way or another.
It certainly didn't take her long to defeat Scizor. Even mega-evolved, he couldn't hold out against the sheer power of her flames, though he hit her with a pretty heavy Night Slash before he went down.
Aidan's mega Venusaur also had a type disadvantage, but not as much of one. It was made even tougher by his protective coating of blubber, which increased his resistance to heat well above that of a normal grass-type. He was also clearly Aidan's first pokémon—there was a certain smoothness to their coordination that was hard to miss. But then... Kas and Princess had the same smoothness. A little tougher given her temperamental nature, but she listened to him, and he to her.
They weren't going to lose. They couldn't.
"Sludge."
Princess dodged the initial burst of toxic gunk, taking to the air. There was limited room for such maneuvers here, though, and she couldn't get entirely out of Venusaur's range at any point. This was a fact that became especially clear when Aidan had his pokémon use Bind to try and pin her wings to her side.
She got mostly clear, but one of his vines still wrapped tightly around her back leg, yanking and slamming her hard to the floor. She hit hard enough to shake the ground under his feet. Kas grit his teeth, keeping himself intentionally calm.
“Burn it off." She was only too happy to oblige, a jet of blueish fire bursting from behind her teeth and singeing the vine wrapped around her until it snapped off.
Venusaur recoiled in pain. They took advantage.
“Air Cutter."
When Princess stood, he could see that one of her wings was bent at an awkward angle, probably broken. His blood boiled, but he clamped down on the anger and smothered it. She flapped the other one, sending a blade of air towards Venusaur. Since he was still recovering from the last blow, it caught him full in the face, splitting the flower on his forehead right down the middle.
He put up a serious a fight, but Princess was mad as Hell, and there was no stopping her. She was reeling by the time he fell, but she stood tall even when he was recalled.
Aidan was scowling just as deeply as Kasimir was by that point. He threw the las ball on his belt with a sharp motion. "Cobalion."
So they had captured the Swords of Justice.
Cobalion was the blue one, a Steel- and Fighting-type. Kas had read up on them all in preparation for this, an intelligence report compiled for him by one of the KPSF agents. Princess was in an excellent place in terms of type matchups, but she was also already nearly down. They needed to do whatever they could, because the rest was going to come down to Raikou, a pokémon Kas didn't know nearly as well.
“Flamethrower."
Cobalion charged at the same time as Princess exhaled. It was fast; the attack only just hit it. But it remained undeterred in its charge.
"Retaliate."
Fuck.
The blow was an awesome one; there was clearly a reason why this pokémon was considered a legend. Princess stubbornly fought to keep her feet, letting out a loud roar that hit Kas directly in his heart. She was fighting her damndest for him; he knew that. His hand curled into a fist. Unable to watch her take another blow, he flicked his glance to Raikou and nodded.
The beast leaped, planting himself between the combatants while Kas withdrew his charizard.
“It's been a Hell of a rematch, Aidan, but I think it's time to end it." Ana was still in there, and who knew what had happened by now?
"My thoughts exactly. Sacred Sword."
Cobalion reared back and charged, its feet thundering on the ground.
“Discharge!"
Raikou bounded forward to meet the attack, the electricity crackling in its fur building and snapping with a sound like a strange chirping, almost. They slammed into one another, sparks flying far enough to hit the other parts of the cave, where his friends were battling with their own legendary partners.
"Close Combat!"
“Extrasensory!"
Cobalion reared back, trying to knock Raikou with its hooves, but the beast stopped it in midair, sheathing it in psychic energy that stopped it dead, then threw it several feet back. Unfortunately, its dual-type protected it from a super-effective blow, but that was fine. They could compensate.
Cobalion landed hard, digging its hooves into the ground to stop itself from skidding too far back. At Aidan's command, it reversed its momentum with powerful movements of its leg muscles, and charged forward for a take down. Kas used the Discharge trick again; both pokémon staggered from the force of the impact. Raikou was panting, its breath moving in and out like air from a bellows. But it steadied itself first.
That was all Kas needed. “Thunder."
The pillar of electricity connected hard with the struggling Cobalion, knocking it to its knees, and one last Extrasensory put it down before it could recover.
He'd won.
He'd really beaten Aidan.
"Congratulations," said the man called Moltres. "Right or wrong, you're stronger than I am. So your vision is the one that will win... if you can stop Gregorovich."
“And you won't resist arrest?" Kas unhooked a pair of handcuffs from his belt. He had several more—and two pairs had Remi and Katia's names on them, for sure.
Aidan huffed softly, shaking his head. "Resist? No. Truthfully, I'm glad it's finally over. I suspect I owe dues. I'll have to pay them, like everyone on the losing side of a war."
He indeed did not resist when Kass cuffed him. He did so in front rather than behind out of respect, though he did take care to make them tight enough that escape would be impossible.
“Who knows?" He replied. “If you're as talkative to my superiors as they want you to be, you might be able to pay your dues in information, instead of time." If any of the Birds deserved a plea deal, it was probably Aidan. “But you have the right to remain silent."
Remi was cackling, almost as if she found the whole situation funny. Maybe she did? Cyrilla didn't know, nor did she care to know. Remi was the source of all her pain, her anger, and her grief. Because of her, Kenshin had been hurt so badly, that he couldn't have battled again. Because of her, Cyrilla had lost her best friend. It was because of her that Kenshin was no longer here with her. He was gone, and it was her fault. Cyrilla clenched her fists softly, trying to push her own emotions to the side. She couldn't allow them to overcome her judgement. She needed to keep her head clear.
"Do you know that the last words he said were 'I love you... Cyrilla'? I don't know why he would say something like that right when he was being crushed," Remi spoke, the same smile in her voice as it was on her face. Cyrilla felt her heart constrict so tightly, that it felt like it would burst. Did he really say that? Were those his final words? His final thoughts? After everything, he still thought of her before...
"Don't you dare talk about Kenshin. You have no right, you bitch," Cyrilla spoke, causing Remi's grin to grow wider. It was the most hostile Cyrilla had ever felt, even when Harper told her of the woman who hurt Kas. She wanted to cause pain to Remi, to make her pay for what she did to Kenshin, however; she had to keep her head level. She reached for a pokéball on her wrist, pulling it forward as she waited for Remi. Eryk's battle had just begun, and he was commanding his pokémon with such fervor that Cyrilla wasn't sure if that was the same Eryk she'd known before.
"Oh relax, Cy-Cy, he died quickly. Honestly, I thought Runt would take his time, but it seems that he was merciful enough," Remi was baiting her, Cyrilla could feel it. "But I'm not so sure how merciful we'll be this time," she spoke, the grin nearly splitting her face. She grabbed her own pokéball, and tossed it. It was her zebstrika that appeared. "Go, Sparkles!" she commanded, though she gave no specific attack.
Cyrilla barely managed to summon Lithe when Sparkles attacked her. It seemed that Remi wanted the zebstrika to attack her personally. If it weren't for Lithe, who managed to jump in the zebstrika's path, she was certain the pokémon would have finished with its Take Down. "Lithe! Dragon Pulse," she commanded. Lithe immediately attacked, releasing a pulse of draconic energy. Zebstrika jumped back, dodging it effortlessly. "Again, Lithe!" she spoke.
"Oh, don't be like that, my little white pidove. You'll give away your strategy before we even begin to have fun! Wild Charge!" she spoke. Sparkles surrounded himself in electricity before he charged Lithe. They both connected, however; it was obvious that the attack put a dent in Lithe. He stumbled backwards, some static remaining in his coat. He was partially paralyzed. Cyrilla could feel her eyes widen slightly, and the same bout of fear rise in her throat. She felt paralyzed herself.
"Oh? Don't tell me you've already given up? C'mon, Cy-Cy, you're supposed to be giving me a challenge! Look at your friends, they're doing better than you are, and they're still on their first pokémon," Remi's voice cut through her, and it felt like Cyrilla was being split in half. Her friends were doing better because they were the trainers. They were the ones who battled for a living, who'd enjoyed doing it, however; Cyrilla didn't. She didn't like the idea of pitting pokémon against pokémon, making them hurt each other. She wasn't a trainer.
The thought weighed heavily on her, that even Lithe's pained cries did little to sway her. She was still paralyzed with fear, and every cry Lithe made, caused her to withdraw further into herself. She couldn't do this. Lithe was getting hurt just like Kenshin was.
And if you don't do something, you'll lose him just like your friend, Suicune's voice penetrated through the cloud of fear, strong and forceful. She glanced in his direction, before turning her attention back to the battle. Sparkles released a Thunderbolt, catching Lithe in the hind legs as he attempted to dodge. It was apparent that the paralysis was getting to him, however; Suicune was right. If she didn't do something, she was going to lose Lithe, too.
"Lithe! Toxic!" she spoke, watching as the purple goo formed in Lithe's mouth before he expelled it towards Sparkles. It landed, and the zebstrika was sufficiently stopped before it could collide with another Take Down. "Use Flame Wheel!" she continued. Lithe surrounded himself with a wheel of flame before he charged Sparkles, connecting his shoulder with the other pokémon. It sent Sparkles back, flipping a bit so that he landed on his back. It took him a second before he could roll back onto his feet, and without waiting for Remi's command, he attacked Lithe.
"Let it get in close, and use Crunch!" she commanded, waiting for Sparkles to get in close. When it did, Lithe managed to clamp his jaws around the back of Sparkles's neck, close to the withers, and looked like his teeth punctured skin. Cyrilla almost felt bad about it, however; she knew Remi wouldn't have, nor would the zebstrika that had tried to attack her before she could summon Lithe. He pulled hard on Sparkle's neck, swinging the zebstrika behind him. "Dragon Pulse!" Cyrilla wasn't going to give the zebstrika time to get back up.
"Well, it looks like the little white pidove's grown a back bone. She's actually fighting back this time. I wonder, would your precious lucario still be here if you'd done so during our first battle?" Remi spoke, seemingly unfazed by the fact that her zebstrika was slightly bleeding on his neck. "Because frankly—
"I told you to shut up! You don't get to talk about Kenshin!" Cyrilla nearly spat. She could feel her anger rising again, and she knew Remi was doing it on purpose. She was trying to get Cyrilla to act on her emotions rather than logic. But maybe... maybe that's what she needed to do. Maybe she needed to act on those emotions, the hurt, the anger, the pain, the grief. All of it. She wanted to avenge her best friend, her sister, and Kas. She wanted to make them pay for what they did to them.
"Oh, so now I get to see this side of you. I always wondered what you would look like when you were angry. I never thought it'd be so pretty. Shades, Play Rough," she almost growled the last word, as if she were trying to imitate the low growl of the word rough. "Lover boy over there certainly knows how to," she continued, winking in Kas's direction. Cyrilla furrowed her brows in confusion. What was she talking about? "Oh? You didn't know? I'm surprised, I thought you would have known. Lover boy and I have had plenty of rough nights. Honestly, I kind of miss them. Maybe I'll get him to entertain me one more time," the grin on her face grew malicious as Cyrilla felt her heart stop beating.
Now isn't the time to be thinking about things like that, Cyrilla. You need to focus. Did I misplace my trust in you? once again, Suicune's thoughts tore into her mind, forcefully shoving their way into her mind. Maybe he did? Who was she to kid? She wasn't strong. She wasn't... she wasn't anything he told her she was. She was... she swallowed the lump in her throat as Lithe cried in pain. She snapped her eyes in the direction he was in, and watched as Shades held onto Lithe's jugular, his Bite sinking further in.
"Lithe!" she cried, watching as Lithe tried to avail himself of the mightyena hanging on his neck. He was finally able to free himself, however; it was apparent to her that he wouldn't last much longer. He was in pain, and she'd been the cause of it. Because she was inadequate. Because she wasn't strong. Because she wasn't enough. "I'm sorry, Lithe," she spoke softly, watching as he fainted. Shades looked triumphant and stood over the arcanine. It looked like, however, Remi was telling him something. She couldn't hear it, however; all she saw was the mightyena reaching for Lithe's throat, as if to finish him off.
"Ice Beam!" she ordered just in time to throw Gyarados's ball into the battle. The red gyarados roared, the same time as Kas released Princess Cinders. She could tell by the charizard's roar. Gyarados managed to land the hit on Shades just before he could do what he intended to do.
"Oh, she's got her spark back, Shades. I guess she cares more about those pokémon more than she does Lover Boy. Certainly it must be so," she spoke, but Cyrilla did not yield. Remi was obviously trying to take away the things that mattered most to her. Her pokémon, her Kas, her friends. She wasn't going to let her. She'd already taken Kenshin from her. She couldn't allow anyone else to be hurt because of her inadequacy. She wouldn't.
"Dragon Pulse!"
"Counter with Dark Pulse!" Remi responded. The two attacks collided, however; Cyrilla was prepared. Using the smoke to her advantage, she managed to gain the advantage. Gyarados won the battle against mightyena, and the one against Bones, Remi's marowak. But he wouldn't be strong enough to continue. She could see how tired he was, trying to dodge Dewdrop's attacks, however; even he had his limits. He succumbed to his fatigue just as Dewdrop landed a Water Pulse.
Rapidash was no match against Dewdrop, and she fell just as quickly. She was left with Snow and Suicune. She couldn't risk Suicune, not yet. "Dazzling Gleam!" she ordered as Snow appeared, glowing brightly before releasing her attack. Dewdrop was barely able to dodge it, however; the attack grazed Dewdrop's back, and she hissed in pain.
"That wasn't nice, you know. You hurt my Dewdrop," Remi spoke, pouting just slightly. It looked like she was slightly serious about it, too. Cyrilla furrowed her brows at Remi. She didn't deserve to say that. Not after what Cyrilla went through.
"You don't get to say that. You don't get to say anything," she spoke, clenching her fists tightly. "Extrasensory!" she commanded. Snow attacked, and the dewgong was thrown a few good feet away. She collided with the wall, and didn't get up. It was only then, that Cyrilla realized that Runt was out of his pokéball, and charging towards Snow. He was using Aerial Ace.
"Snow! Ice Beam!" she spoke quickly, hoping Snow would be able to attack on time. It did, but it didn't seem to faze the tyrantrum. He kept charging until he hit Snow. Hard. She looked like she was struggling to get up, and from what Cyrilla could tell, her front leg might have been broken from the impact. She winced softly, however; she couldn't falter here. She had to keep pressing forward.
You. Not your friends.
Suicune's words echoed through her mind as she tried to steel herself. "Dazzling Gleam!" she ordered, watching as Snow attacked again. The attack hit hard on Runt, and it caused him to fall back a bit. He roared, shaking his head as he tried to charge Snow. She couldn't move as fast because of her leg, however; she managed to evade his Head Smash. "Do it Snow! Blizzard!" she had to time this right. Snow summoned the snow around her coat, and attacked Runt with it. "Follow it up with Ice Beam!" she continued, watching as Runt was frozen solid.
"What did you do to Runt!?" Remi seemed concerned now. Cyrilla merely narrowed her eyes.
"I'm showing him what you didn't for Kenshin. I'm showing him mercy," she spoke, her voice oddly calm and full of strength. It felt odd to Cyrilla, however; she wasn't going to waver from it. She wasn't Remi. She wasn't going to kill someone's pokémon just because she could. She wasn't a psychopath. She was Cyrilla Niav, a person who cared too much and wanted to protect everything she held dear.
"You bitch," Remi spat back, her brows furrowed, and for a moment, it looked like she was glaring at Cyrilla. Good. Now she could feel what Cyrilla had felt. "Bully! Hyper Beam!" she spoke, summoning her terrakion. It glanced between Remi and Cyrilla, a strange look upon its face. It didn't seem to want to follow through on that order. "Don't make me use it," she spoke, threatening terrakion with something. Whatever it was, it was enough to make it compliant, and it attacked Snow, knocking her out almost immediately.
"Snow!" Cyrilla called out, almost running out to her ninetales. She was only stopped when Suicune jumped in front of her, his face pulled into a serious expression.
You can't help her now. You need to focus on this, first, he spoke, his words oddly gentle in her mind. She glanced towards Snow, and then back up to him. He was right. If she neglected this battle, she'd lose. She couldn't lose.
"Alright. Please... please be careful," she spoke, looping her arms around his neck.
I am not the one who needs the words of encouragement. It is you, who needs to keep her resolve and her will. You promised you wouldn't lose it, and that you wouldn't lose. Show me that my trust in you was not misplaced, he spoke, stepping in front of her and facing terrakion. She nodded.
"Extreme Speed!"
"Focus Blast!"
The blast managed to knock Suicune off course, however; he still managed to ram his shoulder into terrakion's. "Hydro Pump!" she spoke. At this range, it would be hard for terrakion to evade it. She was counting on his slowness to give Suicune the advantage. And it did. The attack landed, pushing the terrakion far into the wall. It was a critical hit, but the terrakion didn't seem willing to go down.
"Bully, you better not lose. Close Combat!" Remi was growing angry. Cyrilla could hear it in her voice. Bully attacked Suicune, however; he managed to evade it. Suicune was swifter than the terrakion, and of that, Cyrilla was grateful.
"Extrasensory!" she commanded. The surge of psychic energy landed on Bully, sending him rolling on his back. "Give it up, Remi! You're not going to win this one," she spoke. She'd make sure of that. Remi merely glowered at her.
"Oh, but that's where you're wrong, pidove. I always win. Double Team and Sacred Sword!" she commanded. Bully began circling Suicune, and its horns began glowing. That wasn't a good sign. If they attacked the wrong one, then the real Bully could attack.
"Blizzard!" she spoke. At least with Blizzard, it'd attack all the clones in one go. It didn't work out so well, though, and the real Bully managed to attack Suicune. There was a sickening crack, and Cyrilla was sure something might have been broken. From the looks of it, Bully had attacked Suicune from the side. It probably broke his ribs. Cyrilla's eyes widened in a fearful manner. That had happened to Kenshin. Runt had cracked his ribs, and because of it, he wasn't able to battle. It was Kenshin all over again.
I love you, Cyrilla. You're my best friend.
Kenshin's words rang through her ears. He'd told her that the night he evolved into lucario. She could remember it so vividly. She could feel the warm tears hitting the back of her eyes. If what Remi said was true, if he truly said that before he... died, then she owed it to him to remember that love. To remember what it was, exactly, he died for: love.
"Hydro Pump!" she watched as Suicune attacked Bully with more fervor than he had before. It landed on the terrakion, sending it backwards once more. It didn't move.
"Bully! Get up!" Remi spoke, running over towards the terrakion. He still didn't move, however; it only seemed to further anger Remi. "I. Said. Get. Up!" she spoke each word as she kicked the terrakion. He still didn't move, however; Cyrilla could feel the anger bubbling up inside. She was attacking a pokémon that was fainted. She was attacking him because she'd lost. Cyrilla wasn't entirely sure what happened next. All she recalled was her legs moving, something painful hitting her jaw, and her hands hurting somewhat. She glanced down at Remi who looked to be sporting a swollen cheek and eye. She wasn't moving, however; she was alive.
I didn't see anything, Suicune spoke, walking next to her before taking a seat. He nudged her softly in the elbow, and she ran her hand through his cloud-like mane.
"I... I think, you were right, Suicune. I needed to win. Thank you," she spoke, falling to her knees, her arms wrapped around Suicune's neck. She won. She avenged Kenshin. And she won. Suicune remained where he was, allowing her to hang on to him. And she did so as if her life depended on it. There wasn't a lot of time, though.
They had to go after Ana.
"Do you know that the last words he said were 'I love you... Cyrilla'? I don't know why he would say something like that right when he was being crushed," Remi spoke, the same smile in her voice as it was on her face. Cyrilla felt her heart constrict so tightly, that it felt like it would burst. Did he really say that? Were those his final words? His final thoughts? After everything, he still thought of her before...
"Don't you dare talk about Kenshin. You have no right, you bitch," Cyrilla spoke, causing Remi's grin to grow wider. It was the most hostile Cyrilla had ever felt, even when Harper told her of the woman who hurt Kas. She wanted to cause pain to Remi, to make her pay for what she did to Kenshin, however; she had to keep her head level. She reached for a pokéball on her wrist, pulling it forward as she waited for Remi. Eryk's battle had just begun, and he was commanding his pokémon with such fervor that Cyrilla wasn't sure if that was the same Eryk she'd known before.
"Oh relax, Cy-Cy, he died quickly. Honestly, I thought Runt would take his time, but it seems that he was merciful enough," Remi was baiting her, Cyrilla could feel it. "But I'm not so sure how merciful we'll be this time," she spoke, the grin nearly splitting her face. She grabbed her own pokéball, and tossed it. It was her zebstrika that appeared. "Go, Sparkles!" she commanded, though she gave no specific attack.
Cyrilla barely managed to summon Lithe when Sparkles attacked her. It seemed that Remi wanted the zebstrika to attack her personally. If it weren't for Lithe, who managed to jump in the zebstrika's path, she was certain the pokémon would have finished with its Take Down. "Lithe! Dragon Pulse," she commanded. Lithe immediately attacked, releasing a pulse of draconic energy. Zebstrika jumped back, dodging it effortlessly. "Again, Lithe!" she spoke.
"Oh, don't be like that, my little white pidove. You'll give away your strategy before we even begin to have fun! Wild Charge!" she spoke. Sparkles surrounded himself in electricity before he charged Lithe. They both connected, however; it was obvious that the attack put a dent in Lithe. He stumbled backwards, some static remaining in his coat. He was partially paralyzed. Cyrilla could feel her eyes widen slightly, and the same bout of fear rise in her throat. She felt paralyzed herself.
"Oh? Don't tell me you've already given up? C'mon, Cy-Cy, you're supposed to be giving me a challenge! Look at your friends, they're doing better than you are, and they're still on their first pokémon," Remi's voice cut through her, and it felt like Cyrilla was being split in half. Her friends were doing better because they were the trainers. They were the ones who battled for a living, who'd enjoyed doing it, however; Cyrilla didn't. She didn't like the idea of pitting pokémon against pokémon, making them hurt each other. She wasn't a trainer.
The thought weighed heavily on her, that even Lithe's pained cries did little to sway her. She was still paralyzed with fear, and every cry Lithe made, caused her to withdraw further into herself. She couldn't do this. Lithe was getting hurt just like Kenshin was.
And if you don't do something, you'll lose him just like your friend, Suicune's voice penetrated through the cloud of fear, strong and forceful. She glanced in his direction, before turning her attention back to the battle. Sparkles released a Thunderbolt, catching Lithe in the hind legs as he attempted to dodge. It was apparent that the paralysis was getting to him, however; Suicune was right. If she didn't do something, she was going to lose Lithe, too.
"Lithe! Toxic!" she spoke, watching as the purple goo formed in Lithe's mouth before he expelled it towards Sparkles. It landed, and the zebstrika was sufficiently stopped before it could collide with another Take Down. "Use Flame Wheel!" she continued. Lithe surrounded himself with a wheel of flame before he charged Sparkles, connecting his shoulder with the other pokémon. It sent Sparkles back, flipping a bit so that he landed on his back. It took him a second before he could roll back onto his feet, and without waiting for Remi's command, he attacked Lithe.
"Let it get in close, and use Crunch!" she commanded, waiting for Sparkles to get in close. When it did, Lithe managed to clamp his jaws around the back of Sparkles's neck, close to the withers, and looked like his teeth punctured skin. Cyrilla almost felt bad about it, however; she knew Remi wouldn't have, nor would the zebstrika that had tried to attack her before she could summon Lithe. He pulled hard on Sparkle's neck, swinging the zebstrika behind him. "Dragon Pulse!" Cyrilla wasn't going to give the zebstrika time to get back up.
"Well, it looks like the little white pidove's grown a back bone. She's actually fighting back this time. I wonder, would your precious lucario still be here if you'd done so during our first battle?" Remi spoke, seemingly unfazed by the fact that her zebstrika was slightly bleeding on his neck. "Because frankly—
"I told you to shut up! You don't get to talk about Kenshin!" Cyrilla nearly spat. She could feel her anger rising again, and she knew Remi was doing it on purpose. She was trying to get Cyrilla to act on her emotions rather than logic. But maybe... maybe that's what she needed to do. Maybe she needed to act on those emotions, the hurt, the anger, the pain, the grief. All of it. She wanted to avenge her best friend, her sister, and Kas. She wanted to make them pay for what they did to them.
"Oh, so now I get to see this side of you. I always wondered what you would look like when you were angry. I never thought it'd be so pretty. Shades, Play Rough," she almost growled the last word, as if she were trying to imitate the low growl of the word rough. "Lover boy over there certainly knows how to," she continued, winking in Kas's direction. Cyrilla furrowed her brows in confusion. What was she talking about? "Oh? You didn't know? I'm surprised, I thought you would have known. Lover boy and I have had plenty of rough nights. Honestly, I kind of miss them. Maybe I'll get him to entertain me one more time," the grin on her face grew malicious as Cyrilla felt her heart stop beating.
Now isn't the time to be thinking about things like that, Cyrilla. You need to focus. Did I misplace my trust in you? once again, Suicune's thoughts tore into her mind, forcefully shoving their way into her mind. Maybe he did? Who was she to kid? She wasn't strong. She wasn't... she wasn't anything he told her she was. She was... she swallowed the lump in her throat as Lithe cried in pain. She snapped her eyes in the direction he was in, and watched as Shades held onto Lithe's jugular, his Bite sinking further in.
"Lithe!" she cried, watching as Lithe tried to avail himself of the mightyena hanging on his neck. He was finally able to free himself, however; it was apparent to her that he wouldn't last much longer. He was in pain, and she'd been the cause of it. Because she was inadequate. Because she wasn't strong. Because she wasn't enough. "I'm sorry, Lithe," she spoke softly, watching as he fainted. Shades looked triumphant and stood over the arcanine. It looked like, however, Remi was telling him something. She couldn't hear it, however; all she saw was the mightyena reaching for Lithe's throat, as if to finish him off.
"Ice Beam!" she ordered just in time to throw Gyarados's ball into the battle. The red gyarados roared, the same time as Kas released Princess Cinders. She could tell by the charizard's roar. Gyarados managed to land the hit on Shades just before he could do what he intended to do.
"Oh, she's got her spark back, Shades. I guess she cares more about those pokémon more than she does Lover Boy. Certainly it must be so," she spoke, but Cyrilla did not yield. Remi was obviously trying to take away the things that mattered most to her. Her pokémon, her Kas, her friends. She wasn't going to let her. She'd already taken Kenshin from her. She couldn't allow anyone else to be hurt because of her inadequacy. She wouldn't.
"Dragon Pulse!"
"Counter with Dark Pulse!" Remi responded. The two attacks collided, however; Cyrilla was prepared. Using the smoke to her advantage, she managed to gain the advantage. Gyarados won the battle against mightyena, and the one against Bones, Remi's marowak. But he wouldn't be strong enough to continue. She could see how tired he was, trying to dodge Dewdrop's attacks, however; even he had his limits. He succumbed to his fatigue just as Dewdrop landed a Water Pulse.
Rapidash was no match against Dewdrop, and she fell just as quickly. She was left with Snow and Suicune. She couldn't risk Suicune, not yet. "Dazzling Gleam!" she ordered as Snow appeared, glowing brightly before releasing her attack. Dewdrop was barely able to dodge it, however; the attack grazed Dewdrop's back, and she hissed in pain.
"That wasn't nice, you know. You hurt my Dewdrop," Remi spoke, pouting just slightly. It looked like she was slightly serious about it, too. Cyrilla furrowed her brows at Remi. She didn't deserve to say that. Not after what Cyrilla went through.
"You don't get to say that. You don't get to say anything," she spoke, clenching her fists tightly. "Extrasensory!" she commanded. Snow attacked, and the dewgong was thrown a few good feet away. She collided with the wall, and didn't get up. It was only then, that Cyrilla realized that Runt was out of his pokéball, and charging towards Snow. He was using Aerial Ace.
"Snow! Ice Beam!" she spoke quickly, hoping Snow would be able to attack on time. It did, but it didn't seem to faze the tyrantrum. He kept charging until he hit Snow. Hard. She looked like she was struggling to get up, and from what Cyrilla could tell, her front leg might have been broken from the impact. She winced softly, however; she couldn't falter here. She had to keep pressing forward.
You. Not your friends.
Suicune's words echoed through her mind as she tried to steel herself. "Dazzling Gleam!" she ordered, watching as Snow attacked again. The attack hit hard on Runt, and it caused him to fall back a bit. He roared, shaking his head as he tried to charge Snow. She couldn't move as fast because of her leg, however; she managed to evade his Head Smash. "Do it Snow! Blizzard!" she had to time this right. Snow summoned the snow around her coat, and attacked Runt with it. "Follow it up with Ice Beam!" she continued, watching as Runt was frozen solid.
"What did you do to Runt!?" Remi seemed concerned now. Cyrilla merely narrowed her eyes.
"I'm showing him what you didn't for Kenshin. I'm showing him mercy," she spoke, her voice oddly calm and full of strength. It felt odd to Cyrilla, however; she wasn't going to waver from it. She wasn't Remi. She wasn't going to kill someone's pokémon just because she could. She wasn't a psychopath. She was Cyrilla Niav, a person who cared too much and wanted to protect everything she held dear.
"You bitch," Remi spat back, her brows furrowed, and for a moment, it looked like she was glaring at Cyrilla. Good. Now she could feel what Cyrilla had felt. "Bully! Hyper Beam!" she spoke, summoning her terrakion. It glanced between Remi and Cyrilla, a strange look upon its face. It didn't seem to want to follow through on that order. "Don't make me use it," she spoke, threatening terrakion with something. Whatever it was, it was enough to make it compliant, and it attacked Snow, knocking her out almost immediately.
"Snow!" Cyrilla called out, almost running out to her ninetales. She was only stopped when Suicune jumped in front of her, his face pulled into a serious expression.
You can't help her now. You need to focus on this, first, he spoke, his words oddly gentle in her mind. She glanced towards Snow, and then back up to him. He was right. If she neglected this battle, she'd lose. She couldn't lose.
"Alright. Please... please be careful," she spoke, looping her arms around his neck.
I am not the one who needs the words of encouragement. It is you, who needs to keep her resolve and her will. You promised you wouldn't lose it, and that you wouldn't lose. Show me that my trust in you was not misplaced, he spoke, stepping in front of her and facing terrakion. She nodded.
"Extreme Speed!"
"Focus Blast!"
The blast managed to knock Suicune off course, however; he still managed to ram his shoulder into terrakion's. "Hydro Pump!" she spoke. At this range, it would be hard for terrakion to evade it. She was counting on his slowness to give Suicune the advantage. And it did. The attack landed, pushing the terrakion far into the wall. It was a critical hit, but the terrakion didn't seem willing to go down.
"Bully, you better not lose. Close Combat!" Remi was growing angry. Cyrilla could hear it in her voice. Bully attacked Suicune, however; he managed to evade it. Suicune was swifter than the terrakion, and of that, Cyrilla was grateful.
"Extrasensory!" she commanded. The surge of psychic energy landed on Bully, sending him rolling on his back. "Give it up, Remi! You're not going to win this one," she spoke. She'd make sure of that. Remi merely glowered at her.
"Oh, but that's where you're wrong, pidove. I always win. Double Team and Sacred Sword!" she commanded. Bully began circling Suicune, and its horns began glowing. That wasn't a good sign. If they attacked the wrong one, then the real Bully could attack.
"Blizzard!" she spoke. At least with Blizzard, it'd attack all the clones in one go. It didn't work out so well, though, and the real Bully managed to attack Suicune. There was a sickening crack, and Cyrilla was sure something might have been broken. From the looks of it, Bully had attacked Suicune from the side. It probably broke his ribs. Cyrilla's eyes widened in a fearful manner. That had happened to Kenshin. Runt had cracked his ribs, and because of it, he wasn't able to battle. It was Kenshin all over again.
I love you, Cyrilla. You're my best friend.
Kenshin's words rang through her ears. He'd told her that the night he evolved into lucario. She could remember it so vividly. She could feel the warm tears hitting the back of her eyes. If what Remi said was true, if he truly said that before he... died, then she owed it to him to remember that love. To remember what it was, exactly, he died for: love.
"Hydro Pump!" she watched as Suicune attacked Bully with more fervor than he had before. It landed on the terrakion, sending it backwards once more. It didn't move.
"Bully! Get up!" Remi spoke, running over towards the terrakion. He still didn't move, however; it only seemed to further anger Remi. "I. Said. Get. Up!" she spoke each word as she kicked the terrakion. He still didn't move, however; Cyrilla could feel the anger bubbling up inside. She was attacking a pokémon that was fainted. She was attacking him because she'd lost. Cyrilla wasn't entirely sure what happened next. All she recalled was her legs moving, something painful hitting her jaw, and her hands hurting somewhat. She glanced down at Remi who looked to be sporting a swollen cheek and eye. She wasn't moving, however; she was alive.
I didn't see anything, Suicune spoke, walking next to her before taking a seat. He nudged her softly in the elbow, and she ran her hand through his cloud-like mane.
"I... I think, you were right, Suicune. I needed to win. Thank you," she spoke, falling to her knees, her arms wrapped around Suicune's neck. She won. She avenged Kenshin. And she won. Suicune remained where he was, allowing her to hang on to him. And she did so as if her life depended on it. There wasn't a lot of time, though.
They had to go after Ana.
Ana's feet pounded on the hard stone of the cave floor beneath her. She stumbled forward in near-complete darkness, pulled forward by a signal only she could receive, broadcast at a frequency too painful to ignore. Something—someone was suffering a pain she could scarcely understand.
And she knew a lot about pain.
It was in her lungs, pulling in breath and pushing it out again faster than her body could handle, but slower than it demanded. It was in her legs, weak and trembling, propelling her forward despite the protestations of her sore, aching muscles. It was in her head, which felt like it was being split open from the inside with the force of the feelings and agony being transmitted to her. The distress call thundered between her temples, throbbing at double the speed of her heartbeat, urging her faster, faster fasterfastersavemesavememakeitstop.
Some part of her knew this was a terrible idea. Knew she should not have left her friends behind. But she'd been practically pulled forward against her will, seized with the need to eliminate the suffering she felt from the other end of the unfamiliar connection.
As she ran, Ana reached to her belt, aware that what lay ahead was unlikely to be safe and hoping that Luna and Nova would be able to help. They ran ahead of her, Nova's eerie yellow rings illuminating the path just slightly.
All three of them burst into the cavern at the end of the uncovered passage. Ana gasped; it was beautiful. All over the walls were embedded glowing blue crystals of some kind, traced by bioluminescent lichen or moss in fainter green. Towards the far side of the cavern was a still pool of water. Standing at its edge was Gregorovich. A sceptile stood to his left, but to his right...
Ana had only to look at Mewtwo to know that he was the one who sent the distress signal. A big, heavy black collar was locked around his neck; she could see that it seemed to be attached directly to his skin with wicked-looking prongs. More than the physical pain it must be causing, though, was the disruption to the normal functioning of his powers. Electric disruption.
He seemed to have knocked the technician unconscious; a figure in a white lab coat was slumped several meters away. Gregorovich held some kind of control device in his left hand.
Ana tried to take it away with her telekinesis, but his grip on it was strong, and her powers were fading. She'd used too much of them already. They weren't an endless resource.
"Deeply ironic, that after going to so much trouble to escape me, you should fall so willingly back into my hands." Gregorovich raised an eyebrow at her. "Perhaps you, better than your small-minded compatriots, can see the purpose of all this pain?"
Ana pursed her lips. It was difficult to even remain upright, but she did it, locking her knees to prevent them from trembling. “Purpose?" she echoed softly. “What purpose could ever justify this?" Ana tried to keep her voice steady, tried to figure out how she could possibly help Mewtwo. That seemed like a good first priority.
Though his mind screamed unceasingly at her, his body was eerily still. Like it was entirely disconnected from whatever he thought or tried to do from the inside.
Gregorovich tsked, shaking his head with disappointment. At a mental command from Ana, Nova killed the light on his body and slid into a nearby shadow. Neither she nor Luna could conceal themselves so well, but there was a chance Nova hadn't been noticed yet.
"I think the future of the world as we know it is worth whatever price we in the present must pay, isn't it? Surely you must think so too. That's why you push your body to its limits, isn't it? You know you will die, and so you put yourself through even more pain so that the people you love will be safe and free in the future. It's admirable, even if they can't understand. We're alike, you and I."
She was taken aback by that. “I would never—"
"Ah," he said, smiling slightly. It looked almost kind. "But you would, I think. Your disregard for your own body proves that. If you had a choice between causing suffering now or letting so much more happen later, you would make the sacrifice. You would become the villain so that the world didn't need any more heroes. I am simply in a position to actually make that choice."
“But what do you want?" she asked, her tone almost pleading. To her, this all looked so senseless, but maybe if she knew where he was coming from, in his own terms, she could convince him there was another way. There was always another way.
Wasn't there?
"Have you no idea what you've been fighting against this whole time?" He sighed, shaking his head. "What I want is a world where no one need be harmed. Where children are safe at home until they are adults. Where pokémon never need suffer because of the inexperience or cruelty of humans. Where justice for offenders is swift, and not tied up in a thousand layers of red tape."
It... didn't sound horrible, in truth, but of course it wouldn't. It was the lie he was telling himself as well as her. Because what that last part really meant was that he would be the one to decide what justice was, and he would guarantee it through intimidation and threats. That would be no kind of good world at all, even if no one was hurt.
"Now... if you would be so kind as to stand aside, I am attempting to summon Mew here. Mewtwo is not eager to call to it, but that, I'm afraid, is something that can be fixed." He depressed the trigger on the device in his left hand.
The screaming in her mind crescendoed. Mewtwo's body was still motionless.
“Stop!" Ana cried, pain splitting her own head. She nearly doubled over. “You're hurting him!"
"That is the idea, yes. The device enables me to control Mewtwo's body, but unfortunately not its telepathy. I need to incentivize it to call Mew here." He paused, then glanced back up at her with narrowed eyes. "Actually... I believe you may be of some help with that, my dear. Perhaps you could convince it to call its companion here? Or do so yourself?"
Weakly, Ana shook her head. “I'm not letting you hurt any more pokémon."
Gregorovich clucked his tongue, shooting a glance at his sceptile. The pokémon nodded, vines growing from his back and lashing forward. Ana shrieked as she was picked up off the ground; one of the vines cut off the sound by wrapping around her throat.
"Happily, you do not need your voice to speak, do you, my dear?"
The vines pulled at her until she was spread-eagled vertically in the air, suspended a good ten feet off the ground primarily by her wrists, though others held her ankles in place so she couldn't struggle. The one around her neck was uncomfortably tight; she could barely breathe, let alone speak.
"Call it."
No. The vines tightened; Ana's vision went white for a long moment before fading back in.
"Very well. Perhaps your pain will be sufficient to convince Mewtwo to obey. It does like you, it seems."
Ana wasn't sure what he was talking about until she blinked a few times to clear her field of vision. She could see Mewtwo struggling against the device's hold. By this point, Luna and Nova were just as frantic in her mind as he was; they both made a charge for Sceptile, trying desperately to free her.
They didn't get there before Mewtwo intervened, apparently back under Gregorovich's control. He swatted them both hard in midair; together, they crashed against the cave wall.
No, please! Some combination of the pressure on her throat and the sight of her friends slumping to the floor of the cave brought the tears to her eyes. They flowed freely despite her inability to sob. Leave them alone, please.
"I told you, girl. I am fully prepared to embrace the role of villain. Summon Mew here. Now. Or the consequences will be dire."
Ana shuddered. I won't.
"Then you are of no use to me. Kill her."
The vine around her throat constricted. Ana choked.
Eryk. I—
She passed out before she could finish the thought.
And she knew a lot about pain.
It was in her lungs, pulling in breath and pushing it out again faster than her body could handle, but slower than it demanded. It was in her legs, weak and trembling, propelling her forward despite the protestations of her sore, aching muscles. It was in her head, which felt like it was being split open from the inside with the force of the feelings and agony being transmitted to her. The distress call thundered between her temples, throbbing at double the speed of her heartbeat, urging her faster, faster fasterfastersavemesavememakeitstop.
Some part of her knew this was a terrible idea. Knew she should not have left her friends behind. But she'd been practically pulled forward against her will, seized with the need to eliminate the suffering she felt from the other end of the unfamiliar connection.
As she ran, Ana reached to her belt, aware that what lay ahead was unlikely to be safe and hoping that Luna and Nova would be able to help. They ran ahead of her, Nova's eerie yellow rings illuminating the path just slightly.
All three of them burst into the cavern at the end of the uncovered passage. Ana gasped; it was beautiful. All over the walls were embedded glowing blue crystals of some kind, traced by bioluminescent lichen or moss in fainter green. Towards the far side of the cavern was a still pool of water. Standing at its edge was Gregorovich. A sceptile stood to his left, but to his right...
Ana had only to look at Mewtwo to know that he was the one who sent the distress signal. A big, heavy black collar was locked around his neck; she could see that it seemed to be attached directly to his skin with wicked-looking prongs. More than the physical pain it must be causing, though, was the disruption to the normal functioning of his powers. Electric disruption.
He seemed to have knocked the technician unconscious; a figure in a white lab coat was slumped several meters away. Gregorovich held some kind of control device in his left hand.
Ana tried to take it away with her telekinesis, but his grip on it was strong, and her powers were fading. She'd used too much of them already. They weren't an endless resource.
"Deeply ironic, that after going to so much trouble to escape me, you should fall so willingly back into my hands." Gregorovich raised an eyebrow at her. "Perhaps you, better than your small-minded compatriots, can see the purpose of all this pain?"
Ana pursed her lips. It was difficult to even remain upright, but she did it, locking her knees to prevent them from trembling. “Purpose?" she echoed softly. “What purpose could ever justify this?" Ana tried to keep her voice steady, tried to figure out how she could possibly help Mewtwo. That seemed like a good first priority.
Though his mind screamed unceasingly at her, his body was eerily still. Like it was entirely disconnected from whatever he thought or tried to do from the inside.
Gregorovich tsked, shaking his head with disappointment. At a mental command from Ana, Nova killed the light on his body and slid into a nearby shadow. Neither she nor Luna could conceal themselves so well, but there was a chance Nova hadn't been noticed yet.
"I think the future of the world as we know it is worth whatever price we in the present must pay, isn't it? Surely you must think so too. That's why you push your body to its limits, isn't it? You know you will die, and so you put yourself through even more pain so that the people you love will be safe and free in the future. It's admirable, even if they can't understand. We're alike, you and I."
She was taken aback by that. “I would never—"
"Ah," he said, smiling slightly. It looked almost kind. "But you would, I think. Your disregard for your own body proves that. If you had a choice between causing suffering now or letting so much more happen later, you would make the sacrifice. You would become the villain so that the world didn't need any more heroes. I am simply in a position to actually make that choice."
“But what do you want?" she asked, her tone almost pleading. To her, this all looked so senseless, but maybe if she knew where he was coming from, in his own terms, she could convince him there was another way. There was always another way.
Wasn't there?
"Have you no idea what you've been fighting against this whole time?" He sighed, shaking his head. "What I want is a world where no one need be harmed. Where children are safe at home until they are adults. Where pokémon never need suffer because of the inexperience or cruelty of humans. Where justice for offenders is swift, and not tied up in a thousand layers of red tape."
It... didn't sound horrible, in truth, but of course it wouldn't. It was the lie he was telling himself as well as her. Because what that last part really meant was that he would be the one to decide what justice was, and he would guarantee it through intimidation and threats. That would be no kind of good world at all, even if no one was hurt.
"Now... if you would be so kind as to stand aside, I am attempting to summon Mew here. Mewtwo is not eager to call to it, but that, I'm afraid, is something that can be fixed." He depressed the trigger on the device in his left hand.
The screaming in her mind crescendoed. Mewtwo's body was still motionless.
“Stop!" Ana cried, pain splitting her own head. She nearly doubled over. “You're hurting him!"
"That is the idea, yes. The device enables me to control Mewtwo's body, but unfortunately not its telepathy. I need to incentivize it to call Mew here." He paused, then glanced back up at her with narrowed eyes. "Actually... I believe you may be of some help with that, my dear. Perhaps you could convince it to call its companion here? Or do so yourself?"
Weakly, Ana shook her head. “I'm not letting you hurt any more pokémon."
Gregorovich clucked his tongue, shooting a glance at his sceptile. The pokémon nodded, vines growing from his back and lashing forward. Ana shrieked as she was picked up off the ground; one of the vines cut off the sound by wrapping around her throat.
"Happily, you do not need your voice to speak, do you, my dear?"
The vines pulled at her until she was spread-eagled vertically in the air, suspended a good ten feet off the ground primarily by her wrists, though others held her ankles in place so she couldn't struggle. The one around her neck was uncomfortably tight; she could barely breathe, let alone speak.
"Call it."
No. The vines tightened; Ana's vision went white for a long moment before fading back in.
"Very well. Perhaps your pain will be sufficient to convince Mewtwo to obey. It does like you, it seems."
Ana wasn't sure what he was talking about until she blinked a few times to clear her field of vision. She could see Mewtwo struggling against the device's hold. By this point, Luna and Nova were just as frantic in her mind as he was; they both made a charge for Sceptile, trying desperately to free her.
They didn't get there before Mewtwo intervened, apparently back under Gregorovich's control. He swatted them both hard in midair; together, they crashed against the cave wall.
No, please! Some combination of the pressure on her throat and the sight of her friends slumping to the floor of the cave brought the tears to her eyes. They flowed freely despite her inability to sob. Leave them alone, please.
"I told you, girl. I am fully prepared to embrace the role of villain. Summon Mew here. Now. Or the consequences will be dire."
Ana shuddered. I won't.
"Then you are of no use to me. Kill her."
The vine around her throat constricted. Ana choked.
Eryk. I—
She passed out before she could finish the thought.
Pure, unadultered rage filled Eryk. He'd felt it only briefly, but he could feel her mind against his. It was cut abruptly, though, and he glanced at the other two. They were running through the cave entrance where Ana had run off after Gregorovich, however; that brief connection, it was enough to push himself further. His legs carried him faster towards her, where she was. He left Kas and Cy behind him, his running and labored breath becoming more frantic.
Ana, hold on! I'm coming! he tried to reach her, but he couldn't. He couldn't sense her connection at all, and he could feel fear gripping his lungs. He couldn't breathe, but he wasn't concerned with his own well-being at the moment. All that mattered was that he reached her, and that she would be okay. The sight that greeted him, however, was almost heart-wrenching. Ana was still in the sceptile's hold, and from the looks of it, it was choking her. All Eryk could see was red. Ana looked like she was out cold, and that fear that gripped him turned into seething hot rage.
"Gregorovich!" he practically roared the man's name, and his glare was fixed on the man. He moved towards Sceptile, though. It wasn't the first time he'd ever attacked a pokémon, after all.
The lizardlike pokémon turned his yellow eyes on him. It was easy to tell that he was one of Gregorovich's—he had the same cold look in his eyes. Remorseless. He wasn't holding Ana with his arms or anything; rather, he had her unmoving form suspended in vines, several feet above him. She dangled limply in his hold. Not far away, Luna and Nova were laying motionless on the ground—clearly they'd been defeated trying to protect their trainer.
"Mewtwo." A purple-and-pink pokémon, vaguely feline in appearance but bipedal, stepped in between Eryk and Sceptile. It was wearing a heavy-looking metal collar of some kind, and regarded him with empty eyes. It stretched out a hand towards him, enveloping him in telekinetic energy and flinging him backwards. It released him before he hit a wall though, allowing him to control his own landing. It was hard to say why.
Gregorovich sighed. "Really, I tire of these interruptions. She tried to stop me too. What makes you think you'll be any more successful?"
Eryk narrowed his eyes at Gregorovich as he landed. Ana had tried to stop him? He glanced at her, being held in Sceptile's vines. It only made him more furious than he already was, however; he glanced back towards Gregorovich. To be honest, Ryk wasn't entirely sure if he'd be any more successful, however; that didn't mean he shouldn't try to be.
"What makes you think you've won? Just because you have Mewtwo doesn't mean anything. Legendary it may be, but even they have their weaknesses," he retorted. He spared a glance at the creature in the collar. Pathetic. A creature like you bound to some human. You couldn't even save yourself, or her. She risked her life to protect you, and this is how you repay her, he tried speaking directly to Mewtwo, however; he wasn't entirely sure if he could get through to it.
It didn't matter.
"And the reason why I'll be more successful is because I have them," he spoke, referring to his friends. He drew from them an odd kind of strength. He'd never have believed that something so simple, so small could do such a thing for him. To know that there were people out in the world willing to risk themselves for him, and for her, was a strange feeling. He'd even told Entei that he valued her more than life itself. He wasn't going to say he lied about it, because he didn't. He valued her more than life itself, and he'd prove that over and over again until he couldn't.
It as at that point that Kas and Cyrilla finally caught up, Raikou and Suicune in tow.
“What the fuck." Kas had just caught sight of Ana, and possibly of Mewtwo's condition as well.
Eryk could feel the pokémon's consciousness only faintly, but it seemed to be in a lot of pain, almost unable to form coherent thoughts because of it. It didn't seem to be in much of a position to help them, as it was.
Gregorovich spared them all a disdainful glance. "Three exhausted former subordinates of mine and their exhausted legendary pokémon. I am hardly cowed by such resistance." He tossed three pokéballs at once. From them emerged an aggron, a typhlosion, and a swampert. All of them were abnormally large for members of their species.
"You know what to do," he told them coldly.
All three moved forward as one.
"Entei, Flamethrower!" he commanded. He wasn't even going to hesitate with this battle. Cyrilla followed suit, commanding Suicune to use Hydro Pump. It didn't take them long to figure out which opponent was theirs. He'd steered Entei towards Aggron, Cyrilla steered Suicune towards Typhlosion, and he'd assumed Kas would take the Swampert.
He did, but not before speaking to Eryk. “Go," he said, “While Gregorovich is distracted with Mewtwo. You've got to get her down, or she'll suffocate. I'll keep an eye on Entei for the moment." Double battling wasn't exactly an unusual practice, after all.
He spared Entei a glance, and then towards Kas. He nodded his head. He didn't have time to battle. He had to get Ana down from Sceptile's hold, otherwise she'd suffocate. That dreadful feeling of fear washed over him again, and he turned back towards Sceptile. With Gregorovich distracted, Eryk took the opportunity to go after Sceptile again. He needed to get Ana. If he didn't... he'd lose her. And he wasn't ready for that. The same rebellious notion that had filled him that day, filled him again. He wasn't going to lose her, not after everything they've been through. He wasn't going to lose the only person he'd ever truly loved.
The only thing that stood in his way was how. How was he going to get Ana away from Sceptile? He wasn't as swift as the pokémon was, and he was tired. He wasn't quite exhausted, but he wasn't quite sure he'd have enough energy to do much. He needed to try, though. He didn't have any of his pokémon to help besides Entei, and it was currently busy battling the others. Nova and Luna were both out as well, but even if he could get to Ana, there was a very slim chance he'd grab a pokéball from her, however; he wasn't entirely sure how her other pokémon would hold up in battle. They've never seen battle except for Nova, or at least to his knowledge. He had to try something, though.
He went after Sceptile again.
As luck—or more likely, sheer determination—would have it, his route took him past where Luna and Nova had been knocked aside. As he approached, the rings on Nova's body started to glow faintly; they pulsed almost as if in time with his heartbeat. A moment later, the pokémon picked up his head, blinking bright red eyes and groggily looking around. His expression, so far as Eryk could read it, shifted quickly to one of alarm, and he staggered to his feet, poking at Luna with one of his paws.
She took a little longer to stand, and nearly lost her balance, but stand she did. Their eyes moved in unison from Ana, still suspended in the air, to Eryk.
What do you want us to do?
He glanced at the both of them and then towards Ana. If you can, Luna I need you to use Psychic on Sceptile. It'll be enough to restrain him, however; I don't think it'll be enough to restrain him for long, it wasn't that he doubted their strength. It was more-so that he knew Gregorovich's pokémon were at a much higher level than they were. He didn't want them to get hurt, however; he knew they were risking a lot to save their trainer, too. He would just have to believe that the both of them would be enough.
Nova, I need you to use Iron Tail to see if you can loosen its hold on her. If that doesn't work, use Swift, because at least Swift would hit even if Iron Tail didn't.
They nodded in synch with each other. Luna bounded forward lightly, the gem embedded into her forehead glowing for a moment as she focused her power. It shot towards Sceptile, locking him in place and bathing him in pink light.
Nova was hot on her heels. He leaped, his tail glowing brightly as he twisted in midair, aiming for the vines. He managed to snap one of them; the one holding Ana's right arm. Without that to support her, she fell several feet, caught only by the one on her other arm. His second attempt broke the one at her neck, preventing it from tightening any further.
Sceptile broke free of Luna's hold, however, knocking Nova away before he could do any more damage. He hissed at all three of them, lashing his tail forward and releasing sharp leaves from it. Nova countered with swift without being asked, knocking the majority of them out of the air, but both he and Luna were still unsteady on their feet. They wouldn't be able to fend him off for long.
Save her, Luna implored, returning her attention to Sceptile just in time to roll away from more Razor Leaves.
I will, because he needed to. He wasn't lying to Entei when he told the beast that she was his future. If he couldn't save her, then he had no future. It was bleak, and it was terrible. It was cold, distant, lonely, and he wasn't sure if he was ready for a world like that. He had accepted the fact that she may one day be gone, however; it wasn't going to be today. He wasn't going to lose her. While Sceptile focused on Luna and Nova, Eryk made an attempt, trying to get to Ana. She was hanging by her left arm.
He managed to get close to the sceptile, and when he was close enough, he reached for Ana. Wrapping an arm around her waist, he used the other one to grab onto the vine that held her still. It wasn't the best idea he'd ever had, but it was the only thing he could do. He twisted part of it around him, bringing the vine close to his mouth before he bit down. Hard. If it wanted him to let go, it was going to have to shake him loose, however; his grip on Ana was secured so that she wouldn't be in any danger of falling if it did release him. If it didn't, well, he'd endured worse beatings before.
Sceptile hissed louder, lashing his vines around, but they didn't seem to be strong enough to hold both Eryk and Ana's weight, and gradually, they drooped towards the ground. Apparently deciding to cut his losses, he withdrew them, closing both of the remaining functional ones over Luna and squeezing until she went slack in his hold. He tossed her away, where she collided hard against the wall.
This time, she did not rise.
Nova yowled, the hackles on his back rising. A cloud of shadow formed near his mouth, surging forward as a large Dark Pulse. It was enough to knock Sceptile off-balance—and to draw Gregorovich's attention.
He surveyed the scene with disdain, his lip curling faintly into a sneer. Across the room, Raikou finally dropped Swampert. Almost without looking, Eryk's former employer tossed his final pokéball onto the field, giving Kas and Cyrilla yet another foe to try and defeat. A tyranitar, this time.
But Gregorovich's own focus remained on Eryk and Ana, slack in his arms. She did not stir; it was impossible to say for sure without a closer examination, but neither her breath nor heartbeat was immediately detectable.
Nova did not even wait for him to speak before he charged, right for the man instead of his pokémon. Mewtwo intervened at a word from the Team Rocket boss, throwing an arm out. Nova, impervious to any kind of psychic damage, leaped, latching on to the other pokémon with his teeth, right at Mewtwo's wrist.
Nova, go for the collar. Use Iron Tail on it, he spoke. Nova was impervious to the psychic attacks Mewtwo would, undoubtedly, use. There was a chance that he could break the collar on Mewtwo, and set it free. It was a chance they had to take. They didn't have much time, either, it seemed. He was fearful of what might happen to Ana if he didn't get her somewhere soon. Somewhere like a hospital.
It took some doing, but Nova was willing enough to try, it seemed.
"Get it off, now," Gregorovich commanded, sounding urgent for the first time in the entire confrontation. Clearly, he did not want anything that close to the collar, even if he hadn't been able to hear the actual order Eryk gave.
Nova twisted his whole body, slamming his glowing tail against the collar just as Mewtwo threw him off. The side of the collar buckled, sparking, but did not break off entirely.
Still, it seemed to have had some effect; Gregorovich was briefly enshrouded in blue-purple light and thrown backwards, into the underground lake. That might have been enough to short out the control device, because Mewtwo reached up and snapped the collar off itself, crushing the pieces with more telekinesis.
Sceptile stepped forward; a powerful psychic blast sent him back into a wall. Mewtwo rounded on the others next, the ones still fighting Kas, Cy, and the beasts. All three of them were picked up off their feet and hurled away in a mighty display of power. Mewtwo's shoulders slumped; its chest rose and fell rapidly. But it straightened, shooting a glance at Eryk and Ana before its eyes began to glow.
Gregorovich finally broke the surface of the lake, gasping for air. Beneath him, the water took on a luminescent pink color, distinct from Mewtwo's purple. It seemed concentrated near the center. Eventually, Eryk was able to make out that it was an orb, maybe three feet in diameter, of what looked to be solid light.
Only when it broke the surface, completely bypassing Gregorovich, did it reveal itself for what it really was. It looked like a tiny, wholly-pink version of Mewtwo, without the more aggressive-looking features.
"Mew."
So this was the legendary pokémon, Mew. The one that Team Rocket, more specifically Gregorovich, was after. He stared at it, regarding Mew with the same expression he'd regarded everything else. He wasn't concerned, however; he shifted softly so that Ana was being held a little more delicately. He didn't know what else to do, so he did the only thing he could. He spoke.
Help her.
He wasn't sure if Mew even could, but it didn't matter. He had to try, to plead. He didn't care about his own well-being, nor the well-being of his friends at the moment. He knew they would understand, because right now, the only thing more important than all of them, was the woman in his arms. The woman he loved. Loved more than life itself because she had taught him that there were things in life to value. Things like friendship and dreams.
Mew drifted closer, undulating through the air in a way that was more like swimming than anything. Fluid. Like the air was just more water. It paused about a foot from Eryk, cocking its head inquisitively and looking at Ana. It blinked once, slowly, then moved in the rest of the way, flicking the very end of its tail.
Gently, Mew touched its nose to Ana's forehead. There was a dim flicker of light; when it pulled away, a barely-visible silver mark remained for just a moment before it faded, leaving the skin there as it had always been. The pokémon floated back to Mewtwo's side.
Mewtwo locked eyes with it for several long seconds before turning back to Eryk. It says it has done what it can, he said, nodding slightly. The rest is up to her, and human medicine. It paused for a moment. We both hope she lives, but we do not have the power to make it so. You should go.
On the other side of the pond, Kas was dragging Gregorovich out of the water and cuffing him. “Ryk, I just got a call from Steele. The KPSF is here to take care of these guys. Tell them to give you one of their vehicles and get her to to the hospital on the Plateau. We'll take care of everything here, and follow you."
He didn't even hesitate. Picking her up as gently as he could, he made his way towards where the KPSF would be. He needed to hurry and get her to the hospital.
Ana, hold on! I'm coming! he tried to reach her, but he couldn't. He couldn't sense her connection at all, and he could feel fear gripping his lungs. He couldn't breathe, but he wasn't concerned with his own well-being at the moment. All that mattered was that he reached her, and that she would be okay. The sight that greeted him, however, was almost heart-wrenching. Ana was still in the sceptile's hold, and from the looks of it, it was choking her. All Eryk could see was red. Ana looked like she was out cold, and that fear that gripped him turned into seething hot rage.
"Gregorovich!" he practically roared the man's name, and his glare was fixed on the man. He moved towards Sceptile, though. It wasn't the first time he'd ever attacked a pokémon, after all.
The lizardlike pokémon turned his yellow eyes on him. It was easy to tell that he was one of Gregorovich's—he had the same cold look in his eyes. Remorseless. He wasn't holding Ana with his arms or anything; rather, he had her unmoving form suspended in vines, several feet above him. She dangled limply in his hold. Not far away, Luna and Nova were laying motionless on the ground—clearly they'd been defeated trying to protect their trainer.
"Mewtwo." A purple-and-pink pokémon, vaguely feline in appearance but bipedal, stepped in between Eryk and Sceptile. It was wearing a heavy-looking metal collar of some kind, and regarded him with empty eyes. It stretched out a hand towards him, enveloping him in telekinetic energy and flinging him backwards. It released him before he hit a wall though, allowing him to control his own landing. It was hard to say why.
Gregorovich sighed. "Really, I tire of these interruptions. She tried to stop me too. What makes you think you'll be any more successful?"
Eryk narrowed his eyes at Gregorovich as he landed. Ana had tried to stop him? He glanced at her, being held in Sceptile's vines. It only made him more furious than he already was, however; he glanced back towards Gregorovich. To be honest, Ryk wasn't entirely sure if he'd be any more successful, however; that didn't mean he shouldn't try to be.
"What makes you think you've won? Just because you have Mewtwo doesn't mean anything. Legendary it may be, but even they have their weaknesses," he retorted. He spared a glance at the creature in the collar. Pathetic. A creature like you bound to some human. You couldn't even save yourself, or her. She risked her life to protect you, and this is how you repay her, he tried speaking directly to Mewtwo, however; he wasn't entirely sure if he could get through to it.
It didn't matter.
"And the reason why I'll be more successful is because I have them," he spoke, referring to his friends. He drew from them an odd kind of strength. He'd never have believed that something so simple, so small could do such a thing for him. To know that there were people out in the world willing to risk themselves for him, and for her, was a strange feeling. He'd even told Entei that he valued her more than life itself. He wasn't going to say he lied about it, because he didn't. He valued her more than life itself, and he'd prove that over and over again until he couldn't.
It as at that point that Kas and Cyrilla finally caught up, Raikou and Suicune in tow.
“What the fuck." Kas had just caught sight of Ana, and possibly of Mewtwo's condition as well.
Eryk could feel the pokémon's consciousness only faintly, but it seemed to be in a lot of pain, almost unable to form coherent thoughts because of it. It didn't seem to be in much of a position to help them, as it was.
Gregorovich spared them all a disdainful glance. "Three exhausted former subordinates of mine and their exhausted legendary pokémon. I am hardly cowed by such resistance." He tossed three pokéballs at once. From them emerged an aggron, a typhlosion, and a swampert. All of them were abnormally large for members of their species.
"You know what to do," he told them coldly.
All three moved forward as one.
"Entei, Flamethrower!" he commanded. He wasn't even going to hesitate with this battle. Cyrilla followed suit, commanding Suicune to use Hydro Pump. It didn't take them long to figure out which opponent was theirs. He'd steered Entei towards Aggron, Cyrilla steered Suicune towards Typhlosion, and he'd assumed Kas would take the Swampert.
He did, but not before speaking to Eryk. “Go," he said, “While Gregorovich is distracted with Mewtwo. You've got to get her down, or she'll suffocate. I'll keep an eye on Entei for the moment." Double battling wasn't exactly an unusual practice, after all.
He spared Entei a glance, and then towards Kas. He nodded his head. He didn't have time to battle. He had to get Ana down from Sceptile's hold, otherwise she'd suffocate. That dreadful feeling of fear washed over him again, and he turned back towards Sceptile. With Gregorovich distracted, Eryk took the opportunity to go after Sceptile again. He needed to get Ana. If he didn't... he'd lose her. And he wasn't ready for that. The same rebellious notion that had filled him that day, filled him again. He wasn't going to lose her, not after everything they've been through. He wasn't going to lose the only person he'd ever truly loved.
The only thing that stood in his way was how. How was he going to get Ana away from Sceptile? He wasn't as swift as the pokémon was, and he was tired. He wasn't quite exhausted, but he wasn't quite sure he'd have enough energy to do much. He needed to try, though. He didn't have any of his pokémon to help besides Entei, and it was currently busy battling the others. Nova and Luna were both out as well, but even if he could get to Ana, there was a very slim chance he'd grab a pokéball from her, however; he wasn't entirely sure how her other pokémon would hold up in battle. They've never seen battle except for Nova, or at least to his knowledge. He had to try something, though.
He went after Sceptile again.
As luck—or more likely, sheer determination—would have it, his route took him past where Luna and Nova had been knocked aside. As he approached, the rings on Nova's body started to glow faintly; they pulsed almost as if in time with his heartbeat. A moment later, the pokémon picked up his head, blinking bright red eyes and groggily looking around. His expression, so far as Eryk could read it, shifted quickly to one of alarm, and he staggered to his feet, poking at Luna with one of his paws.
She took a little longer to stand, and nearly lost her balance, but stand she did. Their eyes moved in unison from Ana, still suspended in the air, to Eryk.
What do you want us to do?
He glanced at the both of them and then towards Ana. If you can, Luna I need you to use Psychic on Sceptile. It'll be enough to restrain him, however; I don't think it'll be enough to restrain him for long, it wasn't that he doubted their strength. It was more-so that he knew Gregorovich's pokémon were at a much higher level than they were. He didn't want them to get hurt, however; he knew they were risking a lot to save their trainer, too. He would just have to believe that the both of them would be enough.
Nova, I need you to use Iron Tail to see if you can loosen its hold on her. If that doesn't work, use Swift, because at least Swift would hit even if Iron Tail didn't.
They nodded in synch with each other. Luna bounded forward lightly, the gem embedded into her forehead glowing for a moment as she focused her power. It shot towards Sceptile, locking him in place and bathing him in pink light.
Nova was hot on her heels. He leaped, his tail glowing brightly as he twisted in midair, aiming for the vines. He managed to snap one of them; the one holding Ana's right arm. Without that to support her, she fell several feet, caught only by the one on her other arm. His second attempt broke the one at her neck, preventing it from tightening any further.
Sceptile broke free of Luna's hold, however, knocking Nova away before he could do any more damage. He hissed at all three of them, lashing his tail forward and releasing sharp leaves from it. Nova countered with swift without being asked, knocking the majority of them out of the air, but both he and Luna were still unsteady on their feet. They wouldn't be able to fend him off for long.
Save her, Luna implored, returning her attention to Sceptile just in time to roll away from more Razor Leaves.
I will, because he needed to. He wasn't lying to Entei when he told the beast that she was his future. If he couldn't save her, then he had no future. It was bleak, and it was terrible. It was cold, distant, lonely, and he wasn't sure if he was ready for a world like that. He had accepted the fact that she may one day be gone, however; it wasn't going to be today. He wasn't going to lose her. While Sceptile focused on Luna and Nova, Eryk made an attempt, trying to get to Ana. She was hanging by her left arm.
He managed to get close to the sceptile, and when he was close enough, he reached for Ana. Wrapping an arm around her waist, he used the other one to grab onto the vine that held her still. It wasn't the best idea he'd ever had, but it was the only thing he could do. He twisted part of it around him, bringing the vine close to his mouth before he bit down. Hard. If it wanted him to let go, it was going to have to shake him loose, however; his grip on Ana was secured so that she wouldn't be in any danger of falling if it did release him. If it didn't, well, he'd endured worse beatings before.
Sceptile hissed louder, lashing his vines around, but they didn't seem to be strong enough to hold both Eryk and Ana's weight, and gradually, they drooped towards the ground. Apparently deciding to cut his losses, he withdrew them, closing both of the remaining functional ones over Luna and squeezing until she went slack in his hold. He tossed her away, where she collided hard against the wall.
This time, she did not rise.
Nova yowled, the hackles on his back rising. A cloud of shadow formed near his mouth, surging forward as a large Dark Pulse. It was enough to knock Sceptile off-balance—and to draw Gregorovich's attention.
He surveyed the scene with disdain, his lip curling faintly into a sneer. Across the room, Raikou finally dropped Swampert. Almost without looking, Eryk's former employer tossed his final pokéball onto the field, giving Kas and Cyrilla yet another foe to try and defeat. A tyranitar, this time.
But Gregorovich's own focus remained on Eryk and Ana, slack in his arms. She did not stir; it was impossible to say for sure without a closer examination, but neither her breath nor heartbeat was immediately detectable.
Nova did not even wait for him to speak before he charged, right for the man instead of his pokémon. Mewtwo intervened at a word from the Team Rocket boss, throwing an arm out. Nova, impervious to any kind of psychic damage, leaped, latching on to the other pokémon with his teeth, right at Mewtwo's wrist.
Nova, go for the collar. Use Iron Tail on it, he spoke. Nova was impervious to the psychic attacks Mewtwo would, undoubtedly, use. There was a chance that he could break the collar on Mewtwo, and set it free. It was a chance they had to take. They didn't have much time, either, it seemed. He was fearful of what might happen to Ana if he didn't get her somewhere soon. Somewhere like a hospital.
It took some doing, but Nova was willing enough to try, it seemed.
"Get it off, now," Gregorovich commanded, sounding urgent for the first time in the entire confrontation. Clearly, he did not want anything that close to the collar, even if he hadn't been able to hear the actual order Eryk gave.
Nova twisted his whole body, slamming his glowing tail against the collar just as Mewtwo threw him off. The side of the collar buckled, sparking, but did not break off entirely.
Still, it seemed to have had some effect; Gregorovich was briefly enshrouded in blue-purple light and thrown backwards, into the underground lake. That might have been enough to short out the control device, because Mewtwo reached up and snapped the collar off itself, crushing the pieces with more telekinesis.
Sceptile stepped forward; a powerful psychic blast sent him back into a wall. Mewtwo rounded on the others next, the ones still fighting Kas, Cy, and the beasts. All three of them were picked up off their feet and hurled away in a mighty display of power. Mewtwo's shoulders slumped; its chest rose and fell rapidly. But it straightened, shooting a glance at Eryk and Ana before its eyes began to glow.
Gregorovich finally broke the surface of the lake, gasping for air. Beneath him, the water took on a luminescent pink color, distinct from Mewtwo's purple. It seemed concentrated near the center. Eventually, Eryk was able to make out that it was an orb, maybe three feet in diameter, of what looked to be solid light.
Only when it broke the surface, completely bypassing Gregorovich, did it reveal itself for what it really was. It looked like a tiny, wholly-pink version of Mewtwo, without the more aggressive-looking features.
"Mew."
So this was the legendary pokémon, Mew. The one that Team Rocket, more specifically Gregorovich, was after. He stared at it, regarding Mew with the same expression he'd regarded everything else. He wasn't concerned, however; he shifted softly so that Ana was being held a little more delicately. He didn't know what else to do, so he did the only thing he could. He spoke.
Help her.
He wasn't sure if Mew even could, but it didn't matter. He had to try, to plead. He didn't care about his own well-being, nor the well-being of his friends at the moment. He knew they would understand, because right now, the only thing more important than all of them, was the woman in his arms. The woman he loved. Loved more than life itself because she had taught him that there were things in life to value. Things like friendship and dreams.
Mew drifted closer, undulating through the air in a way that was more like swimming than anything. Fluid. Like the air was just more water. It paused about a foot from Eryk, cocking its head inquisitively and looking at Ana. It blinked once, slowly, then moved in the rest of the way, flicking the very end of its tail.
Gently, Mew touched its nose to Ana's forehead. There was a dim flicker of light; when it pulled away, a barely-visible silver mark remained for just a moment before it faded, leaving the skin there as it had always been. The pokémon floated back to Mewtwo's side.
Mewtwo locked eyes with it for several long seconds before turning back to Eryk. It says it has done what it can, he said, nodding slightly. The rest is up to her, and human medicine. It paused for a moment. We both hope she lives, but we do not have the power to make it so. You should go.
On the other side of the pond, Kas was dragging Gregorovich out of the water and cuffing him. “Ryk, I just got a call from Steele. The KPSF is here to take care of these guys. Tell them to give you one of their vehicles and get her to to the hospital on the Plateau. We'll take care of everything here, and follow you."
He didn't even hesitate. Picking her up as gently as he could, he made his way towards where the KPSF would be. He needed to hurry and get her to the hospital.
Kas sighed heavily, easing himself into the plastic hospital chair next to Cy. Ana still hadn't woken up, two days later. After taking care of the Rocket members, he, Cy, Harper, and Drake had followed Eryk down the easier side of the mountain to the hospital in a KPSF truck. Kas had thought to call Miranda, but she was in Sinnoh and wouldn't be there for another day at least, depending on how soon she could get the right flights. He supposed she'd counted on having more warning, when this time came.
Probably everyone had expected it to be different. Expected at least a chance to say goodbye. But... Ana was comatose, and if she just didn't wake up, then that wouldn't be something any of them got. It seemed like a brutal final 'fuck you' from a universe that had never been kind. Especially not to them. Eryk and Ana themselves in particular. If Kas had believed in any kind of god, he'd have been cursing them up and down. Unfortunately, he didn't, and so he had no one to blame for this.
Well, no one except the people who had been mixed up in it. But blaming humans wasn't any satisfaction or consolation, no matter how hard he tried, so he'd given up trying.
Tiredly, he handed Cyrilla a can of pink lemonade he'd picked up from the vending machine on the way back in. He still had plenty of business with the KPSF, of course, but since he refused to leave the hospital, they did most of it in one of the conference rooms on the uppermost floor.
“Aidan took the plea deal," he informed them all, because they'd said everything there was to say about Ana. Eryk wouldn't even leave her hospital room, something the doctors finally allowed when Kas waved his badge around and put on his most convincing smile. He wasn't going to let his friend sit out here, away from the person he loved, when she was in this condition.
He sighed. “Gregorovich and the other two are going away for life for all of this, I'm sure. Multiple kidnappings, extortion, attempted murder... and that's just the last month or so." He'd pressured Steele into offering the deal himself—he didn't even care if she took the credit.
She could fucking have it. He'd gotten immunity for Eryk and Cyrilla in exchange, after all. “You guys don't have to worry about being on trial, either... but you might be called to testify against the others." The grunts and techs were being sorted through even now, for which had known about how much. They probably wouldn't get too far with that; most of them could plausibly claim ignorance. Many of them could truly claim it.
Kas couldn't bring himself to care that a few of the less-clean ones would be getting away with it. The small fry didn't matter to him. Not anymore.
"I'm glad," Cyrilla spoke, leaning a little into her chair. She had taken the pink lemonade from his hand, but she didn't open it. She kept it closed for the most part. What she was glad for, however, was unclear. Glad that Aidan took the plea deal? Glad that she and Ryk weren't going to trial? It was hard to say. Drake sighed softly, running a hand down his face a few times before he leaned forward, placing his forearm on his knee.
"So, does that mean it's over? Team Rocket and the works?" Drake spoke, lifting his head to glance at Kas. He was sitting adjacent to Harper, and his free hand was laced with hers. Cyrilla sighed softly, but didn't say anything. She was probably thinking about it, too.
“Steele got the court order this morning," Kas confirmed. “Pending the results of the investigations and the trials, Team Rocket has been temporarily disbanded. It'll become permanent if the organization is found guilty of corruption—and it will be."
On the one hand, Kas felt a sense of accomplishment. This was the outcome that, from the perspective of his mission, was optimal. He'd done exactly what he'd set out to do in the beginning, in that sense. No doubt there would be commendations and promotions to follow, if he chose to accept them. He'd done much of the legwork all by himself, after all. But the victory seemed entirely hollow, present circumstances considered.
“Good," Harper said firmly. “Something good should come out of all this, at least."
He supposed that was also a fair way to look at it.
"Yeah, something good should come of all of this," Drake agreed, giving Harper's hand a light squeeze. He glanced towards her, though he didn't smile. His face pulled into a softer expression, but it wasn't enough to bring out a smile that usually plagued his face. To his side, Cyrilla sniffled softly, but she quickly tried to hide it behind the sleeve of her shirt. She finally opened the lemonade and took a slow drink from it.
"As long... as no one else has to get hurt for them," she began, though it seemed she wasn't entirely sure where she wanted to go with that sentence. Disbanded or not, her family would likely either go underground, or they would attempt to continue their ways. She didn't seem to fear them anymore, but the memories still lingered. It would take some time, but perhaps one day she'd be able to forget those, and replace them with better memories.
"I'm going to go see what I can scrape up from the cafeteria. Does anyone want anything specific?" Drake spoke, standing from his chair and letting Harper's hand go. Cyrilla just shook her head. "What about you guys?" he asked, turning his attention towards Harper and Kas.
Kas shook his head, but Harper stood up.
“I'll go with you," she said. “If we're going to be carrying back enough for everyone, you'll need more than two hands. I'm going to pick up something for Ryk too. I understand why he isn't interested in feeding himself, but he should eat."
Kas figured it was optimistic of her to think that'd work, but it was worth trying, at least. He nodded and sighed as the two of them departed. Gently, he laid a hand on Cyrilla's head and used it to tip her closer to him, pulling her flush against his side, or at least as close as they could get with chair arms in the way. He turned his nose down into her hair and inhaled. He'd never really been particular about scent before, but something about the smell of her was relaxing. They did say scent was the sense most closely tied to memory. Perhaps he only cared about it with her because he only cared about her.
He dropped his hand to her shoulders. “It's not okay right now, is it?" he asked softly. It seemed like the better question than 'are you all right'? None of them were all right at the moment.
"No," she replied softly. If she hadn't been so close, he might not have heard her. "It's not okay right now," she repeated his words, glancing up at him with a small frown on her face. "I just... I don't know," she continued, dropping her gaze. She seemed unsure of herself, or what she was even trying to say. The events had worn on all of them, and perhaps they were just finally catching up to her. With everything over, it likely would catch up with them all.
"After coming to terms with one thing, something else happens. It's not fair, but... nothing's ever been fair for us," she continued, speaking softly still. "For a moment, I thought that maybe, just maybe, something would finally go our way. That we'd all be able to make it through this and be... I'm not even sure if happy is the right word, but," she paused, leaning her head closer to his shoulder. She huffed softly.
"It never seems to be the right time, does it?" she spoke, seemingly echoing his words that he'd told her the night after they'd escaped the mansion.
Kas slid his arm around her waist, letting his hand rest on her hip. He traced circles on her skin; it wan an idle gesture, more of a habit than anything. “Not really," he agreed.
And there was no telling if it ever would be again, after all of this. If it turned out for the worst and Ana died... none of them would be the same after something like that. Ryk least of all, but the effects would hit all of her friends, directly and indirectly through each other as well. Who knew what would become of them then?
He didn't want to think about it, cowardly as that might be.
“Whatever happens..." he said softly, little more than a murmur. “Whatever happens, I want you to know I'm going to be here, when the dust settles. However that turns out to look or be." Maybe when all was said and done, she wouldn't want him as close as they were now. Maybe she'd need a friend and only that. Maybe she wouldn't want him at all. But whatever she needed... he resolved to be that for her. It seemed like the least he could do, all things considered.
She turned her head to look at him, her expression softening, but she didn't quite smile. It looked like she was trying to, though. After a few seconds, she managed the smallest of smiles, and sighed. "I'm glad. I don't... I don't know if I could handle losing you, too. I love you, more than anything, and... and if you'd disappeared, or left," she trailed off, but she didn't remove her gaze. She held his eyes with hers.
"I don't know what would become of me. I... it would feel as if I'd have lost everything and everyone I love. I'd only have Ryk, and I'm not sure if he'd be enough, anymore," she spoke softly. She moved out of his grip for a second, and turned so that she was fully facing him, difficult as it seemed in the chair. She reached over and gently cupped his face, pulling it closer to hers. She rested their foreheads together for a moment, and seemed to just want the closeness more than anything, however; she closed the space between them. Her kiss was soft, but desperate, and full of the love she still had for him, it seemed.
"Whatever happens... I'll be here, too. I'm yours, and I'll always be yours. And I'm not... I'm not going anywhere unless you want me to." She seemed to be telling the truth.
Kas huffed a soft breath, resting one hand at the back of her neck. He touched his forehead back to hers, ignoring the twinge in his still-healing back when he leaned down. With his free hand, he lifted one of hers and placed it right over the center of his chest. He knew she'd be able to feel the beat of his heart even through the thin shirt he wore. It was as strong and steady as it always was, but it was also accelerated. He'd felt it spike when she kissed him, just like it did every other time.
He considered letting it serve as his answer. She'd know what it meant. But some things were important enough that they had to be said out loud, even if they were obvious. “The only place I ever want you to be is with me," he told her quietly. “And the only place I want to be is with you. Just you. No one else, ever again."
She smiled a little wider and let out a content sigh. "Then I shall be with you," she replied softly, leaning back just enough so that she was looking at him. Her expression softened further as she shook her head. "Besides, I have a promise to collect on, and you still have something to tell me. I told you I wasn't going to let you forget," she continued, trying to sound optimistic. It seemed to be working for her, if only for a moment.
"It'll be alright. We'll get through this, and... and Ana will be," she said before exhaling softly. It seemed that she couldn't finish the sentence, despite trying to sound optimistic.
“We'll see," Kas demurred. He wanted to believe that Ana would be all right, but... statistically, the chances were incredibly low. For now, the best he could do was not give up hope completely. Not let himself believe for certain that this would have a bad ending.
In the end, though... it would come down to Ana, and the circumstances of her condition. It wasn't even fully in her hands. If it had been a matter of willpower alone, he would have had no doubt as to her recovery.
“And until we do, we'll just keep hoping."
Probably everyone had expected it to be different. Expected at least a chance to say goodbye. But... Ana was comatose, and if she just didn't wake up, then that wouldn't be something any of them got. It seemed like a brutal final 'fuck you' from a universe that had never been kind. Especially not to them. Eryk and Ana themselves in particular. If Kas had believed in any kind of god, he'd have been cursing them up and down. Unfortunately, he didn't, and so he had no one to blame for this.
Well, no one except the people who had been mixed up in it. But blaming humans wasn't any satisfaction or consolation, no matter how hard he tried, so he'd given up trying.
Tiredly, he handed Cyrilla a can of pink lemonade he'd picked up from the vending machine on the way back in. He still had plenty of business with the KPSF, of course, but since he refused to leave the hospital, they did most of it in one of the conference rooms on the uppermost floor.
“Aidan took the plea deal," he informed them all, because they'd said everything there was to say about Ana. Eryk wouldn't even leave her hospital room, something the doctors finally allowed when Kas waved his badge around and put on his most convincing smile. He wasn't going to let his friend sit out here, away from the person he loved, when she was in this condition.
He sighed. “Gregorovich and the other two are going away for life for all of this, I'm sure. Multiple kidnappings, extortion, attempted murder... and that's just the last month or so." He'd pressured Steele into offering the deal himself—he didn't even care if she took the credit.
She could fucking have it. He'd gotten immunity for Eryk and Cyrilla in exchange, after all. “You guys don't have to worry about being on trial, either... but you might be called to testify against the others." The grunts and techs were being sorted through even now, for which had known about how much. They probably wouldn't get too far with that; most of them could plausibly claim ignorance. Many of them could truly claim it.
Kas couldn't bring himself to care that a few of the less-clean ones would be getting away with it. The small fry didn't matter to him. Not anymore.
"I'm glad," Cyrilla spoke, leaning a little into her chair. She had taken the pink lemonade from his hand, but she didn't open it. She kept it closed for the most part. What she was glad for, however, was unclear. Glad that Aidan took the plea deal? Glad that she and Ryk weren't going to trial? It was hard to say. Drake sighed softly, running a hand down his face a few times before he leaned forward, placing his forearm on his knee.
"So, does that mean it's over? Team Rocket and the works?" Drake spoke, lifting his head to glance at Kas. He was sitting adjacent to Harper, and his free hand was laced with hers. Cyrilla sighed softly, but didn't say anything. She was probably thinking about it, too.
“Steele got the court order this morning," Kas confirmed. “Pending the results of the investigations and the trials, Team Rocket has been temporarily disbanded. It'll become permanent if the organization is found guilty of corruption—and it will be."
On the one hand, Kas felt a sense of accomplishment. This was the outcome that, from the perspective of his mission, was optimal. He'd done exactly what he'd set out to do in the beginning, in that sense. No doubt there would be commendations and promotions to follow, if he chose to accept them. He'd done much of the legwork all by himself, after all. But the victory seemed entirely hollow, present circumstances considered.
“Good," Harper said firmly. “Something good should come out of all this, at least."
He supposed that was also a fair way to look at it.
"Yeah, something good should come of all of this," Drake agreed, giving Harper's hand a light squeeze. He glanced towards her, though he didn't smile. His face pulled into a softer expression, but it wasn't enough to bring out a smile that usually plagued his face. To his side, Cyrilla sniffled softly, but she quickly tried to hide it behind the sleeve of her shirt. She finally opened the lemonade and took a slow drink from it.
"As long... as no one else has to get hurt for them," she began, though it seemed she wasn't entirely sure where she wanted to go with that sentence. Disbanded or not, her family would likely either go underground, or they would attempt to continue their ways. She didn't seem to fear them anymore, but the memories still lingered. It would take some time, but perhaps one day she'd be able to forget those, and replace them with better memories.
"I'm going to go see what I can scrape up from the cafeteria. Does anyone want anything specific?" Drake spoke, standing from his chair and letting Harper's hand go. Cyrilla just shook her head. "What about you guys?" he asked, turning his attention towards Harper and Kas.
Kas shook his head, but Harper stood up.
“I'll go with you," she said. “If we're going to be carrying back enough for everyone, you'll need more than two hands. I'm going to pick up something for Ryk too. I understand why he isn't interested in feeding himself, but he should eat."
Kas figured it was optimistic of her to think that'd work, but it was worth trying, at least. He nodded and sighed as the two of them departed. Gently, he laid a hand on Cyrilla's head and used it to tip her closer to him, pulling her flush against his side, or at least as close as they could get with chair arms in the way. He turned his nose down into her hair and inhaled. He'd never really been particular about scent before, but something about the smell of her was relaxing. They did say scent was the sense most closely tied to memory. Perhaps he only cared about it with her because he only cared about her.
He dropped his hand to her shoulders. “It's not okay right now, is it?" he asked softly. It seemed like the better question than 'are you all right'? None of them were all right at the moment.
"No," she replied softly. If she hadn't been so close, he might not have heard her. "It's not okay right now," she repeated his words, glancing up at him with a small frown on her face. "I just... I don't know," she continued, dropping her gaze. She seemed unsure of herself, or what she was even trying to say. The events had worn on all of them, and perhaps they were just finally catching up to her. With everything over, it likely would catch up with them all.
"After coming to terms with one thing, something else happens. It's not fair, but... nothing's ever been fair for us," she continued, speaking softly still. "For a moment, I thought that maybe, just maybe, something would finally go our way. That we'd all be able to make it through this and be... I'm not even sure if happy is the right word, but," she paused, leaning her head closer to his shoulder. She huffed softly.
"It never seems to be the right time, does it?" she spoke, seemingly echoing his words that he'd told her the night after they'd escaped the mansion.
Kas slid his arm around her waist, letting his hand rest on her hip. He traced circles on her skin; it wan an idle gesture, more of a habit than anything. “Not really," he agreed.
And there was no telling if it ever would be again, after all of this. If it turned out for the worst and Ana died... none of them would be the same after something like that. Ryk least of all, but the effects would hit all of her friends, directly and indirectly through each other as well. Who knew what would become of them then?
He didn't want to think about it, cowardly as that might be.
“Whatever happens..." he said softly, little more than a murmur. “Whatever happens, I want you to know I'm going to be here, when the dust settles. However that turns out to look or be." Maybe when all was said and done, she wouldn't want him as close as they were now. Maybe she'd need a friend and only that. Maybe she wouldn't want him at all. But whatever she needed... he resolved to be that for her. It seemed like the least he could do, all things considered.
She turned her head to look at him, her expression softening, but she didn't quite smile. It looked like she was trying to, though. After a few seconds, she managed the smallest of smiles, and sighed. "I'm glad. I don't... I don't know if I could handle losing you, too. I love you, more than anything, and... and if you'd disappeared, or left," she trailed off, but she didn't remove her gaze. She held his eyes with hers.
"I don't know what would become of me. I... it would feel as if I'd have lost everything and everyone I love. I'd only have Ryk, and I'm not sure if he'd be enough, anymore," she spoke softly. She moved out of his grip for a second, and turned so that she was fully facing him, difficult as it seemed in the chair. She reached over and gently cupped his face, pulling it closer to hers. She rested their foreheads together for a moment, and seemed to just want the closeness more than anything, however; she closed the space between them. Her kiss was soft, but desperate, and full of the love she still had for him, it seemed.
"Whatever happens... I'll be here, too. I'm yours, and I'll always be yours. And I'm not... I'm not going anywhere unless you want me to." She seemed to be telling the truth.
Kas huffed a soft breath, resting one hand at the back of her neck. He touched his forehead back to hers, ignoring the twinge in his still-healing back when he leaned down. With his free hand, he lifted one of hers and placed it right over the center of his chest. He knew she'd be able to feel the beat of his heart even through the thin shirt he wore. It was as strong and steady as it always was, but it was also accelerated. He'd felt it spike when she kissed him, just like it did every other time.
He considered letting it serve as his answer. She'd know what it meant. But some things were important enough that they had to be said out loud, even if they were obvious. “The only place I ever want you to be is with me," he told her quietly. “And the only place I want to be is with you. Just you. No one else, ever again."
She smiled a little wider and let out a content sigh. "Then I shall be with you," she replied softly, leaning back just enough so that she was looking at him. Her expression softened further as she shook her head. "Besides, I have a promise to collect on, and you still have something to tell me. I told you I wasn't going to let you forget," she continued, trying to sound optimistic. It seemed to be working for her, if only for a moment.
"It'll be alright. We'll get through this, and... and Ana will be," she said before exhaling softly. It seemed that she couldn't finish the sentence, despite trying to sound optimistic.
“We'll see," Kas demurred. He wanted to believe that Ana would be all right, but... statistically, the chances were incredibly low. For now, the best he could do was not give up hope completely. Not let himself believe for certain that this would have a bad ending.
In the end, though... it would come down to Ana, and the circumstances of her condition. It wasn't even fully in her hands. If it had been a matter of willpower alone, he would have had no doubt as to her recovery.
“And until we do, we'll just keep hoping."
He wasn't entirely sure how many days had passed. He wasn't even sure if it'd been days, or just hours. All he knew was that he hadn't left Ana's bedside, not even to eat. He couldn't bring himself to do so when she was like this, sleeping. He'd tried everything he could think of to remain calm, but the fact was, he wasn't. His mind was racing, sleep did little to soothe it, and his heart felt strange. It hurt. It hurt in a way he'd never known. The pain was just as physical as it was emotional, and it was driving him insane.
Was this really it? Was she really going to leave him? Was she really going to die? He couldn't accept it, and he refused to do so. She still had time. There were things they still needed to do, places she wanted to see. They were supposed to go to Fuchsia, the place of his birth, and they were supposed to go see the orchestra. She was supposed to be here with him. He'd never known such hatred for the people who did this to her. If it wasn't for them, she wouldn't have had to over exert herself. She wouldn't have pushed her body further than what it was capable of, and she would have been able to live out the rest of her days happy.
It wasn't fair.
But when had life ever been fair to Eryk Nero? When had it ever given a damn about what he wanted? It never did, and he had accepted that fact a long time ago. She had changed that, though. Life didn't owe him anything, but he wanted to experience it with her. He wanted her by his side until she wanted nothing to do with him, or... if she'd have him, he'd wanted her to be by his side until they both departed the world. If it were possible, he'd want to go with her. He'd never felt like that before, about a person. She'd changed so much of him, that he wasn't entirely sure he could go any further without her. She was his heart.
She was his future.
Without her, there was no future for him. Softly, he lifted his head from the edge of her bed, and stared at her. She looked peaceful, as ironic as it sounded, and his chest felt like it was constricting on itself. He took a slow breath, and pulled back somewhat. His hand, carefully laced with hers, hadn't moved. He kept it in place. There was nothing more that could be done for her. He couldn't accept that, though. There had to be something they could do. They had spoken to him, said they did all they could to help her, but Eryk felt like there was more that they could do. This couldn't have been all they could have done for her.
Ana, he spoke softly to her, hoping that maybe, just maybe she'd be able to at least feel him in her current state. Ana, I'm here. I'm sorry I couldn't get to you sooner. I'm... sorry this happened to you, he continued, speaking as softly and as gently as he could. I should have never involved you, and I wish I'd never met you, but, he paused, shaking his head softly.
But I'm glad I did. I'm glad I met you, fell in love with you, danced with you, loved with you. I'm glad I knew you, Anastasia Asher. You are as I've said before. You are my heart, the only person I've ever loved, and you are my future. You are the best thing that's ever happened to me, and she was. If it were not for her, he wouldn't have known this selfish desire to do better, to be better, than he was. If it weren't for her, he wouldn't have found a family in the people he called friends. But most of all... if it were not for her, he'd have never known love as profound and deep as he did now.
And he loved her for it.
Ana's monitors continued to beep periodically, as steady as they had been for the past week. They'd hooked her up to a respirator for the first few days, but it turned out that she was breathing fine on her own—carrying out all of her body's automatic operations on her own. So the respirator was gone, but she was still hooked up to all the monitors. An IV needle was inserted into her left arm, but other than all of that, she could just as easily have been asleep.
Well... there was one other thing that gave the lie. Even after a week, the bruises around her neck were dark. The blackish color had faded to purple, evidence of where the vines had choked her.
He could hear nothing in response to his mental speech. The other end of the connection was silent, suppressed.
At that point, someone in a white coat opened the door, shuffling inside with a clipped gait. It was Ana's treating physician; he was an older man with grey hair and a mustache. He never seemed to be bothered by Eryk's presence, despite the fact that he lingered long beyond normal visiting hours. Schultz, he'd said his name was.
“Hello, Mr. Nero," he said softly, moving to Ana's other side, to take readings from some of her monitors. He also double-checked everything by hand, it seemed, including Ana's pulse and blood pressure. “Have you noticed any changes today?"
He sighed softly. He had to keep trying something. "No," he replied back, his voice surprisingly soft. He knew he was tired, but he hadn't expected his own voice to sound like that. Beside the occasional conversation he'd have with Dr. Schultz, he hadn't spoken, physically. He'd resorted to trying to speak to her through their connection, however; even that was proving to be pointless. He wasn't a true psychic like she was, so he couldn't force his mind into her own. He could only hope his telepathy would break through, but it didn't. It wasn't strong enough, it seemed.
"Everything has stayed the same. Nothing has changed," and that, to him, wasn't a good sign.
Dr. Schultz nodded understandingly, making another note on his clipboard. “Unfortunately, recovery from this kind of trauma is difficul to predict. And I cannot say how her psychic exhaustion may play into things. That is not a very well-understood area of medicine, I'm afraid. But I've been on the phone with an expert in the medical study extrasensory perception, and we're hopeful."
He glanced down at Ana and shook his head slightly. “I know it can seem difficult, when you see her like that. But she has a chance. And it's not a bad one."
Eryk furrowed his brows. She had a chance? What did that mean? Why would he say that? Didn't he know of her condition? "What do you mean she has a chance?" he voiced the question out loud. He knew it must have confused the doctor when he said it like that, as if he didn't believe him, however; he didn't.
"What happened to her put stress on her body, and the use of her powers pushed it past its limits. She was... she was already almost on death's door. Her Everett's saw to that," he spoke softly. "She has Everett's, so how is it that she has a chance at all?" he was trying to be as optimistic as he could be, however; it was still difficult for him.
Dr. Schultz blinked. “Everett's?" He glanced down at this clipboard, flipping back several pages. It was difficult for Eryk to see, but they looked like some sort of scan readout. Ana had undergone a lot of tests as soon as she was determined to be stable enough for them. “That can't be. It would have shown up in the readouts from her blood tests, and there's no damage to her lungs. I admit her bones are a bit weaker than they should be, but that could have any number of causes. Everett's would produce more symptoms than just that."
Still, he frowned. “I've just ordered her complete medical records from Cinnabar; I'll double-check them tomorrow. But I would be stunned to learn she has Everett's, Mr. Nero."
Eryk knew he looked surprised. His eyes had widened slightly, and his head jerked back in her direction. The Everett's didn't show up in her readouts? But how could that be? She had it. He'd seen it when she'd had her episode, and she'd told him, herself, of her disease. "How is that possible?" he voiced the question out loud without meaning to. He was confused, and he was trying to make sense of what was going on.
"I've seen the symptoms, myself, how could she not have Everett's? She told me herself, and," he couldn't finish. Dr. Schultz wouldn't know how she'd suddenly become free of her disease, but neither did he. If that was the case, then did that really mean she had a chance? Did that mean she would live?
Dr. Schultz seemed to believe him; the doctor was wearing a perplexed expression. “I'll order the bloodwork redone, and this time I'll check for the irregularities myself, but... I trust my lab technicians. If I'm right then... I'd say you might be a lucky man yet. And she a lucky woman." He smiled mildly, then exited the same way he'd entered, leaving Eryk once again alone with Ana.
If that was true, then... perhaps there was a chance. Perhaps there was a chance that life would actually spare him, and give to him the one thing he wanted most.
Her.
He slipped his hand back into hers, and enclosed it with his other hand. Slowly, he leaned forward, placing his forehead against hers. He inhaled softly, breathing out through his nose as he gentled his his frantic heart beat.
Ana, come back to me, because he needed her to.
—ryk.
It was nothing more than a brush on his mind, the tiniest possible contact. Like the equivalent of a breath given shape. He might even have imagined it. But it was something. The other end of the connection stirred, a ripple passing through it to his end.
Ana? was that her? Ana, I'm here. I'm here, Ana, he continued, sounding desperate to hear her voice again. Even if he'd imagined it, he wanted to hear her again. I'm here, Anastasia, he said as he leaned further upon her forehead. It wasn't enough to hurt him, nor her, but he didn't want to break the skin-to-skin contact. He needed her to know he was there, physically, too.
For a long moment, there was no response. It was almost like she'd faded back to wherever she'd been before, too far for him to reach. But his persistence eventually paid off.
Eryk. I'm... lost. Where are you? I can't... Her mental voice faded at the end of the sentence; he couldn't tell what she'd said. It sounded distorted, like she was sleepy, or perhaps underwater.
I'm right here. I'm right beside you, Ana, he replied, trying to push his mind further into hers. The connection, though there, still felt distant. He needed to reach her, somehow. He tried to will his mind deeper, to push it further past whatever was blocking him, but he did not know if he was getting through. He kept trying, though, sending her the warmth of his love, the small bouts of joy he had of knowing that she was there.
I'm not going anywhere, Ana. I'm right here, right beside you, and I'll be here until you find me. Find me, he almost commanded. He was searching for her, too.
I— The connection cut out for a moment, but then he felt it come back. The feelings on Ana's end of it were mostly confusion; he could feel the fuzziness of it washing over him through the link. It was heavy, oppressive, and dizzy; the sensation wasn't completely unlike the one he'd felt in his childhood, when he was building his immunity to poisons by being dosed with them. The slow haze of a suppressant.
Slowly, another feeling broke through—a sense of urgency. It was poorly directed, though; she was having real trouble following the connection, it seemed. I'm here... I...
He kept pushing, kept sending her everything he felt. She was coming through, but there was still the problem of connecting. He took a deep breath, steadying himself as he did so. He had to keep trying, to keep pushing. And that's what he did. He pushed. He pushed as hard as he could, trying to reach her so that she could come back to him, so that he could find her, and she, him.
Me too, Ana. I'm right here, and I'm not leaving until you come through. You can do this, Ana. Everyone's waiting for you to come back to them. Kasimir, Cyrilla, Drake, Harper, they're all waiting for you, he kept pushing.
I'm waiting for you to come back to me. Anastasia, he paused only for a second, Anastasia, come back to me.
It was then that he felt the connection change, almost like it was locking into place. Something settled there in his mind, and suddenly, he could feel everything. Her confusion still lay like a cloud over everything, coupled with anxiety and even a trace of fear. But clearest of all was her desire to do as he asked, to return to him and the world of the waking.
She grasped at the tether like a lifeline; he got a sense of moving, like she was getting closer in space somehow, though of course physically, she was where she'd been for the last week—in the hospital bed, right next to him.
Tears slipped out from beneath her eyes seconds before she opened them. It was a slow process: she pulled in a sudden, deep breath, then flinched, her features tightening, squeezing her eyes further shut before cracking them open. It took a second for her to focus them, but when she did, she offered him a weak smile, reaching up to lay a hand on the side of his face. Ana didn't seem to quite be in complete control of her motions yet; she ended up dropping it away a moment later.
Her smile wobbled. When she spoke, her voice was raspy with disuse.
“I'm back."
Eryk wasn't sure if he was capable of tears, or crying, however; he knew that if he was, he would be doing it now. But unlike her, where her tears were visible, he shed none. The relief was enough to overwhelm him, and possibly her, too, since their connection was still open. He didn't bother letting it close, because he was afraid that she might slip from him again. He couldn't have that. He wouldn't. Instead, he grabbed her hand, and lifted it back to his face, and kept it there. It was warm, she was warm, and he wasn't entirely sure what to think, now. She was back. She was here.
"Anastasia," he spoke, the small crack in his voice giving way to what he felt. "I love you," he spoke. He really did. "Don't... don't ever leave me, again," he continued. The desperation in his voice came out a bit more something than he intended it to, and he couldn't even describe it.
She sobbed. It was only a weak sound, probably because of her still-fragile state. Shaking her head, she brought her other arm up clumsily around his neck, lifting herself the rest of the way so that she was hugging him, pressed against him and clinging tightly.
“I don't want to," she said between shuddering breaths. “I don't ever want to." Her arms trembled from the effort of holding on to him, but she stubbornly refused to let go.
“I'm so sorry. I ran and then—" she hiccuped softly, burying her face in his shoulder. “I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry."
He shook his head. She shouldn't apologize. He wrapped his arms around her so that she didn't have to exert too much effort to keep herself up. Instead, he was holding her, perhaps a little too tightly. It wasn't enough that he was hurting her, he made sure of that, however; he was also afraid of letting her go. He didn't ever want to let her go, again. Never. And he wasn't going to.
"Shh, Ana. Don't apologize for that. You did nothing wrong," he spoke. She didn't do anything wrong. She would have gone after Gregorovich again, if she had to. That's just the person she was. She wasn't going to change that, and he didn't want her to. She was selfless like that, even if she said she was selfish.
"Just... stay here with me. Don't ever leave me. Ever," he wasn't entirely sure how that would sound to her, but if she'd have him, he wanted to be with her. In every way possible. In the present, in the future. He only wanted her, as she was, for as long as they were together. He was certain she could feel it, too. There was practically no filter between their connection, right now.
She kissed him.
It was a surprisingly aggressive gesture, for someone as gentle as Ana. She shifted her hands to grip the collar of his shirt tightly. With the physical gesture came an intense flood of her emotions: love, desperation, and a particular sort of want he'd never felt from her before.
“There's nothing I want more," she said quietly, smoothing her hands up to either side of his face. She stroked her thumbs beneath his eyes. “Nothing. But I—" her breath hitched, her expression dropping into one of deep regret.
“I'm sick, Eryk. I can't—I can't promise you that. That I'll always be... always be here."
He smiled at her. "No, Ana, you will be here. They... he's going to test it again, to make sure, but," he paused momentarily, unsure how to say this. It sounded incredulous, even to him, so he could only imagine how it'd sound to her. She knew her body better than anyone, but perhaps he was allowed this small ray of hope.
"He couldn't find it, Ana. Your Everett's... there was no sign of it. They ran the bloodwork, but there was nothing there," he spoke slowly, since he was still trying to believe it. "I don't know how, I don't know why, but... he said that there's no damage to your lungs." He was trying to be optimistic here. He gave her his mind so that she could see for herself. She could see the last few minutes, the perplexed look on the doctor's face, and the surprise in his own emotions.
Ana pulled in a sharp breath. Understanding seemed to light on her face, followed swiftly by disbelief. Last of all, there was a beatific smile, the likes of which had never graced her face before.
“Mew," she breathed. “It must have—I didn't notice because it's still—" She gestured to her bruised throat. It wasn't hard to figure out what she meant. She was still weak from the attack, and breathing was likely not easy for her.
“But... everyone else is okay, right? And Nova and Luna? They... they protected me when—" the texture of her emotions shifted back predominantly to worry, though he could sense that she was still processing the news as well. It wouldn't be easy of course; she'd lived with her disease her whole life. To suddenly be told it was gone was something she'd probably never even considered a possibility.
"They're fine, Ana. Nova and Luna are both recovering," he began, smiling softly at her. "Kas, Cy, Harper, and Drake are all outside waiting for you to wake up. If you'd like, I can go get them. I'd rather you rest, first. They'll understand," he spoke. He'd go get them if she wanted to see them, but they would also understand that she needed to rest, first. He'd go inform them that she'd woken up, of course, but now wasn't the best time. Or at least that's what he thought. He wasn't going to deny her what she wanted, either way.
“Okay," she said softly, relaxing in his hold. “I can wait... if you stay." She shuffled a little, shifting aside so that she was only on one side of the hospital bed, the same side her IV was hooked up on.
“If I know you, you haven't slept much recently, so..." She held up the other half of the hospital blanket, a clear invitation. It'd be a close fit, considering his relative size, but she didn't seem to mind that. “If you're here, I won't drift off again, I think."
He huffed softly. "As if I have anywhere else to be," he spoke softly, shifting himself so that they were both in the hospital bed. It wasn't too comfortable, but he didn't mind. He made sure she was, though, by laying on his side as close to the edge as possible. She was the one who needed rest. Not him.
"I'm not going anywhere. I'll stay here as long as you want," he spoke softly, wrapping his arms around her, and pulling her close to him. He wasn't going anywhere, and he wasn't going to let go.
Ever.
Was this really it? Was she really going to leave him? Was she really going to die? He couldn't accept it, and he refused to do so. She still had time. There were things they still needed to do, places she wanted to see. They were supposed to go to Fuchsia, the place of his birth, and they were supposed to go see the orchestra. She was supposed to be here with him. He'd never known such hatred for the people who did this to her. If it wasn't for them, she wouldn't have had to over exert herself. She wouldn't have pushed her body further than what it was capable of, and she would have been able to live out the rest of her days happy.
It wasn't fair.
But when had life ever been fair to Eryk Nero? When had it ever given a damn about what he wanted? It never did, and he had accepted that fact a long time ago. She had changed that, though. Life didn't owe him anything, but he wanted to experience it with her. He wanted her by his side until she wanted nothing to do with him, or... if she'd have him, he'd wanted her to be by his side until they both departed the world. If it were possible, he'd want to go with her. He'd never felt like that before, about a person. She'd changed so much of him, that he wasn't entirely sure he could go any further without her. She was his heart.
She was his future.
Without her, there was no future for him. Softly, he lifted his head from the edge of her bed, and stared at her. She looked peaceful, as ironic as it sounded, and his chest felt like it was constricting on itself. He took a slow breath, and pulled back somewhat. His hand, carefully laced with hers, hadn't moved. He kept it in place. There was nothing more that could be done for her. He couldn't accept that, though. There had to be something they could do. They had spoken to him, said they did all they could to help her, but Eryk felt like there was more that they could do. This couldn't have been all they could have done for her.
Ana, he spoke softly to her, hoping that maybe, just maybe she'd be able to at least feel him in her current state. Ana, I'm here. I'm sorry I couldn't get to you sooner. I'm... sorry this happened to you, he continued, speaking as softly and as gently as he could. I should have never involved you, and I wish I'd never met you, but, he paused, shaking his head softly.
But I'm glad I did. I'm glad I met you, fell in love with you, danced with you, loved with you. I'm glad I knew you, Anastasia Asher. You are as I've said before. You are my heart, the only person I've ever loved, and you are my future. You are the best thing that's ever happened to me, and she was. If it were not for her, he wouldn't have known this selfish desire to do better, to be better, than he was. If it weren't for her, he wouldn't have found a family in the people he called friends. But most of all... if it were not for her, he'd have never known love as profound and deep as he did now.
And he loved her for it.
Ana's monitors continued to beep periodically, as steady as they had been for the past week. They'd hooked her up to a respirator for the first few days, but it turned out that she was breathing fine on her own—carrying out all of her body's automatic operations on her own. So the respirator was gone, but she was still hooked up to all the monitors. An IV needle was inserted into her left arm, but other than all of that, she could just as easily have been asleep.
Well... there was one other thing that gave the lie. Even after a week, the bruises around her neck were dark. The blackish color had faded to purple, evidence of where the vines had choked her.
He could hear nothing in response to his mental speech. The other end of the connection was silent, suppressed.
At that point, someone in a white coat opened the door, shuffling inside with a clipped gait. It was Ana's treating physician; he was an older man with grey hair and a mustache. He never seemed to be bothered by Eryk's presence, despite the fact that he lingered long beyond normal visiting hours. Schultz, he'd said his name was.
“Hello, Mr. Nero," he said softly, moving to Ana's other side, to take readings from some of her monitors. He also double-checked everything by hand, it seemed, including Ana's pulse and blood pressure. “Have you noticed any changes today?"
He sighed softly. He had to keep trying something. "No," he replied back, his voice surprisingly soft. He knew he was tired, but he hadn't expected his own voice to sound like that. Beside the occasional conversation he'd have with Dr. Schultz, he hadn't spoken, physically. He'd resorted to trying to speak to her through their connection, however; even that was proving to be pointless. He wasn't a true psychic like she was, so he couldn't force his mind into her own. He could only hope his telepathy would break through, but it didn't. It wasn't strong enough, it seemed.
"Everything has stayed the same. Nothing has changed," and that, to him, wasn't a good sign.
Dr. Schultz nodded understandingly, making another note on his clipboard. “Unfortunately, recovery from this kind of trauma is difficul to predict. And I cannot say how her psychic exhaustion may play into things. That is not a very well-understood area of medicine, I'm afraid. But I've been on the phone with an expert in the medical study extrasensory perception, and we're hopeful."
He glanced down at Ana and shook his head slightly. “I know it can seem difficult, when you see her like that. But she has a chance. And it's not a bad one."
Eryk furrowed his brows. She had a chance? What did that mean? Why would he say that? Didn't he know of her condition? "What do you mean she has a chance?" he voiced the question out loud. He knew it must have confused the doctor when he said it like that, as if he didn't believe him, however; he didn't.
"What happened to her put stress on her body, and the use of her powers pushed it past its limits. She was... she was already almost on death's door. Her Everett's saw to that," he spoke softly. "She has Everett's, so how is it that she has a chance at all?" he was trying to be as optimistic as he could be, however; it was still difficult for him.
Dr. Schultz blinked. “Everett's?" He glanced down at this clipboard, flipping back several pages. It was difficult for Eryk to see, but they looked like some sort of scan readout. Ana had undergone a lot of tests as soon as she was determined to be stable enough for them. “That can't be. It would have shown up in the readouts from her blood tests, and there's no damage to her lungs. I admit her bones are a bit weaker than they should be, but that could have any number of causes. Everett's would produce more symptoms than just that."
Still, he frowned. “I've just ordered her complete medical records from Cinnabar; I'll double-check them tomorrow. But I would be stunned to learn she has Everett's, Mr. Nero."
Eryk knew he looked surprised. His eyes had widened slightly, and his head jerked back in her direction. The Everett's didn't show up in her readouts? But how could that be? She had it. He'd seen it when she'd had her episode, and she'd told him, herself, of her disease. "How is that possible?" he voiced the question out loud without meaning to. He was confused, and he was trying to make sense of what was going on.
"I've seen the symptoms, myself, how could she not have Everett's? She told me herself, and," he couldn't finish. Dr. Schultz wouldn't know how she'd suddenly become free of her disease, but neither did he. If that was the case, then did that really mean she had a chance? Did that mean she would live?
Dr. Schultz seemed to believe him; the doctor was wearing a perplexed expression. “I'll order the bloodwork redone, and this time I'll check for the irregularities myself, but... I trust my lab technicians. If I'm right then... I'd say you might be a lucky man yet. And she a lucky woman." He smiled mildly, then exited the same way he'd entered, leaving Eryk once again alone with Ana.
If that was true, then... perhaps there was a chance. Perhaps there was a chance that life would actually spare him, and give to him the one thing he wanted most.
Her.
He slipped his hand back into hers, and enclosed it with his other hand. Slowly, he leaned forward, placing his forehead against hers. He inhaled softly, breathing out through his nose as he gentled his his frantic heart beat.
Ana, come back to me, because he needed her to.
—ryk.
It was nothing more than a brush on his mind, the tiniest possible contact. Like the equivalent of a breath given shape. He might even have imagined it. But it was something. The other end of the connection stirred, a ripple passing through it to his end.
Ana? was that her? Ana, I'm here. I'm here, Ana, he continued, sounding desperate to hear her voice again. Even if he'd imagined it, he wanted to hear her again. I'm here, Anastasia, he said as he leaned further upon her forehead. It wasn't enough to hurt him, nor her, but he didn't want to break the skin-to-skin contact. He needed her to know he was there, physically, too.
For a long moment, there was no response. It was almost like she'd faded back to wherever she'd been before, too far for him to reach. But his persistence eventually paid off.
Eryk. I'm... lost. Where are you? I can't... Her mental voice faded at the end of the sentence; he couldn't tell what she'd said. It sounded distorted, like she was sleepy, or perhaps underwater.
I'm right here. I'm right beside you, Ana, he replied, trying to push his mind further into hers. The connection, though there, still felt distant. He needed to reach her, somehow. He tried to will his mind deeper, to push it further past whatever was blocking him, but he did not know if he was getting through. He kept trying, though, sending her the warmth of his love, the small bouts of joy he had of knowing that she was there.
I'm not going anywhere, Ana. I'm right here, right beside you, and I'll be here until you find me. Find me, he almost commanded. He was searching for her, too.
I— The connection cut out for a moment, but then he felt it come back. The feelings on Ana's end of it were mostly confusion; he could feel the fuzziness of it washing over him through the link. It was heavy, oppressive, and dizzy; the sensation wasn't completely unlike the one he'd felt in his childhood, when he was building his immunity to poisons by being dosed with them. The slow haze of a suppressant.
Slowly, another feeling broke through—a sense of urgency. It was poorly directed, though; she was having real trouble following the connection, it seemed. I'm here... I...
He kept pushing, kept sending her everything he felt. She was coming through, but there was still the problem of connecting. He took a deep breath, steadying himself as he did so. He had to keep trying, to keep pushing. And that's what he did. He pushed. He pushed as hard as he could, trying to reach her so that she could come back to him, so that he could find her, and she, him.
Me too, Ana. I'm right here, and I'm not leaving until you come through. You can do this, Ana. Everyone's waiting for you to come back to them. Kasimir, Cyrilla, Drake, Harper, they're all waiting for you, he kept pushing.
I'm waiting for you to come back to me. Anastasia, he paused only for a second, Anastasia, come back to me.
It was then that he felt the connection change, almost like it was locking into place. Something settled there in his mind, and suddenly, he could feel everything. Her confusion still lay like a cloud over everything, coupled with anxiety and even a trace of fear. But clearest of all was her desire to do as he asked, to return to him and the world of the waking.
She grasped at the tether like a lifeline; he got a sense of moving, like she was getting closer in space somehow, though of course physically, she was where she'd been for the last week—in the hospital bed, right next to him.
Tears slipped out from beneath her eyes seconds before she opened them. It was a slow process: she pulled in a sudden, deep breath, then flinched, her features tightening, squeezing her eyes further shut before cracking them open. It took a second for her to focus them, but when she did, she offered him a weak smile, reaching up to lay a hand on the side of his face. Ana didn't seem to quite be in complete control of her motions yet; she ended up dropping it away a moment later.
Her smile wobbled. When she spoke, her voice was raspy with disuse.
“I'm back."
Eryk wasn't sure if he was capable of tears, or crying, however; he knew that if he was, he would be doing it now. But unlike her, where her tears were visible, he shed none. The relief was enough to overwhelm him, and possibly her, too, since their connection was still open. He didn't bother letting it close, because he was afraid that she might slip from him again. He couldn't have that. He wouldn't. Instead, he grabbed her hand, and lifted it back to his face, and kept it there. It was warm, she was warm, and he wasn't entirely sure what to think, now. She was back. She was here.
"Anastasia," he spoke, the small crack in his voice giving way to what he felt. "I love you," he spoke. He really did. "Don't... don't ever leave me, again," he continued. The desperation in his voice came out a bit more something than he intended it to, and he couldn't even describe it.
She sobbed. It was only a weak sound, probably because of her still-fragile state. Shaking her head, she brought her other arm up clumsily around his neck, lifting herself the rest of the way so that she was hugging him, pressed against him and clinging tightly.
“I don't want to," she said between shuddering breaths. “I don't ever want to." Her arms trembled from the effort of holding on to him, but she stubbornly refused to let go.
“I'm so sorry. I ran and then—" she hiccuped softly, burying her face in his shoulder. “I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry."
He shook his head. She shouldn't apologize. He wrapped his arms around her so that she didn't have to exert too much effort to keep herself up. Instead, he was holding her, perhaps a little too tightly. It wasn't enough that he was hurting her, he made sure of that, however; he was also afraid of letting her go. He didn't ever want to let her go, again. Never. And he wasn't going to.
"Shh, Ana. Don't apologize for that. You did nothing wrong," he spoke. She didn't do anything wrong. She would have gone after Gregorovich again, if she had to. That's just the person she was. She wasn't going to change that, and he didn't want her to. She was selfless like that, even if she said she was selfish.
"Just... stay here with me. Don't ever leave me. Ever," he wasn't entirely sure how that would sound to her, but if she'd have him, he wanted to be with her. In every way possible. In the present, in the future. He only wanted her, as she was, for as long as they were together. He was certain she could feel it, too. There was practically no filter between their connection, right now.
She kissed him.
It was a surprisingly aggressive gesture, for someone as gentle as Ana. She shifted her hands to grip the collar of his shirt tightly. With the physical gesture came an intense flood of her emotions: love, desperation, and a particular sort of want he'd never felt from her before.
“There's nothing I want more," she said quietly, smoothing her hands up to either side of his face. She stroked her thumbs beneath his eyes. “Nothing. But I—" her breath hitched, her expression dropping into one of deep regret.
“I'm sick, Eryk. I can't—I can't promise you that. That I'll always be... always be here."
He smiled at her. "No, Ana, you will be here. They... he's going to test it again, to make sure, but," he paused momentarily, unsure how to say this. It sounded incredulous, even to him, so he could only imagine how it'd sound to her. She knew her body better than anyone, but perhaps he was allowed this small ray of hope.
"He couldn't find it, Ana. Your Everett's... there was no sign of it. They ran the bloodwork, but there was nothing there," he spoke slowly, since he was still trying to believe it. "I don't know how, I don't know why, but... he said that there's no damage to your lungs." He was trying to be optimistic here. He gave her his mind so that she could see for herself. She could see the last few minutes, the perplexed look on the doctor's face, and the surprise in his own emotions.
Ana pulled in a sharp breath. Understanding seemed to light on her face, followed swiftly by disbelief. Last of all, there was a beatific smile, the likes of which had never graced her face before.
“Mew," she breathed. “It must have—I didn't notice because it's still—" She gestured to her bruised throat. It wasn't hard to figure out what she meant. She was still weak from the attack, and breathing was likely not easy for her.
“But... everyone else is okay, right? And Nova and Luna? They... they protected me when—" the texture of her emotions shifted back predominantly to worry, though he could sense that she was still processing the news as well. It wouldn't be easy of course; she'd lived with her disease her whole life. To suddenly be told it was gone was something she'd probably never even considered a possibility.
"They're fine, Ana. Nova and Luna are both recovering," he began, smiling softly at her. "Kas, Cy, Harper, and Drake are all outside waiting for you to wake up. If you'd like, I can go get them. I'd rather you rest, first. They'll understand," he spoke. He'd go get them if she wanted to see them, but they would also understand that she needed to rest, first. He'd go inform them that she'd woken up, of course, but now wasn't the best time. Or at least that's what he thought. He wasn't going to deny her what she wanted, either way.
“Okay," she said softly, relaxing in his hold. “I can wait... if you stay." She shuffled a little, shifting aside so that she was only on one side of the hospital bed, the same side her IV was hooked up on.
“If I know you, you haven't slept much recently, so..." She held up the other half of the hospital blanket, a clear invitation. It'd be a close fit, considering his relative size, but she didn't seem to mind that. “If you're here, I won't drift off again, I think."
He huffed softly. "As if I have anywhere else to be," he spoke softly, shifting himself so that they were both in the hospital bed. It wasn't too comfortable, but he didn't mind. He made sure she was, though, by laying on his side as close to the edge as possible. She was the one who needed rest. Not him.
"I'm not going anywhere. I'll stay here as long as you want," he spoke softly, wrapping his arms around her, and pulling her close to him. He wasn't going anywhere, and he wasn't going to let go.
Ever.
Kas added his name to the bottom of the document, sighing in some mixture of relief and fatigue as he did.
“Glad to be done with the search?" The real estate agent was a middle-aged woman named Tabitha. She smiled at him with a look that said she understood.
He nodded. “Definitely." He accepted the key and her congratulations, waiting politely for her to depart before he turned and faced the house.
His house.
It had been a month since the last battle with Team Rocket. In that time, the three of them had freed Raikou, Entei, and Suicune—their partnerships had always been conditional and temporary, after all. Those weren't really the kinds of pokémon you trained or kept around the house, after all.
After Ana's recovery, the doctor had double-checked both the tests and her medical records. She'd been declared recovered from Everett's—something that did occasionally happen. Whether it was the work of a pokémon or just Ana recovering on her own terms was impossible to say. The important part was that, though still considerably frailer than the average person, she was no longer in immediate danger. She should live a life as long as anyone else's.
Seeing that, feeling the relief, had lifted a huge burden from everyone's shoulders. Kas had elected to take a cue from it all and remake his own life as well. He was leaving his old self behind, piece by piece. He'd quit his job with the KPSF. He wasn't exactly sure what he was going to do instead yet, but he had plenty of time to decide and more than enough savings to tide him over while he made up his mind. For now, he volunteered at the reopened shelter and, until today, searched for a permanent residence. The mansion was closed down as evidence, and he didn't like the idea of living in a hotel permanently.
He supposed he could have bought a condo instead, but he liked the house... and he wanted to live someplace with room. It was a well-made home, and had cost him a pretty pokédollar, but he thought it was worth it. The house had two expansive stories, and was made primarily of sandstone and light wood, like many of the homes on the island. It wasn't too far from Ana's, either—just a block or two down the street.
Putting his new housekey in the door and turning, he entered. He'd moved his furniture in yesterday, but he'd barely unpacked anything else. Even after he did, he knew he wouldn't come close to filling the place by himself. Not without a lot more furniture.
He didn't have too much longer, though; he'd invited everyone over for a housewarming in several hours... and Cy to dinner before that. His kitchen had been the first room he unpacked, and the only one completely free of boxes right now. In that sense, he supposed he was his mother's son.
Setting the keys on the counter, he got to work. He elected to make mostly food native to his home, since she'd expressed a desire previously to eat more of it. So chicken long rice, laulau, and a spicy mansaf. For dessert, he elected to slice up a fresh pinapple and bake a baklava.
It wasn't long after that, that there was a knock at the door. "Kas? It's me," Cyrilla's voice called out from behind. She sounded nervous, but then again, she was always nervous when it came to him. That hadn't changed too much. "I'm going to, uh, let myself in," she spoke a little louder. The door opened, before the sound of it being closed could be heard. He could hear her crossing the floor, followed by a slight huffing sound.
"Oh, there you are," she spoke, poking her head into the kitchen. She offered him a smile and stepped fully into it. "This... it's really nice, Kas," she said as she glanced around. "And I'm just in the kitchen," she added softly, shaking her head at herself.
"I'm surprised you don't have more green in it, though," she stated, raising a brow in his direction.
He rolled his eyes at her, but grinned all the same. “Just because it's my favorite color doesn't mean it's the only one I like," he replied. That and the fact that he obviously hadn't had time to paint yet. But that was less fun than teasing her.
“Besides, you haven't seen the master bedroom yet. I could show you later, if you want?" He let the question hang heavy with the obvious implications.
As usual, Cyrilla was exactly on time, and so he plated their food while it was still hot, giving both of them a little bit of everything. Since he hadn't unpacked the dining room yet, they'd have to eat at the island, but he didn't think she'd mind. There were chairs set up against it already, the kind with the extra-long legs for the right height. Those, he'd already purchased.
And as usual, her face was stained with a slight pink color to it. She cleared her throat before taking a seat at the island. "Yeah, later," she spoke softly, though it was hard to tell if she was joking, or being serious. She was smiling softly. Either way, she glanced at him, the color receeding from her face, and then back to the plate. "Well, I suppose I could say congratulations on finding a place. I'm stuck with Ana and Ryk at the moment," she spoke in a lighthearted fashion. It wasn't a secret that Ryk had, almost immediately, made himself at home at Ana's. He had practically lived there before everything had happened.
The only difference was, was that he hadn't really stayed at her house with the exception of Christmas. "But this looks good," she added, taking a bite out of it. She must have liked it because her eyes lit up, and she took another bite. "You know, I think you might be a better cook than I am," she continued, pursing her lips together. It almost looked like she was pouting, as if she were upset at the idea of him being a better cook.
He chuckled. “Well, I had the benefit of good teachers. I'm a selfish ass though—I only cook for people that I like." His eyes narrowed with mirth.
“I've been trying to think about what I want to do now," he admitted, more seriously. He ate slowly, mostly occupied watching her. It was a nice feeling, when someone enjoyed your food, but he had no interest in feeding strangers, as it happened. “I considered opening a restaurant for a bit, but... I think I'd rather just make food for the people I care about." He leaned forward, catching his jaw in a hand.
“You, though... I bet if you wanted to, you could run a place."
"Oh? Is that so?" she spoke, lifting her gaze from her plate. The smile stayed on her face as she seemed to think about it. "Well, I did tell Harper and Ana that I wanted to do that when everything ended," she spoke softly, like she was making a small confession. "I told them I wanted to open my own restaurant, but I'm not so sure. I've... never really thought about doing anything else when I was... when I was part of Team Rocket," she spoke just as softly. That had been apparent, considering her family, but she and Ryk didn't have ties to them anymore.
"Besides, we're not so different, you and I. I'm selfish too, and I don't know if I'd want to cook for anyone besides you, Ana, and Ryk," she continued, chuckling softly to herself. "But who knows, maybe I'll be less selfish and start feeding other people. I might even have some follow me home, like when you feed stray pokémon," she said as the corners of her lips tilted up further. It was obvious she was joking at the last statement, but she did seem slightly serious about opening a restaurant.
He hummed a dissatisfied noise. “I should hope not," he replied with a frown, but he let the thought drop for the moment. There was something important he had to say, after all.
He waited until they were both finished eating, clearing the plates away and cutting each of them a slice of the baklava and putting a couple pieces of pineapple on the side as well. He set both plates down. “Before the others get here," he said slowly, “there's something I'd like to say. You've been waiting a month, after all. Or at least I have."
There were various reasons for that, but the important one was the time itself. They'd needed it to begin recovering from everything. All of them had.
Leaning sideways on his chair, Kas opened one of his kitchen drawers, withdrawing a crisp packet of paper. “These are new copies of our divorce papers," he said softly, meeting her eyes with what he hoped was a neutral expression. “They're for you. So you can do whatever you want with them."
From the breast pocket of his shirt, he removed a small object. It was a wooden pendant, carved out of some reddish wood. It had the shape of a peony, the petals inlaid with mother-of-pearl. It had taken him a month to get the design right—he was not a natural craftsman, but he was willing to put in the work. It was on a beaded band, short and thick; a choker-style necklace, more or less.
He took a deep breath. “So is this." He swallowed. “I made it. Harper tells me you know what that means, for me." His fingers trembled as he set it down next to the papers.
Shaking his head, he gave her an uneasy smile. “I can't figure out what I want to do with my life exactly, Cyrilla. I don't have another job lined up. I'm lazy, and selfish, and my history gives you no reason to trust me. I slept around because it was fun and I didn't have any obligations. I never thought I'd want them. Nothing in that area will be new to me. I don't have anything to offer you, not really."
Kas sighed. “Nothing but... nothing but my love. And the promise that I'm trying to change. That I want to change. And... in the last month, I've convinced myself that I can. I haven't wanted to go back to how I was, not once. The only woman I think about with anything other than friendship is you. The only one I want is you. The only one I'll ever want is you." He swallowed thickly, feeling the lump in his throat.
“And I know we're technically already married, but... that doesn't count. I'm asking you to make it count. To be mine, forever." He smiled ruefully, and stood. “Guess I'm supposed to kneel for this bit, huh?"
Taking one of her hands in both of his, Kas took a knee next to her. “This is your last chance to grab the papers and run, Cy, because I can promise you I'm never signing another one again. Will you... will you marry me, for real this time?"
For the majority of his speech, she'd remained silent. Her eyes were glued to him, and they never left him. Strangely, there was no reaction on her face, no staining blush. She was surprised, that much was obvious, but the expression softened somewhat as she glanced at the papers. She stared at them for a moment, and then towards the pendant. She still remained quiet, and her expression hadn't changed much. Slowly, she lifted her gaze to him. She just stared at him. It wasn't until the small quirk of her lips that she finally spoke.
"I don't know, Kas. I mean... if I grab the papers and run, would you chase after me? Because I'm not sure, yet, if I want to marry you for real," she spoke slowly, almost on purpose, however; it became obvious soon after that she was joking. Her expression did change, though. It took on a rather serious expression, one he'd never quite seen before. She took her hand out of his, and held the papers out in front of her.
"Kas, I've told you twice already, that I love you, and only you. That I'd always love you, no matter what. You... you were the most important person in my life for all those years, even if it hurt when you did all those things. But that was who you were, and I... didn't want you to change just because of me. I didn't want to change you at all, because I'd fallen in love with you. I fell in love with your smile, the way you cared about everything, even if you'd lied to me. I didn't fall in love with a lie, Kas," she spoke in one breath.
"I fell in love with you, as imperfect as you were, because to me, you are perfect. I don't... I don't know how else to explain it but," she paused, finally tearing her gaze from him. "I'd never want to run from you, Kas. Never. If I'm going to run anywhere, it's going to be towards you, not away. So," she continued. She took in a deep breath, and with little effort, she tore the papers in half. Laying them on the island table, she turned back to him, and smiled brightly.
"Of course I'll marry you, for real this time," she stated, throwing her arms around his neck and capturing his lips with her own.
He supported her weight easily enough from his kneeling position, but he didn't remain that way for long. Placing his hands on her thighs, he stood, lifting her with him, still liplocked. He broke away for a moment, grinning at her and brushing his nose against hers for just a moment. “I had to be sure, you know," he said softly, “that everything would be the same after the dust settled. Sometimes, after traumas like that... things can change."
Kas was beyond relieved that her feelings hadn't, but he hadn't wanted to assume. Even if deep down he'd believed she wouldn't change in that respect. He kissed her again, walking them back to place her back against the kitchen wall, shifting one of his hands to her neck but supporting her with the other. The tangling of tongues was familiar to the both of them by this point, but no less exhilarating for that. He'd never get tired of her—even the thought was laughable.
“No pressure here, Cy, but, uh..." He smirked down at her. “We still have about an hour before Ana and Ryk are supposed to be here. In case you do want to see the bedroom."
"Correction. An hour and a half. You know Ryk's never been one to be on time. He took a page from your book, you know. He's gotten a little lazy," she spoke, raising a brow at him. "Besides, you still owe me, remember? I think I'd like to see this bedroom of ours," she replied, pressing her lips against his before she pulled back. She took his bottom lip with her teeth, though, when she did.
"So, shall we?"
“Why yes, my love. We shall."
An hour and a half, huh? He was going to enjoy this.
“Glad to be done with the search?" The real estate agent was a middle-aged woman named Tabitha. She smiled at him with a look that said she understood.
He nodded. “Definitely." He accepted the key and her congratulations, waiting politely for her to depart before he turned and faced the house.
His house.
It had been a month since the last battle with Team Rocket. In that time, the three of them had freed Raikou, Entei, and Suicune—their partnerships had always been conditional and temporary, after all. Those weren't really the kinds of pokémon you trained or kept around the house, after all.
After Ana's recovery, the doctor had double-checked both the tests and her medical records. She'd been declared recovered from Everett's—something that did occasionally happen. Whether it was the work of a pokémon or just Ana recovering on her own terms was impossible to say. The important part was that, though still considerably frailer than the average person, she was no longer in immediate danger. She should live a life as long as anyone else's.
Seeing that, feeling the relief, had lifted a huge burden from everyone's shoulders. Kas had elected to take a cue from it all and remake his own life as well. He was leaving his old self behind, piece by piece. He'd quit his job with the KPSF. He wasn't exactly sure what he was going to do instead yet, but he had plenty of time to decide and more than enough savings to tide him over while he made up his mind. For now, he volunteered at the reopened shelter and, until today, searched for a permanent residence. The mansion was closed down as evidence, and he didn't like the idea of living in a hotel permanently.
He supposed he could have bought a condo instead, but he liked the house... and he wanted to live someplace with room. It was a well-made home, and had cost him a pretty pokédollar, but he thought it was worth it. The house had two expansive stories, and was made primarily of sandstone and light wood, like many of the homes on the island. It wasn't too far from Ana's, either—just a block or two down the street.
Putting his new housekey in the door and turning, he entered. He'd moved his furniture in yesterday, but he'd barely unpacked anything else. Even after he did, he knew he wouldn't come close to filling the place by himself. Not without a lot more furniture.
He didn't have too much longer, though; he'd invited everyone over for a housewarming in several hours... and Cy to dinner before that. His kitchen had been the first room he unpacked, and the only one completely free of boxes right now. In that sense, he supposed he was his mother's son.
Setting the keys on the counter, he got to work. He elected to make mostly food native to his home, since she'd expressed a desire previously to eat more of it. So chicken long rice, laulau, and a spicy mansaf. For dessert, he elected to slice up a fresh pinapple and bake a baklava.
It wasn't long after that, that there was a knock at the door. "Kas? It's me," Cyrilla's voice called out from behind. She sounded nervous, but then again, she was always nervous when it came to him. That hadn't changed too much. "I'm going to, uh, let myself in," she spoke a little louder. The door opened, before the sound of it being closed could be heard. He could hear her crossing the floor, followed by a slight huffing sound.
"Oh, there you are," she spoke, poking her head into the kitchen. She offered him a smile and stepped fully into it. "This... it's really nice, Kas," she said as she glanced around. "And I'm just in the kitchen," she added softly, shaking her head at herself.
"I'm surprised you don't have more green in it, though," she stated, raising a brow in his direction.
He rolled his eyes at her, but grinned all the same. “Just because it's my favorite color doesn't mean it's the only one I like," he replied. That and the fact that he obviously hadn't had time to paint yet. But that was less fun than teasing her.
“Besides, you haven't seen the master bedroom yet. I could show you later, if you want?" He let the question hang heavy with the obvious implications.
As usual, Cyrilla was exactly on time, and so he plated their food while it was still hot, giving both of them a little bit of everything. Since he hadn't unpacked the dining room yet, they'd have to eat at the island, but he didn't think she'd mind. There were chairs set up against it already, the kind with the extra-long legs for the right height. Those, he'd already purchased.
And as usual, her face was stained with a slight pink color to it. She cleared her throat before taking a seat at the island. "Yeah, later," she spoke softly, though it was hard to tell if she was joking, or being serious. She was smiling softly. Either way, she glanced at him, the color receeding from her face, and then back to the plate. "Well, I suppose I could say congratulations on finding a place. I'm stuck with Ana and Ryk at the moment," she spoke in a lighthearted fashion. It wasn't a secret that Ryk had, almost immediately, made himself at home at Ana's. He had practically lived there before everything had happened.
The only difference was, was that he hadn't really stayed at her house with the exception of Christmas. "But this looks good," she added, taking a bite out of it. She must have liked it because her eyes lit up, and she took another bite. "You know, I think you might be a better cook than I am," she continued, pursing her lips together. It almost looked like she was pouting, as if she were upset at the idea of him being a better cook.
He chuckled. “Well, I had the benefit of good teachers. I'm a selfish ass though—I only cook for people that I like." His eyes narrowed with mirth.
“I've been trying to think about what I want to do now," he admitted, more seriously. He ate slowly, mostly occupied watching her. It was a nice feeling, when someone enjoyed your food, but he had no interest in feeding strangers, as it happened. “I considered opening a restaurant for a bit, but... I think I'd rather just make food for the people I care about." He leaned forward, catching his jaw in a hand.
“You, though... I bet if you wanted to, you could run a place."
"Oh? Is that so?" she spoke, lifting her gaze from her plate. The smile stayed on her face as she seemed to think about it. "Well, I did tell Harper and Ana that I wanted to do that when everything ended," she spoke softly, like she was making a small confession. "I told them I wanted to open my own restaurant, but I'm not so sure. I've... never really thought about doing anything else when I was... when I was part of Team Rocket," she spoke just as softly. That had been apparent, considering her family, but she and Ryk didn't have ties to them anymore.
"Besides, we're not so different, you and I. I'm selfish too, and I don't know if I'd want to cook for anyone besides you, Ana, and Ryk," she continued, chuckling softly to herself. "But who knows, maybe I'll be less selfish and start feeding other people. I might even have some follow me home, like when you feed stray pokémon," she said as the corners of her lips tilted up further. It was obvious she was joking at the last statement, but she did seem slightly serious about opening a restaurant.
He hummed a dissatisfied noise. “I should hope not," he replied with a frown, but he let the thought drop for the moment. There was something important he had to say, after all.
He waited until they were both finished eating, clearing the plates away and cutting each of them a slice of the baklava and putting a couple pieces of pineapple on the side as well. He set both plates down. “Before the others get here," he said slowly, “there's something I'd like to say. You've been waiting a month, after all. Or at least I have."
There were various reasons for that, but the important one was the time itself. They'd needed it to begin recovering from everything. All of them had.
Leaning sideways on his chair, Kas opened one of his kitchen drawers, withdrawing a crisp packet of paper. “These are new copies of our divorce papers," he said softly, meeting her eyes with what he hoped was a neutral expression. “They're for you. So you can do whatever you want with them."
From the breast pocket of his shirt, he removed a small object. It was a wooden pendant, carved out of some reddish wood. It had the shape of a peony, the petals inlaid with mother-of-pearl. It had taken him a month to get the design right—he was not a natural craftsman, but he was willing to put in the work. It was on a beaded band, short and thick; a choker-style necklace, more or less.
He took a deep breath. “So is this." He swallowed. “I made it. Harper tells me you know what that means, for me." His fingers trembled as he set it down next to the papers.
Shaking his head, he gave her an uneasy smile. “I can't figure out what I want to do with my life exactly, Cyrilla. I don't have another job lined up. I'm lazy, and selfish, and my history gives you no reason to trust me. I slept around because it was fun and I didn't have any obligations. I never thought I'd want them. Nothing in that area will be new to me. I don't have anything to offer you, not really."
Kas sighed. “Nothing but... nothing but my love. And the promise that I'm trying to change. That I want to change. And... in the last month, I've convinced myself that I can. I haven't wanted to go back to how I was, not once. The only woman I think about with anything other than friendship is you. The only one I want is you. The only one I'll ever want is you." He swallowed thickly, feeling the lump in his throat.
“And I know we're technically already married, but... that doesn't count. I'm asking you to make it count. To be mine, forever." He smiled ruefully, and stood. “Guess I'm supposed to kneel for this bit, huh?"
Taking one of her hands in both of his, Kas took a knee next to her. “This is your last chance to grab the papers and run, Cy, because I can promise you I'm never signing another one again. Will you... will you marry me, for real this time?"
For the majority of his speech, she'd remained silent. Her eyes were glued to him, and they never left him. Strangely, there was no reaction on her face, no staining blush. She was surprised, that much was obvious, but the expression softened somewhat as she glanced at the papers. She stared at them for a moment, and then towards the pendant. She still remained quiet, and her expression hadn't changed much. Slowly, she lifted her gaze to him. She just stared at him. It wasn't until the small quirk of her lips that she finally spoke.
"I don't know, Kas. I mean... if I grab the papers and run, would you chase after me? Because I'm not sure, yet, if I want to marry you for real," she spoke slowly, almost on purpose, however; it became obvious soon after that she was joking. Her expression did change, though. It took on a rather serious expression, one he'd never quite seen before. She took her hand out of his, and held the papers out in front of her.
"Kas, I've told you twice already, that I love you, and only you. That I'd always love you, no matter what. You... you were the most important person in my life for all those years, even if it hurt when you did all those things. But that was who you were, and I... didn't want you to change just because of me. I didn't want to change you at all, because I'd fallen in love with you. I fell in love with your smile, the way you cared about everything, even if you'd lied to me. I didn't fall in love with a lie, Kas," she spoke in one breath.
"I fell in love with you, as imperfect as you were, because to me, you are perfect. I don't... I don't know how else to explain it but," she paused, finally tearing her gaze from him. "I'd never want to run from you, Kas. Never. If I'm going to run anywhere, it's going to be towards you, not away. So," she continued. She took in a deep breath, and with little effort, she tore the papers in half. Laying them on the island table, she turned back to him, and smiled brightly.
"Of course I'll marry you, for real this time," she stated, throwing her arms around his neck and capturing his lips with her own.
He supported her weight easily enough from his kneeling position, but he didn't remain that way for long. Placing his hands on her thighs, he stood, lifting her with him, still liplocked. He broke away for a moment, grinning at her and brushing his nose against hers for just a moment. “I had to be sure, you know," he said softly, “that everything would be the same after the dust settled. Sometimes, after traumas like that... things can change."
Kas was beyond relieved that her feelings hadn't, but he hadn't wanted to assume. Even if deep down he'd believed she wouldn't change in that respect. He kissed her again, walking them back to place her back against the kitchen wall, shifting one of his hands to her neck but supporting her with the other. The tangling of tongues was familiar to the both of them by this point, but no less exhilarating for that. He'd never get tired of her—even the thought was laughable.
“No pressure here, Cy, but, uh..." He smirked down at her. “We still have about an hour before Ana and Ryk are supposed to be here. In case you do want to see the bedroom."
"Correction. An hour and a half. You know Ryk's never been one to be on time. He took a page from your book, you know. He's gotten a little lazy," she spoke, raising a brow at him. "Besides, you still owe me, remember? I think I'd like to see this bedroom of ours," she replied, pressing her lips against his before she pulled back. She took his bottom lip with her teeth, though, when she did.
"So, shall we?"
“Why yes, my love. We shall."
An hour and a half, huh? He was going to enjoy this.
Eryk sighed softly, wiping the sweat from his brow. He had just finished setting down fresh hay for the ekans, and it was almost time for a break. It still unnerved him how much time had passed between the events that had taken place, nearly a year ago, till now. It also made him slightly uncomfortable at how happy Kas and Cy were doing. They had had an actual wedding a few months ago, and had taken off somewhere for their honeymoon. He didn't really care to remember. He was happy for them. If he remembered correctly, her egg had finally hatched, too, producing a riolu. She'd nearly drowned herself in tears that day.
What unnerved him the most, though, was finding out that he was going to be an uncle. He couldn't really process that information when Cy had told him, however; now that she was almost due, it'd finally hit him. He felt almost envious of their life. They had settled down, something he wasn't sure Kas was capable of doing, but he'd been proven wrong. They were starting a family together, and some part of Eryk wanted that, too. He wanted a family of his own, but he had decided to take things slow with Ana. He loved her, and he wanted to make sure that she wanted the same things, too.
Looking at her now, though, he knew he wanted something more with her. He wanted a family with her. Even though their connection had remained mostly open between them, the bond growing stronger and they, themselves, closer because of it, there were still some things he didn't send to her. Like that feeling of want. He just wasn't sure of himself when he was around her. Even if her disease was gone, she was still so frail to him, and the last thing he wanted to do was hurt her, even by accident. She'd been hurt enough in her life, and he didn't need to add to that.
He sighed softly, pushing himself from his work, and headed towards the place she would be. Once he found her, he smiled softly. That had become easier for him, too: smiling. It no longer felt out of place when he did, and he was getting better at expressing himself. He still had a long way to go, but he was patient enough.
"Ana," he called out, waiting for her to acknowledge him. It wasn't the most conventional of ways to do this, but then again, he wasn't exactly a normal person to begin with. He wasn't even sure if he should. He was going to, anyway. "Do you want to take a break?"
“Sure. Just give me a second to finish up here." She flashed a bright smile at him over her shoulder, then returned her attention to Rufus. The old stoutland was nearly blind at this point, but if anything that only seemed to increase the care which Ana took towards his health. At the moment, she was just brushing him, a rather daunting task considering how much fur he had.
When she finally deemed him finished, she stood up, banishing the brush back to the shed with a thought and brushing herself down with her hands, trying to get as much pokémon hair as possible off her apron. When she was satisfied, she took the apron off and hooked it over one of the pegs in the wall of the shelter building.
“What's up? You haven't brought home another stray, have you?" She was very indulgent of his newfound tendency to catch any pokémon he happened to see around and bring it back to the shelter—she said it was good for the pokémon to have healthy friends around. Whether that was true or not was hard to say. Probably their own teams would have been more than enough for that purpose, but she always found the room for his new additions, regardless.
Eryk snorted softly at her statement. "No, no I have not," he replied, shaking his head. He supposed he could try and not bring back so many strays, but sometimes it was hard. But that wasn't what he wanted to talk to her about. Instead, he glanced around before landing back on her. "I don't think Primeape would appreciate any more friends in his tree," he continued, glancing towards said tree where his pokémon was. He'd evolved not too long ago, actually, and he'd taken to roosting in one of Ana's trees. He wasn't entirely sure why, but it wasn't like it bothered him. If anything, he was partly glad. Primeape could be a handful sometimes.
"I figured it would be a good time to take a break. That, and... I would rather you sit down. There's something I need to talk to you about," he spoke the last few words rather seriously. They were important to him.
She tilted her head at him, and he felt a ripple through the connection they shared, easily identifiable as curiosity. But she seemed willing enough to go along with it, because she nodded easily. “All right. We'll have a seat in the garden, then. I'll make something to drink. Coffee or tea?"
"Tea."
Ana dipped her chin and headed into the kitchen. Given the fact that she used her powers much more liberally now that she was at almost no risk for overexerting herself, the process took almost no time at all save what it took the water to heat, and she could speed that up, too, which she must have, given that she was back not more then three minutes later with their drinks and a plate of oatmeal cookies.
With a soft sigh, Ana sat down across the table from him, a half-smile pulling at her mouth. “Now... what's so important that it couldn't be said while we were working, or wait until dinner?" Not that she seemed to mind the interruption.
He sighed softly, glancing at his cup for a minute. He knew the words he wanted to say, but they were hard to say. He wasn't even sure if he was capable of even projecting the feelings to her, so he didn't. Instead, he remained as calm as he could, though there was a slight tremble in his body. It wasn't detectable, visibly, but he could feel it. He pulled his gaze away from his cup, and stared at her.
"What... what do you want to do, Ana?" he asked her. "About your future," he clarified. It was important to know what she wanted to do, and where she wanted to be, because he wanted to help her get there. "I know the shelter is important to you, but I also remember telling me that you wanted to be a professor, at one time. Do you still want to do something like that?" he continued. If she did, then he would support her in any way he could. Whether it was emotional support, financial support, or some other kind.
Ana took a sip from her teacup, setting it back down gently on the surface of the table and curling her hands around the warm ceramic. She smiled; it was a little rueful, honestly. “I think I'm still getting used to the idea of having a future," she said softly. “For most of my life I thought I had maybe twenty years to live in, and now here I am at twenty-two with a whole life ahead of me." She sighed, glancing down at the tea in her cup and swirling it gently.
“I considered it. Going back to school for that, I mean. But... the more I thought about leaving all of this, the more I realized I didn't want to leave everything I have here. I love running the shelter—I get to help pokémon and people. And... I love being here, where my friends are. Auntie Miranda's been talking about buying an apartment here, you know. If she does, then... all the people I love the most will be in one place." She shook her head. “I think, now, that I could learn to make friends anywhere. I'm not as shy as I used to be, thanks to everyone. But..."
Ana pursed her lips. “But this is my home."
He took everything she said, allowing the information to process before he sighed softly. He kept his gaze on her, and didn't remove it. He was studying her face. She looked sincere in her words, and he knew she was. "And this will always be your home. That doesn't mean, however, that you can't still chase after your dream. Even if you decide to do something else, I just want you to know that," he paused, swallowing a little thickly. This was suddenly a lot harder to say. He wasn't entirely sure, and he felt, strangely, embarrassed. He didn't bother hiding that, though, and let the emotion float through their connection.
"I just want you to know that I want to be a part of that future," he finally said, glancing away from her. He didn't think he was capable of being embarrassed, but there it was. The feeling was strange on him, and it made him feel lighter. "But... only if you'd have me. I don't think... I know that there is no other person I'd rather spend the rest of my life with, other than you. You are my future, Anastasia Asher, and... I was hoping I could be yours," he was staring at his cup when he said that. He wondered if this was how Cy felt sometimes.
He could hear the soft scrape of her chair legs on the patio. A couple moments later, she was beside him, a gentle hand on either side of his face, urging him to look at her. She was smiling at him—a small, soft one that brightened her eyes.
“You silly man," she said, tracing her soft fingers from his temples down to his jaw. “You brave, wonderful fool." Ana huffed, a light breath caught halfway to a laugh, and leaned down to touch her forehead to his.
“I hope I've never made you feel like that was in doubt. Of course you're part of my future. For as long as you can stand it. Why else would I let you move into my house? It's not home without you, anymore." She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth for a moment, smiling strangely. “In fact... it's been that way for longer than you think. And I can prove it to you."
He raised a brow in her direction. It's been that way for a while? He must be losing his ability to be perceptive if he hadn't noticed that. He smiled softly at her, though. "How so?" he was slightly curious as to what she meant.
Ana cleared her throat. She looked almost a little bit embarrassed now, but not so much that it stained her face red. “Scoot," she said, sitting so that she could share his chair with him; given the size of it, she was mostly just sitting on his leg.
“So, um... remember when we went to Crystal's wedding? While we were there, I had Kas take me to the artist that does all of his tattoos. I... figured out one that I wanted, you see." It explained the bandages she'd been wearing in the days after, at least; probably to protect from premature exposure to saltwater. That had been before everything. Before her capture, before their flight from Team Rocket and their mission to bring the organization down. Certainly before this last year.
The neck of her shirt was fairly wide, sitting closer to her shoulders than her throat; it didn't take much effort for her to shrug it lower on one side. Doing so revealed that she did, indeed, have a tattoo, on the back of her left shoulder. It was artfully-done; the colors were rich blue, indigo, violet, and just a hint of black at the edges. But even despite the stylistic touches, it was clearly a larkspur flower. A small cluster of them, in fact, etched on Ana's fair skin.
She turned her head so she was looking at him out of the corner of her eye over the same shoulder. “I know... I know it was part of the plan, now, but... it's still the first gift you ever gave me. I um... I think of it as the moment everything changed, you know. Not the moment I fell in love, but... the moment I stepped onto the path that got me there."
He remembered that day. It was more than that, though. It was also the day he learned, or somewhat learned, how to be more social. He smiled just faintly, and lifted his hand to trace the image before leaning forward and placing a soft kiss there. "Of course you'd get something like that," he whispered softly, chuckling just as soft. His head leaned against her shoulder, and he simply kept it there.
"Then... I am glad that I get to be a part of your future," he certainly wasn't going to regret it. Not after everything they've been through together. "You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. I love you, Anastasia."
“I love you, too, Eryk."
What unnerved him the most, though, was finding out that he was going to be an uncle. He couldn't really process that information when Cy had told him, however; now that she was almost due, it'd finally hit him. He felt almost envious of their life. They had settled down, something he wasn't sure Kas was capable of doing, but he'd been proven wrong. They were starting a family together, and some part of Eryk wanted that, too. He wanted a family of his own, but he had decided to take things slow with Ana. He loved her, and he wanted to make sure that she wanted the same things, too.
Looking at her now, though, he knew he wanted something more with her. He wanted a family with her. Even though their connection had remained mostly open between them, the bond growing stronger and they, themselves, closer because of it, there were still some things he didn't send to her. Like that feeling of want. He just wasn't sure of himself when he was around her. Even if her disease was gone, she was still so frail to him, and the last thing he wanted to do was hurt her, even by accident. She'd been hurt enough in her life, and he didn't need to add to that.
He sighed softly, pushing himself from his work, and headed towards the place she would be. Once he found her, he smiled softly. That had become easier for him, too: smiling. It no longer felt out of place when he did, and he was getting better at expressing himself. He still had a long way to go, but he was patient enough.
"Ana," he called out, waiting for her to acknowledge him. It wasn't the most conventional of ways to do this, but then again, he wasn't exactly a normal person to begin with. He wasn't even sure if he should. He was going to, anyway. "Do you want to take a break?"
“Sure. Just give me a second to finish up here." She flashed a bright smile at him over her shoulder, then returned her attention to Rufus. The old stoutland was nearly blind at this point, but if anything that only seemed to increase the care which Ana took towards his health. At the moment, she was just brushing him, a rather daunting task considering how much fur he had.
When she finally deemed him finished, she stood up, banishing the brush back to the shed with a thought and brushing herself down with her hands, trying to get as much pokémon hair as possible off her apron. When she was satisfied, she took the apron off and hooked it over one of the pegs in the wall of the shelter building.
“What's up? You haven't brought home another stray, have you?" She was very indulgent of his newfound tendency to catch any pokémon he happened to see around and bring it back to the shelter—she said it was good for the pokémon to have healthy friends around. Whether that was true or not was hard to say. Probably their own teams would have been more than enough for that purpose, but she always found the room for his new additions, regardless.
Eryk snorted softly at her statement. "No, no I have not," he replied, shaking his head. He supposed he could try and not bring back so many strays, but sometimes it was hard. But that wasn't what he wanted to talk to her about. Instead, he glanced around before landing back on her. "I don't think Primeape would appreciate any more friends in his tree," he continued, glancing towards said tree where his pokémon was. He'd evolved not too long ago, actually, and he'd taken to roosting in one of Ana's trees. He wasn't entirely sure why, but it wasn't like it bothered him. If anything, he was partly glad. Primeape could be a handful sometimes.
"I figured it would be a good time to take a break. That, and... I would rather you sit down. There's something I need to talk to you about," he spoke the last few words rather seriously. They were important to him.
She tilted her head at him, and he felt a ripple through the connection they shared, easily identifiable as curiosity. But she seemed willing enough to go along with it, because she nodded easily. “All right. We'll have a seat in the garden, then. I'll make something to drink. Coffee or tea?"
"Tea."
Ana dipped her chin and headed into the kitchen. Given the fact that she used her powers much more liberally now that she was at almost no risk for overexerting herself, the process took almost no time at all save what it took the water to heat, and she could speed that up, too, which she must have, given that she was back not more then three minutes later with their drinks and a plate of oatmeal cookies.
With a soft sigh, Ana sat down across the table from him, a half-smile pulling at her mouth. “Now... what's so important that it couldn't be said while we were working, or wait until dinner?" Not that she seemed to mind the interruption.
He sighed softly, glancing at his cup for a minute. He knew the words he wanted to say, but they were hard to say. He wasn't even sure if he was capable of even projecting the feelings to her, so he didn't. Instead, he remained as calm as he could, though there was a slight tremble in his body. It wasn't detectable, visibly, but he could feel it. He pulled his gaze away from his cup, and stared at her.
"What... what do you want to do, Ana?" he asked her. "About your future," he clarified. It was important to know what she wanted to do, and where she wanted to be, because he wanted to help her get there. "I know the shelter is important to you, but I also remember telling me that you wanted to be a professor, at one time. Do you still want to do something like that?" he continued. If she did, then he would support her in any way he could. Whether it was emotional support, financial support, or some other kind.
Ana took a sip from her teacup, setting it back down gently on the surface of the table and curling her hands around the warm ceramic. She smiled; it was a little rueful, honestly. “I think I'm still getting used to the idea of having a future," she said softly. “For most of my life I thought I had maybe twenty years to live in, and now here I am at twenty-two with a whole life ahead of me." She sighed, glancing down at the tea in her cup and swirling it gently.
“I considered it. Going back to school for that, I mean. But... the more I thought about leaving all of this, the more I realized I didn't want to leave everything I have here. I love running the shelter—I get to help pokémon and people. And... I love being here, where my friends are. Auntie Miranda's been talking about buying an apartment here, you know. If she does, then... all the people I love the most will be in one place." She shook her head. “I think, now, that I could learn to make friends anywhere. I'm not as shy as I used to be, thanks to everyone. But..."
Ana pursed her lips. “But this is my home."
He took everything she said, allowing the information to process before he sighed softly. He kept his gaze on her, and didn't remove it. He was studying her face. She looked sincere in her words, and he knew she was. "And this will always be your home. That doesn't mean, however, that you can't still chase after your dream. Even if you decide to do something else, I just want you to know that," he paused, swallowing a little thickly. This was suddenly a lot harder to say. He wasn't entirely sure, and he felt, strangely, embarrassed. He didn't bother hiding that, though, and let the emotion float through their connection.
"I just want you to know that I want to be a part of that future," he finally said, glancing away from her. He didn't think he was capable of being embarrassed, but there it was. The feeling was strange on him, and it made him feel lighter. "But... only if you'd have me. I don't think... I know that there is no other person I'd rather spend the rest of my life with, other than you. You are my future, Anastasia Asher, and... I was hoping I could be yours," he was staring at his cup when he said that. He wondered if this was how Cy felt sometimes.
He could hear the soft scrape of her chair legs on the patio. A couple moments later, she was beside him, a gentle hand on either side of his face, urging him to look at her. She was smiling at him—a small, soft one that brightened her eyes.
“You silly man," she said, tracing her soft fingers from his temples down to his jaw. “You brave, wonderful fool." Ana huffed, a light breath caught halfway to a laugh, and leaned down to touch her forehead to his.
“I hope I've never made you feel like that was in doubt. Of course you're part of my future. For as long as you can stand it. Why else would I let you move into my house? It's not home without you, anymore." She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth for a moment, smiling strangely. “In fact... it's been that way for longer than you think. And I can prove it to you."
He raised a brow in her direction. It's been that way for a while? He must be losing his ability to be perceptive if he hadn't noticed that. He smiled softly at her, though. "How so?" he was slightly curious as to what she meant.
Ana cleared her throat. She looked almost a little bit embarrassed now, but not so much that it stained her face red. “Scoot," she said, sitting so that she could share his chair with him; given the size of it, she was mostly just sitting on his leg.
“So, um... remember when we went to Crystal's wedding? While we were there, I had Kas take me to the artist that does all of his tattoos. I... figured out one that I wanted, you see." It explained the bandages she'd been wearing in the days after, at least; probably to protect from premature exposure to saltwater. That had been before everything. Before her capture, before their flight from Team Rocket and their mission to bring the organization down. Certainly before this last year.
The neck of her shirt was fairly wide, sitting closer to her shoulders than her throat; it didn't take much effort for her to shrug it lower on one side. Doing so revealed that she did, indeed, have a tattoo, on the back of her left shoulder. It was artfully-done; the colors were rich blue, indigo, violet, and just a hint of black at the edges. But even despite the stylistic touches, it was clearly a larkspur flower. A small cluster of them, in fact, etched on Ana's fair skin.
She turned her head so she was looking at him out of the corner of her eye over the same shoulder. “I know... I know it was part of the plan, now, but... it's still the first gift you ever gave me. I um... I think of it as the moment everything changed, you know. Not the moment I fell in love, but... the moment I stepped onto the path that got me there."
He remembered that day. It was more than that, though. It was also the day he learned, or somewhat learned, how to be more social. He smiled just faintly, and lifted his hand to trace the image before leaning forward and placing a soft kiss there. "Of course you'd get something like that," he whispered softly, chuckling just as soft. His head leaned against her shoulder, and he simply kept it there.
"Then... I am glad that I get to be a part of your future," he certainly wasn't going to regret it. Not after everything they've been through together. "You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. I love you, Anastasia."
“I love you, too, Eryk."
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