Zigzagging Through Hoenn [Pokemon]

Reader mode
Petalburg 4
  • Threadmarks
    • The next day, Autumn and Nix set out for the café at one thirty PM, Ziggy riding on Autumn's shoulder, Noir padding along at Nix's feet. Foot traffic passes them on the main road, along with one woman with a messenger bag who goes whipping by on a bike at incredible speed. Autumn takes a step back from the road as she passes, and Nix stops for a moment.

    "You okay?", Nix says. "It's rare to see bike traffic like that, but I guess it is a city."

    Autumn nods. "I'm just a little jumpy. What if my mom's arrived early and is waiting for us?"

    Nix snorts. "Somehow I doubt that's likely, with the way she was complaining about the long walk. I can tell Noir to scout ahead if you want; she wouldn't know him."

    Autumn shakes her head. "It's okay. I'm just... bracing for it, I guess."

    Nix nods. "That makes sense." She looks down the road towards the café. "It's not too long a walk. Is there anything you'd like to talk about on the way over? Maybe settle your nerves a bit?"

    Autumn shakes her head. "I don't think so. Thank you for coming though; I know it's scary to interact with my mother, but - having you here to protect me, in the worst case, matters a lot."

    Nix shakes her head as well. "It's fine. I've got a good idea of what to expect from what you've told me so far. Worst case I can make her back off if I have to."

    "Do you think we should hold hands?", Autumn asks.

    "It's up to you," Nix says. "If you want to... stake a claim to me in front of your mother... that's one way to do it. If you need reassurance you should definitely do it. But there's also something to be said for... standing on your own."

    Autumn squares her shoulders. "I think that... I think that if she sees me relying on you too much, she won't get the message. It has to be me."

    "Alright," says Nix. "If that's how you feel."

    The pair walk in silence for a few long minutes, shopfronts and ornamental trees passing them on either side. Autumn adjusts her sunhat to keep the afternoon sun out of her face, and tugs at the sleeves of her blouse and adjusts her collar.

    "I saw you considering that old oversized blouse of yours this morning," Nix says. "Does your mother really make you wear that old ratty thing?"

    Autumn shakes her head. "Not so much makes me wear it as goes easier on me when I do. But - it's a crutch, and it's probably helped her to think of me as helpless. After all, if I can't even look after my own appearance..."

    Nix nods. "Better to go as yourself. You could have worn that flower hairpin from your costume if you'd wanted to."

    "I don't want her to think that meeting her is worth dressing up to me," replies Autumn. "Casual wear is fine. And I'd just look dorky next to you, miss fashion plate."

    Nix looks down at her all-black ensemble and matching violet nails. "I admit that I have a certain style, but that doesn't mean you'd look worse than me. Not wanting to make a special effort for her is entirely valid though."

    Autumn nods firmly, and lengthens her stride. Nix falls silent, sensing Autumn's poor mood, and follows one step back to her left, Noir ambling along at her side.

    The cafe comes into view after a long few minutes, the patio half-full with the last dregs of the lunch crowd. Autumn scans the patio for her mother's face, but doesn't see her. "She's not here yet," she says. "Unless she's inside."

    Nix's gaze flicks to the shop windows, but the inside is hidden by glare from the afternoon sun. "Let's go check, and get something to reserve a table with."

    "Alright," says Autumn, and she steps up to the café's front door. Stepping inside, she checks the interior quickly - but there's no sign of her mother.

    The same barista from yesterday is at the till, and she gives a small customer-service smile to Autumn and Nix as they walk in. "How can I help you?", she asks.

    Autumn approaches the counter. "I'd like a latte, and - what would you like, Nix?"

    Nix steps up beside Autumn. "I'd like a Hulbury Fog, please."

    The barista nods, and extends the payment terminal; Autumn taps her card, and the pair take a step to the side to wait for their orders. While the barista works, Autumn puts her payment card back in her wallet and her wallet back in her skirt pocket. "I should really get a purse like yours," she says to Nix. "I mean, if I keep winning. I want to earn it with my own money, not just - bum one off you."

    Nix nods. "You don't have to explain, I think I get it."

    "Alright," says Autumn. "What time is it?"

    Nix checks her pokétch. "One forty-seven. We've still got ten minutes until your mother's supposed to show. Incidentally, you've never actually told me her name, you just keep calling her "mom"."

    "It's Valerie," says Autumn. "Valerie Leaf. Though I could never call her that, it'd just be weird."

    "Valerie, huh." Nix shakes her head. "Pretty name. Shame about the person it's attached to."

    "You're laying it on a bit thick, don't you think?" asks Autumn.

    "I don't like the people I care about being hurt. That's understandable, isn't it?" Nix crosses her arms and leans against a nearby table.

    "Yeah, I guess so."

    "Hulbury fog and a latte?", calls the barista. Autumn goes over to the counter and accepts her order, passing Nix her drink.

    "There we go," Autumn says. "Nothing to do now but grab a table outside and wait."

    Nix nods, and the pair go outside into the sunlight, holding the door for Noir as he comes out. Autumn adjusts the brim of her hat to shade her eyes from the sun, and takes a seat at a table near the main concourse, facing the eastern road. Nix sits down across from her and sips her Hulbury Fog.

    "I didn't know you were a tea person," says Autumn. "I would have guessed you preferred coffee."

    Nix shrugs. "You learn something new every day, I guess." She taps her fingers against the cardboard liner of her drink. "Your mother should be here any minute now if she's on time."

    "Yeah," says Autumn, peering down the road to the east.

    "Is there anything you'd like to talk about while we wait?", Nix asks.

    Autumn shakes her head, and takes a sip of her latte. "I'm content to wait, now. It's just like... being about to go on stage. Scary, nerve-wracking, but - it's not impossible to do."

    "I'm sure you'll give us a wonderful performance," says Nix.

    Autumn smiles. "Yeah." She leans her head against Ziggy on her shoulder. "Ziggy's here for me, and... I've learned a lot, since Slateport. It doesn't make my mother less scary, but... it feels more manageable."

    Nix nods. Looking down at Noir, she smiles gently and runs a hand along his back.

    "Doom," he chuffs. "Houndoom."

    "Ever the pessimist," Nix says. "I think she'll do fine."

    Autumn looks up, and -

    There's a woman with brown hair coming down the street, wearing a long green skirt with an ivy pattern on it and a loose, oversized blouse that hides her hands in its sleeves. She has an easy smile and a pink sunhat.

    Autumn tenses. "My mother's here." She gets up from her seat at the table and moves to the edge of the patio, raising a hand over her head in a silent wave.

    "Autumn!", come the warm tones of her mother's voice from down the street. She waves back and runs a hand through her hair. "And - I assume this black-clothed girl is Nix?"

    Autumn waits a few moments for her mother to get a little closer, then gestures to Nix. "Yes, this is Nix, my girlfriend. Nix, this is my mother, Valerie."

    "What a surprise," says Valerie, her face all smiles. "She's got a bit of an odd sense of fashion, but I must say, you at least know a pretty woman when you see one, Autumn."

    Autumn rolls her eyes. "We're not here to discuss how pretty Nix is. Did you bring the pin?"

    Valerie nods. "Of course I did. But there's so much to talk about! You've been all over the place, seen Slateport, Dewford and Mauville, had adventures - I simply must hear everything."

    Autumn shakes her head. "I'm not interested in sharing my whole life story with you, mom. This meeting is for the pin and that's it."

    "Don't be heartless, at least let me talk to you," says Valerie. She sits down at the table next to Nix and offers a hand to her. "It's nice to meet you!"

    Nix looks at the hand that's been offered to her, and then over at Autumn. She raises an eyebrow.

    Autumn sighs. "I said ten minutes, Mom."

    "And it hasn't been ten minutes, now has it?" Valerie snaps back. "Far be it for me to want to exchange a few pleasantries."

    Autumn rubs her forehead and sighs. "Nix, we're done here. Sorry for bringing you all the way out to Petalburg for nothing, Mom, but I already said I don't want to talk to you." She beckons to Nix.

    Nix stands and shrugs to Valerie. "It's a shame you decided to waste everyone's time." She takes Autumn's hand, and the pair of them turn to walk away.

    "Wait!", calls Valerie. "I really do have the pin. Please stop."

    Autumn stops and takes a look over her shoulder. Sure enough, Valerie has one hand extended, a small enamel pin in the shape of a leaf curled around a multicolored drop of water lying on her palm.

    Autumn turns around and reaches out her hand, but Valerie pulls the pin in close to her chest. "I -Tobias said I should give this to you when I knew that you had found your path as a trainer, but - I haven't seen any proof, just yet. Would you let me watch one of your - talent shows? Contests? I just want to spend a little time with my daughter."

    Autumn pinches the bridge of her nose. "No."

    "What do you mean, no?" Valerie's face falls.

    "No means no." Autumn crosses her arms. "I'm sick of you holding things over me. I'm sick of having to measure up to your standards when I never wanted to be measured by them in the first place. I'm sick of you not seeing me and refusing to acknowledge when I gain ground. You put me through three years of pain and emptiness, and I can't forgive that easily. Then you forced me out. So give me the pin or don't. Make up your mind."

    Valerie shakes her head. "I - Fine, then. It can wait until you're a little more mature and reasonable." She turns on her heel, lowering the pin to her side in her clenched fist, and starts to walk away.

    Autumn looks at Ziggy on her shoulder, then at the hand holding the pin. The only relic left of her father Tobias, and her grandmother Aoi before him.

    "Ziggy?" she says quietly. "Quick attack."

    There's a blur of motion, and Autumn's mother cries out as if struck - and a moment later Ziggy appears back on Autumn's shoulder with the pin clutched between his forepaws.

    Valerie wheels, her mouth working, and when her voice comes out it's in an affronted gasp. "You - You ungrateful child! You had Ziggy attack me? You should - you should be ashamed of yourself!"

    A few of the patrons at the café look up at Valerie's outburst, looks of concern on their faces.

    Autumn shakes her head, her voice calm and level. She speaks loudly, projecting to her audience. "I've done nothing but take what's been willed to me by my father. You don't get to withhold it forever. It's mine, and this conversation is over."

    Ziggy undoes the backing of the pin with his dexterous paws, and firmly affixes it to Autumn's sunhat. "Zigzagoon!", he asserts, his fur bristling as he looks at Valerie.

    "I - you - that's - " Valerie can't seem to get a sentence out.

    Nix looks back over her shoulder at the spluttering Valerie. "I'm sorry," she says. "I think you just lose." She looks down at Noir. "Make sure she doesn't stalk us," she says loudly and clearly.

    The Houndoom turns and plants his feet, and stares Valerie down. "Houndoom," he says lowly.

    Valerie backs away slowly. "I... I... Somebody? Will anybody help me? She's - she's stealing some of my precious jewelry!"

    None of the patrons of the café lift a finger to help her as Autumn and Nix recede into the distance.

    ~*~​

    Back at the dorm, Autumn settles down onto her bed. She takes off her hat and turns it around to look at the pin attached to the folded-up brim.

    Ziggy hops down onto the bed and wags his tail. "Zigzagoon!", he says firmly. Pressing in against Autumn's side, he holds her softly.

    Nix just sits down across from Autumn and looks at her. "Well," she says. "That's that." A sliver-thin smile comes to her violet lips, and she runs her thumb across her chin. "You made up your mind when you called the first time, didn't you?"

    "Yeah," says Autumn quietly. "I... guess I really can't go back, now." She unpins the enameled leaf from her hat, and turns it over in her hands, looking at the simple safety-pin backing behind the multicolored dewdrop. "Was it worth it?"

    Nix smiles slightly. "That's up to you to decide."

    Autumn turns the pin over in her hands again, looking at the dewdrop in the center. "I wonder what was so important to my father about this that he asked for it to be handed down to me. If it's - something of my grandmother's - it could hold any number of secrets."

    Nix scoots forwards on her bed. "Could you pass it here? I - have a suspicion."

    Autumn wraps her hand around the pin. "I..." She nods. "If you promise to take good care of it."

    "Of course," says Nix quietly. "I wouldn't dream of damaging something from your father."

    Autumn stretches out her hand, and passes the small pin to Nix.

    Nix raises it to the light, and looks at the stone in the center. She takes a sharp breath in.

    "- What is it?", Autumn asks.

    "I don't know for sure," Nix hedges, "but if you look closely at the central stone, hold it up to the light, the flecks inside it... they make a kind of leaf or ladder shape, don't they?" She passes the pin back to Autumn. "Hold it up to the light."

    Autumn raises the pin towards the light in the dorm room's ceiling, and peers through the droplet on the leaf. Sure enough, there's a distinct runged helix in the center of the gem, cut off at each end to create a leaf shape inside the stone.

    "I see it," Autumn says. "What does it mean?"

    "I wouldn't suspect if it was anyone other than Aoi Leaf's charm, but - she researched pokémon evolution more than anyone else, walked with Red, and willed this on to her descendants..." She takes a long breath. "I think it's a Key Stone."

    Autumn blinks. "A what?"

    Nix shakes her head. "I'm not surprised you don't know, only a few elite trainers own them. Gym leaders, Elite Four members. Top Coordinators. They're the key to Mega Evolution - when they harmonize with a stone attuned to a Pokemon's species, they can force them to adopt a stronger temporary form." She crosses her arms. "Elite trainers fight tournaments over a single Key Stone. You could sell it and be set for life."

    "Oh,"     says Autumn, her grip suddenly shaky. "And Ziggy pinned it to my hat."

    "Yeah," says Nix quietly. "I think it's safe to wear it like that. Barely anybody would be able to recognize it as a Key Stone without knowing its history, let alone without inspecting it carefully. But... You shouldn't tell anyone else about it. Your mother must not have known." She shakes her head.

    "Yeah," says Autumn quietly. "She'd have sold it for sure."

    Nix nods. "It's useless on its own, though. It's only half of the pair of stones you'd need, and the species stones are closely regulated. You'd have to be working at the Master level before you could even afford one of the species stones."

    Autumn pulls the stone in close to her heart. "And my father chose to entrust me with it..." She closes her eyes. "And my grandmother before him..."

    "Exactly," says Nix softly.

    "Then there's only one thing I can do," says Autumn. "I have to live up to everything they've put into my hands. There's no fucking way I'm selling this, and it would be - disappointing, to never get any use out of it."

    "Top Coordinator or bust?", asks Nix.

    "Top Coordinator or bust," confirms Autumn. She tugs at her blouse, and slides the pin in through the thin material and attaches it just over her heart. She smiles at Nix softly.

    "Worth it?", Nix asks.

    "Worth it," says Autumn.

    "So," Nix says. "The plan was for me to call Cocoa and then for us to do a contest, but..." She crosses her arms. "I'm starting to think that we should maybe put some distance between us and this city."

    Autumn nods. "I don't want to be here if my mother starts stirring up trouble, and I definitely don't want to do a contest with her in the audience. I think it's time we checked out."

    "Where to, then?" asks Nix. "If you don't get a ribbon here in Petalburg, you'll need to collect three more for the next rank. We could go to Rustboro, but then we'd have to go all the way through Fallarbor to Lavaridge Town, and then we'd be stuck having to either go through Mauville or backtrack all the way through the mountains."

    "I think we have to go east," says Autumn. "Pacifidlog Town, Sootopolis City, Ever Grande, Mossdeep, Lilycove, even Fortree - there's more than enough room to make another three ribbons out that direction. It does mean we'll have to backtrack through Dewford and Slateport, but it'll all be ferry trips - it'll be much faster than trying to slog our way back through Meteor Falls and Petalburg Woods, much less the slopes of Mt. Chimney."

    "I think that's a good call," says Nix. "I'll get packing."

    Autumn scoops Ziggy up into her lap. "Sorry, Ziggy. Looks like you don't get to go onstage this time."

    Ziggy shakes his head, and nuzzles Autumn's hand. "Zigzagoon."

    ~*~​

    The next morning, Autumn and Nix return to the Petalburg ferry dock. Autumn leans against the railing on the weathered pier, looking out at the water; Nix stands next to her, her black hair blowing in the sea breeze.

    Autumn looks out over the ripples and waves of the water, the sunlight dappling like a familiar memory.

    She looks over at Nix.

    "You're beautiful," she says.

    Nix blinks, then blushes and rubs the back of her neck. "I... gosh that means more when I hear it from you." She reaches out, takes Autumn's hand, and looks her in the eyes. "You're beautiful too."

    Autumn's gaze slips from Nix's eyes to her lips, then flicks away. She blushes just as much. "I, uh, um - thank you?"

    Nix chuckles. "Yeah, I guess that's all I can expect from a clueless newbie like you." She winks. "We'll take it slow for now."

    "I - alright," says Autumn. She smiles despite herself. "Like you said, we have time."

    Hand in hand, the pair look east, into the sunrise, and watch as their ship comes in.

    Thanks for reading Book 1 of Zigzagging Through Hoenn. Next week we will be doing a short interlude to provide space between Book 1 and Book 2.
    If you want a sweet and pure romance, stop here; going on into the next book, things will heat up and we'll earn our Mature rating.

    Thanks to my primary betas, Restinan, Seylerius and Jirachi47, and secondary betas, Tulip and Kappa. All of you have been tremendous helps in providing the motivation to write and the clarity to write well. Ziggy would be less cute without you.

    As ever, the buffer status:
    Completed my partial and got a bit of the next chapter done as well. Didn't manage to generate more buffer, which I'm annoyed about, but at least I haven't spent more. We are complete up to ch. 27, roughly halfway through the next book assuming my outline holds.
     
    Last edited:
  • Threadmarks
    • Huh that conversation escalated real hard real fast. I didn't expect the bitter derision to bubble out of control so quickly given her Mom's behavior.

    Honestly mixed feelings about Autumn's ambition suddenly blazing into an inferno, with "Mega-Evolving Top Coordinator" as her end goal. Autumn not caring about climbing to the top of anything, hating the idea of her pokemon being hurt in a society that focuses hard on battling, having a moderate but genuine talent in contest showmanship that she only now discovers, with her primary goal just being to find a place in the world she can inhabit comfortably, those were the major traits that caught my attention in the first place.
     
    Evenstar said:
    Valerie backs away slowly. "I... I... Somebody? Will anybody help me? She's - she's stealing some of my precious jewelry!"
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    And thus she reveals herself for what she truly is once the tables turned on her. So called precious jewelry that she only revealed the existence of once she needed something to hold over her daughter and to go against the wishes of her deceased husband.
     
    Good to see Autumn develop some ambition. That'll carry her far, and I'm really interested in seeing how she expands her team - there's no mega Linoone, after all. Maybe Game Freak was afraid of what Linoone could do with such power. The idea of a new team member being added is exciting - knowing Autumn it'll probably be something cute, but maybe she'll decide to branch out into more contest categories.

    I suspect we haven't seen the last of Valerie. Although her ability to follow Autumn right now is non-existent, I expect if Autumn manages to become famous her mom will come lurking and trying to get a piece of the pie.

    I'm not here for the pure sweet romance, but I'm also not here for the mature stuff. I'm here because it turns out that Evenstar writes some good Pokemon.
     
    Ah yes, the classic 'how can I twist your life to be about Me' mother. Glad that Autumn is finally able to set her boundaries and defend them--really loving the bold move of just taking what's rightfully hers, and using Ziggy to do it? Fabulous display of their growth as both individuals and a team (Ziggy's not got a lot of obvious character growth, but he has been stepping up and out of the spoiled house pet role at a steady rate).

    Nix and Autumn are starting out so solid and I love that for them. The communication is great
     
    Interlude (Book 1- Book 2)
  • Threadmarks
    • Will stands with his feet planted wide apart at one edge of the gymnasium, mats lying out in front of him. His Aron raises its head slowly, its limbs shaky, a heavy divot in its armor.

    Robin faces him down across the mats, his Makuhita standing in front of him in a power stance, fists raised. "It's no use, Will," he says softly. "The type disadvantage is too great. Just concede. You don't need to put your Aron through this."

    A loose gaggle of students rings the arena, all eyes watching as the two brothers fight it out.

    Will raises his fist. "I'm not done yet. That Arm Thrust hurt, but my Aron's still in the fight. Right, Aron?"

    The Aron glares at the Makuhita across the arena, and nods. "Ron!"

    "Your funeral," Robin says sadly, adjusting his glasses. "Makuhita, end it! Another Arm Thrust!"

    The Makuhita runs forwards across the arena, arm raised. Will's Aron ducks to the side, but it's too slow to evade the attack; it's clear it's cornered.

    "Aron!", Will calls. "Like we practiced!"

    As the Makuhita comes in, the Aron lowers its head and braces itself for impact. "Ron!"

    "Useless!", calls Robin, and the Makuhita's arm comes down in a heavy blow -

    Only for the steel of Aron's head to shine silver, and deflect the attack completely.

    "Yes!", Will whoops. "Headbutt while it's off-balance!"

    Aron surges forwards and drives its steel head right into the Makuhita's gut. It falls backwards, flinching with the recoil.

    "Another Headbutt, then finish it with Metal Claw!", Will calls.

    Aron slams into the Makuhita again and bowls it over completely. The Makuhita's pinned under the Aron's steel bulk, and its claws are in position to rake from on top -

    "I concede!", Robin calls hastily from across the arena. "It's your victory!"

    The Aron stops short of a nasty blow, and hops off the Maukuhita. "Aron!", it cries with a grin.

    Will rushes across the arena and hugs it. "Yes!" He lifts the pokemon with a grunt of effort and stares his brother down across the arena. "I told you I could make it as a trainer," he says.

    "I can't believe your Aron's already learned Protect," Robin marvels from the other side of the arena. "You won fair and square."

    Will grins. "So now are you going to tell mom and dad that I can go on my Journey?"

    Robin helps his Makuhita to its feet, and nods. "Yeah. In fact, I've got half a mind to come with you."

    ~*~​

    December draws her palm brush through her Ninetales' blue, wavy fur, stroking broadly along her flank. The leaves of the trees in Mauville's trainer park rustle softly overhead, sweet whispers of wind bearing the scent of the morning dew.

    December lowers her head and rests it against her Ninetales' side.

    "No luck today either," she murmurs.

    Her Ninetales dips her head low. "Tales," she agrees.

    "Well," December says. "The Fare Prince wasn't much of a challenge after all, for all his big talk, and we've been here for weeks without a trace of her. I have a feeling the gangers aren't telling me something, but..." She shrugs.

    Ninetales rolls her neck, her equivalent of a shrug. "Ninetales." She nudges December's coat pocket, which clinks.

    "Yeah, the pay is good," December says. "But it's not what we came for."

    Ninetales nods.

    "Time to move on, then." December raises her head from her Ninetales' flank. "Thank you for your thoughts, Aurora."

    Aurora wraps a tail around December's waist. "Tales."

    December smiles. "I love you too," she replies.

    ~*~
    ​
    "Slakoth! Knock it dead with a Feint Attack!" Max calls, pointing to a target dummy in the practice room of the Slateport Contest Hall.

    His Slakoth just yawns, and rolls over.

    "Slakoth..." Max sighs, and looks over at Mina, who's standing on the sidelines in her purple sweater, Delcatty by her side. "Do you have any advice...?"

    Mina smiles slightly, one hand preoccupied with the tip of her Delcatty's ear. "He might pay more attention to you if you stopped posturing so much," she says. "Slakoths are naturally pretty prone to loafing around, but your attitude can't be helping."

    "What's that supposed to mean?", Max replies, and adjusts his ball cap. Thrusting his chest out, he points to himself. "I'm going to win next time, I'll show you!"

    "Not against Starlight you won't," Mina says softly. "But I suppose there's no harm in getting in more practice."

    Max grins. "Yeah! If I just try hard enough, I'm sure to succeed!"

    Mina sits down next to her Delcatty. "Go on then, try again."

    Max turns around. "Slakoth! Feint Attack!"

    Once again, there's no response.

    Mina skritches Starlight under her neck. "Seems like it's going to be a long day."

    "Catty," Starlight replies.

    ~*~​

    By the front desk of Slateport's trainer dorms, a red-haired woman in a long beige dress patterned with moons and stars steps up to the counter, her Poochyena just one stride behind her.

    "A room for the next week, please?", she asks the desk clerk.

    "A single room?", he asks, glancing over at his Machop.

    She nods. "It's just me and Blackie." She crouches down and scoops the poochyena up into her arms. "I've had him ever since I was a kid."
    The clerk nods, and passes the red-haired woman her card back, glancing at the name on it as he does. "Enjoy your stay in Slateport, Ruby."

    Ruby sets Blackie on the counter and accepts her card back with a smile. "Thank you." She tucks the card into her purse, then turns to her Poochyena. "So this is it!", she says. "The start of our Coordinator's Journey."

    Blackie nods. "Poochy!"

    "I can't wait," Ruby says, and scoops Blackie up into her arms with a smile. "Let's get going, shall we?"

    Been working on other projects, so we've spent from the buffer this week. Alas.
     
    Last edited:
  • Threadmarks
    • Dateport 1
  • Threadmarks
    • Boots tromp down the gangplank and onto the Slateport jetty, Autumn just a few strides behind Nix as the pair of girls disembark. Ziggy surveys the port from his perch on Autumn's shoulder, his tongue hanging out to taste the salt sea air.

    "So," Nix says. "I ran the numbers on the ferry, and setting aside the nest bounty from Dewford, these whole three weeks have just about exactly broken even for us. I was worried between the lack of winnings from Petalburg, the return fare and all the startup costs for you, but it looks like we're just barely scraping by."

    Autumn crosses her arms. "You mean we're up by the whole bounty?"

    "It's not steady money, it's an unexpected windfall. I'm not going to count it towards our budget any more than I would count me winning a Great Rank contest towards it." Nix taps her lips. "The good news is that what we've been doing so far is more or less sustainable. The question of what to do with the rest of the money is another matter, and one we'd better discuss quickly before we find ourselves having to camp somewhere uncomfortable. The vague plan is to go on to Pacifidlog Town from here, but..."

    Autumn crosses her arms. "It seems a waste not to spend any time in Slateport given that we're here anyway."

    Nix smiles slightly. "It's all a question of math," she says. "What to use our windfall for. There's a lot of options, and one of them is to buy time. Time for you to get your act together now that Ziggy knows Quick Attack, time to see the sights and take some time to rest, time to be together and explore what we are to each other now."

    Autumn tilts her head. "When you say it like that it seems almost too easy a decision."

    "That's because you haven't heard what the other options are yet. On one hand, a stay in Slateport for two weeks at the outside. On the other hand, a pokémon egg from a reasonably common species, or a fully-outfitted trainer's purse for you - or a quarter the cost of a TM use saved away for a rainy day." Nix runs a hand through her hair. "There's always options."

    Autumn reaches up to her shoulder and pulls Ziggy down into her arms. "I don't think I'm ready for a second pokémon yet," she says. "Ziggy's a handful enough, and there are so many species of pokémon out there... And it's complicated to adopt an egg, and would take time on its own. I'm having enough problems trying to fit you into my life; adding a third so soon..." She shakes her head. "It's just not a wise choice."

    "Zigzagoon," agrees Ziggy.

    "Alright," says Nix, her boots tromping against the pier. "Then what about that purse? You could get a decent purse and a half-dozen Container Balls with your share of the money, and between that and the two you already have I think that would easily be enough space to fit the contents of your backpack."

    Autumn rubs the back of her head. "Well, most of our travel in the next few weeks is going to be by ferry, right? So it'd really be a longer-term investment, for if we go to Fortree City or somewhere else overland. It would be convenient and all, but the backpack works."

    "It won't work forever," says Nix. "If you expand your team again you're going to need more container balls for their food, if you take on more categories you'll need more space for alternate costumes, and so on and so forth. Space is always worth something."

    Autumn tilts her head, and then nods. "I guess that makes sense. Maybe then it would make the most sense to split the money?"

    "Split the money?" Nix tilts her head. "You mean, spend like a week here in Slateport and... Buy a set of container balls that you'd keep in your pack?"

    "My pack's got some mesh pockets in the interior that could be used to keep them organized," says Autumn, "and just putting my water and my tent into Container Balls would make it far lighter and easier to carry. We don't have to swap over entirely in one go."

    "And what would you do with that week in Slateport?", Nix asks.

    "... Date you," says Autumn. "I haven't had half a chance to breathe with you. It's all been - one thing after another. We could do another set of contests in Slateport to try and make back the costs, but - I want to take you to that aquarium you mentioned. To do something that's just... for us."

    "Huh," says Nix. "I didn't expect you to advance something like that. I think I like it. What about your training with Ziggy, though?"

    "I can't date you every hour I'm awake," Autumn says. "There'll be time."

    Nix studies Autumn's face seriously, then nods. "Alright. I think that's a half-decent plan. Let's go grab a room at the Slateport trainer dorms for today at least, and we can discuss how long to extend it later."

    Autumn smiles. "Alright."

    ~*~​

    Nix sits down onto one of the dorm beds, her hands pressing softly into the navy cotton sheets.

    "So," she says with a small smile. "Tell me more about this aquarium date you have planned."

    Autumn sets her pack down next to her bed. "I..." She blushes. "I don't really have a plan. I just - the Oceanic Museum's supposed to be a major attraction, and we haven't been there, and it's - just such an obvious date activity to go look at pokémon in their natural habitats..." She sits on her own bed across from Nix, taking their familiar positions again. "... The sea reminds me of you because of the ferry trips, and I want to... get used to the feeling of... us, I guess. Of... " She looks down at her lap. "All this."

    "You're still getting used to being gay, huh?" Nix asks.

    "Yeah." Autumn rubs the back of her head. "I still need... time to understand the idea. You're wonderful, I have -" she pauses and sighs. "Every reason to be happy I fell for you and not for some other girl. But we need to figure out where this relationship is going and what's going to... happen for both of us in it."

    Nix nods. "Yeah. I have a few things I want to add about that too..."

    Autumn swallows. "... yeah?"

    Nix stands up and crosses the small space between the two girls to sit by Autumn's side. Her hand takes Autumn's, and she squeezes softly.
    "I know you've come from a family where... You didn't get to have opinions or make decisions for yourself... And so I want to be gentle about this, but..." She sighs. "Up until a few days ago, I've been leading and you've been following. I haven't had time to try and get further through the Great Rank circuit. I haven't even had the time to call my family, even after you pushed me to do it. Taking care of you is a full time job right now."

    Autumn blushes. "... I'm really that bad?"

    "You're not bad," Nix says. "You're just... catching up. From a lifetime of... spiritual malnourishment, I guess. You're not used to your wants being taken seriously. You're not used to your decisions having weight. You're free now, and that... is both harder and easier than you'd expect."

    Autumn squeezes Nix's hand softly. "I'll do my best to catch up."

    "Alright," says Nix. "That's all I can ask." She leans in a little and kisses Autumn's cheek.

    Autumn flushes furiously, and looks away. "I, um..."

    "I know you're not experienced with all this, too," says Nix softly. "That you're still working it out and that it's not easy for you. You wanting to go on another date with me is a good first step! But... I do want more than that, eventually. I'm content to wait a while, but I won't wait for you forever."

    "Yeah," says Autumn, her voice soft. "I... don't really know what you want, or what I want, or... how we'll fit together, in the longer term. But I'm willing to try and figure it out."

    Nix smiles slightly. "You're so shy. It's natural, this early..." She looks off into the middle distance. "... Reminds me of my first couple relationships." She squeezes Autumn's hand again. "I won't push for now. But if there's anything you want... " Her lips curve up. "I probably want it too."

    Autumn nods firmly, though her voice doesn't want to come. "I - Um... Okay."

    "So, do you want to do that aquarium date today, or...?" Nix tilts her head.

    Autumn shakes her head. "I think today we go pick up those Container Balls from the market and... rest, a little. I want some time to think."

    "Alright," says Nix. "Whenever you're ready to go."

    Autumn nods, and pulls Ziggy into her lap. "I think I'd like to do Quick Attack practice with Ziggy first just to get some breathing space. And then we can go to the Secret Base shop and pick up some Container Balls, maybe... make a little bit of a date out of seeing the market." She looks down at Ziggy in her lap. "I'm still not used to spending time with, well, you know... My girlfriend."

    Nix slides back onto Autumn's bed and picks up her feet to sit cross-legged, bracing herself with one arm against the sheets. "I'd like to go see that shop owner who sold us Flicker, and maybe pick up another plushie for myself out of my half of the bounty. And you enjoyed that sushi place the last time we went, so maybe we could go back there again?"

    Autumn nods thoughtfully, and runs a hand through Ziggy's fur. "We didn't really have a chance to see the broader market because my legs were giving out last time," she says. "This time I want to take some more time and really see the whole place. Maybe even drop in to the TM shop - together the bounty might actually cover a use of a cheap TM, so if we see something surprising we could maybe talk about it together."

    "And it might be worth spending a little from your savings to get something unique for Ziggy's routines," says Nix. "There also might be a Move Tutor in the city who could train Ziggy in something... They're an odd bunch, and it would take more work for Ziggy than a TM, but they do sometimes take charity cases."

    Autumn hums softly. "Worth considering, yeah."

    "If nothing else, the TM store will have a big TM compatibility chart for you to look up Ziggy on," says Nix. "And then you can think about what moves you might be able to build a routine around."

    Autumn looks down at Ziggy in her lap. "What do you think, Ziggy? Do you want to be spoiled a little more?"

    Ziggy makes a diagonal motion with his head, neither a nod nor a headshake. "Zagoon."

    "I think you tend to put Ziggy's needs before your own," says Nix. "And while that's good in moderation, you also need to be able to care about yourself."

    Autumn strokes Ziggy's back. "I guess I'll have to think about it," she says. "But if we're going to potentially spend the money we'd use on the rest of the week's stay on a TM, we'd better get over there today."

    Nix nods. "Exactly what I was about to say."

    Autumn shoos Ziggy off her lap and stands up from the edge of her bed. "Alright, I should go see about reserving a training block for Ziggy today, and then we can schedule the rest of the day around a trip to the market."

    Nix raises an eyebrow. "And when are we going to call my family and introduce you to my brother Cocoa?"

    Autumn bites her lip. "I, uh..." She sits back down on Nix's bed. "That's a big step. I'm all for it, but - it is a little stressful, being - official to somebody other than just us."
    "I won't out you to my brother if you don't want me to," says Nix. "It's just... It would feel like lying to talk to him about everything that's happened and leave out the fact that I'd met you."

    Autumn takes a slow breath. "... Yeah," she says. "I can see how that would be awkward for you. I..." She taps her fingers against her knees. "I did say I'd come say hi to Cocoa with you, and - I don't want to back away from that just because I'm uncertain about... this whole thing. You're wonderful and everything, and..." She sighs. "I just don't want to give Cocoa the mistaken impression that we've been, like, dating the whole time since you've last seen him or something."

    Nix smiles slightly. "I don't think that's likely. I would want to say that... you're new to this, you're inexperienced. We've only been dating for a few days. We care a lot about each other, but... we're not sure how far it's going to go yet. But you did convince me to call Cocoa, so I can hardly leave you out. And... I'd like to gush a little about you and show you off. You're just... so wonderful."

    "Yeah," says Autumn softly. She rubs the back of her neck, a small blush coming to her cheeks as well. "That's... okay. I think that's okay to say." She looks up at Nix. "Just so long as I get to tell Cocoa all about how much you've helped me and how you're cool and confident and great at handling the wilds and ever so steadying and wise."

    "Wise?" Nix's voice rises a little. "I'm not sure I'd go that far. I don't think anyone who's twenty-four is wise."

    Autumn suppresses a giggle with one hand. "There you go being all sensible again. It's alright, you don't have to be modest. And anyway, you're still three years older than I am and way more experienced."

    "Maybe at pokémon," Nix allows. "But - I've only dated two girls other than you before, and... neither relationship lasted more than a few months. I talk big, but... I'm a little in over my head with you too."

    Autumn nods. "Did you, um...?" She blushes and looks down at her lap. "You know."

    Nix coughs. "I, um. Sort of. It's... Embarrassing to talk about."

    "How do you sort of have sex?" Autumn's eyebrows rise.

    "... We didn't really know what we were doing," says Nix, "I mean, we figured it out eventually, but -" She bites her lip and ducks her chin, looking away with a heavy blush.

    "Oh," says Autumn quietly. "Was it - bad?"

    Nix shakes her head and looks Autumn in the eyes. "I promise nothing bad happened. It was just... fumbling around by a couple of girls who didn't understand what they were doing. It wasn't exactly good either, though." She ducks her head. "It's embarrassing to talk about, but it helped me to understand myself, so... It's a precious memory, but..." She takes an unsteady breath. "Why are you so bold now?"

    Autumn blushes and looks away. "I'm not - it's not - I didn't mean to it just sort of slipped out - " She bites her lip. "I'll shut up now."

    Nix folds her hands together in her lap and looks down at her palms. "I... think you should go look at the schedules for the dorm obstacle course."

    Autumn nods and jumps to her feet. "I'll - get right on that." She hurries out the door and turns to close it, but Ziggy's in the way, his little furry body right in the gap between the door and the doorframe. "Zag!" he squeaks, and he hurries out of the way, his little legs pumping furiously.

    Autumn latches the door and leans heavily against the wall outside the dorm room. "Well," she says to Ziggy. "That definitely went... weirdly."

    "Zigzagoon!" Ziggy gives her a huge grin, clearly amused by the whole exchange.

    "Oh, you big fuzzball," Autumn says with a sigh, and she gathers Ziggy up into her arms and heads off down the hallway.

    ~*~​

    Twenty minutes later, Autumn knocks on the door of the room again, still blushing lightly. "Nix?", she calls.

    "One moment!" Nix calls back. A few minutes later she answers the door, her long black hair clinging to her neck in a damp mass. The pockets of her slacks are inside out, and she doesn't have any shoes or socks on. "Sorry, you caught me just coming from the shower. Did you get a slot for Ziggy?"

    "There wasn't anything open until late evening," Autumn says. "The place is as busy as ever."

    Nix nods. "That's not very surprising. Come on in, we should talk about the market trip." She steps back from the door and sits back down on her bed, pulling a pair of socks off her pile of clothes.

    "The pockets of your slacks are inside-out, by the way," says Autumn, stepping in and closing the door. "That always gets me when I wear jeans too."

    Nix sighs and fixes her pockets. "There we go," she says, and picks up her socks again. Sitting down with one bare foot on the floor and the other in the air in front of her, she pulls on one black sock with little tugs of her hands. "Do you think we should go to the market now, or start searching for Move Tutors? If we want to find one we'll need to put in a lot of legwork."

    Autumn takes her usual spot on the facing bed and tilts her head. "I don't think the Move Tutors idea is very practical - it'd take a lot of calling around and searching, and we want to know if we're paying for several more days of stay here in the dorms or not. I think we should head over to the market and look at the TM store first, then depending on the results of that we can discuss getting Container Balls or plushies or whatever."

    "Sounds like a solid plan," says Nix. "I might even be willing to set aside some of my half of the bounty to buy you something from the other stores, if we don't buy a TM."

    Autumn looks away. "I really wish you'd stop spending on me so much. You already said we're barely breaking even, and - all of that's because of me, right?"

    "A lot of it is," admits Nix, pulling on her other sock. "The extra food and accommodation costs matter, not to mention the price of your accessories and costume... but if we're going to date and travel together, we might as well admit that we're working from the same budget as... a partnership. But I still want to buy you something. You deserve to have something to remember the trip by."

    "We've been there already," says Autumn. "And you already got me Flicker."

    "But I'd like to get you something more," says Nix. "I know you have habits from looking after Ziggy while working at a Pokémart, but as a Coordinator there's going to be a lot of investments you can and should be making into your future."

    Autumn sighs. "Yes, but little presents from my girlfriend aren't it. I mean, I'm happy to have Flicker, I appreciate the nice meals we've had together, I'm by no means immune to gifts, but - I don't want us to be wasting money that could be spent on getting closer to our actual goals."

    "Being close with you matters to me," says Nix. "Letting you have things to remember us by matters."

    Autumn sighs. "... Is this how Ziggy feels when I spend on him?"

    Ziggy looks up at her from the side of her bed. "Zigzagoon," he says, and firmly shakes his head.

    "Even Ziggy's not on my side here, huh." Autumn smiles wryly. "Alright, then. Let's go see the market together."

    Nix stands up and offers a hand to Autumn.

    Autumn takes it and heaves herself up from the bed, blushing a little. "Do you want to... hold hands on the trip over?"

    "It would keep us from getting separated," Nix says.

    "You know that's not why I'm asking," Autumn retorts.

    "I'm just teasing." Nix smiles a little, lets go Autumn's hand, and goes over to the door where her boots are. "Whenever you're ready."

    Autumn takes a breath, picks up her pack, and comes over to join her girlfriend.

    ~*~​

    An hour or so's walk later, Autumn and Nix return to the Slateport Market. It's just after ten and the market is busy as always, the avenues between the colorful awnings teeming with people and pokémon. Most of the stalls from the last visit are still there; the stall selling seaweed, the one selling pokémon accessories, the stuffie shop with the life-size snorlax. Even the Medicham's pokémon translation booth is still in business. The tweenage crowd has predictably swarmed the plushie shop and the smoothie stall, and the Lombre at the seaweed shop is counting out change for a woman in blue with a Swablu on her shoulder.

    "It's strange coming back here again," says Autumn. "I didn't expect to return to Slateport for another month, at least."

    "Things tend to turn out differently than you imagine," says Nix. "The TM shop doesn't seem very busy. Let's go drop in."

    Ziggy nods from his perch on Autumn's shoulder. "Zigzagoon."

    Autumn nods, and takes Nix's hand. Together they stroll through the crowd, past the colorful awnings to the more permanent brick-and-mortar shops that the market backs onto. Nix steps up to the door and opens it for Autumn; she blushes and ducks her head, but goes through ahead of Nix.

    The TM shop is a small room under bright lights, with rows of glittering TM discs kept beneath a thick glass counter; behind it on a high shelf sits several fist-sized cubes in a similar glass case, the chunky shapes of TM applicators. Next to it sits a large bookcase full of binders. Security cameras watch from two corners of the room, and behind the counter there's both a human clerk in a sharp-looking business suit and an Alakazam wearing sunglasses and a tie.

    As Nix steps inside, the clerk's gaze immediately slips off Autumn and lands on her; the Alakazam's gaze stays firmly on Ziggy. "Hello," he says, and adjusts the steel-backed Pokétch on his right wrist. "How can I help you two?"

    "We're looking for a TM assay for Ziggy, here." Nix indicates the Zigzagoon. "What's the most recent compatibility chart for Zigzagoons?"

    The clerk turns around and takes down a binder from the large bookshelf behind him, setting it on the glass countertop between him and the girls. Flipping through the pages, he turns to a page with a small picture of a Zigzagoon in one corner, and a long list of names filling the rest of the page. He slides a finger down the page. "What's the purpose of the assay?", he asks. "Type coverage, battle staples...?"

    "Contest performance," Nix replies. "Preferring Cute category, but anything showy would be good."

    The clerk nods. "For Cute category the most obvious option is Charm or Swift. Swift would also be useful for the Beautiful category. If you want something more showy and unique, Surf, Ice Beam, Shadow Ball, Thunderbolt, Seed Bomb and Iron Tail are all compatible with the Zigzagoon species, and any of them would provide a background in a non-native Type Energy that could eventually be refined for more effects."

    "And pricing for each of those is...?"

    The clerk goes down the list. "Seed Bomb, Charm, Swift and Surf are limited-run TMs and we don't have any of them in stock. Ice Beam, Shadow Ball and Thunderbolt are all stock TMs and are available for three thousand Poké each. Iron Tail is recent and is currently priced at five thousand poké."

    Autumn and Nix share a look.

    Autumn sighs. "It's as we expected..."

    Nix nods. "Oh well." She nods to the clerk. "Thank you for your help."

    Autumn gets the door for Nix on the way out, and the pair of them lean against the wall outside the TM shop.

    "So," Nix says. "There's good news and there's bad news. The good news is that Ziggy could learn to control Ice, Ghost or Electric type energy with help, or even Steel type energy. Any of those could help him win some Great Rank contests. But... the money just isn't there. Not unless we save for a while."

    Autumn looks down at Ziggy. "I think that... I'm confident that Ziggy can do great things without the help of a TM. We should try to get what we can from training and work first."

    Nix nods. "That makes sense. So, container balls?"

    Autumn nods. "Container balls." She offers her hand to Nix.

    Nix takes it, and the two of them walk the familiar route through the market towards the camping store, passing the awkward little incense shop and the rare mushroom dealer. Before long the familiar sight of a note mat draped over a clothesline greets them, as well as Sojiro, the bearded proprietor.

    "Nice to see you two girls back at the shop," he says to them as they approach the counter. "How's the new tent holding up?"

    Autumn gives him a friendly smile, and hefts her pack. "It's holding up alright. We're just dropping by to pick up a couple more Container Balls today."

    Sojiro nods to the wire dispenser next to him, with its five rows of minimized container balls. "Pick whatever color you like," he says.

    "I'd like a black one, a brown one, and the third one can be any other color you like as long as it's not steel or grey." Autumn leans against the counter and fishes in her jeans pocket for her payment card.

    "Anything else you'd like to pick up while you're here?", Sojiro asks, rubbing his grizzled beard.

    Autumn shakes her head and looks over her shoulder at Nix. "Nix?"

    Nix looks around her at the rest of the store, with the kid's packs on their stand, the potted plants for secret bases, and the selection of folding furniture. She rubs her chin. "Autumn, would you like a proper camp chair? You've only got that cushion..."

    Autumn hesitates. "That's a good point. With a container ball or two I could carry that..." She crosses her arms. "Maybe if I take a look at a couple of the ones they've got here I'll be able to decide."

    "Feel free to take your time," says Sojiro. "I'm not going anywhere."

    Autumn nods and goes over to the folding furniture section. Three camp chairs are set up already - one with a cushioned back with heavy padding that forms a clam-shell shape, one with rocking bars on the bottom, and one that looks entirely plain and unornamented save a cup holder on one arm, made of durable canvas-like nylon.
    Autumn sits down in the comfortable clamshell chair and leans back. "This is cozy," she says.

    Nix looks at the price tag. "It's also over a hundred poké."

    "Yeah," says Autumn. "That's about what I expected." She gets up out of the clamshell chair and looks at the more practical and unornamented model. "This one here looks serviceable enough, though. Is it cheaper?"

    Nix checks the tag and whistles. "Only twenty-seven poké. That's a steal."

    Autumn blinks. "Seriously, this chair costs less than a plushie?"

    "That's what the tag says," says Nix. She extends it to Autumn.

    Autumn looks at the tag. Indeed, it reads "27 Poké."

    "Okay, I think we're getting this then," says Autumn. "Having some actual back support at our campsites is well worth the money. And it even comes with a cupholder."
    "I'll cover it for you," says Nix. "That way every time you use it you'll think of me."

    Autumn smiles and looks away. "Alright, fine. But that's your one gift for this trip, alright?"

    "Alright." Nix nods.

    Autumn picks up one of the folded examples of the display model and brings it over to Sojiro at the counter. "Hey, I'd like to pick up this chair as well as the container balls?"

    "Good choice," says Sojiro. "I can ring that all up for you if you'll just produce your payment card."

    Autumn pulls her wallet out of her pocket and fishes out her card, and Sojiro produces the machine. There's a beep, and then Sojiro takes a key from inside the counter and unlocks the Container Ball dispenser. Pulling out a black one and a brown one patterned with tree bark, he tosses in a third with a pattern of blue waves on it. "Does this work for you?", he asks.

    Autumn nods. "That looks just fine." She picks up the container balls, seals the camp chair in the brown ball, then unslings her pack, crouches, and puts all three of the Container Balls into the mesh bag just inside its lip. "There," she says.

    Nix smiles down at her. "Feeling good about your purchase?"

    Autumn nods. "And I'll feel better when I can seal things properly back at the dorms."

    "Where to next, then?" asks Nix.

    "I think that, since we've already picked up a present for me and the container balls, we shouldn't hang around too long," says Autumn. "Let's just grab an early lunch for Ziggy from the charcuterie place, then go over to the sushi place and eat."

    "Works for me," says Nix.

    ~*~​

    Autumn and Nix sit together on a bench by the sushi place, Ziggy curled up atop Autumn's backpack on the ground. Autumn's gotten her usual Castelia roll, while Nix is eating a salmon onigiri, the triangular rice ball falling apart a little in her hand.

    "So," says Autumn as she dips a slice of her roll into her soy sauce. "It looks like we ended up on a second date before the aquarium, huh?"

    Nix sets down the remains of her onigiri in its plastic container and offers Autumn a smile. "I mean, I guess so."

    "Who gives their girlfriend a camp chair, though?" Autumn's lips curve up. "I mean, I appreciate it, but as girlfriend gifts go it's a little weird."

    "I mean, if you want something more I'm perfectly happy to give it to you," Nix replies. "There's plenty of little shops around that could offer something nice. I think I'd like to get you... something to go with that pin, perhaps?"

    Autumn looks down at her grandmother's pin, which is still attached to her blouse over her heart. "Yeah, I guess that's an option." She tilts her head. "I'm not sure what there is that would work for that though."

    "Maybe matching earrings?" Nix tilts her head.

    "My ears aren't pierced," says Autumn.

    "Oh," says Nix. "You'd think I'd have noticed that. Maybe clip-ons then?"

    "Those hurt," says Autumn. "And they don't usually hold very reliably."

    Nix picks up the remains of her onigiri again. "I don't think a pendant like mine is really your style... But maybe a bracelet?"

    Autumn shrugs. "Maybe." She looks away. "I'm not really... used to trying to look pretty."

    "You are pretty though," says Nix. "At least, you are to me."

    Autumn blushes a little. "I guess..." She pops her thoroughly soaked Castelia roll into her mouth and winces at the salty tang of too much soy sauce. Chewing gamely, she swallows and looks back at Nix. "You're distracting me from my meal though." She puts another slice of the roll into the soy sauce and pops it into her mouth as well.

    Nix shrugs and tries to fit the remnants of her onigiri into her mouth. It's a mixed success; a clump of rice falls off the misshapen lump that was the "ball" and Nix sighs.
    Autumn blushes a bit as her eyes go to Nix's midriff, and she mutely offers a napkin.

    "Thanks," says Nix, and carefully picks off the remnants of her rice ball. The napkin goes right into the trash can beside the bench. "So, it's up to you," she says to Autumn. "Do you want to go back to the dorm and hang out, or should we explore the market a little more? - Oh, and before we head home, we should pick up some groceries for the rest of the week, there's still nothing in the dorm fridge."

    Autumn nods. "That's a good idea... Well, if we're going to have to pick up groceries anyway I don't suppose there's anything wrong with doing a little window shopping."

    Nix smiles. "Alright." She leans against the back of the metal bench and tosses aside the remnants of her onigiri. "Ziggy's pretty pooped after all that charcuterie, huh?"
    Autumn looks over at her Zigzagoon where he's resting atop her backpack. "Yeah," she says. "He sure put away that fruit salad pretty fast too." She pops the last segment of her Castelia roll into her mouth, and passes the box to Nix for her to throw away. "Mmm. Still, we get a treat so he gets one too."

    Nix half-turns away to put the box in the trash. "You should try the reverse of that rule sometime," she says. "But it's good to be fair."

    "Yeah," says Autumn. She picks up Ziggy from her pack, setting him on the bench. Then she picks up the pack itself and slings it on. She looks down the market row, past the bright awnings and the merchants hawking their wares, but she doesn't stand.

    "... Thinking about something?", Nix asks.

    "Just... It's one thing to choose to not go home, it's another thing to know you can't go back," says Autumn softly. She brushes her fingers against the pin at her breast. "For good or for ill, it's us against the world now..." She sighs. "I'm sorry, I'm not trying to dampen the mood."

    Nix takes Autumn's hand. "I know it's hard," she says quietly. "For what it's worth, I'm proud of you. You stood up to your mother, made a hard decision, and claimed your independence. In some ways this was inevitable, but..."

    Autumn looks over at Nix, and wraps her fingers in a little closer around hers. "Yeah," she says quietly. "It's never easy to let go."

    Ziggy uncurls from his ball on the bench, and stands up on his hind legs. Reaching up, he pats Autumn firmly on the shoulder. "Zigzagoon," he says softly.

    Autumn smiles down at him. "... Thanks, Ziggy." Then she looks over at Nix . "And thank you too, Nix. You've done so much for me, and I just... I know there's nothing I can do to really repay it, but I still want to."

    Nix rubs the back of her head, her fingers tangling in her black hair. "... You deserve it." she says softly, ducking her head. A light blush comes to her cheeks.

    "Alright," Autumn says. "So, you were going to get me something more from the market...?"

    Nix smiles. "Yeah. Let's go looking and see what we can find."

    Autumn squeezes Nix's hand, then lets go and extends her arm to Ziggy. He scampers up it and onto her shoulder, where he balances himself in his usual spot against her pack. "Zig," he says firmly.

    Nix stands, and Autumn follows suit.

    "So," Nix says. "Let's think about bracelets and browse a little? And if something catches your attention you can ask me about it."

    Autumn smiles. "Alright," she says. And her hand snakes out to take Nix's again.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Dateport 2
  • Threadmarks
    • "So," says Nix as she and Autumn walk along hand in hand. "Groceries first? We've got the Container Balls to keep everything frozen while we look for a present."

    "Sure," says Autumn with a nod. "Is there, like, an actual grocery store here?"

    "There are a couple stalls," says Nix. "A general store, a fresh fruit stand, and a butcher. I'd like to visit all three - the butcher will have some nice cuts for Noir, and Crimson needs a steady diet of fresh fruit. The general store can cover anything else."

    Autumn nods slightly. "It's always good to shop around," she says. "I need more chicken breasts for Ziggy, and some more berry bars for him... And I guess I should pick something else up to eat myself as well."

    Nix tilts her head. "Yeah. Let's stop by the butcher's first and get some chicken for Ziggy and Noir, it's closest." She looks over at Autumn. "General store last."

    Autumn nods. "Sounds fine by me."

    A few stalls down, Nix turns in, leading Autumn by the hand, and they come to a small butcher shop with cuts of meat laid out in a wide display refrigerator. Nix lets go Autumn's hand and picks up one of the Styrofoam containers of chicken breasts, which has a half-dozen inside. She looks over at Autumn. "Do you have any chicken breasts in storage right now?"

    Autumn shakes her head. "I'm down to like two or three. Get maybe three packages?"

    "Zagoon!", says Ziggy from Autumn's shoulder, his tongue hanging out.

    "That should cover Ziggy for a few days, yeah," says Nix. "But Noir will want a good supply as well." She puts down the five-breast package and slips down to the bottom of the freezer, where she picks up a larger box and reads the side. "This says it's three dozen," she says. "We'll definitely go through that much, and it'll keep in storage."

    Autumn looks at the price sticker; 119 poké. "That's a decent deal," she says. "We'll need to supplement it, but it's a good start for a meal plan."

    Nix nods. "Do you want any sliced meats? Sausages?" She gestures at the selection of cuts. "There's a lot of options for meals for yourself, too."

    Autumn tilts her head. "You usually get some sliced meats, right? Ham and so on."

    Nix nods, and puts a small package of ham atop the large box of chicken breasts. "Sure. Do you want salami as well?"

    Autumn rubs the back of her head. "That's kind of expensive, isn't it? I can just stick with the ham."

    Nix picks up a small package of three kinds of salami. "This is only ten poké," she says. "I can absolutely cover that."

    Ziggy nods. "Zig."

    Autumn bites the inside of her lip. "I guess," she says. "I don't want to make you stretch too far..."

    Nix sighs. "It's not a problem. Most of my costs will be for feeding Crimson." The corner of her mouth quirks up. "He's precious to me, but he's big. He eats a whole fruit basket like the one I showed you practically every other day."

    "Seriously?", Autumn asks. "How do you even keep him in food...?"

    "With some difficulty," says Nix. "But he's worth it for his many talents. Did you know that even male Ariados can spin silk?"

    Autumn shakes her head. "I didn't know that."

    "It's true," Nix says. "And when I'm having a slow run of contests, sometimes I have Crimson spin silk and sell it. It's covered a few gaps. I'm working on being able to make my own clothes from scratch, but..." She shrugs. "I haven't had the spare funds to invest in a sewing machine and the space to store it." She picks up the box of chicken breasts and the package of salami and brings them over to the register.

    "So you want to be a pokémon stylist?" Autumn asks.

    "I played with the idea for a few months," says Nix, "But I never really had the creative vision to make it a full-time job." She pats the purse at her hip. "Contests with my team are my life now."

    Autumn nods slightly. "Alright," she says. "Do you want to pay, or...?"

    Nix produces her payment card from her purse and nods to the green-aproned clerk at the register. "I'll cover groceries for today," she says. "Since you're covering the dorm."

    "Okay," says Autumn hesitantly. "So now the fresh fruit stall...?"

    Nix nods. "Yeah, it's just a few more stalls down." She taps her payment card and seals away the meat into a Container Ball, which goes into her purse. "Do you want anything from there?"

    Autumn shakes her head. "I don't really want anything."

    "You've got to eat something," says Nix. "But I guess it can wait for the general store." She reaches out for Autumn's hand again.

    Autumn pauses for a moment, then takes it. She and Nix walk through the stalls, and soon enough a stall piled high with peaches, apples and bananas appears through the crowds. Nix leads Autumn over, and they stop by the pile of apples.

    Autumn reaches out and picks up an apple, turning it over in her hand. It's a variety she hasn't seen before, with pink skin and a softness to its flesh.

    "I always really liked the Cherrygrove variety," says Nix. "They're a little more expensive but I think the taste is worth it. Much better than a sour Viridian one."

    Autumn turns it over in her hand. "I can't recall ever having seen a Cherrygrove apple before," she says. "They only had Viridian apples down at the Oldale general store, and my mother didn't buy things in Petalburg that often. Definitely not groceries. I might have had one when I was small, but..." She shakes her head. "I don't recall it if so."

    Nix nods. "A lot of little towns don't get the full selection. There's just not enough demand." She picks up a pair of pink apples and puts them in one of the offered plastic bags. "One for you to try, and one for me to have along with you."

    "Zigzagoon!" says Ziggy, his voice a little affronted.

    Nix rolls her eyes and adds another apple to the bag. "And one for Ziggy, since he wants one."

    Autumn blushes a little, and nods. "Okay."

    Nix picks up another big bag of a dozen apples from the lower part of the stand. "Think this and a few mix-ins will cover Ziggy's fruit salads for the week?"

    Autumn nods. "That should work. We can pick up eggs from the general store."

    Ziggy nods as well. "Zag!"

    Nix sets down the bag of apples at the register, then darts back for two peaches and a pair of bananas. Then she unseals her fruit basket from her purse and fills it to the brim with various assorted fruit, even including a pineapple. Setting the filled basket by the register along with the smaller bags, she smiles awkwardly at the cashier. "I've got an Ariados to feed," she says. "You know how it is."

    The cashier, a black-haired woman in a small pink chef's cap and a matching pink dress, bows formally to Nix. "I hope your Ariados enjoys it!" She smiles brightly and puts the basket on a scale behind the counter, then nods. "That'll be seventy-three poke."

    Nix taps her card at the register, and reseals the basket and the bag of apples. Handing the smaller bag of assorted fruit to Autumn, she offers her a smile. "Alright, now to the general store."

    "And you buy that much fruit every other day?" Autumn asks.

    "Well, closer to every three days," says Nix. "It depends on how hungry Crimson is."

    Autumn looks down at the bag full of assorted fruit in her hands. "I could never afford that much on my salary at the Pokémart," she says. "It was all I could do to keep Ziggy fed."

    Nix nods. "That makes sense." She resettles her purse on her body and offers her hand to Autumn again. "On to the general store?"

    "Yeah," says Autumn. She takes Nix's hand again.

    The general store is just the next stall down; it's flanked by displays of fresh vegetables, with several aisles of boxes and dried goods in between.

    Nix looks over at Autumn. "Another bell pepper for Ziggy, and then we need to figure out what we're going to eat aside from fruit and salami."

    Autumn nods. "There'll be ramen and macaroni in the dried foods section, those are my usual go-tos..."

    Nix sighs. "You really need to start taking better care of yourself," she says.

    Autumn looks away, and sighs. "I mean, it's not like I eat it because it's healthy..."

    "Yeah," says Nix softly. "As far as I can tell you didn't really... have much to spend on yourself."

    Autumn just nods.

    "Alright," says Nix. "We're at least getting you sandwich fixings and an entire vegetable." She looks down one of the aisles. "We've still got some of those little cereal boxes left, right? So we're good for the mornings."

    Autumn nods. "Yeah, that's covered for a few days still."

    Nix walks down the aisle towards the loaves of bread, tugging Autumn along behind her. Autumn's gaze lingers on the boxes of easy macaroni and cheese a little further up the aisle. Ziggy turns on her shoulder, looking at something behind her.

    Nix lets go Autumn's hand, and goes over to the loaves of bread. Picking up a pair of them, she turns back to Autumn. "These should keep us for a week," she says.
    Autumn's turned away, and is staring with Ziggy at a box of double fudge brownie cookies on the side of the aisle.

    Nix laughs. "Yeah, you can have those too if you want." She picks up the box that Autumn's looking at and tucks it under her arm.

    "I - " Autumn takes a sharp breath and then exhales. "- Can I have a look at that box?"

    Nix raises an eyebrow, and passes it back to Autumn. She takes it in both hands and stares down at the Cinnccino mascot on the packaging, the mouse-like pokemon's scarf-like mane wrapped around its face. "Chococinno Delight!" reads the name at the top.

    "I..." Autumn works her mouth. "I haven't had these since I was ten." She exhales. "I've never - seen them in a store before. My dad used to get them for me for Heartwarming and on Children's Day." Her hands tremble a little. "Even if I'd seen them before, I - never would've been able to afford them -"

    Nix lays a hand on the top of the box. "Then we're getting them," she says quietly. "No ifs, ands or buts about it."

    "I - " Autumn swallows hard. "... Okay."

    Nix carefully pries the box out of Autumn's hands, and tucks it under her arm again. "You really were pretty deprived, huh...?"

    Autumn bites the inside of her lip, and nods.

    "Okay," Nix says. "You go sit down for a little bit, I'll get together the rest of the groceries and ring them up." She looks at Autumn seriously. "Would you like a hug?"

    Autumn shakes her head sharply. "I - no - it's okay. I'll go - sit. And think a bit. And... yeah."

    "Alright," says Nix softly. "I'll be there in just a minute."

    Autumn nods, and takes a few jerky steps out of the aisle and sits on a bench by the side of the main thoroughfare through the stalls. Her breath doesn't seem to be - coming regularly -

    Ziggy leaps down into her lap, and she hugs him hard against her body and cries into his fur.

    Her shoulders shake as the tears flow into Ziggy's coarse fur, her chest tight and close. Ziggy holds still against her, his weight heavy in her hands, and the world falls away for a long moment as wracking sobs tear their way out of her.

    A few minutes pass, and then there's a brush of motion and Nix's soft voice from the bench next to her.

    "Hey," she says softly. "Are you okay?"

    Autumn looks up at Nix and gives her a tearful glare. "I'm sobbing in the middle of a market about a fucking box of cookies, of course I'm not okay -"

    Nix winces. "I'm sorry," she says quietly. She has the box of Chococinno Delights in her hands. "I just want to help."

    Autumn looks down at the box of cookies in Nix's lap. "I - " Another strangled sob tears its way out of her throat, and her head falls forwards again.

    Nix lays a soft hand on her shoulder. "Autumn..."

    Autumn shrugs it off. "No," she says, "go away, I don't -" She takes a shuddering breath. "I don't want to think about it, okay - "

    Nix leans back, lowering her hand, and nods. "Okay." She keeps the box of cookies in her lap, firmly in Autumn's view.

    Autumn waves a hand at Nix, a small jerky motion that half-drops Ziggy. "And - put away the cookies - I don't want to see them -"

    Nix just nods, and seals the box away into a container ball.

    Autumn lowers Ziggy's body from her tear-stained face. "I - I'm going home, okay?" She takes a shuddering breath. "I mean, to the dorms -" she rubs her forehead. "What am I saying, I'm - I don't even have a home -" her fingers tighten on Ziggy's back, and he yelps softly.

    "Zag!" Ziggy squirms in Autumn's grip, clearly pained by her nails digging into his skin.

    "Oh," says Autumn softly, and she releases her grip. "I'm sorry, Ziggy, I didn't mean to..."

    Ziggy presses in against her softly. "Zag," he says quietly. "Zigzagoon."

    Autumn rubs at her eyes, sniffling hard. "You're so good to me, Ziggy..." She wraps him close in another hug.

    Nix just sits and watches, her grey eyes intent.

    Autumn looks over at her. "I -" She blinks rapidly. "I'm done here, okay? I can't - I don't want to be in public."

    Nix nods. "Alright."

    "And, and, andandand..." She swallows. "I don't know. I'm - I'm going."

    "Okay," says Nix. "I'll come with you."

    Autumn stands up from the bench, Ziggy in her arms, and looks around blearily. "... which way to the entrance?", she asks.

    Nix points, and Autumn hurries for the exit, her skirt billowing out behind her as she almost runs.

    Nix gets up from the bench, and follows along after her.

    ~*~​

    After twenty minutes of walking back along the city blocks of Slateport, Autumn hugging Ziggy close in to her body and hunching over him like she might lose him, Nix finally speaks up again.

    "It's not your fault, you know."

    "I know that," Autumn snaps back. "I just - It's just -" She looks down at Ziggy in her arms. "It's not fair. Dad was only ever good to me, and then -" She closes her eyes. "Why do I get stuck with the bad parent?"

    "You're not," Nix says. "You've broken ties with her, you're your own person now."

    Autumn bites down on her back teeth and shakes her head. "I -" She exhales measuredly. "I don't have any family left now. Not that I'm on speaking terms with."
    Nix nods. "That's true. It might still be the right decision though."

    Autumn hugs Ziggy a little closer. "I don't want to talk about this."

    "Okay," says Nix quietly. "Do you want to have some space? I can take a detour and go see the contest hall."

    Autumn shakes her head. "No," she says. "I - want to have you here. But... please be quiet."

    Nix nods. "Would you like to hold hands?"

    Autumn shakes her head sharply. "No."

    Nix nods again, and falls back to one step behind Autumn on her right, letting her set the pace. Trees pass on their left and right, interspersed with shops with colorful awnings and offices with staid foyers. Ziggy presses in close to Autumn's chest and stays silent.

    They walk on in silence, Autumn cradling Ziggy, Nix trailing behind her, and eventually the pokéball sign of the trainer dorms comes into view, the water of the harbor coming up along the other side of the path. Nix steps ahead to get the door for Autumn, and Autumn stalks through the lobby without even smiling at the desk clerk, her whole body bent over Ziggy.

    Nix passes Autumn again, and when she reaches her dorm room Nix is there holding the door for her. She doesn't even nod to her; instead she just passes on through into the dorm room and sits down on her bed.

    Nix sits down on the bed across from her. "Is there anything else I can do to help?", she asks softly.

    Autumn shoos Ziggy out of her lap, and bends down to start taking her boots off. "I think that..." She swallows. "I think I just need to curl up in bed and be done for a while. Could you - could you give me the room."

    "Alright," says Nix. And she goes.

    Autumn slips into bed, pulls the covers up over her head, and closes her eyes. Ziggy noses into her side lightly, but after three or four attempts to nudge Autumn into motion he curls up beside her head with a quiet "Zag."

    Autumn lies alone in the darkness behind her eyes, and her fingers find the pin at her breast. They slide along the brassy surface, feeling the sharp edges of the leaf, the roughness of its ridged veins, the smooth curved surface of the key stone in the center.

    Autumn lets out a long breath. What would her father want...?

    He'd want her to be strong. To carry on anyway.

    She rubs at her face, rolls over, sits up. The room is quiet, Ziggy still curled up by her side.

    Autumn looks down at him, and catches him peeking back at her from beneath his tail.

    "... Ziggy," she says softly, and pulls him close atop the bedsheets. "I still have you."

    Ziggy pops up onto his back feet and licks Autumn's tearstained face. "Zig!" His tail flicks from side to side. "Zigzagoon!"

    Autumn smiles despite herself, pushing Ziggy back a little. "Yeah," she says. "I'm a mess. It just... really caught me off guard, after all these years..." She shakes her head. "Okay, I should go wash my face and - do something to take my mind off it. Train with you, maybe."

    Ziggy nods firmly. "Zigzagoon!" He jumps off the top of the bed and drops to the floor, and a few moments later Autumn hears a deliberate tapping at the bathroom door.

    Autumn sighs, gets up off the bed, wipes her eyes with the back of her arm, and walks over to the bathroom. Pushing open the door that Ziggy's tapping on, she steps into the small tiled room and looks in the mirror.

    She looks awful. Her eyes are red, her brown hair's all bedraggled and messed up, and her expression is haggard and faraway. She forces a smile in the mirror and starts the sink filling with water.

    Ziggy darts back into the room, and a few minutes later hops up onto the counter with Autumn's hairbrush in his mouth. She nods to him, closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, and dunks her face into the sink. The ceramic bottom jars against her nose, the water cold against her eyes and forehead.

    When she comes back up for air, her breath's steadied a little. Her hair drips onto the floor, drops pitter-pattering against the linoleum.

    Ziggy offers the hairbrush, and Autumn takes it and starts brushing out her sodden hair. It's a slow process; between the wind and her distressed pawing, there are a good few snarls in it. She works the brush through anyway, little sharp pains jabbing her as she pulls it through.

    The gentle work uncoils a little of the tightness in her chest, and when she finally sets the hairbrush down she feels... a little lighter. Not happy, by any stretch, but maybe calm.

    Ziggy hops down from the counter and goes over to Autumn's boots. "Zigzagoon!", he says sharply. "Zigzag."

    "Yeah," Autumn says. "I shouldn't just... stay here and mope. I should - go see the city, maybe watch the battles at the dorm room courtyard..." She sits by the bed and slips her boots back on, fingers working the laces. "I could go down to the harbor and look at boats, at least..."

    Ziggy nods firmly. "Zigzagoon." He hops up onto her shoulder.

    She gets up and leaves the dorm room, letting her feet carry her where they may. Courtyard or out? - Out.

    Passing the desk, she walks out onto the waterfront. Ships are coming and going in the bay and a crane is unloading cargo, but the only people to be seen are the work team managing unloading and their Machoke.

    Autumn walks onwards, following a familiar path along the piers. Out along the weathered wood, past each post and down among the ships. There's a bench near the end of this pier where she could sit and think.

    She walks at a decent clip, warming herself with the motion against the cold sea breeze. The smell of salt and old wood lingers. The sun's too high in the sky to dazzle off the water, but it's a clear day and the sea goes on past the edge of sight.

    Eventually the pier runs out, and she's left standing by the edge of land at the ferry-dock she and Nix have come and gone from. The familiar bench is still there, and she goes and sits, laying her head back against the railing.

    The soft swell of water against the posts of the pier lulls her a little; Ziggy hops down into her lap, and she busies her hands in his fur as she looks out across the harbor. A one-masted schooner comes in through the bay, its crew reefing in its sails and readying to make anchor, and her gaze follows it, watching as it glides up to a berth and makes landfall.

    A crab trawler passes in the other direction, a heavy winch sitting at its back; and for a little while Autumn leaves herself to watch the comings and goings of the harbor, people and pokémon working together to unload cargo, crew the boats, and keep the port in order.

    Eventually, a ferry docks at the end of Autumn's pier, and lays out its gangplank. Trainers disembark, walking past Autumn in twos and threes. Autumn watches them pass; sailors with Wingulls on their shoulders, bug-catchers with their nets slung behind them.

    A man in a red life-jacket comes down the gangplank and gives Autumn a smile. "Embarking for Lilycove?"

    She looks at him, then over at the ferry. "How long are you docked for?", she asks.

    "Twenty minutes," says the sailor.

    Autumn looks down at Ziggy in her lap. It's long enough she could go get her pack, check out, and be gone. She'd even have time to write a note.

    Ziggy looks up at her. "Zig?", he asks quietly.

    Autumn touches the pin at her breast again, closing her eyes.

    "... Miss?", asks the sailor.

    She opens her eyes and shakes her head. "I'm not coming aboard, thank you," she says. "I'm just here to see the harbor."

    The sailor nods and steps back. "Alright, then. Just wouldn't want you to miss your ferry if you're going."

    Autumn looks down at Ziggy. "I know where I'm going," she says quietly.

    She stands, and Ziggy hops down from her lap. With a wave over her shoulder to the sailor, she walks back down the pier towards the dorms.

    ~*~​

    Autumn sits on the bed in her dorm room, looking down at her pokétch. The Slateport Oceanic Museum's website shines from the face of the smartwatch, showing her a small booking screen.

    Autumn takes a slow breath and taps the "Add ticket" button twice.

    "Zigzagoon," says Ziggy from her shoulder. His voice is warm and proud.

    Autumn nods slightly and smiles. "Yeah," she says to him. "I think this is - the right decision."

    Ziggy nods. "Zag."

    She dials in the date field. "Tomorrow," she says quietly. "No sense in dragging things out."

    Ziggy nods again. "Zigzag."

    She pushes checkout.

    Ziggy smiles toothily. "Zigzagoon!" He nuzzles her side, then points at the pokétch again. "Zig, zigzagoon."

    "You want me to call her?", Autumn asks.

    Ziggy nods firmly. "Zigzagoon."

    Autumn smiles hesitantly. "Yeah, I guess that... I had better tell her about the tickets, and... I need to apologize for ruining the date..."

    Ziggy rolls his eyes, but nods. "Zagoon."

    Autumn swipes through her contacts, brings up Nix's number, and stabs call.

    "Hello?", comes Nix's voice from the other end of the phone.

    "It's me, Nix," says Autumn, holding her wrist with her other hand. . "I want to talk. In person. I... Took some time to calm down, and... I want to explain a little."

    Nix's voice is soft. "Alright," she says. "You're still at the dorms?"

    "Yeah," says Autumn.

    "I'll be right over," says Nix.

    Autumn nods into the phone, and hangs up.

    Ziggy nuzzles into her stomach. "Zigzagoon," he says softly. He lays a paw on her heart, over her father's pin. "Zig."

    Autumn smiles slightly. "I'm not sure what you mean," she says, "but it sounds nice."

    Ziggy rolls his head and curls up in her lap. "Zigzagoon."

    Autumn sighs softly, and picks Ziggy up to hug him softly against her. "You're so good," she says softly. "My Ziggy."

    Ziggy hums lowly in his throat and presses in against her. "Zagoon."

    Autumn gets up from the bed and goes over to the bathroom, where she sets Ziggy on the counter. She picks up the hairbrush again, and draws it through her hair, fixing the strands that the harbor wind blew out of place. Ziggy watches from the counter, seemingly content to just observe.

    The simple task doesn't take long, and Autumn sets the brush down with a sigh. She looks... more composed. She adjusts the collar of her blouse, resettles the pin against her heart.

    She goes out into the main room and sits on the bed. Why didn't she ask Nix how long she'd be? The walk must have taken at least an hour, Nix could be anywhere by now...

    Her gaze slides to the room's TV, but... She doesn't want to mess around with remotes and channels right now, and besides she's not interested in the battle network.
    She sits down on the side of her bed, gets Ziggy's brush out of her pack, and starts brushing his fur, grooming out the softly-shining strands with long, lingering strokes of the hairbrush. There's a lot of fur to cover between Ziggy's head, body and tail; and so for a while she lets herself get lost in the meditative movements.

    There's a knock at the door, and Autumn's head jerks up from Ziggy's back.

    "It's me," comes Nix's voice through the door. "May I come in?"

    Autumn nods and calls back. "You can come in, Nix."

    There's the faint sound of a card swiping, and then Nix pushes open the door. She stands at the threshold for a long moment, looking at Autumn with her eyebrows drawn together, then comes in and shuts the door behind her.

    Autumn bends her head back to Ziggy, her brush lingering in his fur. She doesn't say anything.

    Nix comes over and sits down in her usual spot on the opposite bed from Autumn. "So," she says quietly.

    "So," says Autumn. "I... Thank you for being there. Thank you for caring and for - handling the groceries - and for staying with me and then going when I needed you to. You helped. You helped a lot."

    Nix nods. "I don't mean to pry, but... Are you okay? This kind of thing... can be unpredictable."

    Autumn looks up from Ziggy's back and gives Nix an unsteady smile. "It's... Not okay, but it's - He would want me to live. So I'm going to. That..." She looks down at Ziggy's back. "My dad taught me a lot about pokémon. He taught me to never take them for granted, to work with them at their own level, to care and nurture and love them..." She draws the brush through again. "And he showed me that, with Mom. How he cared for her and nurtured and loved her. They never fought. Other kids would tell me about parents who would yell and scream and fight... I can never remember a time where my parents had more than a quiet debate about what to do next."

    She takes a slow breath. "That's important to me, that peace. And... I've been the first to break it. After everything. Mom always tried her best to look after me, even when it wasn't good enough. She tried so hard. But I was never good enough. And now..." She closes her eyes. "It's not so easy to leave her behind."

    Nix just nods.

    "Do you think I did the right thing?", Autumn asks. "I mean, technically I stole from her. It's my father's pin. And it's worth... so much. If my mother decides to make an issue of it it could get... really thorny." She drags her fingers though Ziggy's coarse fur, moving her hand from the light of his stripes to the dark. "Was it really worth it, just to... cry about my father in public?"

    Nix crosses her arms and tilts her head. "Only you can make that decision," she says. "But a day ago you sounded very different. You were proud that you'd stood up to her, after all these years. You felt stronger. You promised on the pin to become a coordinator worthy of your father..."

    Autumn nods. "Yeah," she says. "And I... still feel that way. It's hard. It's so hard to reach out, to - keep trying to be strong. I could have left. I could have... gone to Pacifidlog on my own, struck out, done contests, worked to build my own life without you." She smiles wryly. "Turns out I don't want that."

    Nix just nods.

    "But..." Autumn sighs. "You're right that I'm still... relying on you, like I relied on my mother, like I relied on my father before then. I want to... I want to become stronger. I want to grow and change and - find something better than stumbling from one protector to another. But I don't know how to get there."

    "Yeah," says Nix softly. "But you're figuring it out, even so. It's not easy to become your own person, but - going through the caverns with me, winning your first contest, standing up to your mother - that's not nothing. That's the start of you learning. And you'll only get stronger the further you walk and the more you learn."

    Autumn looks down at Ziggy's back. "I guess that's right," she says. "And..." She digs a hand into Ziggy's back. "... I thought about things a little, and... I want to go to the aquarium with you."

    Nix nods. "You've said."

    "I mean," Autumn exhales. "I've bought the tickets. We'll go tomorrow, okay? I don't - want to make you wait forever, or anything. I want to try this, to - make it up to you for today's date not going so well."

    Nix's fingers go to her pendant. "I... Are you sure that's wise?"

    Autumn nods firmly. "I can't let this - hurt - overtake me. It's hard, it's ugly, but - I got past it with my mother once, I know I can manage this. And I want to spend time with you, I want to - try things, you know? I can't learn if I don't try."

    Nix leans in a little. "Are you sure?"

    Autumn looks up and meets Nix's eyes. "Yeah," she says. "I'm sure. And the tickets are nonrefundable, anyway, so..." She shrugs. "I made up my mind when I bought them."

    "Okay," says Nix. She leans in a little. "If you think you'll... be okay."

    Autumn shakes her head. "I think that's the wrong question, honestly. It's going to be... hard, whatever I do - but facing it together with you, working to - build something - is always better than hiding. I know that now."

    "Zag," says Ziggy, and he nods his head.

    "Alright," says Nix. "What do you want to - do on that trip?"

    Autumn looks down at Ziggy's back, a light flush coming to her cheeks. "I'd like to... you know, walk around, see the pokémon... visit the gift shop... go to a water show with one of the bigger pokémon..." She runs a hand through her hair. "The performers at the aquarium, they're Coordinators too, aren't they?"

    "Yeah," says Nix. "Though you generally have to be pretty consistent with your routine to get a steady job like that."

    Autumn nods. "Have you ever thought of - finding a performance gig? Settling down?"

    Nix shakes her head. "I've never... felt comfortable before. Generally I spend a month or so in any given place. When I settle in I start to get complacent, and then I start losing contests..." She sighs. "It is what it is."

    Autumn draws her hand slowly down Ziggy's back again. "I didn't want to talk to you about... the aquarium... Well I sort of did, but..." She exhales. "I'm sorry for snapping at you when you were only trying to help. I'm sorry for - needing space - and pushing you away. You're so good to me, and I want to... be able to trust you."

    Nix shakes her head. "There's no need to apologize," she says. "This is... very personal, and it's not... It's up to you to decide what you're comfortable with."

    Autumn tilts her head, then pats the bed beside her. "Okay, then come sit."

    Nix blinks, but gets up from her bed and comes and sits next to Autumn.

    Autumn reaches out and takes Nix's hand, and looks down at it. "I..." She bites her lip. "You've done so much for me," she says. "I'm sorry that it's hard for me to... express affection... but I want to be braver. I want to - catch up to you, become... worthwhile to you, not just this girl you picked up in the middle of nowhere and now have to look after. And that means..." She blushes. "... That means I have to - act on what I feel. I have to try. And -" She closes her eyes and rocks in place for a moment.

    "Zag?", asks Ziggy.

    "Shush, Ziggy, I'm trying to think," Autumn says. She looks over at Nix and gives her a rueful smile. "- Sorry, I'm just..."

    "I think I understand," murmurs Nix, intertwining her fingers with Autumn's. "You want more, but... you don't know how to get it."

    "Yeah," murmurs Autumn. "It would be... easier in some ways... to ask you to... you know..." She looks away. "But I don't want you to be the one who always has to do things. I want to... take you on a date. I want to give you things too, and show you how much you matter to me, and - repay you for all the loveliness you've shown me." She looks down at Nix's hand again, where her fingers intertwine with her girlfriend's. She squeezes.

    "You don't have to force yourself," Nix says.

    "I know," says Autumn. "But I want to try." She raises her free hand to the pin at her breast. "My father would want me to - live life to the fullest, to - be my own woman, to try and... care about someone the way he did about my mother."

    "Yeah," says Nix, raising her eyebrows. "I think he would."

    "So," Autumn says. "You wanted me to talk to your brother?"

    Nix nods. "Yeah."

    "Let's do that now," Autumn says. "I've been... trying to avoid it, but - it can't be that hard. You'd be the one doing most of the talking anyway, so..." She squeezes Nix's hand. "It shouldn't be too hard."

    "Alright," says Nix. "Shall we go do a video call, or should I just call him from right here with you?"

    Autumn sighs. "I think we should do it right here," she says. "Before I lose my nerve."

    "Okay," says Nix. "I'll need my hand back to dial though."

    Autumn reluctantly releases Nix's hand, and Ziggy hops back up into her lap. "Zagoon," he says.

    "Yeah," Autumn says to Ziggy. "You are helpful." She draws her fingers down his back slowly.

    Nix swipes through her contacts and selects "Cocoa" from the list. She looks over at Autumn. "Alright, let's see if we can get him." She presses call.

    The poketch buzzes once, twice, three times. Nobody picks up.

    Nix and Autumn share a look. "Maybe he's busy?", says Nix as the smartwatch keeps buzzing.

    Eventually the pokétch falls silent. Nix sighs. "Should I call back? Wait a while?"

    Autumn tilts her head. "I mean, it's not like he'd be available at every hour of the day. What time is it in Unova right now?"

    Nix blinks. "It's..." She taps her fingers against her arm. "It's practically on the other side of the world. It could be midnight there." She taps at her pokétch, and in a few moments she has the answer. "- No wonder Cocoa didn't pick up, it's 4 am over there right now."

    Autumn rubs her forehead. "Oops."

    Nix runs a hand through her hair. "We'll have to wait for the evening." She looks back at Autumn. "What do you want to do until then?"

    Autumn looks down at Ziggy's back. "Well, we still need to sort out the groceries, I don't think you've had time to put them away. Did you feed Noir and Crimson?"
    Nix nods. "Yeah, I did." She leans back on the bed, setting her hands behind her to brace herself, and looks up at the ceiling. "I want to..." She shakes her head. "I don't know. We could pop over to the contest hall and watch something, we could... sit around in the room a little... We could talk, but I don't know if you really want to have another big serious conversation..."

    Autumn smiles slightly and picks up Ziggy. "What do you think, Ziggy?"

    He squirms a little in her grip, but manages to point his head at Nix. "Zagoon," he says, and then makes little talking motions with his mouth. "Zig, zagoon."

    "Yeah," says Autumn. "I guess it would be a good idea to talk a little more." She looks over at Nix. "So... we're going on to Pacifidlog and then the east after this, yeah?"

    "Yeah, that's the rough plan," says Nix. "But I wouldn't be in too much of a hurry. We've got time to figure a few things out right now, to train Ziggy in his new Move and maybe try to develop a few additional Moves for him naturally. In particular..." She tilts her head. "The way that Ziggy used Quick Attack to take the pin from your mother, and the way that he's so good at begging... I think he could be close to learning Covet."

    "Covet?" Autumn tilts her head. "I've never heard of such a move."

    "Essentially it's a move specializing in theft," says Nix. "It uses a feint to get the target's attention and then snatches away what they have that you want. Zigzagoons have instincts for that - it comes from their natural inclinations towards shiny things and food."

    "Isn't that just Thief?", Autumn asks.

    "Thief uses Dark type energy to shroud the user; Covet is Normal type. Which is why Ziggy would have an easier time of it, since Quick Attack is Normal as well." Nix looks down at the Zigzagoon. "Mind you, teaching Ziggy to steal things is something he could absolutely abuse, so you'd have to trust him a lot to be willing to teach him that skill."

    "Ziggy's responsible," says Autumn. "I think he wouldn't do something bad deliberately, even if he is a bit of a..." She trails off.

    "Scamp? Glutton? Lovable rogue?", Nix supplies.

    "Yeah, all of those," Autumn admits. "But I love him and I know he'd never do something that could get me in trouble."

    Ziggy nuzzles his head into Autumn's side. "Zigzagoon," he says warmly.

    "There are also a few moves that should be inborn," says Nix. "Tackle and Growl. Both of them Normal-type. And I think that Ziggy could use them to train with the basics of Type Energy."

    Autumn fidgets with Ziggy's fur. "I... Don't want to train Ziggy for battle," she says quietly. "It's scary to think about Moves because they're so..."

    "Much a thing that Trainers work on?" Nix supplies.

    "Yeah," says Autumn. "I've never been good at that."

    "Well, maybe now's the time to learn," says Nix. "A move is a move, it's just a tool. You can use it for battle or for show equally much. And... You've seen what it's like out there in the wilds. If Ziggy is needed to protect you... Some training would be helpful."

    Autumn looks down at Ziggy and exhales. "Yeah," she says quietly. "I guess that makes sense." She flops backwards onto the bed and wriggles a little, getting comfortable. "I just... It's hard to undo all the damage that's been done by so many people asking why Ziggy didn't know a single move, you know?"

    "Yeah," says Nix softly. "I get that." She looks down at Autumn and a light blush comes to her cheeks. "Comfy?"

    "Yeah," says Autumn. "Sort of. It's..." She rolls over onto her side, facing towards Nix. "Even if I'm... messed up, even if I have problems with training and with life..." She runs a hand through her own hair. "It still matters to me that you care."

    "That means a lot to me," says Nix. She smiles down at Autumn. "I kind of want to touch your hair," she says.

    Autumn makes a little humming sound in the back of her throat. "Mmm. I guess that's a girlfriend thing? If you want to you can."

    Nix sighs. "I don't want to do it if you wouldn't enjoy it," she replies. "It's about... being close, you know?"

    "Yeah," says Autumn softly. "I know."

    Nix looks down at Autumn for a long moment. "I think that... I won't do it unless you ask me to."

    "Okay," says Autumn. Her gaze slides away from Nix, her cheeks reddening a little. She hugs Ziggy up against her and says nothing.

    Nix falls silent as well, and looks back across the room to where the fridge is. "I..." She rolls her shoulder. "I should probably put away the groceries."

    "Yeah," says Autumn. "You should."

    Nix gets up from the bed and picks up her purse from the kitchen counter, and starts unsealing groceries and putting them away in the cupboards and fridge.
    Autumn curls up a little closer around Ziggy. Some part of her... feels like a coward for not taking the chance to be touched by Nix. She's hopeless. She's not really... Nix's girlfriend, not really, not when she can't do anything like this...

    "You know," says Nix's voice from across the room. "You could maybe help with putting everything away."

    Autumn sighs, and sits up, setting Ziggy aside. "Alright," she says. "I'll come help out." She gets up off the bed and comes over to Nix's side.

    "I'll handle the things that need to go into the fridge," says Nix. "You should deal with the dried goods. They're in this container ball." She hands over the ball. "... Your cookies are in there as well, I don't know what you want to do with them."

    Autumn sighs. "Yeah," she says. "I'm not sure what to do with them either. But... I mean..." She looks down at the Container Ball in her hand. "It'd be a crime to let them go bad..."

    "Or to just not eat them because you're too scared of the ghost of your father," Nix says. "Cookies are meant to be enjoyed."

    "Yeah," says Autumn quietly. "I guess so." She unseals the ball and picks out the box of Chococcino Delights, feeling the weight of the box in her hands.

    Nix looks over at her. "It can go in the cupboard if you don't want them right now."

    Autumn sighs softly. "I don't know what I want. My father would want me to... savor the memory, I think... but it's not a special occasion, and usually I'd get these for that... And having them just to remember him is..." She shakes her head. "I'd rather not linger on those memories like that."

    "It's not like eating a box of cookies will make him any less dead," says Nix. "You have to make your peace somehow."

    "Yeah," Autumn manages. She taps her fingers against the side of the box. "I just... It's not easy to take that step, you know?"

    "I don't know," says Nix. "I've never lost someone, not like that. But... I can sympathize."

    "Yeah," says Autumn softly. "I guess so." She sets the box back down on the counter and starts putting away the rest of the dried goods, the instant noodles and crackers feeling less accusing in her hands. There isn't much to put away; before long, she's back to the box of Chococcino Delights again.

    Nix looks up from the dorm room fridge, where she's just put away Ziggy's bell pepper. "You'll probably feel better if you eat one," she says. "It's what I'd do, if I were you."

    "Yeah," says Autumn, her voice hushed. She picks up the box and goes over to her bed, sitting down on the edge of it. She lays the box in her lap and touches the pin at her breast.

    Ziggy hops up next to her and noses her side. "Zag," he murmurs. "Zagoon." His tone is flat, and his tail curls in close to his body.

    "You miss him too, huh?" says Autumn.

    Ziggy nods. "Zig."

    Autumn slides her hand along the top seal of the box where the cardboard's been glued to itself. She taps her fingers against it, her eyes closing, the smooth texture of the cardboard against her fingertips...

    There's the sound of rustling cloth from the bed across from her, and when Autumn opens her eyes, Nix is there across from her.

    "I think that..." Autumn looks down at the box. "I think..." She bites her lip. "... I want these to be special. I want them to mean something. And... sitting alone, eating them by myself while Ziggy watches, 'cause he can't have these... Isn't what I want."

    She looks up at Nix. "But..." She smiles slightly. "... if I have them with you, then... That means something. It's... a beginning, and not an ending. So..." She looks down at Nix's booted feet. "...Nixwouldyoulikeacookie?"

    Nix smiles, and nods. "I would love a cookie."

    Autumn nods jerkily. "O-okay." She slips her fingers against the cardboard seal, and tucks in her nails. She can't seem to get up the strength to open it. It feels like... like raising a hand against Ziggy. Something she just - could never do, it feels sacred -

    Ziggy lays a paw on her thigh. "Zigzagoon," he says, his voice firm and warm.

    "Yeah," says Autumn. "I can do this."

    She slips her nails along the seam, pressing in a little closer, and the top of the box comes open.

    She pulls gently at the other flap, breaking the glue with her nails again, and slides out the plastic trayful of cookies. They're wrapped in a clear plastic bag, four rows of six chocolate-coated cookies. She remembers that they have coffee-flavored centers, and they go crunch-click as the two outer layers of chocolate break when you bite them...

    They're smaller than she remembers. Then again, when she last saw them she was ten. Everything was bigger back then.

    She looks up at Nix. "... How many do you want?"

    "Just one to try them, for now," says Nix. "If you want to give me more you can though."

    "Okay," says Autumn, her voice hushed as if she were standing at an altar. She reaches down to the plastic bag and pulls gently at the seam.

    It doesn't give.

    She bites the inside of her lip, and then - grabs the package with two fingers and tears open the plastic, just like she used to do when she was a kid.

    The smell of the cookies hits her as the plastic peels back, smooth chocolate and aromatic coffee, and she takes a deep breath. A dozen moments war in her head, and then the memory of her father's smile comes back to her, distant but still so warm.

    She blinks back tears, picks up a cookie, and hands it over to Nix. She sets it on her lap.

    "You first," she says.

    Autumn nods, and picks up another cookie from the package. It's smooth and cool and already starting to melt a little against her fingertips -

    She pops it in her mouth and bites down, and rich mocha explodes against her tongue, the cookie breaking crunch-click just like she remembered. The taste is rich and fudgy, the texture of the outer layers crispy but the fudge center inside smooth and dark and bitter...

    She breathes slowly, chews, and swallows.

    Nix looks over at her. "So," she says. "How was it?"

    "... Good," says Autumn softly. "Really good." She looks over at Nix. "... It's your turn," she says.

    Nix picks up her cookie and bites into it, half of it left behind in her hand. Shards of chocolate fall off the edges and into her lap, and she chews thoughtfully and swallows.

    "... These are good," she says. "I can see why your dad used to get them for you."

    "Yeah," says Autumn. "He wasn't the best cook, but..." She looks down at the box. "... He still cared a lot."

    Nix nods, and takes another bite of her cookie.

    Autumn picks up another cookie and looks at it. "Heartwarming, Children's Day... My birthday..." She turns it over in her hands. "I don't remember the parties well, I was too small for most of them. But there was always something special in the way my father cared. He'd set up elaborate games and treasure hunts for me to find my treats, he'd make it into something to play with me about..."

    She looks down at her cookie. "I still remember the day he took me on a treasure hunt and instead of a cookie there was a Pokémon egg. I would've been... Six? Seven? So small. I was so excited..." She shakes her head. "And then it turned out to be a Zigzagoon. I was so mad, I wanted something special..." She looks over at Ziggy. "... how wrong I was."

    Ziggy noses into her side. "Zigzagoon."

    She runs her free hand down Ziggy's back. "I love you too," she says simply.

    Nix runs a hand through her hair. "I..." She looks down at the floor. "I always knew I wanted a Houndour. They were just so cool, so fierce, so strong. They're not super common in Johto, so my father had to make a special trip to the Safari Zone to catch one..." She taps her fingertips against each other. "It was an adjustment to get used to Noir. He had a temper, then, and we'd fight... But we've worked out our differences, and now we're inseparable."

    Autumn nods, and sets down her second cookie. "I don't think that... any real relationship can be easy. There's always something that... isn't perfect. My father worked long hours as a ranger, and then I lost him... I hardly got to know him. Maybe it's better this way, to know him as a good person and a kind person and not as... the real person that I might have come to know, when I was no longer a child."

    Nix sighs. "I don't think you would have been disappointed in him, when you grew up. From everything I've heard from you, he was... Really something else. Kind. Intelligent. Caring. My parents used to have screaming matches whenever my dad was home, which was never. They could barely live together..." She looks down at her lap. "I don't know which of us is luckier."

    "Yeah," says Autumn softly. She picks up the cookie again and touches it to her lips, the small motion almost a kiss. "I hope that... wherever my dad is now... he's okay."
    Nix bites her cheek, but nods.

    Autumn takes a bite of the cookie, and then another, and slides the tray of cookies back into the box. Her fingers find the notch in the top and slip the other flap's tab in carefully, resealing it with a delicate touch.

    She looks back up at Nix.

    "... Thank you," she says. "For..." Spending time with my family. "Everything."

    "It's nothing," Nix says. "Thank you for the cookie."

    "Yeah," says Autumn softly. "I'm glad you liked it."

    Nix gets up from the bed and lays a hand on Autumn's shoulder. "I don't know how it gets better," she says, "But I've heard it does. So just... stick with it, okay?"

    Autumn nods. "Okay." She looks down at Ziggy. "I think I want to go think for a little while. Ziggy has a timeslot in a couple hours down at the obstacle course. See you then?"

    Nix nods, and steps away. "Yeah. You've done a lot today. Go rest."

    Autumn smiles slightly. "Okay," she says. She goes over to the cupboard and puts away the box of cookies, then turns and walks over to the door out of the room. "See you, Nix."

    Nix goes over to the tv's remote control and picks it up. "Yeah, see you." She lies back on the bed and waves with the remote.

    Autumn nods, and lets herself out.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Gods... I want to hug Autumn and whisper in her ear that it's all going to be okay. Poor girl. Luckily she's got her amazing goth gf to make it better.
     
    Dateport 3
  • Threadmarks
    • In the shady dorm courtyard, Autumn sits under the old oak tree in one corner and holds Ziggy close. A red-haired woman in a floor-length dress is guiding her Poochyena through the obstacle course a few yards away, getting it to leap through hurdles and over blocks. The battle arena on the other side of the courtyard is quiet for the moment, and the wind sighs through the leaves.

    Autumn looks over her shoulder at the blackboard with times sketched in; her handwriting at five PM marks her slot, "Autumn and Ziggy" in her sloppy cursive.

    She looks down at her pokétch; four fifty PM. Her slot's in ten minutes. Nix should be here any minute now...

    Ziggy nuzzles into her side. "Zigzag," he says.

    Autumn smiles and runs a hand through his fur. "Soon," she says.

    When she looks up again, she spots Nix by the door on the other side of the courtyard. She wears the strappy top and black slacks that Autumn first met her in, and her violet nails gleam against the doorframe.

    Autumn gets up from the bench, and Ziggy hops down behind her. She crosses the courtyard and meets Nix halfway along the side by the obstacle course.

    "Hey," she says.

    "Hey," says Nix. "Had a nice break?"

    "Yeah," says Autumn. "The courtyard here is nice, and I don't have to watch the battles - I can just watch people do the obstacle course or train on the jungle gym. It's surprisingly relaxing."

    Nix checks her watch. "There's about five minutes until our timeslot."

    Autumn nods. "Yeah. So, you're the experienced trainer here... How should Ziggy practice?"

    "Well," Nix says. "For an agility move like Quick Attack, I think that running the obstacle course should help a lot. I think Ziggy already has some control, given what I saw onstage in Dewford, but I think that right now it's mostly instinctual. He'll need to practice focusing Normal Type Energy and releasing it consciously, training in the reflexes."

    Autumn leans against the courtyard wall. "How does that work?"

    Nix shrugs. "I don't know, I'm not a pokémon. I don't know what type energy... feels like to interact with. They say some ace trainers develop that sense eventually, but I'm a long way from that." She looks down at Ziggy, who's sitting by Autumn's foot. "I think we should practice getting Ziggy to quick attack instinctively first, and then he can... observe the steps... and start refining it."

    Ziggy sits back on his haunches and nods firmly. "Zigzagoon!"

    Autumn looks over at the obstacle course. "I think it's our turn," she says. "I, um..." She looks over at the other trainer and her Poochyena. "I should probably ask her to clear out for us."

    Nix nods, but doesn't move away from the wall. "It's your training slot," she says. She checks her watch. "And it's basically changeover time now. You should probably ask her to finish up."

    Autumn nods, and steps away from the wall. Ziggy hops up onto her shoulder as she steps over towards the red-haired trainer.

    Autumn stops a few paces away from the woman, and looks her over. Her long dress is deep brown, with a small pattern of beige moons and stars along the hem and over her heart, and she's carrying a messenger bag over her shoulder, the long bag lying close against her side. Her eyes are deep brown, and her red hair is tied back in a tight bun. She looks to be about eighteen or nineteen years old.

    "I, ah, excuse me," says Autumn. "I think it's my timeslot now, miss..."

    The woman looks over at her and smiles. "Ruby." She looks over at her Poochyena and claps her hands thrice. "Blackie, it's time to finish up!" She smiles at Autumn as her poochyena bounds across the course towards her and trots to her feet. "Sorry if I'm overrunning, I got a little caught up in things."

    "It's fine," says Autumn, "I know how it is."

    Ruby crouches next to her Poochyena and pulls a familiar-looking berry bar from her messenger bag. "Who's a good boy? You're a good boy," she says to her Poochyena, scratching him behind his ears even as she unwraps the berry bar with her other hand.

    Autumn smiles. "Solidad's Sweet Berry Bars, huh?" She scratches Ziggy behind his ears. "My Ziggy likes those too."

    Ruby looks up at Autumn. "Yeah," she says. "They're one of the best options to get berries in on an inexpensive diet." She strokes a hand along Blackie's back. "Blackie loves them. And they're important for Sheen, so..."

    "So you're a Coordinator?", Autumn asks.

    Ruby nods. "Yeah," she says. "Well, I'm trying to be one, anyway. So far I've only won a few Normal Rank contests. But Blackie is getting his routine down, and with a little more effort..." She gives Autumn a thumbs-up. "We'll make it."

    "I'm a coordinator too," says Autumn, a small smile coming to her face. "Not a very successful one just yet, but - I've got two ribbons so far, and I'm going to keep trying for more."

    Nix steps up next to Autumn. "Do you mind if I take a look at Blackie?", she asks.

    Ruby shakes her head. "Not at all."

    Nix crouches next to the poochyena and strokes a hand along his back. "He's got a decent amount of Sheen," she says. "What category did you say you compete with him in?"

    "Cute," says Ruby. "He's still unevolved. Eventually I want to move into the Cool category, but..." She shrugs. "For now Cute is Blackie's strength."

    Nix nods. "Were you practicing your routine just now?"

    Ruby smiles and nods. "Yeah. Blackie's obstacle course times are really coming down recently. I think he's close to learning Quick Attack."

    Autumn tilts her head. "That's not too different from what me and Ziggy do - we've got a catch routine we're doing, and we're learning to harness Quick Attack right now."

    Ruby nods along. "I hope you have good luck with that!" She picks up her Poochyena. "I should clear out so you can practice. It was nice to meet you, um... What did you say your name was?"

    "Autumn," Autumn replies. "It was nice to meet a fellow Coordinator."

    Ruby ducks her head. "Likewise." She shifts her poochyena into the crook of her arm, half-turns, and waves over her shoulder as she starts to walk away. "See you around, Autumn!"

    Autumn waves back. "See you, Ruby!"

    Nix looks at Autumn with a thoughtful expression. "What do you think of her?", she asks.

    "She seems nice," says Autumn. "I hope I don't have to go up against her in any contests."

    Nix tilts her head. "I'm not sure you'll get your wish," she says quietly. "You share a category, and the general circuit for contest travel is fairly well defined..."

    "It's pretty unlikely our travel schedules would match precisely, though," says Autumn.

    Nix nods thoughtfully. "Well, we'll see." She looks over at Ziggy. "Let's get some training in, then, shall we?"

    Autumn nods. "Yeah, let's." She carries Ziggy over to a half-wall that's one of the taller obstacles and sets him down atop it. She looks at Nix. "Did you bring the frisbee?"

    Nix rolls her eyes. "Aren't you the one who's supposed to be making sure you can do your training?"

    Autumn blushes a little. "I... Yeah, I should've asked for it earlier."

    "Well, I did bring it," says Nix. "But next time." She digs in her purse and unseals the frisbee into her other hand, then passes it over to Autumn.

    Autumn looks at Ziggy. "Okay, so, this is the regular routine, yeah? Just practice Quick Attacking to grab the frisbee."

    Ziggy nods firmly. "Zigzagoon!"

    Autumn takes a step back from the low wall, pulls her arm back, and tosses. "Go!"

    Ziggy blurs off the wall in a leap that's almost too fast to follow, and plonks to the ground with a smug expression on his face and the frisbee in his paws. "Zigzagoon!", he says.

    "Good job!" Autumn calls. "Bring it over here?"

    Ziggy puts the frisbee in his mouth and blurs again, and this time he's right at Autumn's feet. He stands up on his back paws and holds it up for Autumn to take.

    Autumn takes the frisbee from Ziggy's mouth and looks over at Nix. "It seems like he's got it down," she says. "I don't really see the point in training...?"

    "Learning how to harness normal-type energy will help Ziggy to develop more moves and harness more types of Type Energy over the whole course of his career," says Nix. "This really is important. A lot of trainers never help their pokémon get more than an instinctual feel for their moves, but having the... foundations... is really important for Ziggy to be able to compete seriously at the higher levels."

    Autumn nods. "Alright," she says. "So what do I do?"

    "Focus on the bond between you and Ziggy," Nix instructs. "I know both of you can do amazing things when each other are on the line. And if you - listen - you will eventually start to develop that sense. At least so I've heard. For now, practice Quick Attack, since Ziggy knows how to do it, and try to refine your understanding of the move together."

    Autumn looks down at Ziggy. "Ready, Ziggy?"

    Ziggy nods his head and nuzzles Autumn's leg. "Zigzagoon."

    Autumn tosses the disk. "Quick Attack!"

    Ziggy blurs across the obstacle course, and snatches the disk from the air.

    "Good!", Autumn calls. "Did you get any sense of how it felt?"

    Ziggy plops down onto the ground and shakes his head. Then he blurs across the grounds and drops the frisbee back at Autumn's feet.

    "You'll have to try more than once," chides Nix. "It's a feel thing, as best as I can tell. Chaining Quick Attacks might give some more sense of how it works, and the longer you work at it the more likely you'll start to get an instinctual sense of the mechanics."

    Autumn nods. "Alright." She looks down at Ziggy. "Ready?"

    Ziggy nods back. "Zigzag!"

    Autumn tosses the frisbee high. "Quick Attack!"

    Ziggy darts out again, then back with the frisbee in his mouth.

    "Good!", says Autumn. "Again!" She snaps the frisbee back out, and Ziggy flashes after it, tail streaming out behind him.

    Nix settles in on the bench, and smiles to herself. "After you get catch down, you could try running the obstacle course to get used to turning and cornering."

    Autumn nods firmly. "Right." She looks over at Ziggy. "Let's knock Nix's socks off, alright?"

    "Zigzagoon!", Ziggy calls back.

    ~*~

    "Around the corner, to the top of the wall, and then across the stepping stones to catch the frisbee!", Autumn calls, and snaps out the frisbee again.

    Ziggy weaves between the walls of the obstacle course, makes a flying leap to the top of the wall, then jumps for one of the stepping stones and overshoots. Turning in the air, he pushes his paws up and slams vertically into the base of the next stepping stone, claws scrabbling at the smooth surface - but he can't get a grip, and slides ignominiously down the wall to flop onto his haunches.

    The frisbee flies across the course and onto the nearby jungle gym, where it bounces off the monkey bars and falls with a clatter to the ground. The Nuzleaf that hangs from the end bar calls back to Autumn with an annoyed "Nuz!", pausing for a moment in its pull-ups.

    "Sorry!", Autumn calls back, and goes to retrieve her frisbee.

    ~*~

    "Again, across the stepping stones!", Autumn calls.

    Ziggy makes a long leap, screeches to a halt atop the first stepping stone, overbalances, and falls to the ground beneath where he makes a four-point landing. He shakes himself all over and blurs around the base of the stones and makes the leap back up, and lands at the start of the stepping-stone course again with his tongue hanging out in long pants.

    "Again!" calls Autumn, and Ziggy makes another long jump. This time he lands on the second stepping stone, catches himself against the edge, and stops too-sharply atop it with a pained "Zag!" before gathering himself and making another long leap towards the fourth stone - but his Quick Attack flickers out, and he doesn't make the gap. He lands heavily and pants hard, his head hanging low.

    Autumn comes over at a jog, and kneels by her fallen pokémon. "Are you alright?", she murmurs, laying a hand on Ziggy's heaving back.

    Ziggy just nods, too out of breath to speak.

    "Alright." She stands up. "Again!"

    ~*~

    Ziggy stands atop the starting platform of the stepping stones, his legs shaky, his paws braced against the stone in a wide stance. He breathes in short, breathy pants, his paws gleaming with sweat. The stepping stones ahead of him stand undefeated, the small sequence of pillars almost taunting him with the apparent easiness of the task ahead. The energy he needs to Quick Attack eludes him, feeling distant and faraway.

    He has to do this. He has to be strong for Autumn.

    He focuses all his energy, and the aura of Quick Attack forms around him, flickery and unsteady, not quite there -

    Wait, not quite there -

    He pauses and holds steady, just focusing on the sensation -

    And the Type Energy builds up close against his body, shining against his feet.

    He blinks, and the energy breaks, dissipating into a shattered mess that rolls through his body in a wave of pain.

    His eyes are so heavy.

    He has to be good for Autumn...

    Has to be good...

    Be good...

    ~*~

    Nix starts up from her bench, and Autumn dashes forwards and catches Ziggy as he falls off the starting podium for the stepping stone course, almost falling as she stoops low to brace her body beneath the exhausted Zigzagoon.

    "... Zag?", Ziggy manages.

    "It's okay," Autumn says. "You did your best and that's all that I can ask for. Let's go rest."

    Nix steps up next to her. "I think he got it," she says. "I saw something just before he fell over. An aura of Type Energy around his feet. I could have been imagining it, but..." She smiles. "I think he's figured something out."

    Autumn looks down at Ziggy in her arms. "Do you think you got something?"

    Ziggy just noses in against her arm and closes his eyes, too exhausted to answer.

    "I don't think we'll get anything from him right now," says Nix. "He's spent."

    Autumn nods, and stands with Ziggy cradled in her arms. "Let's take him back to the dorms and get some food and water into him," she says.

    "No argument from me," says Nix. "Our timeslot's almost up anyway."

    Autumn nods, and starts making her way across the courtyard back to her dorm room.

    Nix trails along behind, a small smile still on her face.

    ~*~

    Autumn sets Ziggy gently on the dorm room counter, right next to the sink, and starts running water into a bowl for him. Then she ducks into the fridge and pulls out a berry bar from the carton that Nix bought back at the market.

    "Here, Ziggy," she says, peeling off the wrapper of the berry bar. "You've earned a treat after all that training. I'm really proud of you."

    Ziggy looks up at Autumn, then closes his eyes and flops down on the counter. He doesn't say anything.

    "C'mon, Ziggy, don't be like that," Autumn chides, stroking a hand down his back. She lays the berry bar in front of him and nudges it towards him. "Go ahead, eat."

    Ziggy doesn't stir.

    Autumn looks over her shoulder at Nix, who's sitting on her bed. "It's been forever since he's trained this hard, I can barely recall the last time. It would've been.... when I was, like, eight maybe?"

    Nix's fingers play with the rose pendant at her throat. "I'm proud of you two for trying so hard," she says. "But I think you overdid it. If he doesn't want to eat, try getting some water into him."

    Autumn takes back the berry bar, and picks up the stainless-steel water bowl and puts it down next to Ziggy's head. "Here, Ziggy," she says. "Drink, please? For me?"

    Ziggy heavily gets up on his paws and dunks his face in the water bowl, not even bothering to try not to douse himself. He swallows, his tongue lapping quickly at the cool metal, and then finally raises his head. Looking back at the berry bar in Autumn's hand, he makes a little grabbing motion, but doesn't move the foot it would take to snatch it from her.

    Autumn gently rests the unwrapped bar in his paws. "Here you go."

    Ziggy takes a big bite, and then another, and another after that. The berry bar disappears into his belly astonishingly fast, and then he dunks his face in the water bowl again and takes another deep drink.

    Autumn runs a hand down his sodden back. "... Doing a little better?", she asks.

    Ziggy pulls his head out of the water bowl, and curls up into a small ball with his tail over his eyes. "Zaaaaaaaag," he complains.

    "Yeah, you two definitely overdid it." says Nix. "This was Ziggy's first time using moves in a training program, right? He's not used to that kind of a physical workout."

    Autumn picks Ziggy up and hugs him against her. "I'm sorry," she murmurs. "You've been so good, I'm so sorry..."

    Nix waves a hand. "It's fine, he'll recover with rest. Keep him out of his ball and let him nap, and he'll perk right up in a day or so."

    Autumn nods. She walks across the room and gently sets Ziggy down by the pillow at the head of her bed. "Here should do," she says. "Should I brush him, or...?"

    Nix shakes her head. "Let him sleep. Fussing won't help, and it might even hinder his recovery if you get in the way." She taps her fingers against her arm. "Now might be a good time to go make that phone call to Cocoa. We can leave Ziggy the room."

    "But what if he gets hungry or wants to leave...?" Autumn asks.

    "Leave some food out on the bedside table. And if he wakes up, he can figure out the TV remote. He's got the dexterity and the smarts." Nix spreads her hands.

    Autumn taps her fingers against her upper arm. "I..." She shakes her head. "... You wanted to make a video call, right, go down to the pokécenter... I could bring him, they could have a look at him..."

    "He's just tired," says Nix. "Don't waste the nurses' time."

    "I guess," mumbles Autumn. "I just..." She sits down on the bed next to Ziggy. "I want to take care of him. He's so precious to me, and it's - really hard to be told that the best thing I can do for him is to get out of his way."

    Nix nods. "I understand that. It's a hard lesson to learn for any loved one."

    Autumn looks over at Nix. "Do you really think the best thing for him is to leave him alone? Normally I'd brush and hold him after a training session like this, but... he's so exhausted..." She looks down at the motionless Ziggy lump on the bed. "I don't want to leave him when he's in such a state."

    Nix taps her lips. "I don't want to disturb him with the call, though, do you?"

    "Couldn't we put off the call for another few hours?", Autumn asks.

    Nix sighs. "You can't hide from it forever, Autumn. If you don't want me to do it, you can just say so."

    Autumn rubs the back of her neck. "... I do want to do it," she protests. "But I'd really like to have Ziggy there for moral support."

    "You can't rely on him for everything all the time," says Nix. "I know you two are close, but..." She crosses her arms. "If we don't call in the next hour or so we'll have to wait another full day, and then it'll be after the aquarium date since you've already purchased the tickets. Is that really a good time for you?"

    Autumn bites her lip. "... No, not really. And waiting another day would just be..." She shakes her head. "I... Yeah, okay. We can talk to your brother today."

    Nix nods firmly. "If you want to make up a food bowl for Ziggy before we head over to the pokécenter, that's reasonable. You could even pet Ziggy a little if you need the comfort. But we've only got an hour, and the Pokémon center's like fifteen minutes away. If we're going to do this..."

    Autumn digs one hand into Ziggy's fur and squeezes firmly. "I..." She closes her eyes, takes a deep breath. "Yeah."

    Nix smiles slightly. "Good girl."

    Autumn flushes a little. "I - I'm not a pokémon!"

    "I stand by what I said." Nix goes over to the fridge and takes out an apple and a hard-boiled egg. "Now let's get down to business and over to the pokécenter before it closes."

    Autumn comes over to stand next to Nix, still blushing. "Give me a knife," she says, "I can cut up the apple while you warm the egg."

    Nix nods, and obliges.

    ~*~

    The Pokécenter's small bank of computers is quiet this late in the evening, only one trainer in a woolen knit cap and a vest using the public storage systems. The nurse on the evening shift sits behind her desk across the room, waiting patiently.

    Nix sits at the computer at the other end of the bank from the trainer in the knit cap, and logs in with her trainer ID. Then she looks over at Autumn with a small smile.

    "Ready?"

    Autumn pulls up a chair next to Nix and sits down next to her, feeling strangely naked without Ziggy on her shoulder. "Yeah," she says. "As ready as I'll ever be."

    Nix opens the call software and brings up a video chat window, resizing it to take up the whole screen. Then she types in Cocoa's number, and hits enter.

    A phone icon pops up on the screen, and a synthetic ringtone comes over the speakers.

    Beep.

    Autumn looks over at Nix, and shifts a little in her seat.

    Beep.

    Nix runs a hand through her hair and taps her foot against the floor.

    Beep.

    "It's still pretty early for Cocoa," Nix says. "We might not get a bite."

    Autumn nods. "Yeah..."

    Then there's a click, and a clear tenor voice comes over the line. "Hello, who is this?"

    "Cocoa?", Nix asks. "It's me, Nix."

    "Nix!" Cocoa's voice jumps. "It's been years. Did mom give you my number? One moment, let me just accept the video call -"

    The screen abruptly fills with the boyish, androgynous face of a black-haired guy, shot from below and a little too close in. "Hey," he says. "One second." A hand covers the camera, and there's a few bangs and rustles - then Cocoa steps back from the camera, which seems to have been set on a desk or dresser, and sits on the bed that fills the frame. He's wearing a black polo shirt and black slacks, and he has an eye-shaped tattoo on his right wrist. "Nice to see you, sis," he says. "And who's this sitting next to you? I can barely make her out on the tiny little pokétch screen."

    "She's..." Nix looks over at Autumn. "Do you want to explain or should I?"

    Autumn rubs her chin against her fist, then manages a smile and a wave for the camera. "Hi, I'm Autumn and, um..." She looks over at Nix, and grabs her hand tightly. "... And I'm Nix's girlfriend."

    "Oh!" Cocoa blinks. "A new one, huh? How long have you two been together for?"

    "A few weeks," supplies Nix. "We've been travelling together."

    Cocoa gives a thumbs-up over the monitor. "You go, girl! Nix here hasn't had anyone last that long in years!"

    Autumn flushes. "I, um..."

    Nix sighs. "Please don't tease, Cocoa. You hardly know my dating history..."

    "I can guess. You would've called mom to tell her if there was anyone serious," Cocoa says, "and then she would've called me and filled me in. A few weeks, huh? How did you two meet?"

    Nix flushes. "I, ah, saved her from wild pokemon after she got thrown out of her house. And then there was a gang of thugs, and then a contest run, and..." She looks down, a blush coming to her cheeks.

    "My sister saving stray cats again," Cocoa says. "I guess it was only a matter of time before you fell for one of them. She's gay too?"

    Autumn blushes. "Yes, of course I'm gay too -"

    "I'm only teasing," Cocoa says. "Nix is very good about communication, maybe a little too good. Did you know she once told a girl that she was less attractive than -"

    "Cocoa!" Nix cuts in sharply. "Please!"

    Cocoa smirks and taps his thumb against his chin. "Let's just say that if you prove to be shitty my sister will waste no time in kicking you to the curb. She's got a sharp temper when she's provoked and I think she feels like she's better off alone."

    Autumn lets out a slow breath. "I..." She looks over at Nix and squeezes her hand. "I'll take good care of your sister, I promise."

    "Old-fashioned girl, huh?" Cocoa says to Nix. "I didn't know that was your type."

    "Cocoa, I swear," Nix starts.

    "Come on, now," Cocoa retorts. "You call me up after three years to show off your new girlfriend, of course I'm going to take potshots. But seriously, I'm happy for you. I know it's not often that you feel like you can... let someone in. I thought you'd given that up after you left."

    Nix looks down at her hand in Autumn's. "I..." She sighs. "She's special."

    Cocoa nods. "I figured. And Autumn, is Nix special to you?"

    Autumn nods firmly. "Yeah, she is. She... helped me out of a really bad situation, coached me through contests and standing up to my family... she helped me realize I was gay... and she's really pretty and really sensible..." She looks away from Nix.

    Nix blushes. "... It really means a lot to hear you say it like that," she says to Autumn.

    Autumn squeezes her hand. "It's hard to say it to your face," she murmurs. "You're... kind of intimidating."

    "What was that last?" Cocoa says. "Speak up now."

    "... I said Nix is so cool that it's hard to compliment her directly," Autumn says. "It's... I've never been in a relationship before, so..."

    "Ah," Cocoa says. "Well, if you two want any advice on anything, I'll always be here to help if you want. I have... some knowledge of such matters."

    "Like I haven't heard from mom that you have a list of conquests as long as your arm," Nix snaps back. "My brother the boyslut."

    "I believe the word you're looking for is 'player'," Cocoa corrects. "But I can see why you'd make that mistake given your dating history."

    Autumn ducks her head. "... Can you two not fight...?"

    Nix blushes. "He's only teasing." She looks over at Cocoa. "You are only teasing, right?"

    Cocoa nods. "Yeah. It's not such a big deal. I think it's a sibling thing."

    "So how is your Purrloin doing?", Nix asks.

    "Grace is doing well, we've just made our fourth gym badge." Cocoa smiles cockily and brushes imaginary dust off his collar. "And she's a Liepard now."

    "You've been catching up, huh?" Nix asks. "Congratulations on the evolution and the badges. You must be making dad proud."

    Cocoa frowns. "Now that's a low blow. What's gotten into you, sis?"

    "... Sorry," she says. "I didn't mean it that way."

    "Apology accepted," Cocoa raps out. "Don't do it again. So is Autumn a Coordinator too?"

    "Yeah," says Autumn. "I am. Or at least, I'm trying to be. I've won a pair of Normal Contests and I'm trying to refine a routine with my Zigzagoon."

    "Much luck to you, that's a hard row to hoe." Cocoa frowns. "Having to do routines in front of crowds? Stadium fights are bad enough. I don't know how my sister does it."

    "You get used to it," Nix says. "It's hard at the start, but it gets easier over time."

    Cocoa nods. "I can understand that. Still not my cup of tea, but..." He shrugs. "Different strokes for different folks."

    Nix runs a hand through her hair. "I... think I'd like to catch up more later," she says. "It's... I know you're only teasing, but I really am trying to reach out to you, here. It's been three years. I want to... get to know you again."

    Cocoa's face goes serious, and he crosses his arms over his chest. "Real talk, huh. Alright, then I have a question. Why did you really call me? After all this time?"

    Nix looks over at Autumn. "I..." She points a finger at Autumn. "She convinced me to."

    "Why?", Cocoa asked.

    "Because..." Autumn pauses. "Because my father is dead, and my mother's no good, but Nix has a whole family that - at least cares about her a little. And I thought that... She shouldn't waste that."

    Cocoa nods somberly. "Okay." He looks at Nix. "You know I care about you," he says. "I know it was hard for you to manage me and Andrew back when we were smaller, but you'll always be my big sis. And if I give you shit it's only because I know you can take it and dish it right back at me. Please, feel free to call whenever you want. I miss you."

    "I..." Nix takes a slow breath, then nods. "Alright. I'll make time. I... I missed you too."

    "Is there anything else you'd like to talk about?", Cocoa asks. "I've got to feed Grace and prepare for a trip through Pinwheel Forest. There's a busy day ahead."

    Nix shakes her head. "No, I don't think that there's anything else that's urgent," she says. "I just really wanted to... call and say hi. When do you expect to make the other side of the woods?"

    "In a day or so," Cocoa responds. "Do you mind if I call you back once I get to a proper Pokécenter?"

    "No," says Nix, "Not at all."

    "Alright, then I'd better run," says Cocoa. "It's been nice talking to you, sis."

    "It's been nice seeing you, Cocoa," replies Nix. "Thank you for taking the time."

    "It's nothing," says Cocoa. "Thanks for calling."

    The screen winks out.

    Nix looks over at Autumn and smiles slightly. "I think that went really well, how about you?"

    Autumn flushes and looks down at her intertwined hands with Nix. "I..." She nods. "I think so too."

    "Back to the dorms?", Nix asks.

    "Yeah," Autumn replies. "I really want to check on Ziggy."



    ~*~

    Autumn and Nix arrive back at the harbor dorms as the sun sets over the highrises of the town, sharp golden angles gleaming off the windows of the buildings at the port. Autumn waves to the clerk at the front desk and his Machop as the pair go by, and gets an responding wave and a "Chop!" from the pokémon.

    The dorm room is still as dark and quiet as the pair of girls left it; Autumn pauses before flicking on the lights.

    "Let me go over and see if he's still asleep," she whispers to Nix. "I don't want to disturb him if he's resting."

    Nix just nods.

    Autumn tiptoes across the room, as careful as she can be in her boots. Sure enough, Ziggy is still curled up in a small ball where she left him, his flank rising and falling with slow, steady breaths.

    Autumn comes back over to the door and nods. "He's asleep," she whispers.

    Nix rubs her chin. "Alright," she murmurs. "Let's consider leaving him the room a little longer. You could join me while I feed Crimson?"

    Autumn tilts her head, then nods. "That would be good, yeah."

    "There's a small park area on the side away from the sea," says Nix. "It doesn't have amenities like the courtyard, but it's a good place to release Crimson and feed him."

    "Show me?" asks Autumn. "It would be nice to have known about that when I was waiting for Ziggy's timeslot this evening."

    "Alright," Nix says. She steps back from the door and beckons.

    Autumn closes the door behind her, and follows.

    ~*~

    The park by the dorms is deserted this late, with no people or pokémon to be seen. Small shrubs sit by the gravel path, and a couple lonely trees scatter the grassy area. There are no benches at all.

    "This isn't really a very good park," Autumn says.

    Nix nods. "It's surprisingly bad for something that Trainers use habitually. I guess the dorms put all their money into the obstacle course and the jungle gym in the courtyard?" She shrugs. "In any case, there's a big enough clear area that I can release Crimson." Her hand goes into her purse and comes out with Crimson's pokéball, and she clicks the button.

    Crimson appears in a puff of grey fog and looks around. The horn atop the spider's head gleams in the setting sun, and his four segmented legs scratch against the ground as he turns to face Nix.

    "Dos," he says. He looks between her and Autumn. "Dos?"

    "I've brought Autumn along for this meal, Crimson," says Nix. "Do you mind if we chat a little while you go through your basket?"

    Crimson shakes his head. "Ariados."

    Nix unseals her basket full of fruit, and sets it on the ground by Crimson's head. "Here you go," she says.

    Crimson lowers his head to the fruit basket, picks up an apple with his mandibles and starts taking big bites out of it. Nix steps up next to him and runs her hands along his side, softly stroking his scarlet body.

    Autumn steps up next to Crimson's other side, and gently lays one hand on him. "He's really big," she says. "Every time I see him I'm impressed by how big he is."

    "Hard to believe he evolved from a tiny little Spinarak," says Nix. "But that's how it goes."

    Autumn nods, looking at Nix across Crimson's back. "I... There was something that Cocoa said that I wanted to ask about..."

    Nix looks up at Autumn across the spider. "It's not calling that other girl unattractive, was it? I was talking about her personality, just so you know."

    Autumn shakes her head. "No, it's... Cocoa said that you'd given up having ties with people."

    Nix looks down at Crimson's back, the wind stirring her dark hair. "Oh." She sighs. "I... Well, it's like I told you back on the road to Slateport the first time. Most people are on a different travel schedule than me, and... I have my pokémon..."

    Autumn tilts her head. "But what about dating? What about your family? Surely you must have had someone..."

    Nix just shakes her head. "My pokémon were enough for me." She sighs. "Sometimes I would... happen across someone who needed help, give them a little boost, have it be my good deed for the day. But I broke ties with my mentor and my family years ago, and... I've never really had any success dating..." She looks down at Crimson's flank and runs a hand across it. "The spark's never really been there, for me. I don't... I get by, you know? A lot of people just get by. I never thought of it as something strange until I met you."

    "... Oh," says Autumn softly. "... You're like me."

    Nix looks up at Autumn with a quizzical expression. "How so?"

    "Just..." Autumn runs a hand along Crimson's side. "That... emptiness. I've lived it. I know it. It's not... something you easily forget."

    Nix nods slightly. "... I never really thought of it as something to complain about," she says. "You get on with life. You do what you can when you can. There's no use in griping."

    "... You wanted better for me, though," Autumn says.

    Nix leans against Crimson's side. "... I guess it's always easier to want the best for someone you care about," she says.

    Autumn nods somberly. "I'm glad you called Cocoa, then."

    "Thanks," says Nix. "I guess I just... needed someone willing to push me."

    "I could say the same for you," Autumn replies. She looks down at Crimson, who's still munching his way through the fruit basket, peach pits littering the ground by his mouth. "Do you think Crimson's had enough to eat now, or...? The sun's setting..."

    Nix steps around Crimson's side and looks down at the basket full of fruit. "Crimson?" she asks. "Are you done?"

    Crimson swallows the remaining half of an apple whole, then nods to Nix. "Ariados."

    "Alright," Nix says, and lifts her pokéball. "Return."

    Crimson disappears in a flash of red light, leaving a wide empty space between Autumn and Nix. Nix half-turns away, and starts walking down the gravel path back to the dorms; Autumn pauses for a moment, watching her back recede, then hurries to catch up.

    ~*~

    Autumn and Nix step back into their darkened dorm room, and Autumn flicks on the lights.

    Autumn scans the room, and spots Ziggy still lying in a ball where she last saw him, all curled up with his tail over his eyes - but when she turns towards the kitchen, she sees that the apple slices and hardboiled egg she left out have mysteriously disappeared.

    Autumn smiles slightly, goes over to her bed, and sits. "Ziggy ate," she says to Nix. "That's a good sign."

    "I told you he'd be fine," Nix says. "Now it's time for bed. Could you..." She makes a circular motion in the air next to her.

    Autumn blinks, then turns around, a blush rising to her cheeks. "Uh, yeah, okay."

    There's a soft rustle as Nix sits on her bed, then the thwap of a shirt hitting a hard surface, followed a few minutes later by the sound of boots thunking against the floor. Another few rustles of cloth follow.

    "You can look," Nix says.

    Autumn peeks back over her shoulder, and sees that Nix has put her pants and shirt on her bedside table for the next day and is nestled in under the covers of her bed.

    "I... thought that you'd stop doing that, since we're... You know... a couple, now..." Autumn rubs the back of her neck.

    Nix shrugs. "It's a habit," she says. "And you didn't peek, so..."

    "Yeah," says Autumn quietly. "Okay." She sits down on the side of her own bed and starts taking off her boots and socks, a light blush still touching her cheeks as she busies herself with the routine task. It's... surprisingly normal to settle back into the old routine.

    Finally she's ready for bed, still in her jeans and t-shirt; she goes across the room and gets the light switch.

    "Goodnight, Nix," she says.

    "Goodnight, Autumn." comes the reply.

    Autumn pads back to her bed in the dark, and slips in under the covers, laying her head on the pillow. She closes her eyes, and tries to sleep.

    ... For some reason her thoughts keep going back to Nix, asleep in the bed beside her.

    She'd never thought of Nix as someone who... needed anything. But what Cocoa said lingers.

    "I thought you'd given up letting people in."

    Autumn pulls Flicker from her place on the side table, and hugs the vulpix plushie in firmly against her body. It helps a little.

    Nix... might actually need her, too.

    "I'll wait a while, but I won't wait forever."

    She needs to do something. Something big, something that'll... get the message across to Nix...

    Her thoughts go to Nix's sleeping form, the curve of her throat, the softness of her shoulders...

    ... She needs to kiss her.

    And she'll have a chance, tomorrow...

    Autumn takes a deep breath, and tries to still her suddenly-racing heart. Everything seems too close. She never should have bought those tickets...

    She swallows, pulls Flicker closer, buries her face in the soft fur, and thinks of Nix. Nix's soft smile, Nix's gentle hand in hers, Nix's care and attention and kindness...

    She can do this.

    ... she hopes.

    What would it be like, to kiss Nix...? Would she be soft? Rough? Gentle but firm? Would she... touch her hair?

    It's almost too hard to contemplate, but there's a strange warmth to the thoughts. And eventually, they start to blur into each other, dreamy and hazy, dozens of figments of ways that a kiss could go, different places, different times -

    Eventually, sleep takes her, and she doesn't even know it.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Glad that the talk between Autumn, Nix and Cocoa went well.

    Here's hoping that the date goes well.
     
    Dateport 4
  • Threadmarks
    • Autumn stands on a red-lacquered wooden stage in a garden, peach and wisteria trees flanking her on either side. Before her sits a faceless crowd, blurry and indistinct. She's wearing her contest yukata, with her tabi and geta, the pin in her hair tying it back. Her grandmother's pin sits just over her heart.

    She tosses out Ziggy's pokéball to center stage, but instead a Vulpix that she's never seen before appears in a burst of flame. It turns and looks at her with a questioning expression.

    Autumn tosses out the frisbee on instinct, but it sails off into the crowd as the vulpix just watches. Autumn cringes a little, but there's another frisbee in her hands, she can still salvage this -

    "Vulpix, quick attack!" she calls, and tosses the frisbee again -

    But the Vulpix ignores the frisbee, and instead advances towards her. A bright light shines from the pin at her breast, and as the Vulpix advances, it grows bigger and bigger, becoming first a Ninetales, and then - something beyond a pokémon, a building-sized fox with tails that stretch miles, dwarfing the stage, staring down at her with eyes filled with hate.

    Autumn stares up at the kyuubi and swallows hard. "Good... vulpix?" she manages.

    The kyuubi snaps her up in its jaws, and -

    Autumn snaps awake, her heart hammering, her breath quick. She stares up at the ceiling, still occupied for a moment with the image of the demon fox -

    She slows her breath deliberately and sits up against the headboard, a hand slipping over to pet Ziggy, who's curled up next to the pillow.

    "... Morning, Ziggy," she says softly.

    Ziggy stirs a little and grunts. "Zaaaaaaaaaaaag..."

    "Still not feeling so good, huh..." Autumn lifts her hand from Ziggy's back. "I'll let you sleep."

    Swinging her legs off the bed, Autumn digs her best change of clothes out of her pack, then looks over at Nix where she's lying in bed. The other girl is starting to stir, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

    Autumn gets up from the side of her bed and ducks into the bathroom, her heart still beating too quickly. It's - the date's today -

    She closes the bathroom door behind her and just leans against it with her eyes closed.

    She never should've bought those tickets...

    Well, it's too late to back out now. She'll just have to make the best of it.

    She turns to look at herself in the bathroom mirror. She's still... a little plain looking. She's got a serious case of bedhead, her shoulder-length brown hair all mussed up, and her blouse is wrinkled and rumpled from many days on the road. She's wearing jeans and no socks at the moment, either.

    ... Well, then, she can't do anything about her face so she should just - get as pretty-looking as she can, right? Nix would... Nix would like that.

    She sets her change of clothes down on the bathroom counter, and sets about getting ready for the day.

    ~*~​

    Nix sits up in bed, and looks over at the closed bathroom door.

    Autumn's disappeared to get ready already, huh? She must be feeling pretty nervous.

    ... Strangely enough, her own heart rate is... a little elevated, as well. She's never had someone else take her on a date before. And the way that Autumn was talking earlier...

    Nix reaches over to the bedside table and picks up her halter top and her slacks, and starts getting dressed as well. If she hurries, she can maybe get breakfast ready in time for when Autumn gets out of the bathroom, and then she'll be able to touch up her makeup before the date...

    ~*~
    ​
    Autumn stares into her hazel eyes in the mirror. She's teased out her hair into something resembling order, and put on her best white blouse, the one with the floral detailing next to the buttons, and her blue skirt with the palm leaves. Her father's pin sits proudly over her heart, the bright brass and rainbow jewel in the center lending a little flash of color to the outfit.

    She looks down at the pin Nix gave her in her hands, the amethyst cluster at one end reminiscent of a flower. It's from her, and it's beautiful, but does it go with the outfit...? And can she get her hair into a proper bun by herself...?

    Autumn shakes her head and slips the pin into her skirt pocket. It doesn't go with the outfit, and she's just going to make Nix wonder what she's doing if she struggles to get a proper bun.

    She steps over to the bathroom door, opens it and walks back out into the dorm room proper.

    Nix is standing in the kitchen (fully dressed thank Arceus) and as the bathroom door opens she turns around and favors Autumn with a smile.

    "I've eaten already," she says, "but there's a bowl of Berry Bites for you on the counter. I... Would like to touch up my makeup." She ducks her head and steps past Autumn into the bathroom, where she closes the door behind her.

    Autumn looks back over her shoulder. Was it just her, or... Did Nix seem a little embarrassed?

    She shakes her head, and walks over to the kitchen. The promised bowl of berry bites is on the counter; Nix's bowl of leftover milk from her own cereal is sitting in the sink.

    Autumn leans against the kitchen counter, picks up the bowl, and starts to eat.

    ~*~​

    Nix stands in front of the mirror, her makeup kit in her hands. Should she... go the full distance? It is a date...

    No, it would probably freak Autumn out if she were to do something fancy. She'll go for something more natural. Her usual violet lipstick, of course, but she'll skip the eyeshadow and mascara. A little foundation and concealer wouldn't go amiss, though...

    The familiar motions steady her, a little. It's easier to think of this as... something she's done before... if she prepares properly.

    ~*~​

    Autumn sets her bowl into the sink next to Nix's, and goes across the room to Ziggy's side. "Hey," she says to him softly. "It's time for your breakfast."

    Ziggy shakes his head. "Zag," he says.

    "Not up for it right now?", Autumn asks.

    Ziggy nods. "Zigzagoon."

    Autumn taps her fingers against her elbow. "Should I make something for you to eat later?"

    Ziggy pauses, then nods. "Zagoon."

    She goes back across the room to the kitchen, pulls out the basket of fruit and the hard boiled eggs, and starts making up a bowl for Ziggy.

    ~*~​

    Nix sets down her makeup brushes, and looks at herself in the mirror. She looks... good. And not too artificial. Next...

    She looks down at her violet nails. It's been a while since she last touched them up, and the bases of her nails are bare. It seems like it's time for another coat.

    Pulling out her bottle of nail polish, Nix gets out the applicator and starts redoing her nails.

    ~*~​

    Autumn sets Ziggy's food and water bowls down next to his bed, and looks back at the bathroom door. There's been not a peep out of Nix for... quite a while, now. Maybe twenty minutes.

    She goes over to the door and knocks softly. "Nix?"

    "Almost done," comes the reply. "Just touching up my nails."

    "Alright." Autumn goes back to Ziggy's side and sits down next to him. "Doing okay?", she asks.

    Ziggy just flicks his tail at Autumn, a clear "buzz off."

    Autumn sighs. "We really overdid it, huh..."

    The bathroom door opens, and Nix comes out. Autumn looks over at her, and blushes a little despite herself - it's obvious that Nix has taken a little more time over her makeup today, even though she's keeping it natural.

    "Um," Autumn says.

    "Yeah..." Nix comes over and sits next to Autumn on the side of the bed. "... How's Ziggy doing?"

    Autumn looks down at the balled-up Ziggy. "Not so well. He's irritable and exhausted."

    Nix nods. "... Do you think he should come, or...?"

    Autumn shakes her head. "I doubt he'd have a fun time at all. Walking around an aquarium all day is... probably not going to do him any favors." She runs a hand softly along his back. "I've made him his breakfast, and... I think I can leave him something for lunch, too. Supper might be stretching it a little. But we shouldn't be out for that long anyway, right...?"

    Nix tilts her head. "It's up to you," she says. "There's plenty of fruit that'll keep on the counter if you want to be extra careful."

    Autumn nods. "Yeah, that makes sense." She gets up, goes over to the fridge, and pulls out the bag of apples.

    Nix gets up from her bed and comes over to the kitchen as well, looking at the cutting board that Autumn's left out. "It's not safe to leave meat out on the counter for Ziggy, but the fruit in the fridge should be more than sufficient for a couple meals. Ziggy might get a little bored, but..." She shrugs. "He won't starve."

    Autumn nods slightly, and picks up the chef's knife she used to cut up the apples. "If I cut up the rest of the apples now they'll brown..."

    "We've got salt," Nix says. "You can rinse them in saltwater and that'll slow it."

    "Yeah, that would work." says Autumn. "Pass me a bowl?"

    Nix goes over to the cupboards and pulls out a simple earthenware bowl large enough for a few large apples, and the box of salt. "Here," she says, handing them over.
    Autumn runs the tap into the bowl until it's half-full, then adds a generous measure of salt. Then she starts cutting up apples. Nix grabs each slice as Autumn pushes them aside, and dunks them into the saltwater.

    Within a few minutes, the bowl in the sink is full of cut-up apple. "We can just leave this out for Ziggy," Nix says. "He shouldn't have too much trouble fishing slices out of it."

    Autumn nods. "Alright." She pulls the bowl out of the sink, pours off a little of the excess water, and sets it onto the counter next to the sink. "This and Ziggy's breakfast ought to keep him until lunch, at least."

    Nix nods. "It's good to be prepared." She picks up Autumn's knife and cutting board and starts washing them in the sink. "So... About this date you have planned..."

    "Yeah," Autumn says. "I... kind of lucked out on the timing, to be honest. It's Monday, so the crowds should be light, we've just barely missed the weekend..." She grabs a drying towel off the rack below the sink.

    Nix nods. "I think it's really... kind of brave of you to try this." She hands the knife to Autumn for her to dry. "Do you have a plan, or were you just going to sort of wing it...?"

    "Well," Autumn says, her hands occupied with drying the knife. "I..." She puts the knife away in the block, then rubs the back of her neck with her free hand. "You mentioned it earlier, so I thought you were interested, and it's... a very date-like thing to go see an aquarium or a museum together..." She looks away. "I mostly just wanted to... spend a whole day with you deliberately, without other things occupying us so much."

    "Okay," says Nix as she brushes the cutting board. "But did you do any research or anything...?"

    Autumn shakes her head. "Maybe it'll suck," she says. "But I expect it'll have a good number of pokémon and some interesting things to see. I could look it up online right now?"

    Nix shakes her head. "If you haven't done research already, then... it's probably best if we discover it together." She smiles slightly. "There's something to be said for spontaneity, too." She hands Autumn the cutting board.

    Autumn nods, and dries the cutting board. "It seems to have worked for us a couple times already," she says. "With the cave expedition and all."

    "We did prepare for that," Nix says. "But I get your point that it was kind of an unexpected detour." She moves on to the cereal bowls from breakfast, pouring the milk down the sink and going over them with the brush and the soap.

    "Yeah," says Autumn softly. She crouches to put away the cutting board in one of the cupboards beneath the sink. "... So we're going to head over to the aquarium pretty much right away, right?"

    Nix gives Autumn a look. "It's your date," she says. "You're the one who's supposed to have a plan."

    "Yeah, I guess," says Autumn. "Sorry, I've never really... done this before."

    "It's alright," Nix says, and she passes Autumn the two bowls. "It's up to you, okay? I want you to... have your chance to decide, for once."

    Autumn nods, drying the outside of the nested bowls and then setting them on the counter so she can get the inside of the ceramic. "Alright, then... I'd like to go over there pretty much right away. So that Ziggy isn't alone for too long, and so that... we get it started and over with, you know? The anticipation is always the worst part."
    "Yeah," says Nix quietly. "It really is." She turns off the water and steps over to the side of her bed, where she steps into her boots. "It's still kind of cool out this early in the morning... I'll grab my windbreaker." She picks up her purse from the side of the bed and unseals a black windbreaker and a matching black fleece from a container ball. Setting them down on the bed, she reseals the fleece, then shrugs on the windbreaker and starts snapping up her boots.

    Autumn sets the dried bowls aside, and goes back over to her pack, where she pulls out her own windbreaker. "It'll be nice to walk along the harbor with you," she says. "The aquarium's just a bit northwards, maybe fifteen minutes' walk. We can watch the ships coming and going as we go. And..." She sits down on the side of her bed and pulls her coat into her lap. "... It'd be nice to hold hands with you on the way over."

    Nix ducks her head and nods. "Okay," she says. "We can do that." She gets up from the side of her bed and walks over to the dorm room's door, where she stands and waits.

    Autumn slips on her boots and quickly does up the laces, blushing a little under Nix's gaze; then she pulls on her windbreaker, gets up, and goes across the room to Nix's side. "Alright," she says. "Let's go. Together."

    "You know where we're going?" Nix asks.

    "Yeah," says Autumn. "I looked at the map at least. It should be pretty easy to find along the harborfront."

    "Lead on, then," says Nix, and she opens the dorm room door.

    Autumn steps out of the room and takes a few steps down the hallway, then turns to look behind her. Nix closes the door behind her, and catches up to Autumn with a few hurried steps.

    Autumn reaches out with her hand, and Nix takes it.

    The pair walk through the hall towards the front desk, the linoleum below them squeaking beneath their boots. The staff Machop passes, and glances down at their linked hands as it passes; Autumn squeezes Nix's hand, and Nix squeezes her hand back.

    Autumn lets go Nix's hand as they emerge into the lobby, and darts across it to get the door out for her. Nix takes the door out into the harbor, then pauses to let Autumn catch up.

    Autumn emerges into the morning sunlight, the cold sea wind pressing against her face and mussing up her carefully-brushed hair. She pushes her hair out of her face and walks a little faster to come up to Nix's side.

    As Autumn approaches, Nix extends her hand, and Autumn takes it. Autumn sets a moderate pace along the harbor, her fingers intertwined with Nix's. Autumn walks along the harbor side of the sidewalk, and Nix follows along the city side.

    "Holding hands is..." Autumn looks out across the harbor, at the folded sails of a docked schooner. "You saw that Machop look at us..."

    "Yeah," says Nix. "Let them look. If anyone has a problem with us they'll have a problem with Noir."

    Autumn blushes a little and squeezes Nix's hand. "... that's kind of scary, but also kind of cute?" She tilts her head. "I'm not sure how I feel about you getting possessive of me..."

    Nix looks away, a little heat coming to her cheeks. "I... You're worth defending. I promise I won't smother you like your mother did."

    "I'll hold you to that," says Autumn softly. "But... Can we talk about something less serious? I just... We've had so many hard conversations, about my family, about your family, about my sexuality, about dating... I just want to talk about something simple and happy."

    "Go ahead, then," says Nix. "Pick whatever topic you like."

    Autumn looks back at Nix. "... This is a totally hypothetical discussion, because, well, we've already been over that I can't care for a second pokémon so soon... But if I were to get a second pokémon, what would you recommend?"

    Nix tilts her head. "I think that any pokémon can be worthwhile in the hands of someone who loves them and is prepared to care for them. So I think the question is really... What kind of pokémon would you like?"

    Autumn squeezes Nix's hand. "Well... The sea reminds me of you, so I kind of want to get a water-type. I know that's really impractical because you have to have a body of water to release them into all the time, but there's got to be something that would work."

    "You could get a Marill," says Nix. "They're fairly common, pretty cute, and they've got enough adaptations to live on land most of the time."

    Autumn nods thoughtfully. "That's an idea. If we're thinking about pokémon that remind me of you, then there's also the option of a Vulpix, like Flicker..." Her gaze lingers for a moment on a crane that's unloading cargo from a three-funneled ship onto the dock. "I wonder if any of those cargo containers have pokémon eggs in them."

    Nix looks over at the crane. "It's possible there are some aboard that ship," she says, "Though they wouldn't be in a cargo container like that, they'd be handled by an actual courier. More often they're flown around by priority courier in stasis..." She tilts her head. "A Vulpix, huh. Noir might like that. He could use another fire-type to be friends with."

    "Friends, or...?" Autumn smiles slightly.

    Nix rolls her eyes. "I don't think Noir could unbend far enough to have a relationship outside his species, even with another pokémon. He's so serious."

    "So maybe I should get a Houndoom of my own?", Autumn asks.

    Nix laughs. "Not unless you really want one."

    Autumn squeezes Nix's hand and smiles a little, ducking her head. "I don't think I really want one. I do think that... There are a lot of pokémon that I might want to have someday."

    "Oh?" Nix tilts her head. "What are you thinking of?"

    "Well," Autumn says, "If I'm going to be competing in contests, it's only natural that I'd want a Milotic. They evolve from everyday Feebas, they're extremely beautiful, and - there's something about a ugly little fish turning into a beautiful dragon that resonates a lot with me, you know?"

    Nix nods. "Milotic are also... Their means of evolution is a little mysterious. It's said that they need a Prism Scale to evolve, but there are documented cases of Coordinators managing to evolve them without one. That never happens for non-coordinator trainers, though..." She raises an eyebrow. "A good question for Leaf's granddaughter to look into, don't you think?"

    Autumn rolls her eyes. "I mean, while we're talking about rare pokémon I want, I might as well wish for an Absol."

    "The disaster pokémon?" Nix raises an eyebrow. "What about them do you like?"

    "They sense disasters, they don't cause them. And... they don't like to fight," says Autumn. "I feel like there's a kindred spirit there."

    Nix tilts her head, then nods. "I have to admit, they appeal to my taste as well. They're... The kind of pokémon you hear about in legends and ghost stories."

    Autumn rubs the back of her neck. "I mean, I'm a little inspired by your choice of team there. You - kind of helped me see that scary pokémon can be cool too."

    "They're not so scary when you get to know them," Nix says. "I'm glad you see that now."

    "What pokémon would you get if you were to fill a fourth slot on your team?", Autumn asks Nix.

    "Well," Nix says. "Galarian Zigzagoon was my next candidate, because they evolve into Obstagoon and I want to move into the Tough category eventually." She tilts her head. "If I hadn't been looking for one, I might not have noticed you..."

    "Yeah, you did say you were looking into getting a zigzagoon of your own..." Autumn tilts her head. "I'd almost forgotten that. If you hadn't run into me at that pokétreat shop..." She shakes her head. "I don't want to know what would have happened."

    "Yeah," says Nix softly. "Who knows." She looks away from Autumn, off into the city. A woman on a bike passes on the other side of the street, her bike's bell ringing out across the water.

    Autumn squeezes Nix's hand. "I think I would've figured something out," she says. "December would've helped me out."

    "December?" Nix tilts her head. "- Blue hair, long coat?"

    Autumn raises an eyebrow. "Yeah. You know her?"

    "Yeah," Nix says. "She was my mentor for about a year. She knows my father from the battle circuit." She looks down at Autumn's hand in hers. "My dad sent her to bring me back home, but... Instead of dragging me back, she talked to me about why I'd run for it and let me make my own decisions. She showed me that my talent wasn't in training, but in Coordinating."

    "Huh." Autumn looks over at Nix. "So she trained you?"

    "A little." Nix shrugs. "She mostly helped me talk to people who knew the Coordination business better than her. I sparred and lost against her until Crimson and Noir evolved from the training routine. That let me move around more freely and helped me win contests, so eventually I stopped needing her."

    "So you stopped talking to her?" Autumn tilts her head.

    "She's an elite battler, I don't want to take up her very valuable time," says Nix. "Besides, I don't want the publicity from being associated with a high rank battler. That... isn't the kind of Coordinator I want to be."

    "I see..." Autumn says. "It sounds like... you might have a little trouble accepting help too."

    Nix smiles wanly. "I'm all too familiar with that habit of mine," she says. "It's part of what made me want to help you."

    "Oh," says Autumn. She looks down at the ground. "... Sorry, this wasn't supposed to be a heavy conversation."

    Nix shrugs. "It is what it is." She looks ahead along the harborfront, and points with her free hand. "Is that the aquarium up ahead?"

    Autumn looks ahead of her at a large complex of buildings along the waterfront. The front is all glass, with a large sign in cursive font over the entrance - "Slateport Oceanic Museum". A life-size bronze of a Tentacruel stands outside on a tall podium, tentacles raised; the morning sun gleams off the metal and picks out the cruel-looking eyes of the giant jellyfish.

    "Yeah," Autumn says. "It looks like this is it." A few more strides take her into the shadow of the statue, the light of the sun slipping away behind the Tentacruel's bulbous form. There's an inscription on the podium...

    Man-O-War

    This statue was donated to the Slateport Oceanic Museum by the Stern Estate, in memory of the famous oceanographer and museum founder, Captain Edward Stern. His scientific discoveries live to this day within these museum walls.

    Nix steps up next to her and looks up at the statue as well. "That's quite the statue. All those delicate tentacles must have been difficult to make."

    "I wonder who this oceanographer was," Autumn says. "Maybe there'll be something about them in the museum?"

    Nix nods. "Something to look forwards to, I guess." She looks past the statue to the glass doors of the museum. "Shall we?"

    Autumn nods, and the pair make a slow circle around the statue. Autumn lets go Nix's hand for a moment to get the glass door of the museum, and they emerge into a blue-tiled lobby. There's a pair of reception desks, but only one is occupied at the moment; the woman at the desk is wearing a grey vest and a red tie, and behind her is a large poster with a picture of a Milotic superimposed over a background of ocean waves.

    "Welcome to the Oceanic Museum!", calls the greeter, ducking her head. "Would you two like to purchase tickets?"

    Autumn steps up to the desk. "We've already bought them online," she says, and holds out the wrist with her Pokétch on it.

    The greeter touches a scanner to Autumn's poketch, then nods. "Looks like you two are good to go. Would you like maps of the museum and aquariums?"

    Autumn nods quickly. "Of course," she says.

    The greeter produces a pair of maps from behind her desk, and hands them over to Autumn. "The main museum complex is right through the doors to your right," she says. "Enjoy your tour!"

    Autumn nods to the greeter. "Thank you," she says, then she looks over at Nix. A sudden smile comes across her face. "Let's go!" She offers her hand to Nix, and Nix takes it.

    Autumn power-walks across the room to the doors in, and pushes them open, emerging back out into the sunlight.

    On the other side of the doors, there's a small courtyard with a fountain trickling into a small pool. Past it and directly ahead is a deep pool of clear blue water surrounded by tiered seats, which are empty at the moment; to Autumn's left there's a long wooden walkway over another large pool of water, with a sign over it reading "Coral Reef" and a picture of a Clamperl. To her right there are three concrete paths through enclosing bushes and trees. The closest one is marked "Cafeteria & Gift Shop", and there's a small sign for washrooms as well; the next-deeper pathway is marked "Oceanography & Ocean History Exhibits" with a photograph of a large ship. The third pathway has two signs, one with a large Wooper labelled "Wetlands", and a second with a picture of a Corphish labelled "Intertidal".

    Nix comes up next to Autumn. "So, where to?"

    Autumn tilts her head. "I'm not sure." She walks over to the side of the fountain and sits down on its high stone rim. "There's clearly a lot to see..." She opens up her map to its full size and looks at the layout of the museum and aquariums. "So, we're here at the show aquarium... Oh, they have a pair of Milotics!" She smiles. "But they and their coordinator are on a performance schedule, okay. The first show is at 1 PM on Mondays, then it's hourly until five..." She looks at her pokétch. "It's just past ten, so we have some time to kill before catching a performance."

    "I absolutely want to see that," says Nix. "Milotics aren't easy to come by, so any Coordinator who has one is someone I want to see perform. Especially if it's a mated pair."

    Autumn nods. "Okay, so then there's the large aquarium to the left under the bridge, which... plays rotating host to various large water-types on a daily basis, it says Mondays are Wailmers." Autumn tilts her head. "The other areas are..." She looks at the small pictures for each of the smaller aquarium complexes, and blinks as she spots the tiny shape of a Luvdisc next to the Coral Reef aquariums. "... I think I want to save the Coral Reef for last," Autumn says. "So that leaves the Wetlands and the Intertidal aquarium - I'm less interested in the science museum, at least not as a place to start. The Wetlands aquarium has... a bunch of creepy crawlies that you might like, Nix, because it's got some Bug pokémon and Poison types... But I think I'd like to see the Intertidal aquariums because they've got some rarities from Paldea and Alola."

    Nix nods, looking down at her own map. "I... Yeah, I think doing the Coral Reef last would be a good idea. How about we do the intertidal area first, then the wetlands, and then go on from there to the science museum once we're warmed up a bit? And by the time we've seen all of that it'll probably be time for lunch, so we can eat and then catch the first performance by the Milotic at one if we hurry."

    "Sounds like a plan," says Autumn. "Let's get going!" She takes Nix by the hand and starts walking down the third path on the right, trailing Nix behind her. Despite herself, a smile's come to her face, and her brisk pace makes Nix have to hurry to follow.

    The concrete path passes a few more bushes and a bronze statue of a Swampert, but then turns into another glass-fronted building. The small lobby inside separates the building into two halves - the "Intertidal" half, and the "Wetlands" half, each with a large colorful sign in a goofy-looking font.

    Autumn hurries towards the Intertidal section on the right, and soon the girls come up to an aquarium half-full of water and half-full of sand and rocks, making a large, pebbly area along the side of the wall. Barnacles cling to the rocks, and a hermit crab scuttles along the shoreline; in the lower half of the aquarium the water is crowded with strands of algae and sea sponges. There are starfish in the low water, clinging to the aquarium glass and half-hidden in the rocks - and halfway down the shore, a foot-long blob lies flat in the sand, pink spikes jutting out of its back.

    Autumn steps up to the glass and presses her nose in close, her gaze flicking from the odd pokémon on the shore to the starfish in the water, then looking deep into the algae. "Ooh!", she says, pointing into the depths of the aquarium. "There's a Shellder in the algae!" She looks back over her shoulder and flashes a smile to Nix. "I've never seen one in person before, can you believe it? I've never even been to the sea before I met you. And -" She cranes her neck and takes a couple steps down along the side of the aquarium. "- I think I see a staryu in the sand, too! They really do glow red!"

    Nix steps up next to the glass by Autumn, her gaze lingering on the pink-spined pokémon. "I've never seen a pokémon like that before," she says. "The one with the pink spines." She steps sideways along the glass, watching intently. "It's just lying there, what's it doing?"

    "I have no idea," says Autumn, her gaze going to the pink-spined pokémon. "I don't know what it is either. How does it move around? I don't see any limbs on it. Does it just not move?"

    "I don't know," says Nix. "I don't even know its species, and I know almost everything from Kanto, Johto and Hoenn now. It must be from some faraway place."

    "Coooooooooooooooooooool," says Autumn, touching her nose to the glass. "I wonder if it'll move if we watch for long enough."

    Nix doesn't reply; she's holding very still, her gaze focused past the pink-spined pokémon to a log of driftwood lying on the shore.

    Autumn follows her gaze. There's definitely something moving behind that log...

    As she watches, a large slug-like pokémon with four nubbly feet and a raised head with three eyes emerges from behind the log. Its back is a deep green, and its underbelly is blue with a yellow stripe along the change in color. Streaks of yellow run down its back as well, making a pattern of lines like a piece of kelp. It looks around cautiously, then starts moving down towards the water.

    Autumn watches intently, her own breath stilling. The slug-like pokémon is approaching the pink-spined one. Is something going to happen...?

    As the slug gets within three feet of the pink-spined pokémon, the pink-spined pokemon spits out a huge mucus-covered hand from its front end, grabs the slug, and tosses it bodily into the water.

    Autumn blinks, and then bursts out laughing. Nix's composure breaks as well, and the pair of them both giggle helplessly for a good thirty seconds, Autumn bracing her hands against her knees, Nix pressing her hand over her heart as she tries to get her breath back.

    "Okay," Nix says, "I absolutely did not expect that."

    Autumn presses one hand to her lips, fighting to suppress her smile. "Yeah, what the heck was that -"

    As she watches, the pink-spined pokémon retracts the giant hand back into its insides, and settles back down to rest.

    "I have no idea," says Nix. "Maybe we should read the signs?"

    "Yeah," Autumn says, not bothering to hide her smile anymore. "I think we should." She steps over to the far edge of the aquarium, where a large sign with a picture of the pink-spined pokémon hangs on the wall.

    Pukyumuku, the Sea Cucumber Pokemon. This pokémon is naturally sedentary and keeps small territories on many Alolan beaches. Capable of spitting out its specialized internal "hand" to attack and move around, this pokémon is a common annoyance to bathers. It has been known to use the scooped beaks of Pelipper allies to travel long distances when the area near its sedentary form is exhausted of food.

    Pyukumuku have a unique ability to cure other pokémon of their aliments through a move known as Purify. This ability can remove most foreign substances from the body, helping to recover from viruses and toxins. The slime excreted by Pyukumuku is often used in the cosmetics industry as a moisturizer, though health claims associated with the mucus itself are often exaggerated.

    If you see a Pyukumuku on vacation on Alola, give it space, or if it is on a public beach ask the local Ranger to peacefully relocate it. Never touch its spines or mouth; these areas are delicate, and touch to them is painful and irritating for the Pyukumuku.

    Autumn looks over at Nix. "So it's Alolan! Is this whole aquarium Alolan, then?"

    Nix nods. "Yeah, probably, they don't generally mix species from different regions. It's interesting to realize that they have Shellder and Staryu in Alola too. And - whatever that slug thing is, that must be an Alolan pokémon as well -"

    Autumn nods and looks back out at the aquarium. The three-eyed slug is just emerging from the water, looking a little worse for the wear. "Don," it grumbles to itself.

    "Don?" Autumn tilts her head. "It's a don?"

    "That's probably only part of its name," Nix says. "Let me see if there's another sign." She hurries across the front of the aquarium, and stops on the other side. "Yeah, it's over here, come see - It's a Gastrodon!"

    Autumn grins and darts over to stand next to Nix. The sign with the three-eyed slug pokémon depicts it evolving from a smaller, more snail-like pokemon with two long white tendrils on its head. "Huh," Autumn says. "I thought those were native to Shinnoh?"

    Nix nods. "The Western Sea ones, yeah, but this one is Eastern Sea. You can tell by the color."

    Autumn smiles and nods. "Oh, so it's a regional form?"

    "Something like that," Nix replies. She steps away from the sign and looks out into the aquarium. "This sign says there's also a Pincurchin in there somewhere, can you spot it?"

    Autumn looks down at the sign, and takes in the picture of a doofy-looking pokémon covered in long, sharp black spines. She nods seriously, and steps out to the other side of the aquarium from Nix, scanning the shoreline with a serious gaze.

    - "There!" Autumn says, pointing at a cluster of spines poking out of a tangle of seaweed. "It's hiding in that seaweed. What's it doing?"

    Nix leans in close to the glass and looks closely. "I think it's eating the seaweed," she says. "It's definitely making chewing motions."

    "Huh," Autumn says softly. She steps over to where Nix is to get a better view. "Yeah, you're right. It's... scraping the seaweed off the rocks and then eating it."

    Nix smiles. "Yeah." She looks over at Autumn, a small smile on her face.

    Autumn looks over at Nix, and - there's something -

    She reaches out and takes Nix's hand.

    "I'm really glad I came here with you," she says. "And this is only the first exhibit!"

    "Yeah," says Nix. "There's so much to see. And... I'm going to get to see it all with you."

    Autumn looks over at Nix, her gaze suddenly flicking to her lips. Nix looks at Autumn as well, that small smile still on her lips. "... is there... something else?"

    Autumn glances away. "... No," she says. "I was just thinking about how... I've gotten to see so many amazing things with you. Granite cave. The contests with Mina. The sun on the ocean..." She blushes a little. "... You make my life better," she says. "It's been so good to meet you."

    Nix flushes and ducks her head. "You... most of that was your decision, in the end. You're the one who decided to go exploring and to... forge ahead and try to be a Coordinator. So... I'm honored as well. You've made my life exciting again."

    Autumn squeezes Nix's hand. "... Thank you for coming here," she says softly. "It's been... hard to reach out, to take these steps to be... a little closer to you. But..." She looks out at the pokémon in the aquarium, and a little smile comes to her face. "But it's been worth it. Even just this much was worth the price of admission. And - We have all day. There's going to be so much more."

    "Yeah," says Nix softly. "There really will be."

    At this point, there's a month of buffer remaining; I needed a break from the project as it got into the messy middle, so I've been working on other things instead. Time to get back to expanding the buffer, I guess. NaAugWriMo.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Lots of good things happening in this chapter. Autumn and Nix preparing to go on their date, the declaration that anyone who had a problem with them would have to face Noir, the fact that Autumn wants her next Pokemon to be water-type, the Oceanic Museum. All very nice.
     
    Just caught up, really enjoying it so far. The way Pokémon are involved in daily life is interesting, I especially liked how Autumn and Nix's Pokémon approved of their relationship. As far as Autumn's future Pokémon, I like Vulpix but that might be wearing the Borne of Caution influence a bit too closely.
     
    lemonancy said:
    This is so cute T.T I'm loving where this story is going :)
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    JaxThePyro said:
    Just caught up, really enjoying it so far. The way Pokémon are involved in daily life is interesting, I especially liked how Autumn and Nix's Pokémon approved of their relationship. As far as Autumn's future Pokémon, I like Vulpix but that might be wearing the Borne of Caution influence a bit too closely.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    Welcome to the pair of you! Always nice to see new readers. As I've said before, daily life is important to me as an author; it's what provides the backdrop to everything else. And yeah, a Vulpix is a little too Borne of Caution-y IMO. It could be done, but I'd really want to establish a strong vulpix personality that's unlike Brandon Lee's.

    ChronOblivion said:
    Huh that conversation escalated real hard real fast. I didn't expect the bitter derision to bubble out of control so quickly given her Mom's behavior.

    Honestly mixed feelings about Autumn's ambition suddenly blazing into an inferno, with "Mega-Evolving Top Coordinator" as her end goal. Autumn not caring about climbing to the top of anything, hating the idea of her pokemon being hurt in a society that focuses hard on battling, having a moderate but genuine talent in contest showmanship that she only now discovers, with her primary goal just being to find a place in the world she can inhabit comfortably, those were the major traits that caught my attention in the first place.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    ImperatorV said:
    Good to see Autumn develop some ambition. That'll carry her far, and I'm really interested in seeing how she expands her team - there's no mega Linoone, after all. Maybe Game Freak was afraid of what Linoone could do with such power. The idea of a new team member being added is exciting - knowing Autumn it'll probably be something cute, but maybe she'll decide to branch out into more contest categories.

    I suspect we haven't seen the last of Valerie. Although her ability to follow Autumn right now is non-existent, I expect if Autumn manages to become famous her mom will come lurking and trying to get a piece of the pie.

    I'm not here for the pure sweet romance, but I'm also not here for the mature stuff. I'm here because it turns out that Evenstar writes some good Pokemon.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    Diametrically opposed viewpoints on the ambition here, huh? I guess you can't please everyone. As for Autumn's mother, I think it's not a spoiler to say we haven't seen the last of her.

    DragonOfAtlantis said:
    And thus she reveals herself for what she truly is once the tables turned on her. So called precious jewelry that she only revealed the existence of once she needed something to hold over her daughter and to go against the wishes of her deceased husband.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    I mean, it's true from a certain point of view... It's just predicated on the idea that Valerie gets to decide for herself when Autumn should get the pin.

    Coshiua said:
    I was not expecting Autumn to have to steal the pin. Dang.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    Is it stealing if it's your own property?

    Stormadriel said:
    Ah yes, the classic 'how can I twist your life to be about Me' mother. Glad that Autumn is finally able to set her boundaries and defend them--really loving the bold move of just taking what's rightfully hers, and using Ziggy to do it? Fabulous display of their growth as both individuals and a team (Ziggy's not got a lot of obvious character growth, but he has been stepping up and out of the spoiled house pet role at a steady rate).

    Nix and Autumn are starting out so solid and I love that for them. The communication is great
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    Valerie is behaving entirely reasonably... from a viewpoint where Autumn is a child to be shepherded and nurtured and not trusted with her own decisions. That doesn't make her in the right, though. Being able to stand up and say "No, you don't get to make that decision for me" is a crucial step in being able to take control of your life when you have bad parents, and Autumn really does it in style. In some ways this is the clean, simple confrontation I wish some people I've known would be able to have. Real life is usually messier.

    Imrix said:
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    A meme I referenced often while writing this :3

    lemonancy said:
    Gods... I want to hug Autumn and whisper in her ear that it's all going to be okay. Poor girl. Luckily she's got her amazing goth gf to make it better.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    She really is very huggable.

    lemonancy said:
    Oh my gosh this is so cute and gay!!!! They're in love!!!!!!!
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    They so are!!!

    Coshiua said:
    Lots of good things happening in this chapter. Autumn and Nix preparing to go on their date, the declaration that anyone who had a problem with them would have to face Noir, the fact that Autumn wants her next Pokemon to be water-type, the Oceanic Museum. All very nice.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    I'm glad you're enjoying it. Tomorrow we have the conclusion of this Arc, and then, well... We'll be moving on to what usually happens after kissing, but that many yuri series like to pretend doesn't exist. To me, "pure sweet romance" does inevitably involve sexuality, I guess you could say. So we're going to go there. Fair warning.
     
    Dateport 5
  • Threadmarks
    • Autumn and Nix stand together beside the Intertidal aquarium for a long moment, hand in hand. The Pincurchin eats contentedly behind the glass, seemingly unaware of the couple watching it.

    A teenage boy in a red cap steps up to the other side of the aquarium and leans in next to the glass, and Autumn drops Nix's hand. Nix looks over at him, then back at Autumn - and Autumn quickly steps away, further into the aquarium, her cheeks burning red.

    Nix follows, and when they're alone again Autumn takes her hand once more.

    "Um," says Autumn. "I'm sorry, I'm still... getting used to this..."

    Nix shakes her head and squeezes Autumn's hand. "It's okay. Let's keep moving, then; the aquarium's only going to get more crowded as the day goes on." She looks over at one of the other aquariums. "Is that a Corphish over there?"

    Autumn turns and looks. "Oh!" She smiles. "Yeah, I think it is!"

    And the two of them move onwards, deeper into the aquarium. After a few more exhibits, they seem to settle into a rhythm; ten or fifteen minutes at each aquarium, just long enough to extract all of its secrets. Nix points out pokémon after pokémon; she seems to have a fact for every species, either stolen from the signs or from her years of travel.

    Nix's quick smile and confident words are... reassuring, somehow. Autumn finds herself drawn along in her wake, despite all her own enthusiasm; and before long it's Nix who's dragging her by the hand from exhibit to exhibit, each aquarium efficiently wrung dry of every drop of interest.

    Finally, they come to the last exhibit in the Intertidal area, where a Slowpoke is sunbathing on a long stretch of sand. Aquariums cover all three of the walls, the smaller interposed ones full of tropical fish. Nix is talking about how Slowking is the only documented pokémon to ever learn human speech directly, but Autumn's thoughts are elsewhere. Her gaze lingers on the curve of Nix's shoulder by her halter top, the painted violet of her lips. It's almost as if they're together on a beach in Alola; the scent of sea salt is strong, and the light of the sun outside shines through the Slowpoke enclosure.

    If she were on a beach in Alola with Nix, what would she do...? They could genuinely go, couldn't they? It's a long flight, but with some planning they could afford it. In the shade of a palm tree, they could spread out their beach towels and sunbathe together, listen to the sea, play in the waves. Nix in a swimsuit, now that's an interesting thought...

    "Autumn?" Nix frowns at her.

    Autumn blinks, and flushes hard. "Sorry, what were you saying?"

    Nix rolls her eyes. "Nothing important, apparently. Are you bored already?"

    Autumn rubs the back of her neck. "No, I, um..." Her cheeks burn. "It's - I was imagining us on a beach in Alola." She hangs her head and looks away. "S-sorry."

    Nix laughs, and lifts Autumn's hand to her lips and kisses her knuckles. "You're precious," she says.

    Autumn flushes. "I - ah - um - you - thank you?"

    Nix lowers Autumn's hand and smiles slightly. "Don't mention it. Wetlands next, or the scientific exhibits?"

    "- the scientific exhibits," Autumn says. "You've been wanting to get to them, haven't you?"

    Nix smiles, and nods. "Yeah. Let's head over."

    ~*~​

    The scientific exhibits are in a grand hall, full of deep-blue panels full of dense text. Shells of ancient sea creatures, models of ships, and stones taken from the seafloor sit on spotlit podiums beneath glass. The skeleton of a Wailord hangs high above the exhibit floor, its incredible bulk filling fully two floors of the three-story hall.
    Nix makes a beeline for the fossils, and Autumn follows in her wake, a smile rising to her own face. She's never seen Nix this excited before today -

    Nix stops next to a large spiralling shell. "Did you know that they're actually trying to reintroduce Omastar to the wild in Kanto?", she asks.

    Autumn shakes her head. "No, but I did know they've been reviving them. December had a fossil pokémon too, but - I don't think it was entirely natural."

    Nix nods. "They can do all kinds of things with revival tech these days... I haven't been keeping up with the latest advances, but..." She smiles. "It's amazing to think that they're making so many more things possible with every new year."

    Like kissing you?

    Autumn bites her tongue. "Yeah. Who knows what kind of pokémon they'll come up with next?"

    "I like older pokémon, like Relicanth." says Nix. "I think they have more style. It says something that they've managed to stick around for so long."

    Autumn tilts her head. "But what about those species you just met from Alola?", she asks. "You seemed really interested in them, too."

    Nix tilts her head. "I guess you're right. There's always more to learn, you know? There's a whole world out there to explore." She looks down at the fossil beneath the glass. "I think that's one of the most important things I learnt from December," she says. "Never stop learning."

    Autumn tilts her head, and nods. "Yeah," she says. "I guess that makes sense."

    And onwards they go in among the fossils, Nix chattering on with a bright smile, Autumn trailing behind.

    ~*~​

    A few hours later, Autumn and Nix finally sit down at the aquarium cafeteria, next to the life-size model of a Sharpedo on one wall and the gift shop's displays of charms and mugs and plushies on the other. Autumn has a hoagie, Nix a BLT with an excess of lettuce. Each of them has a codd-necked bottle of lime soda as well. It's noon and around half of the tables are full, mostly with families of three and four.

    Autumn stretches her arms out above her head and sighs, shifting in her seat. "Wow," she says. "There's really a lot to see here, isn't there?"
    Nix smiles and nods, her mouth full of sandwich. "Yeah," she replies after a moment. "It's amazing how much they have. Dome and helix fossils, that miniature coral reef in the science hall, the Sharpedo jaws..."

    Autumn nods back, and rubs her thigh. "I'm glad for the chance to sit down, though."

    "Yeah, me too," Nix replies. She takes another bite of her sandwich. "What did you think of the wetlands exhibits?"

    "A few too many creepy crawlies for me," Autumn replies, "But I can see why you liked it. Lots of variety." She takes a bite of her own sandwich. "Mmm, I think that the live Omanytes were my favorite thing so far."

    "There's still a lot to see, though," Nix replies. "The show with the Milotics, the Wailmer, and the proper, full-sized Coral Reef."

    Autumn nods and smiles. She looks over at the gift shop. "We should probably see if we want to pick up any souvenirs while we're here, too." She takes another bites out of her hoagie.

    Nix looks over at the full-size model of the Sharpedo. "There's some pretty cool things to see even here," she says. "I want to go stand next to that Sharpedo model and look at its teeth."

    Autumn's lips quirk up. "Why am I not surprised you're interested in the huge scary dark-type."

    "I have an image to maintain," Nix replies. She takes another bite of her BLT and hums softly. "... This was a good idea," she says. "I'm really glad you invited me here."
    Autumn blushes a little. "I..." She looks down at her sandwich. "I'm glad you like it."

    Nix smiles. "I did think of it first," she says. "But... full marks for follow-through. I was a little worried you were rushing into things, but..." She runs a hand through her hair. "I guess I was wrong. You've been wonderful company."

    Autumn takes another bite of her sandwich to buy time to respond. She chews and swallows, then smiles. "I... Thank you, Nix. It means a lot to... get to give you something, too." She looks over at the gift shop. "And, actually, on that note..." She gets up from her chair and walks across to the display, where she scoops up a head-sized plushie of a Sharpedo and holds it up on display for Nix. "You said you wanted a plushie, right?", she calls across the cafeteria.

    Nix flushes. "I -" She ducks her head and smiles. "... I would love a plushie!" she calls back.

    Autumn flashes a thumbs up, and fishes her wallet out of her jeans pocket. Going over to the store clerk, she quickly rings the Sharpedo plushie through, then flounces across the room and drops the Sharpedo onto the table next to Nix's sandwich. "There," she says. "She's yours now."

    "What do you think I should name her?", Nix asks, and rests one hand on the nubby little fin on the Sharpedo plushie's side.

    "Toothy?", Autumn suggests. "No, I think you want something more - gothy and mystical. That sign back in the science hall said that sharks are Selachii, maybe you could use that as a name?"

    "It's kind of like calling a Vulpix Fire-Type, though," Nix says. "Hmmmm. I think I want something to do with the moon that pulls the tides... Selene, maybe."

    "Selene's a pretty name for a shark," Autumn says. "I like it."

    Nix picks up the Sharpedo plush and sets it in her lap. "Thank you for Selene, Autumn," Nix says. "She's beautiful."

    Autumn blushes. "Now you're doing the 'it's beautiful' thing," she says. "You can just compliment me directly, you know."

    "Alright then," Nix says. "You're beautiful. And very thoughtful and considerate. It's been wonderful to spend this time with you, and I can't wait for the show after lunch. Getting to see an Ultra Rank Coordinator in person is - it's perfect for me. Thank you."

    Autumn flushes, and rubs the back of her head. "I can't really claim credit for that, but... You're welcome. I'm really happy you're happy." She smiles slightly.

    "You can absolutely claim credit for being considerate and thoughtful," Nix replies. "You're delightful. I - that spluttery courage of yours is adorable, you know that?"

    Autumn takes a guilty bite of her hoagie. "Um..."

    "It's okay," Nix says, a catlike smile on her face. "You don't have to say anything. I know you're shy."

    "No," Autumn says. "I -" She takes a breath. "You're beautiful too. And it's been... really wonderful to explore with you and get to know you more as a person. Seeing the exhibits with you, getting to hear all your thoughts on the state of science and pokémon... It matters, you know?"

    "Yeah," Nix says. "It really does."

    Autumn looks down at her pokétch. "We should really get going," she says. "That show will be starting in just a half hour, and seating's going to be packed."

    "Agreed," says Nix, and takes another big bite of her sandwich. "Let's hurry."

    The pair scarf down their sandwiches quickly, and when Autumn stands again with her bottle of lime soda in her hand, Nix isn't far behind. Nix slugs down the rest of her bottle of lime soda, and puts it in the recycling; then she comes over and takes Autumn's hand.

    Despite the crowd, Autumn squeezes back, and they walk on towards the stage hand-in-hand, Nix holding Selene close against her body with her other arm, Autumn taking sips of her lime soda as she looks away with a blush on her face.

    The walk over to the poolside arena isn't very far; within ten minutes of departing the cafeteria, the pair arrive by the seats for the aquarium show. Two-thirds of the seating is full, with only seats at the very back and down in the splash zone. A staff member is selling cheap plastic raincoats by the stage side, five poké each.

    Autumn looks at Nix. "Splash zone or in back?", she asks.

    "Are you kidding?", Nix asks. "I'd love the chance to get a front-row seat even if I get absolutely drenched." She tilts her head. "I mean, if you don't mind."

    Autumn smiles slightly. "It'll be an adventure. We'd better buy raincoats, though."

    Nix walks over to the staff member with the raincoats, a straight-backed young lady with a customer-service smile. "We'd like two," she says, offering a small bill from her wallet.

    The staff member nods, tucks back a strand of violet hair behind her ear, and passes over two raincoats from the rack. "Here you two are," she says.

    Nix passes Selene over to Autumn, who accepts the plushie with her free hand and takes a hasty swig of the remainder of her lime soda. As Nix slips on her raincoat, Autumn quickly discards the lime soda in the ringside recycling bin.

    "How's it fit?", Autumn asks as Nix does up the snaps on her raincoat.

    "It's a bit big," replies Nix. "But I guess it's one size fits all." She accepts Selene back and passes Autumn her own raincoat. "Here you are."

    Autumn slips it on, then starts down the steps towards the bottom of the arena. The plastic-backed chairs in the front row are still empty; she takes one at center stage, and Nix sits down next to her a moment later.

    "It'll be starting any minute now," Nix says, looking down at her Pokétch.

    Autumn looks out over the smooth water of the arena. From in front she can see an underwater tunnel deeper into the aquarium, and a small metal platform at the other side of the arena that looks like a Coordinator could stand on it and direct. The pool itself is a narrow but long oval, and must be at least half the size of a battle stadium. As she watches, a woman about Nix's age steps out onto the platform across the stage, long blue hair trailing behind her in twintails. She wears a one-piece bathing suit with an exaggerated ruffle at the waist and two Ultra Balls on a belt at her hip. She's kind of pretty, actually...

    Nix's gaze flicks to the Coordinator on stage, then over at Autumn. She gives Autumn a little knowing smile.

    Autumn blushes. "I didn't say anything!"

    "I can tell you were thinking it," Nix says softly. "Not that there's nothing wrong with that."

    The woman across the arena picks up a megaphone from the side of the stage and calls out. "How's everybody doing today?"

    An answering chorus of "Good!" and "alright!" comes from the gathered crowd. Autumn turns her head and looks back; the small arena is packed for the first show of the day, and there must be at least a hundred people watching.

    "Glad to hear it!", calls back the Coordinator. "I'm Aqua, your Coordinator for today, and these -" She pulls her pokéballs off her belt and throws them in the air - "Are Kingsley and Queensley!"

    A male and female Milotic pair appear in the pool in twin bursts of snowflakes, each of the serpent-like pokemon at least as big around as a person and much longer. They share a long look, then turn to their Coordinator.

    "Milotic," they sing out in harmony, their voices lilting and elegant.

    "Are you folks ready for a show?", Aqua calls.

    Nix stamps her feet. "Yeah!" she yells, and the crowd's not far behind her. Autumn ducks her head and smiles, then turns her attention back to the stage.

    Aqua pumps her fist in the air. "Alright, then, Kingsley, take it away!"

    The male Milotic sweeps the pool in one long rush, then rears up at the far end and sends a focused ice beam down the side. Queensley darts away to the free end, which remains clear of ice, and watches intently.

    With flicks of his tail into the water of the pool, Kingsley crafts a shining ice sculpture of an Ultra Ball, the distinctive hinge and button obviously recognizable even at a distance. "Milotic!", he says, and steps back as if to admire his work.

    "Milotic," replies Queensley from the other side of the pool. She slips up onto the ice, all sinuous elegance, and inclines her head towards Kingsley. "Milotic?" Her gaze doesn't even touch the ice sculpture; she only has eyes for Kingsley.

    "Another sculpture, Kingsley!", Aqua calls. She snaps her fingers loud enough for Autumn to hear it on the other side of the arena.

    Kingsley dips into the pool and sends up a high spray of water, and Autumn shields her face against the splash with a little laugh. Another ice sculpture forms with elegant flicks of his tail; a bundle of flowers, roses laid together against the frozen platform.

    Queensley doesn't even look. "Milotic?", she asks, coming even closer across the platform. She flutters her eyelashes at him.

    Kingsley turns away, and starts on a third sculpture. He says nothing.

    Queensley shakes her head, and then sings out three piercing notes: "Mil~o~tic~

    As the notes hit Kingsley's ice sculptures, they shatter entirely into fragments of ice and snow. He looks up at Queensley with shock and affront on his face. "Tic!" His tail lashes down, and the whole ice platform breaks up into floes, Queensley drifting away from him.

    Queensley replies with a gout of steaming-hot water, and all of a sudden the pair of serpents are circling in the pool, sniping at each other with shots of scalding water and beams of bitter frost, the ice breaking and churning under the motion of their serpentine bodies. Autumn shields herself against the splashes over the pool's side as they come, but she can't help but watch.

    "Kingsley! Queensley! Calm down!", Aqua calls, but the Milotics completely ignore their coordinator, if anything speeding up their battle in the pool.

    And then, all at once, it's over; Kingsley lashes out with an Ice Beam, and the middle section of Queensley's sinuous body is trapped in a heavy block of ice from the pool. She struggles a little, but can't move at all. "Milotic," she says softly, almost apologetically.

    Kingsley is not swayed; he advances on her fallen body and charges an ice beam in his mouth, aiming it directly at his fallen mate.

    Queensley looks up into the ice beam, and with her tail she carves a chunk of the ice she's trapped in into a rough heart.

    Kingsley looks down at the ice sculpture, pauses, and lets the ice beam dissipate. "Milotic?", he asks softly.

    Queensley nods.

    Kingsley slips in close, and touches his nose to Queensley's. Then he turns towards her frozen middle section and spits a gout of hot water at it. As the ice melts away, Aqua breathes a sigh of relief. "You two," she calls through her megaphone. "Always having lover's spats. Alright, let's give these fine folks the show they actually wanted!"

    Kingsley and Queensley look over at their Coordinator as one, and nod together. "Milotic!", they chorus. Then they part and begin to run spirals around the edges of the pool, quickly forming a whirlpool that gathers together all the fragments of ice. A heavy wave splashes over the side of the pool and nails Autumn and Nix, and Autumn cries out with a startled laugh.

    Nix laughs too when she sees Autumn's expression, and after sharing a smile the pair looks back out into the pool. The whirlpool has concentrated in the center, and the mated pair of Milotics are slowing down. As Autumn and Nix watch, the air starts to crystallize into little snowflakes - the Milotics are using Blizzard? -

    In one, final crashing wave, Kingsley and Queensley come together - and when the water settles again, both Milotics are settled together atop a perfectly heart-shaped iceberg in the center of the pool.

    "Well done!", Aqua calls out. "Give it up for Kingsley and Queensley!"

    The audience cheers, and Autumn finds her voice raised with them. "Kingsley and Queensley!" She smiles. "And Aqua!"

    "And Aqua!", Nix calls from beside her. "Do you do autographs?"

    Aqua laughs and flashes a thumbs-up. "Sure, if you want one! There'll be a poolside meet and greet for twenty minutes before the next show. Have a good day, everyone!"

    Aqua sets down the megaphone, dives into the pool, and swims across to the other side, where she starts hauling herself back out using an inset ladder.

    Autumn and Nix share a look. Despite the raincoats, a good amount of the water from the splash zone's gotten through - Autumn's boots are soaking wet, and Selene is looking more than slightly damp.

    "Worth it?", Autumn asks.

    "Absolutely fucking worth it," Nix replies. "Now let's go say hi." She gets out of her seat and hugs her somewhat damp plushie against her raincoat.

    Autumn gets up next to her girlfriend, and smiles to herself. She feels - like she did something that mattered.

    "Alright," she says. "For you. Even though my socks are soaked through."

    As Autumn and Nix near Aqua, a small crowd of about a half-dozen people has formed down by the front row of the stage. Aqua sits down on the inner rim of the pool and waves to everyone. "Hey, all!"

    Nix grins and gives Aqua a thumbs-up. "That was a great routine!" she says. "I'm really impressed with Kingsley's temperature control to freeze and thaw Queensley without hurting her. How did you even manage that?"

    Aqua nods back and smiles, settling her legs against the side of the pool. "Thanks for the compliment. Getting the precision with Scald and Ice Beam to do stunts like that safely definitely took a while - it's all just down to fine control of Type Energy."

    "Are Kingsley and Queensley really mates?", asks a short man in slacks and a fleece vest.

    "Yes, they are," confirms Aqua. "I started with just Queensley, but the aquarium wanted a mated pair of Milotic so I put it to Queensley. She said yes, so we advertised around. It took some effort to find a mate that Queensley would accept, but they're quite happy together now."

    "Are their names really Kingsley and Queensley?" asks a teenage girl with a Marill on her shoulder.

    Aqua tilts her head and smiles. "Yeah, just like my name's really Aqua." She winks.

    The teenage girl blinks, then gets an "oh" expression and nods. "They're very cute names!"

    "Thanks," says Aqua. "I like them too." She looks over at Nix, her gaze flicking down to the pokeballs on her hip. "Sorry if this is a personal question, but are you a Coordinator by any chance?"

    Nix nods. "I'm Great Rank right now. I've been pro for three years." She gestures to Autumn. "And this is my girlfriend Autumn - I kind of got her into Coordinating and she's working her way through Normals right now."

    Autumn blushes and looks away from the swimsuit-clad woman, shifting from one foot to the other. Her sodden boots squish beneath her feet.

    Aqua smiles. "Nice to meet you, Autumn." She gives her a thumbs-up. "Good luck with your routines, both of you! It's all about the learning process."

    Autumn ducks her head and smiles. "Thank you," she says. "That... means a lot." She glances up at Aqua, careful to meet her eyes. "I think that - performing daily like this must be really difficult, but - I want to get there someday, too."

    "There's an informal novice Coordinator's group that meets Sundays down at the contest hall," Aqua replies. "You could maybe drop in sometime, get some tips."

    Autumn nods and smiles. "Thanks for the idea," she says.

    "How did you do the heart-shaped iceberg at the end?", asks the man in the vest.

    "A lot of practice. It's a Contest Combination of Blizzard and Whirlpool." Aqua leans back against the side of the pool, running a hand through one of her twin ponytails, and Autumn's gaze darts over to Nix.

    Nix's gaze flicks downwards for a moment, then over to Autumn - and then she smiles slightly and rubs a hand against the back of her neck. "I... thanks a lot for talking to us," she says to Aqua. "But my girlfriend and I are on a date, and I think we've got places to be." She smiles slightly. "I don't want Autumn to have to stand around in her wet boots for another ten minutes while we chat about details."

    Aqua nods. "Alright, but before you go - there's a website dedicated to the technique and development of Contest Combinations that I think you'll find useful when you start thinking about the Ultra Rank. It's type blenders dot com." She smiles. "Maybe I'll see you on the circuit in a few years, hey?"

    "Maybe!", Nix chirps back. "Thank you for the tips, I'll definitely check out that website." She taps the web address into her pokétch, then looks over at Autumn and offers her hand.

    Autumn takes it, and Nix leads the way up the steps and away from Aqua, leaving the slowly-dissipating crowd behind.

    "So," she says, "What did you think?"

    "I, um..." Autumn looks down at herself. "It was exciting! And Aqua was..."

    "Pretty? Hot?" Nix supplies.

    "Yeah, both of those." Autumn blushes and looks down at Nix's hand in hers. "I'm not sure how to feel about that when I'm supposed to, you know, be dating you."

    Nix tilts her head. "It's new to you to think about girls being attractive, huh?"

    "Yeah," says Autumn. "I can't believe I never let myself notice before." Her gaze flicks over to Nix. "But..." She bites the inside of her cheek.

    "But?" Nix tilts her head.

    "You're hotter than her," Autumn says, a flush coming to her face.

    Nix flushes as well. "I, um..." She smiles. "Gosh, I didn't expect you to say that."

    "I'm trying this being-brave thing," says Autumn. "It's... not easy, but - getting to see you blush like that is worth it."

    Nix ducks her head and rubs the back of her neck. "I... alright." Her lips twitch up. "It's kind of nice."

    "Yeah," says Autumn. "So, now we just have the Wailmer and the Coral Reef..." She tilts her head. "I think that - I think that I want to skip the Wailmer. My boots are full of water, and - I'm just not that interested in them compared to the coral reef."

    "Okay," says Nix softly. "We can go right over to the coral reef." She squeezes Autumn's hand.

    Autumn blushes and looks away. Reaching into the pocket of her jeans, she pulls out her folded-up map and lets go Nix's hand to spread it out.

    The Coral Reef section stares back at her, with its little illustrations of Staryu, Clamperl and Luvdiscs. Autumn's gaze flicks to the heart-shaped pokemon, and then back over to Nix. "So," she says. "The coral reef, and then home?"

    "Yeah," says Nix. "That works."

    Autumn folds the map again and puts it away, and nods to herself. She takes Nix's hand. "Alright," she says. "It's a plan."

    Nix nods, and takes the bridge over the Wailmer pool, not stopping to look. Autumn follows along behind her, each step squishing in her sodden boots. The Clamperl sign above the Coral Reef welcomes the pair into the exhibition building, and then they're enfolded amid a huge aquarium tank that enfolds them on all sides. Pink coral, scarlet anemones, and darting tropical fish surround them, and lying on the bottom of the tank there are Staryu and Clamperl.

    Autumn squeezes Nix's hard sharply, her head on a swivel as she looks around. There's so much to see - a multitude of vibrant colors, on the fish darting in among the coral and anemones and amid the rocks themselves. It's as if they've been transported suddenly to the seafloor.

    Nix squeezes Autumn's hand back, and the pair walk onwards at a slow pace. The tunnel through the glass archways is three people wide, so there's just enough space for them to walk hand in hand without disturbing traffic. They walk in silence, together, looking around at the enfolding coral, and eventually there's a passage through an arch in the reef.

    On the other side, a small rotunda sits amid the reef, with a large podium in the center bearing a half-dozen interpretive signs. Autumn and Nix ignore the signs completely, and walk together to the far side of the rotunda. Kelp tangles with the coral, leaving them in the center of an underwater forest.

    Far off amid the kelp, the pink, heart-shaped form of a Luvdisc passes, followed moments later by two more.

    Autumn watches, her breath gone, but her hand steady in Nix's.

    "You know," Nix says softly. "They say that if you see a Luvdisc, your love will last forever."

    Autumn smiles slightly. "I'm not sure it's that simple."

    "Neither am I," Nix replies. "But... It's nice to dream." She looks away from the coral reef and at Autumn, a slight flush coming to her cheeks.

    Autumn looks down at Nix, the slightly-shorter woman so close to her.

    ... There's not going to be a better moment.

    Hesitantly, she lifts her hand to touch Nix's chin.

    Nix stills, and shifts a little into Autumn's hand, her lips parting in a sliver-thin smile.

    Autumn leans in, and kisses her.

    Their lips meet, soft and delicate, chaste.

    Autumn's heart flutters like a sparrow, beating too fast, like it might burst. She pulls away and looks into Nix's eyes.

    Nix just smiles back at her, and sighs out softly -

    And something in Autumn breaks, and she steps in, kissing again, hungrily now, her lips pressing firmly against Nix's -

    Nix pulls away. "Autumn - " She looks down at the floor. "I -"

    Autumn pulls back sharply, her face falling. "I -" She looks away as well. "I'm sorry, I don't - I don't know what I was doing -" She looks away. "You - fuck, I fucked it up, my first kiss and I -" She lets go Nix's hand and takes a step away.

    "Autumn," Nix says softly. "Autumn, you dork." She rests a hand on Autumn's shoulder. "Look at me."

    Autumn half-turns, and looks back at Nix. "Y-yeah?"

    "I -" Nix forces a smile. "I'm worried for you, Autumn. I thought that - you might be forcing it - and, um, it was a little much for a public aquarium..." She blushes. "But I liked it."

    "Oh," Autumn says. She looks at Nix thoughtfully. "Um..." She rubs her thumb against the palm of her other hand. "Can we... kiss again, then?"

    "Sure," Nix replies. "But... take it a little slower, okay? There'll be time for the rest if you want it."

    Autumn turns around, and takes Nix's hand. She raises it to her lips and kisses the knuckles, blushing furiously; then she lowers it and squeezes. "You're sure?"

    "Yeah," says Nix. "I'm sure."

    Autumn steps in again, and gently brushes her lips across Nix's. It's easier to hold back the second time. Her heart jumps, her breath comes sharply - but she pulls away, and manages a smile.

    Nix reaches in and draws a hand through Autumn's hair. "More than that," she says, "is probably better done in private."

    Autumn nods hesitantly, and ducks her head. "Um... then..." She blushes, and tangles a strand of her hair up in her finger, drawing it back over her ear. "I don't know if..."

    Nix's lips quirk up. "Yeah. We can discuss that later. For now... Let's enjoy the reef. Together."

    Autumn smiles, and nods. Stepping up by Nix's side, she leans against the shorter girl just slightly, squeezing her hand.

    Nix looks off at the Luvdiscs in the kelp forest, and smiles as well.

    "We might not get forever," she says, "but I think we're making a good start."

    I was able to finish the partial I had left over before my hiatus, despite having to do a certain amount of refamiliarization with the characters and plot. We're at 1 month's buffer still!
     
    Last edited:
  • Threadmarks
    • *heart axplodes* Good for them. Goor for them.
    Love Autumn getting better at the being-brave thing.
     
    Togetherness 1
  • Threadmarks
    • A half hour later, Autumn and Nix step into their dorm room again, still wearing the cheap plastic raincoats from the museum. Autumn sits down on her bed and pries her feet out of her sodden boots, pulling off her damp socks and setting them aside; Nix sits down on her own bed, puts Selene aside, and does likewise.

    Both girls look over to the bathroom.

    "Um," Autumn says. "- you can shower and change first if you want to."

    "Thanks," says Nix, standing up in her bare feet. She reaches into her purse and unseals a container ball with a change of clothes into her other hand, then steps off into the bathroom.

    Autumn exhales softly as Nix departs into the bathroom.

    She kissed her. And... nothing bad happened.

    Autumn touches her lips gently, as if trying to feel the lingering imprint of Nix.

    The walk back... was less romantic than she'd hoped. They held hands, yes, but enough water from the aquarium show had settled through their raincoats that it wasn't comfortable. Autumn can still feel the damp patch against her front where the water got through her collar, even with her boots off.

    With a guilty glance over at the bathroom, Autumn takes off her plastic raincoat, then strips off her top and bra. Digging in her pack, she turns up one of her spare blouses, but her bra's buried -

    She glances back at the bathroom again, then picks up her pack and pulls it into her lap. A few more digs through and she has another of her bras in hand, a lacy black thing with the clasp in back. Pulling it on, she works the clasp behind her while watching the bathroom door. From behind it, Autumn can hear the sound of water hitting the shower floor.

    She bites her lip and shrugs on her blouse, doing up the buttons against her chest - then she looks down at her jean cuffs, which are also soaked through.

    She takes her blue palm-leaf skirt out of her pack, pulls it on over her sodden pants, then slips off the pants from underneath. There. Simple. Now it's just a matter of socks.

    ~*~​

    When Nix returns from the shower, freshly redressed in her halter top and slacks, Autumn is sitting cross-legged on the bed next to Ziggy's sleeping form, softly tracing two fingers down his back. Ziggy doesn't stir.

    Autumn looks over at Nix, and smiles slightly. "Hey," she says softly.

    "Hey," says Nix back softly. She comes over to Autumn's bed and sits next to her on the edge. "How's Ziggy doing?"

    "He's still exhausted," Autumn says. "He ate everything we left out, though, so I think he's on the mend." She smiles softly. "So..."

    "Yeah," Nix says. "Normally, after a date like that you'd get to... go home and think about it a little alone. Would you like me to give you some space?"

    Autumn shakes her head. "I... no, I don't think so. I like you. And..." She traces a full hand down Ziggy's back. "... Never mind."

    Nix raises an eyebrow.

    Autumn flushes slightly. "I... Well, Ziggy's still out of it, and... we're in private now..."

    "Yeah," Nix murmurs. "We are."

    Autumn bites the inside of her lip. "I'm not sure what I want to do about that."

    Nix tilts her head. "Well, you could kiss me again if you wanted to."

    Autumn rolls her eyes. "Yes, yes. But - it's already been one big step today, I..." She sighs. "I don't want to push."

    "Yourself, or me?" Nix asks.

    "... Myself," Autumn says. "I mean, it would - maybe be fun to try it, but -" She blushes and looks down. "I already had my first kiss today, I don't think I could manage... exploring."

    Nix smiles and nods. "You know yourself best. If you want time to relax, you can absolutely have it." She gets up from the bed and stretches. "So, what's the plan for the rest of today? Would you like to have supper out in town, or just eat from the groceries, or...?"

    "I want to take some time and tend to Ziggy," Autumn says. "He deserves someone to look after him, too. So let's stay in. You can do your usual training routines with Noir and the rest, relax a little... We still have another five days in Slateport, after all."

    Nix's lips quirk up. "We do, don't we?" She inclines her head. "I'll give you the room after my boots dry, then."

    Autumn lowers her hand from Ziggy's back and looks over her shoulder at Nix. "I..." She runs a hand through her hair, then twirls a strand next to her face. "Um."

    Nix cracks a smile. "You're really giving off some mixed messages, Ms. Leaf."

    "Sorry," Autumn says. "I..." She turns her head away and looks down into her lap.

    "It's complicated?" Nix tilts her head.

    "Yeah," Autumn says. "It's complicated."

    Nix sits down on her own bed. "Do you want to talk about it?"

    Autumn sighs softly, then rises to her knees on the bed and shifts to put her back against the headboard. Pulling the sleeping Ziggy into her lap, she looks down and sighs softly.

    "I... Want it, and I don't want it too..." She tenses her fingers in Ziggy's fur. "It's - I don't know what I'm doing, and that's scary, but... kissing you felt like something I'd been missing my whole life."

    Nix nods. "... Yeah," she says. "I know how that feels. It was that way for me when I dated Marie."

    "Marie?" Autumn raises an eyebrow.

    Nix coughs. "... Remember how I said I'd dated a few other girls before you?"

    Autumn nods. "Yeah."

    "She was the one who was my first, when I was twenty-one. Not the first I'd dated, but... my first serious relationship." Nix folds her hands together in her lap. "Three years ago, just before I left for Hoenn."

    Autumn tilts her head. "How long were you with her?"

    "Four months," Nix replies. "We didn't work out in the end. She... was focused on her Johto badges, and when I decided I wanted to leave for Hoenn she didn't come along. We meant something to each other, but..." She shakes her head and smiles crookedly. "When push came to shove she wasn't willing to leave her life behind for me. Not that I ever should have asked her to."

    "Oh," Autumn murmurs.

    "I don't mean to... hurt you with the thought of my being with someone else..." Nix says. "But I think you should know that experience comes from somewhere. I used to be just as uncertain as you, not even all that long ago. And even though it fell apart, it was... still worth something to me, and to her."

    Autumn looks down at her hands. "Four months, huh...?"

    "Yeah," Nix says. "We gave it a real try."

    Autumn leans her head back against the headboard. "When you said you'd had a couple people, I was thinking you had someone for like, a couple weeks at the outside. I... thought you'd, you know..."

    Nix smiles slightly. "Slept around?"

    Autumn shakes her head. "No, that's not really you. Tried, I guess, and not had any real success."

    "Do you want to know about her?", Nix asks. "I realize that it's not exactly a romantic line of conversation, but it might... give you a better idea of where I'm coming from."

    Autumn looks down at Ziggy in her lap, and then inclines her head. "You can go on."

    "She was... Twenty-one, just like me. A weak psychic with a love for Ghost-type pokémon. Her starter was a Gastly. Lavender hair, she always used to keep it in a braided ponytail. Contact lenses - she always hated glasses." Nix taps her thumbs together. "She was bookish, liked to study history and ruins."

    "Was she who you got the idea to catch a Misdreavus from?" Autumn asks.

    "Yeah, she helped me catch Lethia," Nix replies. "Along with a travelling Ace Trainer I knew for about a week." She picks up her legs onto the bed and sits cross-legged.

    Autumn knits her fingers into Ziggy's fur. "... Did you love her?"

    Nix sighs. "Yeah," she says softly. "I think I did. But it didn't last." She taps her fingertips together in her lap. "You don't go for the easy questions, do you?"

    Autumn nods. "Do you still think of her often?"

    "Rarely," Nix says. "Usually when Lethia's with me. Lingering on it doesn't help, though. It's been three years since I last saw her, and it's better to move on."

    "It doesn't sound like you've moved on," Autumn says. "From what Cocoa said, and from... you bringing it up like this."

    "Maybe not," Nix says. "But... That's why we should talk about it. You shouldn't have to compete with a girl I only knew for four months three years ago. You're wonderful and beautiful and brave and... I want to have something serious with you. But that means having the hard conversations. It would feel like lying to hide this from you, going forwards from here."

    "And you shouldn't have to compete with my dead father," says Autumn back. "It's not - easy to get past these things." She looks over at Nix. "I... Thank you for sharing this. It's... not easy to hear that the person I - am dating - had someone before me, but..." She runs a hand through her hair. "It's better to know."

    "Yeah," Nix says. "I think so." She looks over at Autumn. "... Can I hug you?"

    Autumn smiles slightly, shifts Ziggy out of her lap, and drops her legs off the side of her bed. Standing up, she spreads her arms wide.

    Nix gets up as well, and steps over to Autumn. They embrace softly, Autumn wrapping her arms around Nix's shoulders and Nix doing the same.

    "Thank you for understanding," Nix says.

    "Thank you for being honest," Autumn replies.

    Autumn lets go first, and Nix follows suit. There's a moment where they're still close, not quite parted -

    Autumn darts in and pecks Nix's cheek.

    Nix flushes and lifts a hand to her cheek. "I... what was that for?"

    "I don't know," says Autumn. "I just... wanted to do it, and there was no reason not to, so..." She looks away and smiles.

    Nix smiles as well. "Okay," she says. "You absolutely get to do that." She runs a hand through her hair and takes a step back, warmth still on her cheeks. She looks behind her, then sits carefully on the side of her own bed.

    Autumn sits back down as well, and the two girls face each other the familiar way they have many times before.

    "So," Autumn says. "Do you want to... maybe tell me a story about Marie? While we wait for your boots to dry?"

    Nix smiles slightly. "Alright." She crosses her legs and leans back a little. "I think I'll tell you about catching Lethia. So, there's this cave on Route 47 in Johto, which is this high seaside route against the cliffs by the shore. We had to go there late at night to have any chance of catching a Misdreavus, me and Marie and Alex, who was the Ace Trainer we got to sponsor the whole expedition..."

    ~*~​

    "... and so we finally got out of the cave around noon, with Lethia with us." Nix eventually concludes. "And Alex got the Wooper he came for as well. Marie was just happy to see me with a Misdreavus, she didn't really care that she hadn't caught one herself. She kissed my hand and asked what I'd name her." Nix tilts her head. "We didn't figure that out for another three days, but that's another story."

    Autumn runs a hand through her hair. "You talk about her so warmly. Marie, I mean."

    "I..." Nix looks down at her hands. "She was my first love. That matters. But... The time and distance that's come between us matters too. I haven't seen her in person for three years. Haven't texted her for two. Though we broke up when I left for Hoenn, we still tried to keep in touch... but eventually Marie met someone new. I don't remember her name, Marie only told me it once and it was years ago now. This tall girl with red hair. Marie decided that it wasn't sensible for her to keep texting her ex when she had a new girlfriend, and I agreed with her. I hardly wanted to mess up her new relationship, after all." Nix crosses her arms. "So we stopped talking, and now we're old history to each other."

    Autumn nods. "Do you know what she's doing now?"

    "Best guess she's still doing the Johto gym circuit. But I try not to think about her. There was a lot of good there, but it's all made bittersweet by its ending." Nix smiles crookedly.

    Autumn nods. She gets up from her bed and sits next to Nix.

    "Thank you for telling me about her," Autumn says. "I... You're right, it is bittersweet. It's something you could have had, and lost..." She reaches out, offering her hand to Nix.

    Nix takes it, and squeezes firmly. "Yeah."

    "Still," Autumn says, "If you'd stayed with her, we'd never have happened. So I can't help being a little happy things didn't work out."

    Nix's lips twitch up. "Yeah, that makes sense." She looks down at Autumn's hand. "I'm really happy about how well you're handling this."

    "It's scary," Autumn says, "But - if you wanted her, you could have had her. You figured it out with me, after all. I think your heart knew what it wanted, and that was Hoenn and not her, in the end."

    Nix nods and runs her thumb across Autumn's knuckles. "... May I kiss you?", she asks.

    Autumn smiles. "... Yeah," she says. "You can."

    Nix leans in, and the two girls gently touch lips. Nix is the first to withdraw.

    Autumn takes a deep breath, squeezes Nix's hand, and smiles. "... I have to say, getting to kiss you really helps with the anxiety."

    Nix smiles a sliver-thin smile. "Oh does it now."

    Autumn blushes and ducks her head. "I still don't want to explore... today. I'm tempted, but..." She shakes her head.

    "Yeah," Nix says. "I don't mean to push. It's just that you keep giving me such good opportunities to tease."

    Autumn smiles slightly. "It's okay, but I would really appreciate if you could back it off a little."

    "Okay," Nix says. "My boots are probably dry now, so... I think I'll head out and do some training with Lethia."

    "Alright," Autumn says. "Have a nice time, alright?"

    "Alright," Nix says. She releases Autumn's hand and stands up, going over to her boots. As she slips them back on and does up the snaps, she nods to Autumn. "See you in a few hours."

    Autumn goes over and picks up the room's TV remote. "See you," she says, settling back into her bed with Ziggy to hand.

    ~*~​

    An hour or two into surfing the dorm room's TV channels, Ziggy finally wakes up and uncurls. Looking around at the room, his gaze goes from the TV to Autumn.

    "Zag?", he asks softly.

    "Ziggy!", Autumn chirps. She turns off the TV and scoops up her Zigzagoon. "It's glad to see you up and awake. Feeling a little better?"

    Ziggy nods and sits up to lick her face. "Zagoon!"

    Autumn laughs a little. "Nice to see you back," she says. "A lot's happened while you were out."

    Ziggy cocks his head to the side. "Zag?"

    "I, um..." Autumn flushes a little. "I kissed Nix."

    Ziggy's tail wags firmly. "Zigzagoon!"

    Autumn smiles. "Yeah, that is good news. It's... Um. I might be keeping you in your ball a little more going forwards, if that's okay. It's not that I don't want to kiss Nix in front of you, but..."

    Ziggy tilts his head, then nods once. "Zag." He presses in close to her. "Zigzagoon."

    "I love you too," Autumn says softly. She runs a hand down his back. "Alright, let's see about getting you some supper."

    ~*~​

    Autumn has a pan on the stove filled with strips of chicken breast and sliced peppers when Nix comes back in to the dorm room.

    Autumn looks over her shoulder from the kitchen nook and gives Nix a bright smile. "How was your training?"

    Nix smiles back. "Really fun. I told my team about what happened today and all of them were really happy about it. Lethia licked my cheek, which she hardly ever does." She walks over to her bed and sits down heavily. "I'm worn out, though. Between walking all over the aquarium this morning and now running back and forth doing catch for Noir..." She sighs heavily. "Not that it hasn't been wonderful, but it takes a lot out of you."

    "Would you like me to make something for you once I'm done with Ziggy's food?", Autumn asks.

    Nix reaches down and starts unlacing her boots. "That would be wonderful, thank you."

    Autumn nods, and swirls the contents of the frying pan. "I should be done Ziggy's meal in like five minutes."

    "Cool," Nix says. "How is he?"

    Ziggy hops down from the counter, and up onto the bed next to Nix. "Zag!", he chirps brightly.

    "Feeling better, huh?" Nix smiles. "I'm glad."

    Ziggy presses against Nix's side as she leans over to get her boots. "Zigzagoon."

    "Well someone's being friendly," Nix says. She sits up and runs a hand down Ziggy's back, and he steps up into her lap.

    "Zigzagoon," he says firmly, and stands up on his back legs to lick Nix's cheek. His tail wags back and forth.

    She blushes slightly. "I take it you told Ziggy the news?"

    Autumn ducks her head. "Yeah. He's in a really good mood and I haven't even fed him yet."

    "That's hardly a surprise after the stunt he pulled with the shower," Nix says. She smiles slightly. "Sneaky little rogue." She skritches behind his ear tufts.

    Ziggy purrs smugly, and curls up in Nix's lap. "Zaaaaaaaaaaag."

    Autumn picks up Ziggy's bowl from where she's left it on the counter and sets it next to the pan. She smiles slightly where Nix can't see. "Are your pokémon as pushy as Ziggy is? He got me to call you a couple times, helped me with the tickets - he's been with me this whole time, nudging me forwards when I falter."

    "Lethia's like that for me," Nix replies. "She's the one who got me to ask if you had a crush."

    Autumn turns off the flame, and empties the pan into Ziggy's bowl. "That's kind of cute. I'm used to thinking of you as - you know, in control, always with a plan. You seem to approach your whole life the way you did Granite Cave - lots of forethought, lots of consideration." She turns around and beckons to Ziggy. "Over here, Ziggy, I've got your bowl ready."

    Ziggy shakes his head and stays firmly in Nix's lap. "Zagoon."

    Autumn rolls her eyes. "Of course." She takes the bowl off the counter and walks over to Nix, and sets it down on the bed next to her. The small motion brings her close to Nix, and despite herself her gaze flicks over to Nix - only to find her looking back with a small smile.

    Autumn ducks her head. "I think..." She runs a hand through her hair. "I think Ziggy wants proof."

    Ziggy steps out of Nix's lap very deliberately, and nods firmly.

    Nix smiles up at Autumn. "Up to you if you want to make him wait."

    Autumn snorts air out through her nose, and leans in, cupping Nix's chin. Gently, she kisses the shorter girl.

    Ziggy stands up on his hind legs and softly claps his forepaws together. His tongue hangs out in a big doggy grin.

    Autumn and Nix look over at him together, and both of them smile. "Greedy little thing," Nix says. She reaches out and skritches behind Ziggy's ear tufts again.

    "Yeah," Autumn says. "But I don't mind." She steps away. "So, you wanted like a ham sandwich or something? I could prepare one of the chicken breasts for you if you wanted."

    "A ham sandwich is fine," Nix says. "Thanks again."

    Autumn nods and steps back to the kitchen. Opening the fridge, she pulls out the ham and cheese slices, and gets down a plate from the cupboard.

    Nix finishes unlacing her boots, then stands up and pads up next to Autumn in the kitchen. "Can you pass me an apple from the fridge and a knife? I feel like adding some apple slices."

    "Sure," Autumn says, and she opens the fridge and passes Nix the bag with the trio of Cherrygrove apples in it.

    "These are the Cherrygrove ones," Nix says. "Did you want to try them now, or...?"

    Autumn looks down at the three apples in the bag, and nods after a moment. "You know, why not?" She smiles slightly. "Reminds me of that apple you gave me back on Route 110, the same day we got attacked by the poochyena. It seems like a world ago now."

    Nix reaches into the bag and offers Autumn one of the apples. "Here," she says.

    Autumn flushes slightly. "I - thank you." She takes the apple and looks down at it.

    Nix raises an eyebrow. "That's an interesting reaction..."

    Autumn bites the inside of her cheek. "I..." She ducks her head. "When we were camping in Dewford, the night before we left... I dreamt that were were on the ferry together again. You gave me an apple, and then you - embraced me -" She blushes even harder. "In retrospect it was obviously, you know, a sex dream, but at the time I didn't realize..." She looks away. "So having it happen in real life..." She takes a bite of the apple and looks away.

    Nix smiles slightly. "I could say a lot of things to that, but I think I'll settle for saying... I don't mind." She takes a bite of her own Cherrygrove apple. "So," she says through the mouthful of apple. "How is it?"

    Autumn swallows guiltily. "I - was a little distracted -" She looks down at the apple and takes a second bite, this time chewing more thoughtfully.

    Nix inclines her head.

    "... S'good," Autumn says. "Sweet. It's got a little bit less of a tart flavor than the Viridian ones. I can see why they're more expensive." She swallows. "Thanks, Nix."
    "Anytime," Nix says. "Now are you going to finish that sandwich or not?"

    Autumn rolls her eyes and smiles. "You're the one who interrupted things. But sure, I'll focus." She starts unwrapping a slice of the cheese.

    Ziggy hops up onto the counter, and noses at the bag. "Zigzagoon!"

    "Yes, yes, you can have your apple too," Nix laughs. She takes the third apple out of the bag and sets it in Ziggy's upraised paws. "For everything you've done for Autumn."

    Ziggy's tail wags and he nods solemnly, then takes a big bite of the apple.

    Autumn reaches over and pets his back once, a small smile coming to her face. "Good Ziggy." Then she turns back to Nix's sandwich.

    Nix takes her apple and sits back down on the bed again, taking casual bites as she leans back against the headboard. Ziggy hops down from the counter and puts the apple into his bowl, and starts eating.

    Autumn works on the sandwich while interspersing bites of her own apple, and after a few minutes she brings the completed sandwich over to Nix. "Here you go," she says. "And now I should really make something for myself."

    Nix nods. "You've got the ham and cheese out already, so it shouldn't take too long to make another sandwich."

    Autumn nods. "Yeah. I'll get on that and join you." She turns back to the kitchen.

    Nix sits quietly, eating her sandwich and her apple. Ziggy eats at her feet, taking bites of chicken breast and apple alternately.

    Within a few minutes, Autumn's built her own sandwich, and she comes over to sit on the bed next to Nix. They eat together quietly, and halfway through her sandwich, Autumn leans over slightly and rests her shoulder against Nix's.

    Nix smiles, and just keeps eating her own apple.

    ~*~​

    A few hours later, Nix is checking out the typeblenders website on her Pokétch, while Autumn watches the contest network with Ziggy on her lap.

    "And that's Slateport's evening Ultra Contest," says the TV announcer. "Keep watching for an exclusive interview with Kyrie Blanc!"

    Autumn switches off the TV and settles back into bed. "I think it's time to sleep," she says.

    Nix looks up from her pokétch. "Sorry, what was that?"

    "It's ten PM," Autumn replies. "I think it's time to turn in."

    "Is it really?" Nix looks down at her poketch's clock. "Wow. Time really slipped away from me there."

    Autumn smiles slightly, and leans back against the headboard. "You seem really into that website."

    "It has a lot of information on how to mix and control Type Energy," Nix says. "It's really a great resource. I'll have to try some of these exercises with Noir and Lethia..." She shakes her head. "But you were saying it's time for bed."

    "Yeah." Autumn reaches down and starts taking off her socks. "Um, I should probably turn around...?"

    Nix runs a hand through her hair. "... Yeah, unless you want to get a... real head start on the exploration part."

    Autumn turns and faces away from Nix. "No thank you," she chirps. "It's - okay for now. We'll figure it out. And I don't want to scandalize Ziggy."

    Ziggy nuzzles into Autumn's side with a soft "Zag", and Autumn strokes a hand through his fur.

    "Alright," Nix says. "I'll tell you when it's safe to look."

    There's a few rustles, and Autumn fights down a sudden urge to turn around. What would even happen, then...

    She takes a slow breath, looks down at Ziggy next to her, and does her best to focus on her socks.

    "It's safe to look now," comes the quiet voice of Nix.

    Autumn looks over her shoulder, and sees Nix snuggled softly into her bed.

    "Alright," Autumn says. "I'll get the light. Goodnight, Nix."

    "Goodnight, Autumn," Nix replies. "... It was really nice to get to kiss you."

    "Yeah," Autumn says. "It was nice to get to kiss you too."

    Autumn goes over and gets the light, and in the darkness she slips back into her own bed and closes her eyes.

    Next chapter is being hard. We're down to 3 weeks' buffer now. I don't want to spoil but it's something I want to get right and that's difficutly to write, but that I feel is important to include. So I'm just going to have to put my head down and do the hard work.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • I liked the conversation between Nix and Autumn. Autumn knowing herself enough that she needs a bit of time before she feels ready enough to explore and Nix respecting that, Nix telling Autumn about one of her past relationships, the understanding between the two of them, that they both have tough things that they've gone through and are going through but that that's okay.... It was all very good.

    And Ziggy's back, and making up for lost time it seems. "Proof" indeed.

    It'll be interesting to see what Nix learned from the website and how she uses it.
     
    Reader mode
    You must login or register to reply here.
    Back
    Top