Joseph gave a chuckle. "Not exactly here for the festival, no." He said with a shrug. "But it seems I got landed in the middle of it anyway." He said as he smiled at the two men. He saw how Ba'ul lingered on him with mixed emotions, but that wasn't something he could ask directly.
"You doing okay over there Baal?" Joseph asked with a smile. "Are these two not letting you eat your fill again?" He asked with a bit of a knowing smile. Really the Absol needed a diet of healthy food and a workout.
"What about you two? What are you three doing here?" He asked curiously as he looked at the trio.
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Kayla nearly fell over backward trying to avoid the person who almost barrelled into her.Ā She blinked several times before recognizing it was Erya, but the sounds of an angry pursuer took a bit longer to process.Ā Long enough, in fact, that by the time she understood what was going on, sheād already been dragged halfway down the street.Ā Ā
āHuh?!Ā What?!Ā Huh?!?!āĀ Kayla stared at the bouncing purse for several moments before her brain finallyĀ pieced together what was going on.Ā She gave a wry chuckle as the pieces fell into place.Ā Ā āYeah, sure,ā she replied with a grin.Ā āIāve got a bit of a headstart today anyways.Ā I should be good for a drink.āĀ Kayla was terribly clumsy footwork-wise though.Ā Running was not her strong suit, let alone dancing.Ā Part of being part-fish.Ā āIn return, Iāll see what I can do about your tail.āĀ As they walked, Kayla lightly sang a song- a song to hide, a song to conceal, a song to make the stones, brick, and wood think of them as their own, and her necklace pulsated to the beat, forcing the world around them to resonate with her tune.Ā It probably wasnāt perfect, but itād buy them a couple minutes at the very least.Ā Ā
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā It was his first time back in a city since āthe incidentā, but he still couldnāt remember anything. Ā Four months prior, Esaias had woken up with dissociate fugue amnesia, among a whole plethora of other issues. Ā He couldnāt remember his name, where he was from, or even the people in the room with him, although the two girls had claimed to know him very well. Heād had to focus on recovering his body first though. Ā Whatever had happened that had caused him to lose his memory had also left him in a really terrible physical state, and there was a point where he was fighting for his life. Ā But now he was recovered enough that he could go out, so he wanted to start on his memories as soon as the doctor gave him the all-clear. Ā He leaned back on the park bench heād stopped to rest on and groaned. Just remembering Celia and Baliaās reactions to him wanting to go out made him tired. Ā Neither had been enthused about the idea, but Celia had been particularly against it. Ā Heād had to trick her just to let him leave the house. Ā Esaias pinched the bridge of his nose and glanced over at where Morganna, Baliaās faithful Delphox, stood guard over him. Ā She probably thought she was being discreet, and she was- to everyone but Esaias. Ā He was still getting used to his eyes, and going out was part of that adjustment in addition to finding a way to knock his memories loose. Ā Parks, he was learning, were nice though. Ā Plants were relatively easy to look at, at least more so than people. Heād been walking around all of 30 minutes and he was already getting a headache. Ā Celia had warned him about them, but he hadnāt thought they were this bad. He was starting to feel better now though, enough that, when he looked up to see a young man staring at him, he immediately jumped up.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā āS-Sorry, did you want to sit here? Ā Iām feeling better, so you can use it all you want!ā Esaias stuttered out.
Kida ran down the river bank as fast as she could. She tried to scan the water as she ran, but her eyes were clouded with tears.Ā
Eventually, exhaustion overtook her, and she stumbled in the loose gravel, and went down. She felt herself fall into the damp earth with a sickeningĀ āthudā, and the mixture of mud and rocks almost instantly soaked her dress. But even still, she didnāt immediately get up. It took her aĀ few seconds to pull herself up to a kneel... and there she stopped. She could feel her entire body trembling uncontrollably.Ā
Numbly, she raised her hands from the mud and looked at them. She couldnāt tell if it was mist from the river or not, but a thick fog had rolled in. Kida almost swore she could see it rolling over her fingertips.Ā
If their enemies were still pursuing them... Kida couldnāt hear them. There was a rushing in her ears that she couldnāt tell was her own blood or the river.Ā
She wrapped her arms around herself, and felt a sob escape from her throat,Ā āThis is my fault...ā Kida closed her eyes, but all she saw was the memory of their little party fleeing their unknown pursuers through the woods...Ā
Kida could see Baāul fling himself at the Obstagoon to defend them... she could still feel the creaking of the bridge under them as they tried to run across...
Her eyes shot open again as the memory of the bridge collapsing flooded her mind. Ares had caught her. He had managed to hold onto the collapsing bridge and her hand at the same time... and because of that...
He wouldnāt have even been here if it wasnāt for you. Her mind told her bitterly, and another sob escaped her throat. She wanted to shout at her own brain to shut up, but the words wouldnāt come.
It felt like forever ago she had met with the Rover in the woods and bribed him to come with her. Bribed him with a lie. And even after she had heavy-handed him into helping her... he had been kind to her. He sold his own jewelry to buy her travelling clothes and his Absol had helped shield her from the cold during the long chilly nights instead of himself.Ā
He wouldnāt have been there if it wasnāt for her. He wouldnāt have gotten shot. He wouldnāt have fallen in the river...
Heās dead now.Ā Her brain told her. Just like your Father and possibly your Brother.Ā
The tears suddenly came freely now. She curled herself up, rested her head on her knees, wrapped her arms around her legs, and allowed herself to openly cry. It wasnāt something she would ever willingly do in front of anyone... but she was alone. Completely and utterly alone. With an unknown enemy trying to capture her, no weapons to defend herself, and no idea where she was.
Kida had no idea how long she sat there for. All she knew is that she cried until the tears no longer came out... and then she just sat there in silence. Eventually she raised her head and let her reddened eyes look out over the river.... but she could barely see the river. The blue fog had almost completely hidden it form her view.
Itās not safe here. Her mind told her. If the man in the black armor, the Obstagoon, or the Machamp found her now... she wouldnāt be able to see them until it was too late.
She sniffled, and attempted to stand up again... but her body wouldnāt listen. She was... so utterly exhausted...
Kida was about to let herself fall over into the mud... when a sudden noise caught her attention and it jolted her awake. It sounded like something walking through the underbrush. All thoughts of exhaustion dissipated and she jumped to her feet.
āB-Baāul?!ā She gasped. Her voice barely came out as a whisper.Ā
That had to be Baāul! Heād found a way down from the top of the cliff and was coming to find her! Her brain refused to think of anything. She attempted to run towards the rustling sound, but her legs once again gave out under her and she fell back into the mud with a sob.
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Penniless, and stuck walking down the deserted street in the Rover Outpost,Ā Kida stared at Aresā back as they walked down the street. She felt enormously guilty that he had sold all his jewelry for her sake...
āI-Iāll pay you back when we get to Motostoke!ā Kida blurted out. She stopped in her tracks,Ā āFor the supplies I mean...ā
"Have you ever thought about... you know....getting back into training and gyms and things?" Balia looked up at Miguel as she picked up the stick she'd brought and stuck it in the side of the Snowman she was building. Now that it was done she stood up, but she had a handful of snow in her pink be-mittened hands.
It was strange. She couldn't feel the cold through her mittens as she worked the snow into a ball.
"I was thinking about it. That as soon as Mika left I would too. I just had the Viridian Badge left you know." Miguel put his hands in his pockets and looked at the ground. "I don't know though... I don't know if I should just leave...."
Balia felt his emotions turn towards his dad and she guessed.
"You mean leave your dad?" she offered in a soft voice. He glanced up at her. She always wondered if he found it spooky how accurate her guesses could be. She tried not to show how much people revealed through their emotions. Balia dropped the snowball she had been planning on tossing at him in the face of the emotions rolling off of him. They'd been dating for a while. Almost a year ago was it? That he first asked her out? Wow. But anyway they had talked a little here and there about hard things. Including a little about their respective parents. Not a lot. But enough.
"Yeah... he can't take care of himself anymore." He let out a tired puff of a breath. Balia felt frustration and anger rise in her on his behalf. She went over and gently took his hand. She should have felt the warmth of it through his gloves.
"I.... haven't expressed my feelings much about your Dad. Because he's your Dad and I have some... intense feelings about Dads not acting like... Dad's should. Given... my own blood father... But I'm going to say this now... I think he could take care of himself, he really wanted to. Losing someone you love is too painful for words. But so is being let down time and again by someone who you're supposed to be able to count on. His pain, doesn't justify him giving up on you and Mika. And that's what he did. He gave up on everything and everyone. And just because you're used to this doesn't make it okay. There's a point at which you have to realize that his choices, are not your fault. They're his. And choosing to do something good for yourself is not bad. Your wishes and needs are just as important as anyone else's." She watched his eyes watch her's. As if searching for something. As much as her empathic powers could help her guess things. People's thoughts were something she refused to read.
"Where... do you learn this stuff from? That nice Step-dad of yours?" Balia smiled a little, going up on tiptoe. She could smell the hint of smoke on him and the cologne as she leaned in to kiss him.
"No. I just pull this out of my ass." that got him to chuckle, and she thought it must have been somewhat because he never heard her swear. It was just so unlike her. But seeing Miguel smile was well worth it. She didn't think she'd ever feel this way about anyone again. It made her wonder... should she tell him now? She was an honest creature. And not telling him would be lying. It was... just hard to find the right time and the right words. And it was kind of dangerous for anyone to know.
"Okay. I'm ready to get out of this cold.. are you? We've got time before I have to-"
"Balia? Are you okay?"
"Huh? Yeah, why?"
"Because you're crying."
"What? Why would I be crying I'm not-" there was a click. And then a sound that shattered her heart in pieces. The sound of muffled gasps and screams. Of crunching snow as someone hurriedly ran off. And another as Miguel sunk to the snow below them and Balia herself dropped to the ground beside him.
"Upset..?" Miguel's eyes were frantic and his face was pale. But not from the cold. There was blood in the snow and on his jacket. Blood on her hands as she tried to keep pressure on his wound. But it wasn't helping.
There were people standing around. Just standing there watching her struggle and scream on the inside. Someone was even recording with their phone, she heard someone snapping pictures. She screamed at someone to call for help. Get an ambulance, Anything! She wasn't a nurse.
"Miguel! Miguel stay with me! Please stay with me!" she begged. Balia could feel his life force slipping away, and yet she couldn't do anything! She had the power to make it all go away. To heal his wounds in an instant and save his life, but then her secret would be revealed. And she would never be able to have a normal life again. He might revile her and cast her off.
"Please! Please keep fighting! Mika needs you still Miguel! And I love you. I want to see you succeed! I want to help you and cheer you on as you live and thrive in your own life. I want to be a part of it- Please?" there was so much blood. So many people. Too many people. Too many emotions. She was fighting not to freak out and expose herself a different way.
His eyes were turning glossy. There was a rushing in her ears. His mouth was moving, but she couldn't hear what he was trying to say.
His eyes rolled back in his head and his breathe rushed out of his lungs. She didn't just cry, she keened. Trying to hold herself in as much as she could as her new hopes and dreams shattered around her in a million pieces. Though clouds were gathering and the people watching her were starting to burst into tears. Though they didn't know why. Didnāt know they were caused by the intense grief that a Goddess right in front of them was feeling.
"Miguel... I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I could have... I know I could have saved you..."
Balia awoke in her bed. There was the light on her nightstand. On like it always was. There was a folded up scarf next to it with a sunflower locket that needed a new chain. And there was Morganna in the doorway of her room. Rain was rapping on the windows and roof vigorously and Aragh was snoring at the foot of her bed.Ā
[Bad dreams again?] Morganna asked as Balia got out of bed and reached for her robe.
āYes... but also a memory.ā she said, tone somber as she wiped at the tears on her face.
