#controlledflame

Serena had known about the astronomical event ever since she and Red had viewed the partial eclipse back in November. However, such a thing was quickly forgotten about as the whirlwind that was life swept her up and away. It had only been four days prior to this night that she had remembered, and it had sent her into a frenzy of planning. Of course, telling Red about the eclipse was the very first thing she had done before anything else. With the confession that spurred their relationship having been under a slightly red moon, tonight was of utmost importance.

Unlike the previous one, this one was happening much later in the night, well past two. She had wanted to get some sleep before her several alarms would inevitably go off, but Serena found herself much too excited - and nervous - to properly sleep. She got maybe an hour of rest if she was lucky. The coffee she had brewed that morning sat next to Red’s mug on the patio furniture, along with a couple of muffins she had bought from Anistar’s bakery the evening prior.

She had pulled on her leather jacket over her nightshirt because of how chilly the weather was, tossing her braided hair over her shoulder as she made adjustments to the telescope. Serena had made sure the lenses were spotless and clean, and managed to place the telescope in the perfect spot to where their view of the moon wouldn’t be obstructed by the several large trees that dotted their backyard. Normally, she’d have the several strings of fairy lights stretched across the space on, but she was worried about ruining the view.

Some of the pokemon were either perched in trees or laying atop the cool grass, snoozing quietly. Serena had tried to see if Rose was interested in coming outside, but the Sylveon seemed adamant on dozing comfortably under the warm covers.

“I think I’ve gotten the perfect angle.” Serena said, lifting her face from the telescope to look at Red. Her heart always skipped a beat when she saw him, though tonight the feeling seemed much more intense. It really did feel like their first eclipse all over again. She’d move back to look through the lens of the telescope, turning one of the knobs to focus it. “It’s a little hard to see right now... most of it is covered in shadow. We’re probably getting closer to totality - oh! You can see a tiny bit of a glow on some of the edges.” She’d step back from the telescope. “Take a look; you can see the faintest color where some of the shadows are - like when metal is just getting heated enough to have a faint red glow.”

It only took a couple of hours for the plane to reach Johto, and she’d taken the magnet train to Goldenrod. She’d take her phone from her pocket as she stepped off the train, following the directions to the Department Store. Once there, she’d stand around the corner of the building, scrolling through her contacts quickly.

[text: Red] Hey! I picked up some souvenirs for you in Lilycove, but I wasn’t sure what your address was. I was able to send them to the Department Store in Goldenrod, though! I think all you need is some ID whenever you go to pick them up. I hope you like them! :)

“I think that’s convincing enough...” Serena muttered to herself, sending the message to him. Yes, she didn’t tell him she was coming to visit at all. It was going to be a surprise, and honestly, she was quite excited to see him again.