The Night Baskers

I very much would prefer if you watched the intended version with the ORIGINAL audio here! But what I’m linking is the Youtube version that uses a cover to avoid copyright strikes. <xD

5 “Wait a minute. Are you jealous?”14. “Hey, I’m with you okay? Always.”

((Oh. OH. OOOOOOHHHHH….. NONNIE. You are going to break @miamaha and I with feels!))

<< Continued from here >>

Shani blushed lightly when Solace repeated the small Eevee’s name, “y-yeah! Skittish. See, Braith and I are… terrible with names. So we literally named them after how they behave - for now, at least, w-we’re going to give them proper names soon, promise! I-it’s nice to meet you too, Solace.”

The Smelphox nodded his head, and was about to give a response when Solace asked about Braith. And if the other Smeargle-hybrid was a friend, or– well, Shani knew that Solace was not exactly trying to imply that Braith and him were possibly– and of course the Smelphox knew that the openendedness of the question could also be wondering if Braith was a sibling–

Unforutunately for Shani, he turned the same color as his hair.

“Y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y—-” he promptly covered his face with his hands and released a muffled screech before Shani took a deep breath.

“B-Brah-Braith is j-just a friend, yes,” he finally managed, his look very much that of an embarrassed ‘mon, “w-we decided to buy a h-house together b-because that was, well, l-less expensive, and t-truthfully if it weren’t for me, w-well we wouldn’t have t-taken in the kits i-in the first place. B-but regardless, we’re their p-parents now! A-nd it um, it works out quite well, because, I’m more m-motherly than Braith is, so essentially the kits h-have a mother and father figure, e-even if I am a boy.”

Blinking slowly, Solace watched with eyes a smidgen wider as the poor Smelphox...well, the word the Absol was looking for escaped him. “Break down” sounded too extreme, but at the moment Shani did look like he was temporarily malfunctioning. It was when he heard the screech that Solace was about ready to slowly reach out a concerned paw, until Shani finally answered him.

“Ah, I see...!” The red Absol smiled kindly, although he was sure his expression betrayed his confusion and lingering question of “areyouokay”. Hearing Shani ramble made his worry begin to shift into interest, at least, which then shifted into further curiosity. If it weren’t for the fact that he had just met Shani and the other male was clearly uncomfortable, Solace might’ve been tempted to lightly tease him as a new question formed within his mind, thanks to the Smelphox’s reaction. 

Solace’s eyes shone in amusement at the stranger.

“Heya there! Indeedy I am~! And no worries, I get pretty excited seeing interesting ‘mons too~ Suuuch as yourself!” he offered a friendly smile.

As someone who was fond of children, the red Absol was both surprised and delighted by the question.  However, that quickly morphed into concern upon hearing about the panicking.

“Oh poor thing…”

“W-well! Based on past observations, one of the best things you can do when it begins to panic is stay calm. Don’t show any surprise or stress or frustration, just try to show patience and speak to the little one with a soft, gentle tone, so it’ll know that things are alright and safe. Even if it’s too young to understand what you’re saying, it may be perceptive enough to know your tone.”

“Try to know when a storm is coming, if you can. That way you can offer comfort beforehand and the little one will eventually learn that whenever it senses a storm, it can trust you as their safe zone.

And try keeping the little one close to your body during storms…! Body warmth and even being able to listen to a heartbeat can help with soothing them. Ah, physical comfort too! Try things like patting, stroking, and grooming, if I can assume the little one has long fur on them!”

“Actually, grooming at any time can be very helpful with bonding with the tiny one! It’s a stress-reliever and can improve their mood! Soo…comb their fur, brush your nails through it, that kind of thing!”

Shani listened intently to what the Absol had to say, nodding his head in response, “okay… okay, so grooming, or stroking them can help relieve stress. I-I should probably let Braith handle that though, I’m terrible at staying calm when one of the Eevees panics - but at least we were able to figure out that Skittish was panicking because he could sense a coming storm, since Braith would sense the storm at a similar time… I guess Braith was never one to panic when a storm was brewing, maybe that’s why he doesn’t know what to do…”

“’Skittish’?” he repeated, trying to hold back an amused smile but failing. “Is that the little one’s name? OH, wow sorry!” The red Absol laughed, rubbing his neck with a clawed paw. “I’m not even sure HOW, but introducing myself actually slipped my mind! I’m Solace!” He held out a welcoming white paw. “It’s nice to meet you, Shani, and I’m happy I could help!” 

“So, new parents I’m guessing~?” Solace asked with a slightly teasing tone, grinning. “It’s a good thing you have someone to depend on and share the experience with! Sounds like you two are doing your best to work together on this.” 

“Listen, here’s what we can do; unfortunately I don’t have a nose that can sniff out scents, but surely someone from my village does. We have a guild system that takes on missions and tasks, with plenty of members and teams at that. I could escort you there so you can try to find a team who has the ability to sniff out a lead. And if no one’s available right away, we can put together a mission flier and stick it to a mission board for someone to pick up. All you’d need is to provide some kind of reward, like berries or pokecoins, which I can help you with if you need. I can even spread the word to my friends; the least they can do is keep an eye out for your friend. A green Umbreon, right”

“You would truly do that for me? You’re quite kind. It makes me proud to know we share the same name.”

“Listen, here’s what we can do; unfortunately I don’t have a nose that can sniff out scents, but surely someone from my village does. We have a guild system that takes on missions and tasks, with plenty of members and teams at that. I could escort you there so you can try to find a team who has the ability to sniff out a lead. And if no one’s available right away, we can put together a mission flier and stick it to a mission board for someone to pick up. All you’d need is to provide some kind of reward, like berries or pokecoins, which I can help you with if you need. I can even spread the word to my friends; the least they can do is keep an eye out for your friend. A green Umbreon, right”

“I watched him fall at my feet..presumably dead…his possible murderer just ran. He was taken to a hospital but I could not dare to face the man I promised to protect. I fled far from there and lived on the mountains.” She takes a deep breath, having increasing trouble staying reserved

“O-one day..A green umbreon was being attacked in the forest…We quickly became good friends. I made a promise I would protect him too but”

The male Absol’s gaze softened, and he remained quiet until she had finished expressing her sorrow. “I see...what an awful thing to occur.” Solaciel’s eyebrows narrowed back, trying to imagine himself in the same predicament. “I’m sorry that had to happen, and that you feel that way. But you have to remind yourself that you did your best to take precautions. Even if you allowed him out, he chose to dismiss your warning.” 

Solaciel shook his head solemnly. “Sometimes choices just lead to horrible, unfortunate outcomes. It’s not something we have full control over, when unseen outside sources come into play. Even when you make a choice that’s meant to help someone, something else can come along to ruin that. There are too many factors for them all to be your fault, Solace.” Solaciel’s eyelids drooped, his blue gaze becoming unfocused and distant for a moment before he blinked a few times, looking back at the female Absol.

“For you, the wrong factors came together to create that situation that day. And seeing someone you love get hurt isn’t an easy thing...it’s understandable that it hurt too much to face them when you were convinced that you had failed them, you know...? You seem to hold yourself to this title of “guardian”. That’s why failure must be difficult for you.”

She sighs happily, a small blush making her cheeks even more red, before seeming to become lost in her own thoughts

Noticing how Solace had cut herself of, the red male tipped his head curiously. Her next comment, however, surprised him. “Oh, no no!” he waved a paw in front of him, as if to wave off such an idea. “There’s nothing wrong with giving a kind compliment! And there’s also nothing wrong with sharing your troubles if you need to.” Solaciel offered a kind, inviting smile “I like to think I’ve got good listening ears. Or well...’ears’.” He lifted his paws to make quotation marks in the air with his claws, chuckling afterwards. 

Solaciel looked around for a moment. Seeing a nice spot under a tree, the male Absol padded over to it, then turned to Solace to motion towards the spot with his head. “I was on a walk anyway, so I’m completely free for chatting! Or chilling~” 

“By the stars above…It’s good to meet you…solace. There’s a sentence I never expect to say.” She chuckled slightly

“I got a few envious gazes from trainers, surely. But only one of them ever truly saw me for me.” She sighed happily, remembering good times from her past, before shaking her head. “ I learned a strong lesson. There is a good and a bad to everyone and every group of people. Just because some people seem horrid doesn’t mean the whole group is bad, And naturally, those horrid people had to have something cause them to act that way..”

Nodding his head as Solace explained, a smile pulled at the male Absol’s muzzle when he could tell that she was reminiscing. “It’s wonderful that you found someone like that. It’s a great feeling, huh? To have someone see you for you.” he sighed peacefully. “That’s a lesson I had to learn as well. We’re pretty lucky; I mean...its best to remember that good still exists, otherwise I can only imagine what life would be like, believing everyone is horrible by nature.”

Solaciel grinned at her comment. “You like me already? Well that’s a new record~!” he playfully joked. “I get what you mean, though; it is a tiny bit surreal. I knew one day I’d get to meet another red Absol, face-to-face. I just never thought it’d happen like this.”