Welcome to Gaia! ::

(Continuing from Five Island...)

Aiden had to admit that Natalia certainly had an interesting way of looking at certain things, and it really did offer a new angle of perspective that gave him quite a bit to think about. He hadn’t looked too deeply into the story about Tanabata’s origins, even though he had heard the tale at least a thousand times before… he honestly wouldn’t have thought about how the sky princess and the farmer prince would only be able to meet about once a year. Although, the story didn’t give much detail about what happened following the aftermath, just that Tanabata was held once each year to celebrate the reunion of the once-separated lovers… With the puppet show over, though, Aiden pushed those thoughts aside, focusing on the conversation at hand. He couldn’t help but give a warm smile as Natalia chuckled a little at his comment about how he didn’t think he’d go even a day without seeing someone he really loved, saying it was quite sweet and that anyone who earned that kind of devotion from him would be quite the lucky person. ‘I can think of at least one person who I’d happily devote myself to…’ he thought, not daring to say it out loud though his bright blue eyes never strayed from Natalia. Ever since the events of Valentine’s Day, Aiden had been quietly wondering just how much he truly felt towards her… He really did like her… and if there was ever an opportunity for them to maybe, just maybe, become much more than just friends, he would gladly take the chance. But he wouldn’t admit that out loud… he had no desire to make things much more awkward between them if the feeling turned out to not be mutual… His mother had always told him that there was a time and a place for everything, and Aiden was willing to wait for as long as it may take if it were to come down to that. And in the end, if she truly didn’t feel the same way about him as he did about her, he could only hope that Natalia would be able to forgive him…
Despite the smile on her face, Aria’s eyes glistened with deep concern as she glanced between Aiden and Natalia, sensing the troubling vibes coming from both of them. She wanted to say something, but decided that it would be better for her to just hold her tongue for the time being. Her gaze darted over towards Natalia when she felt an indescribable sensation come over her, a deep, fathomless sense of gloom and despair that hit her like a rogue ocean wave that was gone just as quickly as it had come. Nevertheless, there was soon talk of resuming their travel to see the wishing tree now that the shadow puppet show was over, and Aiden was glad to agree on that prospect as well. As they crossed over the Bond Bridge separating the parent and child islands, Aiden spoke up, warning them to not read the wish slips that had been left on the tree or else they would be cursed with many years of ill fortune. Aria couldn’t help but wonder why that was the case, though considering Aiden’s earlier remarks about Berry Forest’s notoriety with child disappearances and Hypnos, the Delphox figured she’d best play it safe. ‘Of course, don’t have to tell me twice,’ she chipped in with a nod of understanding, directing her gaze towards the Sylveon in the girl’s arms, ‘Right, Thalia?’ The Fairy-type nodded rapidly in agreement, not quite sharing the others’ enthusiasm about going into that ominous looking forest as she instinctively pressed closer to Natalia. “Y-Yes…” she murmured quietly, feeling quite relieved as Natalia agreed not to read any of the wishing slips left on the tree. However, when she asked if it was okay for someone to read another person’s slip that had not yet been placed on the tree, a thoughtful expression arose on Aiden’s face. “Ah… well… Maybe the curse doesn’t count if the slip hasn’t been placed on the tree yet,” he spoke up, offering a small smile, “I never thought about that before, but I don’t believe there’s anything in the rules forbidding people from reading someone else’s wish before it’s actually put on the tree. But I don’t know… maybe it’d be better to just play it safe, just in case~”
As they approached the woods, Aiden felt an all too familiar chill run down his spine as he peered into the now empty grove. All of his childhood fears about Berry Forest came rushing back to him all at once like a tidal wave encroaching on the coast, recalling how his parents would warn him time and time again to watch himself when playing around this place and to never come here alone… It was quite bizarre how a place with a name as innocuous as Berry Forest came to have such a terrible reputation among native islanders, but they always did say to not judge a book by its cover. With the large crowds now having vacated the premises, the dark forest looked every bit as ominous and terrifying as Aiden remembered, even if it was still a bright and sunny afternoon… The blonde took a deep breath, forcing himself to relax so he could face this as calmly and rationally as possible. He wasn’t a child anymore; he shouldn’t have any real reason to be so frightened of this forest… Besides, between Natalia and his Pokemon, they shouldn’t have anything to fear as long as they stuck together, right? Aiden repeated this thought over and over in his mind like a mantra as they entered the maw of the beast, the forest quickly swallowing them up as they ventured deeper and deeper inside. Aria pressed closer to Aiden on a whim, keeping her ears attuned and her eyes out for anything that could constitute as a threat towards them. Now that they were actually inside the forest itself, the Delphox felt a deep sense of unease that was growing stronger and stronger the further they went in… The aura around here felt extremely off, and she could understand completely why Aiden was so scared of this forest… Even Thalia wanted to be out of this place as soon as possible as she whimpered softly and quivered, burying her face in Natalia’s yukata so that she didn’t have to look at the darkness around them as the girl held her close. The Sylveon hadn’t felt this frightened ever since their venture at Raphiel’s mansion for that ‘Halloween Ball’ event, and that was an experience she hoped to never have to repeat for as long as she lived… Aiden was doing his best to keep a level head, but Aria and Thalia’s unease as they walked further into the woods was starting to make him feel very on edge as well… When Natalia suddenly took hold of his hand, Aiden tensed up visibly for a brief moment, but quickly relaxed when he realized it was her and not a Hypno attempting to snatch him away. “Natalia…?” he asked softly, gently squeezing her hand in a reassuring gesture as he directed his gaze towards her, “Is everything alright…?” She hadn’t seemed too afraid of the forest at first, but telling from her shivering and the firm grasp she had on his hand, it appeared that the foreboding atmosphere was starting to affect her as well… They were already this far in, and the wishing tree surely wasn’t much further up ahead, best they just get this over and done with so that they could be out of here as soon as remotely possible…

Natalia gave Aiden a slightly inquisitive look when he seemed to want to respond her comment on his lucky potential future partner, but he never said a word. He only looked at her with this… Expression on his face that made her smile sheepishly and avert her gaze. She almost wanted to ask what he was thinking of, or looking at her like that for, but… She was almost afraid of the answer. It was an odd mixture of feelings, one she couldn’t quite sort out, and therefore she shut them out. It was for the best, and yet because of it, coupled with the gloomy concept that she couldn’t concern herself with love in the first place, she felt so empty…

’You don’t deserve a love that you would gladly murder with your own hands. You will always be alone… That is your fate, you cannot escape it.’

Natalia grimaced as the whispers reached the edge of her mind. Not now… Not yet! The voices couldn’t possibly be back already…. Natalia pushed the grim thoughts away forcefully. That was different than the voices she usually heard, surely it was just her own subconscious and pessimistic thoughts…. It was best to just not think or feel. To be numb was the best option, but it was so hard… Natalia distracted herself with listening to Aiden explain the curse befalling someone who read a wish hanging from the tree. Though it begged the question; what would happen if one read a slip before it was hung? Natalia naturally began questioning the rules, daunting as ever to gamble with her life since it was already plagued with misfortune. Aiden, though he agreed that it probably wouldn’t lay a curse, still insisted that they play it safe. Natalia chuckled at that, but she would concede for his sake. When they approached the forest though, everyone began to feel uneasy, Natalia included. However, while everyone else felt uneasy because of the ominous aura that the forest was giving off, Natalia just disliked the memories that it brought back, and in response took hold of Aiden’s hand for comfort, clearly shaken by the flash of memories. When Aiden asked if she was alright, she cringed a bit at the use of her real name, looking down to break her wide eyed gaze away from the dark forest ahead and forced herself to relax. “Y-yeah, sorry, I just… Thought I saw something, but it was just a bush.” She lied. Natalia could see it in the little details, how Aria pressed closer to Aiden, how attentive her physical features were, Thalia in the way she buried her face into her yukata… Everyone was one edge, and even Aiden couldn’t mask the unease he felt.

Fear. It was the one emotion Natalia could always read so well. Affection could hit her in the face and she wouldn’t know it, but fear… Fear was like some kind of sick drug that she secretly thrived on. One she had continually tried to deny and keep clean from, but the moment she got even the slightest whiff… Natalia focused on comforting the sylveon in her arms. No, this wasn’t a good thing, these were people and pokemon she cared about, seeing them fearing for their lives was not a good thing. So why did she feel so….. Natalia couldn’t suppress the laughter she felt bubbling up from within, and did her best to make it sound lighthearted and sympathetic rather that the cackle that it was meant to be. “Goodness, you all look like you’ve seen a ghost~” She teased. Though, it wasn’t as if she didn’t feel it too. “Hah… I probably don’t look much better.” She chuckled sadly. She had seen and felt uneasy from the memories that had been wrought by the forest’s ominous visage, and yet she was laughing. What kind of freak was she…? She felt terrible and frightened and yet maliciously delighted all at once, and she hated it. “This is supposed to be fun, I’m sure the rumors aren’t true, and even if they were, we’re pokemon trainers for crying out loud, why are we afraid of a couple wild hypno…?” Of course, Natalia shoehorned herself into that statement even though it wasn’t the hypno that she was afraid of. She let go of Aiden’s hand and started moving ahead a little faster. “This is supposed to be fun right? So let’s have some fun.” She said with a grin over her shoulder.

Aiden noticed the curious expression that crossed Natalia’s face as he looked to her, thoughts crossing his mind about her comment regarding how lucky his potential future partner would be. He wanted to say something, wanted to tell her what he was thinking of in terms of a ‘potential future partner’, but ultimately decided against it as she smiled sheepishly and looked away. He had no desire to add on further to the awkwardness of their relationship, but more than that, he feared most of all what she would say if he were to tell her… They had both agreed on having more time to figure these sorts of things out among one another, and yet… Aiden felt for certain that he really did feel for Natalia in that way, that maybe, given time, patience, and enough nurturing, they could grow to be more than just friends. And yet, there was that tiny voice in the back of his mind, that small kernel of doubt that asked if love was really worth all of the trouble he was putting himself through, since it was highly likely he probably wouldn’t be living for much longer anyways… With Team Void on his heels, Aiden just couldn’t risk the possibility of severely endangering those he truly cared for, knowing that he was a wanted man and that Void had probably already sent another assassin after him to finish what had been started. Hell, he’d probably end up spending the rest of his life on the run, unable to settle down in any one place for more than a few months at most, much less be able to raise a family if he ever could out of fear of them being used against him, to hurt him… He was tired, so very tired of losing everything that had meant the world to him, his family, his friends, his Pokemon, and he was determined to break this vicious cycle even if it killed him… He’d be lucky to even live past his 20s with the way things were going now. All things considered, falling in love would be the least of his concerns, and yet he just couldn’t help it…
Aiden was more than glad for a distraction to drag his mind back from that dark, gloomy corner it had been going towards as he explained the rules of the wishing tree to Natalia, who didn’t seem at all daunted by the idea of being plagued with several years of ill fortune for reading someone else’s slip from the tree. Well, then again they often said the same for other things, like breaking a mirror or opening an umbrella indoors, so to most being plagued with misfortune was just common knowledge. Although, he had to admit that she did bring up a very good question, would the curse still count if someone read another’s wish slip before it was even put on the tree? Somehow, he liked to believe that the curse wouldn’t work like that, but at the same time he felt that it was better to be safe than sorry. It was best to not be foolhardy when it came to legends that have been around for hundreds, if not thousands or millions of years, regardless of if they were true or not. The blonde smiled as Natalia chuckled in response to his comment, but once they passed the tree line separating the forest from the rest of the island, the smile vanished as quickly as it had come. Being in Berry Forest brought back many of his childhood memories, warnings and cautionary tales that he had been told regarding this place and how dangerous it was to come here alone playing in his mind like a broken record… Every childhood fear he had about this forest came crashing down on him all at once like a tsunami, even though he tried his best to quash his uneasiness and keep calm despite every instinct telling him to get out of there as quickly as possible. But seeing Thalia burying her face into Natalia’s yukata and feeling Aria press closer to him was starting to make him feel on edge as well, he could see that neither of them liked the feel of this place as much as he did. The sudden feeling of another’s hand taking hold of his made Aiden visibly tense up, though when he saw it was Natalia and not a Hypno trying to snatch him away, he relaxed slightly. But seeing how tense she was, the way she shivered and how she was gazing ahead with a wide-eyed look… he couldn’t help but feel immediately concerned as he gently squeezed her hand and asked if she was alright. Seeming to snap out of a daze, she looked down, and he felt her relax a little as she apologized and stated that she thought she saw something, but it had just been a bush.
The blonde’s sky blue orbs remained on her, his lips pursed and his brow creased with worry. He had never thought of himself as someone who could easily read into what people said, but he wasn’t quite convinced by her response. Somehow, it seemed like there was something much deeper and more personal to the cause of her unease… but he didn’t push the matter further, only offering a small smile and a nod of understanding before turning his gaze back towards the path ahead. He reached his free hand out and rested it on Aria’s shoulder, hoping to somewhat ease the Delphox’s nerves as her eyes darted from place to place, expecting something to jump out at them. Thalia refused to move her head from its resting spot in Natalia’s yukata, the Sylveon instinctively pressing as close to the girl as physically possible as she was stroked and comforted. She knew that she shouldn’t be so frightened, especially not of a few Hypnos or anything like that, but she had never liked dark places for as long as she could remember… The only things that lived in the darkness were fear, pain, monsters, loneliness…
All of the sudden, Natalia began to laugh and playfully commented on how they all looked like they had seen a ghost, drawing a bewildered look from Aria and a look of confusion from Aiden. Still, laughter was a breath of fresh air in the gloomy atmosphere of the forest, and Aiden offered a soft chuckle at her teasing comment. He gave a small smile as she said that she probably didn’t look much better than they did, but this was supposed to be a fun venture for them regardless of if the rumors were true or not. And even then, they were Pokemon trainers, and fairly advanced ones at that, they shouldn’t have any reason to be scared of a few wild Hypno, right? Aiden’s smile widened a bit at that, releasing his hold on Natalia’s hand reluctantly as she walked a bit faster. “Heh, yeah, of course, we should be having fun~” he agreed happily, increasing his walking pace to keep up with her, “We’ll be just fine as long as we stick together, right? Safety in numbers, as they always say!” Aria walked briskly along with them, the Delphox managing to give a confident smile despite the worry in her eyes. ‘Certainly, and if any Hypno try to jump out at us, I’ll have a Shadow Ball with their names on it waiting for them~’ she remarked with an astute nod, knowing that she could just as easily counter the other Psychic-types and blow them back if they tried to come after them. But she still didn’t like the feel of this place… Arceus knows how many lost souls may be wandering among the darkened thickets around them, likely those of children who had been taken and never found… Thalia managed to gather up the courage to look up towards Natalia, the Sylveon offering a small smile. “F-fun…” she said quietly with a nod of agreement, feeling a bit less uneasy, though she still kept herself pressed close to Natalia for comfort and security. Even if the rumors about the forest weren’t really true, it was still a pretty scary place to be, especially for a Sylveon with a fairly weak constitution like herself…

Natalia felt a bit bad when lying to Aiden about her sudden grip of forest fear, and it didn’t help that he clearly didn’t believe her. What was she supposed to do though? Retell in vivid detail the grim tale that was her adolescent life? Those were memories that she didn’t even want, much less something she wanted to expose Aiden to. Natalia’s bursts of laughter had started off seemingly out of place, but as she explained herself, the group seemed able to cheer up from the facts she listed. No one could deny that they were more than prepared to fend off a few wild hypno, and even Thalia was able to perk up a bit, peeking out from Natalia’s yukata again. This trip was supposed to be fun, it was high time they started acting like it. Though, Aiden of course insisted that they still needed to try and stick together, safety in numbers and all the jazz. “Yes yes, of course.” She agreed with a laugh. It was just too bad that all of this positive gung ho attitude had stemmed from covering up a bout of her hysterics, rather than Natalia actually trying to cheer anyone up. Natalia’s forced smile broke a bit at that thought.

”You will never think or act for anyone but yourself.”

Natalia shook her head, eager to dispel the dark thoughts from her mind and break through to the clearing just ahead, and what a breakthrough it was…! There, in the center of the clearing, was a massive tree, it’s branches covered with slips of paper. “Wow….. It’s beautiful.” Natalia breathed, gazing upon the colorful adornments. Yes, the scene was beautiful, to say the least, and Natalia was eager to add her wish to the vivid array collected above her, but now the question was, what should she wish for…? She stepped forward towards the small stone stand covered with colorful slips and writing implements. There were so many things she wanted to write on the single slip of paper… She wanted to make a wish for her mothers spirit, for Isis and Zero, for Aiden, for his departed pokemon, for his current team, for her own pokemon, for Gio and October.... “Hey Aiden… Can you make more than one wish slip…?” She asked curiously, figuring if anyone would know the answer, it was him.

[Carmine Gained +60 EXP Day 1, +62 EXP Day 2, +63 EXP Day 3, +42 EXP from Pokerus]