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 Posted: Thu Dec 04, 2014 3:33 pm
It'd been a week since the incident with the Mewtwo. Some hours after being knocked out by the experiment, Theta was the first to awake and discover her trainer and Rho still unconscious. Using what strength she had managed to regain, the Kangaskhan picked up the two and painfully ventured her way back to Motterossa to the hotel room Magnolia was renting. When she reached, she presented the bedraggled body of her trainer to the owner, and the woman, who had come to grow fond of the girl despite what little was said between them, cried out in fright and concern. At once, she put the girl to rest in her room and called both a Nurse Joy and a doctor to check on everyone.
It was surmised by the physician that Magnolia was overcome by a powerful attack -- probably by a wild Pokemon while out in the wilderness -- and because of her small form, the damage was doubled. She would be fine after at least two weeks of rest. However, much to the hotel owner's surprise, the fourteen awoke just a day later with sound body and mind. When the woman asked the lavender-haired girl of what had happened, Magnolia denied her any answers, and even forwarded next month's rent to her to have her drop the subject. Reluctantly, the pink-haired woman did.
Rho groaned. The aftermath of the Psystrike delivered to him had left him with aches all over. He sprawled out on his owner's lap as if he were ready to call the thing called movement quits and not even her helpful massaging into the areas where it hurt the most could quell the Glameow's gripes. He turned his head up to her and tilted it, taking a good look at her. Despite appearing in good health with only a few light scrapes on her face from her heavy landing, Rho knew she wasn't okay. She was forcing herself to smile -- just as she was did after her parting from Altais -- but there was more behind her feigned happiness. There was guilt as well.
She couldn't accept that she had failed to protect that Pokemon.
"Glamrrrow," he meowed up to her, causing her to flinch.
"I'm fine," Magnolia replied after a small pause. "Just fine..."
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Posted: Tue Dec 16, 2014 1:34 pm
As she stiffly left her hotel room with Rho and rounded the corner into the lobby, she was stopped momentarily from by the hotel owner at the front desk.
"Oh, Magnolia, dear!" the pink-haired woman cried out. "Where are you going?! Don't you still feel weak?"
Magnolia tried to feign strength before the woman's eyes as she stood like a soldier. "I feel fine," she answered flatly before continuing to walk.
The fourteen year old could hear the reeling of the woman's heels as she tapped her high-heels impatiently to the tilted floor beneath her. "Oh, dear, you should... You should stay at least one more day in bed! Come now!"
"I said, I feel fine." She laced this response with an added firmness that quelled the woman's feet. "So please... Just let- Just let me go out for a walk, okay?"
The woman, recalling the money Magnolia had slipped her to stay quiet regarding the matter, drew back to her seat and frowned miserably as the younger girl traipsed into Motterossa's town center. She knew the woman was right; another day in bed would've done her some good. The aches and pains in her stiff muscles were enough to draw her to the nearest seat in the plaza and rest. However, the lavender-haired girl was tired of being cooped up in that little room with nothing to do, and the urge to get moving had her at a crossroads. Giving in was all she could do.
Her mind drew to a blank as she tried to ignore the guilt still welled up within her. Letting out a sigh, Magnolia chose to people watch instead. Despite the quietness of the city, people still milled about for the peace she too sought for. Her pink eyes flicked between a man carrying an armful of Azurill from the Pokemon center -- probably a breeder who just hatched a set -- and a young coordinator tossing logs that her Leafeon sliced in two using Razor Leaf. A multitude of Pidgey and Pidove fluttered down from a nearby tree before an elderly woman tossing out breadcrumbs and a few Combee buzzed through to the multitude of flowers to her right. Rho yawned beside her ear and stretched as her gaze fell on a shade of red hair.
She blinked at this and, suddenly, the girl found herself to standing again as she crept closer. Behind the fountain of the plaza, the figure began to reveal itself as she neared; the head giving way to a pair of shoulders clad in a white dress shirt and vest to black slacks and neatly polished shoes. A dark tan hand slipped out from a pocket and scratched the side of his cheek and when he pushed his glasses higher up on the bridge of his nose, that's when Magnolia knew it was her friend, James Pierce.
Her mouth cracked into a livid smile as she called out, "Pi- J-James!"
The fourteen year old stiffened as if her were hit with a jolt from a Raichu and then whipped around. James's face gawked as a blush welled up on his features. "I-I-I-Illia?!" he squawked. "Wh-what are you... I-I mean... F-fancy meeting you here in Motterossa!"
The girl tilted her head. "Ehhh?" she blinked. "What are you doing here, James? Are you and Sonya back to look for work?"
The crimson-haired male shook his head. "No, she found a job in Fiore," he replied. "I came back of my own volition. I wanted to check out the Zatao region a bit more."
"Really?" Magnolia strode up to him and searched his person. When she didn't find what she was looking for, she asked, "You finally caught a Pokemon?"
James shook his head momentarily. "N-no, my mom... still wouldn't let me..."
"Oh... Then how did you get here?"
"I traveled by myself obviously," he replied, puffing out his chest. "Sure, my mom won't let me catch a Pokemon or travel by myself, but I showed her when-"
"Oi, Jaaames..."
Magnolia drew her gaze back to a figure that cried out to him in the distance. Slowly, a tanned man a shade lighter than her companion approached the two. He was hunkered over, as if he'd give in to the effects of gravity any given moment and fall, and gangly with limbs akin to vines. Stopping before the two, he glanced between the bespectacled boy and her and mumbled something beneath his breath.
"Flirting with girls already, James?" he queried.
The color in James's face dropped as he embarrassingly glanced between his cousin and the obvious girl of his affections.
"I-it's not what you think!" he cried, beat red. "She's just my friend!"
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Posted: Tue Dec 16, 2014 1:51 pm
Clasping hands onto her messenger bag's strap, Magnolia looked up to the older man and smiled. "Nice to meet you, I'm Magnolia," she introduced. "And you are?"
Mumble... mumble... "Name's Cashell," the man replied, before cupping a hand on James's head and giving his red locks a good ruffle. "I'm this squirt's cousin from Hoenn. I stopped by his place in Unova for a visit and when I mentioned I was heading over to Zatao, he tagged along."
"I see..." Magnolia replied, blinking as she realized her friend had blatantly lied. "But I thought you said you came by yourself, James?"
The redhead growled as he fought off his relative's clawing hand. When the truth was brought to light, he averted his eyes and scratched the back of his neck. "This guy's just extra baggage," he said smoothly, hooking a thumb in his cousin's direction before prodding it to his chest's center. "I'll have you know I traveled in my own ferry room with its own bathroom. So I essentially traveled by myself."
"Heh, mumble... mumble... Lookit you trying to look cool," Cashell teased.
James curled his fists and craned his neck up to the older man. "S-shut up!" he stammered in embarrassment again.
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Posted: Tue Dec 16, 2014 6:36 pm
Magnolia's attention flicked back between the two males as they carried on with another argument. It was blatantly obvious Cashell was sending out jab after jab at the younger male to incite his anger, and unfortunately, James was falling for each one hook, line, and sinker. Still, the lavender-haired girl couldn't help but chuckle at both of them; the small moment lifting her mood and her mind from her troubles.
The two cousins quieted at her laughter. "W-what are you laughing at?" asked James.
"You two guys," she replied between chortles. "Both of you are so cute!"
Cute... The word alone made James grab at his chest as a palpitation fluttered his bosom. She... She called me cute...
Whether he was feigning ignorance to his relative's lovestruck heart attack or totally oblivious, one was unsure. Instead, Cashell leveled a smile to Magnolia, raised a hand to her sun hat, and patted the crown of her head.
Mumble, mumble... "Heh, you're pretty cute yourself," he muttered like a brother complimenting his sister. Magnolia, however, blushed with a bow of her head and twisted the frilled hem of her sundress between her bashful fingers.
"T-thank you..." she stammered.
Suddenly, an eerie white glow encompassed James's glasses as he nudged them higher up on his nose. Behind them, his silver gaze was narrowed at Cashell in a frightening glare. Know your place, cousin, he mentally roared. That lovely girl there is- "W-wah!"
Cashell mushed a hand on James's head again. Mumble, mumble... "Hey there, earth to James... You were just standing there silently, something wrong?"
Magnolia's mouth drew to an O as she neared him as well. "Yea, James, is something the matter...?"
James blinked and shook his head. "O-oh, n-nothing wrong! I was just, um, considering things..."
His older cousin rolled his eyes and slapped him on the back of his shoulder. "Well, mumble, mumble... Stop "considering things" and follow us, I'm going to treat you guys to some Casteliacones, okay?"
James grumpily nodded his head. "Fine," he murmured in reply as the three of them walked off from the square to a nearby ice cream parlor.
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Posted: Thu Dec 18, 2014 7:56 pm
"Hey nerd, what flavor do you want?"
James puckered out his bottom lip, folding his arms across his bosom and averting his gaze. The silence that followed seemed to be triggered by his cousin's jab, but soon, the bespectacled male realized he was acting too childish in front of Magnolia. Resting his eyes back on Cashell, he muttered out gruffly, "Vanilla..."
The older male dipped his chin at his cousin. "And you, Magnolia...?" he asked.
"V-vanilla too," she replied with a small fidget. "A-ah, and the same for Rho as well."
"Mrrow," the Glameow affirmed.
"Guess it is vanilla all around, huh?" he commented with a small chuckle. "Why don't you pick someplace to sit, James, and I'll bring everything over?"
James nodded his head in acquiesce, leading Magnolia to one of the empty tables nearby. Sitting into it, the lavender-haired girl took to the spot across from him. Rho hopped off from her shoulders and sat upright, glancing to the redhead as he let out a sigh. Magnolia tilted her head at this.
"Is something the matter, James?" she queried. "You haven't been in the best of moods..."
He piqued up at her voice and slowly shook his head. "N-no, I'm fine," he replied. "Cashell is just grating my nerves, is all."
"I-I see," she responded, frowning a bit. "Well, tell him to stop. I don't like seeing you so dour. I like the smiling James most."
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Posted: Thu Dec 18, 2014 11:33 pm
A small blush rose on James's cheeks. "Illia..." he muttered.
"But I understand if you can't tell him, though," she returned. "If so, I can tell him if you want."
"Ah, you... You don't have to do that..."
"It's okay, James," she smiled. "He's family, so I understand."
When Cashell returned with their servings of ice cream, he set down Magnolia's first, but the girl was too determined to right the wrongs between James and him that she didn't even consider it. Rho, beside her, slid eyes between her face and the dessert and ended up stretching a careful paw to the small container and dragged it to himself. As he chowed down on it (suffering with a bit of brain freeze in divine punishment for his sneakiness), the lavender-haired girl held the older male's eyes.
"C-Cashell, I need to talk to you," she began, but was quieted by James.
"I-Illia, as I said, you don't have to-"
Magnolia shook her head at him. "It's okay, James." After giving him a reassuring nod with a smile, she looked to Cashell again and said, "Um, J-James here... You've been picking on James a lot... A-and I wanted to ask if you could stop..."
The blue-haired male tilted his head in between bites of his ice cream. His expression was considerate, but then his lips curved into a smile, and he nodded his head with a small mumble. "I have been laying on thick, huh?" He shut his eyes and then opened them again. "Yea, you're right, Magnolia. I have been picking on him too much. Sorry about that, James."
James nodded his head with thinned lips. "It's no problem Cash," he replied, but couldn't help but feel that a truce was pulled for the younger girl's sake. It miffed him a bit.
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Posted: Thu Dec 18, 2014 11:45 pm
After that short confrontation, the tension amidst the three seemed to diminish. They talked freely of other things as they ate their ice cream; of Magnolia's time and journeys in Zatao thus far, of the Pokemon they owned (and lack thereof on James's end), of Cashell's intent on expanding his studies and inventing in Zatao, and of recent happenings in the world before it was time for them to part. Before Cashell went his separate way, however, he exited the shop with the two and laid his aqua eyes on his younger cousin's grey ones.
After a few mumbles beneath his breath, he said, "Hey James, it's just an idea, but why don't you stay in Zatao?"
"Ehh?" James blinked. "But I thought I couldn't stay with you? And my mom..."
Cashell smiled. "It's true, where I am headed, I can't have you live with me, but she..." His eyes leveled on Magnolia. "Why don't you stay with Magnolia? She mentioned she rents a hotel room and lives by herself. You could stay with her for the time being, at least. As for your mom, I'll take care of that; I'll give her a call and tell her you're staying with me."
James's eyes widened as they shifted between Magnolia and his cousin. "What? I couldn't ask that of Illia-"
The lavender-haired girl's mouth pinched to an O. "I don't mind at all, James," she mentioned.
James gawked. Why was she so readily open to it? He was expecting some kind of hesitation. "I... Well, C-Cashell, I couldn't ask you to l-lie for me..."
"I don't mind, you nerd," he huffed, ruffling his locks, which he earned a grunt in annoyance from. "Least I can do for being an a** today."
"Cashell..." James frowned. "Illia..."
"Well, then, that settles it," Cashell smiled one last time to his cousin. "See you later, cous. Have a good one, yea?"
Turning on his heel, he bid James goodbye with a salute and trotted off into Motterossa, leaving James and Magnolia by themselves.
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Posted: Fri Dec 19, 2014 12:31 am
Magnolia cuffed at a pebble before her as James looked away. The awkwardness that he thought had left them came full circle and transplanted itself smack dab between him and the lavender-haired girl again. The fourteen year old searched his thoughts, trying to find something to talk to the other about, but soon regret clouded his mind when he realized that the presence of Cashell made conversation so much easier.
Why did you have to leave? he lamented.
Hooking a thumb over his shoulder, the start of his voice caused Magnolia to look at him. "S-should we head back home? To you hotel room, I mean..."
Magnolia pursed her lips and then shook her head. "Actually, there is some place I wanted to go," she returned. "Is that okay?"
James tentatively nodded his head. "Sure," he replied.
Leading the way, Magnolia guided the male through the town square and to a grassy knoll that instantly sparked memories in his mind when they arrived. It was the park where he and the lavender-haired girl had battled and also the place where he had gifted the Gracidea flower to her. Stopping just before the base, James watched Magnolia take a few steps from him with her arms laced behind her back as she studied the hill, and then turned on her heel to him.
"Do you remember this place?" she asked curiously.
"Of course," James replied. "This is the place where we had our battle some time back."
"Yea," she smiled. "The place where I kicked your butt with Rho here." She patted the Glameow about her shoulders on the head.
"Yea, yea..." he huffed jokingly. "Why'd you bring me here, though?"
"I just wanted to come here again. With you, I mean." She smiled. "While this is the place where we battled, it is also the place where you gifted me that pretty flower."
"Y-yea..."
"So I wanted to show you how well its grown."
James blinked. "Eh?"
Stepping forward, Magnolia gently took James's hand and led him to the small knit congregation of trees off to the side of the hill. At the center was a small clearing where the pink blossom was planted. Releasing James, Magnolia approached the flower and bent down to her knees before it. The bespectacled male's head was swinging with other thoughts that it took his a moment to register the girl of his affections' hand was not in his anymore. Shaking his head, he strode up alongside Magnolia, and hunkered down beside her.
"I planted it after you left that day. It's been growing happy and healthy since then."
"I see that," James smiled, but the crack of white on his face slowly faded to a small frown. "Illia, are you sure it is okay I stay with you? Cashell just determined that out of the blue and... It isn't fair, y'know? I don't own any Pokemon, heck, I don't even know what I want to be, so..."
Magnolia looked up to him and pouted. "I said it was okay, didn't I?" she said. "And I couldn't care less if you don't own a Pokemon or not or haven't decided what you want to do as a career. You have your whole life to accomplish those things. Just..." She cast her eyes from him to a blade of grass before both of them as she flushed. "Just having you by my side is enough."
"Illia..."
"So just stay with me, okay?" Magnolia looked to him pleadingly. "It doesn't matter how long, just stay..."
Reaching his hand out, James laid it on hers and nodded his head reassuringly. "I'll stay," he responded with another smile. "I'll stay until you tell me to leave. Promise."
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