Reunion

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The outskirts of Grassveil Town were a beautiful place.  They lived up to their name, perhaps even more so than the town itself--anywhere you looked, your eyes would be greeted by bright, vibrant green, be it in the form of grass or trees or bushes.  It was a paradise for Pokemon native to meadows or forests, so it was no surprise that Grassveil Town had grown so large, nestled right in the center...

But to a certain Skitty, neither Grassveil Town nor any of the other fields and forests surrounding it were as beautiful as the little forest trail she was trotting along today.  Every tree she passed and every boulder the trail wrapped around made her more and more excited than the last, until she was practically prancing forward, unable to keep still or to stop smiling and pointing out every little detail she recognized to her traveling companion.

"We're close now.  Really, really close," she said while purring and rubbing up against a tall oak tree.  "This tree is how we know where to turn!  The path doesn't go straight to our house, so we'll have to walk through the grass for a little while.  Sometimes visitors have trouble finding it, so when we know someone new is coming my sisters and my little brother and I will play out here and wait for them to walk by..."

She trotted forward again and gazed to the right of the path, down a long, narrow field bordered by more tall and shady trees.  The Skitty's excitement seemed to reach a peak, walking in circles and almost breaking into a run to chase her tail while she waited for her Igglybuff friend to catch up.  "I think you're going to love it here!  I have sooo much to show you," she said.

She forced herself to come to a stop, sitting on her haunches and regarding Alki with a big smile, though her tail continued wagging back and forth.  "And I think you'll like everyone.  They all really love getting visitors.  Just, umm..." she said, her voice faltering a bit and her tail slowing down.  "If they ever get too overbearing, and you need some space to yourself, tug on my fur, alright?  You've always been kind of shy, and, umm...  Well, we don't get visitors very often.  My little siblings don't always, umm...  Know when they're crossing boundaries."

She gave Alki an apologetic glance, her tail coming to a stop altogether.  "And...  My mom and dad will probably want to talk with you a lot, too," she said.  "...I've never been here with a teammate before.  I've...  Well, you know I've had a few teammates before you, Alki, but...  None of them have stuck around long enough for something like this.  And...  I think that might have been a good thing, 'cause..."

She looked up again and shook her head, suddenly blushing.  "Well, don't worry about it.  Just let me know if they ever get too weird, okay?  I'll make sure they give you some space."

"'Shit'?" Amber said, putting a paw up to her mouth and glancing between Alki and Darcy.  "Darce, what does--"

"Stop!" Darcy said as her fur bristled up until her tail looked like a feather duster.  But she took a deep breath, and it settled down a little as she gave her two sisters an apologetic glance.  "That's a naughty word, you two.  It's not one we're supposed to use."

She paused for a moment, glancing down, at the ground.  "I, well...  I don't actually know what it means..."  Then she piped up again, looking the other two in the eyes.  "But mom and dad will get angry if they hear you say it!  They even get grumpy about it with Hazel.  So you really shouldn't..."

"Is everything okay up there?" rang the soft, gentle voice of Darcy's father from the floor below.

"Y-yeah.  We're okay," Darcy shouted down the stairs before looking back at Alki with a tiny frown.  "I want mom and dad to see how cool you are, you know?" she said, her ears drooping.  "They've always been worried that I'll have teammates who are mean or who don't like me or who aren't patient with me or silly things like that.  ...Part of why I was happy that you wanted to come here with me was so that I could show them how wrong they are.  I-I don't wanna act like your mom, but...  Just for now, let's try to not say any words we aren't sure about, okay?"

Alki felt herself wilt as Darcy confessed that she just wanted the igglybuff to make a good impression on her parents. She wanted her parents to see how cool she was. Alki. Her! Alki lowered her face in a combination of pride and shame, a rosy red smile making its way onto her face. She was cool! Even if it was decidedly less abnormal by now to hear those words from the Skitty, it still made her beat just a bit faster, her eyes become just a tad larger than they already were.

She loved that praise! She wanted to feel like she deserved it, too. Her lie had worked it's magic, and it was one she was rather proud of too! If she could lie well about small things, she'd be able to lie well about important things too. She could maybe, just maybe, keep her two lives apart. Even if it had been well crafted, and even if Darcy had been thoroughly fooled by it, that didn't mean it had been entirely necessary. She knew in full what the word shit meant, right along with other curse words too. It hadn't taken her too long to figure out after she'd first heard them. Who cared? Alki felt rather confident at this point in her faith of the Skitty. She wouldn't care! Too much, anyways.

She'd tell the truth. Alki fully intended to confess right then and there, but as she opened her mouth and looked up at the Skitty, she couldn't bring herself to do it. Her ears drooped, flattening over her head, and her gaze was lowered ever so slightly, not enough for Alki to think she was sad, per se, but worry was an emotion that was almost as easy to read. Alki found her words changing quite rapidly. Maybe when it was time to sleep, she'd tell the truth. Yes, that would be more appropriate.

“Darcy… Darce?” She said, bouncing a bit closer to the Skitty. Was she allowed to call Darcy that too? Alki smiled up at her sister, not able to shake the regret from her eyes. She'd apologize later, when her parents weren't so nearby… indeed, when her parents weren't calling for her. She'd really apologize later. “I’ll try… it won't happen again, I hope.” She said, hoping the Skitty would be alright with her small preview of an apology. There would be more to come, and Alki resolved that she'd go through with it. No backing out at the last second! She couldn't tell everything about her, but she could own up to this, at least.

She'd tell the truth later, but for now, she was awfully hungry. She bounced down the steps, two at a time -- she still couldn't believe that they had stairs -- and made her way to the dining room table. Hey! she called out, ignorant of the manners that would be appropriate. “Sorry we took so long!” She said, turning a corner to face the dinner table, as well as Darcy's parents.