Sp00ks [Halloween 2019] [Open]

First topic message reminder :

"I'll be back later tonight...and I'll bring back some gummis for you!" her voice sang out to the little skiddo in the back of the shop.

"Have fun!" his voice rang back with a certain tone to it she was all too familiar with. It was a cheerful one, but it made her nervous. She didn't normally leave Aries alone much anymore, but he didn't seem keen on coming along with her on her lovely stroll. It was kind of a relief to be honest. It was a little tiring to have to accompany him all day an reassure him about every bump in the night.

She needed some her-time anyways. A stroll through the lovely Grassveil to gaze upon the costumed trick or treaters and look upon the ever so "terrifying" decorations people place on their lawns was more than enough of a treat for her. Of course, she wasn't exactly a fan of the dark. So, she carried with her a trust lantern-on-a-stick. A satchel hung over her shoulder with a lantern held just above her, like a walking light post. The light swung back and forth with a cutesy zubat figurine on the top of it. She didn't have a costume herself, but she didn't quite need one where she was going.

The little deerling was not only going on a walk to have a look around, but going to a social event. It was a little theater of sorts being performed in the town square. It didn't start for a while, but she could hardly resist the idea of watching aspiring actors play out a grand story. With her secured lantern protecting her from the spooks of the darkness, she made her way along the street with a melodious tune to her hums. Anything helped to keep the gnawing fear of the dark night around her lonesome self at bay.

[max of one other person before you must ask to join, mada's reserved a spot]

Alki nodded as the Deerling said that she didn't mind Alki being... too dumb to read? How could she not mind that?  It absolutely was a problem! There were probably a million things Yera would rather end up wanting to do instead of tutoring some stupid balloon with the brain-power of a peanut on how to read. Everyone knew how to read! Osiris did, Darcy did, Synd'r did, Vesper did, everybody did except her! She was an anomaly, and a stupid one at that! She... felt quite a bit thankful when Yera mentioned that if she didn't want to, then she didn't have to...

The alternative sounded so much more appealing to her anyways! Getting read to did feel quite nice, and even though she appreciated Darcy's stories a lot, she still sometimes wished that she'd read something a bit more... well, grown up...? Hearing about princesses and princes and happily ever afters seemed quite a bit... Well, she ended up jealous more often than not...

"Y-Y'know, y-you're a-a l-lot l-like my s-sister, Yera...?" Alki stammered out, considering the doll she still held in her hands. She showed it off to Yera with a small smile, and despite her nervous stuttering, it was certainly meant to be a compliment! She nodded as she began to position herself close to the Deerling's legs, enjoying the warmth it provided. The night was a bit chilly, honestly, and her costume didn't do much to help in that department... She didn't want to ask if she could ride her back again either, if only cause she didn't want to seem entitled to anything. She knew she wasn't.

"S-She r-reads to m-me a lot, a-and she really likes books too! She has a lot of p-pretty b-big ones, a-and... w-well, s-she reads me s-some of the small ones, s-sometimes..." She paused, ears flattening as she thought over what to say next. Maybe this was too much...? It was possible Yera didn't really like her, and only felt obligated to do this because... well, why would she?

"Y-You're like a shier version o-of her..." She said, quite without thinking. It was true enough... Darcy was the kind of person to know almost the entirety of Grassveil, at least a bit. She talked so much to everyone that it was hard not to be a more-shy pokemon than her. But still, she didn't mean to be offensive... And couldn't that be taken as an offense...?

"S-Sorry, I-I d-didn't m-mean t-that, I-I'm... Y-Y-You're n-not s-shy, t-that w-was r-r-rude..."

She was honestly surprised to find herself be compared to...well, anyone. She was supposedly a lot like Alki's sister. She had no idea who that was, but she decided to take it as a compliment judging from how fondly the puff seemed to speak of her. It was a little heartwarming to hear that brought a smile to her face...until the jigglypuff decided to go back on it-nonononononONO-

"N-No! That wasn't rude-uh..." she struggled to find words, "I am pretty shy, i-it's just a fact. I-I don't usually talk much with people. I-I just kind of keep my head down and do my work...I only really talk with Aries and...yeah." She hoped that explained things enough. She had no idea if it did. The deerling's hoof kicked the ground.

After having taken long enough, Mary finally returned for only the briefest of seconds. She didn't do or say much beyond giving the two little black booklets filled with a form and empty pages. It almost looked like a mini diary just for the little plush toy. The leavanny promptly apologized to the two for the wait before explaining that she needed to be off, business was picking up after all and there were plenty of kids that were in need of her assistance!

Yera didn't mind much, even if she couldn't really write in the book. She could probably get Aries to do it...though then Aries would know about her weird obsession with Sacchi...

...Huh perhaps this really wasn't a good idea.

This dice is not existing.

"W-Who's Aries...?" Alki asked curiously, tilting her head slightly as Yera claimed that this Aries fellow was the only person she talked to. And she only did her head down and worked...? "Y-Y'know, I d-don't think that's very fair... Y-You're... W-Well, y-you should t-talk to more people! Y-You're... nice. A-And... W-Well, I-I'm... I-It's... I'm happy you're talking to me, y'know? " Alki said shyly, kicking at the floor, watching flecks of dust be lifted up, up into the air.

Mary came back and gave the both of them a little black book. It had a lot of... Well, there was a lot of paper in this! Although when she opened it up, she couldn't find any of the little characters Darcy had taught her about a while ago. Not that she would've known what they meant, but the fact that there weren't any to begin with meant that there was nothing written, right...? Mary apologized, before explaining that things were getting busier and that she needed to help them as well with stuff.

"T-Thanks..." Alki said, unsure if the Leavanny had heard her at all to begin with. Still, she was gone now, and Alki was left with the small booklet...

"I... Um, I-I t-think... W-We should be going...?" Alki mumbled softly, tugging slightly on the Deerling's fur. She suddenly felt a bit anxious to move and do... something, she supposed. She also wanted to forget what she'd just said... She really was happy. And that worried her... She didn't want to be happy around nice people! She didn't want to make their lives even more difficult like she'd made Darcy's...

Oh... Hadn't she come out here to have fun, though...? With her silly little costume and the plushie and hopes to acquire candy...? And having fun implied happiness... She really was being selfish, wasn't she...? Alki held the Skitty close to her eyes and closed them, taking a few controlled breaths. She wasn't going to cry and make everyone feel guilty... She could hold it in quite alright, and then any trouble that might come would be neatly avoided...

Yeah, they really should get going. The deerling nodded in response before she accepted her little booklet and pocketed it in her little satchel. The plush toy followed soon after with a nod to Mary as a thank you. As she walked out with the jigglypuff, she responded to what was said earlier.

"Ah-Thank you, that's really nice of you to say!" She was genuinely flattered, but it still kind of unnerved her. She wasn't used to taking compliments like this. Most of her interactions were typically with overbearing bosses and rude customers. Such a nice and pleasant encounter was such a rarity that she had trouble in knowing how to respond to it. Deer God, send h e l p.

"B-But Aries is s-sorta my boss at work. He's also a friend of mine. He's really nice-probably a lot nicer than me, but he has his own set of...problems." She wasn't sure if she should say anything. She'd never spoken to anyone about Aries let alone any boss of her's at work. It was generally a bad idea in such a small town...people had big ears and loose lips.

"Naw, it's just a fact..." Alki said, nervously twitching her ears as she deflected praise off of herself. It wasn't even a very conscious thing... It's not like she was picking and choosing her words carefully. It was just her natural response to praise. And it was true! It was a fact that the Deerling, it was a fact that Yera talking to her was making her happy. Why should she deserve praise for pointing out something so simple? "Y-You shouldn't be nervous about that kinda thing... I-I'm s-sure a lot o-of other p-people enjoy t-talking with you as well..."

Alki walked back out into the night along with the Deerling, once again withdrawing into her costume, hoping it'd keep her from any sort of interaction. Aside from with her newfound Deer companion. "...W-What kind of p-problems...? A-And... I-I'm sure y-you're nicer t-than h-him... A-Actually, i-is t-that m-mean to say...?" She stammered out, looking up at the Deerling. With so many people around, she suddenly wished that she was back on her back, but... She wasn't about to ask.

Uncertainty crept back into the deerling's stomach. She really shouldn't but...Aries was nice. Surely he wouldn't mind? She hesitated, but eventually she spoke up. Her voice was quiet as she lowered her head closer to the jigglypuff.

"Well, he kind of just...folds at any kind of pressure. He gets really scared about a lot of things for no reason and I always have to bring him down from it. I have to share the building with him because I can't afford a house on my own and he always gets these nightmares that wake the both of us up every night." She almost felt a little dirty about this, but the words just kept coming out.

"He cries at every little thing and always thinks people are out to get him. I tried to get him to come with me, but he was far too afraid to leave the house again. It's a pain to get him out of it, even when he has to go to his therapist meetings. It feels kinda like I'm dragging him by the back hooves every where I go." She should stop.

"And whenever he's not worried about something, he's always comparing everything to this guild vaporeon named Skylar. I don't know why, but he's practically obsessed with her. She's just about all he'll ever talk about. I swear it's almost like it's all he ever thinks about too. Whenever I do something, it feels like he's secretly comparing me to her and I'm probably saying too much so I should probably stop." She needed to stop.

...Was that gossip she just did? It kind of felt like gossip. Technically she was just answering Alki's question, but it kind of felt like she shouldn't have said any of that. Alki was trustworthy though, right? It'd be fine. Aries wouldn't mind. There'd be no harm and no foul, even if other pokemon around the duo heard it...

Alki walked along, uncomfortably twitching her ears the longer and longer the Deerling spoke. Was all of that... wrong? If that was a problem for him, and she had the same sort of... personality, then that implied that there was a problem with her as well! That... Well... She knew she had problems, but to hear Yera talk about so many of them, there were so many that she'd never even thought of as problems! The fairy-type ghost shrunk back as the Deerling kept talking, only stopping herself from interjecting by reminding herself of the fact that interrupting was rude. Very, very rude...

She didn't really know what Yera meant by folding, but she knew that she got scared about a lot of things with little reason, just like this Aries fellow! She had to share a guild bed-room with Darcy, and it often felt as though she kept Darcy awake for way too long... She was a lot of work, wasn't she...? Not to mention that she also cried a lot, way more than someone her age ought to, and she did tend to be quite a scaredy-cat... When was the last time she'd gone on an actual guild mission...?

Alki bit her lip, trying to stop herself from saying anything more. She was bound to make everything about her at this rate, and she was sure that Yera didn't want to talk so much about someone like her... She was just about to say something when Yera stopped, out of the blue. Was she worried about something...? Why? Nothing she said seemed too... weird. Or scary.

"...I-I d-don't... D-Don't really t-think y-you s-said that m-much." Alki managed, before her curiousity got the better of her. Any attempts at remaining prudent in what she said escaped her mind. "A-Actually, d-do you... d-d-did y-you s-start t-talking t-to me 'cause I-I'm like that...? I-I m-mean, I'm n-nervous t-too, and I-I've... c-cried a l-lot, a-and almost c-cried t-twice t-tonight, a-and I t-think a-about m-my sister a lot too, a-and e-even compared y-you to her!" She paused, catching her breath. She hadn't even realized that her ears were almost completely flat against her head, and that both of her hands were trembling beneath her costume.

"A-And I-I probably have others y-you didn't even mention..." She knew that to be a fact, of course, but she couldn't exactly tell Yera about how much of a coward she was, and what kind of bounty she'd probably have if people found her stealing... "A-Am I a s-set of p-problems too...?" Alki's face began to pale as she realized just how much she'd said, and how inappropriate all of it was too! Oh gosh... She should find something else to say before the Deerling had a chance to explain just how stupid she was being...

There was a word there she didn't know... If she blurted it out loud enough then maybe she'd want to answer that instead and forget everything else! "W-Wait! N-Never mind all that, w-what's a t-therapist?!"

Yera's ears folded back in surprise as the jigglypuff made a connection. Yes, she did indeed drag the jigglypuff along because of the similarities with Aries...but that wasn't just it! Well...the other reason was arguably worse than that. Despite this and Alki's attempted diversion, she spoke, "N-No! That's not at all true." At least, not to her.

"You've had every reason to be upset tonight, especially since I kind of forced you along for the ride," her hooves shuffled. She didn't know how to say this. "I started talking to you because you started talking to me and I thought it'd be nice to have someone along with me. Which it is, but-I still kinda forced you along, sorry." Words practically flew out of her mouth before she had a chance to really think about what she said, desperate to cover up the apparent harm she'd done.

"It's...different with him. Very different. Extremely different." She couldn't hold eye contact with the jigglypuff anymore, trying to suppress how flustered she felt. "I guess I just...had different expectations for him after it's been so long..."

She shook her head, finally allowing the topic to drop so she could answer the Jigglypuff's question, "A-And a therapist...that's someone you can talk to. They're really good about helping people analyze themselves and help them improve. L-Like Aries and his therapist are working on trying to get out of the house more, but he's not exactly listening very well..." At least that's how she thought of it...

Alki's ears flattened as she rocked back and forth, from her heels to her toes. Yera seemed kind of... Well, she seemed really distraught for some reason. Alki couldn't really figure out why. She hadn't done anything wrong! The more she spoke, the more worried she seemed, and the more confused Alki grew. She wasn't saying anything wrong! Alki grew nervous as Yera did, tugging at her costume as she looked up at the Deerling's face.

"N-No I haven't! I-I've been c-crying a-after y-you've been nothing but nice to me, a-and y-you didn't f-force m-me, I-I c-coulda left w-whenever a-and... y-y'know... W-What... W-What expectations d-did y-you have for me...   I-I mean him... D-Do you mean, e-exactly...?" Alki said, blushing as she made the mistake. She... sort of wanted to meet this Aries person now. If they were so alike, maybe she could take lessons on how to be a better person...? Yera had said that, despite his flaws and similarities to Alki, he was nice. That was better than she was...

Alki filed the information on these therapists away for future use. Of course, she couldn't see herself talking to any of them... They'd probably ask a lot of her, and she didn't really feel like listing off so many flaws to a stranger... They'd judge her really badly, wouldn't they...? And if they figured out she was a thief if she let something slip, not to mention it'd probably cost money, and she didn't deserve to have any money spent on her whatsoever... She'd rather not go through that. She didn't want to make Darcy waste her money on a lost cause...

Her hooves shuffled and shifted. No matter how he stood, nothing felt quite comfortable anymore. She wasn't at all sure how to describe it. She avoided eye contact with the jigglypuff completely as she struggled to piece everything together.

"Well," she started, though cut herself off with a short huff, "I...I kind of thought he'd get better about it all after a while. It just kind of seems like he's just not putting the effort in to try and get better, he just kind of wants to stay where he is like it's fine. He can't live in that house forever and I can't be around forever..."

"And it feels kinda like I put in so much effort to help him out and he doesn't ever really recognize it. I don't want to get paid more or something, I know the shop is struggling and he's barely making ends meet. It's just kind of frustrating that every time I do something for him he brings up Skylar instead of 'Thank you, Yera!' or something." Her hoof pawed at the ground sheepishly. She didn't know what else to say. "I guess it just kinda feels like he could fire me and replace me in an afternoon even though I try to do a lot more for him..."

Alki continued to rock back and forth, unsure on what to say. This really seemed to be quite the annoyance to the Deerling... She seemed irritated. And it all seemed very... complicated, and like a kind of delicate situation too. She wasn't in a position to worry about stuff like that, but she couldn't help but wonder how she could help anyways. Nothing really came to mind, but she hated to see such a nice person be so worried over so many things... She felt horrible about it actually, but the fact that there didn't seem to be anything she could do to help either. It's not like she could steal his heart and make it better, or solve Yera's problems for her... Arceus knew she couldn't do the latter. Not when she was as stupid as she was... She'd just make it all a lot worse.

Alki watched as she pawed at the ground, before saying that she was worried that he could just... get rid of her? Despite worrying so much... And trying to help... Before she really knew what to say, Alki found it necessary to try and say something to make it better.

"Y-You're not replaceable. I don't... That's not... You seem to w-worry about him a lot..." Alki started, making a conscious effort to prevent her stuttering from being too annoying... "...I-I doubt S-Skylar's worrying about your friend right now, a-and... you are. If he f-fires you I'll..." Alki paused, hesitating. There... Wasn't really anything she could do, was there...? She didn't even know what firing someone meant, but given the normalcy with which Yera said it, she doubted it meant being set on fire. Probably something else. Something weird.

"...I-I can't really do a-anything, but... I bet you'll be fine. You don't deserve to be fired. T-That is, if it's... something bad..." She ended, with a bit more strength than before. She wanted her to be happy! She certainly deserved it... And if it was the Skylar she was thinking about, she felt... fairly sure that Skylar didn't worry about Aries nearly as much as Yera did!

She'll...what? The deerling most certainly heard that, but she wasn't exactly sure where the kid was going to go with that. An single ear fell as a baffled look came about her. What could the kid even do exactly...? Stand outside and yell about how bad the place is? Her imagination didn't exactly expand beyond that.

The unease crept right on back into her as the jigglypuff attempted to assure her that everything would be fine. "Well...Yeah I don't think that'd actually happen, h-he's too nice to just fire me like that...even when I mess up he's always super understanding and doesn't make a big deal out of it." She admitted. The idea of losing her job wasn't really what bothered her about all of it. She had no reason to believe that Aries would ever fire her. It was more so that the feeling even existed in the first place. She didn't like it.

"I dunno..." she whined as both ears fell flat. She wanted to shrink in the spot, out of embarrassment and uncertainty. Hell, maybe she needed a therapist at this rate. Something to help her sort her feelings through...

Alki bit her lip as the Deerling expressed her worry. What exactly did she not know...? Alki felt all too confused about what was going on... She couldn't even quite understand why it was that the Deerling was worried... Maybe the play would make her feel better...? She'd been excited for the play, right? Alki bounced in place slightly, thinking for a bit too long even after Yera had finished her thoughts. She didn't want to say the wrong thing!

Finally, the balloon worked up the nerve to speak. Of course, no matter how much she thought, she wouldn't come up with the right words, so she might as well say something... Otherwise, Yera would think Alki was ignoring her on purpose...

"H-Hey! Y-Y'know, f-from what you described, I-I'd s-say, m-maybe my sister's a therapist! M-Maybe... Y-You could talk to her! I-I think y-you two would get along, b-but... a-after the playgrou- I mean, p-play? I'm... W-Well, you were looking forward t-to it, right? And... I'm kinda curious too, n-now." Alki said, stumbling over her words. That was... just about the worst thing she could say to cheer her up, wasn't it...? Although, she didn't think she was entirely wrong either. She could talk to Darcy, and she helped her improve, and... Well, that was really just about it...

"B-Besides! I-If you g-get fired, I can put you i-in h-her team at the guild! I-I'm sure she'd love t-to have you, a-and she won't fire you!" She said, smiling as she blushed, her tone more joking than her previous, more serious comment. Of course, she wasn't a very good jokester, but.. Wasn't that what people did? To lighten the mood? Joke...?

The deerling's backed up a step at the suggestion of joining the jigglypuff. It wasn't that she didn't like the jigglypuff, it was the idea of being on a rescue team. Her eyes widened as her jaw fell, fear all over her expression. She shook her head, "N-No! I mean-I wouldn't be able to be an explorer...I-I can hardly leave the town sometimes myself-a-and i'm not very strong either. I'd just be a burden and it's be way too scary...and..." and weren't these the type of things she was damning Aries for?

She shrunk in the spot, lowering her head at the realization and falling quiet. Quickly, she tried to switch the topic, "U-uh...well...You kind of have to have a licence to be a th-therapist. B-But...uh...yeah let's just go to the play I think it might be starting soon." She wanted an out, and the play was the perfect one. She had no idea if it actually was beginning soon, but she just needed out of this conversation...

Alki shrunk back in surprise, berating herself silently for saying something so stupid. What had made her think that Yera would enjoy being on a guild team? Nothing! There was absolutely nothing to indicate that! The jigglypuff nodded along, her expression relatively calm despite how bad she suddenly began to feel. She seemed scared again, and she fell silent quite soon... Alki wondered whether she should try to salvage her claim, or just let it lie. But if she wasn't sure before hand, the Deerling's mention about a therapist, followed by her agreeing to go see the play indicated that she didn't want to keep going. Alki was happy to oblige.

"W-What do you think they'll do...? O-Or w-what the show'll be, I mean..." Alki said, placing a hand under her mouth in thought. Truthfully, she didn't really care all too much, but she figured that it'd do well to distance themselves from the previous conversation. She didn't want to keep talking there either. "S-Say, d-do they have f-food...? C-Candy, m-maybe, o-or... I-I d-dunno, coffee, or... s-soda?" Her interest seemed quite clearly faked, for she wasn't a very good actress yet, but at the very least she was making an effort! And she was more interested in the food than in continuing to talk about... that stuff. Alki walked along, closely following Yera such that she wouldn't risk falling behind and getting lost.