How Not to Freeze to Death

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Alki hopped from foot to foot, whimpering as she shivered. Arceus, she really should have brought something warmer than this flimsy little cloak. It billowed in the wind, much to the balloon pokemon's frustration. Why wouldn't it just stay put? She needed the warmth the cloak was supposed to offer! At the very least, she reminded herself, she knew a fire type move. That was something, at least. The girl breathed out a steady puff of fire, much weaker than it had been even an hour ago. She was getting colder, and the colder she got, the harder it was to actually make the fire she needed.

But she couldn't back off! Not now. She had to be close to the ruins, according to every map she'd ever found... Well, they didn't tell her much. But they said the ruins she was looking for were near the top of the mountain, and she'd been climbing for hours! She couldn't be that far away from the top, and if she ran away from this, then what had been the point? She couldn't run away! Then she'd just prove herself right. If she ran away, she'd prove that she was weak and stupid, and not worthy of being on a team with Darcy, or being a thief, for that matter.

She needed these artifacts. It wasn't just a matter of want or pride. She needed to be stronger, and she needed to be smarter! If she wasn't, she could get someone hurt, or worse. She could get caught. She could hurt Darcy. A whole lot of bad things could happen if she didn't get her act together and get to the top.

Besides, what was the worst that cold could do to her? She began to half-walk, half-hop across the snow, trying her best to avoid the soreness and prickliness that the thick layer of it caused. Could snow burn? It was starting to feel like it could.

Alki shuffled gently, seeming to have relaxed after Robin's words, if only a bit. She was right of course! Or, at least, she was half right. Nice people did enjoy spending time with her, but Alki knew that she didn't quite deserve it. She wasn't exactly the pinnacle of morality, after all. Between being a criminal, and a liar, and a bit of a coward... A lot of a coward... But aside from all that! She wasn't too bad. Maybe she wasn't the worst, was why people gave her a chance? Or maybe she was just good at fooling people.

The jigglypuff's ears lifted as Russell and Shepherd began to banter. A small smile crept onto Alki's face. It wasn't quite like anything she'd ever seen Darcy do, but it was quite evident that these two cared for each other. Another pang of jealousy coursed through her, at which Alki ceased her content wiggling altogether, suddenly growing stiff, before starting again, slower. She should be happy for him! She was... They weren't mutually exclusive, were they?

Her eyes, however, widened as what Russell had actually said settled within her mind. "He did what?" Alki exclaimed, her enthusiasm re-kindled, as she leaned forward, ears twitching expectantly. "M-My f-first time meeting her w-was w-when I... Um... T-Tried to cheat on a t-test by copying hers. " She breathed out these last details all at once, a sheepish smile on her face as her ears flattened, feet still wiggling as she nodded at Shepherd. "S-Sorry Ma'am." She offered, before continuing. In her defense, she'd already done her time for that one! The Oshawott had caught on pretty quick, and while the teacher had too, she hadn't snitched on her! And she'd even visited her in detention, and offered to tutor her, if she needed the help! But that detention had been a week, and she'd had to explain the whole thing to Darcy...

"B-But, um, I bet your s-story's way cooler than mine! I... C-Can we hear it...? " The jigglypuff asked, wiggling her feet back and forth as she looked up at Russell. Was that asking too much? Maybe, but she [i]was [i] curious!



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Mada carried out 1 launched of one Mt. Frostmeer :

Shepherd's smile was fond as Alki explained her story. The shake of her head was a bit exhausted, but not dismissive. Russell, meanwhile, offering a quick nod. "She does seem nice!" He chimed, a fond smile crossing his face as Alki offered to let him talk about his own partner. Well. Okay, so the story was a little bit embarrassing. "'s not too special, I, uh, made it sound more exciting than it is." He shifted his weight, clearing his throat as he gathered his bravery.

"That was just the kinda family he came from, y'know? If someone steps onto your turf, you chase 'em off. I think that's a boring way to live, though." The Lillipup mused. It was something he'd put a lot of thought into, but... "I was just collecting some supplies when I get jumped, right? But he didn't really know there was another way! Once he realized there was, he didn't want to hurt anyone..."

"What Russell's saying is that he didn't want to hit the punk because he thought he was cute."

"GRANDMA!" Russell yelped, burying his face in his paws in embarrassment. "I-it wasn't like that..." He protested weakly, in a way that let Robin know that, yes, that was exactly how things played out.

"So what's happening is, my pup could totally kick his butt, right? But he doesn't want to actually attack because he got, what, love at first sight?" Shepherd teased, clearly amused. "So he just stands around and talks until the guy gets bored and gives up and finally hears him out."

"Let'stalkaboutyourcrushinsteadpleaseAlki-"

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Venusian carried out 1 launched of one Mt. Frostmeer :

Alki's smile was steady as the Lillipup spoke, closing her eyes as she allowed him to paint the picture for her. He got jumped! And instead of running away, or fighting back, he actually took the time to... Talk him down? Get him to listen? Alki could hardly imagine that! If she were in his position, she would've positively just... teleported away, and ran away from the problem. It was just safer!

...Maybe that was her problem? She was too timid? The jigglypuff's train of thought was interrupted by Shepherd's light-hearted interjection, and Russell's (rather amusing) outcry. Yeah... It was definitely how Shepherd had said it was, wasn't it? She shot Robin a small, curious glance, and by the look on the Vulpix's face, it was easy to tell that she agreed. The jigglypuff's smile only grew as Shepherd continued to speak, her light-hearted teasing towards Russell reminding her a tiny bit of Darcy. Maybe the Stoutland's sense of humour was a bit bolder than hers, but still, it was all in good fun, and Russell seemed to be taking it just fine!

"O-Oh, me?" Alki exclaimed, as she was suddenly shoved into the spotlight. She could hardly turn him down! He needed help! Alki blushed, pulling the blanket up to her mouth before agreeing. "Ok... Here g-goes, um," Alki rubbed her arm under the blanket, a dopey, far off smile returning to her face. Arceus, her crush was cute. Alki sat in silence for a bit too long, before realizing everyone was waiting for her to speak. Oops. She looked at everyone in the room with a bashful smile in turn, before nodding, and beginning properly.

"S-She's in one of my c-classes, a m-math one. We learn to add and subtract and... Um... More complicated stuff too, but it's that sorta thing. I..." They didn't need to know she didn't know how to read! That was humiliating! Alki paused, before shaking her head lightly, a small, nervous giggle emerging. "D-didn't study. I usually do! But I didn't that day, c-cause I'd been busy with... Um... helping my s-sister, and... Well, the test wasn't going well, and I... Um. Cheated. I thought I could teleport back to my seat! Before she saw me, but it didn't work out..."

Alki recalled the scene, the two of them making eye contact in the middle of the test. Eye contact! Of course, the teacher had noticed it too, and she'd asked the two of them if they were cheating together.

"She didn't snitch! The teacher saw us, and she pulled us aside to ask if we were cheating. She's real nice too! She just... Well, she said it wasn't right, so I confessed! And... I got detention for a week. Letter home to Darcy and everything..."

The same, dopey smile returned to the jigglypuff's face, her eyes growing distance with the recollection. "S-She's my m-math tutor now. G-Greta. S-She's an Oshawott, and s-she, Um... She came in when I was in detention after school, and offered to help me and all. I... kinda skipped school to come here though. Golly. Maybe she misses me right now? Gosh, she's really great. Y'all should meet her."

Alki blinked, her eyes glazing over in a daydream, a wide, satisfied smile on her face. She understood multiplication now, thanks to her! Not to mention their lessons in division. She could understand some of the basics of it! Not the long division, of course, but the basics. Meeting Greta marked the first time in her life that Alki was looking forward to math. Albeit, not for the math itself...