#Jay nightgale

[alloftimeandspacetosee]

Jay's Gender Panic

Jay's never really thought about any of this before. She knows she's aroace, and that was enough for her, and ok everything's a little off but like. it's fine. Doesn't impact at all, and sure she doesn't fit conventional femininity but like. she's a legend and a captain and chosen by legendaries, she's allowed not to.

And then she meets some small people who are like "sure but gender's for chumps" and thinks that maybe they're onto something

~

Alyss is talking to someone when I enter the temple, so I hang back and wait for them to finish. It isn’t anyone I know, but that’s hardly surprising. I don’t spend so much time around Snowpoint these days.

 I busy myself pretending to study the stained glass windows, but I know them all too well. Besides which, my mind is still... in the same turmoil it has been since leaving Alola.

 “Jay?” Alyss’ approach startles me; I hadn’t noticed her finishing and walking over.

 “Hi. Is... are you busy just now?”

 “Can’t you see?” Alyss laughs. “I’m... stowed out. As it were.” She glances about, like she’s expecting to see more of us, but it’s just Vulp and I.

 “Sounding more like a native every day.”

 “What can I help you with?”

 “It’s uh... personal. Rather than legendary.” I fiddle with my sleeves, and hate how much this makes me feel like a child. Like I don’t know anything.

 Which about this I sort of don’t.

 Alyss only hesitates for a moment before she nods. “Let’s go back to my house.”

 Alyss’ house isn’t far from the temple, and it’s warm and cozy and... so much more personable than the temple. Which makes sense.

 “So.” Alyss leans against the counter as she waits for the kettle to boil. “What advice are you looking for?”

 “First of all, I’m sorry if this is too personal.” I toy with the teaspoon she used for the hot chocolate.

 Alyss raises her eyebrows and says nothing.

 “How... did you know you were trans?”

 Alyss nods and shifts her stance. “That’s... tricky.”

 “Sorry-”

 She shakes her head, holding up a hand to stop me. “I have half an answer. I came on it sort of slowly. The common story is when puberty hits, and your body starts developing again, but I… figured it before then? I did have a waver when I realised that people were treating me delicately because I had albinism, not because I was a girl.”

 The kettle boils, and Alyss pours it out for us, making herself a cup of tea and me my hot chocolate.

 I cup the mug in my hands and walk through into the sitting room for comfier seats. Vulp leaps into my lap the moment she can and curls up there, tails pillowing her head.

 “I sort of – I didn’t at the time, but I’ve thought a lot since then about whether I sort of was reacting to how I thought they were treating me more like a girl, but ah – no. I’m female.” Alyss continues once we’ve both sat down. “My parents got me on puberty blockers while we sorted things out. By the time I got to travelling, I was transitioning.” She frowns. “Which, y’know, caused some problems when I realised I hadn’t updated my passport before leaving.”

 “Oh, that was… Vermilion.” I run a hand over Vulp’s back.

 Alyss grins. “You flew in and saved me. My hero.”

 I snort and half grin back at her.

 “So – why are you asking?”

 I stop stroking Vulp. “So we were just in Alola. Arlette and Aurora have made more friends – they must get that from Jayden, I don’t understand how they’re so good at it – and two of them… I’m gonna get this wrong, hang on.” I frown, trying to remember. “One uses they/them, and the other uses…  ve/ver I think? For pronouns.”

 I see Alyss nod out of the corner of my eye, but she doesn’t say anything to interrupt.

 “And like – they’re… in their teens, I think? Older than Arlette and Aurora, but not… not by much, I don’t think. But they just… seem so certain. And I. Don’t know? I mean I didn’t know about any of this until I met you, not really. And it’s not like I think about it much, but also I just. Don’t know how I know.”

 “You’re… you’re questioning your gender?” Alyss asks, her voice gone soft.

 I nod and feel like a child as I keep my eyes on Vulp.

 Alyss nods and settles back. “Will it help you to have a definite answer?”

 “Maybe? I think… if I hadn’t known to question it, I’d be fine. But if I’m questioning it, that means I’m not just… cis.”

 “Or maybe you are and you’ve just never had to think about why before because you’ve always been told that. Some people do question their gender and don’t change it, and they’re better for it.”

 “I just hate not knowing. There isn’t like… there isn’t a definitive answer, is there.”

 “Probably not. How do you feel about pronouns?”

 “Oh, I’m very pro nouns. Love to actually have one, some day.”

 Alyss snorts. “Jay.”

 I grin. “Sorry.” I want to lean back, but I stay hunched over Vulp. Take a drink almost as an afterthought. “I don’t mind she, I guess? It’s sort of. There. It works.”

 “Would you prefer a different one, like they?”

 I tilt my head to consider that. “Maybe?”

 “So if I say like…” Alyss pauses to consider for a moment. “Oh, yeah, that’s Jay, they’re a right pain in my backside but a decent enough friend.” She flicks me a grin. “They’re a pirate and a trainer, so they’re clearly just in it for the gold.”

 I laugh. “Oh, that’s fun.” I tilt my head. “Yeah, I like that.”

 “So you want me to change over pronouns?”

 “I think… sometimes? Maybe? I don’t – I don’t know if I’m… ready for people to know yet? And, I mean, I still… sort of need to work it all out for myself.”

 Alyss nods. “Alright.”

 “Thanks.”

 She shrugs. “Always. You know where to find me.”

#

 Alyss isn’t with anyone when I barrel in the next time, and I’ve been holding this in for so long that I just sort of burst straight in with the first thought I have going. “So pronouns aren’t exactly… I mean they are gendered, but they don’t have to be? Like we call ships and the sea she, but they aren’t.”

 “And hello to you too, Jay.” She looks up. “I’m doing well, thanks for asking.”

 “Sorry.” I wince, but she laughs. “Hi. How’s it going?”

 “More gender thoughts?”

 “Something like that. I don’t know how to quantify it. It feels… sort of like I could. I don’t know. Like I’m not female but I’m just. me. And she is fine because my ship is a she, and so is the sea. You feel me?”

 “How long have you been holding this in?”

 “You know when you just sort of get something stuck in your head and that’s it and you can’t stop thinking about it until you have an answer?” I wait for her nod. “Yeah.”

 “Oops.”

 I shrug. “It’s a thing.”

 “And you’ve been waiting to talk to me about it.”

 “Yeah.” I frown. “Maybe I should’ve talked to someone else. Sorry. I know Soise has a fairly lax approach to gender, so like. But I don’t know how much she understands?”

 “Would you like a drink with this, or a walk?” Alyss asks. “You’re… vibrating.”

 “Oh.” I hold my hands up, and realise they’re trembling. “Sorry. Walk?”

 Alyss laughs and pushes me towards the side door, and we leave the temple for the woods.

 It isn’t snowing but the paths still have a hefty covering. We turn north, away from the town, and Alyss sticks her hands in her pockets and waits for me to continue.

 “Not being able to pin down a straight answer sort of sucks, you know?” The snow makes it hard to take my usual strides, which is probably for the best since Alyss could never keep up with them.

 Alyss snorts. “You’ve never done a straight thing in your life.”

 I let out a startled laugh, because I’m not used to her stealing my lines.

 “But listen. You don’t have to have a definitive answer.”

 “But-” I wrinkle my nose.

 “No, listen. There isn’t a definitive answer. There’s no – check enough boxes on this list and it’s definitely you. No one else can decide for you. The confusion of being in the middle of working it out sucks, I get it! But wherever you land will be right. Don’t... make it worse by thinking you aren’t enough.”

 We pass the back of the temple, and it doesn’t take much longer before the trees are the only things we can see.

 There’s sometimes, when we’re out on the ship and the sea is all I can see, that I miss the snow and the trees.

 There’s other times when I remember that I hate not being able to see everything around me, that anything might spring an ambush in here.

 That things have, in the past.

 “Are you even listening right now?”

 I blink. “Sorry what?”

 Alyss rolls her eyes, grinning. “It’s fine. Really. Just imparting my precious words of wisdom over here.”

“I think I got it. I think.” I frown. “I just – don't like not knowing.”

 “Well, then try different things on. And here’s the kicker; you don’t have to tell anyone. Not until you’re ready. Maybe that’s not ever.”

 I nod, still sort of thinking it over.

 We walk further into the snow, and there is something watching us.

 I hold a hand up to stop Alyss and narrow my eyes, reaching for some snow, to mould it into... either a sword or a snowball, depending on what it was.

 “Something stalking us?” Alyss sounds perfectly at ease, like she trusts she can’t be hurt back here. Like the Sky Lord himself would save her from anything.

 Maybe he would.

 “Hm.” I narrow my eyes and launch a snowball into the shadows between the trees.

 “Hey!” My voice echoes back at us.

 “Soise.”

 “This is why I said we shouldn’t.” Brith steps out first, with Sesser on her shoulder.

 "Didn’t stop you following though, did it?”

 I tilt my head as Sesser flits across and lands on my shoulder. “Hm. What are you doing out here?”

 “You seemed stressed,” Soise replies, brushing snow out of her black fur. “Hey, Alyss.”

 Alyss waves at the two of them, seeming amused.

 “I’m... not stressed?”

 “Sure.” Soise slings her arm around my shoulders, dislodging Sesser.

 She bats a paw at Sesser, waving her away as the swablu cheeps at her.

 Sesser lands back on Brith’s proffered paw and fluffs up, and if she could glare I’m sure Soise would be getting the brunt of it.

 “So. Gender got you down, huh?”

 Alyss stifles a snort with her hand.

 I shrug Soise’s arm away. “Thanks for listening in.”

 “See, this is why you should really have been a zoroark.” She brings her arm back in, unconcerned. “I get to be whoever I want to be.” And she demonstrates, every step a different form, from zoroark to delphox to gardevoir to gallade... to human. Flips between genders.

 “Ok, but considering – wait. Would you prefer different pronouns?”

 “All the pronouns, please.” Soise stops in her most common human form, a Black woman with blue dipped box braids, and grinned her too sharp teeth at me. “I collect ‘em.”

 “We - I,” Brith corrects herself, "didn’t mean to intrude. But since we’re here, is there something you want to say?”

 “I-”

 “They're having one too many thoughts,” Alyss says, when I hesitate.

 I stifle a squeak at her words, hands flying to cover my mouth.

 “They are, are they?” Brith casts me an amused glance.

 “I liked that.” I stare at Alyss.

 “Jay would like people to use they/them, occasionally,” Alyss says to Soise and Brith. “It’s a work in progress.”

 “But uh - don’t. Tell anyone else? Yet?” I shrug. “I don’t know how to say it, anyway.”

 “Just tell ‘em your pronouns are on holiday or something.” Soise shrugs. “Had to rent out a new set.”

 Brith rolls her eyes. “We can do that for you, Captain.”

 “Sure. Easy as.” Soise dips her head in a nod.

 “Glad that’s cleared up,” Alyss says, and clears her throat. “Now would you mind clearing out while Jay n I catch up?”

 “Oh, but-”

 Brith claps a paw on Soise’s shoulder. “See you back on the ship.”

 I nod and watch as Brith drags Soise back through the snow. “Thanks.”

 “Any time, Cap.” Soise salutes, twists out of Brith’s grip, and walks alongside her.

 “Come to check on the hatchery?” Alyss asks.

 “Sure.” I turn and follow her north.

 “At least you’re not vibrating anymore.”

 I hold out a hand, and she’s right. It’s still again. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have just landed all that on your shore.”

 “What else are friends for?” Alyss shrugs.

 “Not... normally that.”

 Alyss laughs and nudges me. “Ok, but it was a very Elder task. Advice n that.”

 “Wouldn’t catch me going to the old Elder with that.” I snort.

 “What about the other elders you know?”

 I hesitate. “I... I don’t know.” I frown. “I mean – they don’t have the perspective you do, so.”

 Alyss nods. “Just between us, then.”

 “And Soise and Brith.”

 “And them.”

 “And...” I took a breath.

 “You aren’t beholden to tell anyone else,” she reminds me. “Not Jayden, nor the kids. Not your parents, not your sister, not your other friends. If you aren’t comfortable with the idea, then it can just be the four of us.”

 “I dislike secrets. And hiding. But...” I wrinkle my nose. “I don’t know. I’ll think about it.”

 “Of course. There’s no rush. And hey.” She nudges me again. “My door’s always open, as you know.”

 “I know. Thank you.” I nudge her back. “Really.”

[ace-malarky]

A late (or early) STS for you: I spy a mention of pirates in your intro post. Would any of them care to introduce themselves, or would you mind talking about some of your favorite elements of their story?

oooh ok yes piracy I can do let's go

(STS is a state of mind and I am making a nest there) (this is getting long and rambly and maybe disjointed I am so sorry but not really? pirates be upon ye)

Short answer; the Nightgale clan and their meteoric rise to ruling the archipelago within two generations of being created, the uh. the destruction of the islands and their rebirth as dragon riders then slow slide into nature-reserve-for-the-weird-and-magical. (specific shout out to Jay, daughter of dragons and giver of no fucks, creator of the whole thing by accident because she only ever wanted a ship of her own not... This)

Long answer;

So! Pirates! They originate in Leritheyar which is like. the most fleshed out of the Mist Worlds because it was my only story world for the longest time and then I got too attached to some of the characters (like the pirates) and then everything exploded

but that's not what we're here for!

So the pirates as a whole are The dominant culture of the archipelago that may or may not make up. a large amount of landmass in Leritheyar. I can't do distances well but it's fine it works

this means that I have a wholeass timeline/history of their rise to power, various pirate kings, shifts in families etc etc but the important stuff here;

each family has An Island that they originate on. That's Theirs. and at least one ship, maybe more depending on how big they are! how much power they have! There are absolutely other people that live on these islands but if they are not Pirate Family they do not get on the ships (exceptions being for like. fishers ig. the K'sean are not an exception they are rogue from Anther and the pirates would like them out of their islands thank you but they are small and fast and hard to track)

there is a vague sort of truce that means mostly they don't go in for Big battles but also there are so many skirmishes etc

by far and away my favourite pirates are the Nightgales bc Jay was one of The OG OCs and I will always love her

Jay is not pirate family. She is an orphan on the ruling clan's island, friends with their heir, but she's nothing. Her friend says that once she is queen she will change things, she will take Jay with her

Jay's not about to wait for that, she's got plans. Plans that involve stealing a small skiff and sailing north into the night

Promptly washes up on Riyan, the forgotten continent, where the NightGale lives with her offspring of weird little fucked up creatures. The NightGale adopts Jay because this child Amuses her and everything is fine and dandy until the Sanders pirates come looking for her (possibly at behest of the pirate heir actually. She isn't queen yet but it's been a solid few years and she's worried)

Jay and her not-quite-sister Erris go with them, shenanigans ensue, Jay takes control of the clan. That's her ship now, her pirates. No one's really gonna argue with the teen who bested their captain in single combat and has a dragon on her shoulder and also whatever-the-fuck Erris is at her side.

Her friend (now queen) is delighted by this turn of events and together they are An Unholy Menace. jury's out on whether or not they were A Thing. the queen's son certainly thinks so and has an honest-to-god grudge against Jay, because he thinks she's gunning for rule of the islands

Jay does not give a fuck about ruling the islands. She has a ship, she has a pygmy dragon, she has Erris. All is good with the world. She adopts some of the Sanders kids to be her heirs and they take her name.

She gets herself a mage! She has a treaty with the mages(? I think?), actually, which more or less makes her ships untouchable in the shipping lanes. Her grandson marries the heir to the pirate throne (the king is not impressed with this actually. He's hating life. He tries to kill her and his own mother. He does not succeed (his own daughter may kill him? maybe it's his mother. who can say!))

People say she's still out there. people say they've seen her ship late at night, out in the mist where the eldrii and the akaha play, because for all that the NightGale is the dragon of forgotten things, there are some things that just can't stay unknown.

[her great-grandson is king when the islands are lost and so are the ships but they transition to riding dragons during the war and that's what punts them sideways into another world, where they have... some number of years to set themselves up before their dragons also disappear but by that time they have swathes of land on a sky island that they turn into a sort of reserve for Mythics and Magics to come and heal and rest, and they become another powerhouse to be feared]

[hinterland-clans]

Gave Jaystorm a redesign that I love!! seeing as she’s literally my oldest OC I think it’s well-deserved ^^

Name: Jaystorm Former names: Jay, Jaykit, Jaypaw Rank: warrior Former ranks: loner, kit, apprentice, queen Allegiance: GlenClan Former Allegiances: north face loners Age: (depicted at) 24 moons Parents: Night, Thorn (birth), Goldenlight, Wolfshadow (adoptive) Siblings: Hazel (littermate), Brook, Lichen, Willow (birth), Lilystream, Larkslip, Slatekit, Brambletail (adoptive) Mate: Bobtail Kits: Cottontuft, Wildlight, Hazelkit (litter 1), Nightgale (litter 2) Mentor: Foxtuft Apprentices: Cloudfall, Smokypaw

[alloftimeandspacetosee]

Jay's New Job

So we figured that Giratina, enterprising son of a gun that he is, would probably not have put all his eggs in one basket in regards to trying to get his nightchild - therefore, a lot of other giratina blessed knocking around doing funky little things

Like creating demons? yeah, sure, absolutely

Guess who was watching Supernatural when they were fleshing out this particular thing

~

 As the twins and Soise ran out of sight, I smiled and turned back to examine the stalls again. I’d need to get a gift for Phoe, and since we were here… didn’t really know what to get her, though.

 “Hey… Jayden? What do eight year olds like?”

 He laughed and shrugged, upsetting the fletchling on his shoulder. “It depends. I liked birds, Skyla liked planes…”

 “And I liked… hell, I can’t even remember. Attacking Candice with bulbasaur plushies, I think.”

 “Plushies might be a good place to start.”

 I nodded and we make our way through to the plushie stalls of the market.

 “Just… probably best not to tell the twins. We don’t really have the room for more plushies.”

 “I don’t know, you could always take the beds out of one of the cabins.”

 “That’s a fairly sensible suggestion, Brith, but I’m going to have to let it slide.” I grinned.

 We looked through the stacks of plushies of pokémon from all over. So many choices… hard to pick just one. Plus, I really didn’t know her all that well. I picked up a zangoose, feeling the softness of its fur.

 Something prickled at the back of my head and I shook my head. It didn’t leave. I rubbed at it, frowning.

 “Something wrong?”

 “Are you going to pay for that?”

 “Huh?” I looked up.

 “That plush. Paying for it?” The stall owner was watching me, a hand held out.

 “Right… sorry.” I shook my head and concentrated, but the prickling wouldn’t leave. “Jayden – can you handle this?” I passed him the plush. “There’s something… I’ve got to do.”

 “Jay?” He looked bewildered as I left him, pushing through the crowds.

 “Brith, can you feel that?”

 “Feel what?” She was at my side in an instant, looking around.

 “Something… something’s happening.”

 Brith closed her eyes, aura sensors vibrating slightly.

 “There.” We both pointed at the same time, to a nearby alley. Exchanging worried looks, we stalked over to it and looked down.

 I could hear murmuring coming from the other end, but it wasn’t words I knew. And the prickling was getting worse. Exchanging a glance with Brith, I set the rucksack down and motioned for Vulp and Sesser to stay and guard. The two of them nodded and settled there as we left.

 There were the sounds of a scuffle, or someone struggling… and a chant in a language I didn’t know. We sped up, and I lifted a needle from the inside pocket of my coat.

 And… well, that was a strange sight to walk in on. An older man, dressed in black – looked like a priest – walking around the outside of a circle, reciting the chant. Inside the circle, a… a thing. Looking sort of like a snake, twisting and writhing and trying to… break free, I supposed. But it wasn’t going over the circle.

 Brith flicked an ear, lowering her fists slightly. The man kept his chant going, and the black scales shed away from – that was a woman in there, a human!

 “What are you doing?”

 The man broke off his chant, looking up. “Well. Ah – you wouldn’t understand.”

 “I think I understand fairly well.” I narrowed my eyes. “What are you doing with her?”

 “Blue.”

 His eyes widened as I took a step towards him. “Just – she has a demon in her, I must remove it!”

 I glanced at the woman. Her shape was changing again, snake-like then scorpion-like then crab-like… it looked familiar.

 “Distortion,” I whispered.

 “You know it?”

 “I’m familiar.” I gestured to the circle. “What’s with the get up?”

 “Just – let me finish this first.” He turned back to his book and continued the chant.

 “Blue.” Brith tugged at my sleeve. “Look.”

 I glanced back. She was holding an old paper, from a few weeks back. The front page had a picture of a circle… like this one. A chalk-drawn body in the middle of it. Blood obliterating many of the marks.

 What was going on?

 “The ritual isn’t working… well, this will stop you.”

 Looking back, I gasped as the man drew out a knife and stepped over the boundary of the circle, towards the struggling woman.

 “No!” I leapt forward and tackled him out of the circle, the knife clattering to the ground.

 “What are you doing?” he gasped, struggling under my weight. “I must finish this!”

 “Not by killing her!”

 There was a fluttering of paper and the sound of something getting punched back. “Blue, some attention here!”

 I looked around. Brith was between us and the woman, but she wasn’t really a woman anymore. More a sort of… zubat-venipede cross with skorupi pincers. Right.

 “This might be my bad, but I will not let you kill her,” I muttered, springing to my feet and pulling out another needle.

 “The knife, the knife!” He gestured to it, not getting up. “That will kill it.”

 “And her.” I frowned, leaping forward. “Not on my watch.”

 I took my place beside Brith and the woman hissed at me.

 “You… I know you.” She tensed up, all bug armour and arching tail.

 “Never met you before in my life.”

 “Ah… but you are the Guardian. Well, well, well…”

 “This is more than a demon,” Brith whispered. “That’s him. That’s actually him.”

 “But… Joanna – Phoe.” I frowned.

 “I wouldn’t put all my eggs in one basket, would I? Not like you have.”

 The woman raised a hand to point at me, and spines flew from her fingertips. I raised an arm and armour flashed into place, the spines shattering uselessly against it.

 “This is a good basket, though,” someone spoke through me. That was a crap analogy, but I appreciated the sentiment. “You try too hard… and it dilutes the power.” I slashed a hand across, the needle becoming a sword in the instant it took for the woman to grow herself armour.

 She was flung to the side and hit thin air, crumpling to the ground. What?

 “You… what are you?”

 I ignored the man, stepping over to the woman. “You have your NightChild, Giratina. Leave here.”

 “Ah, but I like my playthings…” She pulled herself to her feet and hissed at me, growing spines.

 “And we don’t play.” I parried her next attack, stepping to the side and slamming my shield into her back.

 She couldn’t leave the circle. Interesting. I paced its edge, keeping an eye on her as she hissed and morphed in the centre of it.

 “No – wait!” Brith yelled and I turned, not fast enough to see the knife fly through the air.

 I certainly heard it hit, though. A solid thunk, followed by coughing gasps. I spun back around – wings flaring for balance – and watched as the woman sank to her knees, coughing up blood. All distortion left her and she was just a woman, bleeding out on the ground.

 “Hold him,” I snapped, stepping into the circle to kneel down by the woman.

 There wasn’t anything we could do, and for a moment I was transported back to Castelia, to the last time I had watched someone die. I lifted up her head, supporting her against my – still armoured – leg.

 “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I was too weak.”

 “No, it’s alright,” I replied. “You were strong, he didn’t get through.”

 “The things – he made me do.” She coughed up blood. “I released – so many demons. I’m sorry.”

 Demons. I’d heard stories about them, everyone had. Hadn’t thought that they were real, though. I laid her down carefully and took hold of the knife, pulling it from her stomach.

 “Right. You’d better explain things now.” I stood up, turning around.

 Brith had the man in a headlock, but he was limp and unresisting.

 “You – what are you?”

 “The Guardian,” I replied. “And you’ve been doing my job badly.”

 “We – well, I was told I had to!”

 “By whom?” It was quite a nice knife, if a bit… bloody.

 He hung his head. “The voice. Please – I can help you. I’m – I’m supposed to teach you.”

 “Teach me what?”

 “How to exorcise them. You may have the NightChild under your wing, but there are other marked out there, many demons. You have to hunt them.”

 “The pay’s going to be crap, isn’t it?” I glanced to Brith. “Release him.”

 She let him drop.

 “Take the bag back to the ship, will you? Tell Jayden I’m… busy.”

 Brith nodded. “Be careful.” She left.

 He stood up, shakily, and looked around for his book.

 “So. Teach me.”

 “Let’s – get out of here first.”

 “What, don’t want to be rewarded for your service to the community?”

 He laughed nervously.

 “Fine.” I stepped forward and grabbed his collar. “Hold on.” Spreading my ice wings, I pulled us into the sky. “Where do you live?”

 He gulped and screamed. I shook him.

 “Concentrate.”

 “Th – there.” He jabbed a hand downwards. “In that block. With the balcony.”

 Excellent. I landed on the balcony and let him go, shrugging away the armour and the wings with a sigh. That stuff hurt.

 He fumbled with the door and finally got it open. “This – this way.”

 I followed him in, sheathing my needles.

 He was asleep – I could hear him snoring from the next room. I got up, making as little noise as possible, and cleared all the books, all the equipment he had, into several bags. It was still dark, but I knew where the docks were from here. Should I bother leaving a note…?

 No. He would know. But – I grinned – maybe a message. Unsheathing one of my needles, I stabbed it into the centre of the chalk circle he’d drawn out to show me. This was my job now, not his.

 Opening the sliding windows, I pulled the bags out and breathed in the night air. Let’s see if this would work… concentrating, I tried to pull on some measure of change – tried to pull on some wings.

 It was slow going. Hard work, I hadn’t had to do anything like this in a long time.

 But I got there. Wings for arms, talons for feet. The… harpy form. Well, it worked.

 Awkwardly, I took the bags in my feet, gripping them tight. Then I hopped up and spread my wings before stepping into the sky.

 I fell, first, before I got the hang of beating my wings. Even then it was haphazard, and I couldn’t get higher than the buildings again.

 So I dropped into the street with a thud and picked up the bags in my hands. I’d just walk back.

 Jayden was waiting on the ship – the lights were on in the main cabin. I stepped up the plank and over Ray and pushed the door open awkwardly.

 “Jay!” He was there in an instant, catching the door. “Are you alright?”

 “Yeah – yeah, I’m fine.” I nodded, pushing the bags into the nearest corner.

 “What are they?” He looked down at them as I closed the door.

 “Ah – tools of the trade.” I hugged him, stealing warmth.

 He hugged me back, pressing his lips to my forehead. “Brith didn’t say much.”

 “This is going to need something to drink.” But I didn’t want to let him go.

 “Right. Well… we can handle it.”

 Eventually I had to, and we sat down at the table with a couple of glasses and a bottle of whiskey. It was definitely a whiskey explanation.

 “Demons are real,” he said eventually.

 I nodded, playing with my glass.

 “And… there are other Giratina Marked.”

 I nodded again.

 “And… right.”

 “And it’s my job to hunt them down and get rid of them,” I said quietly, downing what was left.

 “Well.” Jayden blinked and shook his head. “Alright then.”

 I looked up at him. “Sorry.”

 “It’s fine.” He smiled, but I could see it was forced. “We’ll manage. You know what you need to about it, don’t you?”

 I nodded. “Just… not how to find them.”

 “We can work that out.” He leant back in his chair. “I suppose it explains why you still have all the power stuff.”

 “Yeah, but I haven’t used that since Nyx’s Night,” I replied, frowning. “I didn’t know.”

 “You haven’t noticed…?”

 “Noticed what?”

 He leant forward, reaching for the bottle. “Every so often I see the shadow of wings, or there’s water dripping around you. And not just when you’ve been in the sea, or washing yourself.”

 I frowned. “No… I hadn’t noticed.”

 “Maybe that’s something to do with these demons.”

 I nodded, yawning. “Maybe.”

 “You can start in the morning.” He stood up, helping me up as well.

 “The hours are going to be shite. The pay’s even worse.”

 “Nothing new, then.” Jayden laughed softly.

[alloftimeandspacetosee]

A Snowpoint Wedding, Part3

in which Joanna shares her gift for the newly weds

[1] [2]

~

 I shiver reflexively, the cold biting at my scar. It’s not like I was wearing much in the way of warm things, anyway.

 “I thought Snowpoint people didn’t get cold?” Jayden laughs.

 “They do when it’s actually cold,” I retort, looking up as he took off his jacket. “No – you’ll need that!” I protest as he places it on my shoulders. It was a very weak protest.

 “I will be fine.” He smiles.

 “Well…” I whistle. “This should help.”

 Arc appears, Vulp with her.

 “Keep us warm, please?”

 She moves between us and we walk close to her shoulders.

 “Why not just ride her?”

 “Tradition. We have to make it under our own power.” I held up a hand. “No point in freezing, though.”

 “Fair point.” He smiles.

 We walk on, and don’t speak until we’ve passed the temple.

 “How are you doing?” Jayden asks. “I know you had… difficulties with this.”

 I pause, gathering my thoughts. “They shouldn’t have made the decision for me,” I say eventually. “I made the deal, and until then I’d had no plans for anything of this sort.” I look skywards. “But… they forced my hand.”

 “So…”

 “I don’t regret it. I wouldn’t have come this far if I did. They shouldn’t have forced the decision, because I would have chosen it anyway. I would have chosen you.” I look across at him, smiling.

 “Thank you,” he said softly.

 Arc barks softly and steps out onto the lake front. Jayden and I step past her, and she and Vulp disappear back into the forest.

 “Ready?”

 Jayden nods, taking my hand.

 The lake is perfect and still, the snow mostly untouched but for the tracks of the aurorus herd. We step down to the edge of the lake and kneel down on ice spiked grass that shatters under our weight.

 “Uxie, we come to you now as we always do, seeking wisdom to pursue the path we have chosen.” I dip my left hand into the lake.

 “We ask for the knowledge that we have chosen the right path to walk, the right person to walk it with,” Jayden says, scattering ice onto the lake.

 I can feel it soaking through my dress, and hope it won’t stain. “Show us which way we have yet to tread, to bring this path to its fullest conclusion.” I close my eyes, slowly pulling my hand from the water.

 We kneel for a few moments, but when it becomes apparent that Uxie will not be joining us, we get back to our feet.

 “Should we return?” Jayden asks softly as I return his jacket to him.

 “Not if you don’t want to.”

 He pulls his jacket back on and smiles, offering me his hands. As I take them, he pulls me back into a spin and we sway a little, not quite ready to return.

 Then Jayden stiffens and halts, curling his hand around my back to pull me closer.

 “Well, well… what do we have here then?”

 I twist to see who it is. A man, bare chested and covered in even more tattoos than myself. Quite a few piercings and – I saw as he grinned – silver teeth interspersed amongst what I assumed were still normal teeth.

 “It’s rather a long list. Where do you want to start?” I ask, stepping free but keeping hold of one of Jayden’s hands in my right. Perhaps it was time we were going.

 “May I just say, you look beautiful. An altaria, yes?” He eyes me up. “Creatures of the sky and song!”

 “… Thanks.” I nudge Jayden towards the treeline. “But we should be going, there are people–” I cut off as a monstrous luxray – bigger than Ray, and almost bearlike – pads out of the trees.

 It growls, baring huge canines.

 “This is Sabre. Say hello!”

 Sabre roars and I clench my free hand, wondering if I could risk the dress.

 “We have to be going,” Jayden says flatly.

 “Wait, wait!” He rushes forward and I take a step back as he reaches for my arm.

 Jayden moves between us and the man dives out of the way.

 “I’m sorry, perhaps we got off on the wrong foot. Congratulations, the two of you!”

 “Thank you,” Jayden replies. “But we really ought to be returning.”

 I wonder fleetingly if I could fireball him with enough force to knock him into the lake, but that would probably get us attacked by Sabre.

 “A party? I love parties! Parties are my thing… Mrs. NightGale.”

 I pause at that. It was highly likely he’d picked up my name in town, or in any other region – I wasn’t exactly unknown. But still… “It’s Captain.”

 He bows, pulling a top hat from the air and placing it on his head. “Come on, there’s going to be a party, right here tonight! And you are the guests of honour!”

 Sabre is no longer growling at us, which only reassures me a little.

 “Oh yes! The gale of the night, the bird on the wind!” He flings his arms wide, one hand pointing across the lake. “The fiery rogue said you would come, and that we must return the gift… make this night as memorable as the day!”

 Fiery rogue… that could really only mean Joanna. Or that he was even more of a creep.

 Jayden looks across the lake in the direction he’s pointing. “What shall we do?” he murmurs.

 “How quickly can your birds be here?” I watch as the man leaps onto Sabre’s back.

 He balances on the luxray’s shoulders as it raises itself up onto its hind legs. “Creatures of the wild woods, the shadows of the trees with eyes that throw back the lights of the sky, let your song be heard!”

 First one, then more and more mightyena start to howl from the woods around us. Oh, we were so outnumbered. I flex my fingers in Jayden’s hand, ready to spark up a fireball.

 “I don’t think he means us any harm,” Jayden murmurs.

 I nod distractedly, picking apart the song. It was beautiful, and I often regretted the choices that kept Yen from a pack like this.

 “Beautiful, aren’t they?”

 I jump as another man appears from between the trees. He doesn’t seem as threatening as the first, though his canines have been sharpened into fangs.

 “Howl is one of the pack! He can appear like shadow.” The first man laughs.

 “I must apologise for Spike,” Howl says, fixing the scarf that was falling over his shoulder. “He’s quite normal when he doesn’t have an audience, I assure you.”

 “Hm.” I eye them both, still weighing my chances.

 Howl lets out a sharp call and the song breaks off as a huge pack of mightyena rush out of the trees. In the almost silence that follows – they are all panting, tails wagging furiously as they circle us – I hear one mournful howl rise up through the trees. Oh, Yen…

 “They won’t attack,” Howl says, putting his arm inside the mouth of the almost completely mightyena beside him.

 I’m sure that makes me feel so much better.

 “Howl! Creature of the woods and brother to the pack!” Spike yells. “The show must go on!”

 Howl rolls his eyes and takes my raised hand – about to freeze them where they stood – and kisses it. “Congratulations on the wedding.” With a yip, he turns and pelts back into the trees.

 The pack follows him, leaving us along with Spike… at least we had his name now.

 “Birds?” I ask Jayden quietly.

 He releases my hand, whistling sharply. Spike laughs in delight, and something cannons into me from behind.

 I react instinctively, drawing my left hand through the air and freezing a sword into existence, pushing away the small person that was holding onto my waist.

 A young girl in a frilly green dress stares up at me from the snow, her lip trembling. “Help! Please help me!”

 I let the sword fall back into the snow, rubbing at my hand. What now?”

 “There’s – there’s a wild tyranitar!”

 Tauros crap. I twist to glare at Spike, who just grins as another child wraps their arms around me.

 “A wild nidoking! It’s huge and angry!” She was identical to the first, except for the purple dress.

 “Just – get off.” I close my eyes, unlatching her hands.

 “Help miss!”

 A third one? Really?

 “A wild feraligatr!”

 I side step this one – in a blue dress – and she falls into line beside her sisters.

 “They want to gobble us up!” they chorus, as the three pokémon step out of the trees, hemming us towards the lake. “Save us, miss!”

 “Monsters, be gone!” Spike yells, but of course they don’t listen to him.

 And the birds haven’t arrived. I raise my head to howl for my pack – even if these pokémon weren’t dangerous, I’d appreciate the back up – and stop as a woman in a plain brown dress strides out between us and the three pokémon. She’s sporting a very fine beard, and I don’t think it’s fake.

 “Monsters, be gone!” she yells at the three girls.

 They shriek and rush to their respective pokémon, sitting on their heads as they stand up.

 “You are rude!” the one on the nidoking shrieks.

 “Now our pokémon shall gobble you up!” the one on the feraligatr yells.

 The three pokémon roar, advancing towards us. I let out the howl now, not caring that this was still (probably) an act.

 The woman produces a violin from the folds of her dress, setting it to her shoulder.

 “Music can soothe the most savage of hearts,” Spike remarks, the luxray at his side grunting in agreement.

 The woman begins to play a lilting tune and the three pokémon – and their riders – bow their heads, starting to spin.

 Yen is first on the scene, predictably, with Ray not far behind him. They slink to our sides, ears flattened. Ray is growling a little as he places himself between us and the performers.

 The woman finishes the tune as the girls slide from their perches, looking up at her with puppy-dog eyes. She sighs and tosses what looks like sweets to them, and the six of them fall on the sweets in an instant.

 Arc pads out of the trees and gives the group a sidelong glance, skirting along the banks with Glace sitting on her back. And Vulp, of course, was still in the hall.

 The woman laughs and turns to us, holding her violin and bow in one hand so she can shake ours. “Oh, the crowds go crazy for them! Their mam isn’t half proud of them, you know. Hope they didn’t scare you too much!”

 Ray’s rumbling growl doesn’t seem to put her off, but I don’t discourage him.

 “Just what,” I ask, voice like ice, “Is going on here?”

 Jayden has a hand on my shoulder, looking skywards. The birds should have responded by now… unless they weren’t in earshot.

 “Oh, we know your friend… Ash Fyra? She wanted to make this evening memorable, and we wanted to repay a favour.”

 Joanna. Should’ve known… oh, she was in trouble.

 An aipom springs up onto the woman’s shoulder, chattering.

 “Oh, anyway – congratulations! Lyra, Ruth, Trixie, come on!” She releases a rhydon and jumps onto its back, leading the three girls back into the trees.

 “We really should be going,” I say, gesturing for Arc to step closer.

 A thick fog drifts in across the lake. What now?

 Ray snarls and his mane glows, lighting up the immediate area.

 There’s an old woman standing in front of us, leaning heavily on a staff. “Your town is beautiful,” she whispers. “So quiet… I am Merlin.” She bows.

 “It’s quiet because they’re all at a party that we have to be getting back to,” I snap, still horribly on edge.

 She doesn’t seem perturbed by my anger – in fact, she seems to ignore me entirely in favour of Jayden. “I sense the sky about you… you will enjoy my act, I think.”

 Jayden tightens his hand on my shoulder and I close my eyes for a moment, breathing deeply. Arc touches her nose to my face, snuffling.

 When I open my eyes again, the fog is dark and filled with harsh cawing.

 “The night is full of beastly creatures,” Merlin sighs, a murkrow landing on her staff. “But I have a place in my soul for feathered ones, no matter how dark.”

 The fog swirls thicker around us as the furious call of a honchkrow is heard. Ray snarls in reply, and I shove a hand into his mane to calm him. It doesn’t work particularly well, as I am very definitely not calm.

 The black fog billows like an entity of its own, and occasionally a bird appears through it. They get angrier, a cawing mass of feathers and talons until Merlin slams her staff into the ground.

 The fog parts as a pure white altaria spirals down to land on the staff, singing. I can hear another altaria somewhere – Skyggen, probably – and the fog around us lifts, showing that Jayden’s flock has finally, finally found us.

 But Jayden is stepping forward to examine the altaria and all her other birds, smiling. “She’s beautiful…”

 “Her name is Dawnsong,” Merlin says as the altaria spreads her wings in a show of strength before letting him stroke her.

 Sesser lands on my shoulder, which gives me some small measure of comfort.

 “You make a beautiful altaria,” Merlin says to me. “We must fly, you and I.”

 “Perhaps tomorrow?”

 “But there is one act yet to take place!” Spike yells and I jump.

 Somehow, I’d managed to forget that he was here.

 “You will not be disappointed, we have saved the best for last!”

 Encouraging. We back away from the water’s edge as it starts to ripple, Jayden’s birds moving to the trees.

 “Oh my dear Jays, witness the union of fire, ice, and water! Rise from the depths!”

 And out of the water emerges a blastoise, with… I can barely believe my eyes.

 “Mrs Ash-Fyra and Song!”

 Joanna is wearing a leotard, though it’s longer than the usual – longer than her companion’s wearing, certainly – and is balanced on one cannon of the blastoise. The person on the other side – I assume that must be Song – is mimicking her, grinning wildly.

 The cannons extend, pointing into the sky. What are they… at a whispered command, water bursts out of them in a ferocious jet, and both women jump into the stream.

 I can hear a faint scream as they are launched high into the air, into the clouds.

 They start to fall back towards the lake, gathering speed. Flare catches Joanna on his back before she hits the water, and the other person is caught by a dewgong that bursts from the lake.

 “For one night only!” Spike is just about screaming. “Flare and Floe!”

 They pose before us, and however annoyed I might be with Joanna, I still applaud them now with Jayden.

 But they’re still performing, blending fire and ice together in brilliant ways. They create birds, humans dancing – Articuno, of course. And then Flare is taking Joanna higher into the sky, and the dewgong – Floe – is moving back into the water with Song, creating a huge pillar of water in the air above them, freezing it in delicate patterns.

 We step back, wondering just what was going to happen now. Joanna and Flare are hovering just above the pillar, but almost as soon as I spot them, they dive straight down.

 They smash through the pillar in a ball of flame, exploding it outwards into glittering shards of rainbows. I lift a hand to shield myself, but it’s hardly necessary – Arc, Cinder, and Tinder melt any that might hit us.

 Flare banks in off another icy blast of wind from Floe and lands in front of us.

 “You’re all crazy,” I say, applauding all the same.

 “Like I need told that,” Joanna says, hopping down from Flare. “How was it, Song?”

 “Oh – fantastic, seriously nice work!” She runs to Spike and hugs him as he jumps down from Sabre’s back.

 The rest of the performers and their pokémon appear from the trees with a shout, running towards us.

 Alex whips off the cloak he’s wearing and throws it over Joanna’s shoulders as he hugs her. “That was… amazing!”

 “It was... a bit.” I smirk. “I no longer feel like leaving you out for the sneasel.”

 “Pah, sneasel…” Joanna flaps her hand. “No problem.”

 “I think we can call that a success!” The violin player caught both Alex and Joanna in a hug.

 Howl shakes snow from his hair. “Are you lot free tonight?”

 “We… really should be getting back to the hall,” I reply. “Sorry.”

 “What is there left to do there?” Joanna asks, tying the cloak properly around her neck.

 “Food and the cake. And more dancing,” I reply. “Some other night, perhaps.”

 “How long will you be in Snowpoint?” Jayden asks.

 “We have an agreement with your elder… a while at least.” Spike grins. “You will have a chance to see all the acts.”

 “I am sorry, really,” I say. “But – tomorrow?”

 Sayri hops across the ground towards us.

 “Tomorrow.” Spike inclines his head. “But until then – adieu!”

 We step onto Sayri’s back and she takes off, leaving the lake area with the rest of the birds in formation around her.

 “Well,” Jayden says eventually. “That was interesting.”

 “I’d like to see any wedding present top that.” I smirk.

[alloftimeandspacetosee]

A Snowpoint Wedding, Part2

In which we have the cake and some dancing

[1] [3]

~

 When we reach the hall, Jayden and I take a door each, allowing the crowd past into the warmth. Each group, person, stops to congratulate us, and I fall into a daze of smiling and thanking and nodding fairly quickly.

 And then I am jolted by Joanna, who rushes forward and wraps her arms around me. “That was amazing! The sail, the altaria… oh, it was beautiful… where’s Alyss? I should really talk to her about her ceremonies, pick up some tips.”

 “Thanks.” I grin as she releases me. “She hasn’t been past yet, she’ll probably be at the back of this lot.” I nod to the stragglers. “Glad you enjoyed it… not quite your usual style.”

 Joanna snorts. “Yeah, but that was so personal.” She looks out into the snow before stepping past us into the hall.

 Alex takes a moment to congratulate Jayden and follows her, holding onto Nyx.

 “Though, if you ever want a soul ceremony in Lavaridge, I’m sure we could arrange it. You know, what with being elder and all.”

 “Maybe.” I glance over at Jayden. “Thanks for the offer.”

 Alyss comes hurrying in at the back of the crowd with Soise and Brith behind her. “That’s everyone.” She brushes snow from her shoulders.

 Jayden and I swing the doors shut behind her, keeping the warmth in.

 “Thank you, Alyss,” Jayden says, offering a hand. “That was excellent.”

 Alyss looks at his hand, then glances to me. “May I?”

 “Uh… sure?” Why does she need my permission now?

 Alyss grins and disregards his hand, instead pulling him into a hug. “As I said earlier, my pleasure.”

 I laugh at Jayden’s startled expression as he recovers and hugs her back.

 “Nice work Alyss, really,” Joanna said. “The altaria were a wonderful addition.”

 “You… didn’t evolve Sesser for that, did you?”

 “Oh, no – she was under an illusion. But thank you.” She smiles at Joanna. “We worked hard.”

 “We must talk sometime, about ceremonies, you… know…” Joanna trails off, staring as she sees Walker appear.

 I blink, wincing as his suit catches the light. “It’s very bright, Walker. Nice.”

 “Yes, great, isn’t it… I didn’t know what colour to choose, so I thought yellow would work.” He chews his lip. “Sorry, Thorn said it’d work… oh, I stand out so much! I’m so sorry!”

 Roman and Norman – I’m surprised they’re not dormant with the cold – flit around his head.

 “It’s fine. You look fine. No worries.”

 Walker breathes, calming himself down. “Ok, good to know. Your cake is waiting whenever you are ready.” He takes mine and Jayden’s hands, kissing them. “You both look beautiful.”

 I giggle at that, not used to having my hand kissed.

 “Joanna… chandelure?”

 “Yep!” She spins. “What do you think?”

 “I think you look…” He stops himself.

 “You can say it,” she sighs.

 “Hot, you look hot… you know, ‘cause you’re a fire type…”

 “I get it. Can we see the cake now?”

 “The cake is over this way,” Brith says, beckoning us through the crowd.

 I shake my head, grinning, and follow her.

 The cake is sitting on a table of its own, and… it’s spectacular. Three tiers, of course. The bottom is frosted in dark blue, which gets lighter as it ascends to the tiers, until it’s as white as snow on the top tier. A crystalline Articuno stands there, wings spread as if about to take off, with two tiny crossed feathers between her feet – one tinged black.

 “Holy skies Warren, it’s perfect!” I look up at him, grinning.

 He breathes a sigh of relief, colour rushing back to his face. “Thank goodness you like it.”

 “Is there any world in which I wouldn’t?” I look around for the knife.

 Molly held it out, blade first.

 “You meaning to challenge us?” I ask, taking the knife by the blade.

 “Just cut the cake,” she replied, brushing her hair back over her shoulder.

 I grin and flick the knife into the air, catching it by the handle.

 “Oh go on,” Joanna says, when I pause. “It’ll taste divine!”

 “Yeah… just got to get rid of this first,” I say, lifting the bouquet that’s still in my other hand. “Let’s see… heads!” I yell, and toss it into the crowd.

 Hands rise up to catch it, and one makes a triumphant fist around the bouquet as the rest of the crowd cheers.

 “That’s done,” Molly says, clapping as well. “Now cake?”

 “Alright, keep your scales on.” I grin and offer the knife to Jayden.

 He covers my hand with his on the handle, leaning in. We cut the cake carefully, avoiding the articuno. When the knife hits the plate, the crowd cheers and Jayden turns in to steal a kiss.

 “Dances or food first?” I ask, looking over to Mam.

 “Dances, of course. Go on!”

 As people clear away from the centre of the hall, Jayden and I step out to our positions.

 “Any idea what it’ll be?” he murmurs.

 “Waltz, probably. You can waltz, right?”

 He smiles as the music starts. “Of course I can.”

 For the first few steps, I am nervous – I have rarely waltzed before, and never as the centre of attention – but then the music calms me down and soon I forget anything else.

 Other couples join us – Soise spins past, Tut sporting a bow tie in her paws – and I smile, twirling under Jayden’s arm. Joanna and Alex move past, Nyx held between them.

 We reach the edge of the crowd as the music stops, and break apart to bow to each other. Well, he bows, I curtsey.

 “Drinks?”

 “Sounds like a plan.” I nod. “Haven’t had anything since… I don’t even know when.”

 Jayden leads the way to the drinks table and pours us out a couple.

 “Hiding already?” Molly squirms through the crowd to join us as a faster tune – a jig, perhaps – starts up.

 “Thirsty.” I raise the glass in my hand.

 “Ah.” She nods wisely. “Drinking already.”

 I smirk. “We have been driven to it.”

 “How terrible.”

 Fire flares up from the dance floor and I spin around to see Joanna and Alex, dancing… or sparring. Venus and Prada were mimicking them, and Petra was circling overhead.

 “Well.” I whistle appreciatively.

 “Any Snowpoint dances that can top that?”

 I start to shake my head. “Actually… Molly?”

 “Yeah?”

 “How’s your sky dance?”

 “Not bad… give it a shot?” She grins.

 “You… won’t need me, will you?” Jayden asks. “I don’t think it’s one I was taught.”

 “We should manage.” I shake my head, taking Molly’s hand. “Soise – let ‘em know it’s a sky dance next.”

 She grins and darts up to the stage as Joanna and Alex finish with a flare of fire. Molly and I clap enthusiastically, making up for the rest of the town’s lukewarm response.

 “Nice going, Lavaridge,” I call, grinning.

 “Too hot for you?” Joanna laughs.

 “I wouldn’t bet on it… there’s a storm brewin’.”

 “Ready to spread those wings?” Molly asks, flicking the gauze as we change places with Joanna and Alex.

 “Sure I am, serpent.” I reach out to stroke the ribbon falling from one of the barrettes in her hair.

 As the music starts up, we raise our entwined hands and pace in a circle, stretching our free hands to the side. Candice and Maylene join us as we turn in the opposite direction.

 I haven’t danced this dance in a long time. It’s a midsummer dance, for the SkyLord celebration. And my sister and I… we had been good.

 We turn back towards each other and grin, spinning together. I caught her by the waist and lifted her into the air as she spread her arms wide, balancing us as I leant back, taking the paces backwards and to the side. As I bring her down again, I see Soise tugging Elise into the fray.

 We step back from each other and I spread my arms, allowing my wings to flutter as we circle.

 It speeds up and we close in, taking it in turns to be the one ‘flying’. If we weren’t in such fancy dresses – if we had practiced beforehand – we would probably have tried the tossing, which was much harder, but as it was, we stuck with the simple version.

 When the music stops, we are both panting and Soise is crowing in delight, Elise sitting on her shoulders as they continue to whirl about the floor.

 Molly is glowing, grinning. She throws her arms around me and we hug, slowly moving – almost waltzing – to the edge of the floor, where Candice and Maylene join us, along with Skyla, Alyss, and Jayden.

 Jayden hands us both drinks. “Nice dancing.”

 “Thank you.” I grin, taking the glass. “You can learn for next time, right?”

 Molly excuses herself and skips off to join Bhatair where he’s talking with Henry.

 “Anyway – tomorrow, your gym… yes?” Skyla asks.

 Candice grins. “Coming for the slides?”

 “I want to compare them to the cannons.”

 “You have cannons? Jay, why didn’t you tell me!”

 I laugh. “It never came up.”

 “And we can train, right?” Maylene asks. “We’ve a good triangle between us.”

 “You have…?” Skyla glances her over, trying to guess.

 “Fighting types.” Maylene grins, and I finally figure out her suit – mienshao. Of course. “Gym in Veilstone.”

 “Ah, I see.” Skyla nods.

 “Jay… does that normally happen?” Alyss asks quietly, nodding across the dance floor.

 “Hn?” I look around, and spot my mam and Joanna talking. “No…”

 “Perhaps you had best rescue her, then.”

 “Which one, I wonder?” I murmur to Jayden as we skirt the edge of the dance floor.

 As mam reaches out for Nyx and Joanna starts to glare, I swing easily in between them. “How are you guys enjoying yourselves?” I swirl and step back a pace, now standing opposite Jayden in a small square with them.

 “Oh, it’s been so beautiful – you haven’t danced with Molly like that in a long time, and you know she’s missed it.”

 “I know.” I nod. “We’ll try to be more active with it, I guess.”

 “Thank you for organising everything, Mrs. Nightingale.”

 “It’s Joy, dear, you’re part of the family now.” Mam smiles. “I had best be seeing about the food. It should be ready by the time you get back from the lake.”

 “Of course.” I smile and step back, watching her leave. “Joanna, what–” But Joanna is gone. “Huh.”

 “That was… strange.”

 “Probably just making good her escape.” I shrug. “Come on.”

 Alyss meets us at the door. “Seek your wisdom,” she intoned. “Take what time you need… but be back in time for food, ok?” She breaks character, grinning.

 “Sure.” I smile.

 “Thank you.”

 We leave the hall and walk down the pathway that already had a dusting of snow on it.

[alloftimeandspacetosee]

A Snowpoint Wedding, Part1

In which I very much just rewrote a roleplay one of the cowriters and I did to make it work better for me

(despite my misgivings about how likely Jay is to actually get married but it's fiiiiine she feels she gotta)

[2] [3]

~

 I smooth the dress out and step out from behind the screen. “Um… does that look alright?”

 Mam looks up first and smiles, eyes bright with tears. “Oh, Jay… you look lovely!”

 “Still reckon my dress was better,” Joanna says, but she nods.

 Mam purses her lips, shooting Joanna a glare.

 “How ‘bout you get changed?” I say quickly, moving towards the chair in front of the mirror. “Your dress is waiting back there.”

 “What is it, a jynx?” Joanna shudders, moving past.

 I snort. “Now there’s an idea.”

 Mam takes up the hairbrush and attacks my thick mane. I just sit there and grit my teeth as she rips out tugs. It isn’t as bad as it could have been, possibly to do with the fact that it’s still slightly damp from the shower.

 “Bit dark for a wedding, isn’t it?”

 “Just put it on,” I call back.

 Mam puts down the brush and hurries behind the screen, eliciting a yell from Joanna. “Oh hush, you’ll need help doing up the back.”

 I gingerly apply makeup, wishing Candice could be here to do it for me. But she’d shown me how it would look best, and I could emulate it… hopefully.

 “Take off the jewellery as well,” mam says.

 “Ok, the necklace, the metal bracelet, and the claw, fine… but I’m keeping the berry bracelet and my wedding ring.”

 “I wasn’t suggesting you take that off,” mam retorts, bustling back out and returning to fix up my hair.

 “Is it just me, or is this dress warm?” Joanna steps out in a dress with a lilac torso and a shimmering blackberry-blue panelled skirt.

 “Volcarona scales in the bodice. Figured you’d appreciate it.” I shot her a smile via the mirror, finishing off the mascara.

 “Ooh… nice.” She grabs the brush, pulling it through her own hair once or twice. “Should’ve redone the highlights…”

 Mam’s lips thin as she starts small plaits in my hair, threading beads and feathers onto them.

 “Still got time, I think?”

 “I don’t have the stuff with me.” Joanna shrugs, putting the brush down.

 “It works quite well faded, anyway.”

 Mam puts the last band in and turns to pick up the circlet from its place on top of the veil. I offer my reflection a tight smile and stand up.

 “I… I don’t have to put on makeup, do I?” Joanna eyes the table with trepidation.

 “Not if you don’t want to.” I shake my head. “Not like anyone’s going to be looking at you, anyway.”

 Joanna laughs, watching as my mam sets the circlet on my head. I pull the gloves – fancy arm warmers, really – up to my elbows, slipping the loops over my middle fingers and making sure they’re lying right. Mam fusses for a moment getting the veil to lie right across my head and down my back, and then there’s a knock at the door.

 “Is everyone ready?” Dad calls through it.

 “Yes,” I reply, gesturing for Joanna to open it.

 She catches up her cloak – not her usual one, a far smarter one – and opens the door.

 Dad says nothing, just stares at us. I smile at him, stepping out of the dressing room towards him.

 “You look beautiful,” he breathes, taking my arm.

 I shift to properly hug him. “Thank you.” I rest my chin on his shoulder, pressing my nose into his neck.

 “Jay, dear, try not to mess the two of you.”

 “I’m not,” I reply, releasing my father. “Shall we?”

 He smiles back, and leads us down the corridor.

 Pie is waiting by the door, and erects a bubble shield around us as we leave the building.

 My pack is waiting there, and form a secondary escort just outside of the forcefield as we walk to the temple. Venus slips through the forcefield to Joanna’s side, sleek and wearing a smart collar. Vulp is not far behind her, looking primped and preened, with a lopsided tiara of her own looped around one ear.

 Candice and Molly are waiting on the temple steps, and I am not quick enough to stop Molly from squealing and flinging her arms around me, near clouting me in the head with her bouquet of flowers.

 “Ok – thanks,” I gasp, hugging her in return.

 Candice passes Joanna a bunch of smoky red flowers to contrast with Molly’s light blue ones. “The small flower girls are waiting inside. They got cold.”

 “Thanks.” I smile at her, taking the bouquet of white flowers – lilies, snow drops – that she passes me.

 “Don’t trip.” She grins. “Come on, Joy.”

 The two of them enter the temple.

 I take a breath, steadying my nerves. This was stupid. I couldn’t be getting nervous at this, could I?

 “Any worries?” Joanna murmurs from behind me. “You know I could always call Whitetip or Flare, and you could make a run for it.”

 “Where would I run to?”

 “Anywhere. You could go free, live however you like.”

 My dad places a hand on the door. “Ready?”

 I nod. “I am. Livin’ how I like. We’re free. I can do this.”

 Dad pushes open the door and holds his arm out for mine. I slip my arm through the crook of his elbow and walk with him down the aisle, Joanna and Molly – and two smaller girls, the flower girls I assume – following us.

 The temple is warmer than usual. There are tapestries hanging between the arches, candles in sconces – I think a few might actually be litwick – and a carpet underfoot. Not even starting on the flowers.

 The music that is cascading through the hall is about the only reason I can keep walking. The walk seems long, far longer than I ever remember it being in the practices.

 But Jayden is waiting, with Alyss beyond him and Henry to his side. He’s watching Alyss just now, not the aisle. My dad’s hand on my arm is probably the only thing keeping me from speeding up, from getting this over with.

 He’s wearing a blue suit with a red shirt, I see as he turns. He raises his hands, allowing me to see the feather cufflinks. Braviary.

 “Oh, braviary, nice,” Joanna says quietly behind me.

 I meet Jayden’s eyes properly, and smile as I notice that the bird keeper calm has not been enough to stop the awe and wonder transfix his face as we walk closer.

 Dad pulls us to a halt opposite Jayden and leaves for his seat.

 “Oh, they look perfect, don’t they!”  Molly squeaks, tugging Joanna into place behind me.

 Alyss laughs silently for a moment before assuming her ‘elder face’ and waiting for everyone to calm down. The flower girls giggle, swinging their baskets from side to side before running to the side. The music slows to an aching finish and leaves us in silence.

 I smile at Jayden, lifting the veil away from my face awkwardly, trying to keep the flowers from going everywhere.

 “Welcome, Snowpoint.” Alyss’ voice is strong and confident, a far cry from the teenage elder I first knew. “Welcome, those of Mistralton.” She dips her head to Jayden’s family and friends. “And, of course, welcome to Lavaridge.” She looks to Joanna briefly before raising her head to gaze over the entirety of the temple.

 I don’t look back, fearing to see exactly how many people had turned up.

 “Welcome to Snowpoint, welcome to this binding.”

 Jayden hasn’t quite managed to stop staring yet. I try not to fiddle with the flowers in my hands too much.

 “These two swear now, before everyone here, to fly true with each other, sail before whatever wind may guide their path, and work together for the same purpose.”

 I smile. These amended vows worked so much better than the originals.

 “But they have not sworn it yet,” Brith says from behind me, and though I knew that it was going to happen, I still tense up. “I contest this right, as they have yet to speak a word before us.”

 I force myself to relax. All normal, all was fine. Of course it was.

 “I swear it, now.” Jayden finally tears his eyes from my face to look past me, to Brith. “I swear to fly true, sail before the wind, and work with Jay, always, for our joint purpose.”

 “You hear it?” Brith asks.

 “We hear it,” the crowd rumbles back.

 As their noise dies away, I hear Molly hushing Joanna.

 “Then they have sworn and I witness true to keep their sails straight.” Brith pads forward to stand at Alyss’ side.

 She is wearing a band of silver on her head, from which thin chains trial down to wrap thin blue feathers around her aura sensors, matching the ones that hang from her ears. I bite back most of the gasp, but part still escapes me and I see Brith twitch a small smile.

 “Only one has yet sworn.” Soise steps from the shadows behind Jayden. “I call you, NightGale, make good on the oath this man has already sworn to you.”

 Her usual pink scarf has been set aside in favour of a circlet like Brith’s and a silver tracery that holds her mane in place. Blue feathers hang from her ears and lie across her face like fine tattoos.

 I lick dry lips. My turn. “Then I swear it.” I lift my head, looking past Jayden to meet Soise’s eyes. “I swear to fly true, sail before the wind and work with Jayden for ever purpose we see fit to pursue.”

 Soise turns to the crowd, raising her arms. “You hear it?”

 “We hear it.”

 “Then I, too, witness that they have sworn, and I will keep their words straight with you.” Soise turns to Brith and Alyss, bowing.

 “And now they have sworn before you all,” Alyss says, calling the attention back easily as Soise steps to stand beside her, “We hold them before Rayquaza, Lord of our Town, and Articuno, Queen of the Ice. May these travellers be blessed by winds and weather ever fair to their needs.”

 As Jayden and I turn back to face each other, two altaria – one sparkling gold, the other resplendent in blue – swoop down from the arched roof above us, holding a sail carefully between them.

 Molly and Henry step forward to take the sail, bowing to the two altaria as they land.

 Jayden and I step back to give them space to walk to Alyss. Nestled in the centre of the sail are the rings, one dark blue and the other light blue – a braviary’s colouring and an altaria’s.

 Alyss takes them and Molly and Henry step back to their places, Molly expertly folding the sail. She passes the dark blue one to Jayden and the light blue one to me. We step closer, and Jayden takes my left hand first. Without speaking a word, he slips the ring onto my finger, where it fits perfectly. I do the same for him, and the altaria take off.

 The crowd gasps as the air around us is suffused with a soft blue light and above us – above us, an altaria and a braviary are circling, dancing.

 “Rayquaza sees your bond,” Alyss speaks up, “And holds you to keep true through the rest of your lives.”

 “We will never break the bond that we have sworn.” Jayden and I speak together. “We will hold it as high as the skies, letting it rest with the one who guides our paths.”

 The birds above us lock claws and dive straight for us.

 “Holy Groudon,” Joanna says, but I can see Soise grinning, and so I stand firm.

 The birds dive and, as they reach us, they fade and disintegrate into confetti that disappears as it lands.

 “They are bound now, by word and by sky to hold this forever. It is – well done.” Alyss nods and bows.

 The big stained glass window behind her – showing Uxie and Rayquaza appearing to the first settlers – erupts with light, throwing shards of colour through the temple. The smaller windows were lit up as well, but through the big one the silhouettes of two dragonite can be seen, twisting together.

 And music ekes out into the hall once more and swells, and Jayden steps back with a gesture for me to spin. I spread my arms – my wings – and twirl.

 The crowd applauds, and Venus lets loose a volley of sparks. Jayden catches me and I lean into his chest, smiling as I catch sight of Joanna, crossing her arms across her chest in the Lavaridge way.

 “To the hall?” Jayden asks, kissing my temple.

 Alyss nods. “Lead the way.”

 “Thank you, Alyss.” I smile at her. “Really.”

 “My pleasure.” She bows.

 Most people are still in their seats, and only shift once we’re past them. Pie is waiting by the door with Elise, and she shields us once again as we leave the temple, stepping away down the cleared walkways to the hall.

[alloftimeandspacetosee]

Babysitting Nyx

Jay, unwilling babysitter/godparent to the antichrist. context; she'd organised Lavaridge's Yule celebration for Joanna/Alex, who are Lavaridge's elders but also new parents, and then agreed to babysit Nyx so that Joanna and Alex could have a Proper Night Out because it's been. a while? since they've been able to do that?

Jay, of course, feels bad for like Everything and agrees, even though she's uncomfortable with kids (also the last time she was left alone with Nyx she almost killed her, but there were extenuating circumstances I guess)

She's kinda bad with most people, actually, kids aren't special. Written for my cowriter, I think?

~

 “Thanks for this, Jay.”

 “Don’t mention it.” I shrugged. “You go out and have a good time.”

 “We will.” Joanna grinned and shut the door behind her and Alex.

 “Doubt they’ll remember it,” I murmured, heading back into the sitting room.

 Jayden looked up. “That’s them off, then?”

 I nodded, sitting down on the couch beside him. “Yep. And she’s still asleep?”

 He gestured to the monitor on the table. “At the moment, yes.”

 “Let’s hope she stays that way.” I bit back the next words, knowing I’d have to eat them sooner or later.

 “They aren’t all that bad.”

 “Yeah, well…” I leant my head on his shoulder, getting comfortable. “Makes it easier for us.”

 Jayden stretched his arm around my shoulders, disturbing Sesser so that she cheeped and took off, fluttering away to sit on the windowsill. “Sorry.”

 I smiled and closed my eyes, pushing my boots off. It was nice to get to relax, especially after the festival. Wasn’t really my scene, the whole organising thing, but… well, it kept them happy.

 “So.” Jayden rested his head on top of mine. “Are you just going to lie there until they get back?”

 “Probably.” I nodded. “Why… got a better idea?”

 “Not really.” He laughed softly. “But if we’re supposed to be babysitting Nyx…”

 “I doubt watching her sleep’ll be all that interesting.”

 “True. And if she wakes up?”

 “Then… we’ll deal with that.” I wince. “Somehow.”

 “Not been around kids much?”

 “Yeah, something like that.” I frown. “The last one… might’ve been Catherine’s kid.”

 “Is that Catherine Wilson?”

 “No idea.” I shrug. “You know her?”

 “I know her husband, Nathanael.”

 “That’s them.” I nod. “Small world.”

 He nods as well, absentmindedly rubbing the top of my head with his chin.

 There’s noise from the monitor – coughing, a yawn.

 “We didn’t get very long, did we?” Jayden laughs softly.

 “Until she starts cryin’, I’m not movin’.”

 And she starts making more noise. The little wretch. Then,

 “Elise, c’mon, this window’s heavy. Hey, careful there.”

 The delicate, yipping laugh of Elise.

 “Isn’t she just?” That’s Soise.

 Nyx hiccups, then laughs as Elise yelps.

 “We’d better go up,” I sigh, disentangling myself. “I don’t trust those two with her.”

 “I don’t think Joanna would appreciate it either.” Jayden stands up as well.

 He follows me up the stairs and into Nyx’s room. Soise and Elise are leaning over the cot, playing with Nyx. Well, Soise’s leant over, Elise is perched on the railing, her tail in Nyx’s grasp. I lean against the door, watching them.

 “Ok, c’mere.” Soise scoops Nyx up, making her laugh and release Elise’s tail.

 Elise leaps onto a nearby shelf and grooms her tail out. As I shift, the door creaks and moves back to hit the wall. The two of them whirl round, and Elise flattens her ears and whines.

 “Hi.” Soise grins, hugging Nyx against her chest. “How’re you doing?”

 “What are you two doing?” I raise an eyebrow.

 “Just… checkin’ on the kid.” Soise shrugs. “She is adorable.”

 Nyx laughs and reaches out for Soise’s mane as it tangles over her shoulder.

 “Soise…” I want to tell her to give the child over, but…

 “What, you want a shot?” She holds Nyx out.

 “Well – not really.”

 Jayden steps around me, taking Nyx carefully in his arms, bouncing her slightly. She looks up at him, eyes big and round.

 Elise creeps along the shelf towards me on her belly, whining.

“It’s alright.” I shake my head, watching Jayden. “Just… you two probably shouldn’t be in here.”

 Soise wrinkles her nose. “It’s not like Joanna’s going to find out, is she?”

 “Well… probably not, no.” I concede the point.

 “And we were doing alright, really.”

 “Jay, do you want to hold her?”

 “No, I’m good.” I hold my hands up as a barrier as Jayden turns to me. “As long as she’s fine.”

 Nyx twists and gurgles in delight, reaching out to Soise. Elise sits up and barks, flicking an ear.

 Soise leans over Nyx, flickering small illusions in her claws. “Well, I’m good with pups, apparently.”

 Elise yips with laughter and pads nearer me. Sesser takes off, moving out of reach. Elise watches her flit around the room and then sits down, stretching out on her side. I rub at her belly and she rolls over, tail thumping against the wall.

 “Where did you learn?” Jayden asks, shifting Nyx.

 “Just sort of picked it up.” Soise shrugs. “Jay, come on. It’s not that bad.”

 “Really, you seem to have it covered.”

 “Yeah, and I’m not supposed to be in here, remember?” She grins, slowly beginning to fade out.

 Nyx starts to cry as Soise disappears, and Soise instantly drops the illusion and takes Nyx, sitting down amongst the plushies to soothe her.

 I trade a glance with Jayden as Sesser lands on his head.

 “They do have it covered.” He lifts a hand, coaxing her onto it.

 “Maybe we should leave them to it.”

 “You’re the one that promised to do this.” Soise smirks.

 “Yeah, true… I think it was more keep her out of trouble, though.” I take Elise into my arms and slide down so I’m sitting against the wall.

 “And I’m not trouble at all?” Soise laughs.

 {You can keep out of trouble sometimes} Lairisse appears in a soft flash of light, taking on her human form. {Sorry. I got curious}

Elise twists to look up at her, whining.

 {Do not mention it} Lairisse shakes her head. {Brith is enjoying the respite}

 “Everything’s good, then.” Soise grins. “Can we just stay up here, Blue, please?”

 {Please?}

 I sigh. “Guess so.” I smirk. “Make it a mini slumber party?”

 Soise nods excitedly, scooching over to hold Nyx out to me.

 I hold my hands out of the way. “Do not give her to me. I’ll go get the food and drinks.”

 {I can get that} Lairisse slides past me and skips down the stairs.

 Elise slips out of my lap, sitting up.

 “You’re all terrible people,” I grumble, cautiously taking Nyx.

 “Well, we’re not really people, are we?” Soise corrects my arms.

 “You’re doing fine, Jay.” Jayden sits down next to me. “That’s not so bad, is it?”

 I cautiously shift, getting more comfortable so I can rest Nyx against my legs. It wasn’t so bad, not really… not that I’d be telling them that.

 {We know anyway, NightGale}

 Elise yips, prancing over to sit beside Soise.

 “Know what?” Soise looks up as Lairisse appears again, a tray of food and drink floating before her.

 “Don’t you dare.” I shoot a glance at the latias before concentrating on Nyx again. “Image and all that.”

 {My lips are sealed} Lairisse sets down the tray on the floor between us.

 “And your mind?”

 “No – Lairisse, come on!” Soise whines, illusioning herself a baby zangoose form and looking up through her oversized claws at her. “You can’t do this to me!”

 Jayden watches, smiling. “Used to that?”

 “Still half scared I’m going to drop her.” I shift, holding Nyx out to him. “Please?”

 He laughs and takes Nyx, cradling her against him with an ease that just confuses me. How are people not scared by them? They’re so fragile!

 Lairisse smiles and drops her human form, lying down beside Soise. Soise drops her own illusion and curls up with Lairisse, allowing Elise to slip into her mane.

 I pour out drinks and push one of the plates of biscuits over to the pokémon. “Well, until Joanna and Alex come back, how ‘bout a semi-slumber party?”

 “Aren’t those for kids?” Soise asks, flicking an ear as she shifts, getting comfortable.

 “Who put an age limit on them?”

 “I think you three and Nyx probably lower the age of the room by several years anyway.” Jayden smiles.

 “Just get out before they come back, ok?” I sigh, rubbing my eyes.

 {I will manage that. It will be fine, NightGale}

[alloftimeandspacetosee]

Bad Timing

Jay, overlevelled by anyone's metric, therefore a challenge for up-and-coming trainers, incredibly stressed out and so close to a breaking point like you wouldn't believe.

Some people just don't take a hint. Normally she's nicer to them than this

~

 I rest on the wheel, closing my eyes. Nothing was happening. This was good. Maybe I should head for Lavaridge again, see how they’re doing. What if I was too late?

 Someone steps on the deck and I snap my eyes open, instantly on guard. Just Brith. She glances up and moves to adjust a rope.

 “How’re you doing?”

 I jump again as Jayden speaks from behind me. Hadn’t even heard him return to the ship.

 “I’m fine.” I brush it off, because I was.

 “Care for a fly, then?” He steps forward so he’s right behind me, placing a hand on my shoulder. “It’ll do you good to stop worrying for a bit.”

 I hesitate, thinking about it. “Shouldn’t leave the ship.”

 “Brith can look after it, can’t she?”

 “He’s right, Blue.” Brith nods, glancing up as she hears her name. “Go for a flight.”

 And, being Brith, she probably wouldn’t let me stick around. And it’d be good. So I nod, whistling for Lap.

 Jayden smiles as I turn towards the back of the ship, stepping up onto the railing. I hear Brith pad up the stairs and take the helm. LapWing soars below me and I step down, dropping onto her back.

 But before we can get any further into the sky, someone yells. “Hey! Hey, you’re the NightGale, right?”

 I flinch, turning around. Someone is climbing up the side of my ship, a trainer. I narrow my eyes as Lap lands, letting me step onto the main deck.

 “What are you doing?” I snap, scowling.

 “Oh – well, I was lookin’ for a battle?” He grins, holding a pokéball in his hand. “That ok?”

 Damn trainers with no manners – at least he should’ve asked before just climbing my ship.

 “I think you’ll have difficulty this time, right? All those fire types have to be bad on a ship.” Without waiting for an answer, he releases a golduck. “I’m surprised no one’s thought of it this way yet, actually. We’ve got this, easy.”

 Right, he was asking for this.

 “Jayden, referee for us?”

 “Of course.”

 I step to the other side of the ship, giving us space. “As many pokémon as you like – but I’m warning you, do not damage the ship.”

 He laughs. “Let’s go, then.”

 I’m still facing away from him. Glance down into the hold – Ray’s awake and watching us. I hold a hand out so he can see it, splaying the fingers.

 “Are you going to send out a pokémon? Battle can’t really start until you do.”

 I spin to face him, gesturing up and making a trap with my hands, mimicking jaws. Ray bursts from the hold, sinking his fangs into the golduck’s body and sending electricity coursing through it.

 “Shit! Water pulse, come on!” His eyes widen in shock.

 The golduck tries, it really does. But Ray had caught it by surprise and isn’t letting go, still snarling around his hold. He only lets it drop to the deck when it stops struggling.

 “Next pokémon?” I ask, voice calm as ice. “I thought you were ready.”

 “Jay.” Jayden lands beside me, murmuring so the challenger can’t hear us. “Aren’t you being a bit fierce?”

 “He challenged me. Didn’t exactly wait for an answer, either,” I reply fiercely. “And he boarded without permission. The little sod deserves this.”

 He sends out a gligar. “Bulldoze!”

 Ground flying. Ground type move? I narrow my eyes, watching as it twists through the air before diving for Ray. He stands ready, snarling. Mane glowing yellow and shifting in the breeze, crackling with electricity.

 I whistle, calling a different pokémon. Glace leaps from the prow, catching the gligar in ice that sparkles in the sunlight and shatters as it falls to the deck.

 “Use acrobatics!”

 The gligar struggles back into the air, trying to get its speed back up. I point to it as Ray steps back beside me, twisting my hand. Glace nods and leaps forward, taking Ray’s place smoothly and arcing more ice into the air, catching the gligar easily.

 He was a rookie, dammit. No chance, even if I had been willing to give him one.

 He was, however, a well-travelled rookie. Cursing, he withdrew his gligar and sent out a mienfoo.

 “Drain punch.”

 I step to the side as LapWing roars, slicing through the air from behind me to catch the mienfoo before it even reaches Glace. Glace barks brightly and prances back to my side, ears pricked.

 “Wow… I mean, I’d heard, but I didn’t think you were actually this good.”

 I snort. “I’ve beaten six leagues and the island challenge, and you think I wouldn’t be a good trainer?”

 “Reckoned it would all be bluff, y’know? Just a joke or something.” He sends out a floatzel as Lapwing drops the mienfoo beside him. “I mean, no one can actually have beaten six leagues.”

 Ray steps forward, snarling.

 “Use mud slap.”

 The floatzel kicks up mud and dirt – and wood shavings. I narrow my eyes, snarling.

 “That had better not be my ship you’re scratching up there.”

 Ray prowls forward, fur raising. Not attacking yet, keeping a careful distance. The floatzel bats the debris at him, trying to blind him.

 “Well what else is she supposed to use for it?”

 “Jay.” Jayden catches my shoulder as I step forward, clenching my fists. “Don’t.”

 I raise a hand to the sky, sleeve dropping down to reveal the water and lightning marks on my arm. Ray catches the movement and raises his head, yowling.

 “Scald!”

 The floatzel spins, water pouring in over the sides of the ship to cover her form, steaming as it heats up to near boiling. Clouds swirl and darken above us as Ray continues to yowl. Lapwing takes off, the birds spiralling after her as the air grows heavy.

 “What – what are you doing?” For the first time, a note of fear enters his voice.

 “Battling,” I reply, grinning. “Like you asked, no?”

 “Move, we need to take him out!”

 The floatzel charges forward, the boiling water bubbling and moving ahead of her, crashing into Ray. He stumbles back, dropping his head to glare at her. She cowers on the deck before him, trembling.

 And then the lightning flashes, crashing down into the floatzel, the water she’d called only making it stronger. She screams and Ray roars his defiance, his superiority. They’re both drowned out by the thunder as it crashes overhead, and then the lightning disappears.

 “Do you yield?” I finally look up, meet his eyes. Not that he can meet mine.

 His floatzel struggles to her feet, water spinning as she launches a half-hearted attack. Ray snaps his teeth inches from her arm, snarling and letting electricity crackle through his fur, across his teeth. She whimpers and limps away, back to her trainer.

 “Yes. Yes, I yield!”

 “Good.” I nod. “Now – get off my ship.”

 “Can I – can I get a lift to the nearest port? I don’t think I can manage it, not with my pokémon like this.”

 I growl in my throat and step forward. “You challenge me, you step onto my ship without permission – you damage my ship, and you ask for a lift?”

 “Jay, please–” Jayden catches at my arm.

 I shrug him off. “You are lucky I’m letting you off with just that.”

 “Just that? You – you – that battle was dangerous, you could’ve killed them!”

 “Then maybe you shouldn’t have challenged me. I am the NightGale, champion of six leagues – nothing is going to be easy.” Shadows flicker in front of my eyes, covering my body. Gems appear in my hands, but I pay them no mind. “Go. Hoenn is not far.”

 He gulps, seemingly paralysed. I step towards him again, looking down at him. He breaks and runs, diving into the sea.

 Brith breaks the silence he leaves behind, laughing. “Nice going, Blue.”

 I whistle for Lap and we rip into the sky.

[alloftimeandspacetosee]

Battle; Steven

This is a Jay into her third league and being slightly bitter, leaning a little further into the ignore-everything-for-the-sake-of-battling tactic that she does so well and is super healthy for her.

She gets a li'l bit edgy. Playing into how she thinks she's ruining stuff for everyone, you know how it goes

Anyway, the song for this one is Evil and a Heathen by Franz Ferdinand

~

I stop before the last door. Steven is beyond it, but I can’t go in yet. The challenger before me is still battling. That gives me time to think. Mostly about what tune to have played during the battle.

 Vulp yawns at my feet, sitting down. Taking a short rest. Brith shifts behind me and I tilt my head to catch a glimpse of her.

 “Do you have a tune in mind?” she asks, catching my gaze.

 “A few.” I shrug. “None really…” I trail off, beginning to smirk. “I’ll be right back.”

 “Blue, where–?” she starts as I dart away.

 I find what I’m looking for fairly easily. The bathroom. Slipping inside, I jam the door shut with my bag and survey my reflection in the floor to ceiling mirrors. Time for a costume change.

 Working quickly, I pull off my trenchcoat, boots and gloves. Half sleeves on my shirt… not short enough. Neither were the trousers.

 So I strip, working quickly to get into frayed shorts that stopped just under my knees and a top that has only straps for sleeves. There. I grin at my reflection, liking the look. Maybe should do something with my hair… nah. Never had been good with messing with it.

 I shoved my other clothes into my bag, tying the boots across the straps. Far too damn hot around here for my usual wear, anyway. But of course – a cloak for cover at the moment.

 Now we were good to go. I pick up my bag, sling it over my shoulder �� rearrange the cloak so it covers over my bag – and flip the hood up before leaving the bathroom, so my features are hidden.

 “You are the next challenger, I assume?” The attendant is standing by Brith, tapping his clipboard.

 “Aye, that’d be me,” I say pleasantly. “Sorry about the hold up.”

 “The previous battle is not long finished,” Brith says quietly.

 “Do you have a chosen tune?” He seems to be ignoring Brith… maybe not used to talking pokémon.

 “Evil and a Heathen,” I reply. “Franz Ferdinand.”

 Brith looks confused at that, but keeps quiet.

 He notes it down. “Please, go right on in.” He turns on his heel and leaves us.

 “Nice choice,” Brith murmurs. “Prophetic at all?”

 I grin under my hood and push the door open. “Let’s find out, shall we?”

 We enter behind the challenger’s stand, as always. No one can see us yet, and the stands are still filled with chatter. Probably talking about the last battle. We’d give them something new to talk about.

 Up the stairs, Brith and Vulp close behind me. Sesser cheeps from Brith’s shoulder, almost cheering me on. As we reach the top of the stairs and the platform, I slip my bag from my shoulder and place it at the edge. Pokéballs are in easy reach, so that’s fine.

 “Champion Steven!” I call. I can just see him – the hood’s getting in the way.

 The chattering dies as people start to notice me.

 “You are?” He looks over. Perhaps trying to see beneath the hood.

 “BlueJay NightGale, of Snowpoint.” I shift a hand to the ties of the cloak.

 “Challenging, I assume?”

 “Aye. Why else would I be here?”

 The music starts up.

 I grin. “Champion Steven!” Might as well do it properly. “I challenge you to a battle!” I flick the ties of the cloak, flinging it to one side as I release my first pokémon onto the pitch between us.

 He smirks, raising an eyebrow. “Challenge accepted.”

 As his skarmory screeches through the air, Arc steadies herself on the ground below and throws her head back, fire blasting from her mouth.

 “Spikes!”

 The skarmory dodges with a flick of its wings and dives, dropping small metallic objects in a ring around Arc.

“Fire fang!”

Words fall from my mouth 

Arc leaps and catches the skarmory by a leg, slamming it into the ground. It screams as fire engulfs them both, and I grin.

Like plates from shaking hands 

 “Steel wing!” Steven calls.

 Arc yelps and the skarmory limps out of the smoke.

Smash upon the silence

“Flamethrower!”

 Fire follows it as the smoke clears from around them, and the skarmory isn’t quick enough to dodge – Steven recalls it in a flash of red light, releasing a claydol.

Of the smooth naked canal

 “Ancient power!”

 Well I’m evil and a heathen!

 I recall Arc, releasing Yena. He cries out as the rocks slam around him, forcing him to dodge and stab his paw on the spikes.

 I’m evil and a heathen

 “Dark pulse!”

I'm a heathen and evil like you 

 “Light screen!”

 Yena darts across the pitch as the claydol builds its shield, and leaps up to deliver a blast of dark energy to its head.

There's not a lot

 It stumbles forward, tottering.

 “Earthquake!”

 Yena delivers another blow as he twists on its back, biting at its neck before tumbling away.

Not a lot I couldn't do 

 Brith and I grab onto the railing as the building shakes.

 “Crunch!”

 Yena rolls over as the claydol moves as if to slam into him and leaps up to fasten his teeth in its arm, flicking his tail up into its eyes.

 Steven returns it with a nod, letting out an aggron. “Earthquake!”

 I can’t return Yena fast enough and he collapses, comatose before this massive pokémon. Steven’s grinning. I grit my teeth.

I like how you pretend 

 “Brith?”

That the end will be the end 

 “With pleasure.” She grips the bar in front of us in one hand and swings herself over.

So fill your thirst

 “Earth–”

Drink a curse

 Brith moves faster than Steven can speak, blurring punches like bullets into the aggron’s hide, into its belly where the armour is thinner, weaker.

To the death of death instead 

 It staggers backwards.

 “Dragon claw!”

I'm evil and a heathen

 The aggron swipes for Brith and she leaps backwards, its claws ringing against the spike in her chest.

I'm evil and a heathen 

 I don’t even need to call moves for Brith – I haven’t had to call moves for any of them in a long time, really – so I just watch, smirking, as she leaps to kick the aggron in the head.

I'm a heathen and evil like you 

 It falls with a crash, and Steven returns it.

There's not a lot

 He nods to me, sending out a cradily.

Not a lot I wouldn't do 

 “Brith, step back!”

 She nods, running off the pitch as I let out Glace.

 “Ancient Power!”

 The cradily gathers up the remnants of shattered rocks around it.

 “Ice Shard!”

 Glace attempts to attack, but spends more time dodging the rocks and getting closer to the cradily.

 “Sludge Bomb!”

Utrecht led me to the Sacre Coeur

 The cradily gathers up toxic sludge, weaving from side to side as it waits for Glace to get in range.

Where the smoke curled round

 “Ice fang!”

 The cradily lunges, spilling the poison as they clash together. Glace cries out and I grip the railing.

 “Blizzard!”

Now the ice blows off Lake Acuity

 Ice whips up around them and she darts back several places, limping.

When the ice blows

 “Confuse Ray!”

Glace shakes her head and retaliates with knife like pieces of ice, and the cradily recoils, its movements slowing.

The ice flows knocks you down

 Steven returns the cradily and Glace limps back some more. Could she do it… He let out an armaldo.

 “Ancientpower!”

Bug Rock type. I return Glace as the rocks slam into the ground around where she’d been.

 “Brith!”

 She runs back onto the pitch.

Your teeth are black with wine 

 “Water pulse!”

So… he wants to keep her at a distance.

 The armaldo rears up, gathering water from the ground and jetting it at Brith. She moves like a whip and it crashes into the stand, and I stumble over my footing.

As you place those lips on mine 

 “Bone rush!” There aren’t really any bones around – well, I hope there aren’t – but Brith will make do.

And she does, heaving rocks from the pitch to throw at the armaldo, slowly getting closer and closer.

 “Aerial ace!”

The armaldo lunges for her, and now Brith is too near to dodge so she doesn’t but she holds an arm up to take the blow as she punches her other fist into the armaldo’s chest.

And the moon hangs heavy and forbidden high

 He releases a metagross. Psychic steel type. Doom – I fumble the pokéballs, dropping the one in my hand.

 Ray appears on the pitch as Brith looks back up at me.

 “Earthquake!”

On the night of our lives

 I hit the platform on my knees as electricity sings through the air and the metagross roars.

 “Psychic!”

 Ray yowls in return and there’s more electricity crackling in the air.

 “Blue,” Brith hisses, paws under my shoulders as she lifts me back up. “Come on.”

I'm evil and a heathen 

 “Meteor smash!”

 I shake my head.

I'm evil and a heathen 

 “Blue!”

 Concentrate on the present. Ray.

 “Thunder!”

 I'm a heathen and evil like you 

 I look up to see the metagross bearing down on Ray, one leg raised higher.

 Ray roars in defiance and the room explodes into light. I shut my eyes, hand covering them with that as well.

There's not a lot

 The light dies down, slowly.

 I lower my hand.

Not a lot we couldn't do

 Ray is standing with the metagross at his feet, out cold.

[alloftimeandspacetosee]

Battle; Brock

So Jay does the Kanto league second in her "fuck I need something other than all the fucked up shit to focus on" drive but uh.

Ok no I think she did specify that it wasn't her first league, so for the other gyms I did intend to use their after-league/HG teams if I'd kept writing them, but

one of my cowriters also thought it would be funny if Brock just did his whole Brock Flirt Thing and didn't pay attention to that. So.

~

I stop outside the gym, looking up at the sign.

 “So... another gym challenger, hey Vulp?”

 She barks, pawing at the door.

 “Quite stalling, Jay,” Brith puts a hand on the door. “And concentrate on what needs to be done.”

 “Ok... I guess it’ll help,” I sigh, pushing the door open.

 “A challenger?” someone looks up from the end of the room.

 “Yes. BlueJay NightGale, of Snowpoint,” I state it loudly, peering to see who it was.

 He steps closer, moving quickly towards me.

 “I’ve already–”

 “BlueJay NightGale, right? Well, you sure blew me off my feet!” suddenly he is in front of me, shaking my hand.

 “What?” I jerk it back, eyeing him up. “Are you the gym leader?”

 “Yes. You can call me Brock,” he winks at me. “You’re a fire trainer?”

 “I guess,” I glance at Vulp. “Sort of.”

 “You know, I can tell ‘cause you’re so hot.”

 Arceus, what kind of person comes out with this!

 “I’m here for a gym battle,” I state, dead-panning his gaze.

 “A battle? There’s no need. You’ve already knocked me out.” He grins, winking again.

 “Really? I was under the impression my pokémon had to knock yours out for the battle to be over.”

 “True, true... You know I have an onix, right?”

 “Yeah, something to do with being a rock gym, I’d guess.” I’m thrown by his apparent change of topics.

 “Come over to mine, I’ll show you his earthquake!”

 “Brock. Gym battle. Here. Now. Nothing else, ok?” I snap at him, getting slightly exasperated.

 He backs off slightly. “Did you use confuse ray?”

 “Nope, though I think someone h–”

 “’Cause you are making me dizzy.” He winks again.

 I feel like slapping him.

 “So, a battle. Can we make this interesting?” he asks, springing back to his place at the other end of the hall.

 Brith sighs beside me. “What is he like?”

 “Two lines from being punched, that’s what,” I whisper to her. “Interesting how?”

 “Let’s have a bet on the outcome.”

 “What sort of bet?”

 “If I beat you today, we’re gonna go out for dinner tonight, and I will Brock your world!” he clicks his tongue, pointing his hands as gun at me.

 I wince. “And if I win, you will stop with these terrible puns.”

 “Only that?”

 “Yeah. And, by the way, I–”

 “Geodude!” He throws out a pokéball, to reveal what I guess must be a staple of rock gyms.

 “Sharranth, you’re up!” I release Sharranth onto the ground between us.

 “Type advantages, eh? You know I won this gym back from a water trainer?”

 “I’d heard, vaguely. Water pulse, Shar!”

 He nods and launches himself into the air, gathering the moisture from the air.

 “Tackle!”

 The geodude throws itself at Sharranth.

 Oh no. Oh, please, no. Tell me he hasn’t–

 Sharranth dodges with ease and slams the geodude into the ground with a concentrated blast of water.

 “Defence curl!”

 He totally has. The little shit.

 I groan.

 “What?” Brith shoots me a look.

 “He’s using his team for new trainers. We’ll show him. Sharranth! Bubble!”

 “Looks like I won’t be needing to step in.”

 I laugh briefly and watch as Sharranth dodges the geodude yet again and sends a flurry of bubbles to harry it.

 “How long do you think that’ll last?”

 “How long do you intend to drag it out?” she replies.

 “Tackle, again!”

 “Fair point. Sharranth, bubble beam.”

 He swerves beautifully and flips, raining bubbles down on the geodude until it is recalled in a flash of light.

 “Oh, well then. Are you a Deoxys?”

 “Skies above, Brock, shut the hell up.”

 He releases an onix. “Because I was going to say, you are out of this world.”

 “So will he, soon enough,” I growl to Brith. “Sharranth, confuse ray!”

 “Are you wanting to drag this battle out?”

 “I might derive some pleasure from that, yes.”

 Sharranth sways in front of the onix’s face, making it bob in time with him.

 “Bind!”

 It lashes its tail up and Sharranth is caught a glancing blow as he dives, and is thrown into the ground.

 “Good, now screech!”

 I clap my hands over my eyes as the onix lets out a hideous sound. To my side, I see Brith doing the same. No doubt Vulp is trying to cover her own behind me as well.

 “Bubble beam, shut it up!”

 If Sharranth hears me, it’s a miracle. He pulls himself up from the sizable dent in the ground and sends a flurry of bubbles towards the onix, spiralling around and around the pokémon.

 Then the onix cuts off with a strange choking sound and Sharranth flips over with a whistle.

 “Hey, Onix!”

 It’s choking really badly now, great rough hacking noises. Oh, hell.

 “Sharranth!”

 But he’s already moving back, soaring nearer the pokémon’s head.

 The choking stops, and the onix lays its head down on the ground, eyes closed.

 “Well.” Brock returns it as Sharranth drifts to rest before me. “That was unexpected.”

 “It’ll be alright?” I return Sharranth.

 “Oh – yes, I think so.” He nods, leaving his box to walk across the pitch. “But I think I need a paralyse heal–”

 “Because I’m about to break your neck?” I interrupt, walking out to meet him.

 “Actually, I was going to say because that was shocking, but–”

 “We said no puns if you lost.”

 “Ever?”

 “At least in my hearing.” I narrow my eyes.

 “That sounds more reasonable.” He holds out the badge. “You fight far better than I expect, for a rookie.”

 I roll my eyes. “Well, I tried to tell you before – I’m not a rookie.”

 “… Oh.”

 “Yeah. Second league. Was expecting a bit more difficulty.” I take the badge.

 “So I might’ve been a little–”

 “A lot–”

 “Side tracked. Won’t happen again.”

 Yeah, sure.

 “Though with the skill you displayed, the badge would have been yours in any case.” He smiled. “Congratulations, BlueJay NightGale. The Boulder Badge is yours.”

[alloftimeandspacetosee]

The Deal

 So this is... after a pretty pivotal point in the timeline! I need to rewrite the pivotal point quite drastically! It’ll be up at some point, but basically the nightchild is Giratina’s marked, who can rip the world apart and release him from his distortion realm, which would. be bad.

 The nightchild is the daughter of Joanna, who’s one of Jay’s oldest friends, and... Jay isn’t really keen on the idea of murdering her, honestly! She’s just been born! She hasn’t done anything!

 And this all came to a head when someone else in the village try to kill the child (named Nyx) instead, and Dialga and Palkia possessed Jay when she was trying to save the kid. There was a fight, Joanna almost killed her, but everyone lives.

 in this iteration. The night of nyx is where a lot of the AUs diverge from

 Anyhow. Jay talks back to legendaries

~

I sleep badly. And after the night I’ve – we’ve – just had… honestly, I’m not surprised. But at the same time, it’s been about the only night that I’ve wanted to sleep for ages. So I’m tossing and turning, all over the place. Not even sure if I’m sleeping.

I assume I am when the ground shimmers around me into a beautiful silver hall, lightly decorated with pink and blue. It feels like home, so much so that I easily suppress the twinge of unease as I stretch, looking around. Wondering what my subconscious was throwing up now.

<You did a foolish thing, this night>

“Nah, I reckon I saved you from doing a pretty idiotic one actually,” I reply, unsurprised to see Palkia and Dialga materialise in front of me. After tonight, they’d probably be appearing in my dreams for a while.

<You think you know best?>

“For a human child, yes.” Damn, my subconscious was a stupid thing. “We’ve been over this today, can it just not rest?”

<No. You know nothing>

<You must listen to us>

“Only when you’re making sense.”

<Your mind cannot comprehend the sense of the universe>

“I don’t think I want to comprehend it.”

<What will you do with the whelp?>

“With Nyx? Let her live. She has every right to.”

<The NightChild has no right.>

“She is not the NightChild.”

<She is the NightChild, by her birth and her mark>

“That isn’t all she is. One mark doesn’t claim a person.”

<Is that not what yours do? You are->

“Not yours.” I snarl, cutting them off. “And you had no right-”

<You are quite good, for a human. So compliant to our will>

“Is that why she’s still alive then? Because it’s what you want?”

<That is human weakness. It is ill becoming of you, Guardian>

“No. Because I am a human, and letting her live was not a weakness!” I step towards them, not caring that this was a dream. Wishing it wasn’t, actually, and wanting to give them a piece of my mind in actuality.

Their chilling laugh is hideous and hair raising and not like proper laughter at all. <You think you are human, Little One?>

<After what has been given to you?>

“What do you mean?”

<We mean that you are not human>

<Not truly>

<You do not owe the whelp anything>

“I owe her mother more,” I snarl. “You said you’d leave her alone.”

<At what price? We will not be responsible for the fall of order>

“Then don’t be.” I curl my hands into fists. “I’ll not let her fall. We’ll not let her fall.”

<You are the Guardian. It is your task to stop them>

“I’ll no do that by killing her.”

<You can’t be around forever>

<You will die. She will wait for then>

<We will choose a new Guardian. One that has no… troubles>

<Maybe we shall choose two, as it should be>

“You will not. It isn’t trouble, to care for a life.” I look up at them, hating that they’re so much bigger.

<So what do you propose? We must have Guardians, and they must be suitable for their task>

“Their task – my task – isn’t killing helpless children. It’s making sure Giratina doesn’t break through.”

<You think you know better than us?>

“If you think we should be killing innocents – then yes. Of course I do.”

<Then what is your suggestion?>

“Don’t kill her. Don’t kill any of them without reason. She can be taught, she’s got a good family.”

<That does not solve our problem for when you are dead>

I reel back. They talk of it so callously.

They rear back, presumably talking amongst themselves. I’m beginning to get the idea that this isn’t just a dream. Maybe they talked of my death like that so easily because I wasn’t exactly being respectful.

Bugger that. They didn’t deserve respect.

<Guardian>

They look down at me once more.

<This is your choice. Your line will be the guardians, protect the world from the NightChild. You will explain it, you will keep it safe. You will not hesitate, if the world is in danger and the barrier is breaking>

<Or we will choose new guardians of our own, ones that do not know your friend and her whelp. They will be killed before the night is out and the world will be safer>

<You will have to be vigilant for a long time>

<You will not rest>

<Not until the world is safe>

It was a lot. And –

“Who says I’m having kids?”

<If you do not want your friends killed…>

Fucking blackmailers.

But it was the best deal we’d get.

“Fine. We will be the Guardians.”

<Excellent>

“But I want something from you, in return.”

<Is our power not enough?>

“No. Not for this.” And – as if it were as easy as that – I jump, reaching their height so I can stare them in the eyes. “I want it to be our choice.”

<To be the guardians?>

<That is yours already>

Pretty shitty choice, though. “No.” I shake my head. “I want it to be our choice about when we have to fight to protect the world. Your vendetta should not be played out by humans. We will only stop the gates – we will not kill unless necessary. And you will not play with our minds, making it seem different from what it is. I don’t want innocent blood spilt.”

<You ask a lot, Little One>

<But you can have it>

“Swear it. Swear you will do this – or so help me, I will hunt you down in this life and the next and rip you to shreds.” At that point, I mean it. And I know they know I mean it.

<We swear it>

<We will not tamper with their minds>

“Swear it by the AllFather. By the AllMother.”

<You too>

“I swear by the SkyLord that we will not let Giratina break through. I swear that we will do what we can to keep the Fyrian line from straying. I swear that we will keep the world safe and its people as free from harm as we can manage. We will be the Guardians the world needs.”

<I swear. By the AllFather, I will not interfere>

<I swear. By the AllMother, I will not change perceptions>

“Don’t let me ever catch you breaking your word.”

<Don’t let us catch you breaking yours>

“Yeah, yeah.” I flap a hand and turn, dropping to the floor. It doesn’t hurt.

And then I blink my eyes and I’m sitting on the roof of the centre of Lavaridge, with no jacket – not that I need it – and not much clue of how I got there.

Ah, shit. That had actually happened, then.

“And you couldn’t just put me back in bed,” I mutter wearily, scrubbing my eyes.

“Jay?”

I twist around. “Jayden. Hi. What are you doing up here?”

“I could ask you the same thing.”

“I don’t actually know.”

He laughs softly and moves to sit down beside me. “Restless.”

“Sort of.” I lean my head on his shoulder.

He puts his arm around my shoulders. “Been a long night.”

And I still hadn’t explained things. “Mhm.” I would do. First chance I worked out how to say it.

“Shall we go back in?”

I reach a hand out to catch a piece of ash. “It’s quite nice here.” We are getting covered in the stuff.

He nods and stays quiet.

I think over the conversation I’d just had with the two douchiest legendaries I’d ever known and groan.

“What’s up?”

“I think I might’ve just made a really crappy deal.” I glance at him, seeing his confusion. “I’ll explain it at some point.”

“I’m sure you shall.”

Dammit, he was so trusting. I close my eyes and lean further into his shoulder.

[alloftimeandspacetosee]

Pokemon get; Aria

So the original like... main Plot Filled Story Doc for Jay is written in journal entries bc I wanted to try something new with it all, which mean like a lot of this stuff is just glossed over? So I wrote up all the pokemon she receives as separate things (I also did the gym battles, but a lot of them get samey so I’m not putting most of them up (I also only ever actually finished the Sinnoh league)).

 This one’s still ok to put up haha

 pls forgive my French! I was relying heavily on google translate.

~

We stand in the atrium of the professor’s building, waiting. His assistant has informed us that he will be with us shortly, but… that was a while back. Even Birch wasn’t this lax about timing, and I expected it of him.

“I’d ask if you want to go wait in a cafe, but I’m going to need you to translate,” I say to Jayden, who laughs.

“I’m fine waiting.” He smiles.

“Some of us don’t seem to be,” Brith mutters, then barks.

I turn to see Soise, caught mid illusion over the desk of a shivering intern. “Soise.”

She laughs and jumps away, shades of possessed ghosts falling from existence after her.

Vulp, at my feet, yaps something at her, to which Soise replies in kind. Vulp bounces forward, ducking down on her forelegs as if begging. Soise tumbles her over and they go racing around the room.

Sesser cheeps and huddles into my neck, keeping out of view as best she can. Between her and Vulp with her nine tails, we’ve caused quite a stir. Soise is hardly helping, her illusions breaking the way in rarer and rarer pokemon. But at least her… latias child had the sense to stay behind, on the ship. I think, anyway. Who knows what Soise’s hiding.

I’d return her, but she seems to like being out all the time.

“Mes excuses, mes amis!” The door slams open behind us.

We turn to see a man in a lab coat with the sleeves rolled up enter the building. This is presumably the professor. I raise an eyebrow at his assistant, who had informed us that he was upstairs engaged in important work.

She had the decency to duck her head, looking intensely busy.

“Hi.” I stepped forward. “I was hoping to register for the league challenge.”

“Ma beauté, anything for you.” He takes my proffered hand and dips over it, kissing the back.

Holy shit. Again with these guys.

I try not to roll my eyes too much.

“Come, come!” He beckons us to follow. “This way, to my office.”

I exchange a glance with Jayden and we follow him. Brith barks at Soise and Vulp once more, and they run to my side, scrabbling at the stairs. Brith grabs up Vulp and leaves Soise to fend for herself.

I almost turn back for her, but actually she seems to be handling them fairly well, so I let her be.

Brith glances back at her, smirking, and I can’t help but feel like they’re definitely hiding something. Maybe Lairisse, maybe something else. Who knows!

“So, you wish to challenge?” The professor turns as we reach his office, leaning back against the desk. “The two of you or…?”

“Just me.” I hold out my trainer card.

He reaches to take it and leans back on his desk, reaching for the card reader there. “And you’ll take a starter, of course.”

“What? I – no.” I shake my head. “I don’t need any more pokemon.” Far more than enough, really.

“Are you sure?”

Soise paws at my leg, whining.

I glance across at Brith.

“She’s pointing out you haven’t trained anyone new in a while,” Brith replies.

Sycamore blinks and stares at her, fingers tapping at the machine in his hand.

“So? I’m fine with everyone I’ve got.”

“They are all very powerful pokemon,” Jayden says.

I tilt my head, looking at him.

He gestures at the card reader. “It’s supposed to be a challenge, right? If your pokemon are all as powerful as yours are, then… there isn’t much challenge.”

I shrug. “I just ask them to use stronger teams.”

“Oh, I see, you have many badges!” Sycamore exclaims. “What is that, four… five leagues?”

“Six,” I correct. “I did the Orange Archipelago challenge as well.”

“I… actually agree with Soise, here,” Brith says. “You should take another pokemon on.”

I sigh, rolling my eyes. “What’s the starter choice here?”

Sycamore brightens and places the card reader – still with my card in it – back on his desk as he stands, striding across to a glass fronted cabinet to take out a display case of three pokeballs. “Fire, water and grass, of course. Feunnec, which becomes the fire/psychic type goupelin.” He taps the first of them. “Grenousse, which becomes the water/dark type amphinobi.” The second one. “And Marisson, which becomes the grass/fighting type blindépique.”

I consider the choices. I don’t have any grass types at all, but then most of my team is fire-based so I can’t imagine it’d fit in too well. That cut out Marisson… even if training a type I was unfamiliar with would be interesting.

The water type would be interesting. “Can you tell me more about the… grenousse?”

Soise flattens her ears and hisses. Apparently she doesn’t like that prospect.

Sycamore smiles. “They are fast, good at speed and dodging and sneaky attacks. Not so much on defence, I think?”

I nod. Fast and sneaky would be an interesting change, since currently… ok, I dealt in quick attacks and evasion and occasionally stalling. A grenousse would actually fit in with that.

And it wasn’t like I couldn’t cancel out any weaknesses already. Glace could use someone in her corner for the ground types.

Which I could say of the Marisson, for helping Ray with water types.

Ugh.

“Why are you making me take this decision?” I narrow my eyes at Brith.

She laughs. “Because it would be good for you.”

Sycamore glances at her again and sets down the tray on his desk. “Sorry, you are not… you are a pokemon?”

Brith nods. “I spent a long time listening, and then forced my vocal chords to cooperate when I evolved.” She flicks an ear. “That’s what you were going to ask? How I can speak?”

Huh. The more you know.

Sycamore walks towards her, gesturing with his hands.

Brith rolls her eyes and tilts her head up, allowing him to examine her throat. Faint burn scars still gleam through her fur, but they’re not half as bad as when she was a riolu.

Soise growls and leaps up onto the desk – she’s definitely hiding something, there’s no way she should be able to make that jump – and pats at the first pokeball, the feunnec. Then she points a paw down at Vulp, sitting quiet at my feet.

“What?”

“The – ah, the feunnec is something like your vulpix,” Sycamore says, looking around. “Perhaps she thinks they will be good friends?”

“But that’s another fire type.” I frown.

Brith shakes her head and backs away from Sycamore. “That does seem to be your area, fire types.”

“So I might as well specialise?” I laugh. “Oh… good a reason as any. I’ll take the feunnec.”

Soise leaps down from the desk with an excited yip, bowling Vulp over.

Sycamore takes up the card reader again and the feunnec’s pokeball, and registers it to my account. “There you go.” He hands them both over with a smile. “The first gym is south, in Santalune.”

“Is there a specific order to take them in?” I pocket my card, rolling the ball in my hand.

“Santalune, Cyllage, Shalour, Coumarine, Lumiose, Laverre, Anistar, then Snowbelle.”

I nod slowly. “Thank you.”

Sycamore smiles and bows extravagantly. “Mon plaisir,” he replies, “Ma beauté.”

I raise a hand, then point a finger at him. “Don’t start.”

His laughter follows us from his office.

[alloftimeandspacetosee]

You Come Into My House

So timeline wise, it’s been... almost a year since they met, and have been travelling on and off together since then.

 Which really just means they’re comfortable enough with each other to be distressing nerds, as Vera says.

[1] [2] [3] [5] [6] [7] [8]

~

I watch as Jayden tugs a rope tighter and ties it off. “Not bad.”

The ship is sailing calm in these waters, with the main island of Hoenn in the near distance. The boom rocks above us with the wind, but not nearly as much as it did before he pulled it tight.

“Satisfactory?” Jayden asks.

“That’s high praise,” Vera calls up from the main deck.

“Have you finished your task?” I lean over the railing and grin down at her.

“Aye-aye, Cap’n.” She tugs at the edge of her bandanna and grins back, flicking the last of the rope in her hands into the neat coil about the hook on the mast. “Sorry for buttin’ in, Cap’n.”

“You will be,” I reply, still laughing.

“Where are you going once we land?” Jayden asks.

I turn back to face him. “Lavaridge, eventually. Might... I think the Aaron tournament or whatever it’s called is soon? I might go to that, see how the battles fare.”

“That’s... near the Stone Tree?” Jayden frowns, leaning back against the railing behind him.

At the wheel, Brith has stiffened ever so slightly, a movement so unnoticeable that I only see it because I know her.

“That’s the one.” I raise an eyebrow at her, but her eyes are fixed on the horizon and Lilycove beyond. “What d’you know of it?”

I’d picked his brains over Unovan folklore more than once over the past couple of years, but I’d never asked about others. Didn’t think; I had all of them from the natives. Might be worth finding an outsider’s perspective, though.

“Not much. I heard about it from a trainer in Sinnoh. Said it was his ancestral home?”

“Oh, Riley.” I nod. “Yeah, Aaron was like... the first of his line or something?”

“Of course you know him.” Jayden smiles and lifts his arm out for Sek to land on.

“I picked his brains about it as well.” And clearly I needed to pick Brith’s, as well. “Where are you going? Fortree?”

Jayden strokes a finger against the underside of Sek’s beak. “Probably. That’s where a lot of the bird knowledge is in this region.”

I narrow my eyes at him. If that had been anyone else, there would have been sarcasm drowning those words. But he just said them as fact.

“Fortree isn’t on your way, is it?” Jayden asks.

I shake my head. “No, it’s more like... the palace the tournament is at is on the way to Fortree? But off the beaten track.”

“Oh, Hoenn still has a monarchy.” Jayden looked up, interested. “How many of the royal family are there?”

“Hey, you don’t get to be excited about that. You deposed your monarchs.”

“Didn’t kill them though. Didn’t do a complete Kalos.” He grins.

“No, just lost them somewhere.”

“Didn’t Sinnoh, too?”

“Hard to tell.” I shrug. “The scriveners rewrote a lot of the history of Sinnoh. Snowpoint managed to keep some of it, but we didn’t have that shared history. And who knows what happened to the Trell folk.”

“Right, because Snowpoint isn’t Sinnoh.”

I flick a splinter of wood at him. “It wasn’t. We joined after that whole nasty business.”

Jayden bats it away– I don’t know if it actually got close enough to be a nuisance– and laughs. “Handy. Swan in and fix the place up, was it? Then you took over? Always liked a good fixer-”

“Don’t you fucking dare start singing.” I narrow my eyes. “That film is a blight on Sinnoan history.”

“Good time, though.” Jayden laughs.

“It is enjoyable,” Brith agrees.

“You’re a traitor and all.”

“I’m not from Sinnoh.” She smirks. “I have no loyalty to the land.”

“Ugh. I’d throw you both overboard if I weren’t so nice.”

“Pirates aren’t supposed to be nice, Jay,” Jayden reminds me.

“Fair point. Get.” I flick my head. “Your knowledge of our history is terrible and you should feel bad.”

“What?”

I point at the side of the ship behind him, smirking slightly. “Go on. Take a hike.”

Sek takes off, trilling a signal I recognise. I don’t know how he gets them to signal each other like that, with no noise from him. Maybe it’s something in the way he gets them to take off. Maybe they can read the situation.

I grin as Soise leaps up onto the railing beside me and illusions up a sword and a proper old pirate costume for me to inhabit. “You stand on my ship and insult my heritage–" my accent is showing again as I stop trying to cover it, and Jayden is laughing as he scrambles over the other side of the railing.

His knuckles are white under his skin and his feet must have slipped down to a lower slat because he’s lower than me.

I grin, leaning over him.

“Please-” he’s laughing, breathless and dancing his feet against the wood.

I place my hands on top of his, gently resting my nails against his skin. “Long live,” I whisper, unable to resist, “The-”

Jayden laughs and pushes free as Sayri dives below him, almost into the sea. He lands on her back and they swerve away from the ship.

I step back, the illusion gone, and lift my hand to wave.

Jayden waves back, his flock gathering about him.

“You’re both such distressing fucking nerds.”

“Thanks, Vera.”

“No bother, Captain.” She grins, lying along the boom just above me. “D’you think he’s aware he’s left like. All of his stuff?”

“Probably, yeah.” I turn to lean back against the railing, looking up at her. “He’ll be back.”

“Are you throwing me overboard too?” Brith asks. “Because you might need to take the helm then.”

“Hm... no.” I shake my head, studying her. “You have information I want.”

Brith meets my eyes in a measuring sort of way and nods. “As long as I can choose when to give it.” She knows what I want, she always does.

“Keep your usefulness long term, I like it.” I pat her shoulder as I pass. “Take us in, will you?” Hoenn is close, close enough that I can make out Lilycove’s harbour and people on the walls. “I’m going to pack.”

[alloftimeandspacetosee]

The Cave of Diancie

Fleshin’ out more world building lore stuff!

 by which I mean my co-writer who’s sort of taken over Kalos stuff really likes her stuff to have some fucked up history

~

We find the cave’s entrance – or what would be the cave’s entrance, if it wasn’t blocked in – as the blizzard stops. Arc and Vulp have defeated the abomasnow.

I peer into the thick, dark ice and start to peel off my right hand glove, breath pluming upwards.

Arc trots back to my side with Vulp on her back, and Aria reaches for my hand.

“It feels strange,” Brith explains. “Like a secret, like some… horrible graveyard.”

I squeeze Aria’s paw and raise my uncovered right hand. “Well. Let’s see how true the legends are, shall we?”

Aria nods, and my three fire breathers step forward with me. Together we start to melt the ice, and cold water runs down around our feet. It’s just going to freeze further down the path, but at least we’ll get into the cave.

It doesn’t get any easier for a long time, but at least the fire keeps us warm. Brith is tense, flicking her head about to watch for the abomasnow coming back.

When we manage to step into the cave, my boots thud against rock but doesn’t echo. There’s still too much ice around.

“Ok, give it a rest, guys,” I say quietly, dropping my hand. This wasn’t going to work.

Arc closes her jaws, looking back at me.

“Glace,” Brith suggests, and I nod, already lifting out her pokéball.

She stretches herself out and looks around.

“Do something to get rid of the ice in here?” I ask.

There are things in the ice, maybe the crystals we came for.

Glace tilts her head and starts on a small bit, next to what looks like the nearest outcrop of crystals.

Arc shakes herself and starts to breathe fire again, continuing to melt the ice. I suppose it won’t hurt if she’s up for it. Maybe it’ll get it done faster.

Something shatters beneath the ice, and I throw my hands up to shield my face from splinters. Heat blasts forward, and all that reaches me is steam.

Then a cry I have never heard before, like the sound of gems hitting together, rings out and I lower my hands in time to see something grey flit out of the cave.

“What was that?”

“Diancie,” Brith says quietly.

Aria lowers her paws, the twig glowing like ash in them. She bows her head, ears flicking down to cover her eyes.

“You need a new stick,” I say to her.

She glances up, and her ears spring up again.

“What’s a Diancie doing in here?” I ask, just as more ice shatters.

Another Diancie shoots past, and I see it properly this time. Pale grey rock, pink crystal.

“Melt the ice. Glace – concentrate on that bit there, near the back.”

There are statues in the ice. Statues of people. All ages, genders, body types…

“Who fills a cave full of statues and ice?” I ask quietly. I was probably going to have to look up Kalos history when I got out of here.

“I don’t think they’re–” Brith cuts off and knocks me to the ground as some more ice explodes, right next to us.

This time there’s pieces of rock mixed in with it, and I find myself staring at a perfectly carved lock of hair. Every single strand has been defined perfectly.

“Exploding statues. Right.” I accept Brith’s help to get up. “This is… weird.”

“There was a Diancie in that statue,” she replies. “Look.”

Glace is alone, at the back of the cave. She’s uncovered a statue that hasn’t broken yet.

I motion to my fire types to stop, and step over to join her.

The statue is small. The girl it depicts can’t be much more than five or six.

I remember the story of the Diancie Blessed. Olympia had told it to me, just before I’d headed up here. They’d made the sundial, in Anistar. Back in the days of the monarchy. The golem trio were more recent, of the same material but not quite to the same standard. Only the diancie, and the diancie blessed could make the sundial crystal, could make something that flawless. It was the stuff that could kill vamps, the stuff I’d come here for.

But Diancie Blessed had vanished from the land a long time ago – or had appeared to. None had been known of since the monarchy was overthrown. Diancie were rare as well, and the crystal rarer still. The golem trio had been a fit of extravagance.

And now Diancie were appearing in this cave filled with statues.

I clicked my fingers, calling up the flames. The statue before me was perfect. The girl was crouched over, biting her lip and frowning at something that was no longer in her hands. A stray lock of hair hangs down in front of her eyes.

“Blue, what are you doing?”

“Testing a theory,” I reply, holding the dark flame closer.

Aria pads forward and holds out a flame of her own on the end of her charred twig.

The statue glows, and lines run across it moments before it shatters and falls to dust. I use my free hand to shield my face, the fire disappearing from my other hand.

Aria presses her paws together and curtseys to the small Diancie in front of us.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper.

“Blue?”

“Melt it all,” I raise my voice. “Free them.”

The Diancie looks up at me and squeaks, half hiding her face behind her small hands.

“It’s alright,” I say to it, crouching down. “You can go.”

It moves forward and nudges into my chest.

I rock back to steady myself, and move one arm around it. “You don’t have to be scared anymore. You’re not alone.”

[alloftimeandspacetosee]

A Good Egg

Jay’s birthday! A sudden chilling realisation! We panik

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [7] [8]

~

I make the jump from Sayri’s jump and catch at the struts of the tower, the bag in one hand almost pulling me off-centre. It’s windy up here, taller than the rest of the city. We’re above even the viewing platform, and it’s a little bit unnerving.

Was this a good plan? The view is amazing, so probably.

I sit down, sidling into the corner of two struts, wedging myself in where I’ll be steady enough.

Sayri circles back around and Jayden jumps from her back, one hand holding onto his hat.

“Buddy, if you’re worried about your hat, here is not the place to have it.” I grin at him.

“I have an image to keep up.” He waves Sayri away and sits down next to me. “Did I get the film right?”

“Finding Dory? Yeah, I think you nailed it.” I laugh, picking out a bottle from the bag I had between my legs.

“Well, I thought - it’s out in the sea, they travel a lot-”

“There’s a dumbass bird.” I laugh at him. “You did good, Jayden. Thanks.” I offer him the bottle. “Meal was a bit much, though.”

“Eating’s important!” He laughs, taking the bottle for a drink.

“Coulda let me pay half, though.” I pull out a bottle for myself.

“It’s your birthday.” He shakes his head.

“Fine. When’s yours?” I flick the cap off into the open air. “I’ll repay the favour.”

“August.”

“Gonnae need more than that, buddy.”

He shakes his head, smiling.

“Fine, I’ll just take you out every night then.”

“Is that a date?”

“One of them’ll be your date,” I reply, suddenly sober in a cold rush. Oh skies oh shit oh no does he think we’re dating? Is this - was this a date for him, was this something more than just being treated for my birthday.

“Free meals for a whole month,” Jayden says, as if thinking about it. “It’s almost worth not telling you.” He doesn’t sound like he’s aware of the implications. Or maybe he is and he assumed we were dating anyway. Or maybe he thinks we’re just friends and I’m conflating the whole issue.

“They’ll get increasingly shittier. We’ll be dumpster diving by the end of it,” I warn, taking a drink. Focus on that, keep it away from dangerous territories. “Be better just to tell me what day it is.”

“I’ll think about that.”

“I could totally just message Skyla. You don’t have it on your ‘dex page, do you?” Ha, the great NightGale, scared of being someone’s girlfriend. Not wanting to be a girlfriend. Unsure where that’ll go. How much it’ll change.

“Neither do you.”

“Yeah, remind me to give Brith a talking to later.” I take another drink, glance sideways at him. “Or maybe, since she’s the font of all knowledge, she can tell me yours.”

Jayden hums and takes a drink.

The tower is closed for the night. We could just as easily have landed on the viewing platform and sat there, where it would be safer. But someone would probably have come up to check, and - well.

“The view’s good from up here.” I sway, nudging him. “Didn’t peg you for illicitly climbing monuments, though, I have to say.”

“Is it really climbing when we were flown here?”

“Is that what you’re gonnae tell the polis when they get here?” My accent is slipping the more I drink, the more I relax.

“Only if they catch us.” He still has a hand on his hat, keeping it on his head.

“Running from the law now, are we?”

“It’s your piratical tendencies, they’re rubbing off.”

I laugh, looking away as I took another drink. “Maybe we just pretend neither of us speak Kalosian. Might get off lightly. Or-” I mock-sigh, leaning back on one hand, “We high-tail it to the coast and leave, with a black mark over the region and never able to return.”

Jayden shakes his head, laughing softly. “You’re ridiculous.”

“Hey, you’re the one that brought us up here. I’m just saying.”

“I assumed breaking the law was in your repertoire, so-”

“Oh, it is.” I laugh, reaching over to gently punch his shoulder. “You’re... you’re a good egg, Jayden. Thank you.”

He glances at me and away again, laughing as he shakes his head. “A punning drunk. Of course.”

“Hey, puns are clever. Don’t diss the puns or I’ll... I’ll keelhaul you.”

“Sure you will, Jay. Sure you will.”