#maybe she never met the luma in this au

[pastelgeist]

I think wapeach is rosalina if she had been adopted by wario and waluigi

[heartwoodventures]

Where the Wind Blows

Falcon’s Nest. A modest hamlet located in the western highlands of Coerthas. A monochromatic world of ice and snow, of gray skies and bitter winds. A far cry from the idyllic, sun-drenched shores on which Heartwood had played mere suns earlier. Now, a trio met at the town’s central aetheryte, informed by a missive that Momori Mori, the odd lalafell who had agreed to help one of their own, had uncovered new information. 

Arriving at the aetheryte, Aislinn burrowed deeper into the warmth of her jacket as she cast her gaze about the agreed upon meeting place. Spying Lumarto and Rolanda she wandered over and gave the miqo’te and au ra both a nod. 

"Any sign of Momori yet?" she asked.

Lumarto stared at her, his hands brought together to try and retain some warmth. "I think she's comin' around shortly; it shouldn't be hard to spot anyone here at the Nest-- oh, see?" Luma said, pointing towards the welcomed sight.

The lalafell stepped out from behind the Aetheryte. She was lugging over a large, black contraption. Whatever it was, it was producing a lot of noise...and heat.

Aislinn followed his gaze and set sight on the business like lalafell. Her brow furrowed in confusion, however, as to what the woman could possibly be toting along with her. "Ahh." she stamped her feet against the frigid air. The trick was to keep moving, she had learned. 

"Hello there. A bit jarring, to go from warm sands to blustering cold." Momori shivered.

"Yes, I never quite got used to these crystals... Glad you made it! What have you got with you there?" Rolanda asked as she pointed at the contraption Momori was lugging along.

"Takes some getting used to, but I'm sure it will feel natural after a while." Luma said, as he approached before staring down at the contraption. "I was just about to ask the same thing; it's radiating... heat? A heater?"

"Oh, this is..." Momori looked side to side. This area was too open for her. "Let's find somewhere more discrete to talk about it, yes? Follow me."

Aislinn slid a questioning glance to the others but then shrugged and followed along.

The lalafell led them down the ice-covered street and then down a darkened alley. Had the trio not been seasoned mercenaries, armed with all manner of weapons and devices, they might have been more concerned. This was the kind of thing that happened to unsuspecting victims in the less-than savory part of town right before they were set upon.

"Much better. Away from prying eyes." Momori slapped the hood of the black contraption. "This here...is an encryptor. Specifically, it will guard the messages that we send with these."

She turned and placed a device that vaguely resembled a linkpearl in each of their hands. It was larger than usual, and contained a lens on the front. Due to its size, it couldn’t fit in a person’s ear, but its clip suggested that it should be worn on one’s clothing.

"So precautions... I understand." Luma muttered a bit, gazing at the object in question before clipping it to the side of his collar; not in the way of his hood or neck. "Rather fancy device, isn't it?".

"Enctor. Sounds.. fancy" Roland clipped the device to her hip.

"Very fancy. You won't find these in the common markets." Momori replied. 

Aislinn was clearly intrigued by the premise of the encryptor, turning the offered device this way and that in her hands. She wondered, after all this is said and done, if Momori would let her take one of these apart to see how it works. For now though, she clipped it to her coat.

"Three of you...That's good. A small party won't attract too much attention." Momori hummed to herself. "....Well, first and foremost, they look very nice on you all. Very fashionable."

Aislinn shot the lalafell a dubious look.

“These devices are known as aetheric snapshots. They're capable of recording both visual and aetheric information in high fidelity, which I can process later. But I'm getting ahead of myself. You're probably wondering why I have this.” Momori explained. 

"It had crossed my mind." Aislinn replied. "Just what sort of trouble are you expecting us to run up against, here?"

"I suppose asking why you have this is the next step in deduction, yes." Luma stated, looking at the object on his collar before looking back to Momori. "Why do you have something like this?"

“Let's start at the beginning. Red Argos is here, somewhere. And they likely have us outgunned. A frontal assault would be suicide, and that's low on my list of favorite things." Momori began. 

"Makes sense." Aislinn nodded. 

Momori noddded back. “We don’t know where they’re holed up, what they’re doing in Coerthas, and what...or rather, if, Wyda is connected to all this. While rushing into a death trap with weapons drawn is still your prerogative, I’d propose we instead use today’s outing to collect intelligence, and work towards answers to our questions.”

"So is this based on speculation and not fact? Or is there something to go off of?" Luma asked, raising an eyebrow mildly.

"Fact. Seawolf pirates, members of Red Argos, have been spotted here. Going to and fro, up to no good. They're capable of razing entire villages, so..." Momori looked over the trio in front of her. "A sizeable crew. Not one to tussle with head on."

"Enough for a small squabble but not a full on fight? Sounds reasonable..." Lumarto admitted. 

Momori nodded to Lumarto. "Exactly.”

Rolanda shared a look with Lumarto and Aislinn. "I just can't imagine Wyda being involved in something like that. We have to find out what's going on!"

Aislinn nodded in agreement with Rolanda. Despite what she knew of the Seawolf's trouble with missing time, she couldn’t really believe Wyda would be a pirate at any juncture. "No, seems completely out of character."

"Expand your imagination, as it IS a possibility. I would like to debrief you all on what I've uncovered so far. Some good, some bad." Momori countered. "Starting with Wyda. She has yet to say anything pertinent to Red Argos...But I believe her mind is compromised. Did you know she WAS part of a pirate crew? And that she claims to have no memory of this?”

Aislinn tipped her head. "How'd you come by that bit of information?"

Lumarto stared at the group while Momori spoke, resting his hand on his hip while she debriefed them. "Seems like something awful to forget..."

"One hears a lot in Aleport taverns. That, and some had much to say when presented with her bounty portrait." Momori replied. 

Rolanda paused. "For my own part, I can only say we met recently and I don't know her past. But she did not seem to have the demeanor of a pirate to me."

Aislinn shared a glance with Lumarto. "I thought we agreed, it's not -her- portrait. For all we know those sods in the taverns are getting her confused with someone else."

Lumarto nodded to Aislinn's point. "Anyone could share a face, but rumors could spread like wild fire."

"True. There is a non-zero chance of her having an identical twin." Momori shrugged. "Just as there is a non-zero chance of Bahamut coming to roast us on the spot! Haha." She chuckled at her own joke, then cleared her throat. "Anyway."

Aislinn gave the lalafell a flat look. There was also a non-zero chance of Momori ending up headfirst in a snowbank by the time this was through. "Fine. Let's pretend she was a pirate. ‘Was’, being the operative word."

"Wyda..." Momori made air quotes as she said the name. "Used to be part of a pirate crew known as the 'Ruddy Hounds,' which disappeared over a year ago. After some matching, I determined that some ex-members of the Hounds are in Argos. These are sea pirates we're talking about. So unless they suddenly got an airship...AND learned to fly the thing..." Momori frowned.

Aislinn shrugged one shoulder. "Suppose that's also not unheard of."

"Or thought there would be no competition in a frozen tundra?" Luma remarked, raising an eyebrow.

"Ah, yes. That brings me to my next point. They don't seem concerned in coin, and only in 'booty.' Spoken booty, that is!" Another one of her godawful jokes. "They've kept up their kidnapping habits here. Three have gone missing in Coerthas."

What sort of pirates weren't interested in coin? 

"To what end? Ransom? Trafficking?" Aislinn asked. 

"If its Coerthas, it could be ransom; trying to take the coin of the wealthy for the exchange of the stolen?" Lumarto suggested. 

"Perhaps. Though no victims have shown up in...the markets, so to speak. Nor have they reached out to anyone for ransom. Maybe it's their first time with this sort of thing." Momori stated. 

"I'd guess the law is preoccupied, but that would be surprising if it had been someone of high class who had been kidnapped; they jumped at the chance to be saviours then." Lumarto all but snorted. 

"No. But I do believe if we find the victims, we'll find Red Argos. I have some items  here from the kidnapped victims, if that could help you in tracking them down.” Momori handed Lumarto a dirty sock, a ribbon, and a bracelet. "If somehow you're, like, a bloodhound. Lumarto, none of the kidnapped are particularly rich, which could explain the inaction."

Lumarto stared at the items. "So they aren't of high class... so people like ourselves are going to have to do the work; figures..." Luma said, looking back to Momori. "Do we have any idea of the age of those who had been stolen?"

"Two adults, one child." she answered.

"A family out of their house, mayhaps."

Aislinn eyed the belongings in Lumarto’s hands. "-Were- they related? Do we know?" she asked, looking back to Momori.

"Mother and child. The other adult wasn't related." Momori nodded. "You know what they say. A family that eats together, is..." She stopped. Perhaps it isn't time to joke around.

Rolanda narrowed her eyes at Momori. "No, probably not the time to joke..."

"There aren't many places to hide in Coerthas... it isn't like they can openly hole up in the city..." Luma thought, pacing slightly.

Aislinn shook her head. "No, you're right. More than likely, they're out holed up in one of the deserted villages around here."

Momori coughed. "I would like to bring up the reason I'm here.” Now seemed as good a time as any. “They've stolen an artifact known as 'The Helm' from me. A wheel of six spokes, decorated with six elementally aspected crystals at each end. If you happen to see it, I would be much obliged."

“I wish I could tell you what it does. Unfortunately, it has a reputation for being useless. The Helm was recovered between Doma and the Azim Steppe nearly fifty years ago. It was immediately recognized as being unworkable and incomplete, and thus spent decades as a royal, broken bauble. There are rumors that it was used as a toy at some point. As a flying disc for children.”

Lumarto stared for a moment at Momori. "So we are really going after this 'Helm', while on the side potentially uncovering and helping those who had been kidnapped?" Luma asked, crossing his arms.

Aislinn eyed Momori quietly for a moment. Something about that didn't sound right to her and honestly, she wasn't entirely sure she trusted the lalafell. She spoke neither one way or another on the matter of the 'Helm'.

"Well, it is why I'm here. And the kidnapped are to simply lead us to Red Argos, so that you may free your jailed companion." Momori replied. "The Helm being useless is a boon. You shadn't worry about anything crazy happening, outside of pirates and guns."

Aislinn let go a wry, humorless smile. "Somehow, I've never found that to be the case."

"What will we be doing now then for this? Surely not stand here with frost building up on our feet; do we have a location in mind for a search?" Lumarto said. The quicker they got moving, the better. 

“Ah, of course not. But quickly, let me explain these devices.” Momori said, referring to one she held in her hand. “"If you see anything interesting, you can snap a photo of it with this. It can only hold one photo, so make it count. You can also safely communicate with each other, or me, through it. I won’t be joining in person since I’m just a civilian."

Aislinn took a closer look at her device, following along and making sure she understood it before they headed out.

"As for places to start looking, I have two leads. There’s an abandoned settlement that not many pass by - a potential hideout for the pirates. Secondly, herds of Steinbock have been on the move recently. Perhaps being spooked by increased activity from our pirates? It may be worth taking a look at their grazing grounds."

"I'd say the settlement personally... spooked steinbock could be anything from wild life territorial issues or mishaps with adventurers, so I wouldn't see that as anything to jump at." Luma said, glancing at the others. "What are your thoughts?"

Satisfied she understood how to work the new device, Aislinn looked up at Luma. "Can't say I know much about what will or won't spook a steinbock. But the settlement seems like a good place to start.”

Lumarto nodded.

"Why don't you test out your devices? Hope they aren't broken." Momori said. 

Lumarto stared down at the object on his collar. "I'd rather not play around with something like this... just assume it does the job right and get down to business."

Unlike Lumarto, Aislinn took a moment to point the device at Rolanda, and hit the button. She had no problem messing with things to see if they'll break. 

Rolanda struck a stunning pose when Aislinn pointed the pearl her way.

Referring back to the device, Aislinn gave a thumbs up. "Seems to be in order. Let’s head out."

The trio turned on their heels and left Momori to huddle in the alleyway next to the encryptor and listen for word of their excursion over the linkpearl. The three rode out and arrived at the settlement, finding it just as Momori had stated. The abandoned buildings sat, long frozen. A testament to an earlier time when the land around them was verdant and farmable. Now it lay buried under fulms of snow, likely never to see the light of day again. They landed at its fringes, and almost immediately heard a buzzing sound emanating from their clothing. 

"Hello? Is this thing on?" Momori was calling through the linkpearls.

Rolanda slapped the pearl on her hip out of fear as it crackled suddenly to life. Its image shifts to one of pure white. "Dag nabbit.. lousy thing!"

Aislinn scanned the area as she dismounted and waved her carbuncle out of existence. She jolted a bit as the disembodied voice floated from her jacket. Luckily Lumarto responded so she didn’t have to. 

Lumarto listened, cocking his head to a side upon hearing Momori's voice. "Aye its on. We've arrived at the settlement; its in tatters."

The Highlander continued to take stock of the settlement, looking for any sign of recent activity.

"At least it'll be hard to cover their tracks in snow?” she offered. 

"On the contrary, the constant blizzards would pile their tracks up; so it might be difficult unless they’re fresh." Luma said to Aislinn, taking a few steps towards the buildings and gazing upon the structure.

He was right. Fresh snow covered any potential footprints and fallen items. At first glance, it simply appeared a lonely, cold wasteland. No sign of life or recent activity. But the three fanned out, determined to search anyroads. 

With a hum of consideration, Aislinn wandered off towards the buildings on the north side of the settlement. 

Rolanda dug through the rubble and found a small can of beans that appeared to be untouched. "Found some beans."

"Beans? Rolanda, focus. Now's not the time to be eating things off the floor." Momori’s voice crackled.

"Was there a fire here earlier?..." Luma spoke to himself, crouching down to gaze at the bottom near one of the doors on the building to the south, looking for any signs of ware-and-tear, or skid marks from the opening.

Across the way, Aislinn put a hand on the door of one of the buildings, it was cold from the outside, obviously. The building was made of solid, rough hewn rock, its door shut against the wind. But she focused on sensing any aetheric signature within. The cold, biting wind and stinging snow made it hard for her to concentrate. Maybe she felt something. It was ever so faint. She strained a bit harder, leaning against the door now but after a few moments longer, she shook her head and finally pushed away. Whatever it was, it was gone now.

Lumarto caught a whiff of gunpowder when he crouched down, wiping away the small layers of frost and revealing a trail of the stuff. "Where does this lead?..." the miqo’te muttered, pressing against the door as he stood up and began to pursue the trail.

As Aislinn moved to turn away from the northern building, she stopped again. No. There was definitely something. But as she glanced across the way, she caught sight of Luma’s form wandering off into the blowing snow. Splitting up in a blizzard when there might be pirates about sat ill at ease with her and so, she made to follow but Rolanda approached and stopped her. 

"Hmm, I'm a bit of an expert on beans... and this can seems to be recently sealed, likely from nearby Limsa Lominsa. This could be a bean-clue." the au ra handed the can to Aislinn. "What do you think?"

Hesitating in her desire to follow after Lumarto, Aislinn looked at Rolanda and her beans. "Ahh." she paused and eyed the legumes in question, taking a moment to consider them.

"New....beans?" Momori sounded confused. "A ration by some travelers?"

"Does seem an odd thing to be here. And they look a lot more recent than the rest of this place. But...I can't say whether pirates or some hunter might have left them." the woman said with an apologetic look to Rolanda.

Rolanda nodded. "That conclusion seems logical. Perhaps someone traveled through here that came through Limsa first."

"Bring it back all the same. If it's irrelevant, we can split the beans fourway. Nothing like floor food to fill the gut." Momori advised. 

Aislinn passed Rolanda a dry look. "Well...you heard the woman. Bring it along. It's either a clue or floor food." she turned to look for Luma but he was nowhere to be found. Her anxiety had just begun to rise when his voice came over the linkpearl. 

"Beans are going to have to wait. You both might wanna check this out." Luma said, awaiting for them to join him. 

They found him at the edge of a cliff behind one of the buildings, staring down into the gully below as Aislinn appeared behind him. 

"Take a look at this." Luma said, pointing down towards the snow beneath the cliff.

Gazing down at the white snow; something odd protruded from it. Not the solid white of snow, of powder and the like-- an off white, bone. A skeleton had been off the cliff's edge and covered in snow. "That doesn't look fresh... it can't be any of the ones who were kidnapped..." Luma muttered.

"What is it? What's fresh?" With only voice communication, Momori wasn’t able to follow what was happening. "Something juicy?"

Aislinn followed his gaze, confused for a moment as she sought what he was pointing out. But then, all at once it took shape for her. A skeleton against the snow. "Nymeia's Blood." she swore softly. "We need to get closer. Try and see if we can ascertain how long it's been here. And, bring it back, if we can. No one should be left out here like that."

"Lumarto found a skeleton." she said into the device.

"You're right, but mind your step. I found Ceruleum here as well, so anything could be hidden beneath the snow or otherwise; I don't feel like that body is here unintentionally." Lumarto warned her. 

"Ceruleum....That's odd. A popular fuel for garlean magitek, but...hm. Go forth with the utmost caution." Momori added. 

Rolanda came up behind them, breathless. "Sorry the cold got to me for a moment there. Brought the beans."

With that, Luma carefully got some footing on the slope of the cliff, and slid down; his heels keeping a firm grip on the rock before taking a short leap onto the snow below; gazing just for a moment if there was anything else in question to see before moving forward.

Aislinn nodded in reply to the warning as she pulled a battered gemstone from her hip pack. Tossing it in the air, with a bit of calculated manipulation on her part, it became her carbuncle. She headed down to join Lumarto.

Rolanda pocketed the beans and looked down the cliff face. "Well, no time like the present! HUP!" and with that, began her way down.

"I don't see anything..." Luma said, as he approached the skeleton before kneeling down before it. "Does it look like an adult's frame? Child?" Luma asked, wanting the others’ opinion.

The wind suddenly picked up, revealing more frozen snow coated with a mixture of gunpowder and ceruleum. The way the ice had formed...signs of struggle. It was soon apparent the skeleton was that of an adult. 

"I don't think I'm going to be eating these beans now.." Rolanda covered her mouth.

Aislinn knelt down and brushed some of the snow away from the skeleton, trying to get a clearer picture of it. As her hands grazed the bones, that familiar buzzing pressure started in her ears. Aether. A lot of it. She looked to Lumarto and Rolanda. "Ahh...help me move the bones. We'll have to pack them up and bring them back anyroads."

Lumarto shook his head at Rolanda "It's not about eating right no--" Luma paused, the sensation of fire aether causing the hairs on his back to stand on end; his tail to shoot up before nonchalantly returning to a rested state. 

He shifted his attention to Aislinn, albeit with something else on his mind. "Wh-- ah, yeah...yeah..." Luma said, staring down at the skeleton and slowly taking bone by bone, his hands visibly hesitating with each time he reached towards that source of aether.

Rolanda nodded and bent down to help. Using her bow to dig out around the bones, she made them easier to pick up.

Aislinn slid a glance to Lumarto. Judging from his reaction, she wasn't the only one who noticed the aether. "You feel that too, aye?" she said, relieved it wasn't just her.

Lumarto stared at her, before quickly looking away to hide his gaze, still shaken. "Aye its... potent; and unpleasant..." he said, gazing down at the pieces of arm bone he had picked up; noticing an odd brand on it. 

The aether burned brightest around the wrist bone he held. And the brand. A black mark, a crude symbol of the fire element surrounded by six intricate wings. Additionally, frozen flower petals resembling those of a lily, a light lavender color.

The aether seemed to seethe and he immediately dropped it, taking a sudden step back.

Aislinn startled a bit as the miqo'te dropped one of the bones as if it had burned him. Her eyes dart from him to the bone and back.

Just then, Momori’s voice broke the silence. "Sounds like you guys hit paydirt. Though a skeleton would be hard to bring back. Maybe bring back just what matters for now, and come back for the rest later?" 

"Alright, there Lumarto?" Aislinn asked. 

She leaned forward, reaching for the bone. Before she even touched it, she felt the aether coming from the strange symbol. "Ahh...this is where it's coming from." she sat back and spoke into the device. 

"Right." She didn't like the idea of leaving the remains out here but Momori made sense. 

Lumarto looked towards the skeleton and then up at Aislinn. "I'm... f-fine. I'm not good with fire; unpleasant memories..." Luma muttered, as his wobbly legs slowly attempted another step. "There is that symbol on its wrist, and it's almost like that in itself is an active fire crystal. It's important from the looks of it." Luma said, though hesitated in coming closer to the mark. "Can you retrieve it? Sending a picture for Momori would probably be ideal."

Aislinn pulled a cloth from her pack and reached for the bone, turning it about in the snow. "It has an odd symbol. -Burned- into the bone by the looks of it. I can't...done before or after death, I can't say." she said into the device. She nodded to Lumarto.

Rolanda didn’t notice any of this heat that everyone kept talking about. She reached down and grabbed a hold of the wrist bone. "Is this the one we need?"

"Aye, can you carry that back for us?" she asks the Au Ra. Truthfully, she didn't want to handle it either. 

Lumarto nodded at that. With the Au Ra not realizing its potential and properties, it would be the safest bet. "Please carry it for us." Luma said without skipping a beat.

"It does not appear to affect me as it does all of you. I will happily transport it if it makes you all more comfortable." Rolanda shrugged.

Aislinn spared her a grateful look before eyeing the rest of the bones. "These...I suppose they'll have to wait."

"Well, if that's taken care off, I happen to have an odd...lead for you all." Momori's voice popped and crackled. "From where I'm at, I just saw an airship fly by. Garlean."

Garlean. Aislinn swiftly lifted her head to the skies.

"Is it headed anywhere this direction? Considering the ceruleum and all." Luma said, looking up at the sky while one hand was on his collar; his right hand gripping his sleeve to try and relieve some of the burning sensation.

"It was seen heading eastward. Odd thing about it, kept flashing in and out of view." Momori reported. 

"Are you saying it was cloaking in some way, or hidden by the weather?" Luma asked, taking a few more steps towards the more open part of the cliff, trying to get a clearer look at the sky.

Aislinn looked back up the cliff in the direction of the building she had been inspecting. She couldn't shake the feeling there was something there. No matter how faint. She quietly continued to listen to the exchange between Lumarto and Momori.

"Potentially. If so, then their system must be broken...I was only able to spot it briefly and from afar, so I couldn't tell what they were using. "

"Copy that." Lumarto replied, turning to the group. "I'd say we try and look for things while we leave the premises; there is no telling if they are headed here or not." he said, glancing between the other two. "What say you both?"

"We should make haste to see if we can find this ship. If we can get there quickly, perhaps we can see if it is our culprits." Rolanda said, decisively

"If it was heading eastward from Falcon's Nest, it might head this way. But...I want to look at one of the building's up there. I sensed something coming from beyond it." Aislinn countered. 

"I have a whale that can carry me quite swiftly. Perhaps I could take flight and see if I can get a snapshot of this ship - from a distance of course" Rolanda offered. 

No one seemed surprised the au ra had a skywhale at her beckon call. Rolanda always had a trick up her sleeve. 

Lumarto nodded to Aislinn. "Show us the building, and we'll see if there are any more leads before we get an unexpected arrival." Luma said, then held his hand to his collar, activating the pearl. "We're going to take a look at a lead from Aislinn before returning." Luma reported, turning to Rolanda. "If you could do so quietly and discreetly, then by all means; but don't take risks."

"Whatever you do, be careful. Don't want them pointing their guns at you." Momori voice crackled back in reply. 

Aislinn seemed torn for a moment. "Alright...that seems best. But aye, as Lumarto says, be careful."

Rolanda nodded and called her skywhale down from the clouds. "Easy now, Eustice. We have to be stealthy today". She hopped on the back of her whale, and headed back into the clouds in search of the airship.

Aislinn led Luma back across the settlement to the building in question. She trailed her hand along its rough hewn facade as she moved away from the front. Her brow furrowed in concentration, as she tried to focus. "It feels like it's coming from behind the building." she said. "Do you feel anything?" she asked Lumarto as she moved along.

High in the sky above, Rolanda caught sight of the ship approaching from a distance. It appeared to be heading straight for them! She hurriedly snapped a photo with the linkpearl and then headed down to the rest of the party to warn them about the approaching ship.

"It does feel odd around here, I guess this place really does have something about it." Luma said, turning as he noticed Rolanda coming back from her pseudo-mission.

"The ship is headed this way! I'm not sure of its intentions, but I managed to get a linkpearl of it before I had to flee.” 

Rolanda's announcement placed a sense of urgency in Aislinn that momentarily disrupted her concentration. "Right...okay. Let's be quick about this. Momori said we're outgunned and I don't want to be caught out like this."

Both Aislinn and Lumarto could feel it. Earth aether. Weak, but present, and foreign to the environment. The source coming from beyond the building, toward the rocky outcropping. 

Aislinn wordlessly followed her senses, the world narrowing down to this aether and getting out. As they moved around a boulder, they found the source. Incredibly, it was a child! A young midlander girl, huddled against the rock and shivering.

A child was the last thing Aislinn expected to find. She rocked back a step in surprise. "I..oh!"

"Gods... how long has she been out here for?" Luma said, quickly approaching behind Aislinn before crouching down and getting a better look at the girl.

The girl weakly turned to look at Lumarto, and flinched, scrambling further into the rock. "I-I...you're not...one of them, are you?"

Aislinn quickly recovered and slowly reached out for the child but stopped, realizing that might be perceived as a threat. Instead, she turned to her device. "Momori, I think we find the child that was missing."

"One of them?..." Luma asked, looking at her expression, he finally put two and two together. "No, no no... me and these two were lucky enough to even find you shivering out here." Luma said, crouching down and holding his hand out slowly to the girl, keeping it steady to not show hostility. "Are you hurt? Hungry? Rolanda, get the beans." Luma said, his gaze darting to the Au Ra.

"Nice." Momori pauses. "She's an elezen, right?"

Rolanda pulled out the can. "Ah yes, the groun- uh.. er... the beans! Here you are."

Aislinn looked the girl over. "Ahh...no. She's a hyur."

The girl looked towards the can of beans, then at Luma. "You...you don't look like one of them." She quickly grabbed the beans and immediately tried to pry the can open. As she did so, they all saw it as plain as day. A tattoo. The mark of earth, surrounded by six wings.

Lumarto watched the girl, his heart aching. Being a father, he couldn't help but feel worry upon finding a girl here in the cold. He noticed the mark, and his eyes widened. "Here..." Luma said, carefully reaching for the can of beans and, using a knife from his hip, pried it open before handing it back to the girl. "Slowly-- don't choke."

The girl watched the miqo’te, stars in her eyes. However, despite his advice, she did in fact inhale those beans. As if on cue, a garlean airship touched down at the center of the abandoned settlement. From a distance, the trio could hear the sound of metal armor. “Come! We don’t have much time to find her,��� a voice called from the distance.

Aislinn snapped her attention to the sound of the airship. "Right. Time to go." she murmured. She looked down at the girl. "Ready to head home?" she asks gently. "We're here to bring you back."

"I have a whale that could easily accommodate both of us" Rolanda said with a smile. 

The girl's eyes widen and her head swiftly turned to stare at the docking airship. "Thass them! The bad guys." Her mouth is still stuffed full with beans.

Lumarto stared at Aislinn, and then to the girl; the state she was in, taking her home immediately sounded like a risk. "You're being... tracked, they are trying to find you?" Luma asked, carefully approaching the girl and removing one layer from his coat; covering the small girl in it.

Aislinn shot a glance at Lumarto. "We can't leave her here and at the end of all of this...." she inhaled. They had to move. Now. Debating the finer points of where the child would go could be done later. "We don't have time."

"I'm not saying to leave her here, but rather get her away before we ourselves get caught." Luma said, staring around at the group before looking back at the Garlean ship dock. "We need to go north like I said, and loop around back to Falcon's Nest."

From here, they could see several figures moving here and there in the settlement. They were searching fervently. Interestingly, there were those dressed in garlean armor mixed in with the Sea Wolves. A detail to be mulled over at another time. 

Aislinn nodded quickly along with Lumarto, turning to keep an eye out as she groaned under her breath. "Right. Then are you reading to get away from here?"

"I can take the girl to safety and meet up with you afterwards. I can keep in touch with the link pearls." Rolanda said, calling the whale down once more. 

Lumarto turned to Rolanda. "We can use the whale to head north and try to stay low before making our way to the nest; can it fit all four of us?" Luma asked, glancing down at the little girl. "You're going to be fine; we'll keep you safe. Go along with Rolanda and we'll meet with you in a bit, ok? Hopefully that coat keeps you warm."

Aislinn kept an eye out while Rolanda and Lumarto go about securing the child safely up on the whale.

The girl looked unsure, but then caught sight of someone coming around the corner. “It’s her!” Frightened, it’s enough to send the girl scrabbling to get onto the whale. Lumarto hurried after her with ease. Aislinn on the other hand…

Lumarto reached down from the whale to help Aislinn up. "Come on, we have to go now!" Luma stated, clearly not willing to simply abandon her. 

The Sea Wolf who came around the corner of the building was Wyda. She was identical. She dashed towards the slowly embarking whale. Fists drawn to attack, sea foam hair whipped back from momentum.

Aislinn was momentarily caught off guard by the sight of the Wyda look alike and for a moment, it appeared as if she didn't even hear Lumarto urging her to get on. After a tense, stunned moment, she waves the whale off, signaling Rolanda to just go.

As the skywhale takes off, several other pirates and those donning garlean uniforms pour from around the corner of the building, ready to back up the Wyda look-alike. They began to fire their weapons at the whale.

The sound of gunfire snapped Aislinn back into motion. Slamming the snapshot function of the device to get a shot of the pirate angrily hurtling towards her, she then turned and ran for cover along the boulders that rimmed the settlement. In a rush, she tossed her battered gem into the sky and launched herself on the carbuncle that popped into existence.

The gunfire hit their mark! Several shots buried themselves in the whale’s belly, and it lurched to the side, losing altitude with a bellow. 

"Eustice! nooo". Rolanda cried out. She pulled sharply on the reins, trying to get out of the line of fire.

The girl clung to Luma, holding on for dear life as the creature began to roll. She squeezed her eyes shut.

Aislinn cursed as she saw the great whale listing. Hurriedly reaching into her pack, she withdrew one of her incendiary nodes. Twisting the sphere to arm it, she hurls it down below in the midst of the pack of attackers. 

The incendiary blossomed as it detonated, flames shooting forth across the white landscape. It provided a good distraction, and the firing squad below were suddenly more preoccupied with getting out of the way of the explosion. However, they were quick to regroup,  and collect themselves, continuing to shoot. But Rolanda had managed to coax the whale higher into the sky, escaping the reach of the bullets below. 

"Wow. Whatever you're doing, you better get out, stat." Momori's voice came out deadpan.

This bloody lalafell. Aislinn bit back a retort and simply, curtly answered. "On it."

Rolanda continued pulling up on the reins, aiming to get out of there as fast as possible and head back to safety.

"Head north and keep us under the bridge for some tics, we can't let them see us go back to the nest immediately!" Lumarto called out to the au ra while he held the girl safe.

Despite its injuries, the whale flew quickly through the sky, but they could all hear it...the roar of a magitek engine, somewhere behind them. Thankfully, in the blizzard, the noise eventually faded.

Aislinn and her carbuncle kept themselves in the shadow of the whale, turning back to peer through the blizzard. Hopefully they had lost them for good.

Lumarto sighed, glancing around. "That was reckless; we could have gotten into much worse if we didn't get out of there in time... but now they know a whale took the girl." he said, carefully releasing his hold on the little one. "You alright?" He asked her.

"Lots of people have whales right? ha ha.. ha.." Rolanda looked around worriedly. She hadn't noticed many whales around lately.

The girl opened an eye. “I...I’m alright. Ugh...” She keeled over slightly, in pain, and in conjunction with a strange light emanating from directly below them. The feeling of aether...moving. It was palpable to even those with the dullest senses.

"What the..." From under the whale, she leaned over her carbuncle to stare down below them. Whatever was causing this pressure in her head was strong. She drifted her mount lower to see if she could find the source.

Lumarto held his hand to his head, the other keeping the girl from falling off the whale. "Whatever it is, it's affecting us all... get us grounded."

Rolanda hurried to oblige, banking the whale into a shadowy ravine below with Aislinn in tow. Once back on solid ground, the group made their way out from the deep ravine where it opened onto what must have been, at one time, a lake bed. As they drew closer to the center of this opening...this Bed of Bones, they could see a figure brandishing something circular in its hands. Six burn spots are roasted into the icy floor, and a crowd of other figures - garleans and seawolves alike, are just behind the lone figure.

"What in the devils have we wandered into..." Rolanda whispered, trying to make herself small.

Lumarto gestured to everyone. "We're getting into something deep... lay low. Rolanda, you're the only one without a solid picture; take one here if anything stands out." Luma said, crouching down with the others.

Momori’s voice came out in a hush through the linkpearl. "There was an earthquake just now! And that light...did you see that?"

"I got a picture of the ship, I can replace it if we find something more useful here." Rolanda said, brandishing her pearl.

"I'll try and take one if things seem rather... important. Though any of these moments seem like it." Luma said, keeping a hand near the pearl just in case he needs to snap a quick one.

They watched as the central figure spun the artifact, as though it were a ship’s wheel. Six lights, coming from the burn marks, dart about, then sink into the ground. A moment of silence, and then the wind coalesces, partitioned into even sections of highly concentrated aether. 

Lumarto watched as the figure used the artifact with ease; then he recalled Momori's words. Something of a disc, 6 points; it fit the description oddly enough. "I'm going to step closer for a picture..." Luma said, carefully setting the girl beside Aislinn before readying the pearl.

Aislinn watched the strange ritual without having one any idea as to what the purpose may have been. A summoning? But she recognized that artifact. The Helm Momori had described. Apparently not so useless after all. Why was she not surprised? As Lumarto set the girl beside her, she laid a comforting hand on the girl's arm.

From the sections of aether, wind sprites form, and with the unrelenting fury of Llymlaen herself, a great gale of wind blows. It was strong enough to knock the viewing party off their feet. Lumarto had clipped the enhanced linkpearl off his collar, aiming it at the figure as the artifact was beginning to spew aetheric wind around them. He snapped a photo of the impact, of the sprites forming around the group. Just as fast as the photo was taken, the wind shot him back towards his group; slamming against the rock behind them before falling to the snow. With a long exhale, he sighed. "Lets... Lets get out. This is getting dangerous.."

As Lumarto came hurtling back towards them, Aislinn pulled the girl towards her and leaned back out of the way, wincing as the miqo'te made landfall. But as he speaks, she let go a breath. He was battered, but alright. Nodding in agreement she speaks. "Aye, let's get this little one taken care of."

The garlean airship lifted off, and the cloaking device finally kicked in. After much flickering, it disappeared in a blur. Gone.

"Well, that was.. something! Is everyone alright?" Rolanda looked around at her windswept companions.

The girl seemed to be in a daze. She looked especially weak, and at this point was pretty much as active as a sack of popotos.

Lumarto coughed some. "I don't very much like the idea of being battered, so let's try and head back; I need a drink..." he said, offering the lightest chuckle to try and make light of the situation before looking to the small girl. "She needs to rest and a bed... lets return to the nest; carefully this time."

Arriving back at Falcon’s Nest, the exhausted trio found Momori right where they had left her, by the device, donning a headpiece. She turned to the party as they arrived. “Oh. Hi.”

Lumarto held a hand to his gut, clearly worn out a bit before taking a seat on the alley steps. "Gods, that's enough for today..." the miqo’te muttered.

Aislinn North let go a long exhalation by way of reply. She had the girl in her arms, giving Lumarto  a chance to rest. She doesn't look like she entirely knows how to hold or comfort a child.

"Good to see everyone in one piece. And...this must be the child you picked up along the way." She makes an odd face at the girl, who is just. Collapsed in Aislinn’s arms.

The lalafell held out her hand. "If you could hand me the augmented linkpearls. I'll need to process the photos you took."

Lumarto held out the pearl, reluctant to budge from his spot. Aislinn knelt down to allow Momori to pluck the device from her coat.

"Thanks all. Hm, that child...You don't suppose you can keep her holed up at Heartwood for now? I haven't the faintest idea who she is, and I don't think she can tell us now." Momori said, observing the child at a distance, as if she were on exhibit.

Lumarto turned to Momo and then to Aislinn. "I'm sure we can, she needs someplace warm and a hot meal; my space at the house should be a decent place. I can feed her when I'm free too." Luma said, holding out his arms to Aislinn. "Give her here; I need my coat back later anyways."

"Good. Now, if there's anything else you need to give to me, I'd ask you to hand it over now. There is much for me to look into." the lalafell said briskly. 

Aislinn’s instinct was to try and heal the child but recalling the aetheric brand, she was hesitant to add any of her own aetheric formulas to the mix. The girl appeared worn out. A warm bed and a few good meals should go a long way to helping her recover. She nodded to Lumarto and gingerly passed the child off to him.

“Ah yes, I nearly forgot, this strange bone that everyone said felt warm". Rolanda said as she handed over the wrist bone to Momori.

Lumarto nodded in kind to Aislinn, holding the girl close and making sure she was warm. Clearly he had experience with kids, her face looked pale, but her hands were warming up to the touch a bit. Upon seeing the bone that Rolanda held out once more, he flinched and looked away before making sure once more that the girl was fine.

“Very gross. Thank you.” Momori accepted the wrist bone. She paused. “...I will send payment in the mail after I have reviewed the footage you’ve brought back. Farewell for now.”

Rolanda seemed glad to be rid of the bone and linkpearl both. "Until next time." She glanced down at the child. "Let me know if you need anything for the child."

Lumarto stared at Aislinn, taking a moment to slowly stand as he held the girl carefully. "I'm going to take her back, but any help would be appreciated. I'll pearl you if need be." he said, carefully patting the little one. "See you back at the company." 

"I'll head back with you." Aislinn said suddenly, falling into step with him. 

Bones, artifacts, Garleans, and one lost child. For the immediate moment, they all had a lot to consider.

[miso-297]

Lonashipping Week Prompt #1: Forbidden Romance: The Enforcer and the Beast

So, this takes place in an AU within an AU (i.e. sticking with the plot of champion of the stars because… I got no other ideas…) So, there may be some spoiler material for future parts and even volumes in here. That and most of this could be said to be a Darling in the Franxx AU, but there aren’t really any code numbers, Franxx, and this is just regular Alola or stuff. But without further ado, on with the show!

 The Beast and the Enforcer

Prelude

This is a story of how a monster became human. Although it was a brief time for her, it was something she could never forget. Before he gave her the world, the only world she knew was filled with restless despair and abandonment. A closed isolated world that never expanded outside the walls. Not even light could manage to seep through the cracks. That place back then was the entirety of my world.

 That place was the entirety of my world before I decided to break free from it. Aether Paradise. A place where I felt myself slowly die. A place where nearly all my questions were scoffed and shoved to the side by all who worked there. Where me and my sister were considered dolls toward our mother. That was until she appeared. That was where my story began.

 To this day I had never forgotten…

 To this day I had forgotten everything…

 When I first saw light escaping from that room…

                                                                                                                                When I laid my eyes at the darkness…

 At the boy who reached his hand...

                                                                                                                                At the girl who cowered in fear…

 How he pulled me out from isolation…

 How warm her hand was…

And the time we spent together…

 Luma’s POV

 Ever since the day that my father died, everything went downhill from there. I was treated as nothing more than a test subject. A monster in human skin. Even the Pokemon there got special treatment. Me? I would fight endless battles with Pokemon. If I won those battles, I would get a reward for it. And after that, I would be subjected to more testing and experiments that would concern Ultra Beasts and the only Pokemon I’ve had ever since I was little. One that I didn’t know that I had fused with as perfectly as the cell structure of graphene. I used to have someone visiting me. Who would feed me and tell me that things will be alright in the end. But she gave me two things that weren’t food; a picture book with various drawings, and my metal bracelet that was once given to me by one of my parents.

Shortly after however, I never saw her again. But I always kept those two things close to me. There was never a time where I would leave without them hidden under the huge black cloak that was given to be by the people who held me captive. Every time I looked at the colorful pictures from the little bit I could see from it in the darkness, it made me yearn for the world. I had always hoped that the world was something vast and comforting. Warm and Inviting to a monster like me who never understood anything… I was right… But I was also terribly naïve for my own good as I was subjected to yet another prison. I was an inmate. Lesser than that, I was just cargo.

 Gladion’s POV

 Ever since the day our father disappeared, our mother tried to maintain a strong presence in front of me and my sister. However, she never told us what happened to him. Where he went. And why he left. I was the one always asking questions about him. Each day I would always ask my mother what happened to our father. The answer was always the same…

 “He’s still here, son… Didn’t he wake you and Lillie up this morning?”

 We were confused. Despite this, we ate that up. Thinking our father was still here in this island. Here in Alola. But I knew the truth from a conversation Wicke had with Faba.

 “It’s a shame that Lady Lusamine is acting like this. The loss of her husband has really rattled her.”

 “Hah. I will admit that the loss of Professor Mohn was indeed shocking, but you don’t see me crying. If anything, I’m getting sick of this side of Lusamine. If she isn’t going to take a stand at running this company like the president she is because of one person’s disappearance, then I’LL just have to stand up in her place!”

 I told Lillie about it. The conversation that they had. All she did was shake her head and act as though she was in denial just as much as mom was. But deep down she must’ve known that dad wasn’t going to come back the way she hung around me or mother. Always thinking that one of us would be the next to disappear from her. The one thing that always peaked our spirits was when Wicke would let us go to the observatory and play with the Pokemon. Wicke took the two of us in the conservatory there like she usually would since Mother never let us step outside. But one day instead of playing family with a Cleffairy she had grown fond of since her early childhood, Lillie had curled herself into a ball and started crying with the same fairy Pokémon comforting her with a small whine.

 “Are you okay?”

 “Do I… Stick out? I mean… everyone else is just working like normal. Even mom’s getting back to her research she and dad were working on. Everyone’s stopped talking about dad. It’s like her never existed. Did they… forget about him or something? I mean… I’m still sad about him. I just… Wanna see dad.”

 I knew what she meant. About everyone being different than usual. That they stopped talking about father as if he never existed. It was almost frightening how fast they moved on. But even so, seeing Lillie the way she was. It made me feel as though I was just like everyone else. That I moved on. But I was far from the point of moving on. I wanted to know what happened to him. I wanted to know why he disappeared. What caused his disappearance. I wanted answers more than anything.

 “You’re not the only one. I miss him too…”

 “R-Really?”

 “When I heard Faba and Wicke talking, I didn’t know what to think. I thought they were just kidding at first. I looked everywhere for him, but I couldn’t find him. I even asked mom if she knew where he went. But she didn’t answer me.”

 “Oh…”

 “But maybe… If he’s still here in Alola. Then maybe we can look for him on the islands. Like, maybe he could be waiting for us somewhere.”

 “But where?”

 “Hmm… maybe… I know! Do you know that place where you and mom went to? Where you two danced in the rain?”

 “You mean near Po Town?”

 “He could be waiting there! But we won’t know unless we look for him there!”

 “But… is it really okay for us to leave? To look for him out there all by ourselves? Shouldn’t we at least tell mom where we’ll be going?”

 “We can’t tell anyone about this! Especially mom!”

 “Uhh… I don’t know…”

 “Wicke! What is the meaning of this!? Why in Arceus’ name are they doing in the observatory?!”

 “What’s so bad about us being here?”

 “Get out! Don’t think the both of you could do things as you please just because you’re the president’s children. I’ll be reporting this to Lusamine at once!”

 “Faba that’s enough! They’re just children!”

 “Let’s go, Lillie.”

 “But where?”

 “Doesn’t matter. Anywhere else but here.”

 After that, Lillie and I walked out of the Observatory and back to the mansion where we lived. It was always like this. We would be scolded for playing around in the observatory with the other Pokemon. And we would be scolded more for asking questions about dad.

 When I had enough of being isolated in this island, I would sneak onto a ferry while everyone was asleep. And only those who worked at night were wide awake, I would sneak into one of the ferries and go to either Ula’Ula Island or Akala Island to look around town every now and again. I would learn more about Pokémon and Trainers who battled along side them. How strong and resilient they were into proving who was the strongest among each other. That was what gave me hope back then. I even met one of those trainers who came all the way from Unova when we were on the main islands. He gave me a hoodie that was still too big for me back then and a Premier Ball, saying that that was my ticket to becoming a trainer. I kept the Poke ball in my room, but always put on the hoodie when I would be outside.

 It didn’t matter where I went just as long it was anywhere but that island. Even if it was just a couple Pokémon battles on the street or I somehow scraped some cash to get a ticket for a battle royale at Royale Avenue and make and quickly make my way back onto a ferry toward Aether Paradise. But that night. That night was different.

 “Stop causing me trouble you little wretch!”

 “Grrr… Grrr Rrrrr”

 “Woah… is that… A girl? But why does she have…”

 The girl struggled as a line of employees different from the ones in Aether Paradise blocked her path while a man was pulling her toward another ferry. Before I knew it, I needed to make my way home before anyone else knew that I was gone. But when I snuck into the ferry that lead to Aether Paradise, all the people from moments ago started boarding. I remember thinking that that was the ferry I was stowed away in was the wrong one. It was hard to tell whether I was boarding on the right one or not until the announcement would confirm the destination. I remember peaking from the cabin that I was in and seeing the girl struggling with that same man from before, who looked to have taken something of hers.

I remember seeing her face that first time. Her hair was as white as the feathers on a Pelipper, slightly covering her clouded blue eyes and her ears… However, her hair failed to cover what looked to be a set of horns just above her ears. She wore a tattered black cloak to cover her seemingly tiny frame. When I tried getting an even closer look at her, I noticed her hands were as black as the cloak she wore, if not darker and resembled sharp claws. By the time she got the item back, she curled herself into a ball and looked away from the man as he laughed and kicked her down. I noticed her looking up to my direction. I didn’t know what to do, so all I did was wave. I was too enamored by the girl to even be angry at the man who bullied her. The way she covered her mouth and smiled with her eyes as I held my finger to my mouth was kind of adorable back then… But at that moment I found it simply beautiful. It was almost like my heart was set aflame with every second my eyes stared down at her as we floated atop the dark brooding sea dimly lit by the moonlight.

 I remember talking about her to Lillie the next day. About the girl with the horns. She didn’t believe me the first time and thought I was just making it all up. For a moment I thought it was all a dream. That I dreamt her up. That was until I realized something. That she was in the ferry from last night. So I decided to take Lillie with me and look for the girl. We had no idea where she would be. But decided to look in the secret labs a few floors down.

 “She can’t be real, Gladion. People don’t have horns growing from their heads. And dark black claws or whatever.”

 “She IS real! I saw her in the ferry on the way here! She’s got to be in here somewhere! And I’m gonna look down at the labs and find her!”

 “But-“

 *crash*

 “Wh-What was that?! Gladion? Where are you going?!”

 Running to the elevator and down to the labs, I tried finding the source to that loud bang. A little after that, I heard piercing screams of pain coming to a crescendo as I ran straight down the hallway to my left. By the time I got there, I looked out the window and saw the girl. She looked to be limp on the floor as Faba and a woman with black hair stood proudly as Faba’s Alakazam attacked her with what looked to be the Psychic move Psyshock as she tried to get up again, only for her to scream in pain as it was too much for her to bare. I stepped back in horror asking myself why they were doing this to her even though she had no way of fighting back. What were they trying to achieve in inflicting pain on her? What did they want from that girl? And why was she treated the way she was?

 “What are you doing here, Gladion?”

 Turning, I look up to see my mother with a blank look on her face. I looked back at the room where the girl was and back to my mother.

 “Why is she being attacked like that?! Why are they just-“

 “That’s none of your concern. You’re not even suppose to be here, Gladion-“

 “Is this what you were working on since dad disappeared? Were you hurting people like her? Were you hurting the Pokemon?-“

 “BE QUIET! I’VE HAD ENOUGH JUST BE QUIET!!”

 “M-Mom… I just…”

 “How do you even know that that’s a girl… Gladion have you been sneaking off? You shouldn’t be roaming around the foundation nor outside this island like that.”

 “But what about Dad-“

 “Stay in the mansion. That way you won’t mess up anything. Just like the horrible mistake you are…”

 “…”

 After that, I stopped asking her anymore questions. All I did was quietly walk back to the elevator and waited in my room until night had fallen. Until no one was around the mansion or anywhere in the foundation to make my move. When I looked outside, I saw the man dragging the girl by her hood to the residential quarters across the mansion. When the man entered the building, I ran downstairs and tried to run outside. But as I was doing so, I heard the main door open and hid quickly along the stairs. From the sound of the talking, it was mother and that woman with Faba. It sounded like they were talking about us; Myself, Lillie, and the girl.

 “I must say old friend, you have truly outdone yourself in finding the Prism Pokemon on your last trip here. Much less sealing it in one of its’ own Z Crystals.”

 “It was a lot of challenging work, but it seems as though this one might be just the one we’re looking for. A Trainer fused with a legendary Pokemon. One that Strella will call their secret weapon upon Ultra Space. That way, once we get our hands on that world, then the Ultra Beasts will be all ours, Lusamine.”

 “I’m not too keen on the idea of using children for research. Especially with how Strella had nearly fallen when you did such an experiment like this. Tell me, how did THAT go for you?”

 “Oh, Lusamine. You’re so hung up on the past. I guess Mohn’s death really did do a number on you, you unfortunate thing… Come! Let us look forward to the future we have together in taking over that world. with Luma as our primary pawn, we’d practically have a part of both worlds at the palms of our hands. Besides, you have a collection to fill up, no?”

 “Indeed I do…”

 I didn’t know what they meant back then, but that didn’t really matter to me now, what mattered to me was if that girl was alright. I opened the door as quickly as my arms could let me and ran to the residential quarters. Before I could get anywhere near it however, I waited until that man wasn’t anywhere near that building. It wasn’t too long until I noticed him walking out of the door with a bit of blood on his hands. It made me enraged. Even more so when he smiled at the sight of it clinging onto his hands as he went towards the mansion. But that anger grew to concern as I ran into the building and looked to see two rows of doors facing toward one another. I didn’t know which door she was behind, or if there were more like these ones. That was until I heard weeping.

It was quiet. Barely audible. But even so, I followed the sound straight ahead as I put on the sweatshirt and followed the sound. But each time I thought I felt like it was getting louder, I felt like I was getting colder than I did before. My footsteps weren’t doing anything more than just creating more sound that would drown out the crying. When I heard the weeping get closer however, I felt like she was able to hear me from her room and continued to silence herself. In a fit of desperation, I took a deep breath and spoke softly, but tried to make it audible for her to hear.

 “Please tell me where you are.”

 For a moment there was silence. I waited patiently until I could hear her. But instead of her voice, I heard knocking. Knocking that got louder and louder as I got up and searched for the right door. It was a tough search, but I found where the knocking might’ve been coming from. As I knocked back on the door in front of me, the knocking ceased and all I heard was a growl coming from the other side.

 At that time, I never understood anything. That everything that happened here was for some special reason. That everything that happened to this girl was for a purpose that we had no idea would come to be something that we could barely understand even as we got older. But even so…

 “I need you to get away from the door,” I spoke as I tried to open it, but to no avail. I wasn’t strong enough to break the lock. Nor did I even know that the door was locked to begin with. After a while, I saw the knob moving on its’ own thinking the girl behind it was trying to escape. But it didn’t do anything aside from wasting valuable time. There was nothing we could do. It was then that I realized that there had to have been a window somewhere in the building leading to her room. That although it would make a lot of noise, I would at least get her out of there. But as I was about to head out the door…

 “What is that? Something’s shining over there…”

 Upon closer inspection, the object on the ground appeared to have been a key. A key with a small label on it. but as I looked at the contents sprawled onto the paper, it turned to be a note.

 ‘This will make things easier…’

 There was no recipient. Nor could I recognize the handwriting. But instead of inspecting the contents of the key, I got up from the ground and returned to the door. When I got there, I knocked on the door and heard a small growl coming from the other side.

 “I’m coming in. Get away from the door.”

 Inserting the key in the doorknob, I turned it slowly and heard a succession of clicks. When it was unlocked, I turned the knob of the door slowly. There, I saw the girl curled up at the wall across the door, growling escaping her mouth. It was obvious that she was scared. I was too. But not because of her appearance. Because I didn’t want her to fear me. Because I wanted her to be free. So I held out my hand and stayed by the door.

 “It’s okay I won’t hurt you. I can get you out of here. So take my hand.”

 In the end, she uncovered her face and stared at me. I felt a stream of tears escaping my face as I held my hand out to her. She slowly yet surely approached me as she held out her hand and gently placed it onto mine. I remembered her hand being much smaller than mine. I pulled her out of the room and saw her face in its entirety. Her teeth had fangs that were as black as her hands which were coveted in wounds. Flinching, she turned her face away from me and let out a small growl.

 “Endure it okay? We just need to get you out of here.”

 All my fears for being caught were turned into nothing but a distant memory as I ran with her in tow to the outside. But waiting for us was-

 “Heh. Didn’t think you had balls, kid. I’m impressed.”

 “You!”

 That man had waited for me. Waited until I freed her to catch me. I couldn’t tell if he was smart or if I was just stupid for buying into that key. But I assume the latter before the former.

 “I’m gonna need you to return that thing to me now and crawl back to your room, kid. Besides, shouldn’t kids like you be scared of the monsters that hide under your bed? Much less ones locked up

 “Grrr…”

 “You’re the real monster here. She might look like one, but she’s just as human as anyone else.”

The man just laughed at my statement as if it was some cruel joke. And he kept laughing until he looked to the direction of the mansion.

 “Hahahaha! You hear this my lady?! Th-This kid here just called me a monster! For a kid of supposed geniuses, he’s an idiot for telling someone he’s a monster when he’s holding the claw of the real thing! Hahahah!”

 “It is quite amusing… Isn’t it? Lusamine?”

 Mother… She stood watching in anger as she saw me holding her hand. The way she looked down on us as I stood in front of the girl with my arms spread out.

 “Have you gone insane, Gladion? Taking someone’s research like that. You might as well be taking their own child.”

 “Then why was she locked up in that room if she’s supposed to be her mother, huh!? Either way, I’m not letting you hurt her anymore!”

 “Tch! How dare you talk to her that way, huh kid?! Just who the hell do you think you are? You’re nothing!”

  Luma’s POV

 This was one of the first instances I had in the outside world. The moon shining from above. The echoing of the sea. The breeze blowing my hair away. I was scared and didn’t know what was going on. And why that boy wanted to protect me so badly. In a fit of fear, I felt my power rising from within me as I wanted to fulfill this boy’s wish and keep him from harm’s way. When I did, it was all such a blur as I felt myself soaring through the skies with the boy in my hands. He sounded like he was in fear as I flew higher and higher into the sky and away from this prison. I didn’t know where to go. Just any place far from here. Anywhere where my wings could carry us.

 That was where my first experience outside began. We landed in a spot filled with trees, plants, and various Pokemon I never knew existed. It was all so green and humid that I ended up getting tired as my wings couldn’t carry the two of us anymore.

 “Haaaah… Ugh... Ahh?”

 I couldn’t really form many words after my transformation. And I almost felt like I was getting dumber and dumber as my power increased. Almost as if I was devolving than I was evolving. Back then, I didn’t know he lost consciousness from the shock of the flight. I figured he was hungry. But everything around me was unfamiliar as I had no idea how to tell what food was and what wasn’t. I growled at the slightest sounds created by the calls of Pokemon out of caution. But then I saw a miniature swarm of Ribombee approaching us. Of course, because I too was hungry, I decided to let my primal instincts take over and hunt the creatures. I managed to catch one and held it in my claws as it chirped in fear and confusion. But I didn’t care as I stuffed the Bee Fly Pokemon in my mouth, not paying heed to the rustling of the boy waking up as I tasted the bug. I turned to the sight of the rustling and saw the boy getting up and look at me in shock as the Ribombee was hanging from my mouth.

 “Wha? What are you eating?!” he yelled in a fast manner as he ran toward me. But it was too late as I inhaled the innocent Bee Fly into my mouth. He just looked at me in a daze and got closer to me, reaching his hand toward me.

 “No, wait! Spit it out. That’s not food.”

 The way he held his hands to me had triggered my defenses and I ended up biting his wrist, releasing the Ribombee in the process. He yelped in pain as my teeth seeped through his skin, but instead of crying or yelling in pain, I remembered he stroked the top of my head, petting me softly that I ended up loosening my grip on him, not understanding what I had just done. Thinking back from then, that maybe why his hand was shaking like that.

 “Jeez! I was only trying to help!”

 “Haugh…? Uh…”

 “Wait… Can you not understand what I’m saying?”

 “Ah.”

 “Well… I’m Gladion. Can you at least tell me your name?”

 “Mmm…”

 “*Sigh*… Maybe you have something written on your clothes? Maybe that bracelet? Lemme see your hand for a second.”

 I flinched as he grabbed my hand but grew a bit curious as he examined my hand. But alas didn’t find what he was looking for. So, he decided to look at my feet and at a bangle that hung around the ankle of my leg and carefully examined the contents, reading them allowed as he did.

 “Luminaria Moon? It’s a pretty name, but it’s kind of a mouthful… Maybe we can come up with a nickname?”

 “Hah?”

 “Hmm… Luma maybe? Man this is difficult… I’ve never been good with nicknames… even with a Pokemon that I met recently at Aether I only ever call it Null.”

 “Ah!”

 “Hey what’s up?”

 “Uuu… Ah.”

 “Wait are you trying to say something?”

 “Ooo… Ma… Lu! Ma!”

 “…Alright. I got it. Let’s go, Luma.”

 “Ah.”  

 I also remembered being a fast learner. The first thing I had learned was my name… Luma. And eventually, I was able to form certain words with every second I spent with him. Eventually I learned about various Pokemon and ways to survive in the wild, albeit our knowledge was limited. One moment I remembered was when we sat near a meadow filled with red flowers and various Pokemon trainers on their way to becoming Island Challenge Champions. And Gladion had just returned from getting snacks from a Pokemon Center nearby.

 “Here you go.”

 “Huh?”

 “It’s a Sweet Heart. Give it a try.”

 Taking a weary bite, my expression changed from uncertainty to that of pure joy as I let out a cheery screech, but keeping my mouth closed to keep the rich chocolate in my mouth as my legs kicked for joy. Gladion laughed as he watched me eat the treat. Yet for some reason, I felt the need to show my gratitude by showing one of the last things that was given to me by the visitor; the picture book. I took the picture book from my hood and tugged at the sleeve of his shirt.

 “What’s the matter?”

 “L-Look.”

 “You had that with you this whole time?”

 “Look!”

 “Is it okay for me to look at it?”

 “Yeah.”

 “Alright then. Let’s see here… ‘The Beast and the Prince?’. Sounds kind of cheesy… But when you got nothing to do but run.”

  Gladion’s POV

 The pictures burst from the page as I opened to the first page, pulling me in instantly. I always wondered how the pages, although kept in her hood all this time, were never crumbled nor worn. The book looked as though it was barely checked out from the library.

 “These pages are pretty. Let’s see here… ‘in the deepest, darkest part of the forest lived a tribe hidden from all. They had large wings on their backs and although considered beasts among all, were considered beautiful creatures. Among them was their princess who had ashen wings-“

 I was interrupted with the sudden footsteps and conversations of several Aether and Strella employees in search of us. But mostly Luma. As for me…

 “Don’t worry. Maybe if we just-“

 “What about Gladion? What do we do about him?”

 “Our priority is the beast. If he gets in the way, we have no choice but to take him down.”

 I remembered embracing Luma and keeping her close to me as I found out what they would do to me if I were to resist. I never knew if it was out of fear for myself. Or for her. But even so, I felt the need to protect her.

 We waited as they got away from our sights and far from the area we were in. As we ran, I kept recalling the story that we read along each stop we took and the sad ending that took place. The Princess grew to love the Prince and consulted a witch for her to become human, knowing that a beast and a human could never be together. The Witch complied and took her wings. But warned the Princess that she would one day become an even fiercer demon than she was already considered and consume the prince’s life. They eventually fell in love with one another and married. Promising themselves to one another. But the princess’ happiness didn’t last as she turned into a beast with wings as black as tar. In exchange for her humanity, the princess had to kill the Prince, the person she loved most, to be free from her curse and return to the person she originally was. In the end, she couldn’t do it, and flew far from the prince as far as her wings could take her, never to see the prince again, much to his grief.

 For some reason, that story was one of the only things I could think about as we hid and ran from the employees. Were we just like the people from the story? Were we supposed to be kept apart? Even as we decided to walk in the empty halls of the Lake of the Sunne, that story remained in my mind.

 “Oof!”

 “Hey! Are you okay? Guess we were walking quite a bit, huh?”

 “Am I… a Beast?”

 “What?”

 “I… I’m not… Human. I-I think… I hurt.”

 “Don’t say anything like that! You were made to be a guinea pig to those people!”

 “B-“

 “They’re the one’s who are the monsters. You’re just as human as anyone else, Luma!”

  Luma’s POV

 Tears streamed down my face as soon as I heard those words. That I was human… That I was more human than anyone else. The one thing I was never able to learn was affection toward another. And at that moment, I learned it from him as I jumped into his arms despite the scratches and wilts on my legs. Those tears were filled to the brim with joy as those words echoed in my head as he hugged me with what felt like a smile on his face.

 “Let’s go far away from here, Luma. And we can always be together.”

 “Together?”

 “Yeah. We can go somewhere where no one can hurt you, where we won’t be ignored, and there will be a lot of Pokemon. And we get older, we can train together, and get stronger! And then… I can always be there by your side… Just like that story. But with a happy ending. One where nothing can drive us apart.”

 “Then… You’re my prince?”

 The way I worded seemed to have made his face bright red. Thinking back I never really considered his feelings aside from flying him away from that island. Even as his face heated up and as he stumbled in this words, he grabbed both my hands and looked me in the eyes.

 “O-Of course! I’ll always be there for you, Luma. Just don’t leave me.”

 “O-Okay…”

 I wanted us to keep true to our promise. I wanted us to be together and do all that he just said. Deep down, I wanted us to be together… But as those people from both the foundation and the corporation came in… That vision for the both of us… It all came crashing down.

Why… Why did all of this have to happen? Why couldn’t everything be like it was before the fall? Before all the tests? Before Necrozma was found? Before…

  Gladion’s POV

 Why? Why did all of this had to happen? When did this all start? After Dad disappeared? After Mom began to lose it? When Lillie started crying? When? When did this happen?! When did I decide to finally run… When they took us away? When mom created Type:Null and obtained Cosmog? When they erased our memories? Luma… Why were they treating you like a monster? Why were you so different from the rest of humanity? What I felt for you back then… was it remorse? Pity? No… It was far beyond those things… When I heard her shouting my name as we were dragged back into Aether Foundation.

 I feel… So stupid for forgetting that day. Did she always know of this? Or was I… Just that foolish…

     EPILOGUE (Three Years Later)

 “You’re Luma?”

 “Uhh… Who wants to know?”

 “Hmm… You have enough sense to be wary. Not bad…”

 “J-Just who are you?”

 “I’m Gladion. I battle for my partner Null to make it strong… Though most of our time gets used up doing small jobs for Team Skull… Now battle me. I won’t take no for an answer… Hmm?”

 The girl felt a sudden stream of tears cascading on her face. Her face a blank stare toward the Enforcer who stood in her way as she wondered why her feelings felt like such a mess.

 “Luma? Why are you crying?” Hau asked from the sidelines as Luma had snapped out of her daze, wiped her tears and pulled a Pokeball from her bag, all shielding the truth with a smirk and seemingly determined eyes.

 “Well… You could say I’m crying… For how badly I’m going to defeat this guy!”

 “We’ll see who will be the one crying when I’m through with you!” The Enforcer shouted as the two of them commenced their battle. One filled with conflicted feelings. And one filled with determination for getting stronger.

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hoooo this was a long one! and took a bit to plan for sure! Sure hope you guys enjoy what else I got in store for this week. either way, this had to be one of the most time consuming when it came to planning.