Ever since I mentioned the idea of a grapefruit I've been having the world's worst... blue balls... OH no... OH NOO Ava springs from the couch and dashes over to Chasity, who is reading her newspaper. "What day is it?"
"March 25th, why do you ask?" Chasity responds, her eyes not leaving her newspaper.
"It's almost 34 days... It's almost been 34 days." Ava's face was plastered with dread.
"Since what? What are you forgetting?" The concerned mother places her newspaper down, then walks towards the teen.
"Thanks to my "Unique" body; every 34 days on the dot, I don't get the usual womanly suffrage. I get severe testicle pain, and it is not fun." TO PUT IT LIGHTLY, I'D RATHER FIGHT THE FUCKING LION AGAIN; AT LEAST IT WASN'T THAT PAINFUL.
"Hello, Mrs.Vasile. Hey Ava." Ren walks through the front door putting his keys into his jacket pocket.
"How come he has keys and I don't? He doesn't even have a bill to pay." Ava pouts,tossing her body onto the bouncy couch.
"I'm a family friend, you are not." The boy says cheekily, a smile emerges on his weary features.
Ava tuts. "Sure… Did you find anything that might help… Her?" Her gaze flickers to the top of the stairs. Her burned arms resting on the back of the sofa.
"What happened to your arms?" Ren's eyes lock onto Ava's partially healed scabs.
The adolescent looks at her own scabs like she just noticed them. "I had a 'no one told me the stove was hot' moment with a Pyroar…" Ren looks at Ava with a concerned face. She rolls her eyes. "Still won though."
"Ava…" The young male speaks, his concern matching his fatigue.
She springs from the couch to her feet, shaking the flat screen with her polyester shirt clinging to her body with static. "Did you find anything or not?"
"I-I found her gym audition tape but-" He takes a deep breath, looking at the tape in his hand. "It's probably too soon for this."
The girl stretches, glancing over to Chasity, who stopped drinking her coffee. "Don't tell me you three submitted a goober tape for gym auditions."
The boy chuckles while Ava snatches the tape from him. "It worked for Venam. Along with the fact we didn't have too many people willing to fight Melia."
Chasity shakes her head as she leans against the kitchen doorway. "You three still haven't paid me back for the film you wasted."
"We will when we become champions." Ren and Chasity share a laugh. "Film is extremely expensive for some reason."
Chasity looks at a picture on the shelf. "Narcissa always had a supplier for it though, he was cheap too." The mature woman sighs with nistolga before she claps her hands together, and her eyes widen with revelation "Oh! That reminds me, Karina wanted to meet Ava to confirm something."
Ren reaches out for Ava's shoulder as she passes by, but. "We'll talk about it later, but I don't think there's really much to discuss." her voice was barely above a whisper compared to the Movie on TV. "I'm heading out Chasity!"
Ava reaches for a silver windbreaker. "Ok! Put on some sunscreen before you leave, your wounds have just finished healing!" Chasity chucks a container at Ava, who catches it and leaves.
The sun's harsh rays beam down on the seaport town, the streets and sidewalk show faint signs of being wet (as if it was still absorbing rain from earlier in the morning). Fletchlings sing in the trees and dance with their tail feathers facing each other. A bike rings its bell as Ava runs past its line of sight. "You just got better, don't be in a rush to get another injury!" The short blonde yells at her.
A murkrow lands between the two. "My bad!" Ava tries shooing it away by waving her hand at it but it just stares at the biker's bell as it reflects the bright white light of the sun.
"Shoo,shoo!" The bicker throws some Pokecoins at it and it flies off. "It's alright just be mindful."
"Will do. By the way, do you know where I can find Karina?"
"Right behind you! The building behind you is where she keeps an eye of around the city." Ava turns to follow his finger, pointing at an strangely striking old building.
"Why does it look… not right?" Ava steps back, her arms tense by her side.
"I did say she keeps an eye of around the city, that's where all of her camera feeds run too."
"And everyone is ok with that?!"
"It's not in our homes, and they're easy to see." The biker shrugs. "As long as her and her gang continue keeping the town safe we don't really care."
Ava turns in the direction of the building and sighs. "I guess that's fair. Alright, see ya later!"
"See ya!" The biker turns to their handlebars to see the murkrow perched on between them. "Oh come on! I hate dark Types…"
In between breathing Ava's footsteps drum alongside her heart. I haven't even passed a few blocks yet…
"I guess this is it?" Ava looks up at the lighthouse-like building, its black and yellow scheme makes it ever slightly stick out among the black scheme of the city, and the occasional yellow streak makes it only a lighthouse by shape.
An intimidating biker walks up behind Ava, his rough jacket stretched to its limits by the muscle underneath. "You're Ava right?"
What did Arceus feed you! "Yyeeaa…?"
"Karina wanted me to escort you to her. Especially since the top floor needs a card to be accessed." The biker opens the door, his short brown dreadlocks barely move with his motion. "Come."
How many women have, when you've said that? Hell, how many men? Ava nods and sheepishly steps in, the man's sharp orange eyes follow her. "If you keep staring at me like that we're gonna have a problem." Ava jokingly flirts.
The male smirks after eyeing up Ava. "I'm usually at the park at 7, come by and we can fix your problem together."
The elevator dings as the intersex woman's eyes dilate. Ava repeatedly blinks before replying in a matter of fact but surprised as she repeatedly blinked. "Sure." Why did I agree?! Now he'll be waiting! The elevator rings, signifying Ava has reached the top floor.
"We're here."
I'm already in too deep. "So Hunk, Care to tell me why Karina wanted to meet me?" The young adult looks at her escort as he steps through the elevator door.
Karina sets down her coffee on a steel table; her computer monitor facing her at an angle. "I wanted to make a request if that's fine with you." The elevator door closes with a satisfying * Ding* sound. "It's a simple missing persons quest that I received this morning-,"
Ava opens her mouth, her face wearing an inquisitive look."-and before you question me on whether or not this is a good idea; I know that she's safe and has an almost nonexistent chance of that changing."
Karina's Ginger eyes narrow, studying Ava's Sunburst eyes. "Uh, sure?" The silence in the air was palpable. "I feel like there's something you want to discuss."
The biker looks over to Karina; she meets his gaze and he nods. "Well, as you may know I have cameras all over the city; along with my gang members being something akin to my ears of the city." The gang leader pulls off a towel from on top a large screen revealing a paused moment of Ava punching a Litleo as the Pyroar charges her; Ava's pupils were dilated to a point of almost inhuman.
Ava's stomach twists, but she keeps her expression neutral. Okay, so she has footage. That doesn't mean she knows anything. "Damn, I look good," she says, tilting her head at the screen as she rubs her chin. "You could've at least gotten my good side, though." She says, nodding.
Karina holds a firm gaze and knowingly sighs. "I just want to make sure this isn't the result of some drug gone wrong."
"No… That's all natural." Ava sighs. I really need to know where those cameras are.
"So what is this? Is this something that happened when Team Xen came, is there more to it?" Karina gestures as she fast forwards to a point where Ava punches the Pyroar with a dialogue tag of Ava saying "Fucking Xen!"
"Wait wait: I did not give consent for my anime fight to be subtitled!" Karina continues to stare intensely at Ava, the biker looks off to the side. "Sheesh, tough woman. No they didn't do this either. I don't know when or where I got these abilities, I don't even know why I have them; but I do know how to control them." Not quite how to activate them however…
Karina leans forward and places a firm hand on Ava's shoulder and whispers. "So, even you are unaware of what you are?"
Ava's breath comes too fast, too shallow as she shifts in place. "...Yes…"
Karina doesn't press the conversation from earlier—though the sharpness in her gaze says she wants to. Instead, she turns toward one of her screens and pulls up a photo of a middle-aged woman with dark curls tied up in a patterned scarf. "A daughter wants us to help her find her mother who has been out doing her usual routine a bit longer than usual, normally this'd go to the Help plaza but because she's only been missing for a few hours they refused to take the request." She leans back against the table, crossing her arms. "Sasha, the daughter, is waiting for our assistance in her and her mother's salon, on the second floor of The Berry Emporium. When you finish you can go about your day, no need to report back."
"Cool." Ava simply exits the room with her head down.
Once the elevator door closes The biker looks to Karina. "She doesn't seem like a threat."
"Not at all, but you're just saying that because she unknowingly threw you a bone." Karina replies with a smirk. The biker chuckles into playful barking. Which makes Karina jab him in the sides. "Just be responsible, she's young."
"Yes captain, me cap'n!" He says sitting down on a creaky chair.
The door to The Berry Emporium dings as Ava enters. "Hey Ava!" says the clerk in the almost empty store.
Ava continues to the stairs leading upstairs her eyes clouded with thought. All of this with Melia and everyone here in East Gearen and I forgot about Mom… First my friends and then mom, MOM! What kind of Daughter forgets her mother's death?
A girl with spiky green hair talks to her well groomed Liligant as its flower droops slowly. "Karina said someone was coming but it's been half an hour already, where are they?"
"Uhm, Apologies." Ava steps on the interlocked plastic floor mats, the faintly sweet and heady smell from Lilligant grows upon hearing the Errand girl's voice.
"Finally! I've been waiting for quite a while. My name is Sasha, what's yours?"
"Ava…"
Sasha waits a bit, expecting Ava to continue. "Ava, ok, I won't forget. Thank you for this." Sasha grabs a notepad from the reception desk behind her."My mother left for the Aqua apartments for a private appointment. The problem is that, that was three to four hours ago and she hasn't texted me or called since." Sasha hands over the notepad.
"You want me to check with the client in case your mom said anything."
"Exactly, once you find something just come back and tell me."
"Ok." Ava replies flipping through the notepad as she steps away from the soothing scent of Lilligant's bloom, her departure as silent as her arrival.
The girl looks back to the Lilligant, who watches Ava leave. "Don't worry, we'll get mom back." Sasha repeats aloud, almost like she was telling herself, as she picked up a mop. Her strokes were tense and rigid.
Ava strolls toward an all-black building accented with aquamarine paint. The color stretched from the doorway, wrapping around the building, streaking down to the sidewalk like a stray brushstroke.Why does my shoulder hurt all of a sudden?
"FUCK THIS! 'M NOT COMIN BACK 'TIL FIKS THE BEACH ON THE THIRD FLOOR!!" A man with a thick Kiwi accent storms out of the building and past Ava as she heads in.
"Oh hi there! How can I help you?" The wavy blonde haired clerk practically shouts to Ava as she enters, over the distinct noise of a woman yelling from the elevator.
"No thank you, I'm just visiting someone on the second floor." The emissary replies with her voice devoid of emotion as she stands in front of the elevator.
"Oh- ok." The clerk goes back to her computer monitor, typing on her keyboard.
The elevator dings and Ava goes in. Now that I think about it, so does my neck. She sighs and the Elevator dings. A woman gets up from the Sofa with a few books in hand. "Are you Landeris?"
The woman stops. "Y-yes. Who are you?"
"An errand girl, you had an at home hair appointment today and the woman who did it hasn't returned to her salon nor has she called her daughter."
The woman physically recalls and takes a minute."Oh dear… That's strange."
"Did she mention anywhere else she would've went?"
Landerise sits back down while the elevator hums as it goes up. "Let's see… She did mention other appointments she had to do today…" She mumbles to herself in different voices. "THE VELVET APARTMENTS! That's where she said she'll be next."the
"Thanks, I'll swing by there next." Ava springs off of the wall and turns towards the elevator
Ava steps out of the Aqua Apartments, rolling her shoulder in a fruitless attempt to ease the dull ache.The city hums around her as she steps onto the sidewalk, a gust of wind picks up some dust and blows it in the carrier's face and forces out a sneeze. Across the street, a Furfrou shakes out its coat, sending a cloud of trimmed fur into the air. Sasha then I'll go there. Ava reminds herself as she walks past the Furfrou and a street sweeper loudly brushes behind her.
*Brush brush brush* "Almost done." Sasha huffs as she sweeps under the hair care station. The Liligant dances at the center of the room, her movement creates a small vortex of dust and debris that surrounds her.
"They said your mom went to the Velvet Apartments." The errand girl's sudden voice makes Sasha jolt and even messes with Liligant's dancing. "Saying she was mumbling something about another appointment."
"B-but my mother doesn't have any appointments there." Sasha checks a log book that rests on one of the chairs. "She didn't have any other appointments for today what-so-ever!"
Ava rubs the nape of her neck then checks the notepad from earlier. "Maybe she just didn't mention-"
"I'd know!" The young girl interjects. She turns her head back, her eyes dimming with doubt. "Okay, well… Let's Consider this from the point of view that she does have secret appointments. In that case, I think you should follow the trail and see where it ends up."
"So I'm going to the Velvet Apartments?"
"Yes, and don't come back until you have my mother's location." The girl sternly inserts after shaking her head. The Lilligant tweets as it holds Sasha's pokegear. "Oh right, Thanks Lancifolli! Or you can call me." The girl opens her phone and holds it out. "Just go to contacts and press add one. Once you do, hover yours over mine and we'd trade numbers."
"Alright." Ava hovers her cellular device over the young girl's, a few seconds past before both devices chime in unison. That was longer than it should have been, or maybe I should have eaten breakfast. Ava shoves her pokegear on top of her pocket before sliding it in on the second attempt "I'll call when I find her.". With those words the courier takes her leave, with each step she took she could feel the fatigue of her body more and more; as if gravity got stronger as she left the Lilligant's relaxing aroma.
Lancifolli takes a few hesitant steps towards the staircase, but Sasha tugs on its hair; her pose closed and uncertain as her voice trembles as she asks "Can I borrow some?"
The Lilligant simply nods and goes to a nearby station, letting the silence be replaced by the loud snipping of her leaves in the dim salon.
Two Rattatas play in a nearby dumpster while Ava trudges through the dull alley with her arms crossed. Why is it so cold? Why do I feel so weak? Every Step is so difficult; and all my mind can do is just reference back to back then.
The courier turns a bright corner to see an old brick hotel that stands tall, burdened with the weight of the past. Ava gazes up, seeing rusty spotlights that all point towards the aged letters reading "Velvet Rooms", her gaze lower to the new awning that has in small print "Velvet Apartments: Rooms that won't let you leave unsated."
The scars on her arms seem like a fraction of the backdrop when she reaches for the door handle. "Let's just get this done.."
Ava pushes the door open to be greeted by a purring Sylveon as she steps inside, its ribbon like feelers roving across her body, the air shifts- warmed and perfumed, thick with velvet hush. She walks the narrow Indian Red hallway until reaching a wide reception area. "Hello miss. Are you here to rent or to indulge yourself?" The red haired receptionist eyes the tired woman. "Or I could give you the massage package, a reach around might cost you however."
Ava slowly shakes her head, just barely processing the receptionist's offer. "N-no, I'm.. I'm here to find a woman with curls, she was supposed to… cut someone's hair here." The courier struggles through her response, her hands tense on the desk in front of her.
The receptionist checks her computer. "I had someone like that come in and go to…" The woman pauses to scroll through her computer as Ava taps her foot. "The third floor, room 326."
"Thanks." Having their answer the courier sets her focus on the elevator.
"Oh! The elevator is broken; we might have a ghost problem haunting it because it hasn't really gone past the second floor since-"
"-Cool! Can you point me to the stairs then?!"
The receptionist bites her tongue. "Behind me to the left, at the end of the hallway." As Ava walks past her desk; the receptionist watches her past, tracking her body's every movement until the loud metal door shuts.
Why am I even doing this? I have no obligations to that girl or her mother, and I'm already close to being able to pay Chasity her ludicrous sum. I could just do a few more battles AND BE DONE WITH IT! Ava's ragged breathing escalates with each passing step. The spiraling, gray melancholy staircase only has the labored grunts of Ava and the humming of the A.C to fill its empty space, until she meets a foldable wooden sign reading: "Third floor, beginning of the residential space". "Let this be the end…"
Ava plants her hand on the door knob, it wobbles when she turns it and doesn't work when she pushes. "... I just want to leave." Ava breaks the door, her face scrunching while doing so.
Her steps down the hallway felt heavier, weighted, and hotter. Her eyes narrowing on the signs beside the doors while she hastily walks through the corridor 320,321,327, Here! She knocks.
A voice comes from the other side of the door, overshadowed by the same whir in from the stairwell. "I'm coming!"
Ava waits a few seconds tapping her fingers on her thigh as she hears the occasional light chime. Why can't she hurry up! It only gets colder the longer I stay out here. Ava's breathing becomes more and more labored as the cold sets in; the whir of the A.C to her own heartbeat slowly deafen until all she can hear is Nancy's voice over the creaking metal and distant beeping.
"Shup~pet"
Ava freezes, her arm and neck tense harder than the rest of her body before the Shuppet's deep playful eyes meet hers, its mischievous curiosity pouring into her lost shock. "..."
The Shuppet echoes a haunting giggle.
The door opens and the Shuppet scurries away. "A-apologies, my mom was in the shower." The woman blocks the door as she steps out. "So were you here for her or for the prostitutes downstairs? If so, you came a bit too high." The young woman continues the staring contest between Ava and Shuppet.
"N-no, I'm tracking a hairstylist who hasn't come back to her Salon. Brown hair with curled tips and a scarf. She has green eyes."
The woman ponders, resting her figure against the door frame. "Hm… Rosaria was whispering something about the docks, she was pretty upset about it."
Ava takes out her pokegear. "Huhmm, thanks." She simply turns back to the broken door and gets to marching. Could I just call her and go back to the Vasile's? I mean surely- The world seemingly coils around her heart, the empty stairwell homing a strange comfort. -.… how well did that work out? I lost her, I lost Melia, I almost fucking died twice "TWICE!"
"Twice what?! You just called me to yell at me or did you find me mother?!" Sasha shouts back through the phone; her voice sharper- higher, more nasally now.
Ava clenches the device in her hand. She just wants her mother, her mother who cares for her, her mother who is still alive… I'll just make sure she gets to see her. Ava's heavy feet hastily drag themselves down the stairs. "She's at the docs. I don't know why but that's where she is, and where I'll be going."
"Wh-why would she be at the-?"
"I DON'T KNOW!" Ava pauses, swallowing. "but that's the only lead we have."
"o-ok." Sasha's voice quivers, and Lilligant's cry was equally soft as pottery clatters.
The pokegear beeps, signaling that one of the participants hung up. "sorry."
"Veevee…" Char sits in front of Ava, ears laid down. Their partner glances down with tired eyes, and before she can speak, they slip in between her legs and guide her towards the exit. The lull of their presence, appearing as a guiding star to a tired rafter.
The streets- despite the people around her- felt empty; Ava could see and hear the world but it only seemed like it was her and a few others.[1]What am I?[2] Her legs merely move, each step echoing in her mind as Char's steps beat as steadily as her heart. Am I ok?
"no. No, I am not okay. But at least now I know why.. Right?" Ava stands before the looming pier as Char sniffs her. After sometime they prance around Ava's feet with a jovial expression, trying to force her next step. If you want to go, then let's go.
The docks didn't greet her- there were no fletchlings dancing and singing, no sound apart from the ocean's waves delicately crashing against the shore. The sterile gray color of the pier was only complemented by the murky steel-green of the ocean, and the stormy black sky. "Eevee~." Char sprints towards a warehouse that had a boat docked right by it.
"You tracked the scent of the Lilligant huh?" The courier walks beside her companion as they meet the door.
"For the last time! I only give out free haircuts to the less fortunate!" A woman shouts from inside.
"Ugh, you really want to put a price on My Beauty?" A woman with over maintained hair questions as the woman next to her wears a confident posture.
Just one more step. Ava trudges into the building, her posture was hunched and imposing, her exhaustion clinging to her like a coat of blades. "Why don't you leave before I make you wish you had?"
"And who's going to-!" The woman and her company turn to see Ava, the tiredness of the day and her depression fueled irritation, pierces through them. "I-I just wanted a…"
"W-we should go Stella, I think my check came in this morning anyway." The woman beside Stella signals for them to take their leave.
Stella follows their lead. "This isn't the end!" She says running away.
Pokestar Villain. Ava turns to Rosalia. "You should call your daughter next time, she wanted to know where you were so bad she bothered the local gang."
"Thank fuck, I thought we were in trouble." One of the old women says, looking around at the others.
"Thank you, but I don't know what I could offer you as a reward." Rosalia looks into her purse.
"A job." Ava starts heading for the exit. "We can talk about it later."
With those words Ava leaves as Sasha rushes in. "Mom! Why didn't you tell me you'd be out for so long!" She throws herself at her mother with open arms and the Lilligant stops in front of Ava.
"W-what?" She moves to the side and is tackled by the grown flower into a comforting hug.
Why?
[1] Her Pokemon
[2] Human? Pokemon?