Scarf Sharing
The researcher's lab was a busy but empty building, its contents bustling and hustling with no real purpose. There were words but no languages. Knowledge was attained without being put into use. That is, all of this was true until someone went to the desk or shelf and decoded the scholarly secrets stowed away in hundreds of books hidden in the bookshelves. The professor's lab was certainly a curious place, even more so for curious people.
Today, there were two curious people in Professor Rowan's lab. Professor Rowan and one of his assistants were out on a meeting, so that only left two assistants behind to take care of things.
Roseanne, Rowan's senior and bespectacled assistant researcher out of the two there today, was standing by a capsule containing all sorts of different Poke Balls. She had a clipboard in her hand and was taking dutiful notes, the way a good researcher would do.
Indeed, she looked the part as well. She worked in a laboratory and wore that white lab coat with authority, along with a pair of stylish yet studious looking glasses that further complemented her character. Roseanne wouldn't have fit anywhere else.
On the other side of the room sat a considerably younger person at a desk; it was Professor Rowan's other assistant, Dawn. At the age of fifteen, she was definitely Rowan's youngest protégée yet. She showed remarkable ambition and talent, however, and thus Professor Rowan took the girl under his care. It was also convenient that Dawn lived a mere block away from the professor, the two of them being practically next-door neighbors ever since Dawn and her family moved to Sandgem Town.
Dawn was working on one of the many ongoing research projects involving Pokemon evolution conducted by Professor Rowan, whose topic of evolution was his specialty. As Dawn drew sketches on possible variations of Burmy along with their evolutions, the rest of the laboratory whizzed and whirred with its plethora of crazy gadgets, providing an almost unbearably loud environment to work in. But Dawn did not seemed disturbed at all, and worked fervently with her paper and pencil. Roseanne seemed to not be annoyed by the cacophony either; on the contrary, she looked even more focused than the desperate unemployed worker listening to a speech official announcing the probability that there would be more jobs arriving in town.
After an hour of working under this bizarre environment, Roseanne set down her clipboard and walked over to Dawn, who was still working feverishly. With a gentle tap on the shoulder, Dawn immediately dropped her pencil and turned around. Both of them then reached for their ears and pulled out the reason for their obliviousness to the raucous noises: earplugs.
"Dawn. I think it's time for a break. Why don't you go and freshen yourself up a bit?" Roseanne said loudly, putting her earplugs into her pocket.
Dawn definitely seemed to perk up at this suggestion.
"Um – yes, that'd be nice. Thank you, Miss Roseanne."
Roseanne gave her a small smile.
"I'm going to be taking a break too," said Roseanne. "I really need a cup of coffee. How about you?"
Dawn shook her head and smiled back at her gratefully in return.
"No thanks. I think I'll go outside for a bit. I'm feeling a bit frisky."
Roseanne watched Dawn jump out of her seat with more vigor than she would've expected from a girl that had been sitting at a desk for the past three hours or so. But she couldn't blame her; anyone would've wanted a chance to stretch their legs after sitting down for so long. Herself, on the other hand... Roseanne would've definitely given up going outside to get some fresh air if that meant she had a chance to sit down after that stand-a-thon by the capsule exhibits.
"Make sure to bundle up, then. I heard it's probably going to snow today," said Roseanne.
"Alright. Thanks for the heads up. I'll see you in a few, Roseanne," Dawn said, already tying her shoelaces.
Roseanne noted that Dawn only grabbed a button-up frock coat off the coat rack and pulled on a pair of boots before leaving. Surely that wasn't going to be enough against the cold. But she knew how hot-blooded these adolescents were. She knew because she didn't graduate from being an adolescent all that long ago, either.
Dawn was outside, sitting on the steps of the porch in front of the professor's well-furnished lab. Even the porch itself was well-furnished; there was a table bearing some heated hot chocolate and some plush armchairs located at the ends. She was gazing out onto the beach directly across from her location. Out on the horizon, the sun was setting, leaving behind it a trail of watermarked and orange streaks in the sky. Dawn felt a certain fondness for sunsets and sunrises, not just because of her namesake, but also because of rather precious memories attached to them.
Dawn hadn't had the time to reminisce for long, however, since she had to be getting back to her work soon. After she rested her eyes on the soothing sight for five or so minutes, Dawn began getting ready to head back inside, partially due to time constraints as well as the chilly weather.
That is, of course, if a distraction hadn't been presented to her before then.
"Hey, Dawn! What a coincidence to see you here!"
Dawn turned her head towards the paved road, where she saw a boy on a bike riding towards her at a slow but steady pace.
"Oh? Hello, Lucas. What are you doing here?" Dawn asked, approaching him with an amused look on her face.
It took a moment for Lucas to brake slowly to a stop beside her, allowing Dawn to get a closer look at him. Lucas hadn't changed much since they first met. He still wore that half-cap, half-beret of his, along with that blue jacket draped over his working uniform. All that could be said that changed in Lucas was his height. Otherwise, he was exactly the same, and when viewed from at a distance, Dawn was sure that Lucas would seem as though he hadn't aged at all.
The same could be said for Dawn. The only remarkable difference was that her hair grew a bit longer, and even that did nothing to detriment the overall familiarity between her current and past identities. Granted, it had only been a few years since the two first met, but even then, a short period of time such as five years could do a lot to change someone's appearance and personality. Those were still completely intact for both of them, however, and because the two visited each other quite often they were the least prone to have noticed any differences in each other, if there were any at all to begin with.
Lucas jumped off of his bicycle and went over to the back of the seat, where he picked up a brown-colored package from a receptacle under it.
"I'm here to deliver a package to Professor Rowan," replied Lucas.
"Professor Rowan is out at a meeting at the moment. And if you were specifically coming here to deliver such a thing, seeing me would not be entirely out of the question," Dawn said. "Since I work here and all that."
Lucas didn't seem as if he were paying attention. He was looking around quickly to see if there was anyone else in the vicinity.
"Well, that may be true. But I didn't know if you were going to be at the lab or not, you might have been outside researching or been out on an errand for the professor himself. Anyhow, Dawn, since you're already here, would you mind taking this in to the professor for me? I'm in rather a hurry."
"Sure, I'd be glad to take it for you," Dawn answered. "I don't think Professor Rowan will be returning for a few hours or so anyways."
"Great," said Lucas.
He thrust the package into her arms. Dawn staggered a bit at the weight. She hobbled across the porch and placed the package onto the doorstep. As she turned around, she noticed Lucas was already getting ready to leave. A portion of Lucas' was hidden as he adjusted the receptacle on the back of his seat so that it wouldn't intrude with his riding anymore now that the package was gone. Dawn stood by watching him, looking rather nonplussed.
To her surprise, Lucas didn't get on his bike. Instead, he pushed over to the side and latched it by a convenient parking rack.
"You don't mind if I stay for a bit, will you?"
Dawn, still in surprise, shook her head, perhaps subconsciously. Lucas smiled and headed over to where she was sitting and took a seat on the porch.
"Ah, it's been a while since I've sat down and chatted with you, Dawn," said Lucas, taking off of his cap to fan himself for a moment.
Dawn wondered if Lucas was tired of all that biking, or if he was just hot. The weather was cold enough to cool down even the hottest person, Dawn felt. Before she had time to ponder about this, however, Lucas had already taken a seat by her within a moment.
"Mind if I take a seat?" Lucas said, already spreading out his legs on the steps.
"It's a little too late to ask that. I thought you were in a hurry?" Dawn asked sharply, eying his sprawled legs with raised eyebrows.
"Yes, I am. In a hurry to talk to you," said Lucas.
"But your job..."
Lucas waved his hand reassuringly.
"It's not as if I'm going on a detour," said Lucas with a sheepish smile.
"Are you sure you won't get in trouble?" Dawn asked.
Lucas shrugged with that bashful smile of his plastered on his face. Dawn sighed; she'd let him have it if that was how he wanted it to be. She didn't mind his company, and if he valued hers more than a possible scolding from his superior, then that was that. Things probably wouldn't work out perfectly but the two of them would most definitely probably be more satisfied by this outcome than any other one.
"Alright," said Dawn a little doubtfully, but she had with her a small smile of her own. "So what did you want to talk about?"
In response, Lucas blinked a few times innocently at her. He then avoided her gaze and stared resolutely at the sky out of the corner of his eyes.
"Um, well, to be honest, I hadn't really thought of anything."
Dawn rolled her eyes.
"Usually, when one wants to talk, they already have something in mind beforehand," said Dawn, once again using that sharp tongue of hers.
"But I couldn't even prepare for this intimate visit," Lucas whined.
Dawn made sure to keep note of how Lucas described this visit in the back of her mind.
She continued, "Surely there must be one topic you wanted to talk about."
Lucas pouted. He turned his gaze towards the sky for a moment before snapping his eyes back to her, an apparent light bulb having gone off in his head.
"I guess we can talk about how our work is going."
Well, talking about work wasn't the worst topic Lucas could have gone to. People usually avoided talking about their work or school lives as though they were the plague. One wanted to remove themselves from the typical drudgery in life and talk about more light-hearted matters– and occasionally, more gossipy matters.
The difficult and yet better part of talking about work, however, was that sometimes the work or school life was easier to talk about than one's private life, as it allowed a conversation to flow more smoothly, for there was sure to be a common ground somewhere in the workplace or school environment when one spoke with a colleague. In this case, when such an abrupt meeting came unexpectedly, it seemed only fitting to talk about work seeing how both of them took the time off from it to see each other.
"Alright," sighed Dawn, feeling less apprehensive than wanting to spark a decent conversation already.
"So, how have you been getting along with the Professor? Pretty well, I hope?"
Dawn shrugged. "As good as always."
"Ah, that's right, you and the Professor have always been neighbors ever since your family moved to Sandgem, I forgot."
"Yes, but knowing each other for so long doesn't necessarily mean we get along well together."
Lucas raised an eyebrow.
"But we do get along," Dawn sighed, giving him the clear answer.
"Yeah, I thought so. Both of your personalities are rather the same. Gruff AND kuudere," said Lucas with a triumphant and annoying chuckle.
Dawn was not amused, and it showed. Lucas would have to have been an imbecile not to notice the irate glare she was giving him.
"Alright, alright, I'll take back that last comment. The Professor is much less gruff compared to you anyways – " Lucas said, still laughing as he avoided a small kick from his lady friend.
"So how have you been getting along with your superiors?" Dawn said, before adding icily, "Pretty well, I hope?"
Lucas let Dawn have her little jab. After all, she had just missed with her earlier, more physical one. But he was wise enough not to say that aloud. One angry Dawn was already enough; he needn't make her furious.
"I've been getting along alright. The ladies at the Jubilife TV are especially warm and friendly," said Lucas. "But none could even compare to you."
"Enough," said Dawn, rolling her eyes again, getting up and turning around.
Lucas seemed dismayed by this action. He scrambled hastily to his feet.
"Hey, wait. I was just kidding!"
"Sit down, Lucas, I'm not angry. I'm just going to go get a cup of hot chocolate. Do you want some?" Dawn asked, stopping by the table perched out on front of the porch.
"Eh?" Lucas said, feeling rather confused. He answered, looking slightly abashed by his sudden outburst, "Uh, sure, I suppose."
Lucas watched Dawn pour out the hot chocolate with some slight pink in his cheeks. Thankfully, Lucas had the excuse that it was due to the cold. For all of the confident joking that he did, Lucas did have a more serious side to him now and then, often exposed during his bouts with embarrassment – or to put it precisely in this situation, infatuation.
The wood paneling of the porch creaked as Dawn walked back towards the steps, where Lucas was waiting for her, looking rather fidgety. Dawn noticed the changed expression on Lucas' face, but mistook his feelings as that of worry.
"Should you be going soon, Lucas? I wouldn't want to keep you here for too long," Dawn said, as she handed the cup to him.
"Eh? No, I think I'm going to be fine. Thanks," said Lucas, accepting the mug from her gratefully.
"Alright..." Dawn said, giving him a worried glance.
She was worried about him? Lucas felt more heat rise up into his cheeks. Once again, he was lucky to have had an excuse ready made for him; Lucas could have said the hot chocolate was making him hot if she asked.
But she didn't.
Instead, there came about an awkward silence between them, somehow, out of the blue. Funny how animated the two were simply moments ago, only to turn into porcelain dolls moments later. The two were now avoiding each others' gaze, merely sipping at their cup while making a small fidgeting movement every now and then. Neither of the two wanted to acknowledge the sudden rise in tension that made the already awkward atmosphere even more uncomfortable.
After a few minutes of sipping and having emptied half of their mugs, it was Lucas who decided to break the silence.
"Say, do you remember, Dawn?"
Dawn, who was about to take another sip, lowered her mug into her lap and answered:
"Remember what?"
Lucas set down his own mug and gestured at the sight before them.
"You know, this. During the summer, watching the sunsets together when we were kids."
Dawn took a look at the beach lying in front of them. The sun was beginning to go down, emitting an orange glow above the blue water. The sky was practically cloudless, bar a few cumulus clouds here and there, which made viewing the horizon a memorable sight. The way the red and orange colors meshed together, only to become even more distorted as they reflected off of the water...
"Yes, I remember."
"We used to sit on the beach every day, eagerly awaiting the sun to come down. It became like a sort of tradition."
Dawn could hear the sound of the waves crashing, setting a strangely smooth and steady rhythm marred only by the infrequent cries of flying Wingull.
"Yes."
"And after the sun set, we would wait for the Illumise and Volbeat come out. Sometimes we just watched them with admiration."
The vibrant and vigorous glow given off by the setting sun... It was much like the refreshing glow of the tails of Illumise and Volbeat at night.
"Yes, I remember."
"And sometimes we tried catching them. And whenever we did, Professor Rowan would tell us to let them go."
Yes, Dawn remembered. The joyful cries she and he gave whenever they caught one of the firefly Pokemon in a bug-catching net. The explanation Professor Rowan gave for releasing them she could still remember clearly:
"Now, now, Dawn, Lucas. You know how we can't keep the Illumise." said the consoling voice of Professor Rowan.
"Why not, Professor Rowan?" the kids asked simultaneously.
"Ah, why? Well, we cannot separate two Pokemon of the same species with different genders."
"Why not?"
"Because, a wise philosopher once said, "All the world loves a lover.""
"What does that mean?"
"Well, it simply means that we cannot keep the Illumise away from Volbeat – even if we tried. No matter what, the world would let the two find a way to get back together again. Much like how if you were to combine a sunrise and a sunset, you'd end up with a perfectly pink circle that connects both night and day. Illumise and Volbeat are the same; the two are two parts to a whole, and when they're together, they are able to produce more light and more mirth than any one could have done alone. Trying to prevent such a bond and connection would make us seem rather heartless, now wouldn't it?"
Dawn took a glance at Lucas. She saw that he was staring out, satisfyingly at the horizon. Yes, this was just like old times. Back when they were children, which seemed so long ago. Dawn continued to look at Lucas, trying to search for any differences between her past and current memory.
But as Dawn realized, Lucas didn't look different at all. Sure, he got taller, and his clothes were a bit different, but beyond those physical traits lied what made Lucas himself – his teasing yet kindhearted personality. That did not change. Dawn felt a slight pang of relief at realizing this. She was now sure that some things could not be ravaged by time. Her memories could become befuddled and hazy, and she could grow up looking like someone completely different, but she knew that she was still the same person as she was before. That did not change. And Dawn's image of Lucas had not changed at all either.
Dawn, smiling now, was about to turn her eyes away from her childhood friend to share the familiar sight, only to be stopped by a sudden disturbance. She focused her glance into a stare at a point on the cap covering his head.
By this time, Lucas had caught on to Dawn's staring at him, which caused him to jump. He asked her:
"Wh - What is it?"
Dawn pointed to his cap. Lucas felt around it but noticed nothing different.
"Eh?" Lucas seemed confused.
"It's – It's snowing."
"What? Why, yes it is. Wow, that's rare," said Lucas, taking note of a stray snowflake falling on the top of his shoe.
"Snowing in Sandgem Town... I wish I could paint this," Dawn said, sticking out a hand to catch a falling snowflake.
"This is pretty neat. And here I would have missed it if I hadn't stayed here longer!" said Lucas with a slight laugh.
"I can't believe it. It's only October, and in Sandgem To – Town, no less," said Dawn, stuttering slightly at the end.
Lucas noticed her different sort of stutter; this one was not due to simply surprise. He asked her:
"Are you cold, Dawn?"
Dawn shook her head. She had her lips shut tight. Lucas could see a slight trembling in her jaws. Now he knew for sure that she was cold.
"Your teeth are chattering. Here," said Lucas.
He tugged at his scarf. Dawn seemed a bit startled at this.
"Eh? Your scarf?"
"Yeah. You're not wearing one, so..."
Chivalrous as always! For all of his teasing and charming naivete, Lucas sure knew when to drop a line.
"You don't have to give it up for me."
"I don't have to. It's long enough for the both of us. I've been wearing this for a while; it's surprisingly comfy and useful," said Lucas, unwrapping a few circles of woven yarn from around his neck.
"Oh? Really. And here I thought all the scarves you wore were nothing but short knotted ties and tiny cravats."
Lucas grinned. "What's the point of having warmth without being able to share any of it?"
He tossed part of his scarf onto her shoulders. Dawn gave him a quick glance and flinched upon contact. Then, after considering if the scarf really was long enough, Dawn seemed satisfied and gently tugged the scarf around her own neck. As she did so, she could immediately smell the fresh scent of laundered fabric. Dawn shivered slightly from the sudden jolt of warmth generated by the scarf, and scooted a bit closer to Lucas to let the tension in the scarf get more lax.
The two of them watched the snow fall slowly from the porch, taking in the rare and majestic sight rarely found in the normally sunny Sandgem Town. Each snowflake glistened under the light reflected from the water on the sandy beach, making it seem as though they were sitting in a miniature snow globe. It was truly a sight worthy to be painted.
As the two of them continued to gaze out into the horizon, Dawn said quietly:
"It's a beautiful sight."
Lucas took barely a moment to respond. He fixated his gaze onto her.
"Yes, it is. Just like you, Dawn."
Lucas suddenly felt the wind get knocked out of him; Dawn had yanked the scarf. He coughed and spluttered:
"What was that for?"
"I should have guessed with your sudden propagation for reminiscing earlier."
"What?"
"I had to save you from becoming a sorry romantic."
"What!"
"Although, it may have been already too late," Dawn muttered under her breath.
"What."
"Oh, look at the time," said Dawn, looking at a watch under her sleeve. "I've got to get back to research. Thanks for visiting me today, Lucas. And for the package as well. It was so good to see you again."
She uncoiled herself from the surprisingly sumptuous scarf and stood up, tugging the collar of her coat closer to the napes of her neck. Dawn gave Lucas an appreciative yet cold smile that did little good to calm his nerves. With a quick wave in good-bye, she retreated back into the lab. Lucas sat there, looking dumbfounded, as one half of his scarf lay curled up in the snow.
Looks like Lucas shared a little too much warmth.
Roseanne was sitting by a fireplace with a cup of coffee and newspaper in hand when Dawn returned. She looked up from her reading and greeted:
"Welcome back, Dawn! Oh, is that the package from Jubilife City? Excellent, you could put that right on the hall table there."
Dawn did as she was told, bringing and placing Lucas' package onto the petite little table. She had hung up her coat and placed her shoes onto a drying mat before she headed back into the main room of the lab.
"Are you a little more refreshed now, after going outside? Was it snowing?" Roseanne asked, a slight twinkle in her eyes.
"Yes, it was, and I think I do feel a bit better now, thank you for asking," said Dawn, going back to her desk.
Roseanne noticed that Dawn seemed a bit cold, judging from the pink flush on her cheeks. She had guessed that would have been the case after Dawn had left with only a coat and pair of boots on.
"That's good to hear. But you look a little cold, Dawn. Would you like something hot to drink to warm you up a bit?"
Dawn shook her head.
"No, thank you. I've already poured myself some hot chocolate earlier. And in all honesty, I think I've had enough warmth for today."
Roseanne seemed a bit puzzled at this statement.
"Don't you mean cold?"
The pink rose up in Dawn's cheeks even further.
A/N: Roseanne is that one female scientist in Rowan's lab, for those of you that didn't know. She along with Dawn's father are also Rowan's assistants. Kuudere - a person with a cool, calm exterior and cute interior.
Hope you enjoyed, I had a ball fleshing out these two loveducks. Rather jumpy at some places but oh well - my desire to rush things through got the better of me again.