And, finally, part three is finished. Sorry it took me so long. Anyway, I'm actually amazed at how well received EotS has been so far. Hopefully this will continue to live up to the standards set by parts one and two.

Part Three: Imagination

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The conversation had lulled once the food had been polished off, leaving the cavern in awkward silence. Mew hated the silence, used as she was to travelling; she had always been surrounded by the sounds of life. But, sheltered as they were, she couldn't even hear the storm. And, without anything to keep her mind occupied, it instantly was caught by her damned body. She squirmed slightly, trying to find a way to sit comfortably, one that also helped with the fire that seemed to be burning inside her lower half; it was taking all her self-control not to make a fool of herself in front of the Nidoran.

Unfortunately, such a position did not seem to exist. In fact, her constant movement just seemed to aggrivate her problem. Trent was staring at her curiously, concerned about his guest's discomfort, before finally breaking the silence.

"You are quite welcome to take a seat upon the bedding; it will be more comfortable than the floor."

Mew blinked, not quite believing her ears. No one, not even a Rhydon, was that oblivious. And yet Trent had somehow managed to miss the real reason behind her constant agitation. But, then again, it was probably fortunate for her. In her body's state, she wasn't sure that she would have been able to resist if he had visibly noticed. All it would have taken was one word, the slightest hint, and her cursed instincts would have flared up like an inferno, impossible to stop. Her tail was getting a little too close for comfort, so Mew batted it away with a paw, intent on keeping her mind occupied on other things...

Still, the Nidoran's lack of awareness was puzzling. Even a Zubat, despite being blind, would have picked up upon her scent, yet Trent was completely ignorant of that as well. Nidoran were known for a rather keen sense of smell, yet he didn't show any sign of picking up the pheromone laden scent. Even though her soaking in the storm had washed off a lot of the potent aura, it should have still been more than enough for the rabbit to detect. And, yet, somehow, the Nidoran was totally unaware of the condition of his guest.

In fact, he had instead attributed her fidgeting and nervousness to her status as a Legendary. He figured that such a regal psychic would be unused to his lifestyle. She was a creature of the clouds and open air, free to soar wherever the whim took her. And instead she was trapped in a confining cavern, her sky replaced by stone and earth. It was understandable for her to feel a little uncomfortable in such an environment. And, as her host, it was Trent's duty to make the situation of his guest as bearable as he could.

So, he politely offered the moss bedding, giving her a chance to get slightly more comfortable with her surroundings. Mew did not refuse, her paws had been aching rather badly for the last few days, and the chance to take the strain off of them was one that she could not turn down. Her feet made barely a sound as she padded over to the large pile of grass, sitting herself down on the layer of moss that served as a cover. She gave an audible sigh of relief. It was much, much better than sitting on cold stone, Mew decided as she sat herself down on the warm, soft bedding. The plantation under the moss was a little old, the drier parts crackling whenever she shifted, but Mew could not complain.

Even with it being a little vocal, the makeshift matteress was still far better than most things she had experienced. The moss seemed to shift with her weight, allowing her to rest her tired legs for the first time in weeks. Mew purred slightly, it sure beat the Pidgey nest she had occupied a few days earlier. There was no eager branch to prod her in the back whenever the breeze picked up, no acorn to fall on her head the moment she started to doze off, no need to fear a sudden downpour at some stupid time of the morning.

Instead there was this comforting warmth, illuminated by the glow of the great moonstone. Mew slumped forwards; resting on her front as she finally let herself visibly relax. The notion caused Trent to smile to himself as he watched her settle down, her tail slowing in its movements before it too fell onto the moss, resting. The Nidoran was glad she liked the bedding; it also solved the problem of just what he was going to do about sleeping arrangements. But, of course, he needed a place to sleep himself, and he did not wish to sleep on the floor any more than she did.

"I'm going to get more moss, I won't be long," he spoke, Mew raising her gaze from where she had been snuggling the bedding.

She nodded once, watching as the blue furred rabbit turned and took ahold of the vine attached to that bark sledge, still laden with the remains of their meal. Her azure eyes followed as he heading off down one of the side tunnels, before the psychic feline rolled over onto her back, staring up at the stone ceiling instead. It was just as smooth as the floor, yet the moonstone's light seem to cause unnatural shadows. Watching them flicker and warp, Mew let her mind wander...

The cave was a rather odd place for someone to make a home, she decided, but then; Trent was a rather odd Nidoran. Mew smiled to herself at the thought, that oddness gave him a rather pleasent charm, especially when compaired to the usual brash and crude nature of his species. She couldn't even remember the last time she had met someone without being hassled about what she was, being bombarded with questions, some of which of a deeply personal nature... and yet Trent had been nothing but polite. Sure, he had given her all the good food, but Mew got the feeling that he would have done that to any guest, no matter what the species.

In fact, Mew found herself admiring that trait. His pleasent attitude was refreshing, as was his scent that wafted through the air. It wasn't mixed in with the unpleasent odour of dirt, like that of most underground-dwellers; instead there was the rich musk of plants and grasses. A nice mix of scents that Mew didn't mind being with until that confining storm waned...

Waking up to that scent, feeling the short, blue fur of his stomach from where she would be curled against him. She could almost hear herself purring as she looked up at those kind, gentle eyes as they focused on her own, before he would lean down and greet her with a small, loving lick to the forehead. His touch setting nerves under her fur aflame. Mew would press herself firmer against the Nidoran, feeling those powerful muscles in his delicate frame as she would rerturn the greeting. Her tongue touching his sensitive nose and resulting in his large ears twitching slightly, even as her deft paws ran through his fur, slowly massaging the warm flesh as they headed their way down-

She shot upright, almost falling off of the moss in her haste. Her face burned red, even as her tail lashed in frustration. That had been close... any longer and, well, Mew didn't want to think about it, didn't want to encourage her already overactive imagination any further. Instead she merely had to focus on something else, anything else. She closed her eyes, fighting back her body's frustration, concentrating on the first thing that came to her mind. She could feel, rather than see, the cavern around her, the psychic pulse revealing little details that she'd missed before. The tiny grooves in the floor, those caused by many years of having clawed feet using them, there had definitely been more than one occupent, there were thinner, deeper grooves as well as the shallow ones caused by Trent's paws.

In fact, there were many different grooves, possibly the cavern had been used by a great many different species since it had been discovered. It made sense, the fact it was dry, would be hard for a predator to get into and was pretty warm would make it a nice den for just about any forest Pokemon. Mew managed to kill some time trying to figure out what manner of creature's created certain grooves. But, not being too familiar with the more basic species, she only managed to figure out the narrow, thin marks that could only have come from a Rattata. Between those and those of a Nidoran, there were not many left, but they were proving elusive.

So she extended her sense further, sensing the way the air flowed through the cavern, sensing the contours of the walls, then her mind met another, a purplexed soul, belonging to a certain blue rodent that was sitting in the cavern's doorway. Mew's eyes snapped open, meeting Trent's only for a moment as she shot back, tripping over her own tail and plummeting off the moss with a squeal. She could hear Trent rushing over, even as she felt the cool stone floor against her burning cheeks. Her tail lashed once in her embarrassment.

"Are you alright?" Trent asked as he watched his guest from a little way off. She seemed unharmed, but Trent wanted to make sure before he moved closer, not wanting to aggrivate any injuries. "You are not hurt?"

"Nothing except my pride," she muttered, slowly floating back upright, sneaking a glare at her traitor of a tail.

"If you don't mind me asking," the Nidoran started to speak up, ears and nose twitching slightly in his hesitation.

"What was I doing, right?" The question had been obvious. Of course he'd ask that, he'd caught her sitting around, eyes closed, glowing slightly, and that was before she even took into account that he probably felt when she'd accidentally touched his mind.

"Sorry if that sounds rude," his gaze lowered to the floor, almost a bow. It was oddly humbling, and rather embarrassing, to watch her host do that, so Mew just shook her head.

"No, it's okay, really." It was the least she could do, after all.

Mew climbed back onto the moss, being careful to pick a slightly more stable seat this time as she brushed the last bits of dust from her fur, taking advantage of the fact Trent had kept his eyes averted. In fact, he only looked up once he was sure she was settled, sitting himself down in front of her. Mew sighed, feeling like she couldn't have that, immediatly moving over slightly and guesturing to the patch of moss just beside her. She had to fight the urge to laugh at the way the Nidoran's eyes widened slightly. He was so adorable when he was being dense. And she could see his polite refusal coming, he would prefer to sit on stone than risk getting too close and risk invading her personal space.

"I'd feel more comfortable if you were up here instead of down there," she spoke before he could, cutting the protest short.

Trent took defeat gracefully, nodding and giving a smile as he hopped up onto the moss. Mew sighed, trying not to react to the way his fur brushed up against her side when he sat down. It was surprisingly soft, not quite as fluffy as her own but definitely had it's charm. She mentally cursed again, feeling herself starting to lose her focus. Taking a deep breath, ignoring the way the moonstone was pulsing, the way the Nidoran sat at her side, she decided to try and explain, in terms he would understand, how her psychic senses worked, even as the storm raged on outside. Mew saw no reason to hurry, she wasn't going anywhere for a while, after all.