Despite being miles under the ground from the failure so long ago, the castle that was N's home still remained as spacious as ever, albeit a little damp. In a large antechamber that could easily house Reshiram with comfort, N sat with the dragon and another. On a good sized pillow, N leaned ever so slightly into the gentle ministrations of the ivory bristle brush being run so carefully against his scalp. Such moments of peace were rare and it was even rarer to get the opportunity to be tended by the person he could closest associate with a mother. He moved his head just enough to look up at the woman and allowed himself a smile. She returned it and moved her slender fingers through his pale green hair before resuming her brushing.
"What is on your mind, my lord?" Something about Cancordia giving him such a proper title stirred annoyance in his being. He did not let it concern him, though, as he stared up at her with a serious face.
"Have I waited too long to retrieve Touko?" The brush was set on a nearby stool brought in to accommodate the various brushes with a light sound while she gathered his sleek hair in her hands, preparing to confine it in its usual ponytail. He had tried not to let the time spent from her gnaw at his mind, but the longer he gave her, the more he grew worried that she would reject him entirely. Almost as though trying to distract him from his thoughts, Cancordia began the swift motion of pulling his hair through the hair tie and crossing the band to repeat the process.
"Can you recall the Sinnoh region story of the three beings of the lakes?" N knitted his eyebrows in thought at her words and as much as he wanted to look at her, his hair was still secured in her hands as she smoothed back the little bumps of hair on his scalp from it being pulled back.
"Yes, I remember the story of Uxie, Azelf and Mesperit." Cancordia released his hair, satisfied that it looked as good as it ever would before proceeding to lightly rub one of Reshiram's wings with a steady hand.
"And because of their gifts, we are free to choose our outcomes in life." Reshiram craned its neck closer to N's lap and a rumble in its chest began in response to the wing rubbings. It opened a single sapphire eye that glittered in an unspoken agreement with Cancordia's words. Another flash of annoyance blossomed on his face and he leaned back against Cancordia's legs.
"I do not need cryptic answers, I just want to know what I should do." N pouted and folded his arms across his chest. The two beside him gave short laughs in their own ways and Cancordia rested a soothing hand on his shoulder.
"It is not our choice to make. But if you want a straight-forward answer, I believe that she has already made up her mind and is waiting on you. " N shot a quick glance at Reshiram, who gave nothing on the matter away other than a singular nod.
N stood and smoothed out his shirt, which had been ruffled from the constant shifting he had done. He clenched his hand in determination and cast a glance at Reshiram. It blinked at him and pressed its muzzle into the small of his back.
'I can see the determination you have on this matter and I would take you to the Electric Rock Cave.' Reshiram breathed into N's mind and he allowed the faintest of smiles to adorn his face. He turned to Cancordia as Reshiram moved to stand and offer its wing to the king.
"When I return…I hope to have a permanent guest. Could you make sure that everything is in order for her arrival?" Cancordia gave a sly smile and stood to bow before her king.
"It will be as you request, my lord." Her voice hid the excitement she had for her charge and smiled as N climbed on to the regal ivory pokemon.
"Let's not keep our Touko waiting any longer, Reshiram."
'I will fly with great haste for you, Trainer.'
. . .
Spring went quietly into Summer and in Hodome, that meant rain. It seemed fitting as Touko peered at the gloom from one of the steamed windows of the cabin she had been staying in. Touko heaved a sigh and traced spirals against the fog on the window, trying to put her mind on other things. Her thoughts tangled in her brain like they had been doing since N had given her the ultimatum and she let her breath out in a hiss of frustration. Her Xtransciever lay quiet in her bag; she had long since turned it off and kept it that way as she secreted herself in the cabin just behind the city to sort out her emotions, and felt a pang in her being to turn it on and talk to someone. Anyone, really. But her uncertainty and fears stayed her hand.
Touko ignored the knock on the wooden doors and the soft whispers until she picked out enough to know that the person who had entered was on the search for her. She glanced over her shoulder with little interest and watched as she was uneasily pointed to, as though her bad mood was barring anyone from approaching her with any kind of request. She turned in her chair and folded her hands neatly into her lap as they approached with a slight trepidation at asking her anything. Touko suppressed a frown since she figured it wouldn't help any and motioned for the person to sit across from her.
"I know you've been occupied these past few weeks, but we were unsure of what to do what with Clay overseeing the construction of a new level in Ridge Mountain, but I was wondering if you would be so kind as to remove the electric web again for us." Touko's eyes widened and she blinked a few times as she processed the words in their entirety. The web had been placed there before by the Shadow Triad as a way of keeping everyone out until she had advanced enough to enter on her own. Somehow, the prospect of running into N again was shadowed by the threat of a trap set by Ghetsis. The Shadow Triad had proven that their allegiances were far from solid, but it was nothing she couldn't handle. She stood with the first breath of hope in her step and shouldered her bag.
"Yeah, I can do that…just make sure people are kept away from the area for a little while. I want to make sure it's entirely safe before people start traveling in it again." Collective sighs of relief were shared by almost everyone in the house as Touko stepped out into the soft rain, not the least bit concerned with the condensation. The first glimpse of a spark seemed to be set into her being but none were truly aware of the importance of the meeting that was to come.
AN/ The block does not want to let up! I think this chapter was even shorter that the previous one! But I did love writing out innocent N getting his hair brushed all cute-like...Also, the rating may have to go up when the next chapter hits...If only you could just mark up the rating on individual chapters...But I is not spoiling anything and just leave you to wonder what I might mean.
Facts! To keep everyone on the same page: Electric Rock Cave is the proper translation for Chargestone Cave and while I swore to myself I would not use that particular translation because it sounds funky, it seemed fitting for Reshiram to use it...Hodome = Drieftveil City...and Ridge Mountain is more commonly known as Twist Mountain. (Hey Clay, don't waste your time with another level...Fix those crappy broken bridges! -shot-)