- N - = Nicky's part

- J - = my part

Chapter 028 - Brown's conclusions!

- N -

Stephanie had to suppress her laughter as Roark recognised his glasses. Ohh, this was too rich. She was glad to know that a good prankster was in Oreburgh, or at least someone with a sense of humour.

"Haha, I bet it was Serena. She's such a prankster! She always look serious, but she's actually very funny, and she loves to piss me off, haha!"

Brown looked shocked. "Pinky?" She stared. "Really? She can joke?" In her mind, Serena Joy was devoid of any positive emotion other than sadistic glee. This was new, and gave her an inkling of new respect for the Joy.

Roark led the way into the restaurant, and noticed Riley's blue jacket on the seat. Brown noticed Riley hadn't gotten himself a new jacket at the shop – although the rest of his outfit was startlingly new and sharp – perhaps he wanted to show Amy that the jacket was something special he was giving to her, something he couldn't easily replace?

Well, she had to give him points. That was a pretty romantic gesture.

"But I wonder where are they!"

Brown shrugged. "Maybe they went to get more food?" She looked about the restaurant, searching for a mop of curly brown hair, or Serena's pink Joy pigtails… and then she looked up at the mural, at the beast as it ran from a pack of snarling Lucario, an expression of feminine triumph on her face.

Her face.

The beast was definitely female in the picture – so the Zoroark was a girl? She scratched her chin, running the list of women she knew in Oreburgh through her mind (which wasn't plentiful)… And then she realised it.

Serena.

Serena was Unovvian – just like the beast. She had a latent (if not misplaced and bereft) sense of humour, coupled with her habit of documenting the beast's activities and liking Rampardos toys like the beast did…

Serena was the beast.

As she helped Riley push a new table for them, and two more seats to make up six (Amy, Serena had their seats, there were two more for her and Riley, and now two more again for Roark and Rodent, if the Raticate felt he wanted to sit down), a waiter courteously (if not slightly reluctantly) gave Rodent a fat pillow to prop him up in his chair. Rodent bounced himself on it pleased.

She wondered when Amy would be back, and how she'd react to her solving the case.

The band had shifted again. The violinist had moved herself back to the stage, taking her place behind the trumpeter, who'd switched his brass instrument for a tiny pennywhistle. With a countdown, they began anew, this time with a lively little jig.

Brown scrunched up her face. This she definitely knew.

"Before I got to fighting, or when fighting got to me

I looked to find examples on the field of chivalry…"

She spoke the words along with the band's melody, her foot tapping with the tune, familiar to her from years of Christmas reunions.

"But still I stayed to watch the fighting 'til one figure stood apart

In armour newly fashioned and a helm more pot than art…"

"Do you know this song?" Riley leaned in, a brow raised in curiosity. She nodded enthused.

"My parents sing it whenever they visit… Gold tried to teach it to me when I was learning to play the drums." She explained, before she noticed she'd missed a few lines, and desperately scratched her memory to catch up.

They'd reached the chorus, and the pennywhistle had swelled into an intoxicating winding song that picked up her feet and made her want to dance. It seemed to fill the air, begging for the world to clap and tap and slap their feet along with it.

"Jhotoain, isn't it?" Riley smiled. His fingers were waving, in their gloves, to the tune which he seemed to know himself. "I've heard it before – about Joan D'Arc…?"

Stephanie looked at him incredulous. "Joan?" She laughed. "No, it's just about a random lady – that's the best part – it's not about anyone famous. It's just about an everyday hero, who could be anybody," She hummed along with the tune, not too sure what she was saying herself. "Kinda reminds me of Amy, really,"

Riley listened to the lyrics again, before nodding quietly.

The violinist, who'd begun to circle the room again, waved a beckoning hand to their table, as if inviting a vocalist to join them. Stephanie made a move to stand, but planted herself back to her seat, opting instead to kick Riley in his shins.

The cobalt-haired man stood upright from the blow… before realising what he'd gotten himself into.

As the violinist tugged him to the stage and a round of riotous applause came from the restaurant crowd, Brown sent him a thumbs up which he feebly returned.

"Wait'll Amy sees that." She smiled at Roark, and then at her handiwork, crossing her arms pleased as punch.

"Rririririr." Rodent laughed deep in his nose.

Riley glanced about the crowd as the band played a musical interlude. He shifted uncomfortably at the eyes upon himself, stiff as a board. The violinist, who'd introduced herself as Mairead, began the song again, this time just before the chorus, so he'd be able to start with a familiar verse.

He stood, shock still, his mouth was dry in places he didn't even knew existed. The crowd continued to look at him, their food untouched, as the music rose to an expectant pitch…

He gulped, and opened his mouth. The first notes came out cracked, but his voice soon found itself, spieling the familiar old song:

"Because she was not the biggest fighter, nor one to raise a fuss,

But I remember being proud she was one of us,"

He thought of Amethyst, of her petite little figure and her wise purple eyes, of the warm swell of his heart every time he touched her hand, of moonlight nights on Iron Island, her body quietly by his side as the surf rolled like music past their boots...

"And we might never stand together in a shield-wall side by side

Because of her, I lift my sword with pride."

There was a resounding whoop as Riley realised he'd been closing his eyes. He opened it to find Stephanie Brown kneeling on her seat, irreverent and yet in awe, two fingers in her mouth preparing a triumphant whistling.

"Go, Riley!" She called, and blew a whistle that was nearly lost in the applause growing for him. He waved back, a bead of awkward sweat running down his head. Where was Amethyst? He wondered if she could see him like this, wondered what she would think. She'd think he was decided loon, of course.

He was about to clamber off the stage to return to his seat, but a strong hand kept him in his place. The violinist – Mary? – had called out into his microphone:

"We haven't had a vocalist like this guy in months," She laughed, eliciting another round of thrilled clapping from the crowd. "I like his voice." She continued. "It's all silky and velvet… very emotional."

"Go Riley!" Stephanie again.

"C'mon, man," The violinist egged him on, "do you know the next verse?" She cleared her throat: "'she was lady-like~'…?"

Riley nodded, bringing the microphone to his mouth and beginning anew:

"She was lady-like and lively, not the type you would expect

With a braver heart than many and a slot-shot to respect"

Oh, Arceus, please don't let Amethyst see this. He wasn't the sort of man who blushed, but he found his cheeks growing warm.

"And I guess she'd once decided this was where she'd like to be

And I thought, if she could do it, why not me?"

Still, part of him wanted her to see him – wanted her to see his heart come out of his throat and flow into his voice, filling with warmth and love and every emotion that danced in his chest whenever she was near…

He remembered Morganite mention her sheer devotion – Amethyst loved him. After all these years she still pined for him. It spurred him on, like a sparking fire in his chest. 'If she could do it, why not me?' If she loved him… if he knew she loved him, he would love her with every fibre of his aching being.

"No, we might never stand together in a shield-wall side by side

But because of her, I lift my sword with pride."

As the band died down, he sang his final lines in a throw of passion and abandon:

"Because of her, I lift my sword with pride!"

He punched a velvet-gloved fist into the air with gusto he didn't know he had. The resounding standing ovation that thundered through the Reynardine was prodigious, enhanced by the whoops and cat-calls from the blonde trainer and Raticate under the mural:

"GOOOO… RILEY! WHOOT!"

Rodent was jumping on the table, cutlery bouncing as he landed up and down. Brown had one knee on her seat and the other on its armrest, the chair shuddering as she clapped.

She turned to the redheaded gym leader, "Do you know any songs?" She smiled coyly, looking well-prepared to send Roark to the same fate as Riley.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Serena had started to pull her hair loose as Amy turned towards her.

"Well, if it's any consolation, I think you look pretty with those loops. You might not like the hairstyle, but you still look good. Well, you're very attractive, so I think you'd look good with any hairstyle!"

The Joy smiled gingerly, the corner of her mouth curling up just barely. "You mean it?" She asked, a little quietly. "I mean, everyone in my family looks the same, no one's ever complimented my looks before."

She clipped her hair back into place, both loops falling back against her neck. She'd never thought of it proudly before, but now it made her smile ever so slightly.

"I'm sure he'd be very sad. And... I'm sure he'd do everything to be with you! Whether it implies YOU staying here or HE going with you. Too bad you have to go back to Unova. I said Roark could go with you, but I forgot he's the Gym Leader... Well! You can always come back when you finish your career! It would be in like a year or two, wouldn't it?"

True, she sighed. Odds were, Roark wouldn't be too pleased about her leaving, and she didn't want to upset him. She couldn't bear the thought of ruining what they both had had… not to mention his condition tended to show itself when he got too emotional.

Another thought came to mind: what if he couldn't control himself without her? She shuddered.

How would Roark cope by himself if she went back to Unova? She wondered whether someone else would come to help him… and found herself feeling jealous. What if another girl started to help Roark once a month? She clenched her fist.

"I don't know about staying here," She admitted. "I really want to, but if I drop out of my course, my parents might make me go back to nursing school… and you're right – I can't make Roark follow me – not when he has to run the Oreburgh Gym."

She sighed wearily, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"I could always come back to visit him, I suppose," She added, "but Roark… he needs someone to help him sometimes… and I don't know what I'd do if he found another girl to help him."

Amy probably didn't understand the magnitude of the 'help' Roark needed – without knowing what… what Roark was… she probably thought Serena just cooked and cleaned for the Gym Leader. But this was so much more important than Roark finding someone to look after his welfare – it was about his safety, his modesty, his… his humanity.

She bit her lip. "I know I might be overreacting, but I just can't stand the idea of someone else doing my job." She'd seen Roark practically stark nude before – another girl in that position was more than enough to set her on edge. She sighed again, as if trying to exhale the thought.

Amy had finished with her makeup, and looked a doll in it.

"I'm done! I didn't use a lot of make-up, I just went for something simple this time, but... how do I look?"

Serena's brooding left her as she send the mousey woman a smile.

"You look amazing," She grinned. It was true, Amy had picked the perfect shade of purple to complement her eyes, which were undoubtedly one of her best features – clever and gentle and something a good man would die for. "Riley'll love it."

"Isn't about time we go back to our table? Your dish could have been served already!"

"You're right-"

She stopped, as the music had turned irregular, as if the band had paused for something. A microphone voice had perked up along with the pennywhistle – it was raspy with the beginnings of age, but powerful and rich, like velvet, if velvet had a noise. It was intoxicating, drawing a listener in like the beginning of a good fairy tale.

"Does the band have a singer?" She asked to no one in particular. "Odd…"

"C'mon," She indicated to Amy to follow her, but not before helping the purple-eyed trainer load her makeup into her trainer's backpack. "Let's check it out."

They peered through the open bathroom door before re-entering the restaurant. True enough, the band had gotten a new member on stage, someone she didn't recognise. The violinist had started to compliment him, saying they'd never had a vocalist like him in months.

He had on a clean dark shirt and a vest over it, both crisp sharp and dapper. There was a silky blue cravat under his vest, which added a very dignified touch to the ensemble. A hat sat atop his head, tilted at a jaunty angle – a fedora, spiked at the edges – like the rest of his suit, it was midnight-sky dark, and radiated an aura of reserved mystery.

The man stopped to readjust his collar, and Serena caught a glimpse of glowy blue eyes.

"Is… is that…" She squinted. "Is that Riley?"

- J -

Roark just wouldn't stop looking around, kind of nervously, as they approached Serena and Amethyst's table. The dish that seemed to have been served first was still hot... And of course, his roommate couldn't have chosen a better place, in an ironic way. Below the mural. Really, Serena?

Oh, not to mention Stephanie Brown looked delightfully interested in the mural. In the BEAST, to be precise. And she was friends (or that's what seemed) with Riley, so that couldn't drive to a good place...

The miner helped to get more chairs and push another table. He got sure to place his chair near (what he thought it was) Serena's chair. The silence within the trio while they arranged the chairs was mostly awkward. Something had changed on Brown's expression after looking at the mural, though. But Roark wasn't able to get what it was.

"Do you know this song?"

"My parents sing it whenever they visit… Gold tried to teach it to me when I was learning to play the drums."

Roark looked at the duo and couldn't help but feel... out of place, kind of. He was the first one to take seat while the other two talked about the song. Well, that was something they had in common with Serena, at least, they liked the music. Roark was only interested in fossils, after all. Well, and in certain pink-haired woman...

"Oh, please," Roark thought, looking at the ceiling of the restaurant. "Serena, come already..."

She'd give him more conversation than Riley and his new teenager friend. Well, and there was Amethyst too, who wasn't certainly friendly but at least always tried to talk to him.

The red-head flinched as the female violinist came over to table motioning them to join the band.

"Oh, noes!" Roark thought, stiffening. "Please, not me!"

He felt like a stick, all tense, and really expected them to choose him (he was famous in Oreburgh, duh), but...

...suddenly, Riley stood up. Just like that. Roark seemed surprised. Right, he couldn't sing to save his life but, as far as he knew, Riley couldn't either... or could him? He watched how the violinist led Riley to the scenario as a sneaky smile got drawn on Brown's face.

"Wait'll Amy sees that,"

"Hehe." Roark smiled, shyly, looking at the blondie. "I bet she'll be surprised... Heck, even I am surprised!"

He looked at Riley, just like everyone else at the restaurant. His older friend (if he could still dare call him like that) didn't seem pleased at all. Roark was about to facepalm when Riley finally started singing.

"Hey." Roark said, surprised, looking at both Stephanie and Rodent. "He isn't that bad."

Which made him realize he barely knew Riley, actually. Maybe not even his father, Byron, knew the blue-haired man perfectly. It was like... like he couldn't do anything wrong.

"Go Riley!"

"Stephanie, please," Roark said. "this is not soccer. Could you please quiet down?"

Even the other members of the band were complimenting Riley! Roark remembered why he'd seen him as an idol all those years, but couldn't help but feel somewhat jealous. Would Serena think Roark was perfect like Riley was?

"Oh, hey," Roark said again, scrutinizing eyes. "is he like... blushing?"

But why? Riley wasn't certainly a shy guy, after all. The miner remembered Stephanie's earlier words. So he was indeed interested in the younger purple-eyed lady? Roark remembered Riley talking about her to Byron, vaguely. He'd never been into gossiping, but it was still surprising.

"GOOOO… RILEY! WHOOT!"

Roark was so shocked to see Riley ending the song with such enthusiasm he wasn't even in the mood to tell Stephanie off again.

"Whoa..." Was all he could say.

"Do you know any songs?"

"Don't you even thin about that, Stephanie." The miner said, seriously. "I only sing in the shower, really, I suck at it."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"...but Roark… he needs someone to help him sometimes… and I don't know what I'd do if he found another girl to help him."

Amethyst, who was taking Serena's make-up back into the bag, felt a mixture of oddness and amusement: while she found strange that Roark needed help, she couldn't help but grin.

"Don't worry, I know what you mean." The chestnut-head said. "I'd go all furious if I saw another woman with Riley, honestly."

...But why did Roark need help, anyway? Other than cooking and keeping his house clean. Or maybe he needed help with the Gym? No, Serena wasn't a trainer.

"You look amazing, Riley'll love it."

"Yay!" Amethyst squealed and blushed. "Th-thank you very much, Serena!"

However, she did shut up as the Joy mentioned the new vocalist of the band. Amethyst listened to the voice carefully as Serena helped her to take all the stuff into the bag.

"Wait a sec!" Amethyst thought, opening her eyes wide. "Could it be...?"

She certainly DID recognize that voice! Amethyst rushed to get out from the washroom, making her way hastily amongst the tables and the crowd, nearly followed by Serena, who would be most likely surprised at the younger woman's hastiness.

"Is… is that… Is that Riley?"

When they were close enough to the scenario, Amethyst looked up, totally shocked when seeing Riley not only singing but also wearing a new outfit, certainly elegant. Why was he so elegant? And why was he singing? Was there any thing in the world Riley couldn't do?

"Oh, my..." Amethyst gasped, mouth agape. "Kyaahh~!"

The purple-eyed trainer squealed like a young girl at her favourite band's concert. A few costummers from tables near them looked at her, but Amethyst didn't care in the conditions she was.

"He looks so... so... handsome in that suit!" She exclaimed, blushing and jumping.

Amethyst looked dreamily at Riley, wondering if he'd see her. Well, he definitely wouldn't, since Amethyst was so small. She watched her loved one sing the last line of the song.

"Because of her, I lift my sword with pride!"

There was something that pumped inside Amethyst's tiny chest, filling it with hope. Had he thought of her when singing that line or was she imagining things? Maybe Serena was right!

They spotted their table, surprised to meet Roark, who looked flustered, near an excited Stephanie.

"Hey, look, Serena!" Amethyst exclaimed, running towards the table. "Roark's here t-!"

The slightly drunk woman tripped over a chair leg, almost falling off and causing a small racket. Luckily, she managed to cling to the backrest of Rodent's chair so she didn't fall.

"Hehe." Amethyst giggled, dumbly.

"Amethyst?" Roark arched an eyebrow, noticing something out of place in the woman. "Are you okay?"

Then, Serena arrived with them. Roark suddenly stood up, nervous, almost causing another racket: he got up so hastily that he almost knocked the table over.

"Eeh!" The miner screamed, putting his hands on the table and preventing any accident. "Phew... Thanks goodness the wine didn't spill out, hehe."

He looked at Serena, getting prepared for a sermon from her. But hey, he also had to tell her off for putting his glasses on the statue, huh?

"Heh... How are you two doing?" Roark asked, although he was only looking at the pink-haired woman. "I hope you don't mind I've come too, my work got delayed and... well, now I'm here."

Amethyst was still standing, near Stephanie and Rodent, while Serena took seat near Roark.

"Lookie, lookie, Ms. Brown!" The chestnut-head exclaimed, pulling her face close to Stephanie's. "I got make-up! How do I look?"

Deep inside, she was worried that her exhalted tone would shock the teenager, but she didn't mind. Amethyst looked again at the scenario, her eyes sparkly. Riley was getting complimented by the band again.

"I've got to see him sing the last strophe!" She exclaimed, excited. "He's sooo good!"

Roark, who had being conversing with Serena, looked at Amethyst, shocked.

"Is... anything wrong with her?" He asked, pointing at the standing woman. "She seems... slightly altered."

Amethyst didn't stop clapping as she watched Riley on the scenario, like a crazy fangirl.

"I can't believe he's sung this cute song!"

"Amethyst, did you know that song?" Roark asked.

"Of 'coz!" The chestnut-head exclaimed. "I'm Johtoain!"

She stayed standing, impatient to see Riley going back with them. She wasn't sure what she'd tell him, but she didn't certainly mind. Roark sighed, resting his cheek on one of his hands.

"And when will I have lunch...?" The poor man asked, in a hardly-noticeable tone.