New Home
The door to a cozy looking apartment is opened and Fai and Mint walk in. Fai is covered in a bit of snow but Mint isn't. As she lead him to where she lives, the snow started to fall at a very heavy rate. Luckily for them, it was only snow and not rain, otherwise they'd both possibly be at risk to catch a nasty cold. It was a good thing Fai decided to bring Mint to her apartment, because with how heavy the snow is falling, it would be a bit dangerous to be outside.
She shakes the snow off her fur as Mint closes the door behind him. She turns around to talk. "Well, here we are. Thank goodness I decided to drag you back here before the snow started falling like that."
He shrugs. He wouldn't mind being out in something as harsh as that. She walks further into the apartment and into what looks like a living room. "C'mon in, don't be shy!"
He walks forward and follows her in. Her apartment isn't anything super special. The room he's standing in right now is her living room. It has a cozy look and feel to it, with the walls all a soft but inviting red and gold. There is a moderately large TV on a table about 7 feet away from a large couch. In between these two objects is another table. There's a TV remote and a controller for a video game console sitting on it. There's a couple of lamps on tables to the left and right of the couch and on the far right wall is a bookshelf that's barely filled with any books at all. Mint also notices that under his feet is a very soft carpet whose color matches that of the walls. Even though the room feels small, it's much bigger than it actually is and even with all of the stuff in here, it still feels quite spacious.
Fai fixes some loose fur on her head, then speaks to Mint. "Well, anyway, this is it!"
He looks around and sees a few doors and another room on the left, looks to be a kitchen. Minus all the other rooms that he can't see, the place is small. "T-this place is v-very small…"
She raises an eyebrow. "Small?" she then does a small hop and moves back. "You kidding me? This place is much bigger than the average apartment most Pokemon in this city live in!" she then runs to all the closed doors and opens them all up.
Mint can now see just how big the place really is, she wasn't joking. The other rooms that he can see from where he's standing seem to be just slightly smaller than the living room. He rubs the back of his head. "W-well… the o-other rooms were closed and stuff…"
She waves it off. "Don't feel bad, you didn't see the rest of the place!" she switches gears. "Anyway, consider this another treat from me to you since you're Scott's friend. I can't just leave you out there without a place to stay for a few days until you get your bearings and make some money since you said you have none."
"M-make m-money?" he's completely confused. Back at home, his parents and everyone else would either trade for food and goods or outright find them in the forest. Money is something he's only heard of existing but he never knew that one could make it.
She shakes her head and puts her hands on her hips, quite disappointed and surprised. "I can't believe that I'm hearing you say that. You're telling me that you've never used money before in your life, nor have you ever made any?"
He nods. Her eyes widen a bit. "You came to Castelia in the most unprepared way possible… you really are a big time newbie!" She takes her hands off her hips. "It's okay, I was just like you when I first came here, buuuut that's a story for another time."
She points to what can only be her bedroom. "I'm gonna lay out the rules. First rule: Absolutely no sleeping in my bedroom. You're free to sleep out here on the couch…" she then points to another room near the kitchen. "Or in the guest bedroom. There's only a bed and a TV on a table in there and you don't seem the type to need much so that's fine, right?"
He stays silent. She takes it at face value. "I'm going to take your silence as a 'yes'. Now, Second rule: You're not allowed to break anything. If I find out that you broke something, there will be issues and I really don't want that. Finally, rule three: close the door when you use the bathroom. When I'm home alone, I don't because I don't care and nobody can see me."
He raises an eyebrow. "B-but why? D-don't all Pokemon…" she cuts him off.
"No no no… in the city, we're modernized and civilized Pokemon. We have decency and unlike most wild Pokemon, it's not the best idea to…" she blushes a little. "You know…"
He has no clue what she's talking about and she can clearly see this on his face. "Do I have to explain it?" he nods and she walks up to him and whispers in his ear. "It's not the best idea to have your…" she giggles. " Ahem… having your weiner or coochie out on display or being visible when taking a dump isn't the best idea here. Us city folk call it a humiliating and embarrassing thing." she then pokes him in the nose and he flinches. She finds this reaction to be cute.
She walks away and jumps onto the couch, landing on it and causing some of the pillows to fly up into the air for a moment, landing back near their original spots. She pats the seat next to her while looking back at him. He walks over to the couch and sits next to her. She smiles at him and then finally asks a question she's been wanting to ask him since earlier. "Well, now that we're here and nobody else is around but the two of us, I wanna know something. Why'd you come to Castelia? Remember how I said everyone has a story for why they came? I want to know what your story is."
He looks down at the ground, his eyes slowly drop to be half open. He doesn't want to remember why he ran away, nor does he want to tell Fai. He doesn't quite trust her yet and he gets the feeling she won't stop asking so he decides to tell her straight out. "...I-I'm sorry… I j-just can't… I-I don't t-trust you enough to t-tell…"
She looks at him in wonder. Such a closed off and shut away Pokemon yet she sees someone who is really kind, nice, and pure hearted. She can't quite understand why he can't trust her when she's done quite a lot for him so far. "Huh… so you're one of those Pokemon. You can't show your true self off to anyone unless you know for sure that they're worthy of your trust and kindness, and only then do you show off your true personality. The prickly, painfully cold exterior you show to everyone else is a deterrent and shows that you aren't easy to crack and anyone that tries to crack you will be in for a rough time. I know I'm not going to be able to get you to speak, but eventually you'll crack open. A word of advice: while you might not be comfortable showing your true self off to others, if you want to make a living here, you're going to have to open up a bit to some people and Pokemon. Hell, I thought you would've opened up to me seeing as how I've taken you under my wing a bit." she shrugs. "Oh well, I can't force you."
Silence falls between them for a few moments. She starts to speak. "You know… I myself used to be a little bit like that. When I first came to Castelia 9 years ago, I was scared, lonely, and a bit hopeless. I never thought I'd survive, but I couldn't go back to the toxic life I escaped from. It was a change that I needed. The moment I arrived, I started having doubts but those disappeared when I met Scott. He saw me and for some reason wanted to help me. He took me by his hand and brought me to this very apartment."
Mint finds this odd. If Scott used to have this apartment, how did Fai manage to get it? He doesn't have to say anything for she has the answer. "He was about to leave Castelia and explore the region. When he saw me, he told me he was just ready to leave, but he changed his mind that day. He saw me in what he said was 'terrible conditions' and opted to help me. He showed me everything I needed to know about Castelia, he also let me stay in the apartment until I managed to get money. He even got me a job that let me work hard, but not strain myself in return for a good amount of cash. He took quite a liking to me, and after a few months, he rented out the apartment and gave me a few extra months of rent for free and gave me the place. I've lived here ever since that day and while I don't see him as much, we really got to know each other during that time. We hung out, had food, went to see movies and play games together. It was great."
She stops to take a breather, then continues. "But he isn't my mate or anything. He kisses me because that's how he greeted me the first time I saw him. I found it weird at first but now I don't mind. I saw you earlier when he did that, you seemed to be quite surprised."
Mint blushes a tiny bit but it can't be seen thanks to the soft glow of the lamp next to him hiding it with its light. She continues. "While he is super helpful, he's also very wise. He ain't no old man, but he's got knowledge that exceeds his own age. I don't know where he got it or who taught him, but he knows what he's doing and seems to understand how to handle any situation. I feel like he might be a world traveler, ended up seeing tons of people and Pokemon, learned as much shit as possible, and that's why he's as smart as he is. He's a good Pokemon though, and I'm glad to have met him. I don't think I'd be here without his help when I think about it, instead, I might be one of those beggars on the streets."
She sighs. "Seeing them kinda reminds me of how I used to live… I wish I could help each and every one of them out, but I don't have the money to do so. I give as much as I can but there's only so much I can throw away before I endanger my own life. Without enough money, I can't keep the apartment, and shit here isn't cheap and won't be getting cheaper anytime soon."
She looks at Mint and notices that he seems to be out of it and lost in his own thoughts. She figured this might happen but he turns to her and nods slowly. She decides to throw one last thing out before changing the subject. "Going back to your story… I don't know what life you've lived nor do I know what happened during any of it either, but I will say that no matter what it is, I hope that coming to Castelia fixes whatever it was that went wrong, because most people and Pokemon that come here usually have tales of terrible lives filled with nothing but agony and hopelessness and since this city is known as 'the city of new beginnings' many think they'll be able to start out all over again."
Part of what she said is why he's here in the first place. He wanted to escape from his old life, escape from the bullies, the hate, and the terrible fate that he would've faced had he stayed. He wanted to be accepted, loved, and appreciated too. In a city with tons of new faces, surely some of them will accept and love him as well as appreciate him. His whole reason to why he came, to live a better life and forget the hell he's lived through, that is the reason.
Fai stretches herself out, making a little grunting as she does and then adjusts herself on the couch, changing the subject. "Phew… I said a lot. As I said earlier, I was gonna go shopping, but now that I've got you, I can't really do that so my day is just boring now." she then lets loose a couple giggles. She then remembers something that she heard as a rumor about Cinccino as a species. "Oh yeah, aren't Cinccino supposed to be real picky with hygiene and stuff?"
He nods and his eyes open fully, he remembers that he was hit with some junk a few moments before he met her, not to mention, they went through a crowd of people and his fur rubbed up against them and only Arceus knows what those humans had gone through. He shivers for a moment as he realizes this. Fai tilts her head. "Are you okay? It seems as if you just got scared by something."
He shakes his head quickly. "N-no… it's just that… I-I realized how d-dirty this city is…" he then starts to itch his stomach.
She points to the bathroom. "There's a shower in there. If you want, you can clean up since it looks like you've had quite a long day…" she didn't notice it before but she does now. "And why is your fur all shiny looking?"
He quickly and quietly responds before standing up. "I-it's oil… I-I'll be done in about t-two hours..." he hastily runs into the bathroom and closes the door. The sound of the water being turned on can faintly be heard and from there, Mint begins to clean himself off. It's a release and it curbs the urge he's been feeling since earlier this morning after he covered himself in oil.
Almost two hours later like Mint said, he comes out of the bathroom, his fur looking more vibrant and vivid than before. It's also nicely groomed as well and he feels much better as far as cleanliness goes. The oil all over him wasn't annoying, but it was starting to make him itch and the shower was much needed. Fai looks over at him and takes note. "Oh wow, so that's what your fur truly looks like! I thought it looked a bit dull earlier!" she says as her eyes widen ever so slightly, not expecting him to have such a vibrant yet gorgeous color.
He holds his scarf up with his left paw and holds his right paw out away from his body slightly, showing off a little. His jet white tail and fur fluffs seem to sparkle in the light. He takes a deep breath and twirls, his tail wrapping around his lower stomach and his fur fluffs wrapping around his back a little too. He speaks. "I-I feel better too. I needed that badly…"
He starts walking over to the couch and notices that she turned the TV on. It's showing a movie that's supposed to be funny, but it really isn't at all that funny. He takes a seat next to her and below the TV he notices a small box with the time on it. It's starting to get late and his whole day was quite eventful, and with that shower, he's starting to feel sleepy. He yawns and then rests his head on the pillow next to him on the right.
Fai notices this. "Hey, if you're tired and want to sleep, you can use the bed in the room by the kitchen you know. The couch isn't the comfiest place to sleep and I wouldn't want you to be uncomfortable."
Her words fall on deaf ears as Mint has miraculously fallen asleep in the time it took for her to explain it to him. She shakes her head and smiles, perhaps it's better she lets him be. For someone to fall asleep that quickly, they must've had a very long day. There is one thing that she's still wanting to know, and that's his story. Something about him comes off as odd, she can't pinpoint what it is that's different about him compared to everyone else she's met. Not even Scott managed to give her this same feeling. Whatever it is, it just feels slightly familiar, as if she had gone through something similar. He's hiding something, and whatever it is won't be revealed easily. She puts this all in the back of her mind for now. Tomorrow, she'll probably have to clear the path to her home and shovel snow. She'll also have to help Mint figure out how to make a living in the city, find something that he can do to get money and eventually, his own place. For now, she'll keep him around for a week or two perhaps.
As Mint sleeps away, most of his worries disappear within his dreamscape, but no matter what, he's still bothered by those second thoughts and doubts that everything will be better. He made it here, met someone who is willing to help him, and yet, he has no guarantee that everything he wants will be given to him. Love, appreciation, acceptance… the three big things he's wanted to have since he left the colony that was devoid of it all. Tomorrow truly starts the beginning of his new life, and while he's tried to leave his past behind him, something within his dreams seems to haunt him, almost as if he's made a grave mistake.
PD: Not much to say about this chapter besides the fact that Fai has a bit of an interesting past. Anyway, seeya in the next chapter!