"Well, here we are." Emizella's voice cut through the thick leaves and vines that acted as a doorway into a small clearing, her small clearing. She made a gesture to allow Crystal inside first, holding the entryway open for her before following inside.
They had to travel off the beaten path of the forest to make it here, cutting through barbed bushes and briar patches. Her fur was covered in thorns and spiny balls that hung off the hairs. It was worth it to have someplace safe to retreat to, Emizella had told her while she led the way, skillfully ducking and dodging the branches. It seemed that she had committed this prickly path to her muscle memory as she hardly looked where she was going to make sure Crystal was still following behind.
But it was all worth it. The clearing itself was quite green and thorn free, the brightly colored grass feeling soft and soothing under her paws. The canopy above let the saturated orange of the sunset sprinkle in through the gaps in the leaves, leaving soft speckles of light littering the floor. There was a small opening put into that canopy, looking less natural and more like the whim of the resident. In the center of the clearing was a dug out pit and, judging by the old, burnt up wood and ashes, it was frequently used as a fireplace. And, near that, was a pile of large leaves and grasses, soft once but constant pressure and use made it look quite compacted; her bed, she assumed.
"It isn't much but make yourself at home. I'll get your bed together." she said, plucking the last of the thorns from her guest's body before walking over to the edge of her lair to collect her supplies.
Crystal's eyes continued to wander every corner and angle of this den, it was plenty spacious for her smaller body, but she wondered if she might be making the space a bit more cramped. She had to physically shake that thought away, worry about myself, she repeated the promise once before relaxing her body.
"How long have you lived here?" she asked, nothing better for breaking the ice than a bit of conversation.
"Um…" she thought about it for a moment, "'bout 4 or 5 months?"
"By yourself?" she was taken back by her answer, wasn't she supposed to be a kid or something?
"Nobody else around." she simply shrugged her shoulders as her arms pulled up a generous collection of vegetation.
Crystal's eyes followed Emizella as she transported the materials and set them down beside her own bed with a nice plop. She wanted to ask more, curious about her living situation and why she was out here by herself but feared that it might lead to too personal information. Personal information reserved for more intimate and well-known relationships.
Emizella's paws arranged the leaves over the grasses, trying to fluff it out and make it look nice. She gave her a brief glance before turning her eyes downward again, letting out a soft chuckle.
"You really don't need to hold back, you know." Emizella stated, a brow raised and knowing smirk on her lips.
Crystal's body stiffened, ears lowering in uncertainty, "I mean… we are still practically strangers, aren't we?" she asked.
She let out an exaggerated gasp, "After all I've done, you still call me a stranger? How cruel." A paw hung over her face, hiding away her tears, or rather, lack thereof.
"That wasn't what I-"
"I'm just messing with you." she chuckled, walking closer to Crystal before pressing a digit into her nose slightly, "You're making it far too easy…and way too fun."
Her white jaw hung for a moment before a pout pressed onto her lips, Emizella's teasing nature not going as appreciated with her victim.
"There we go, now why don't you get us a fire started. You can use Ember, right?" the riolu asked as she pulled away.
So that's what that was, she gave a silent nod, her jaws relaxing once more.
"Great! I'll see about our food situation."
And with that, she turned away towards the opposite side of the clearing, leaving Crystal to deal with putting together their fire for the night. Her paws tread over to the small fire pit before looking over at the pile of accumulated wood gathered as fuel. She picked up one of the sticks before looking over at the burnt-up ashes from the assumed previous night. Quite honestly, she wasn't sure what she was doing. Was she supposed to clear out the ashes first? Was she supposed to just put the new wood on top? She wasn't even sure if she had ever been camping before now!
Her eyes looked back briefly at Emizella, seeing her chopping away on top of a stone slab before looking back at her own job. She already seemed so capable on her own, it compelled Crystal to wonder why she was living like this in the first place. Idly, she poked away at the charred pieces of wood, breaking and crumbling them down into a larger mess of ash within the stone circle.
I could always just ask, right? I mean, if she really doesn't want to talk about it, she could always say no. But then, what if it makes things awkward?She sighed to herself, I can't make things awkward, she's the closest thing to a friend I have here.
"How's that fire coming along?" Emizella called out, pulling Crystal out of her thoughts abruptly.
"It's coming!" she called back hurriedly as she piled the wood into the circle. Screw not knowing what she was doing, she needed to get something burning and a flame going.
A few minor adjustments to keep the sticks within the stones and she had a base of fuel going for her. Now all she needed was a spark, or her Ember as Emizella referred to it. So, new question, how does she even use Ember? How did she use Ember before? She wracked her brain as she tried to remember the first time she spat speckles of fire from her mouth, taking a second to appreciate that she never thought she would ever have to recall ever doing something like that and not be on hallucinogens.
Focus, she willed her mental train to redirect itself on a more important track, okay, I was scared, cornered and desperate… and then, there was a burning feeling in my chest that I had to let out and there it was. Burning feeling, burning, she concentrated on the feeling, trying to replicate the sensation in her chest. She took in a breath, holding it as she fixated on the memory of heat filling her body. When she felt she had it, she forced it out, admittedly somewhat reminiscent of letting out a belch.
Her eyes were closed, so she was not for certain she had achieved it. She would have checked for it herself first, but a firm pat on the back beat her to the punch.
"Nice going." Emizella's voice accompanied the swift smack, "Leave it to a fire type to know how to make a good fire. Couldn't have done it better myself."
Crystal's eyes peered open to look as the blazing flame, already licking towards the sky as the breeze pushed it into a swaying dance. She may not have been accustomed to being a fire pokemon yet, but it felt good to be praised for her first conscious attempt. But then it hit her, "Are you just saying that to stroke my ego?"
"Depends, did it work?" she responded with a playful smirk dancing on her lips.
Her sunset orange eyes avoided the riolu's cocky gaze, knowing that, if she'd look, she'd see a pair of wiggling brows to go with that smug expression in her eyes. "… maybe…" she relented in a soft murmur.
The other chuckled softly, kneeling in front of the fire to start cooking their meal. "Seriously, you have to stop. Otherwise, I'll have to keep you."
"Keep?" the fennekin's head tilted in a perplexed expression.
"Ah, just a joke. Don't think about it too deeply." she looked back from her work, a bit of a blush on her face as she realized the implications of the words she strung together in that particular order. She cleared her throat as well as the flustered hint on her cheeks, "Anyways, dinner will be ready in just a sec, so sit tight."
Crystal's eyes watched her silently, not missing a beat as she stared at each shift in her expression. She may have liked to tease the little fox about her "funny" reactions, but she couldn't help but think she had a bit of a cute flustered look herself. At least things are a bit more equal in that regard, she couldn't help but think with the slightest hint of a smile pulling at the corners of her lips.
~uwu~
"So then, about our food situation," the two had settled down after the meal, the fire put out and the stars slowly littering the darkening sky one by one, "…we might have to stop into town to get some supplies for two. Not really prepped for another mouth, you know."
Crystal turned slightly on her side, laying on the leafy nest her host had so graciously thrown together for her. "Sorry about that."
Emizella let out a soft chuckle, "Don't be. I'm the one that invited you to stay. Besides, if you're going to live in this forest, you ought to see the village."
"There's a village out here?"
"A small one, but yeah. It's nothing glamorous like the capital or remarkable like the city, but the pokemon there are nice folk. Plus, it has this ancient monument and-" she cut herself off as she noticed herself starting to ramble off, "Actually, might be better for you to see it for yourself." she concluded with an excited smile on her face.
Crystal's eyes stared back at the grin, returning the friendly gesture with a soft nod of her head. She watched as the other's crimson eyes turn back to the sky, watching careful to see each dim light finding the courage to shine brightly with its brethren. She turned her own eyes to watch with her, staring past the gaping hole in the canopy. She wondered what the riolu was thinking when she stared up at the stars, wondered what thoughts crossed her mind when she was alone and what thoughts were crossing it now. She figured it was alright not to know what those inspirations were, but there was still the lingering question made heavier with the new revelation of knowledge.
"Why are you out here by yourself?" her voice was soft as she tentatively broke through the silent.
"Why?" Emizella's eyes didn't move from their place, letting out a soft hum as she put together the words in her head, "Ever heard of Adventurers?"
"Adventurers?" she could easily distinguish what they were based on the title but wondered if it was as simple as the name implied.
"You seriously haven't?" her tone gave away her ignorance way too easily, calling for Emizella to shoot up from her position abruptly with the grasses and leaves of her nest clinging to her grey and cerulean fur. Her eyes stared closely into Crystal's, inching into her face as she searched for a mirthful cue in her gaze. She found none, "Really…? Just what were you doing before running into that zangoose gang?"
All she could do was laugh nervously in response.
"Adventurers are like… the most sought-after profession. They're like the everyday hero. They perform rescue mission, escorts and explorative expeditions in unmarked territories." Her eyes watched the other's face, looking for some shred of recognition, or, if not recognition, then amazed excitement at the prospect of the career. Unfortunately, she found neither. She only found the continuing state of perplexed confusion still lingering on her face. "L-Look, it's, like, really hard to give it justice with words. It'll be easier to just show you." she decided in an affirmative tone as she threw herself back onto the green bed with a soft, cushioned thud.
Crystal's eyes stared at her silently, is she going to bed already? But she did seem like the kind to believe in the whole "early to bed, early to rise" and the entirety of the morning person philosophy. She laid herself down, finding a comfortable position amongst the leaves. It would be better to just fall asleep just like the only other pokemon here. But her mind still felt so full, a predominate thought constantly blared loudly in her head: Why am I here?
As she closed her eyes, forcing them to remain closed as she waited for sleep to take over, she hoped for a second chance at the one responsible for her predicament. She hoped to be back in the timeless space, floating in that blank nothingness, and give that know-it-all voice a piece of her mind.