"That's awful!" a voice exclaimed inside the café, drawing the patrons' eyes towards the table. Despite the obvious attention she was getting, the brionne paid it no mind as she shook her head in disappointment, "Really… such brutes, how could they think to hurt such a cute floof baby…"
So she really did call me a floof baby, Crystal thought, feeling the pressure of the curious gazes before forcing out a chuckle, "Yeah, but that's when Emizella showed up. She got me out of there really quick. She even cheered me up afterwards."
"Well, what a relief that must have been." Lillian's smile returned to her face as she turned the beaming expression towards the riolu in question, "Just getting closer and closer to being a legit adventurer, aren't you?"
Emizella blinked in response, still preoccupied with finishing off her orange drink. Her lips released the straw, freeing her up to speak, "It was nothing really, those jerks were a bunch of small fry bullies. Those types are pretty easy to outsmart." She shrugged her shouldered, playing herself off like she had done it hundreds of times before, and she very well might have but that didn't change the amount of impact her actions had.
"Still though…" Crystal's gaze turned downwards towards her glass of moomoo milkshake, the nearly emptied contents leaving the sides sticky with pink residue, "When you're new to the neighborhood, something like that is still terrifying, so it really means a lot that you were come rushing in without a second thought." Her smile finally returned to her face, less anxious and much more relaxed as she looked up at Emizella with eyes filled to the brim with gratitude.
Crimson eyes stared at her for a moment, her brain shutting down and needing to reboot as she turned away to suck away at the already empty glass, "I already told you… I'm going to be an adventurer so it's no big deal."
Lillian watched the two silently from across the table, giggling to herself at the power of a "floof baby." "Careful with that smile, Crystal. No telling what such adorableness can do." she warned in a playful tone.
"It's not really that special, is it?" Crystal pouted a little, feeling herself the target of too much attention drawn into her face. Sure, fennekins were cute but there were plenty of other pokemon just as cute, if not cuter, than her. Take Lillian, for example, she was plenty adorable enough on her own. Maybe it was just her thing, maybe she just liked furry pokemon.
"Aw, there's no need to pout about it. You ought to own it, show it off a little." the brionne continued to tease her, finding her pout just as irresistible as her smile.
"I'd rather not…" Crystal muttered before feeling a gentle nudge poking at her shoulder.
Emizella leaned in closer, her muzzle brushing against her ear tufts and sending a tickling sensation through her head. "You can tell her if she's going overboard." her whispering didn't help the tickling to go away, "She tends to forget herself with new people so it's not like she'll be offended or anything."
Her warm, orange eyes turned to look towards the riolu, meeting her scarlet gaze before giving a soft, reassured nod, a soft giggle escaping her at the suggestion.
I see, so she's just a bit of a spaz… she thought, the self-conscious feeling evaporating from her mind.
Emizella chuckled along with her, the two's attention focused in on their own little bubble and the pout previously housed on Crystal's lips was transferred over to Lillian's.
"Hey! What are you two giggling about over there?" she exclaimed, blue cheeks puffing out at their implication. "Emi, what rumors are you spreading?"
"Nothing!" Emizella laughed at Lillian's reaction, "Why? What rumors do you have?"
The brionne's jaw dropped, a rosy hue filling her cheeks before huffing, her lips slamming shut at the action. "Of course not! I'm too pure to have rumors souring my reputation." she declared with a smug smile.
"Yeah," Emizella drawled, "keep telling yourself that."
Another chuckle found its way out of Crystal's lips, despite her efforts in keeping it sealed behind a golden paw. Emizella's eyes flashed over to her captive audience, eating up her positive reception as the smirk spread across her lips.
"Crystal, you think I'm pure, don't you?" Lillian asked, her aquamarine eyes pleading with the fox to take her side and reject the blasphemy being spouted from Emizella's lips.
She blinked a few times as her attention was called, looking into her shimmering, blue oceanic eyes before smiling at her, "I wouldn't know. We just met, right?" she answered, thinking it safe enough, but, apparently, not quite as those ocean blues shattered and faded at the deadly blow to her ego.
"Um… Lillian?" Crystal called out to the statuesque brionne, too far gone in her own head to respond.
"C'mon, Crystal, we still have some shopping to do first." Emizella snickered, scooting out of her seat fist before beckoning her foxy companion to follow.
Crystal gave the brionne a brief look before following after, hopping down from her spot and trotting over to the riolu's side.
"Isn't Lillian supposed to be coming with us?" she asked in a soft whisper.
"Oh, don't worry about her, she just-"
"Wait!" the subject of their conversation interjected, sliding herself back in with a renewed fire in her eyes.
Crystal jumped slightly, feeling her fur prickling up on her tail and the hackles that crawled down her backside. "Y-yes?" she swallowed down the squeaker that popped into her throat.
The brionne chuckled softly, "Sorry, I think I've been going about this all wrong…" she said, a dark look covering her rose eyes.
"Huh..?" Crystal tilted her head, feeling unsure what Lillian was talking about or where this even came from.
Her chuckling became more like a snicker, plotting and scheming in her mind, "It's been a while since I had to win someone over… This is perfect…" she muttered, growing increasingly more excited as she spoke.
"Um… Lilli-"
"Crystal!" the brionne called out her name loudly, pressing her flippers into Crystal's shoulders as she held her gaze. "I promise you this… by the end of the day, you and I will be… Besties!"
The usual twinkle in her eyes returned to their full glimmer, the shift giving the fennekin a bit of emotional whiplash at the sudden shift in tone. She didn't quite understand what she needed to get so intense about it for, maybe making friends was just a big deal for her. Or maybe that's just the spaz acting out, she considered the possibility, feeling it become more and more likely with each repeat of the thought.
"I thought Jesse was your 'bestie!'" Emizella called with a smirk imprinted on her lips, the implication of the word coming out completely different when the riolu used it.
Lillian's lips pursed together and her brows furrowed as a flushed look covered her face completely. "Nobody asked you, Emi!" a flipper pointed accusingly towards the culprit of her flustered expression, making a brow rise on her masked face. "What do you say, ignoring that one other there? Think you could give me a shot?" A friendly smile found its home on Lilian's lips, welcoming and gracious in her invitation for a chance to bond with the new companion.
It honestly didn't seem like too terrible of an idea. Beyond her overbearing nature and her… fascination with the fennekin's furry body, she didn't get any sort of ominous feeling that she ever meant her any harm. Despite all her little quirks and mannerisms, she couldn't really see Lillian as a bad pokemon. A little overzealous in showing her affection, sure, but not bad. And isn't that how most friendships start? Learning more about each other's social limits and boundaries and growing to accommodate them so they could both enjoy the other's company? It was just the start, after all, and there was plenty to learn about one another.
"Okay, although… you didn't really need to ask. I would have been happy to get to know you whether you asked or not." the smile on her lips beamed brightly from her face, blinding anyone within direct contact if the weren't prepared to receive the sacred treasure.
Lillian, unfortunately, was unprepared, a flipper shielding her eyes from the devastating effects. "So strong… Must… resist…" she muttered too softly for Crystal to hear, doubling into a head tilt combo. Both of the brionne's aqua flippers went to cover her face, her head shaking in refusal to let down her guard.
Emizella rolled her eyes with an amused look on her face as she watched the two. "Hey Lily, quit messing around and get over here!" she called out to her, pulling her attention away from the object of her struggles and onto paying her tab.
"Coming!" the brionne called back before giving her own award-winning smile to the fennekin, "Why don't you wait for us by the door? We'll be just a second." she pointed a flipper towards the exit.
Crystal followed the indicating point before looking up at Lillian and nodding her head.
Her paws trekked over to the door, carrying her to just outside the establishment before taking a seat beside the door. She really didn't have much to look at. It was either the rocks and the pebbles spread around the beaten trail or the pokemon going to and from the different buildings. Honestly, the latter was more interesting to look at. At least they were moving.
Everyone looked so friendly with their smiling faces and their happy greetings. It felt like the kind of place where everybody knew everyone and a silent agreement of trust circulated the air. It was nice, quaint, also a little intimidating. Crystal couldn't help feeling weird about being in a place like this, a case of "new kid on the block" syndrome.
The curious stares from some of the younger pokemon made her feel queasy inside, not knowing how to respond to such direct and unabated eye contact. She tried to smile at a poochyena pup but he didn't seem too receptive at the gesture. He just stared for a moment longer before trotting up to a mightyena's side—his parent, Crystal assumed.
She let a heavy sigh leave her chest as she redirected her gaze to the rocks below. At least rocks don't stare back at you…wait.
"We're done!" Lillian's voice called, the fennekin's head darting over to the two as they exited the café together. "So!" she breathed out excitedly, "Since you two were first planning on going shopping, we'll hit up the general store together and the tour will pick up from there."
"I'll actually be taking the stuff back afterwards so you two can enjoy yourselves," Emizella added with a nod of approval. Crystal's ears drooped slightly but she hadn't noticed how her body gave away her underlying feelings "Unless you want me to stick around…" she offered with a concerned smile.
Crystal thought about it for a moment but didn't need to think about it too long. After all, she already decided that she ought to branch away from Emizella and find a friendly relationship with new pokemon.
She gave a short shake of her head, "No, that's fine. You can take the things back first, I'll be okay."
"You sure? It's no problem if I tag along." Emizella raised a brow, giving Crystal the chance to reconsider.
"Hey, Emi! What are you acting all protective for? You act like I'm going to gobble her up!" Lillian pouted.
"Knowing you, that's a possibility." Emizella chuckled as she responded to the brionne.
Lillian gasped before huffing with a sharp turn of her head. "It's okay," Crystal's voice drew Lillian back into the conversation, "I'll be fine, really." she insisted, putting a smile back on the seal's face.
"You're so sweet!" Lillian squealed, her lips pursing as she fought to contain herself—or to not self-destruct. Crystal was pretty sure it could happen either way. "Why couldn't I have lucked out and found you first instead?"
"Yeah, too bad she's already was found by such an awesome roommate." Emizella grinned, a digit gesturing towards herself as the smug attitude began filling every inch of her short stature.
Lillian chuckled and Crystal couldn't help but share in the humorous statement. "Lucky me." the small fox giggled, hiding the smile behind her paw.
"Yeah, yeah, you braggart," the brionne waved the riolu off before stating to scoot herself through the dirt path, heading the pack. "C'mon, let's hit up the store already!" She didn't wait for their acknowledgment, she just scooted on away—scooting and hopping to get to the general store as quickly as possible.
"You're really okay with this?" Emizella whispered, leaning in a bit closer to Crystal, "I know you're a bit of the shy side, I don't want you feeling uncomfortable on your first day."
Crystal could appreciate it, Emizella's consideration for her comfort zone, but she knew that it was better to get used to things sooner rather than later. There was no telling how long she'd be stuck in this world after all.
"Thank you, Emizella," she expressed her gratitude first, "but I really did mean it when I said I'd be fine." Her eyes flickered over to Lillian, seeing how far that brionne could get with no legs. "Besides, it'd be good to break out of my shell," she stated, watching Lillian raise one of her flippers to get the two's attention, waving at them to hurry up.
Emizella chuckled softly at the statement, a paw pressing down between the fennekin's tall ears, petting the soft fur in silent praise before jogging on ahead, "All right, if you're fine with it, that's cool too." she smiled, bright and full, before running up ahead to catch up with her eager friend.
Crystal watched her silently before she felt the corners of her lips curl up, feeling hopeful and a bit more confident in her decision as she ran to catch up to the two of them.