"Thank you all for coming."
Elder Pines addressed the gathered village from beneath the sacred tree. At his sides, several others stood away from the crowd. There were Damien and Janice, the former comforting the latter in the best way he knew how within his own grief. There was the mightyena who was searching for her daughter in the woods the night before, her eyes dry and red from her sobs. She'd still be crying now if she had any more tears to shed, but Crystal could imagine she was tapped out.
There was an arcanine that sat at his full height, exuding strength and power—a pillar of protection for the concerned onlookers. And there was the luxray Ezekiel, as stoic as Crystal has ever known him to be, sitting right by that pillar's side with eyes that sought to preserve its integrity and snuff out the saboteurs.
"As you may all be aware, two of our little ones have gone missing just recently. Damien and Janice's little skitty, Lilac, and Nova's little poochyena, Luna. I know this news may concern you, but rest assured, we are taking action to bring them both home as soon as possible. With that being said, our chief of public safety will give further details of our situation. Ace, if you would."
The arcanine nodded his head, standing to his feet and taking the elder's place before the sea of fear and uncertainty.
"Thank you, sir. At this current moment in time, we don't have enough evidence to conclude whether this is a case of two young pokemon getting lost in the forest or if they have been kidnapped by an unknown abductor. However, we will be doing everything in our power to bring them home. As we speak, our sky division is monitoring the air while our patrol team is scouring for any traces of their whereabouts.
"Until they are found, we will be taking measures to assure that no one else goes missing. For the safety of our children, we will be enforcing a strict curfew policy effective immediately. School-age children will be required to be home by sunset. Any children caught past this time must be escorted home immediately. They must remain on the village's premises at all times. Play, exploration, or travel past the borders is prohibited with no exception. Are they any questions so far?"
"Pst!" a paw reached to break past the crowd, but her arms were too short to peek above the heads of the taller, older villagers. So, she resorted to her whispered calls, "Dad! Dad! Dad, pick me!"
He breathed out a soft sigh. With a plea like that, Crystal could feel that Ace was much too used to the questions that came from this growlithe's mouth. But he humored her, as she was sure he always did.
"Yes, Ruby?"
Ruby scaled up Scarlet's back, climbing to where she could be seen and heard despite her mother's risen brow. "Do we still have to go to school?"
"Yes, Ruby, you still have to go to school."
That response elicited the first wave of uproars in this entire community meeting, the children's groans and complaints filling the air with their displeasure.
"Enough!" Ezekiel couldn't and wouldn't stand for it for long, his booming voice and terrifying stare startling the children long enough for them to remember where they were and the gravity of what they were talking about.
"Thank you, Ezekiel." Ace said, receiving a soft huff in return, "Now, as I was saying, you will still need to attend school, however, you will be escorted to and from the school grounds every day until this crisis is resolved. We'll be relying on everyone to assist with this so please check the community board for your scheduled escort times. Any other questions?"
Tim was the next to raise his hand, "Will our shop suppliers be kept from making their deliveries?"
"They will be permitted to deliver supplies but they must be monitored at all times." Ace answered. It seemed fair enough and the shop owners seemed satisfied with the decision. "Anyone else?"
The crowd looked around at their gathering, looking along with their chief for any more pressing questions that needed answers, but all hands, paws, wings, and claws remained down.
"Very well. If anything comes up, please feel free to find me. And remember to check the board for the days and times we've asked for your help in guaranteeing our children's safety." He finished his address with a nod of his head, stepping back to allow Elder Pines back into the spotlight.
"Thank you, Ace. I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say that we trust you and your men to get the job done. Please follow these guidelines to the letter and we'll pull through this. May Lady Xerneas smile on us all."
The crowd began to disperse, concerned mutterings filling the air from parents and child-free folks alike. It wasn't ruled as either-or, but that didn't stop them from fearing the worst. Crystal wanted to stay optimistic, wanted to believe in the best-case scenario, however, the vivid visions from her dream wouldn't let her believe in such false hope. Someone took them and Crystal was unable to see who it was or why they had done it.
"Hey, don't look so down." Emizella nudged her gently, "This may be a small village but our safety officers are no joke. They'll solve this and then it's back to business as usual."
Crystal wished she could share in Emizella's positive outlook. She tried though, cracking a small smile for the riolu, but it didn't last long, fading away just as quickly as it came. If Emizella saw what she had seen, what would she do? Would she still rely on the officials to find Luna and Lilac or would she take matters into her own hands?
Okay, that was a stupid question. There's no way Emi would just sit still and do nothing.
There was a tickle at the back of Crystal's throat. Part of her wanted to tell her about that dream—premonition or whatever it was—but the other part knew it would be a reckless mistake. Say she did tell her and then what? She had no idea where they were and she had no clues to the identity of whoever took them away. They'd be running as blindly as the officers searching high and low out there. It wasn't the most satisfactory decision but what else was she supposed to do?
"Emi, Crystal, do you have a moment?"
Ace stepped closer to them, giving Crystal a front-row seat to how large and bulking his body was. It would be startling… if she didn't see the baby vulpix snuggled into his mane atop his head. Does she even have an actual bed?
"Sure, what's up?" Emizella asked.
"I'd like you both to stay in the village until this is all resolved. I realize you're both old enough to take care of yourselves but we could use all the extra hands we can get. Plus, investigations will go a lot smoother if we're not mixing up tracks."
Emizella thought about it, her arms crossing over her chest while her head mulled over the issue. "We can, but I'm not stepping foot back in my house."
Is that what tripped her up? Crystal wondered with an incredulous stare. What's wrong with her house?
"I figured you might say that and have made arrangements that you may find more agreeable. For the time being, we can put you both up in the village inn. All expenses paid, of course."
Crystal wasn't sure if her eyes saw it right or if it was a trick of the light, but she could have sworn she saw Emizella's body flinch at the suggested offering. Her body steeled itself, keeping the visible reaction down to a minimum. "You sure that's fine?"
"Of course! The public safety division understands the inconvenience of putting you out of your home during our search so we hope that this much will be enough to compensate you for your cooperation."
It probably wasn't meant to sound like a bribe but the way Ace worded it definitely sounded like a sweet proposition to Crystal's ears.
Emizella's attention shifted to her, "What do you say? Feel like staying in the inn for a while?"
"I'm not really that picky about where I sleep."
"That's 'cuz you haven't had any of the high-grade good stuff." she told her with a chuckle before turning back to Ace, "Alright then, I just have to grab a few things first and then you guys can search around there all you want."
"Excellent! The public safety division greatly appreciates your cooperation and support." he said with a smile that beamed as strong as his voice, "I'll leave you to it, then. Have a safe day."
And with that, he turned to leave, walking back to Scarlet and their double-growlithe-vulpix-triplet set. Their tails started to wag, competing with each other on who could look the most ecstatic to see that their father was done with his business. Well, done enough to offer up some time to play with them.
"Dad, can we get breakfast now?" Ruby asked. Her paws were the first to press against her father's legs but her brothers were quick to follow the attention-seeking behavior, going as far as to jump in an attempt to climb onto his back.
"Yeah! Let's go get pancakes!" Garnet, her vulpix brother, added to his siblings' excitement.
"With sweet moomoo milk and honey!" Jasper finished off the request, licking his lips before the image painted in their minds. Even Crystal's mouth was beginning to water.
"Okay, okay, just behave yourselves." Ace conceded, kneeling down so his children didn't have to struggle so hard to climb on.
"We always do, Dad!" Ruby said, her and her brothers getting themselves situated on their father. She then nudged a gentle paw into her baby sister's bottom, pushing her higher on the crown of Ace's head.
His balancing act belonged in a circus, walking shoulder to shoulder with his wife while carrying three children on his back and a baby on his head. Crystal could tell Ace was well versed in the art of meeting the whims of his children.
She couldn't help staring at the family unit, catching Jasper's eyes as he leaned his back against his brother. He gave a wave from his laxed position, "See ya around!" he called out amidst his glee. Despite the heavy air, despite her heavy heart, they could still smile in bliss, just happy to spend their time together as a family.
But every silver lining carried a shadow with it and Crystal's eyes sought out that shadow. She saw them, the parents unlucky enough to know the devastating pain of longing for those carefree times, talking with the elder trevenant along with Ezekiel and a pyroar taking mental notes on everything they were saying. She felt a stinging feeling covering her heart with little pinpricks, the little wounds encouraging her to scratch at the growing itch. But her teeth sunk into her lips, reminding herself not to scratch at it. Reminding herself that, even if she did, there was nothing she could do with such little and, frankly, unreliable information.
They'll find them, she told herself, they'll find them… but it tasted like a lie.
~uwu~
Despair and heartache spread like a deadly illness in the small village. Despite seeing to it that every child made it to and from the school grounds, a little fomantis disappeared without a trace. Despite monitoring the border with strict vigilance, a small joltik vanished without any warning. They upped their efforts, increased their manpower and tightened their patrol, but children kept going missing. They had to up the severity of the case to serial kidnappings and all young children were required to stay in their homes.
Suspicion grew in this one neighborly village, not towards any named suspect but towards those that swore themselves to protect them.
"Are they really even trying?" Crystal heard one of the villagers mutter under their breath when seeing one of the patrolling officers.
"How much longer do they expect up to sit by and wait?" another growled, disgust dripping like venom.
"My baby girl is scared and crying somewhere and they still haven't found anything?" It wasn't even a whisper anymore, just razor-sharp words of accusation pointed directly towards the public safety division and their chief.
But Ace said nothing about it, keeping his head held high while directing the pokemon under him with each new update. Even with faith running thin, he wouldn't abandon his duty. Crystal wasn't sure what was more painful to watch, the growing scrutiny within the village or Ace's worn and tired face that seemed to drag lower every time she saw him.
"Have you found anything yet?" Nova asked the regular question she would pose to the arcanine daily.
His face fell lower, "I'm sorry… We've expanded our search radius but nothing has turned up yet."
"Unbelievable…" an ursaring scoffed, "How much longer are you going to take? Don't you realize what's at stake here?"
"Of course we do. We're doing all we can." Ace said, his voice pushing itself to remain steady.
"Could have fooled me…"
"And what are you doing? You think standing around and shooting your mouth off is going to bring everyone home any faster?" a linoone shouted to the ursaring, fangs bearing in agitation.
"They're the ones that swore to protect us! How long do they expect us to wait for any kind of news?"
"We're out there running ourselves ragged! The least you can do is not badger us with your complaints!" one of the patrol guards shouted out, sounding young, impulsive, and very, very, exhausted.
"My complaints? You think this is as simple as just complaining? I complain when my food comes cold. I complain when someone steps on my toes. But this… I don't even know if my son is alive or dead and you can't even tell me that much?!" the ursaring cried, breaking down into sobs.
No one wanted to mention it. No one wanted to think about it, but there it was, the grimmest possibility laid bare for all to see. It hanged in the air, heavy and suffocating, stealing the breath away from anyone and everyone who could hear. The ursaring's shattered voice broke through the air like crackling static, carrying with it a collective sorrow that broke Crystal's heart.
"I can't do anything more than swear to you that I am doing all I can…" Ace said, his voice barely audible. It couldn't hide the trembling in his throat.
The ursaring's eyes glared through her tears, staring through the wet, red tint at the arcanine. And she muttered under her breath just loud enough for him to hear, "Whatever helps you sleep at night…"
She left on that last note. Nobody dared get in her way, their eyes downcasted with heavy veils of grief cloaking their eyes. Nova turned her gaze up at him, regarding him silently before turning to leave as well. She didn't say anything and she didn't need to. It wasn't anger or even disappointment that flashed in her eyes. It was just… empty.
Crystal looked up at Ace, his lips pressed firmly together but she could still see the quivers breaking through.
"Ace, are you-"
"C'mon, Crystal. We still have a lot of ground to cover." He turned away before she could ask—before she could see—if he was all right. She couldn't call the look of his back cold or distance, but there was definitely something to it that deterred her from trying again.
~uwu~
Crystal walked with him back to his house, not wanting to leave him alone after what had happened. He tried urging her back, her workday ending a long time ago, but she insisted she stay. He might not have said anything but this didn't feel like a time to leave him to deal with the growing demons in his head. At least, Crystal wouldn't want to be left alone to deal with them by herself. Maybe Ace needed that same kindness.
"Thank you for your time today, Crystal." he said, turning to look to her once they arrived at his front door. "You should head straight back to the inn. It's gotten rather late and I wouldn't want Emizella worrying about where you are."
"Of course. I just wanted to make sure you got home okay." Crystal smiled. It was a small relief to see him return the gesture.
"That's kind of you but-"
"Dad?" the door creaked open and his daughter's face peered through the crack.
"Ruby…what are you doing still up? You should be in bed." Ace turned to face her, watching her push the door open wider.
Crystal could see into their family room, catching a glimpse of the pile of sleeping bodies that had tried to wait for him to come home. Scarlet covered their children in a nest of fluff, her tails blanketing the two brothers while their baby nestled herself by her mother's head. They tried to wait up for him yet Ruby was the only one awake to greet him.
She stared up at her father, her eyes glossy and shimmering. The admiration and adoration for the arcanine did not die and refused to yield no matter what words from outside drifted into her eyes. She moved closer to his leg, rubbing her cheek into him and rolling her head to look into his eyes.
"It's okay, Dad. I still believe in you."
Crystal saw his eyes breaking, his iron will helpless against his overflowing tears. It was okay, though. No one here would think any less of him for letting his vulnerability peek through. Not Crystal and certainly not his daughter.
A large paw wrapped around Ruby, hugging her closer while his head hung low against his chest. "Thanks, kiddo…"
"Anytime…" she said with a smile, her tail swaying behind her.
At least in all this turmoil, he still had a safe place in his own home.
~uwu~
Crystal felt every pull and drag of her muscles as she made her way back to their shared suite. She could collapse in front of the door and her body would still call it a victory, but she must make it inside. She could use a taste of her own safe place right about now and it lied on the other side of this door.
She pushed her way in, slipping her bag to the floor next to Emizella's before finding her in their room. "Oh hey," she greeted, sitting up from her lounging position and placing the book she was reading from her lap to the pillow. She didn't wait to meet Crystal halfway, jumping out of the bed and stepping closer, "How was your day?"
Crystal didn't have the energy to restrain herself, letting her face shove itself into Emizella's chest. Every ounce of body weight she had melted into her fuzzy body, hoping she could vanish away into the familiar scent. She asked for the pets she grew so accustomed to loving with a soft nudge of her head and received it without any complaints.
"Guessing it was rough, huh?" she asked, her voice warm and soft against her ears.
Crystal only hummed, buzzing against Emizella's body without bothering to move her head.
"Well, how about we hit the baths? At this hour, it'll probably be empty so we can have the place all to ourselves."
Crystal didn't have to think about it. She didn't even pretend to think about it. She just pushed her head to the side and freely let the words flow out. "A bath sounds really good right now…"
"Right? Let's get down there before they lock it up." she said, wrapping an arm around her stomach and lifting her off the ground.
Crystal couldn't deny that it was a smart move on Emizella's part. There was no way they would have made it in time if they left it up to Crystal's paws to carry her all the way downstairs to where the public baths were kept. She just hung like a loose doll with each step, feeling the bobs of her body trickle down from her head to her toes.
Shouldn't she be feeling less dignified being carried like this? But her body was small and light and Emizella didn't seem to care much so why should she? Besides, it wasn't like anyone was around to judge her on it so why not enjoy the ride for as long as it lasted. It wouldn't last forever, anyway so she'll savor it while she still could.
Now, Crystal liked baths. She didn't think she could in this life but they were just as calming and relaxing as the few pieces from her far off days remembered. She melted away in the hot bathwater, the subtle sweet smells of candied fruits and honeyed flowers wafting into her nose. She took in a deep breath of it, letting it swim in her head before sighing deeper into its shallow depths.
The water splashed around Emizella's body when she stretched her arms high above her head, soft pops coming from her spine as she tried reaching for the ceiling. "It feels so good to freshen up at the end of the day. We can cook ourselves for as long as we want without any worries."
"Mm-hm," Crystal hummed, feeling the tickling bubbles brush against her fur.
She really did love baths but she hated how short-lived this moment of bliss truly was. Just on the other side of the steam and the fog was their reality. It was nothing like this dreamy place. It didn't come with sweet scents and it didn't care how she felt about that. It must have flickered across her eyes, the brief glimpse into what lied at the other side of that door.
Emizella moved closer, staring towards the same wall with little glances peeking through the corner of her eyes at the fennekin. "Do you want to talk about it?" she asked, her breath skating across the water's surface.
"About what?" Crystal asked back, although it was more of a reflex than an actual question. Feigning ignorance was pretty much useless at this point.
"About what's eating you up inside. My offer still stands, you know. I don't care if it's mundane or completely bonkers crazy, I still want you to be able to tell me whatever it is you need to get out. Unload it all onto me, I can take it." she said with a grin, pointing a digit towards herself with a clear "dump your baggage here" kind of air about her.
"I…" Her words caught themselves in her throat, an inability to complete the thought overtaking her chest and putting a hold on her breath to keep her from continuing. She released the short pause, letting a long exhale blow out and relax her chin over the public tub's edge. "Promise me you won't think any less of me?"
"Of course."
Her eyes flashed towards the riolu before going off to stare back into the steam, "I don't think what we're doing is going to get us any closer to finding the missing children, but I don't think it's because we're not trying hard enough. I truly believe that everyone is doing their best with what they can do. Ace, Jesse, Ezekiel… everyone's truly doing everything in their power to find them, but I don't think they'll be able to find them like this." She stopped for a second, gathering up her thoughts and rearranging them into a clear message. "Whoever took the children… I don't think they'll be found if they don't want to be. I mean, they're only targeting the youngest villagers yet not a single parent has seen them. It makes me think that… if we want to find them, we'll have to make them find us instead."
"How do you suppose we do that?"
Crystal shook her head slowly, "I don't like the answer… and I know Ace wouldn't like it either." her eyes turned up to Emizella's, "You know what I'm talking about, right?"
She watched her for a second before the crimson in her eyes took on a tone that mixed with the light of enlightenment and the shadows of apprehension. "Live bait?"
Crystal nodded.
"That can't be our only option… but everything else makes sense." Emizella muttered, her brows shaping a focused look into her eyes. "Let's talk to Ace about it tomorrow. We'll come up with a plan together and go from there." she suggested with a firm nod of her head.
Crystal gave an affirmative hum, her head feeling just a little bit better after giving a voice to her circling thoughts. Sure, things were still uncertain, but she felt lighter and maybe just a bit more hopeful that everything can and will go back to normal.
~uwu~
Edging into the early morning, where the sky was just growing a little brighter and the dew was just starting to settle, Crystal could hear the shouts of desperation and panic creeping into her sleep and waking her to Scarlet's voice. The grogginess of her brain made it hard to hear, but she thought she heard her shouting out two names: Ruby and Garnet.
Ruby.
Garnet.
Ruby.
Garnet.
Over, and over, and over…