Chapter 10 - Courtship
Milo,
Hey old buddy, old pal! Did you think this was another letter from Mabel? Well then
you thought wrong!
I had no idea what to think when Mabel told me you were still kicking. You had me
fooled, that's for sure. When you told me to not say anything about what you were
going to do, I never would've suspected that you were going to fake your own death!
I thought I could have noticed the signs you were making and stopped you from
tumbling down that cliff! You said it right to my face that you were leaving, but I was
still in denial. I was down in the dumps when I thought my last words to you were
going to be some bittersweet ones. I guess I shouldn't have ignored you in the end.
Sorry for not taking this "stalker" problem of yours more seriously. Don't apologize for
what you did, I get it now. I was just thinking that there was no way in hell someone
would try to do those things in such a quaint little town, but if it was enough to drive you
away, then I guess it must at least be somewhat true. Sorry man. I'll try to make it up to
you someday.
That being said however, I'll also probably try to strangle you if I see you again so soon.
Sorry man, but this is still a lot to process. Just when I thought I was finally ready to
accept the reality that you were gone, you decide to pull this stunt on me? You can bet
your ass that I'm a bit peeved about it. I'm glad you're alive and all, but I need some
time to recuperate before I think about stopping by to visit or something. I bet Mabel
chewed you out when she found you, and rightfully so, if you ask me. You should consider
yourself lucky that it wasn't me who got their paws on you.
And don't worry. Your whole scheme on making everyone think you died worked like a
charm. Everyone in Cradle Town has accepted the fact that you're at the bottom of some
ocean or lake, at least, that's what the local newspaper said. The press made a big deal
about it too. Some Pokémon here even wanted to hold a funeral for you. Can you believe
that? It never actually happened, but I bet you didn't think you had that much of a cult
following here, did ya? Just how many Pokémon did you save when you were out being a
hero or whatnot? I honestly still can't believe it was you who did all those things.
Things have calmed down just recently, like about a month ago. At first, it was hectic when
news of your "suicide" began to spread, especially around campus. Writing down all the specifics
would take too long, so just imagine what you think would happen when some crazy new fad
takes an entire town by storm, only to have it go out of fashion the moment everyone gets
hooked on it. I'm pretty sure the source of all the rumors came from Stella, one of Mabel's
friends. I don't know if that name still rings a bell for you, but she has been crying about it for
weeks the day after you told me you were leaving. Would you be surprised that I was the first
one to break into your house when I heard about it? I found your little farewell note and
everything. Needless to say I got pretty emotional when I read it. I gotta say man, I never
would have thought the stuff you wrote on there was fake! Have you written stuff before?
I even let Mabel read it, but I probably shouldn't have in hindsight, since she has been a total
wreck afterwards. I also kinda turned your will into a pile of ashes when I was done with it. Not
like you're gonna need it anytime soon now that you're not actually dead, right? Look on the
bright side, at least no one else got to see it!
All in all, things are just fine on the homefront. I've still got other buddies to hang out with,
so don't get all concerned about leaving me alone. I will admit that things just aren't the
same without you to mess with, but hey, sometimes life is just like that. If you insist on
being guilty about something, I suggest you keep doing whatever it is you're doing with
Mabel. I probably don't have to tell you this, but she has been taking your sudden absence
a lot harder than anybody else. Maybe you'll find a brain to use while you're at it, if you know
what I mean.
P.S. - I hope you don't mind, but I've been looking after your house ever since you left…
and by that I mean I just use it to store my extra shit in.
- Flynn
There are several weeks between now and when summer arrives. Normally I'd have no problem waiting for such a long period, but getting to meet an old friend again makes me want to skip forward in time to when I can see them again. I guess it does serve as a nice motivator to get me through the days.
During the winter months, I get less orders for food shipments since there aren't a lot of berries that can grow in cold weather. I didn't mind the slight reduction in revenue, mostly because I had a lot more free time compared to other seasons. Floridity doesn't seem to get a lot of snow, nor does it often reach freezing temperatures, so my sunbathing excursions thankfully remain largely unaffected. On some occasions where I have a considerable portion of the day left after napping and whatnot, I choose to go out and try to get more involved with my local community.
Unfortunately, the Pokémon here that are within my age group only seem to like to hang around taverns and other mature places. Going to the former of the aforementioned locations isn't that much of a problem since it's never mandatory to buy an alcoholic beverage at those establishments, even though it is implied that it is pretty much obligatory. I still am a little intimidated to go to them, since I'm convinced that the bar owners think I'm a wuss for always ordering fruit juice instead of their more intoxicating choices, though they've yet to voice their criticisms.
That's not to say that the local saloons, nightclubs, and the like are the only places to find my fellow young adults, but they are places that have become associated with us. When I sometimes go to local cafés or library to spend some of my leisure time, I see and overhear groups of not only rowdy teenagers, but also other Pokémon around my age discussing their future hangout plans. Whether it's going to see a play at the theater, perusing an art gallery at night, or just having a nice chat at a bakery, I can't help but feel envious of them. They must all be a tightly-knit group of friends that do just about everything together. A small part of me wanted to ask if I could join them, but I knew that was never going to happen. My ability to hold a conversation leaves a lot to be desired, much less starting up one.
I'm so bored...
I do try to get as many opportunities as I can to socialize, since I know I can't keep relying on Flynn and Mabel for company. It pained me to have to put myself out of my comfort zone, but I did end up enjoying the handful of interactions I had with my peers, though it still felt like they were few and far in between. I keep hoping that I'll improve myself overnight, but instead I keep reevaluating on the things I said to a complete stranger during what was probably nothing more than a casual exchange. The typical concerns of "Did I say anything offensive?" or "Do they think I'm a weirdo?" would continue to pollute my mind long after it happened. It doesn't help that I start stressing about these things whenever I'm trying to sleep or relax. It's like my own brain is actively working against me.
I'm really only trying to meet new Pokémon as a way to keep myself occupied, even by just a little. I still have trouble seeing myself in a positive light. I've learned the hard way that trying some "get rich quick" scheme in trying to better myself by playing superhero for Cradle Town was never going to be successful. Thinking back on the grand adventures I had during my glory days makes me feel like I should be full of pride, but instead it's just overshadowed by the guilt of me knowing that I ran away from it all.
The only real, tangible benefit I got from hitting the pubs during the afterhours was getting to learn all the local gossip. Apparently a new university had finally finished being built in Floridity. It was going to boast the most modern facilities for learning, as well as having highly decorated professors among its teaching staff. It's for these reasons that tons of students are trying to enroll. There's so much in fact that admission rates are already lower than some of the most competitive colleges from across the region, which are known for only accepting kids who are total brainiacs, or if they have some over-the-top, prestigious talent or something. Basically, the town should be expecting a wave of both tourists and transfer students in the coming months. I actually spent a lot of time debating if I should apply, since I liked the idea of continuing my education, but ultimately decided not to. I've already made a decent living for myself, and I'm a bit afraid of the academic expectations there. The student loans that would accumulate from going to a school that pretty much became an instant ivy league probably would've broke the bank anyway, and I don't feel like having to pay those off again.
Waiting through the remainder of winter and the entirety of spring was agonizing. Each day was filled with working, eating, and then sleeping. I felt like I had done little in accomplishing my personal goals, if any at all. The attempts I made to be more outgoing always ended up in me being held back by my uncertainty and anxiety. I desperately needed to do something fun and different compared to just napping all day, and knowing that I couldn't because I lacked the courage to do so made me feel so pathetic.
It shouldn't come as much of a surprise then on how giddy I was when I got word from Mabel that she was done with her junior year and was probably only a day away from Floridity by the time I received her letter. She also alluded in her postcard that she had a surprise for me, which only helped to thin my patience in wondering what it might be.
The following noon was when the long-awaited knock on my door finally came. My mind rushed with all different sorts of plans on how Mabel and I could spend the day when I answered the door.
"Milo! Oh, It's been so looooong." The Leafeon exclaimed, hugging me the moment I opened the door. "I missed you."
"Yeah, it's been a while." I felt elated when we broke away. I was about to invite her in, but a strange feeling in my gut stopped me from doing so. I was getting inexplicably ominous vibes that made my stomach churn. I tilted my head to look behind Mabel, and found the likely source of the disturbance. An exhausted Espeon was sitting on her haunches. She had both a satchel slung over her shoulder and a big travel bag on her back. She returned my gaze with a yawn. My eyes shifted back towards Mabel with shock and disappointment. "You brought Joy?! Why'd you tell her I was here?"
Well hello to you too, Milo.
I wasn't talking to you!
Mabel held her paws up defensively. "I didn't mean to! Honest! She made me tell her!"
"How?"
"She just wouldn't stop asking when I went away for winter break." The Leafeon slanted backwards when I continued to eye her skeptically. "Stop looking at me like that! My lips are sealed from now on! Including Joy's!" She turned her head towards the pink eeveelution. "Right Joy?"
"... Sure."
I glanced at both of them before letting out a huge sigh. "Okay well, I guess it doesn't really matter much anyway. Was she your surprise?"
"... Partially, but not really." Mabel answered. "The real surprise is this!" She pulled out a white envelope from the messenger bag she was wearing. It had a stamp with the Florid University logo on it - the new college that so many Pokémon are trying to get into. "Guess who was able to transfer here!" She motioned for Joy to do the same, who tiredly complied. Her letter was a lot less crumpled than Mabel's.
"Wow, really?... That's great." I said unsteadily. Joy was giving me that signature glare of hers.
Why are you looking at me like that? It's creeping me out.
No reason. Don't mind me.
"C'mon Milo, don't you get it? We can hang out as many times as we want now! Just like old times!"
"I know. It's just… I don't know what to say."
"Aww~... well I guess I'll take your speechlessness as a good sign."
While what she said was mostly correct, I mainly just found Joy's presence to be unnerving, especially when she seems so grouchy. I only just noticed that there was a bunch of luggage behind Mabel as well. It must've been a pain to carry all that over from Cradle Town to Floridity. "So uhh… need any help unpacking all of that?"
"Oh right… about that." Mabel shifted uncomfortably in place - a behavior I knew all too well. Whatever she was going to ask, I knew I wouldn't be able to refuse, since I'm in a position where I can't say no to her.
"What is it?"
"Can I move in with you?"
"What?! No!" I grimaced.
"Aww… but why?"
Her pout made me regret my immediate hypocrisy, but I still resolved to stand my ground. "Do you even know what you're asking? How many... erm... problems, we'd have if we started living together?"
"Then why did you let me stay with you before?"
"Because that wasn't permanent! Besides, what's wrong with the dorms in Florid University? I heard they're really nice."
"But I wanna stay with you." She whined.
"I'm sorry, but don't you think what you're asking is just a bit too sudden?"
The Leafeon groaned in response. "Fiiiiine. It was worth a try at least."
"Don't be like that. I'll be happy to do something else for you."
"Yeah yeah." She muttered before beginning to grab her things and walk away. "In that case, do you wanna show me where all the restaurants are again later tonight? I kinda forgot where everything is."
I nodded. "I'd love to."
"Great." She confirmed with a smile. "I'll see you later then."
Joy gave me a silent nod of approval before trudging along after her... or at least I think it was. It was hard to tell from her constant scowling.
Mabel never came back that day. It could be because she took a long time to get settled in to her new surroundings, or that she was still steamed at me for refusing her. I need to be more careful about what I say to her.
I assumed that she had a lot of things to do, like college orientation and stuff, so I was probably lucky that she managed to squeeze in a quick visit with me yesterday. I didn't mind her absence as much as I thought I would. I had paperwork that I had put off since I was anxious all of yesterday in preparation for Mabel's arrival, even after she finally came. I began making it up early into the next morning, in hopes that I'd finish before the afternoon, but my brain in the morning probably won't let that happen. Unlike winter, summer is usually when the orders for berry shipments begin to flood my mailbox.
Why does work have to start piling up when Mabel finally comes?
Funnily enough, the dean of Florid University has recently become one of my customers, and a regular one at that. They apparently need tons of berries to stockpile in their dining halls for students and staff alike. I do find it a bit ironic that I, a lowly college dropout, has business ties with a school of such an elite caliber, but one shouldn't complain about additional profits, even if it does mean more labor too.
Mabel came to visit me at around dusk so I could take her around town. Unfortunately, I still wasn't even close to being done with my work, so I asked if she could wait until I was finished. I specifically had her lounge around my living room, which was completely separate from a relatively empty room that I use as my office so I wouldn't be distracted, though she usually still finds a way.
"Miloooo." The Leafeon moaned while stumbling through the door that led into my workspace. "What's taking so long?"
"Just a sec." I said quickly. "I'm almost done."
She stared at me scribbling calculations on a piece of scrap paper. "How long exactly?"
"I dunno, like an hour or two maybe?"
"An hour?! You call that 'almost done'?"
By then I was impatiently tapping my pen against the desk I was sitting at. "I've been at this all day, so… yeah. I would say so."
"Ugghhh, you've got to be kidding me."
"You're still a business major, right?" I grinned, spreading my arms out, "This is your future right here. If you're complaining about me doing it, then you're gonna be howling by the time you do have to do this."
"Stop that." She retorted, crossing her arms. She watched me take out the last paper I had to fill out from a folder. "What are you even doing anyway?"
"Just crunching numbers, basically."
Suddenly the tan eeveelution was behind me and looking over my shoulder. "Oh hey, I've done those kinds of forms before." She started nudging me out of my seat. "Let me do it."
I scoffed. "You're welcome to try." I stood up and offered her my chair, chuckling at her ignorance. "Believe me, the practice stuff you do in school is a lot simpler than what you actually have to do. Don't be surprised if you don't get it."
"Pfft, whatever you say." She shook her head. "Don't think you can act so high and mighty just because this is your job. Now buzz off, you're ruining my focus."
I should be the one saying that...
"Sure sure." I said dismissively. I went out of the room for a few minutes to go pour myself some coffee. When I came back, I saw Mabel holding the page up, still staring blankly at it. "See? It's a lot harder than it-"
"I'm done."
I nearly choked when swallowing my drink. "Wha-?"
She placed the paper flat on the desk to reveal her handiwork. "I was just checking it over."
I snatched up the sheet and began to examine it closely. Everything was filled out correctly, and with handwriting that was a thousand times better than mine.
It's even written in cursive…
"What the-..." I looked up just in time to see Mabel's smug face. "How did you do it so fast?"
"What are you talking about? It's easy to do those quickly once you understand it. Are you saying you don't?" She mocked in an affectionate tone.
"O-Of course I know how to do it." I stuttered. "But I've been doing these for almost a year, and no matter what, this takes me hours to do! I can't even…" I kept rereading the document to see if there were any errors at all, but I couldn't find any. "Did you do all the math in your head?"
Her face beamed. "Yessir."
"Within the span of like five minutes?"
"Umm... yeah? Doesn't everyone process numbers that quickly?"
I can't tell if you're being sarcastic or not…
"You were a math genius this whole time and never told me about it?"
"You never asked."
"Oh for the love of-" I slumped forward onto the desk in defeat. I felt like everything I've studied in Cradily was a waste. "Nevermind."
"What were you going to say?"
"Nothing, let's just go out to eat like you wanted."
"Wait, before we go, can I ask you something?"
I sighed. Even though I just had my caffeine fix, I still felt so tired. "What?"
"Does it always take a while for you to do your accounting?"
Whether that was meant to be a jab or not, I couldn't tell. I tried my best hide how offended I was. "Not as much as today, since had to make up yesterday's as well. But yeah, I have to set aside a few hours everyday to do them."
"Well, in that case, want me to do them for you?"
"... Come again?"
"I can do the paperwork for you."
"Err..." The confusion I had was painfully obvious in the way I looked at her. Who would willingly volunteer to do such mundane amounts of work everyday? "Wouldn't it be better if you just teach me how you do it?"
She rolled her eyes at me. "No offense, Milo, but that'd probably take forever."
"But..." I started scratching my head. "Are you sure you want to do this?"
"Think of it this way. You obviously don't like doing it, and I don't want to have to wait for you to do them until you're free, so why don't I just do it for you?"
"Well, if you put it that way…" I donned a thoughtful expression for a moment, "Then sure, if that's what you really want."
The smile that Mabel had was contagious, especially when she pulled me into a hug. "See? I knew you'd come around."
My restaurant of choice was none other than the Sunkern Café, which thankfully had another location here in Floridity, and likely all around the region. While I was certainly excited to go out for some food for a change, I was more interested on discussing the conditions of Mabel's employment, though she didn't really consider it a job.
"You don't have to pay me Milo. I'm not really in it for the money. You know that, right?"
"Then how about an internship? You might be able to graduate sooner if you had one."
"... I can do that?"
"Sure you can, if they allow it. I've got some connections with the dean of Florid University, believe it or not. I could probably figure something out."
"Wow, Milo, I didn't know you had made such influential friends. Moving up in the world, huh?"
"It's not like that. I've never actually met him."
I was intent on giving her some kind of salary anyway, whether she likes it or not. It'd be a crime to not compensate her for what she's doing in terms of common decency, and probably literally too. I may not have expressed it, but I was overjoyed when Mabel said she wanted to work for me. While I do think it's weird that my best friend is also going to be my first employee, I relished the idea of not having to step foot into my office ever again.
I was more than ready to turn in for the night once I had gotten back home. I slept with a clear consciousness. Mabel looked like she was the happiest she's ever been in a while, and her jubilance was starting to rub off on me. Today and yesterday must be the marking of a new chapter in my life, as for once, I was actually feeling optimistic about what tomorrow had in store for me.
The next day started before the sun even rose. I awoke to some rude character drumming on my door, which turned out to be the Pokémon that I just had dinner with last night. She thumped me on the head when I answered.
"Ow! What was that for?"
"That was a wake up call. So wake up! I wanna show you something!" She bellowed in my face.
My expression changed to one that showed that I wasn't very amused. "Mabel, what in the world are you doing at this hour? Shouldn't you be asleep?"
"Do I look asleep to you?" She said impatiently. "What's the hold up?"
"It's five o' clock in the morning, that's what! Why didn't you tell me last night that you were coming?"
"I forgot!" She grabbed my arm before I could react and started to drag me towards god knows where. "Now come with me!"
"W-Whoa! Hey, where are we going?"
"You'll see when we get there!"
It wasn't long before we were at the hill that had a clear view of the horizon. Being here again immediately evoked memories of one of the last few days she was here during her winter break, which has been implanted into my brain ever since. I forgot how breathtaking the view was. At the same time, I could feel myself getting skittish.
"Wow, you still remember this place?" I asked unsteadily.
"Well, duh, of course I do. How could I forget?"
"So umm… is there a reason why you brought me here? Is this about me hiring you?"
"No."
"Did I do something wrong?"
"No."
"Then what is it?"
"... Nostalgia, I guess."
"What do you mean?"
"Just… be quiet for a moment Milo. Can't you see that I just want to watch the sunrise with you?"
"Oh, err… right. I can do that."
I still wasn't satisfied with her answer, but I bit my lip to ensure I stayed silent. I guessed that once she had gotten what she wanted, I could get home sooner to catch up on some sleep. We watched the big ball of light slowly rise higher and higher, presenting a dazzling spectacle where the sky had a golden hue. My awe in watching the town square of Floridity getting illuminated by the sun was suddenly interrupted when Mabel started to snuggle up against me.
"It's almost like a dream, isn't it?"
"What is?"
"You know. Moving here, seeing you again, spending time with you. I'm just so happy." She sounded like she was about to cry. She must've sensed it too, as she quickly followed up with a question. "What about you? Doesn't the sky look so pretty?"
"Oh, yeah. It's cool… but uhh… we're not doing this everyday, are we? This wasn't part of the job application I had for you." I tried to joke.
She giggled. "That depends, would you like to?"
"Not if it means having to wake up this early everyday."
Mabel scoffed. "That's just what a sleepyhead would say." She rested her head on my shoulder. "It's fine though, just doing this one last time is all I ask from you."
Her proximity made my whole body tense up. I forced a chuckle to hide my growing anxiety. "Oh, t-that's a relief. I've been meaning to make things up with you, but not at this hour."
"Is that so?" She leaned in. "And what did you have in mind~?"
"Umm… y-you know… t-things." I stammered, "A-Anything, really."
"Anything~?" She repeated, "You know what I'd like then?"
"What?" I turned to look at her just in time to see that she had already taken the liberty to close the distance between our muzzles, stopping only until they touched. "Oh…"
She stared intensely at me when we parted. Anticipating that the next thing that would come out of my mouth would be a jumbled mess, which would most definitely be the case, she chose to silence me with another kiss, just for good measure. At that point, I was rendered absolutely speechless. All I could manage to do was just look at her dumbfoundedly.
Mabel seemed to be satisfied by how disorientated I was. With nothing else that needed to be said, she decided now to be a good time to make her leave.
"Don't be a stranger Milo. I'll see you around~." She hummed, then left me to my own accord.
I sat atop the hill for a while longer, trying to make sense of what just happened. After a short time, I determined that simply watching the clouds drift across the sky wasn't really doing much to help me put my thoughts together. A sudden yawn reminded me of what I was supposed to be doing, so I started heading back.
I didn't realize until I got home that I was rubbing my lips.
Flynn,
I didn't think I'd hear from you so soon. You don't know how much of a relief it is to
know that you're doing okay. Words can't describe how much I want to apologize for
what I did, but you already said not to, so I won't. Not like I'm in a position to ask for
forgiveness anyway. And yeah, Mabel really took it out on me when she found me.
It made me feel pretty bad, but I am doing all I can to make amends, especially now
that she's moved here. I made a promise to her that I'd be more open to her about
my feelings, but I guess that applies to you too, given that I left you in the dark as well.
It's nice of you to say how things are going on back in Cradle, but I don't see myself
coming back there anytime soon. Not now, not ever. What you've said perfectly explains
why I shouldn't come back. A cult following is not exactly how I'd describe what I had to
deal with when I was there, but it is somewhere along the lines of that. It really just boiled
down to too many Pokémon trying to talk to me at once, to the point where I couldn't take
it anymore, which, now that I put it that way, really goes to show how pathetic I am. You'd
probably see all the attention as an opportunity, but for someone like me, there's no way I
could remain sane if I stayed there any longer. Even if things are starting to calm down, I
don't think I can bring myself to go back. I'd love to catch up with you someday, but just
not there.
As for how I'm doing, I'm doing okay, all things considered. I have everything I could have
ever wanted. To everybody here, I'm nothing but the average citizen. I like the solitude and
peace I have here in Floridity… at least, that's what I thought at first. Life here has been
getting rather dull. I never really noticed it until Mabel was here for the first time. And now
that she's continuing her last year here with me, I'd say things are looking up. I still am a
bit ashamed that I'm always relying on you guys to keep me company. If you couldn't tell
already, I haven't been able to make any friends by myself yet. It's been hard, so very hard.
I've never had to do anything like this since you and Mabel were the ones that approached
me first a couple years ago. Not that I'm blaming you, it's just now that I've realized that
I never was able to build up the confidence to ask what comes next after conversing with
somebody. I kinda wish I stayed in school. At least on campus I had an obligation to talk
with my classmates. Sorry if this sounds sappy, but what I'm trying to say is that I really
do appreciate our friendship.
If you don't mind me asking, how are things going between you and Joy? You never really
told me what happened after you ran off into the woods to go see her off, nor have you
brought it up, so I assumed things were complicated, and even more so now that she's
here, and not with you. I was honestly expecting you to show up as well when I learned
that Joy had transferred here too. I thought you'd jump at the chance to go wherever she
went. If things are rough, I just want to let you know that I'm there to talk to if you need it.
I'd really like to make things up to you when I can, so the least I could do is help you through
your problems.
Thanks again for sending me a letter, it really puts my mind at ease to get some closure.
You don't have to tell me twice about Mabel. I know what I did. I know how she feels… though
I don't know what you mean about "finding a brain", but I guess I'll figure it out later. Take
your time if you do decide to visit me. I don't want to be a bother. Just try to resist the urge
to punch me when I see you, even though I deserve it.
P.S. - Do whatever you want with my old house, since it's not like I'm going to be seeing it
anytime soon. If you haven't found it already, I keep the keys tucked away in a drawer in
the bedroom... not that you lock your doors anyway.
- Larry
Thanks for reading everybody! I hope you all don't mind all the dialogue I had in this chapter. :)
Don't forget to review if you'd like, and I hope to see you guys back here very soon!
