Chapter Five - The Glass Prison
"Shut the curtains."
It was not the ideal way to break the ice. Serena's command went unanswered. No one heeded her words. While she hurried into the next room and moved from window to window, yanking the curtains closed as she went and struggling not to trip over herself in her haste, everyone else remained silent, staring at each other. Unspoken questions echoed all around.
Finished with the first room, Serena re-entered the foyer.
"What are you waiting for?" she said. "Hurry!"
"What's going on?" said Bonnie.
"Yeah, seriously," said Korrina. "Are you alright?"
"I believe I concur with everyone in saying that I would be much more inclined to help if I understood what was happening," said Clemont.
"We're being followed," said Serena. "We escaped from Palermo, and she's after us! We need to hide!"
"Palermo?" said Korrina. She narrowed her eyes, examining Aria. "Wait a second…"
Aria seemed to be struggling to catch her breath yet also trying to do so as silently as possible. She breathed deeply through her nose, staring down at the floor.
Korrina stepped forward. She pointed at Aria.
"You!" said Korrina. She looked at Serena as Serena proceeded into the next room, shutting all the curtains as she went. "Serena, you found her!"
"Yes, and that's why we need to hide!" said Serena. "Help me! Come on!"
No one else helped. Instead, Clemont adjusted his glasses. Bonnie took a step toward Aria, gazing up at her.
"Have we met?" said Bonnie.
Aria said nothing. She bit her lip and looked away.
"This is the girl you wanted to find?" said Clemont. "Perhaps my eyes deceive me, but if I didn't know any better I would say this is-"
Before Clemont could finish his sentence, Serena poked her head back into the room with a finger raised to her lips and a sharp glare on her face. She shushed Clemont so loudly that she practically hissed at him.
Aria met Serena's eyes. She shook her head.
"There's no point," said Aria. "They know who I am."
Serena let her shoulders slump. She rolled her eyes.
"Fine. It's Aria," she said. "So, will somebody please help me close the curtains?! She can't afford to be seen here!"
Serena's words were met with collective shock. Aria smiled nervously.
"Hello," said Aria. She gave everyone a bashful wave before hiding her hands behind her back.
"Are you serious?" said Clemont, looking to both Serena and Korrina for an explanation. "It really is her?"
"Yes," said Serena. "And if anyone followed us here and sees her inside, we are in more trouble than you can imagine!"
Once again, no one moved. Serena supposed it was acceptable for the moment. At least the street-facing windows were all covered.
"You're not much of a detective, are you?" said Aria, giving Korrina a furtive glance. "No offense intended."
"I just didn't think it was really you!" said Korrina. "Why would the Kalos Queen be working at a café?"
"It's a long story," said Aria.
"What happened?" said Bonnie. "You look so different!"
"That's… kind of my signature trait," said Aria.
Bonnie tilted her head.
"Well, I know I asked you before if you wanted to take care of my brother, but he's off-limits!" said Bonnie.
"Pardon?" said Aria.
"He belongs to Korrina now!" said Bonnie. "So hands off!"
Korrina laughed. Clemont groaned and covered his face with one hand.
"Bonnie…"
Korrina's laughter died down, and it became awkwardly quiet again.
"So, am I mistaken in my understanding that you two were in some sort of danger when you arrived?" said Clemont.
Aria exchanged a glance with Serena.
"No, you are not," said Aria. "But before I explain, I think I owe an apology to all of you. Perhaps several apologies, actually."
The next few hours were surreal to Serena. After shutting every single curtain in the house, her first concern was for Pancham and Sylveon. Uncertain if she would be able to take them to the Pokémon Center without risking being apprehended, Serena released them from their balls expecting to have to administer first aid. Instead, Ribombee burst out of her ball again and used what appeared to be the same move she used on Klefki and Monsieur Pierre. But rather than cause an explosion, the balls of pollen and fluff she conjured healed Pancham and Sylveon. They were both back on their feet within seconds, and Serena was left scratching her head.
The truly strange portion of the evening came afterward, during which Clemont prepared a pot of tea and everyone sat at the kitchen table while Aria apologized at length for everything that happened in Monego City and explained her situation in laborious detail. Throughout Aria's long monologue, Serena grew nervous at the sound of every car passing outside. She even rose from her seat several times to peek out the corner of the window. She never saw anyone or anything at all out of the ordinary.
It was after midnight when Aria finished. Clemont took Bonnie upstairs to her bed. She had long since fallen asleep with her head on the table. Korrina offered to room with Bonnie for the night, saying that Aria clearly needed some peace and a proper bed, more than willing to use a sleeping bag for the night. Aria offered to take the couch downstairs, but neither Korrina nor Clemont would hear any talk of it.
And so, Serena found herself alone with Aria in the spare bedroom. At least, as alone as they could be with all of their Pokémon. Clearly aware of who she was from a time they had worked together as volleyball partners, Sylveon ran her feelers over Aria, eliciting a ticklish laugh. Pancham, as always, pretended he was too cool to pay attention to anything going on and loitered by the door with his sunglasses over his eyes. Serena caught sight of him sneaking obvious glances at the newcomers several times. Overhead, Ribombee disrupted what would have otherwise been a tenuous silence with her constant chatter, even more excited than usual. In contrast, Aromatisse watched Ribombee's movements lazily from below with a dreamy look in her eye, as if she were on the brink of falling asleep.
On the far side of the room, both Serena's and Aria's Delphox stood before the window, pointedly struggling to start a conversation. Both of them stole occasional glances in the direction of the window even though the curtains were closed. Neither of them met each other's eyes.
Aria sat on the edge of what had once been Korrina's cot, gazing at the towers of boxes throughout the room. Serena could not even begin to imagine what Aria thought of it all. She was relieved that at least in the few weeks she had been there she had cleared several paths through the room. It was a disaster, but a contained disaster.
Aria removed the beret atop her head and placed it on the bed. Almost immediately, Ribombee landed on top of it. With her eyes closed, Aria pulled several pins from her hair. As she removed them, the tight bun atop her head unfolded and fell down to her shoulders. Tight creases and gnarled tangles covered her hair. She tried to tousle it and run her fingers through it, but her fingers got stuck on knots.
All the while, Serena tried her best not to stare. Her best was not enough to fool Aria, she discovered. Aria looked at her and answered her unspoken question.
"Yes, I've had it up like that for a while," said Aria.
Serena was quick to look away. She sat down on her own bed and busied herself with her bag.
"Oh, really?" she said. "It doesn't show."
"You don't have to lie," said Aria. "I know it looks horrible. It's inevitable when you live without running water for so long."
"You really didn't have water?"
"I did not. No electricity, either. Like I said, that place was nothing but a roof over my head and a lock on the door."
Serena pondered that for a moment.
"Wow…" she said. "So, you-"
"Haven't had a proper shower in longer than I care to admit," said Aria.
"I was going to ask if you used Delphox to stay warm at night, actually," said Serena.
"Oh. Well, yes. Heat was never a problem. There wasn't much I could do about the hard floors, though. Aromatisse did not appreciate my attempt to use her as a pillow."
Aromatisse's dreamy expression vanished. She shut her eyes and turned her nose up at Aria.
Serena frowned. Likewise, she looked away. Her eyes landed on her bag. In the empty seconds of silence, she peered into it. There were several letters inside, all bound by a rubber band. They were all from Ash.
Her heart skipped a beat. There was another letter, separate, all on its own. She reached for it, but then stopped herself.
"I probably smell horrible," Aria said, much quieter than before. She sat with her head bowed and her hands folded in her lap.
"I don't smell anything," said Serena.
"Well, that's good news," said Aria. "Aromatisse did her best to help me, and I-"
Aria stopped. There was a hitch in her voice. She inhaled a deep breath through her nose. Aromatisse looked back at Aria, her expression of disapproval replaced by a much softer look in her eyes. Aria covered her face with both hands.
"This is so embarrassing," Aria whispered.
"What do you mean?" said Serena.
Aria uncovered her face, then looked up at the ceiling and continued to speak in a strained whisper.
"I'm supposed to be the Kalos Queen. These clothes... they were my uniform at that café. They're filthy. I don't have any others anymore. I have nothing. I'm trapped. Palermo owns me. I'm dirty, and I'm homeless, and I'm helpless."
Serena bit down on both of her lips and looked away for a while.
"Well, at least you're here," said Serena. "You have that."
Aria did not react for a few seconds.
"I didn't want to have to beg."
Serena attempted to meet Aria's eyes, but Aria immediately looked away.
"You're not begging," said Serena. "I'm helping you. We all are."
More silence followed.
"Is... there a bathroom I can use here?" said Aria.
"Of course there is!" said Serena. "And there's a washing machine and everything else you could need, too!"
"Good."
Aria grimaced. She clenched her eyes shut, rubbed her temples, then shook her head.
"That's... good," said Aria. "I need my clothes washed, and I need a shower that's, like, five hours long."
There was a faint gurgling sound. Aria shot a glance at Serena. The momentary look of embarrassment that crossed her face turned into a nervous smile instead.
"And, if it's not too much trouble, I would greatly appreciate something to eat."
Serena stepped out of the room and went down the hall to Bonnie's room. She entered silently and found Bonnie fast asleep but Korrina still awake, playing a game on a handheld console in her sleeping bag. Serena asked Korrina if she had a spare change of clothes Aria could borrow, and she left the room with a tank top and a pair of sweatpants in hand.
Before returning to the room, she went downstairs to the kitchen. There, she found a basket and filled it with half a dozen pieces of fruit and two relatively fresh croissants which she thought she recalled Clemont baking the day before. With the basket under one arm and the clean clothes under the other, she went back upstairs and returned to Aria.
While Aria thanked her effusively, Serena considered the logistics of the situation. She requested the use of the bathroom before Aria occupied it for what was likely to be a very long time. Aria readily agreed, looking eager to sink her teeth into a particularly plump pear while Serena was away.
While Serena brushed her teeth with one hand, she stacked a supply of towels and toiletries on the edge of the tub with her other hand. Multiple kinds of soap, shampoo, conditioner, and an assortment of combs and brushes lined the basin. When she returned to the bedroom, she found a pear core atop the overflowing wastebasket and Aria gnawing on a croissant. Full-mouthed, Aria nodded along in agreement as Serena suggested that she wait outside the bathroom door while Aria undressed, and then she would take her clothes immediately to the wash.
A few minutes later, Serena watched as a single hand slid through a gap between the slightly-open bathroom door and its frame and dropped an assortment of garments onto the floor. Aria quickly uttered her thanks and then closed the door. Serena heard the lock turn, then picked up Aria's dirty clothes. Doing everything in her power to avoid smelling them or even looking at them, she hurried her way to the laundry room with held breath. She then put them on the heaviest cycle the machine offered and made her way back up the stairs. As she passed by the bathroom, she heard the shower running.
Back in the spare bedroom, Serena closed the door behind her. And then, as she changed out of her day clothes and into her pajamas, she wondered why exactly nobody, not even her, had hesitated to place Aria in the same room as the girl who everyone knew she had a crush on. All too well, she remembered the kiss Aria planted on her cheek.
Before she could devote much thought to it, fatigue got the best of her, and she drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, Serena opened her eyes, saw light, and experienced a moment of panic before she remembered it was Sunday and that she did not, in fact, have to go to work. Once the panic passed, she quickly fell back asleep. It was almost noon when she awoke again. She found Aria still sound asleep.
With the thoughts of the previous night still fresh in her mind, Serena took her day clothes with her into the bathroom and changed there. As she passed by Aria's bed near the door, she found the food basket empty, with several additional fruit cores stacked on top of the wastebasket. In the bathroom, several obviously used towels were hung over the shower curtain rod. The bottles of shampoo were arranged neatly on the edge of the tub, and a large ball of tangled red hair sat in the trash can.
Back in the bedroom, Serena stole a glance at Aria's hair as she passed by the bed. It was straight again, untangled and silken. She smiled at the sight of it. At least it was some measure of comfort for Aria, she figured.
While Aria continued to sleep, Serena retrieved Aria's clothes from the dryer. Once again making an effort to avoid looking at them, she carried them up to the bedroom. For a moment, she considered folding them for her, but then she caught sight of a pair of panties in the pile and quickly dropped it all at the foot of the bed. She grabbed her bag and hurried out of the room.
Given the time of day, Serena was not surprised to find the house abandoned. Finding herself in the unusual position of being alone there, she went down to the first floor and sat down on the sofa. The curtains were still shut. It was cool and dark. She reached for the remote and turned on the TV.
For several minutes, she flipped through the channels. She found nothing worth watching. She could not help but roll her eyes. It seemed to be the world's way of telling her she could go outside, yet she wasn't sure it was safe for her to do so. It seemed crazy, but a tiny and very real part of her expected to be accosted by a secret agent as soon as she opened the front door.
Time passed. She wondered where Ash was. What would he think of all this? What would he do? Would he have chased down Aria? Surely he would have fought Palermo and Monsieur Pierre if he had been there. There was no doubt about that. The corner of Serena's mouth turned upward into a smile as she pictured it. The only difference was that Ash would have won.
Her mind, and her hands, wandered toward the letters in her bag. She pulled out the stack of letters from Ash and sifted through them. She read his most recent letter once again. She wasn't sure what to think. She had received no reply, not a trace of communication from him since that day. She had not received a phone call from her mother regarding a letter from Ash arriving in their mailbox. Perhaps that meant he had received her letter and heeded her advice not to write to that address anymore. Or maybe her mother simply hadn't bothered to tell her about her receiving a letter from Ash. What if Ash had written and her mother was simply throwing the letters away? No, that was far too petty for her mother, and she knew it. Her mother would have much rather held onto them as fuel for a fight.
Perhaps those days were in the past, though. There was no stockpile of love letters on the kitchen counter. There was no letter on the doormat at Clemont's house, nor stuck in the door flap nor even lost in the mail. Serena knew that the most likely answer was that there was simply no letter at all, and that was what made his last letter so troubling. Team Skull? How could she not worry?
There was no way Ash couldn't handle it. That was what she told herself, anyway. But wasn't Lillie's mother involved? Wasn't she after that beast? The name still made her feel sick even to think of it. Her encounter with it was the most nightmarish experience of her life, without question. Her hands and feet went cold as she remembered. Nihilego.
Could Ash handle that… thing?
She figured that so far, no news was good news. If Lillie's mother had succeeded, surely the world would have already come to an end. Or if not that, at least have taken notice. There was no way the influence of such a horrible creature could have gone undetected.
But then again, wasn't the artificial island Lillie's mother operated somewhere in the middle of the ocean? If there was anywhere something could go unnoticed, it was there. How else could Lillie have been held prisoner for so long?
Serena felt foolish at the thought as she heard footsteps coming down the stairs. She turned to look and saw Aria descending, dressed in her uniform again. Once again, her hair was tied up in a tight bun. Her bag was over her shoulder, and her beret was atop her head.
She stopped and froze when her eyes met Serena's.
"Oh, hi," said Aria. "I didn't realize you were here. I assumed you were out."
Serena shook her head. She saw Aria's eyes wander toward the door.
"What are you doing?" said Serena.
"I'm making my exit."
"Your what?"
"I think it's time for me to go. I've stayed long enough. I can't impose like this."
Serena sat fully upright and set her pile of letters aside.
"Where are you going to go?" she said. "I thought you said you didn't have anywhere else to go!"
"I don't, really, but I'll find something," said Aria. "I can't stay here."
"You can't just leave with no plan!"
"I can't stay here with no plan, either," said Aria. "All that will do is put you and your friends in danger. I can't do that."
"Aria!"
"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I really do need to go."
Serena rose from the couch and took several quick strides toward Aria. Aria reached for the door. Serena ran ahead of her, spread her arms, and barred the way.
"Serena…"
"You can't just throw yourself back on the street!" said Serena.
"I can make that decision if I want to. It's my life."
"It's a terrible decision!"
"So is letting me stay here."
"I won't let you go!"
"Serena."
"There's no argument! I won't let you do this!"
"Are you really going to keep me here by force?"
"If I have to!"
"Are you really going to resort to her tactics?"
Serena felt like she took a jab to the gut, but she was quick to recover.
"Fine. I'll argue, then," she said.
"What's your argument?" said Aria. "Let's hear it."
"You're going to get caught if you leave!" said Serena. "How can you not see that?"
"How can you not see that I can be captured just as easily if I remain here?" said Aria.
"Because I'm going to fight for you if you're here!"
"I can't endanger you and your friends!" said Aria. "Put yourself in my shoes! I can't have that on my conscience!"
"Put yourself in mine!" said Serena. "I can't let you just walk out of here and throw yourself back into Palermo's trap! I can't have that on my conscience!"
"This is still my decision to make."
"It's still my decision to stop you!"
Deep in Serena's mind, the dots connected themselves. Her heart missed a beat. Her face immediately began to flush with shame. More than once, she had been on the other side of this exchange. One of those times ended with a bitter battle on the beach. Another ended with her jumping off a yacht.
Serena hung her head and stepped aside.
"And it's my decision not to stop you, too," she said.
Aria gave Serena a confused stare. She did not budge from her spot.
"Are you really going to let me leave?" said Aria.
"Maybe."
"I know this is the opposite of what you're used to hearing from me, but that was a yes or no question. There is no in-between."
Serena let out a noise that began as a laugh and ended as a resigned sigh. She rolled her eyes.
"Please, don't do this," she said. "Please. You have to stay."
Aria gave Serena a flat glance.
"No, I very much do not have to stay here."
"Fine. I want you to stay, then."
"Why?"
"Because we obviously have a lot to sort out between us!" said Serena.
"Not really?" said Aria, half-shrugging.
"How can you say that?" said Serena. "I know for a fact that everything that happened between us mattered a lot to you. You told me so! I've got your letter to prove it!"
"You kept my letter?"
"Only the part that was meant for me! The other part went into the bonfire. I never opened it. I promise."
Aria looked stunned.
"Honestly, I'm surprised you even received it," said Aria. "I assumed there was a greater chance of someone curious taking it from the bench than of you finding it. Hence the anonymity in it."
Serena shook her head.
"No, I found it," she said. "I kept it."
Serena hesitated for a moment.
"It made me cry," she added.
Aria pursed her lips and looked at the doormat.
"I'm sorry," she said.
"Don't be," said Serena.
"I've done more than enough to hurt you, and that's why I need to go."
"That letter was full of the nicest things anyone has ever said about me."
There was silence for several seconds.
"I meant them," said Aria.
"I know," said Serena. "And-"
Serena covered her face and groaned into her hands.
"And if Palermo hadn't tricked me, maybe you would have seen some of me pouring my heart out to you in response!"
"Wait, what?"
"I tried so hard to find you! I tried so hard to apologize to you! But everything got so messed up, and so much has happened, and you don't know about any of it! And your life is terrible right now and I just want you to stay because I can't stand to see you make things even worse for yourself for no reason! And maybe we can work through some of what happened, because I know that nobody who says what you said about me could possibly have an evil heart!"
Aria stared at Serena, wordless and confused.
"I forgive you," said Serena. "I forgive you for everything. I forgave you a long time ago. I wanted to tell you that, but Palermo took it away from us."
Aria closed her eyes. She took a long, deep breath, then let out all at once. Her shoulders slackened.
"I don't know what to do," she said.
"How about we have some tea?"
A few minutes later, Aria sat at the kitchen table while Serena hovered over the kettle on the stove, waiting for it to boil. Aria sat with one arm dangling between her legs and the other arm wrapped around it, still as a statue as she stared vacantly into the next room. Serena stole several glances at Aria, her concern increasing each time Aria failed to notice. As always, though, Aria proved to be more perceptive than she realized.
"Is this a habit of yours?" said Aria.
Serena jumped in surprise at the broken silence and looked to see Aria looking at her with only her eyes turned, her head still facing the door to the next room.
"Is what?" said Serena.
"Having long, heartfelt conversations over tea," said Aria. She returned her gaze to the next room. "This won't be our first time doing this, after all."
Serena thought for a moment and then shrugged, smiling awkwardly.
"I guess so," she said. "I do do this a lot."
"So, not just with me, then?" said Aria.
"No," said Serena. "I did this with Lillie, too."
"Who?"
Serena paused for a moment. She rubbed a spot on her forehead right between her eyes.
"I have a lot to explain," she said.
"Someone I haven't met, then?" said Aria.
Serena nodded.
"A friend of yours?" said Aria.
"It's complicated," said Serena.
"It seems like everything always is for you."
"Kind of."
A sly smile formed on Aria's lips.
"Have you figured out why yet?" she said.
Serena groaned.
"Don't even start with that. Please."
"I'll keep it to myself, then."
"That, too!"
"What?"
"You knowing things about me that I don't know and being all vague and tempting me with them!"
"I'm sorry. I suppose it just comes naturally to me. I don't know why."
"Do you do it with other people, too?"
"No."
"Really?"
"I've never had anyone else with whom I could do this," said Aria. "I've spent my whole life surrounded by others, but it was always for business. They were my colleagues, my co-stars. None of them were my friends. Not really, anyway."
"Oh, right," said Serena. She turned her attention back to the kettle. "I should have known that."
"I don't blame you for not remembering."
"Maybe you should."
"Why? What's all this with you wanting to punish yourself?"
Serena resisted the urge to groan and roll her eyes. Of course Aria also knew upon sight. How could she not?
"I've done a lot of hurtful things to others in the past few months, and I'm trying to make up for it," said Serena.
"Does this have anything to do with you insisting you need to apologize to me?" said Aria.
"Yes. Quite a lot, actually."
"I don't know why you think so. You didn't do anything wrong to me. Even if…"
Aria tightened her lips and shifted her stance in the chair.
"Even if my feelings were hurt," she said.
"That's… not what I'm talking about," said Serena. "It's what happened after that."
Aria gave Serena a glance and shrugged.
"It's not your fault Palermo tricked you," said Aria. "Even though I warned you, it's not your fault. She deceives people who are wise to her ways all the time. Trust me, I know."
Serena remained quiet for a while, watching the kettle do nothing.
"I'm sorry about that, too," she said. "That's still not what I'm talking about, though. There's a big piece of this story you're still missing."
"Is this about your emails to me?" said Aria.
"Yes."
"What could you possibly have said in them that would justify you going to such great lengths to track me down and apologize?"
"I did something really stupid. Something really cruel, and selfish, and stupid."
"What did you do?"
"I begged you for money."
Aria scoffed.
"Oh, please," she said. "Do you think that's the first time I've been solicited? After the stunt I pulled on you in Monego City, I practically owed it to you."
Serena hesitated a moment before she continued.
"I… kind of expected you would feel that way, about owing it to me. I tried to guilt-trip you, pretty much. I tried to play with your feelings."
"I don't blame you for doing it," said Aria. "I probably even helped give you the idea with those train tickets!"
"I tried to extort you!"
"You deserved some repayment," said Aria. "I mean, I either directly or indirectly ruined your vacation and probably most of your belongings."
"I threatened to blackmail you!"
"Oh, really?" said Aria. She looked highly amused. "And just what were you going to do?"
"I- I don't know! It wasn't a real threat! It was just implied! And I played with your feelings and preyed on your guilt all so I could get the money I needed for a plane ticket to go to Kanto to be with Ash!"
Aria's expression flattened.
"Oh."
Serena leaned against the countertop and massaged her temples, her eyes shut. The kettle whistled, and Serena turned off the burner.
"That's why I need to apologize to you," said Serena. "I tried to use you to get to Ash."
Aria did not look at Serena. Instead, she sat with one arm flat on the table and her head in her other hand, propped up by her elbow. She looked somewhere else.
"I suppose that was the black cloud on the horizon this whole time, wasn't it?" she said. "There's really no avoiding it anymore, is there?"
"I wish we could avoid it, but no," said Serena.
"It's my own fault for entangling myself in this mess in the first place," said Aria.
"Don't blame yourself," said Serena. "I'm the one who was oblivious."
"I'm the one who kissed you anyway despite practically all of our conversations being about your romantic troubles with him. You made it perfectly clear you were in love with him. I chose to ignore that, for selfish and naive reasons."
"Aria…"
"Look, it's history now," said Aria. "You made your choice. I heard your message, loud and clear. It's done."
"You didn't hear my message, though," said Serena. "You never saw it."
Aria hesitated for a moment. Her face tightened. She spoke in a serious, more deliberate tone.
"Serena, whatever you are about to tell me, please do not get my hopes up for nothing. I don't know what happened, but if you are about to tell me what I think you are, I am not certain my heart can take it. If you wanted to apologize for playing with my feelings, please, I implore you, do not play with them now."
Serena bit her lip. So many words came to mind, but none of them seemed right. Not after Aria's plea.
"Ash isn't here, is he?" said Aria.
"No."
"What happened?"
"It's a long story."
"I'm not sure I can endure a long story about this particular subject," said Aria. "Can you summarize it?"
Serena wasn't sure where to start. So much had happened. Still, she knew there was one piece of information that Aria wanted to hear above all else.
"Ash and I are still together, technically," said Serena.
Aria sighed. She nodded and looked away.
"Thank you for not burying the lede," she said.
"He's in Alola right now," said Serena. "I don't know when he's coming back. We're technically still together, but we're also still taking a break. I don't really know what our relationship status is. It's complicated."
"Alola? What is he doing so far away?"
"We went there together. There was a professor who wanted to meet Ash and study him and his Pokémon as part of his research. Things began moving way too quickly between me and Ash, mostly because of me. And then everything got really complicated when Lillie entered the picture."
"He found another girl?" said Aria.
"She found him."
"But she got in the way nonetheless, I take it?"
"Not exactly. It was all my doing. Lillie was one of the sweetest people I've ever met. She didn't get in the way. I went paranoid imagining her getting in the way and blamed her for every problem in my relationship with Ash. In reality, pretty much all of those problems were my fault."
"So, he's still there with her?"
"Yes. I burned so many bridges that I decided the only thing I could do was leave. I came back to Kalos. Ash is still in Alola, traveling with Lillie."
Aria gave Serena a measured, incredulous look.
"You left him alone, half a world away, with the girl you were afraid would take him from you?"
"I know how ridiculous that sounds."
"At least you're aware of it, then."
"There are… circumstances," said Serena. "Lillie has a tiny, helpless Pokémon in her care that she's trying to return to its home. Ash is helping her."
"How cute."
"And there are possibly some other people who want to acquire that Pokémon for evil purposes. Lillie isn't a trainer, and she needs protection. That's why Ash is helping her."
"Oh, he's her bodyguard, is he?" said Aria.
"Kind of?"
"Let's see how literal that term turns out to be when he comes back."
"Aria!"
Aria shook her head and sighed.
"I'm sorry," she said. "I know it's not appropriate, but I can't help but be cynical about this."
"He writes to me every week," said Serena. "And he signs every letter Love, Ash."
"And, to be perfectly honest, jealous," said Aria.
"I don't know why you would envy me," said Serena. Immediately, she felt like a moron and scrambled to amend her statement. "I mean, aside from the whole not being imprisoned by Palermo thing. And all the other stuff I have that you don't. Actually, this is all really, really stupid for me to say and I should probably just stop before I-"
"It's not you I envy," said Aria. "Not for this particular issue, anyway."
"It's not?"
"No. It's Ash who I envy."
"Oh. I, uh, didn't expect that. At all."
"Your love life is a mess," said Aria. "Meanwhile, Ash has girls fawning over him all the time without doing anything."
"You're the Kalos Queen!" said Serena. "There are millions of people who want to be with you!"
"Yeah, that's great," said Aria, pointedly throwing both her eyes and one hand up in the air in a sarcastic, defeated sort of gesture. "There are a million guys in Kalos who want to get in my pants. Too bad I'm not interested in any of them!"
Timid, uncertain if she should say what she was about to say, Serena shrugged.
"There's probably a lot of girls, too, aren't there?"
"Oh, sure, plenty," said Aria. "And you've seen exactly how well that goes. Practically every girl in Kalos is too starstruck to hold a conversation with me! And even the ones who can talk to me typically don't want to talk about anything interesting! I'm not looking for someone who will talk to me about shoes. I don't want to hook up withsomeone. I want someone who will let me have a good cry on their shoulder and then go out to the movies and have dinner at a cheap restaurant and hold my hand while we take a walk to nowhere late at night just because and cuddle with me on the couch on a rainy day and talk about anything, literally anything, other than my title and the life I've lived in front of the camera!"
Serena found herself utterly unable to respond. She parted her lips to speak, but then shut them tight after several seconds of failing to make a sound.
"Being on the other side of the screen is like living in a glass prison," said Aria. "I can see the outside just as clearly as anyone else, but I can't break through the walls. And so of course it makes me green with envy to see people like Ash who have the world eating from the palm of their hand without having to deal with any of the problems I have, completely oblivious to how good they have it! And for that matter, it makes me furious to see people like you who limit themselves for no apparent reason, content to live their lives in a prison of their own construction, incapable of understanding that all of their perceived obstacles are of their own making!"
Her eyes wide open and unblinking, Serena stared at Aria, stunned. She watched as Aria closed her eyes, took a deep, shaky breath, then let it all out as she clasped her hands over her face and groaned into them.
"And it makes me feel like a terrible person to take this all out on you and yell at you when none of my problems are your fault," said Aria, her voice much quieter.
Serena turned back to the stove and filled two cups with steaming water from the kettle. She dropped a tea bag in each and carried them over to the table. She placed one in front of Aria, then took her own to the opposite side of the table and sat down across from her.
"You're not a terrible person," said Serena.
"I feel like one."
"I know what that's like."
"Hmm."
Aria merely hummed and picked up her teacup. She held it in front of her mouth, steam rising from it while she looked away, her eyes trained on the closed curtains covering the window. Serena didn't bother to mention that the tea wasn't ready to drink yet, that it needed longer to steep. It was beside the point. She knew it was nothing more than a diversion.
"I… don't know if I can be that person you want to find," said Serena.
Aria pursed her lips for a moment.
"I know."
"But a lot of what you said… I would like to do those things with you."
Aria lowered her teacup and met Serena's eyes.
"I know how childish this is probably going to sound," said Serena, "but... why can't we be friends?"
Aria stared at Serena through the rising steam. Serena shifted in her seat. She knew that what she was about to say was going to sound strange.
"If you want to cry on my shoulder, I'm available for that," said Serena. "And if you want to go see a dumb movie and eat at a crummy restaurant and go on a walk at night just to talk, I want to do that, too."
"Serena…"
"I've never had a connection with someone quite like the one I have with you. I don't want you to leave my life."
Aria placed her teacup on the table.
"Is this what you wanted to say to me in all those emails I never got?" she said.
"More or less," said Serena.
Aria folded her hands in her lap.
"I'm sorry I missed them," she said.
"It's not your fault," said Serena.
"It's not yours, either."
"I'm still sorry, though. For everything I did, whether you knew about it or not."
"You really tried to extort money from me?" said Aria.
"Unfortunately, yes," Serena said, cringing as she nodded.
"I just can't imagine you doing such a thing," said Aria. "The idea is almost funny, honestly. I can't picture you threatening anybody. I bet it was the weakest attempt at blackmail of all time!"
Serena laughed nervously.
"Maybe?" she said. "It worked. Or at least, I thought it did. It must have been Palermo who sent me that money. Makes me wish I hadn't returned it."
Aria's face lit up in astonishment.
"You returned it?"
"She sent me a ridiculous amount of money!"
"A drop in the bucket for her, I assure you."
"I had no idea what to do with it all! It made me feel so guilty!"
Aria laughed.
"I was right! This really was the worst attempt at blackmail ever!"
"Well, I kept some of it," said Serena. "I thought that made me an even worse person, but if it was Palermo's money the whole time, I guess that doesn't matter? I had to get home somehow!"
"How much did you keep?"
"Enough to be safe for a while," said Serena.
Aria shook her head. She held a hand to her forehead, looking even more amused.
"Ridiculous," she said. "You might literally be the worst criminal ever."
"Did you ever meet Team Rocket?" said Serena.
"Who?"
"It doesn't matter. They're the worst criminals ever."
"If you insist," said Aria. "I suppose you'll have to settle for being the second-worst criminal ever."
"I'm not sure if that's better or worse," said Serena.
"Me neither," said Aria. She shook her head, then stifled another laugh. "I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't find this so funny, but I can't help it. It's just so absurd."
Serena was puzzled.
"You're taking this a lot better than I expected you would," she said.
"I would rather laugh about it than yell at you again."
"I figured you would yell at me because of the reason I did it."
Aria bit the inside of her cheek for a moment and gave Serena a curt nod.
"I won't lie, that does hurt. What more can I do about it, though? I've told you how it makes me feel. I know you're sorry. That has to be good enough."
Serena stared into her teacup for a while. She had a strange but definite thought that every time she watched the steam rise from a cup it felt less and less profound. She gently pushed her cup to the side and looked directly at Aria.
"So," said Serena.
"What?" said Aria.
"Are you going to stay?"
Aria thought for a moment. A tiny, mischievous smile formed on her face.
"Can we make another pillow fort?"
A few hours later, with the assistance of Clemont, Bonnie, and Korrina, the living room was transformed. Courtesy of the large quantity of supplies at their disposal, the pillow fort they constructed was much more elaborate than the one in the penthouse. The walls were reinforced with aluminum casings. Clemont was insistent on using them for their structural integrity despite the disproportionate amount of time required to assemble them. While he ratcheted them together, Bonnie and Korrina dug through the spare bedroom and requisitioned a lightning rod to use as a center support for the blanket that would cover the fort.
Serena and Aria mostly stood aside, enjoying the spectacle. With everyone's Pokémon gathered in the room, the construction process bordered on chaos. When Clemont asked for additional assistance in supporting the frame while he assembled it, Chespin and Bunnelby's support alone having proved insufficient, Pancham was all too enthusiastic to assist. He knocked the frame over, which in turn knocked over a lamp, which Serena's Delphox caught with Psychic a mere instant before it hit the floor. A fight broke out between Pancham and Bunnelby, and they had to be separated by Lucario. Sylveon took Pancham into a corner and tried to calm him down. All the while, Serena's Delphox and Aria's Delphox stood far apart, on opposite sides of the room.
When the fort was completed, everyone gathered inside of it and huddled around a game board. The next hour rapidly devolved into a mess of strategy and politics. Much like the game Serena played with Clemont, Bonnie, and Korrina at the penthouse, this one also involved acquiring territories. This one had many more components, though. There were cards, and strangely-shaped tiles, and players could trade with each other, and all of it went completely over Serena's head. Everyone else seemed to have a much better time with it than she did, and the game became rather heated. Aria formed an alliance with Bonnie against Clemont and Korrina. Serena just sat there waiting for her turn and hoping her head wouldn't spin off her shoulders.
Fortunately, she received a reprieve in the form of an interruption just as the negotiations between the two opposing factions reached a fevered pitch. The front door opened, and Meyer entered with Ampharos, both of them carrying several bags of groceries. The proxy war in the pillow fort immediately reached a ceasefire.
"Well, hello!" said Meyer, closing the door behind him with his foot. "That's quite a fort you've got there!"
Bonnie ran out from under the fort and hugged Meyer's leg.
"Do you like it?" she said.
"I do!" said Meyer. "Excellent use of that metal casing. Very structurally sound."
Clemont gave Korrina an aside glance and adjusted his glasses with a smirk.
Bonnie let go of Meyer. Ampharos greeted everyone and then headed toward the kitchen, toddling down the hall under the weight of several overflowing bags. Meyer prepared to follow, but then took a second look at the fort and paused.
Serena saw Meyer's eyes land on Aria.
"And who do we have here?" he said. "A new friend?"
Meyer took a step into the living room and set down one of the bags he carried, freeing an arm. On instinct, Serena stood up and exited the fort. Aria hesitated a moment before following.
Serena tried to handle the introductions. She stood between Meyer and Aria and gestured to them both.
"Meyer, I'd like you to meet a friend of mine," said Serena. "This is-"
Serena did not get to finish before Meyer took Aria's hand in what was obviously a crushing handshake. Aria, to her credit, did not even blink.
"A pleasure to meet you," said Aria, bowing her head.
"Pleased to meet you, too!" said Meyer, giving Aria's hand several vigorous shakes before releasing her. Aria tucked her hands behind her back, and Serena saw her massage the hand Meyer had nearly crushed. "The name's Meyer! I'm Bonnie and Clemont's dad. And you are?"
There was a pause. Aria hesitated for a moment, just long enough for Meyer to narrow his eyes and scratch his chin.
"Come to think of it, you look mighty familiar," said Meyer. "Have we met before? My apologies if we have!"
Aria gracefully shook her head.
"No, I don't believe we have," she said. "You probably do know who I am, though."
Meyer held his hand against the side of his face. He looked stumped.
"Goodness! I'm embarrassed to admit it, but if my kids or their friends have ever told me about you before, I don't remember!" said Meyer.
"I appreciate the sincerity, but that's not what I mean," said Aria. She removed the beret from her head and looked Meyer in the eye. "My name is Aria."
Meyer dropped the bag he held, its contents spilling all over the floor. Awkward silence ensued. A cabbage rolled all the way across the room and hit the far wall with a thud.
Straightening her stance, Aria held her chin up and addressed him again. She was perfectly poised.
"I apologize for my unannounced intrusion," said Aria. "I understand that this is not an ideal introduction, but I have a serious matter which I need to discuss with you."
