Selene, having sacrificed herself to let Eve escape, now lies unconscious in Citadel Abbadon, right in the heart of Chain's operations. Eve attempted to evolve and come rescue her but was captured as well. However, strangely, neither were enslaved nor were they brainwashed - Eve now holds the company of Diane and Penelope, Selene's aunts. Now Selene is undergoing medical treatment for her illness, all while unconscious.
Say, when do you think that Selene is going to wake up? She's been like this for a week.
Three, she can't control if she's conscious or not. She'll be like this for a while.
Two, use your head. Right now, all of these conversations are falling into Selene's short-term memory. She is conscious.
Selene, you can wake up! I believe in you! Come on, come on, you can do it!
You guys… I'm tired. Why are you bothering me like this…?
Because you need to get up. Do you think we're safe like this?!
If I haven't been harmed in the last… week, you say?
Week, week and a half, just a long, long while, generally. The point is, Selene, that you need to get the fuck up anyway!
…
Selene, you have a life to live. You can't just spend it all sleeping and laying unconscious.
Yeah! I want to see colors again!
You are really hungry, you know. You should take better care of yourself.
Fine, fine, I get it. Wakey wakey time, no more napping.
And with a monumental effort, I managed to push my eyes open to see a black and purple ceiling above me.
Good. Now get moving.
I can't.
Why not?
Because everything hurts. My stomach hurts, my head hurts, my eyes feel like they're on fire, the rest of my skin is on fire too-
Those are Eilkan words. Get your ass moving!
Four, shouting at her to do it won't make her do it.
You can do it~ You can do it~
That probably includes cheering, One.
Look, why do we have to move anyway? This bed is nice and comfy, even comfier than the one in Kair's house, both of them.
Because this place is dangerous. We were kidnapped by the people that wanted to kidnap Eve! No matter where they sent us, it can't be good!
But Four, this place is so nice! Look at how clean the walls are!
A gilded prison, One. A gilded prison.
If this were a prison, Four, then why would we wake up in a bed? Without chains, or a slavery band, or anything like that?
They didn't want us to die, obviously. If they wanted us dead, they could just kill us. They want us for something - bartering with Regilia, maybe? A cell of Culus's organization, giving us to him so he can torture us?
While I don't think Culus is the type of Pokemon to enjoy torture, it does make sense to exercise caution in a situation like this. Fleeing is the best course of action.
Huh, support. Now that's new.
Hush, Four. I do my best to be fair.
That's all well and good, you four, but there's one thing you're forgetting.
Huh? What's that?
I can't DO anything!
Selene tried to wiggle her fingers to accentuate the point and got absolutely nothing in return. Her body felt as though it was tied down with lead weights, and even the dim light was enough to prickle her skin.
So you weren't being lazy, then.
Four, we know she was trying her hardest. Don't be so rude!
Maybe we could transform again?
There was a collective pause.
Transform? Like evolving?
She meant like how I saved Eve back at the mountain. Three, I assume you want me to do it again?
If you can do it and Selene is okay with it, then you should probably do it. We don't have time to waste, do we?
Excellent idea, Three!
You're welcome.
I don't mind taking the helm again. Selene, are you okay with it?
Selene took a deep breath, letting the question sit in her mind for a while. Eventually, she figured out what she wanted.
Frankly, Four, it's all yours. I can barely keep myself thinking as is.
Great - now, how did I do it again?
Four?
Let me think… Ah-ha! Right, I used this weird mental path, and…
…
Four opened her eyes, lying down in the bed that Selene was resting on.
Did it work? Is Four - hold on, why can't I move my body?
Welcome to our world, Selene.
Selene, I finally get to talk to you!
You've been saying things to me all the time, One.
Yeah, but now I'm more than just a voice in your head! Now you're a voice in your head.
Ummmm…
My advice, Selene? Don't think about it.
Yes, One's logic is hard to wrap your thoughts around at times.
Four pulled off the bedsheets and stretched. Maneuvering her body was a lot like how Selene maneuvered hers. A lot of it felt the same, and with a little bit of practice, Four was confident that no one would notice the small amount of difficulty she had with moving.
You're welcome, by the way.
For what?
All of the muscle memory.
Please, muscle memory doesn't mean shit in a new body.
But at some point, your nervous system is shared with mine, right? Well, what about now? You could be using my muscle memory and not knowing it.
I think I'd know if I were using your-
Girls, please, escape!
Right.
Four got up from the bed, continuing to stretch. Then, when she was ready, she took a look around the room.
Ornate medical equipment lined the walls. There was a defibrillator next to the headboard of the bed - not a cot - that she had been sleeping on. There were a couple of paintings of famous Illussurian landmarks - the Felmagador Canyon, the Sleeping Falls, Jirachi's Tail - and some books she (no, Selene) loved as a kid.
Do you still think this is a prison?
Abso-fucking-lutely.
Inside the cabinets and next to a jewel-encrusted mirror was a portrait of Selene, for some reason. Except, there were two copies of Selene. One Selene was sitting down, smiling, and the other Selene was standing at the first Selene's side. Though they weren't exactly Selene since the painter got a few things off - the wings were larger than they were supposed to be, the eyes were smaller, and they just looked fatter. The whole thing was bizarre to her.
You're telling me. Can we get out of here already?
After taking one last look at the strange, fake portrait, Four walked toward the door. A part of her didn't expect it to be open, but to her surprise, it opened smoothly and silently.
I'm starting to join Three and One on their idea. The very least they could do for security is to lock the doors.
Join! Us! Join! Us! Join! Us!
Just keep moving.
Four listened to the only other sensible voice in their little collective (Excuse me?!) and walked through the door, which opened to a hallway colored similarly to the room. There was a faint buzzing sound hanging in the air, and a sweet smell of lilac. Across the corridor was a line of rooms just like the one Four had come out of, and the ambient noise of conversation from several of the room.
Hang on, I - we - recognize this place, don't we?
This is the Abbadon General Hospital, isn't it? The Platinum Suite?
If Four knew how to whistle, she would have. When Selene was a kid - well, more of a kid - she would spend time pouring over books about various things (it was Eve's favorite thing to do, so Selene got to do it too). Abbadon General Hospital was in a book about famous buildings across the world, in the hospital section. Just like Nucifera itself, it was separated into lots of different suites, where patients would be filtered and passed through by the amount of money they could pay.
The Platinum Suite was the most expensive, period. Each room was tailor-made for the individual, and each patient had a… bodyguard…
…
Four looked back and saw a shadow waiting in the rafters of her hospital room. Golden eyes glinted.
Run.
Four took a step back - and then another, before breaking out in a full run. She didn't look back to see if the monster was following, though, because if it was keeping up, then there was probably nothing that Four could do.
Instinct told her it was a Dark-type - she wouldn't be able to hypnotize it as she had with her captors. Hypnosis was the only skill worth looking at in her repertoire, so she would be utterly at their mercy.
The problem, of course, was that, as a Drowzee, Four was unbearably slow. Her legs only let her cover maybe a foot per second. She could feel the 'bodyguard' above her, utterly nonchalant about her pathetic attempt at escaping.
Guys, we need a plan now.
There isn't much we can do, though. Selene can only talk right now and you can't do anything to counter that guy.
Then take my place, Three!
Wait, you want me to come up front?
Yes! Follow the paths I did and take over this goddamn body!
Well, if everyone else is okay with it. Any objections.
Please be quick, Three.
We're right here with you!
Remain careful.
Alright, then.
…
Three opened her eyes.
Did the transformation go off correctly?
I think it did! Three, how are you feeling?
Pretty good, honestly.
Then start running!
Go, go, go!
On instinct, Three got on all fours. A quadruped, then. A couple of strides were needed to get the hang of quadrupedal movement instead of bipedal movement, but then Three was running faster than any of them ever remembered.
Your right foreleg is brown and your left foreleg is black - Three, you're a Morpeko!
Now that Selene had stated it, Three could feel both an undercurrent of electricity under her skin and the throbbing of darkness in her blood.
Awesome~
Just keep running, Three. We're still in no shape to fight!
As she kept running through the halls, Three took a look back at the ceiling where the bodyguard had been hanging. From the slight shaking, it sounded like they were keeping up somewhat, but since they were out of sight, Three felt that they were close to losing the bodyguard.
Keep going! You! Can! Do! It!
Then, as Three entered the ground floor, she began to experience something that she knew she would eventually experience but detested nonetheless.
Exhaustion.
Hey, guys, can I take a minute for a breather-
NO!
Just keep running!
But I'm tired-
Three, I swear to Cresselia almighty, if you don't get your forepaws on the ground right now then I'll-
"Hey!" Three was dragged from her inner conversation by the sound of a shout. "Who the devil are you?!"
Three twisted around to see a finely-groomed male Eevee sitting on a hospital bed in a nearby room. His claws were finely polished, His teeth were sparkling, and he had a nice smell of Pechas and peaches. His eyes were colored a ruby-red - probably an Eonian Royal impersonator, wearing contact lenses, since the only red-eyed Eonian Eevee royal was Eve's distant cousin, the daughter of General Booster - a female.
Three had no idea how to speak to someone who wasn't a part of their little collective. "Who the devil am I?" Three repeated. "I am Three?"
The Eevee raised an eyebrow. "You are Three what?"
"No, that's my name." Three blushed. "My name is Three."
The Eevee snorted. "That's a very strange name." He hopped off the hospital bed and walked over to her, looking very suave and confident in his movements as he did so. "My name is Relm. Now, why are you in the Platinum Suite?"
Three, why are you giving 'Relm' the time of day?! Just book it!
I'm tired, okay? And I think we lost that creepy bodyguard/stalker guy, too.
No, he's still there. Listen closely.
…
So we haven't lost him. I don't think we are going to lose him, anyway.
Three, stop being so lazy!
Four, Three is both right and tired. Let her rest.
You all are impossible!
"Hello?" Three was shaken from her inner conversation by Relm tapping her on the head impatiently. "Are you still there?"
"Yes, sorry," she apologized. "I'm just a little distracted. I don't know why I'm in the Platinum Suite, I was brought here while I was unconscious."
Relm hummed. "Oh. Are you some kind of royalty, then?"
Say yes.
Say no.
Say no.
Ooh, say yes!
And democracy has failed. "It's a little complicated," Three hedged. "I lived in a castle, sure, but I don't think I was anywhere high on the totem pole."
"Which country?"
"Regilia," Three answered immediately.
Relm scrunched his nose. "Oh, so you were a handmaiden or something, then?"
"Yeah?" Selene didn't have an official role in the castle other than 'apprentice to Madam Rahan' and 'entertainment'. Handmaiden wasn't too far off.
"Then you're lost?"
"Yes?" Three was lost, but not in the way Relm was thinking of. Still, if she could get him to show her the exit, then maybe they could flee. The bodyguard/stalker/whatever that guy staring over them wasn't doing anything. By now, they had returned and started staring at her again.
That's it.
Do you think we overreacted?
No! Why are they following us in the first place? Why are they still hiding? This whole thing screams suspicious.
We should still try to leave as fast as possible.
Relm sighed. "Oh… a shame. Here I was thinking something interesting would happen. I twisted my ankle last night during last-minute practice and missed my performance, and the sprain was messy enough to need a couple of hours of Heal Pulses. I'm still here because they want me to 'take a break' or something."
Three blinked. Twist an ankle during practice, missed a performance… "You dance professionally?"
Relm nodded. "The best in all of Nucifera, if I do say so myself." A shadow of jealousy then passed into his eye. "According to my boss, I'm not the best in the world, though. That goes to Diane - so when she comes to perform here, I'm not even the best here."
There was a strange spite in his tone. "Who's Diane? I've never heard of her." A pause. "If you're as good as you say, why have I never heard of you either?"
Relm smiled. "Ever heard of the Ruby Wind?"
Relm is the Ruby Wind. Three, Three, get his autograph! Please!
Selene, please don't fangirl, you're bursting my eardrums!
Shut up, you don't have any in here.
Three, for her part, was just staring at Relm. "You're the Ruby Wind? I thought you'd be older?"
Relm shrugged, a very smug look on his face. "I'm a prodigy. Deal with it." His tail swished back and forth behind him in pride. "I'm more accomplished now than most people ever will be."
He wasn't even lying. The Ruby Wind was a choreographer based in Illusuria. Selene had taken a look at some copies of their drawings for bipedal dances and had been gobsmacked. They weren't just movements that needed someone else to work at their best level - even by itself, it was art.
They had arrived on the scene rather recently, but all of the choreographs the Ruby Wind created were soon imitated and replicated. Selene had petitioned Mrs. Strect to incorporate at least three separate versions of the Ruby Wind's drawing in the Moonlit Wandering.
To think, the Ruby Wind was her - their - age. It made the whole world feel a lot smaller.
"W-Who do you perform for?" Three stuttered. "If you're given the Platinum Suite, then…"
"The Crowns."
Three coughed. "The Crowns?!"
The Crowns - the richest ten Pokemon in Illusuria, each having enough wealth to buy a small fiefdom of their own. Most did have fiefdoms, and not too few of them either. Madam Collown, one of the people Helios reported to have bought a Collared, was one of them.
"Yes, though, I wasn't the only one performing for them last night," Relm admitted. "I was just the appetizer, the hors d'oeuvres. Diane was the main course last night, of course." Yeah, that bitterness was back again.
"Who's Diane?" Three asked. "If she's so good, why haven't I heard of her?"
We really should be escaping right about now.
Quiet, we'll be hearing about someone even more talented than the Ruby Wind! Can you imagine?!
Yes, and I don't care-
Well, we do!
We're in ENEMY TERRITORY. Ruby Wind, Diane, none of it matters right now!
Relm's smile dropped entirely. "Diane started as someone who offered their dances to the elite, and her career only skyrocketed from there. Before long, any trace of her existence was exclusively known to those who can cough up more than a million Berries in a single payment. So, not you."
Not her, not Selene, no one she knew. "Why is she so good?"
"Other than her perfect choreography? She has this special ability - 'Rhythm' - that comes from being an Epsilon Fusion. It enhances her dances so that no one can turn away. Everyone stares at her, slack-jawed and mesmerized. And it isn't fair!" Relm hissed. "Stupid black-scaly bitch!"
…
Uh, guys, is it just me, or does that sound familiar?
It sounds eerily similar to Selene's ability - and Diane being a 'black-scaly bitch' suggests she's black and has scales, like Selene, so…
Three decided to probe at the first thing. "Epsilon Fusion?"
Relm rolled his eyes. "I'm not sure exactly what they are, but when I talked to Diane that one time, it sounded mostly like four different Pokemon rolled into one. There was the main fused form, Diane, and then there were a couple of others that showed themself to me when I asked them to come. There was a Roserade that called herself Penelope, and a Hypno called Pandora. I don't remember the third, though."
Three's mouth went dry. "F-Four Pokemon rolled into one?"
… Relm might be lying…
… an 'Epsilon Fusion'...
"When can I meet this 'Diane'?" Three asked before Relm could respond. "I'd like to see her as soon as possible."
Relm scoffed. "You? Three, you're poor and lost. Diane doesn't meet with fans - I'm pretty sure she changed forms in front of me because she just wanted to be polite. For someone like you? Forget about it."
"O-oh…"
Relm looked at Three's sad face, then sighed. "She might be coming later tonight," he acknowledged. "Her niece is staying in the Platinum Suite as a matter of fact - that's the whole reason she's here instead of performing in other lands."
"Her - her niece?!"
Relm rolled his eyes. "Yeah, her niece. Selene, I think her name was. I'm looking forward to talking to her, I heard that she's a dancer too. I also heard that she ran away from somewhere because she's a fugitive, so," He grinned. "I bet she has a lot of interesting stories to tell."
Do you think he knows?
Three, it's about high time we left.
"That… that sounds great," Three said eventually.
Relm looked around, before looking back at her. "Okay, so I said you don't deserve to be here, and that's true and all, but I'm willing to overlook that if you're willing to make a deal. We sneak to Selene's room. You distract the guards, and I'll try to wake her up - Diane's been happy recently, saying that Selene will get up soon. Do you understand?"
"You want to throw me to the bodyguards so you can try waking up Selene?" Three asked incredulously. "Are you - even if I wanted to, that'll never work!"
"Not if you're a big and threatening enough distraction," Relm promised. "I just need you to draw away the Hat for a while, and I'll handle the rest, guaranteed."
"The Hat?"
Relm looked at her oddly. "Do you have amnesia or something? The Hats - those nice public servants all over Citadel Abbadon. You know, with the hat tattoos."
"I - I had a Hat for my bodyguard?" Three repeated, eyes widening. My eye shifted to where the bodyguard - the Hat - remained perched on the wall, eye still glowing. I still couldn't see their general shape, but what I did see was a shark-like smile.
Relm shook his head. "You? A Hat for a bodyguard? Keep dreaming. No, the Hat is Selene's bodyguard, Three. Come on, if you want to see Diane, then hurry!" Relm grabbed Three's arm, only for her to wrench it from his grasp.
"I - I'm no longer interested in meeting Diane," she said, lying for her safety. "Thank you for the conversation, but…"
"Oh, and where else do you have to do that's more important?"
"I-"
"Trick question, nowhere. Now get your ass off the ground and help me, goddamn it!" Relm glared at her. "And just for that, I'm no longer acting as a character witness for you. Once you're caught, you're on your own."
Three blinked. "You're supposed to become more persuasive once it's clear I'm hesitant, not less."
Relm raised an eyebrow. "You never had a choice, you know. I hold more influence than you ever will, Three. Come on already."
"I said no." Three repeated before starting to walk away. "Thank you, Relm, but-"
She felt something hit her back, and she fell over. It stung terribly, and he turned to see sparkles erupting from Relm's mouth.
"You - you used Swift on me," Three said.
"Yes - and I will use your unconscious body as a distraction if I have to. Now, let's get moving."
Kick his ass, Three!
One?!
Kick! His! Ass! Kick! His! Ass! Kick! His! Ass!
You know what, yeah! Kick! His! Ass! Kick! His! Ass!
Now I know why we're siblings. Kick! His! Ass! Kick! His! Ass!
Have you all gone insane?!
Rage bubbled in Three's blood (Kick! His! Ass!) but with a supreme force of will, she forced it down. "I didn't see anyone that looked weird," Three claimed. "And I never saw an 'Epsilon Fusion'. How do I know you're not lying to me?"
Relm groaned. "Wow, could you make this any more difficult?"
"I've had a very rough day, thank you." Three dusted herself off. "You literally said you would throw me to the bodyguard and ignore the consequences, so I'm not in the mood for this anymore."
Relm sighed. "Look, fine, I'll cover your rear, just please, give me something to do!"
"... are you still doing this all for boredom's sake?!"
"Yes!" Relm shouted. "I'm not allowed to choreograph or visit my haunts in the Citadel! I just have to stay here! My bodyguard's changing shifts will only last so long, so I need to get it done within the next five minutes or so! Please!"
…
"You know what, fine. Let's go meet this 'Selene'," Three groused.
Three, why didn't you kick his ass?!
Because I want to see the look on his face when you aren't there. Because the Hat isn't doing anything and I'm tired of all of this stress. Because I want to see if 'Diane' will be there.
Three!
What?!
He's leaving.
Relm indeed was leaving and looking rather cross with her. "Can we get going already?"
Three shook off the rest of the Swift stardust. "Yeah, let's."
The walk back to the hospital room was rather tense. Relm, on the other hand, was remarkably cheery, the stupid entitled brat that he was.
"You've never seen an Epsilon Fusion, I've bet, so you're in for a shock. The wanted posters for Selene don't do it justice."
I've seen an Epsilon Fusion every time I look in the mirror, Relm.
Selene, I don't think he can hear you.
One, I - never mind.
"So, Three." Realm's voice sounded a little awkward once he noticed Three wasn't responding to any of the things he was saying. "Do you have any friends or family?"
"I have a friend," Three said, wondering how exactly she was going to hedge this. "She loves reading books and studying with me. I have four sisters - One, Two, and Four."
"That's three."
Well, Three couldn't just say 'Selene', now could she. "Oh, yeah, I forgot about Five."
"Five?" Relm sniffed. "Your parents weren't very creative, now were they?"
"My parents are dead."
Relm stiffened, almost tripping as he walked.
"... I think," Three continued. "I'm not entirely sure, in the end. I've never met them. An orphan from the day I was born, as far as I'm aware."
"... my deepest apologies," Relm inclined his head slightly. "I didn't mean to be insensitive."
"I've gotten over it," Three mumbled, heat flooding to her cheeks. "Right now, I'm just worried about what people will think when they see me in the Platinum Suite. I'm not supposed to be here, you know?"
"Then why did you come here?"
"I got lost." The lie felt empty, if that made sense, on her lips. "I didn't have that much of a choice, in the end."
Relm made a noncommittal sound. "From what I've heard from Selene's friend Eve - I think she's a relative of mine, by the way - Selene is rather merciful and sweet. I doubt it, considering she's a criminal, but she might be willing to give you a pass."
…
He met Eve? Selene's mental voice sounded faint. She got captured?!
Was my sacrifice for nothing?
Four, don't make this about yourself.
No! Eve's in danger! Three, we have to go rescue her!
"Eve?" Three asked, struggling to keep the emotion from reaching her voice. "Isn't that the name of Eonian Princess?"
"Yeah - I spent a day talking to her, and she said that she ran away with Selene to evolve. Not that it worked, since she nearly died when finding a Heart of the Sun. She was brought to the Platinum Suite too, for a small check-up. It was a little weird at first, but we get along, I think."
He knows some of the story. Do you think Eve was captured and hypnotized? Because if so, we might be unable to undo it.
Three, we need more information.
Don't worry, I'm on it.
"I have seen Eve many times before," Three said, before proceeding to lie. "As a handmaiden. I don't think she'd recognize me," another half-truth. "But I do know her personality ticks."
Relm blinked. "Oh - right, you were a Regilian handmaiden. Say, why are you in Citadel Abbadon, anyway? Why are you in the hospital? You don't look injured in the least, and Regilians haven't come to the Citadel for a long time."
Their walking started slowing down. Three realized how badly she messed up.
Salvage the situation!
How?!
Just run!
But Three couldn't - she found herself frozen in place. "I… um…"
Relm looked at her even more suspiciously. "Who are you?"
"... um… hey, we've arrived!" She had been so embroiled in the conversation that she hadn't noticed that they had come full-circle back to her room. "Now we can see Selene!"
Small problem with that.
Oh. Right.
Relm didn't move. "Gaist, if she moves, let me know," he commanded, the levity and awkwardness gone. He was now in full command of the situation and didn't leave any room for Three to maneuver or act.
A draft of ghostly air blew through the halls, and Three realized that Relm's bodyguard had been here the whole time, without her knowing about it. A pair of ghostly claws attached themselves to Three, preventing her from moving. Three felt the demented giggle of a Haunter from behind her.
"I don't know why you're here or who sent you." Relm said slowly, darkly. "And if Selene is in any danger because of you, I can have you executed. Understood?"
Three opened her mouth, and the claws tightened.
*WHOOSH*
The shadowy figure following her finally left the ceiling. Immediately, Three saw the figure - a Luxray, of all Pokemon - fall to the ground, before placing an electrified paw delicately over Relm's back. Relm froze.
"N-Nimbus?" Relm asked, stuttering a little.
"Let. Her. Go." Nimbus's voice was eerily familiar somehow. "There are no negotiations."
"But - but Selene is in there!" Relm said, confused. "Why are you…?"
"Gaist, Nimbus, fall back." A smooth voice said - much more refined, and again, eerily familiar. "The boy doesn't know and overreacted. If he gives a single command to the contrary, kill him."
Nimbus instantly took her claw off of Relm, and the Haunter behind her faded away, leaving Three free to move around again.
Then, Three finally heard - and upon turning her head, saw - her. "Is - is that her, Diane?"
Eve. Much more well-groomed than she had been for a month, it was unmistakable. Three would recognize that scanning look anywhere, and those soft lavender eyes were a dead give-away.
But she doesn't recognize us!
Of course she doesn't, she's never seen or even heard about Three before! Three might as well be a completely different person to her!
"It is," the voice, belonging to the type of Pokemon Selene had seen in the portrait, declared. Her gaze lingered on Three for a while. "Though she has switched to one of her siblings, as Nimbus reported."
"I'm sorry, can someone explain what's going on?!" Relm demanded, looking at Three. "Why is Selene's bodyguard here for Three? Miss Diane, is her name even Three to begin with?"
"Undoubtedly," Dian continued. "Three, if you could, please introduce yourself - fully, without misdirection."
… do I do it?
Do you have much of a choice, Three?
I suppose not.
Three stuck one of her hands in her fur pockets. "Hey, Eve," she waved. "Selene says hi, by the way, and she's sorry she can't come out. She can barely move a muscle as it stands.
You didn't have to make me sound that weak, Three.
But it's true, isn't it?
Eve just stared. "I…"
Do any of you want to come out, experience life again? Four?
I don't mi-
Me!Me!MEMEMEMEMEMEEEE!
Alright, then. One, good luck.
…
One opened her eyes.
"Wooooowwww~" One wiggled her long legs - long for her body, they were kind of short in general, since she was so small. She felt wings on her back, started flapping - then started flapping faster, since it was so easy - "I'm a Bug!"
"A Cutiefly," Miss Diane agreed. "What's your name?"
"One!" One flitted over to Eve. "Eve, Eve! Are you doing okay?!" There was something strange with Eve's face. She looked worried - hopefully, nothing bad was going on with her right now.
One, she's shocked. We switched right in front of her.
"Eve, it's me, Selene!" One said, hopefully helpfully. "I mean, she's in me, but I remember everything she does! Like, five years ago, when the castle was blanketed in three feet of snow and you wanted to try sledding, and how you wrapped me-"
"Enough!" Eve's cheeks pinked, and she shrank back on herself. "I - can I see Selene, please?
Selene?
Can you tell her that I want to come out, but I'm too tired and ill to talk or do anything?
Yup!
One dutifully relayed the message, and Eve winced. "Ah, I see." There was a crestfallen look on Eve's face that One desperately wanted to wipe away.
Look, One, I want to come out but I'm scared that I'll worry everyone.
Selene, don't think about it too much. I'm sure Eve will understand.
Relm looked at One with confusion. "Are you Three?" Relm asked slowly.
"I'm One - a part of the Epsilon Fusion thing you were talking about!" One responded cheerfully. "By the way, Selene is Five."
Relm's eyes widened, finally getting the clue. "Hold on - you were Selene the entire time?!"
"Yep!"
Relm paled. "I - why were you trying to leave."
One, answer with a lie-
"We were kidnapped by Eonians, so we thought we were in danger," One ignored her sister's whiny suggestions and just answered with the truth. "We switched to Three since Selene couldn't move and Four was too slow. Then you showed up, we talked for a bit - Selene wants your autograph, by the way-"
Not anymore!
"Forget that last part, she doesn't want your autograph anymore," One easily corrected. "And then you attacked and almost killed us!"
Relm paled even more. "I-"
"We will be talking with your mother about this," Diane promised, eyes flickering. "The Temptress has signed off on your release forms, so you're free to leave."
Relm turned back to her. "I'm - um, sorry…"
"Okay! Bye!" One wiggled all of her legs in the air as her farewell. Relm pursed his lips, before smiling awkwardly. Almost like a puppet, he walked past Eve and Diane. He bumped against Eve, and they turned to face each other for a second before Relm continued walking down the hall. Gaist then disappeared, Nimbus following them shortly afterward.
Nimbus isn't gone, One. She's hanging on the rafters like she was before.
More importantly, did you hear what 'Diane' said? The Temptress signed off on Relm's release forms! We are in enemy territory! They might have gotten to Eve too!
While I do think you make a good point, Four, they had all the time in the world to do whatever they wanted to us while we were unconscious. Since we're okay and not Collared, that means they don't want to brainwash us.
And that excuses everything they've done before?!
No, but it means that we shouldn't stress ourselves out as much. Eve's okay, so we don't have to worry about her anymore.
From her mannerisms, it's unlikely that Eve has become a Shadow Worker. They didn't bring us here to attack us, so it might be most prudent to listen to whatever they may have to say.
Fine. I suppose you guys make a point - just don't let your guards down. These guys enslave for a living, we can't trust them as far as we can throw them.
Eve watched Relm walk away slowly. They had agreed to talk to each other later - the instant Eve had seen him for the first time, she knew he hadn't been wearing contacts. He was an Eonian Royal, which begged a question; Why was he here?
"Hey, Eve!" Eve was brought from her thought process by Sele- no, One. They had the same set of memories, according to Diane, but they were separate people with different belief systems, different personalities, and different identities. Selene wouldn't be so brashly naive, nor as…
"Eve?" One whispered, as though Diane wasn't able to hear it. "I know we're in a bad place, but we'll be okay! We're together now, so we can fight by each other's side and win!"
… as overbearingly sweet.
"Yep," Eve smiled, trying to hide her recalcitrance. On the third in Nucifera, Diane had given her permission to walk around the Citadel as a tourist.
It certainly had been an experience. By noon, the entire Millinery - what Diane called the Temptress's network of Hats - had been notified of her little trip. Constantly, she found the enslaved Pokemon eagerly giving her excellent tourist spots to visit, like the Meterolopian Book Store (which was the closest in Nucifera that you could get to a library, unfortunately) and the Zymmermon Strilmore Opera House, where Negisa would be performing tomorrow.
Eve wished that she could enjoy herself, but being surrounded by slaves stripped of their free will - slaves stripped of their free will and enjoying it - sapped any sort of fun she could have from the situation. Even more damning was the Moat, Nucifera's shadow. Everyone there was in some sort of debt, barring the children. The Farmers, a large group of land-owning Pokemon, would teleport the able-bodied to their field as sharecroppers and would take most of their profit while erasing some of their debt.
Eve shook her head. The more she thought about that terrible situation and the more she remembered how little she could honestly do to help them, the sadder she'd grow. No, she should just… leave them be.
"So, there's Four the Drowzee," Eve replied, trying to distract herself. "Three the Morpeko. You, One, who's a Cutiefly. Selene's the Fusion herself." So, by process of elimination: "Is your last sibling 'Two'?"
"Yuh-huh!" One nodded. "She's a bit like our Mom, she makes sure we don't get into too much trouble, that we stay happy and stuff - you know, things like that!"
"I'm glad," Eve said. She couldn't find herself liking One, in all honestly - there was nothing wrong with her, of course, but her utter lack of tact and relative intelligence was jarring, especially compared to Selene.
Diane coughed, bringing attention over to her. "As it stands, One, may I ask a few questions?"
"Go ahead, ask away!"
"First, may we see Two? I assume that she's rather curious about the world and eager to live life with her own two hands for a change."
"Okay!" One chirped. "Two said that he doesn't mind meeting you two!"
The next second, One started glowing rainbow - she was 'switching', as Diane kept on calling it. The sound of wind through a forest echoed in the air, and a second later, One was gone. In her place was a Roselia, immaculate with the scent of lilacs.
The Roselia - Two - opened her eyes. "So, this is who I am?" she asked, lifting her rose-like hands and inspecting them. "I must admit, it is a strange experience to be the one piloting the body." She looked at Diane. "If your collective is like us, and has multiple forms - forms that seem to correlate to each other - does that mean you have a Roselia form as well?"
A second later, Diane had switched to Penny. Two looked startled. "Precisely, my dear." Penelope leaped forward and entombed Two in a giant hug. "Oh, you look just like I did - like she did - when we were your age!"
Immediately, Two's awkward smile fell. "Like she did - are you talking about my mother?"
Penelope froze. "Yes," she admitted. "May we not talk about Artemis?"
Two seemed to pick up the hint. "Oh."
The mood was instantly dampened. Eve felt like a third wheel in this conversation - she held no real place here.
"... why are you here?" Two eventually asked. "Didn't Four tell you to leave us alone? So that you wouldn't get captured?"
Eve flushed. "Do I look like the kind of Pokemon that would abandon my friend once she was put in danger?!" she demanded, her hackles rising unbidden. "I stayed here to rescue you, you dolt!"
Two shook her head. "And look where that got you!" she countered, her voice rising slightly toward the end. "We're here, among the Hats and someone who knows the Temptress personally!"
"If I may interject," Penelope interrupted smoothly. "The Temptress fully acknowledges your wishes to remain undisturbed. You will only get involved in Chain if you truly desire to."
Two scoffed. "And why wouldn't I think that she wouldn't make me - us - a Collared or Shadow Worker?"
"Because, Two, such a process is impossible for an Epsilon Fusion. Our multi-souled nature means that to control one soul, you need to control them all - and the current methods for the production of Collared and Shadow Workers are limited to one soul per body."
"Assuming I believe you, what about Eve?"
"Eve can't be turned either - the process of turning her into a Shadow Worker or a Collared would fundamentally alter her appearance, to the point where she would be as useful as any other Eevee would be. No, she too is immune."
That meant that it would alter her eye color. Eve felt a brief spark of joy at that, before crushing it under common sense cynicism. Penelope could simply be lying to have her drop her guard.
Then again, if she was going to do it - but no, she could still have a use for a free-willed Eve that would disappear with time.
"That," Penelope continued. "And I would kill her if she tried. Of course, Father would kill her before I could even get within a foot of her."
Two perked up. "We have a grandfather?"
"Adopted, not biological. Our father, Phosophor, values Epsilon Fusion life above all else. If you wished - truly wished - a country wiped from the map, it wouldn't last the month."
Eve shivered.
"Our sponsor exists only as such due to convenience and Nero's predilection toward them," Penelope continued. "We have more than enough sources of income for the sponsor to be superfluous, and simply ally with them out of amusement. When our sponsor kidnapped you…" Penelope smiled. "They handed you over very quickly. We let them attempt to find Eve as well, to bring her here, but they weren't very good at that, so we took matters into our own hands."
Eve felt her stomach turn. Penelope had said as much a few nights ago, but to put it like that…
"So you have absolutely nothing to fear, Selene. Not from us, and with our protection, no one else either. As long as Eve remains here, she will have the same protections. Nero has forced our sponsor to… accommodate their plots."
Two's face was like that of stone. Eve waited for her reaction with bated breath.
"... may I have some time to myself?" Two requested after a few minutes.
Penelope nodded. "But of course. In Nucifera, you five are our princesses." She looked up into the rafters, where Nimbus's eyes glowed. "Though, I must tell you that Nimbus will follow you everywhere at all times."
Two frowned. "Then I'm not allowed privacy?"
"No. Nimbus has her memory wiped every night, so there's no issue."
"I refuse," Two said point-blank, eyes cold. "I'd like to be completely alone."
Penelope bit her lip, torn and a little flummoxed, before nodding. "Very well - Nimbus will stand watch over you from here. You will have your privacy, but you cannot leave the hospital."
"I-"
"That's an order," Penelope added. "In case complications begin affecting your Component Forms. Is that understood?"
Two stood still for a short while - Eve realized that she was debating with her 'siblings' - before nodding. "Thank you for respecting our wish for privacy."
Penelope laid a hand on Eve's shoulder. "We should be leaving, dear."
Eve turned to look at her. "But I want to talk to Selene!"
Two shook her head. "She says that she's sorry, but she's in no state to talk right now." Two looked at Eve. "Can Eve come later tonight so I can introduce the rest of my sisters to her?"
"But of course!" Penelope smiled.
Eve smiled too, though it was much weaker. She bade Two her farewell, then followed Penelope out of the hospital.
"Miss Penelope, may I have some time to myself?" she asked once she could feel the wind blow across her face. "I'd like to visit Citadel Abaddon. Alone."
Penelope hummed. "Thorn has been getting Cabin Fever. Do you mind taking him?" Penelope shot her the look - the kind where she wouldn't budge no matter how hard Eve had pressed.
For the past few days, while waiting for Selene to wake up, Eve found herself with very little to do. She wanted to scope out Citadel Abaddon and see if there were any ways to get from the inside to the outside undetected, but Penelope and Diane hadn't given her that opportunity. She'd been under informal house arrest, only leaving last night to attend a performance by Diane for the Crowns.
And it just so happened that Madam Collown and Jeanine were there. She'd had to field some of the questions Madam Collown asked about him ('we got separated', she had said, conveniently forgetting to mention that it was Eve herself that was doing the separating. 'He's off somewhere else, trying to achieve his goal'). Jeanine had simply stood there, not offering Eve an inch of help.
Eve clenched her teeth. "I'd love to," she murmured. It was very clear that while Selene and her numbered sisters were princesses, Eve was, at best, an honored guest. One that could be pushed to do things she didn't want to do. If Eve wanted to be able to leave and explore at her own pace, this was the measure that she'd have to take.
Build trust, just enough so that Eve could explore and concoct a plan on her own… and then, she'd break both herself and Selene out of this prison.
"Excellent!" Penelope smiled, before switching into Pandora. Neither Penny nor Diane would tell her why Pandora was only available every so often, so Eve was only momentarily surprised (Penny had introduced her to all of her other forms, and she had to say, she liked Sephy the best).
Pandora was a no-nonsense sort of Hypno. Upon meeting her for the first time, Eve felt rather small - and supposedly, Pandora had a daughter named Sable. Eve couldn't imagine living under Pandora's thumb like that and definitely couldn't understand how Pandora was supposedly living her life concurrently with Penelope's and Diane's.
Pandora disappeared for a couple of seconds, before returning with Thorn in tow. Thorn's eyes sparkled in the light of Citadel Abaddon, and despite her slight irritation, Eve couldn't help but smile.
"You're taking me around the Citadel, Eve?!" Thorn asked in a rush. "Ooh, can we visit Elmyra Pavillion - I heard that you can see the stars from there! And - and what about the Anisundial! I mean, it won't be sunny, but I heard it's beautiful!"
Despite her sour mood, Eve couldn't help but smile. "Sure, Thorn. We can visit the Pavilion."
Thorn jumped up and down in glee. Pandora teleported away, leaving Eve alone with Thorn - who proceeded to jump on Eve's back and ride her.
Eve wasn't used to giving piggyback rides, much less actual rides, and Thorn weighed far more than she'd lifted. Just from the initial jump onto her, she nearly fell to the ground - bracing her legs had helped a little, though, and she slowly dragged herself to her feet.
"So, the Pavillion?" Eve wheezed.
"Yuh-huh!"
Eve slowly started walking around the Citadel. She didn't have the strongest grasp on its topography yet, and she didn't want to ask a Hat. With that in mind, she started climbing a building to get a relatively good view of the Citadel from above.
"Miss Eve, where are you going?"
"Roof hopping," was her simple answer as she pounced onto a ledge. She'd always wanted to try it out, and while she was going to be up there…
"Awesome!" Thorn grinned.
Using a girder as her final stepping stone, Eve clambered on the rooftop, normal by her standards but positively boring and poor compared to the lavish houses that surrounded it. It was none of her concern, though.
"Say, can you see the Pavillion, Thorn?" Eve asked.
Thorn squinted. "I… no, not yet…"
Eve considered a map she once saw of the Citadel and tried to fit it into the view she was seeing right now. It took a short while, but once she remembered that she came out of the hospital and where it was located on the Citadel's map, she had a good idea of the general idea of where she was. Considering the map harder, she eventually triangulated her exact position on the map. More or less.
"Hey. Eve, where are we going?" Thorn asked, shivering a little. "It's getting cold."
Eve oriented to herself toward the Pavillion - off in the distance, she could see it tower over everything else. "There," she directed, pointing toward the structure with her chin. "The Pavillion's over there."
With that, she began to run - honestly, far better than she expected. She hadn't considered life in Ascendance Palace sedentary, but living a life in… well, the real world had pushed her beyond her limits many times over. The hops between rooftops were a little difficult at first, but soon Eve had broken into her stride.
"Keep going!" Thorn cheered.
Eve kept up her momentum. Soon, she was climbing the Pavillion's steps, a couple of haughty upper-class Pokemon sneering at the sight of her.
"... contacts… poor taste, the Princess…"
Eve suppressed a grin. 'Sometimes, the best way to hide was by doing it in people's faces' - a quote from Vlenimir Batgole. It wasn't a statement that Eve found she could understand back then, but hearing the couple talk about her in the current news all while she was there in person…
"Come on, we're almost there!"
Eve dragged herself from her idle musings back to reality. She wove in between people going up and down the Pavillion's stairs before finally arriving on top of the structure herself.
The Pavilion was a… strange place. There was a pavilion's typical overhead designed to protect from the elements, but this Pavilion also had a lookout over all of Nucifera. Thorn jumped off her and started looking at the shimmering night sky - a beautiful sight indeed - but Eve kept her eyes on the Moat.
It wasn't as pretty as the sky. It would never be as pretty as the sky. Looking at it right now made her want to retch a little. Nucifera was the embodiment of classism, and while she had been mucking it up with the Crowns, the people of the Moat suffered beneath.
A part of her wanted to dedicate herself to helping them. She ruthlessly stamped that part down - while the sentiment was good, Eve had her priorities, which included her and Selene, and right now, almost nothing else. With Nucifera's society as it was, changing it for the better permanently wouldn't be a walk in the park, and would take far too long for one Eevee.
Regardless, she needed to find a way where she and Selene could escape. The Fusion (and wasn't that a strange idea) had multiple forms for mobility - Morpeko were a rather fast species, and Cutiefly could fly. She didn't doubt that if Selene put her mind to it and had the slightest of opportunities, she could escape.
That left Eve, who had many more roadblocks. There was a rotating patrol that was semi-random, meaning predicting it was going to be a headache and a half. Worse than that, Chain knew she was a flight risk, meaning that they'd put in measures to stop her. Considering Chain's M.O., she wouldn't know those measures until it was too late.
The more she scanned, however, the more she realized how tight the defenses were. Each guardsman covered the potential blindspots of the others, and there were a lot of them. Eve supposed that the distance between the Moat and the Citadel would necessarily have to be large and secure so that the Crowns and other wealthy citizens of the Citadel could sleep in peace, knowing that a Moat slum kid wouldn't sneak in a kill them as revenge for a perceived slight (or rob them).
Eve bit her lip. There had to be some way out, right?
Right?
"Hey, Eve?" Thorn tore Eve's attention away from her plight. "Can we go back to the city now? I want to see the Anisundial."
Eve raised an eyebrow. "We've been here for only a couple of minutes, and you want to leave already?"
"Yeah!" Thorn's bud wobbled on his head as he spoke. "There's no point in staying here for much longer. It's getting cold, too."
Eve smiled. "Well, alright then." Hopefully, Eve would have more chances to spy on the guardsmen again, maybe find a way out then. Eve's confidence had fallen, but Eve hadn't made it this far by giving up easily!
"Yeah!" Thorn cheered with a little dance, before getting back on Eve with a hop and a skip.
Eve walked down the stairs to the Pavillion, making sure not to bother any of the Illussurians on her way down. None of them seemed to mind, or even pay attention to her. It was… strange, in a sense. Eve was always important, so being in a place where she wasn't treated as such was a little disconcerting.
Consulting her mental map, Eve walked toward the Anisundial. She idly answered Thorn's many questions about the dial.
"Does it hold the power of the sun?"
"Yes, Thorn." Eevee could use it to evolve into Espeon, though not at night time. "It absorbs all the sunlight that it gets in contact with, and generates more light on top of that."
"Who made it?"
"An ancient civilization," Eve answered. "We think it was the people of Venitex, though we're not entirely sure."
"Ooohhhh… who were the Venitex?"
Eve's lip curled. "A civilization that ended as the Regilian one began. It was an imperialist civilization, one very technologically advanced. The Venitex were the biggest challenge to the Sotomon's armies. Nobody knows how they managed to last as long as they did, or what weapon they had at their side to do so." She paused. "The Anisundial might have had something to do with-"
"Boring~" Thorn chirped, making Eve sigh. Right, Thorn was a normal kid, not someone who had thrown themself into the reference section for weeks at a time.
Nonetheless, Thorn kept on asking questions - some more interesting than others. After ten minutes or so, they finally arrived at the Anisundial.
It was less a work of art and more of an experience. Just being near it put Eve under a funny spell, as if the Anisundial were one giant Heart of the Sun. It was clear and lavender colored, and the moon and stars reflected off every face. Eve could have sat there for hours.
Then Thorn started jumping and running on the Anisundial's numbered edges, which broke the spell. "Thorn, get off!" Eve shouted, clambering up onto the Anisundial to get him off-
Woah.
Woah.
Eve was charged with energy. It was nowhere near as intense as the Heart of the Sun she had felt - she wasn't going to throw up just yet - but she felt as if it were noon even though the sun had very clearly fallen. It was like a living contradiction - common sense and her eyes told her the sky was as dark as basalt, but her gut told her the sun was out and shining brightly.
Eve squashed that second feeling the best she could - not very effective, in the end, but you couldn't fault a girl for trying - and tried walking next to Thorn, who was busy having the time of his life just messing around on the giant structure.
"Thorn, be careful," Eve warned, a scared sense of what Penelope would do to her if she accidentally hurt her son. "Please."
Thorn turned to her, frowning. "But it's so much fun!"
"Yes, but look!" Eve gesticulated at the staring crowd. "We're attracting a crowd, and not in a good way!" They all looked at her as the more responsible, more mature of the two. Deep inside, Eve felt a small desire to play on the Anisundial as well but quashed it. "Please, Thorn."
Thorn sat on the centerpiece of the sundial /stubbornly. "No. Not yet."
Damn it, why did Thorn have to be so difficult?
"Um - if I may make a suggestion?" Eve's attention snapped away from Thorn to one of the bystanders - a female Eevee around her age. She looked just like Eve did, the same frame and quality of fur, except that her hair was styled a little differently and most importantly, her eyes were not lavender.
"Yes?" she asked, frowning.
"Do you know about a Budew's mediacochlear spot?"
Eve stared at her - then broke out into a grin. "Yes - and thank you for reminding me." Eve then broke out into a Quick Attack, catching Thorn off-guard. Even though he was turning, Eve managed to poke one of her claws into the base of Thorn's bud.
"Hey!" Thorn objected. "That's really…" Thorn's eyes started drooping. "... mean…"
Eve picked up the drowsy Thorn and slung him onto her back. With the increased distance between Thorn and the Anisundial and Eve acting as a sponge for any of the structure's day-radiation, Thorn immediately fell off into sleep.
Eve turned to the female Eevee. "Thank you," she tilted her head. "I had nearly forgotten about that spot."
A fun little fact: Budew weren't supposed to be awake at all during the night. When the sun started falling, the mediacochlear spot immediately made them drowsy, and by the time the sun was down, they'd be asleep for the night. With a lot of effort, they could stave it off, though - and with the Anisundial in play, it was probably trivially easy for Thorn to stay awake.
Both methods worked, though, by tricking Thorn's biology into thinking it was still daytime. Eve could reverse the trick by stimulating the spot that made him drowsy in a method akin to acupuncture.
The female Eevee bashfully smiled. "Thank you," she demurred. "I just study medical texts in my free time - I want to join Abaddon General Hospital when I grow up." Eve's opinion of the Eevee girl shot up significantly. Selene would really like this girl, too.
Eve got off the Anisundial. "My name is Eve - what about you?"
"My name is Anna - are you one of the cosplayers?"
Eve blinked. "The what?"
Anna frowned, a lot of her nervousness disappearing. "The cosplayers - you know, people who pretend to be the wayward princess? Your set of colored contacts is pretty good, too. You must be attached to the idea of being Eve."
"People are cosplaying as me?! Why?"
Anna looked at her strangely. "Aren't you one of them?"
"No!"
Anna blinked. "Wow, you are in character."
"It's not a character!" Eve growled. "I am Eve - I mean, myself."
"Oh, you slipped up~" Anna needled a little. She had gotten much more comfortable over the last minute. "What's your actual name?"
Eve just looked at Anna with askance. "Eve, like I said."
Anna just looked at Eve. "Really?"
"Really." Eve never thought that she'd get to the point where she'd have to correct people on her name. "I'm not one of those 'cosplayers'. Why are they even pretending to be me?!"
Anna looked confused. "The bounty for finding and rescuing her. I think Eonia's Prince Mentali has offered a couple billion berries for whoever finds her."
Her draw dropped. "D-dad put up a billion berries?!"
Anna whistled. "Yeah. I have to hand it to you, 'Eve', you're excellent at staying in character." Anna then looked around, before leaning in to whisper to Eve. "Just thought I'd warn you; if you do manage to convince someone you're Eve, run for your life."
Eve blinked. "Why?"
"Because I think some awful Pokemon will try to ransom her off for more." She grimaced. "I wouldn't put it past the Eilkans to try and bankrupt the Eonians. And I saw a Trelerectican Grumpig with the black and white badge." She blinked. "Over there."
Eve's face whipped around to see a Grumpig. On its chest was a vest with a black and white badge on it. That badge was exclusive to bounty hunters. For one of them to be here…
"... oh."
"Eve was last heard to be near Logain," Anna continued. "I don't know if you want to be wrongly ransomed or not, but you should take off the contacts anyway."
If only she could. "Are you sure that the Grumpig is here for Eve?"
Just as Eve said that the Grumpig turned toward her, narrowing its eyes. Eve felt like her heart was about to stop, her legs made of mush. Eve opened her mouth to scream, to cry, to do or say something.
Nothing came out.
And then the Grumpig was stopped. A Leavanny wearing its fine silks interrupted the Grumpig on its way to Eve.
"Mr. Melge," the Leavanny said. "I believe I've told you to stop bothering every lavender-eyed Eevee you come across."
Melge flashed his badge, sneering at her. "I don't answer to you."
"The treaty says that you answer to the law. Mayor Peats signed an emergency order earlier today saying that the Hats can stop people like you from bothering the common citizenry. She's another girl with contacts and eyes bigger than her head. Let it go."
Melge sneered again but took one more look at Eve. She drew herself up. "Yeah, go. I'd never go with you…" she grimaced. "Even if I was her."
Anna looked as smug as a bug. A flicker of surprise jumped across the Leavanny's face before it was smoothed out with her previous serenity. "Melge," she addressed again, pointedly dropping the honorific. "She is someone who enjoys the latest fashion. Looking like a princess is always popular, even if that princess is on the run."
Melge glared, but the Leavanny's bladed arms started crackling with greenish bug-type energy, causing him to lean a little backward. "... fine, then." He levied one last glare at Eve before stomping away.
Eve nodded respectfully to the Leavanny. "Thank you," she said sincerely. "He was making me very uncomfortable."
The Leavanny giggled. "Oh, stop. That's simply me doing my duty, my dear."
Eve looked at the Leavanny. "Are you a member of the police force or the local militia?"
The Leavanny shook her head. "Not at all. I'm simply a Hat wishing to help." The warmth drained from Eve's expression as the Leavanny revealed that damn Hat tattoo. "We must watch over and protect the Citadel, especially from opportunistic miscreants like Melge."
Anna smiled. "Thank you," she echoed. "If you need to be somewhere, don't let us stop you."
"But of course." The Leavanny Hat bowed. "I bid you adieu, Anna, Princess."
With that, there was a small flurry of leaves swirling around her. When the flurry left, the Leavanny was gone. There was the sound of clapping - the citizens around her must have thought it a show.
"She called you Princess," Anna mentioned. "That was a bit rude of her, considering who just happened to bother us." She peered at Eve with an odd expression. "That being said, what's your real name?"
Eve's eyes shifted around. Eve…. Eevee… Veev? No, too close to her name. Veev… Veevee… Vivi was hard to connect to Eve. "Vivid." Eve decided, deciding to make her new name an adjective, one that she liked. "Just call me Vivid." Creatively bankrupt and still a little too close to her own, yes, but it suited her purposes.
Anna smiled. "Nice to meet you, Vivid."
Eve just stayed silent, her eyes darting around everywhere. Anna had nothing to do with the Temptress or anything like that, and in the short time Eve had to know her, she knew that Anna wasn't the type of person that should be involved with all that. If Eve let her know her real name - let her believe it - then not only would Eve be in trouble, but so would Anna. It made her feel no better, though.
As her eyes darted around, they locked onto a strange tint in the Anisundial. For the most part, the Anisundial was formed of pretty pink crystals. If she looked at its radiance from a different angle, however, she saw a tint of green inside, along with an oddly familiar feeling.
"Say, Anna." Eve decided to switch the subject. "Can you come over here?"
Anna raised an eyebrow and trotted over. "Yes?"
"Tilt your head this way a little," Eve oriented Anna's head properly. "And tell me if you see anything right about… here." Eve pointed to the spot on the sundial where she saw that strange aberration in the crystal.
Anna frowned. "It looks a little green."
"So it wasn't my imagination, then," Eve concluded, before trying to look at the spot from a different angle. The green spot disappeared - and reappeared in another place. Eve jumped on top of the Anisundial, looking deep at where it had disappeared from.
"Vivid, what are you looking at?" Anna asked from beside her.
Eve pursed her lips as the green spot finally came into view again, clear and semi-permanent. With a long, unpaused look at it, she finally managed to place where she saw that emerald before.
That gem was embedded in Culus's collar. The Anisundial has been here for millennia, so it was likely that Chain came here for it.
What did the Venitex have to do with all of this…?
"... ello? Vivid?" Anna's concern broke Eve out of her contemplative spell. "You've been staring for a couple of minutes now."
Eve blushed. "Sorry," she mumbled. "There's a lot I'm confused about and there's a lot that needs explanation." With that crypticism she stepped down from the Anisundial. "Thank you for everything. I won't forget this."
Anna raised an eyebrow. "Are you going anywhere?"
Eve hefted Thorn on her back. "He needs to go back home, so I can't stick around."
Anna shook her head. "No, are you leaving Nucifera?"
Yes, hopefully. "No, not for some time," she lied. "Why?"
Anna smiled. "Well, I do live in Nucifera. I'll find you some time soon!"
"It's a date." Eve's stomach turned unpleasantly. "I'm sure I'll be available."
"Great!" Anna waved her tail eagerly. "I'll be waiting, Vivid! See you soon!"
Eve's gaze lingered on Anna, before turning back in the direction of the general hospital. She'd go give Thorn back to Miss Penelope - and then, she would have a lot to say to Selene.
Light had no other options. Nero had barred him and Father from invading Chain, and Father was willing to change his plans to accommodate. Father believed that Chain's cooperation was more important than the princess - that once things were properly dealt with, they could handle her.
He, however, knew that this was a stupid restriction. If he and Father were going to use Eve to manipulate Mentali, then she'd need to be outside of Nucifera and in the palm of their hands. They would have never gotten this far by bending over every time someone wanted a crack at them, and Light wasn't going to make an exception here.
"Let me get this straight," Zennitas repeated. "You want me to infiltrate Citadel Abaddon."
"Yes," Light nodded.
"Then you want me to find the lost Princess Eve."
"She is in the Citadel, yes."
"Then you want me to convince her to escape, assist in her escape, and turn on her the instant she's out of Chain's eye, to bring her to you."
"Yes."
"You are aware I've made a long-term contract with Phosophor and Nero, correct?"
"Yes."
"And that they want Eve to stay firmly inside the Citadel."
"Until they can successfully replace her or the Selene kid grows tired of her, yes."
"So what makes you think that I'll be willing to help?" Zennitas finished.
Light raised an eyebrow. "Other than the handsome reward of money?"
"Phosophor pays more."
Light scoffed. "Phosophor's going to capture and convert you the first instant your free will becomes more trouble than it's worth. All the money you make will funnel back to him."
"The instant my free will becomes trouble, like now?" Zennitas snorted. "Pull the other one."
"Alright, then. Your son-"
"Which one?"
"The one that's still alive?"
Zennitas's eyebrow rose. "One of them is still alive?"
"Yes!" Light growled. "Don't you care about your kids at all?"
Zennitas smiled. "They're good to sell on the black market. As far as I remember, they're all used up - well, except for that runt." His eyes sparkled. "Ooh, is he still alive? Please tell me he's still alive."
Light was now completely off-balance. "Y-yes? He's the one that I'm talking about."
"Excellent. Since Kenki's dead, he has resale value." Zennitas took another swig of his drink. "It'll take some convincing to trick him into thinking I've always loved him, but I can manage."
"Why do you want to trick him into thinking that you've always loved him?!"
"Because it'll be hilarious when he realizes that it isn't true." Zennitas's answer was simple and clean, but even Light felt something unpleasant in his heart. "But that's not enough of a payment. Give me any better reason to risk something like this."
Alright, money wouldn't work… "The challenge?"
Zennitas hummed. "Compelling, but I've already proven myself as a thief long ago. Give me another reason, one that's relatively convincing."
Light grimaced, his mind working a thousand miles an hour. "... the Life Harp?"
"What about it?"
"I know you still have it. You can hand it to me and we can call it even."
Zennitas looked at Light like he was an idiot. "You want me to give you a powerful magical artifact, one that has been known to shape the course of history, as a favor to me?!"
Light's grin was tight. "You have an artifact that countries are willing to go to war over, an artifact that has won wars itself. If anyone figures out you have it - anyone that isn't already on your side - you will instantly become the most wanted Pokemon in the world, skyrocketing past Eve and Kite."
"And your point?"
"Well, we can use it, and we have an army that can protect it. If you want it back, you can just steal it back, or even just ask for it. If Chain asks you where it is, just point them at me." Light's smile grew larger. "What are you going to do with it, anyhow? Sell it to the Eilkans? They'll kill you for it to make sure you aren't swindling them, same as they've done with every other 'seller'."
Zennitas hummed. "You make it sound like I have no use for an artifact like this."
"You're well known to have no partners, even though prodigious thieves have offered themselves up to you as apprentices. You can't use it, since it doesn't affect the person playing it."
"And if I were to buy someone to play it for me from Chain?"
"You don't have the money to pay for it. You've spent it all already." Light called Zennitas's bluff, the Zoroark wincing. "You have Kite, of course, but he's trapped somewhere you can't get to. Or rather, you don't know where he is, and since Chain still has a use for him staying with them, they won't tell you."
"And you do know?"
"Of course I do." Light smiled. "That's my offer, Zennitas. A sizable sum of money, the locations of both your living son and your thrall, and the safety of the Life Harp. All you have to do is simply take Eve out of Nucifera, and given her personality, I imagine you'll find that much easier done than you think." His eyes glinted. "Why, I'll even forward the bounty for her to you, so that you'll have double the money."
Zennitas whistled. "Much more compelling - but still…"
Light sighed. "I'll sweeten the pot one last time. On our conquest, we'll 'donate' a sizable fief for you to retire on. And we can lend you the location of the wayward Prince Helios. We'll be perfectly willing to give him to the Dragnian government with some psychological modifications."
"Excellent," Zennitas half-purred. "Now that was easy, wasn't it?"
With that, there was a visible warping of space - a theatrical illusion, of course - and the master thief left their meeting chamber. Light waited a few seconds before sighing.
"What a strange, strange man."
Life is weird.
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