'It's colder than I remember.'
Bringing her hands to her mouth, the red-head blew into them, making sure to keep her nose in the warmth of the breath she caught. She perked at the crunching of snow behind her, looking behind her with a carelessness that made the intruder frown disapprovingly.
"Clementine, really. What if someone was waiting to ambush you down here?"
The woman grinned in response to the question, returning to warming her hands and nose with her breath as she turned to face her companion fully. Looking over his disappointed features, she couldn't help but push the man's buttons with a quick shrug of her shoulders. His own shoulders heaved with an exasperated sigh, bringing one hand to hold the elbow of his opposite arm, his fingertips to his forehead.
A lost cause, as he had said so many times before.
"Yumichika, if someone were here to attack me I don't think you would've been walking so slow," Clementine chuckled, her teeth clacking together. "And I know Ikkaku would've been barreling down this mountain if someone were down here waiting for me."
Her cheeks glowed in the dim light from the town, the cold biting into her skin the longer they stayed out in the snow. Glancing up the mountain behind Yumichika, she could see two more figures making their way down-more caution in their steps as they maneuvered their large frames through the shin deep snowfall.
Mount Silver was harsh. It was an unforgiving place that tested even the best trainers in Kanto and Johto-only the strong were able to make it to the other side. The moment a person stepped foot into the caverns, the atmosphere would shift, as if the other trainers and pokemon within could feel them enter the sanctum. The tension was palpable, the air inside suffocating most before they could get to the true depths of the mountain. Even as the champion of the connected regions, Clementine could still feel her heart in her throat with every passing second in Mount Silver. While her security team was supposed to give her support and make her feel safer, they gave her the opposite effect. All she could think about was if something happened to them while they traversed the maze of tunnels that lay inside; how could she ever forgive herself?
Yumichika tossed a look behind him to see what she was looking at, his black hair swinging with a silky texture to it. Returning his violet gaze to her, the man gave a quick wave of dismissal before she could say anything about waiting for them.
"They'll be fine, they're big boys. You look as if you're going to keel over, on the other hand," The comment elicited a mock gasp of horror from the red-head as he took her shoulders and spun her around, beginning to push her in the direction of the hidden town behind Mount Silver.
Sable Valley was nestled between the two regions similar to Mount Silver and the Pokemon League-the mountain and Route 28 to the south, the Pokemon League to the east, Route 45 to the west. While they didn't have too many technological advances like the rest of the region, Sable Valley was still modern enough to have indoor plumbing, television, solar energy. Quality of life improvements, to be sure, but cell phone service was still lacking, just barely strong enough at times. The radio tower worked just fine for most of the townspeople though.
The town is very agriculturally driven, being the number one producer of apples between the two regions as well as chestnuts. Townspeople were simple and didn't have a lot but monthly trips to Viridian City or Pewter City would bring back necessities that weren't available in the valley. Occasionally vendors and merchants would also visit the town and bring wares with them to sell to the farmers and ranchers of the valley but the winters would always scare them from making the trek for the little payoff they usually got from the trip.
Snow and dirt gradually turned into cobblestone pathways as Yumichika and Clementine made their way to the fenced boundary of Sable. Warm yellow string lights hugged the fence posts and made their way up the rather homely wooden sign that welcomed people to the town-the white paint peeling away from the letters and the sign itself looked as if you'd get ten splinters if you ran your fingers along the edge of it.
"I'm surprised Saix hasn't fixed this yet. You think the townspeople would mutiny if he updated the entrance to be as grand as the town hall?" Clementine's gaze followed the sign even as they walked under it, her head lolling all the way back to look at her companion from upside down as they entered city limits.
"Yea, like he doesn't have all these people brainwashed, right," Yumichika scoffed, flicking the shorter woman's forehead to make her look ahead again, pulling the fluffy hood of her jacket over her head in a motherly fashion. The red-head laughed at his words, a bitter edge to it as her breath came out in puffs.
The wooden fence continued to border the path to the center of the town, lines of trees laid out horizontally on either side that clung to the last of their decaying leaves despite the recent snowfall. Ahead, the path opened up into the town square, a stone fountain set up but no water running out of it with benches laid out and street lights scattered around the area. White ribbons connected the tops of the lamps together, coalescing into lighted bows at the top of each one to illuminate the place.
West of the fountain was a large white-washed building made of brick, a dark mossy green trim to the exterior windows, matching the shingles adorning the roof. It almost looked out of place considering the shabby cobblestone that graced the ground of the town, the white of the building taunting the rest of the dingy buildings made of a crumbling grey or red brick. Large windows would flood the town hall with natural light in the daytime, about half as tall as the building itself with the panes separated with the same green trim. From the outside you could see the drapes were drawn and concealed the interior, a soft glow of amber peeking out from underneath and betraying the inhabitants-if they were trying to hide, anyways.
The real centerpiece to Sable Valley since the new mayor took over was the clock tower adjoining the town hall, taking up the left side of the building and reaching for the sky with a dark green face that stood out from the white architecture, its numbers the same bright shade as the exterior.
Saix had it built shortly after his election and made a big deal of the addition and renovation of the town hall since the previous mayor's passing, a grand re-opening ceremony held for the residents to enjoy themselves.
Despite Yumichika's teasing, the townsfolk adored Saix. He was a younger generation leader and while a lot of the people in the valley were more traditional in their viewpoints, he had a natural charisma to him that people wanted to like. They were wrapped around his finger in a matter of three speeches to the town about why he should be mayor and what changes he would begin to implement to better the lives of everyone.
"You guys couldn't wait an extra five seconds to make sure we came down without dying or what?"
Clementine snickered under her breath, her shoulders bouncing gleefully as she brought her hands to her face. Yumichika gave a roll of his eyes, fixing his gaze on the town hall as one of the two men from the mountain joined the couple.
"Ikkaku, you wouldn't have died without taking Yumichika down with you and we all know that," Clementine beamed up at the bald man, a 'tch' noise his response, pulling the woman's hood further over her face and taking the lead in an attempt to distance himself from her teasing. If she didn't know any better, she would've thought the flush on his face wasn't just from the cold.
The last of the group, a man that dwarfed all three in the pack-and most of the general public-didn't seem to care to rejoin the others. He stood by the fountain in the center of town, his hands hanging limply at his sides, seeming to be transfixed by something in the empty bowl. Yumichika and Clementine exchanged a look, both wondering if it was better to leave him or usher him along to the town hall.
"Kenpachi?" Clementine's voice was soft as she moved to join the giant, reaching a hand out to touch his elbow gently. He didn't flinch at the feeling of her hand on his arm, only giving a grunt of acknowledgement. Not taking that for enough of an answer, the redhead squeezed, this time meeting his gaze. It felt hollow, empty, enough to almost make her wince-but she stood her ground and attempted to pull him towards the town hall. "We're almost done and then you can see if you can send a message from the radio tower. Last I knew there's someone working it 24/7." Pointing behind him, Kenpachi threw a glance over his shoulder to identify the radio tower to the northeast, its red light intermittently blinking against the inky black of the sky.
The man gave another grunt, accompanied by a curt nod, before pulling away from the smaller female. Brushing past her as if she wasn't even there, Kenpachi walked swifter than one would think with such a brutish frame. He was twice as broad as even the fittest of men and intimidated most without ever having to look at them, but Clementine knew that he wasn't just a big bad.
Although, she wasn't sure if Kenpachi even realized just how scary he was-he never seemed to understand the effect he had on people who didn't know him. Perhaps the ignorance was a self-defense mechanism… but more likely, he just didn't care.
Yumichika let his eyes fall to the stones as the head of security passed him, unable to meet his face as he made his way across the light snow still clinging to the cobblestone. Clementine was close behind him, tapping Yumichika's arm to tell him to follow, scurrying to match Kenpachi's long strides with her own shorter legs.
Ikkaku waited for the other three to join him at the door, pulling his parka around his body in the meantime. He looked between them all, brown eyes lingering a little too long on their employer and a little too short on his personal boss. Clementine couldn't help but smile at him, a sad smile as her eyes flicked towards Kenpachi at her side, an unspoken understanding between the two.
"We really sho-"
A sharp bang on the deep black wood of the door made Ikkaku cut his words short, Kenpachi's fist on the door after his barbaric knock for only a moment before he reached for the handle and simply let himself in. A mix of horrified gasps, strangled squeaks of embarrassment, and utter confusion moved over Yumichika, Clementine, and Ikkaku.
"Kenpachi, you can't just walk in like that!"
"Kenny! What if he's in the middle of something?"
"Well at least we're out of the cold."
The group shuffled into the welcoming warmth of the hall, the snow on their boots already beginning to melt. The hardwood of the floor was stained an elegant black reminiscent of the door, covered partially with a large green carpet that led up to a stairway hiding the rest of the town hall. Large paintings covered the entire wall to their left, coat racks set up nearby with a plush velveteen couch and matching chairs to sit in while they waited. An intricate chandelier hung above them and illuminated the room with white light that made the small waiting area seem bigger than it was. A large desk was set up behind a half wall where the receptionist would sit, a closed book for sign-ins lying in wait on the counter. The soft whirring of the computer in idle the only thing they could hear aside from faint classical music drifting from the east wing.
Kenpachi looked up the stairs, noting the darkness from above, and assessed the other two options: the hallway to the right, behind the stairs, or the hallway that branched completely to the east wing of the building with numerous doors on the left and the large windows on the right. Weighing his options as his companions voiced their dismay at his actions, he set out to the right wing without regard to the others.
Yumichika couldn't help but groan in exasperation, following behind Kenpachi and doing an amazing job of keeping his disappointment speech to himself in grumbles under his breath.
Ikkaku rolled his eyes in a similar fashion to Yumichika, putting his hands into his coat. He felt himself tense, feeling those seafoam eyes on his body, goosebumps threatening to break skin.
Clementine couldn't help herself sometimes. Even with the thick parka obscuring most of her view, she could see-almost feel-the definition on his body, the hours of working out apparent. The warmth of his skin was to die for, especially when she realized just how cold her hands really were, her eyes moving from his strong legs to his proud chest and wide shoulders, finally reaching his face and those brown eyes she could stare at all day if he let her. Wait.
The redhead felt the blush creep up her neck and to her face, flushing it in a matter of seconds after she realized he was watching her eyes trailing his body like a starved animal. He grinned at her, his teeth straight and dazzling every time he beamed at a person with that genuine smile-he rarely smiled at anyone without feeling, never one for the intricacies of social etiquette like Yumichika.
"Did you see something you liked, Clem," He practically growled the words, moving closer to her and bringing his hand to her chin, pulling her gently to face him, her face beet red as she met his eyes once more. Trailing his thumb over her lower lip he moved his body closer once more, the swishing of their parkas making the red-head bite back a laugh.
While Clementine wasn't ashamed of showing her attraction to Ikkaku, everything felt heightened being in her ex-fiance's town hall. They were flirting around each other in public for the last couple years but it was different in Saix's town-let alone in his own office. She felt like a teenager doing something she shouldn't have, looking at Ikkaku's lips, wanting, her eyes flicking to the mischievous gleam he had in his eye.
"So nice to see you've arrived."
The mayor's voice was cold, sharp, venom lacing his words. Clementine's head snapped to attention, the color on her face slowly draining as she took an unconscious side-step away from Ikkaku. Her smile was quickly replaced with a grimace, willing the lingering blush off of her face as she met Saix's amber eyes.
He walked from the hallway beside the stairs to stand at the intersection, his hands in his suit pants in a non-threatening fashion, the rest of his body betraying his real feelings. The black of his attire gave him a regal appearance, like a noble coming to address his people, but it was rigid and stiff, his muscles too tense to be in a relaxed position. The corners of his lips were downturned, only a hint, in displeasure at his two guests, his nose scrunching the smallest amount to match his almost-not-quite frown. Saix donned a perpetual pink scar across his face, a giant X that spanned his forehead, across his nose, and ended below his eyes. While some may look at it and immediately feel pity, sympathy for his disfigurement and whatever horrible accident that gave him an ever-present reminder, Saix acted as if it was never there. He never once let the scar define himself or his actions, even when people pressed him for answers, bullied him for his looks, or tried to coddle him for it.
His eyes were narrowed, looking solely at his ex-fiance as she took in his features for the first time in over a year. They were surprisingly bright despite the lack of emotion behind them, giving her a once-over and flicking to Ikkaku. Narrowing even further, Saix only gave him a second's worth of attention before returning to Clementine, his harsh demeanor unchanging.
"It's nice to see you brought the dogs along. I hope they're better trained this time," Ikkaku couldn't help but bark a laugh, going on the defensive and crossing his arms over his chest, standing tall in a subconscious effort to intimidate the other man. Saix continued to ignore Ikkaku, opting to focus all his negativity on Clementine; after all, Ikkaku wasn't worth any sort of reaction.
Gesturing down the hall that Yumichika and Kenpachi had barreled down, Saix started down it himself, not bothering to check if his guests were following. He had a confidence that people would listen to him without having to say what he wanted explicitly.
And thus, Clementine followed obediently behind him with her hands clasped behind her back as if she were in trouble, eyes glued to the backs of his heels. Ikkaku hated the effect that Saix continued to have over her, even when he was around to protect her from the blue-haired devil. Still though, he followed after his employer with a delinquent attitude, his eyes boring a hole into the back of Saix's head.
The good girl and the bad boy going to the principal's office, a tale as old as time.
The music from the lobby started to grow in volume, the group nearing the source as they passed door after door on their left, the draped windows on their right. Double doors stood proud at the end of the hall and Saix was smooth in his movements as he opened one of them and held it open for Clementine, the red-head making her way inside without looking in his direction. Ikkaku wasn't quite as welcoming of his gentleman act, curling his lip into a snarl as Saix looked at him with a blank expression-possibly bordering on bored-waiting for him to follow Clementine.
The stand-off didn't last long, Saix giving up on the pleasantries he was trying to extend to the brute, moving languidly into the ballroom with Ikkaku catching the door behind him. Ikkaku growled under his breath, too upset to even note Yumichika and Kenpachi waiting for them on the other side.
The ballroom was, as one would expect from the rest of the town hall, grand. It looked like it was too large to be enclosed from the outside of the building, its ceilings vaulted to give the illusion to make it even bigger than it actually was, the dark wood of the floor extending across the room and leading to another pair of double doors-these ones an ornate glass reminiscent of cathedral windows. To the right was the edge of the town hall, the large paintings of scenery and famous explorers donning the bright walls and giving it a sense of fullness without being over cluttered. Two chandeliers lit up the ball room, these ones more vintage compared to the one in the entrance hall, candles that were lit by hand whenever in use. The left wall had a pair of swinging doors that lead into what was presumably a kitchen as well as double doors matching the two that Ikkaku, Clementine, and Saix had just entered from.
Pristine white tables were set up, spaced accordingly, around the room with matching chairs and dinnerware set up in front of them, waiting expectantly for their guests to use them. Kenpachi had pulled one out, sitting in it with his legs spread and one elbow on the table, his hand dangling lazily off the edge and scrunching the table cloth up underneath him. Yumichika, on the other hand, was swept up with the elegance surrounding him-he was used to Kenpachi and Ikkaku and their boorish tastes in everything-taking it all in as he clasped his hands to his face adoringly.
"I can't believe the renovation this place has been given. What a face lift," He purred to no one in particular, although Clementine had appeared at his side with the same awe for the interior design, albeit resigned. The last time the group had been in Sable Valley was two years ago during Saix's inauguration; it felt rude to just ignore the invitation that had been sent to Clementine directly… at least that's what she kept telling herself.
"We'll have the ceremony here. You'll have stage time for a speech, if you'd like, or if you just want to wish a quick congratulations, you're more than welcome. Fireworks will be afterwards, merchants and vendors in the town square selling their specialties, and at the end of the night we'll announce the winner of the annual raffle-once the clock strikes midnight. Dinner will be served shortly before you go on, I know you don't like taking part in these public spectacles very much. Maybe people would be more distracted by their food instead of staring at you the whole time," Saix paused his spiel, standing next to Clementine and dwarfing her between himself and Yumichika, an amber eye looking at her sideways for a moment to catch her reaction.
Clementine swiveled her head towards Saix and looked up at him with what could only be described as a suppressed gratefulness. While she knew better than to think Saix would ever forget her quirks, her dislikes, her personality as a whole, it was still... nice to remember that Saix held a soft spot for her at one point in time.
The warmth was short-lived, however, the mayor turning on his heel and moving to stand in front of the lifted stage in question. Looking out at his guests, he pressed his lips together into a tight line, as if he was displeased with the turn out. Three of the four people before him were far from his favorites and the fourth was a box he still wasn't ready to unpack in the recesses of his mind, even after the time that had passed.
Yumichika Ayasegawa, the brains of their laughable security team-although that title was up for debate, really.
Kenpachi Zaraki, the brute force with questionable sanity.
Clementine Blair, the meek princess in need of protection.
And Ikkaku Madarame, the bane of Saix's existence.
Unfortunately, they all seemed to be a package deal nowadays, with Clementine being the newest champion of the two regions and the increase in crime against people in power recently.
Stories were circulating around the bigger cities that gym leaders were being harassed in their gyms, trainers employed by the league heckled in the streets, and even the elite four being issued threats through anonymous letters. The political state of the Kanto and Johto region was beginning to shift and things were changing, not necessarily for the better.
"Well, you should rest up for the next couple of days before the ceremony. You can venture around the town if you'd like. There's not a whole lot to see, in comparison to Goldenrod," Saix paused, looking at Clementine as if she were the only one in the room. The space between them seemed to stretch for miles, the red-head looking anywhere except Saix, meeting his gaze being the most daunting thing she could do.
Ikkaku was swift to shut the moment down before anything could come of it, stepping between Clementine and Saix and holding a hand out, expectant. Saix looked down his nose at the bald man, his eyes glinting with a malice that was reserved only for the security goons. Still, he was composed as he reached into the inside pocket of his suit, retrieving a pair of keys with a bulky plastic tag attached to the end.
"Be sure to return the keys at the end of your stay. And keep the barking to a minimum."
Ikkaku could've spit in his face, but Kenpachi stepped between the two with that same surprising swiftness, taking the keys with the decorum of a barbarian and a grunt in acknowledgement. The three males made their way back out of the ballroom, Ikkaku lingering at the door for their employer, the redhead frozen in the same spot.
Meeting his eyes reluctantly, Clementine couldn't help but feel a disappointment radiating from him. Despite the way their engagement ended, he always made her feel as if she was the one who made a mistake with those amber eyes. She realized that wasn't his intent, his gaze softening as they shared this moment uninterrupted. Words that should've been said a year ago were beginning to form on his lips.
"Goodnight, Saix."
Clementine gave a half-hearted smile to him as she flitted to the door and rejoined her hounds, Ikkaku placing a hand at her back gently to make sure she didn't rethink her decision. A sigh of relief came from both Clementine and Ikkaku as they made their way down the hallway and left the bluenette to the ballroom.
"Goodnight, Clementine." He murmured under his breath, placing his hands in his pockets as he watched the door close before him.
