To select individuals, there was nothing more fascinating and interesting than the ruins of a culture or society long since vanished. It was an indescribable thrill to be able to gaze upon the artwork of the past, to view the various murals and carvings that decorated the ruins of the fallen society, and to examine the relics left behind. It was a fascinating experience to examine the ancient writings and wonder whether the people that had carved or written their words had a language that evolved into what modern people spoke now, or if it was a different language entirely, insufficiently maintained to leave any impact on future societies.
To others, the entire affair was a tedious, unengaging waste of time and energy that could be better spent doing any number of other activities.
Aureia belonged unambiguously in the latter category, so it was genuinely baffling to her that Adrian had chosen her to accompany him for his work assignment. The Vaporeon knew perfectly well that Ember and Avis did not need to remain in their Pokeballs, and Adrian carried those wherever he went, so there wasn't even that excuse. Sure, she didn't mind being outside the ball and allowed to wander around or sunbathe under normal circumstances, but they were presently in an underground cavern of some sort, far from the sun's inviting rays or the refreshing crispness of a water source. Even an empty patch of grass would have been better.
Yet here they were, in a rocky underground chamber. The coarse, unpolished look of the walls and crumbling stone floor stood in sharp contrast to Aureia's sleek, elegant figure. Whereas she had obviously been groomed and maintained frequently, the surrounding area had not, but evidently this was the point. The Ruins of Alph was not a fancy hotel or vacationing resort, which was a shame, because Aureia wouldn't have minded a luxurious swimming pool right about now. Soft pillows and cushions adorning every surface of a high-class room, and flocks of room service personnel catering to her every whim.
Unfortunately, Adrian did not seem to share her mindset, leaving her to be bored out of her mind while he eagerly walked around the perimeter of the massive room, occasionally jotting down notes on a pocket-sized notebook, completely oblivious to the exasperated looks she kept sending his way. Was it really so hard to notice that she was bored? She still didn't know why he had brought her along. The Ruins were all but empty. They had chosen the main chamber specifically to avoid the plethora of overexcitable labcoat-wearing nerds. Those were obviously her words, not his, but if someone dedicates their adult life to studying symbols on a wall and babbling about Arceus and other absurd mythological figures with the same enthusiasm as a child babbling about the cartoons they watch on weekends, then they deserved whatever judgment she chose to bestow upon them. They should be grateful she was too bored to think of more creative or offensive insults than 'nerd'.
On the plus side, she reasoned, they were unlikely to ever contribute to the continuation of humans as a species. Then again, the human race wasn't exactly on the brink of extinction, despite the humans that dedicated their lives to expanding the Pokemon species still being curiously oblivious to how Pokemon reproduced. The lesson to probably draw from this was that if you dedicate your life in a field to the exclusion of everything else, the genepool probably wasn't missing much without your contributions. Your fellow humans probably aren't missing much by your absence at social events, either.
Even delivering vicious insults in her head to anonymous people she knew nothing about was nowhere near enough entertainment to keep the Vaporeon from wanting to bang her head against the nearest wall, if only so that seeing stars or other shapes would be more fun than her current boredom.
It was almost a shame that Adrian wouldn't buy her Fake Tears routine. Her trainer had a very good understanding of her behavior and mentality, as well he should, with the time he had spent caring for her. He was unusually gifted with handling difficult Pokemon, and she herself could confirm the tales. He had managed to tame Ember over the course of several months, which was no easy task. Aureia still had a few of the scars to prove how volatile the Charmander was, and even now that Ember had mellowed out significantly, she was still very aggressive when provoked. Regardless, Adrian would see through such a blatant display of emotion from Aureia, so that option was out.
Even whining or similar would be too emotional for Aureia's tastes. Her best bet was just to shoot water at him, but the more likely result would just be getting withdrawn into her ball, and she wasn't yet that bored to consider it a desirable outcome.
Ugh, it would be much better if he had one of his other Pokemon out with her. At least then she'd have someone to talk to and pay attention to, but Ember had been moody recently, as expected. Early spring and bits of winter always took a toll on the Charmander's mood, and Aureia seemed to have an inadvertant knack for pissing her off, despite otherwise being very close friends. Even Avis would have been an acceptable companion at this time. Granted, getting into another argument with the Snivy would be infinitely more enjoyable than staring at rocks, but this still felt like saying death by falling off a cliff would be more enjoyable than death by stab wounds. It was technically true, as the rush of adrenaline and fear on the way down would be a thrill right before a hopefully swift demise, as opposed to slowly agonizing and feeling one's lifeforce seep from their body.
Aureia blinked and shook herself quickly. Her thoughts were getting a little too morbid for her taste. She heaved a small sigh and looked over at her trainer. Adrian was standing at one of the walls of the Ruins, tapping the corner of his mouth with his pen absently, his eyes inspecting row after row of runic symbols and shapes. Okay, she hadn't missed much from when she last looked his way.
The real shame of this situation was that she was missing out on the best hours of the day. It was one thing to bore her out of her mind in the early morning, when she'd be justified in going back to sleep, or late at night, when she'd also be justified in going to sleep. But to waste her afternoon hours, when the sun was warmest and the skies clearest and the water...no, the water was always good no matter what time of day. To waste those hours was just grating.
"Aureia, you okay, girl?" Adrian called, and she blinked, refocusing on the young man. He had apparently turned towards her when she was distracted, and noticed that she was looking at him with a vacant expression.
Aureia's stomach squirmed. What she really wanted to do was mold her expression into a pitiful expression and silently plead for him to take her out of this hellishly dull environment. He would definitely get the message, but to give him a sign of weakness like that might encourage him to seek out other ways of bringing out her emotions. He would never do such a thing for kicks, or even purposefully make her miserable to draw out these reactions, but it was all part of his methods of developing closer bonds with the Pokemon under his care. She was steadfastedly guarded with her feelings, even to him, whom she trusted above all other humans and most Pokemon. She was not about to show such weakness even if it would immediately resolve her suffering.
The Vaporeon pursed her mouth slightly. It seemed a bit of a contradiction even in her mind that Adrian would definitely see through her theatrics, but showing the same feelings when prompted to was a sign of weakness. And it WAS. No matter who tried to tell her otherwise, Aureia would stick to that belief. Adrian would not abandon her, but she wasn't going to pour her soul out on that faith alone.
"Aureia? Everything all right?" Adrian asked, now looking concerned as he stepped nearer to the Vaporeon. Aureia mentally cursed herself for zoning out again almost immediately, but couldn't think of anything to reassure her trainer before he had closed the distance between them. He knelt down to her level and began stroking her head gently, taking care around the fins that adorned her head. Experience had taught him that she was not too fond of having them touched.
Aureia allowed the stroking, but gave no outward sign of enjoying it. Not that it was difficult to feign indifference. All she really had to do was remind herself that the time they were spending down here was insufferably dull, and she could resist the urge to purr or lean into his hand.
"You're livid with me, aren't you?" Adrian asked, sounding a bit sheepish. Aureia glanced at him from the corner of her eye, but gave no reply. "Ouch," he said with a chuckle. "Silent treatment, huh?"
Aureia bit the inside of her mouth to keep from making a sarcastic retort. Adrian was way too good at reading her, and even better at tripping her up and revealing more than she wanted to. True, she was the Pokemon he had cared for the longest of the three he currently had, but he really seemed to get her mindset better than the others. Well, no one really understood Avis' mindset yet, as she was the most recent acquisition, and Ember shifted too often for Adrian to yet have her completely pegged, but he was well on the way to acheiving that.
Adrian continued to pamper the Vaporeon in silence, his eyes scanning the walls of the Ruins. Maybe that was his way of staying productive when he was feeling awkward, but having even his unconscious attention was a step up from being completely bored out of her mind and ignored, so Aureia could at least appreciate that. Her trainer had moved from simply petting her head to petting down her back, again taking care of the ridge that trailed from the base of her neck to the fin on her tail.
"I know this isn't exactly an island resort," Adrian said, smiling faintly, his voice soft and soothing. "I just needed to get some notes for the work assignment. It beat sitting in the office, you know?"
Aureia gave him a look, but didn't say anything. Despite this, Adrian seemed to get the message all the same.
"Why did you need to come? You didn't. I just wanted some company," he admitted. "But I guess it really isn't your scene, huh?"
At this point, Aureia was finding it increasingly difficult to be non-responsive. Adrian liked to end a lot of his sentences with a confirming question when talking to his Pokemon, which had the interesting effect of eventually wearing down the will of the Pokemon attempting to give him the silent treatment. Combined with the gentle pampering, it was definitely starting to work its magic on the Vaporeon, try as she might to resist it. Still, she said nothing, although Adrian seemed to detect her weakening resolve. Maybe he could feel the reduced tension in her body or something.
"Tell you what, it'll just be a little longer, then we can do whatever you want for the rest of the day, okay? Anything I can do to make the wait more tolerable?" he asked, watching her closely.
Aureia gave a little sniff of indignation and looked towards the opposite wall. Adrian chuckled.
"Yeah, yeah, you're less than thrilled," he said, shaking his head. "You want to risk Ember's company?"
"Meh," Aureia grunted, but her tail's flick betrayed her real thoughts. Adrian raised an eyebrow at that response.
"Okay, just remember that she's been extra moody lately. I took the assignment instead of a lunch break, so she hasn't been to the rec room today," the youth warned, carefully withdrawing a small Pokeball from his jacket and enlarging it with a tap of the button. He considered for a moment. "Maybe I should let Avis out, too?"
"Meh," Aureia repeated dully. Her tail did not flick, a detail that did not escape the notice of her trainer.
"Then I'm letting them both out, okay?" Adrian said, watching the Vaporeon with a faint smile. Aureia didn't respond. "All righty, then," he said, shaking his head. He reached into his jacket again and withdrew a second miniaturized sphere which, when enlarged, was clearly labeled with a green icon, opposed to the first ball's red marking.
Adrian tapped the button a second time, and a white light emerged from the sphere, forming into a slender Pokemon. When the light faded, a short, bipedal reptilian Pokemon stood before Aureia. Most of its body was green, but its chest and stomach were cream-colored, and it had yellow markings around its eyes. Yellow leaf-like curls decorated either side of its neck, like the collar of a cape or similar garment, and a yellow stripe bisected its back down to its tail. It had tiny arms with tiny fingers, but Avis kept them so closely to her sides that they weren't immediately noticeable.
The Snivy took a moment to look around, finally focusing on Adrian.
"Hey, Avis," the youth said with a smile. "I'm studying the area for a work assignment, and I'm letting Ember out to keep Aureia company. You mind working your magic with Ember?"
Avis cocked her head to the side, then flicked her right arm upwards into a military-like salute. Aureia rolled her eyes, already feeling a bit of annoyance towards the grass Pokemon. Avis was nothing short of an enigma at times. She could be ludicrously formal, or she could be obnoxiously silly. This particular example was a perfect blend of the two - she was being obnoxiously silly by acting ludicrously formal.
Adrian tapped the second ball without further fanfare, the white light that emerged formed into another bipedal lizard Pokemon, almost identical in size to Avis. However, its scales were orange with a cream belly, and it lacked some of the more puzzling aspects to its anatomy that the Snivy had. Its arms and legs were longer and more distinct, ending in claws, and its tail was longer, more slender, and ended with a burning flame.
Yet one of Ember's most notable features was her sharp blue eyes. One might consider them to be very pretty, but it generally was a bad idea to stare into Ember's eyes for any length of time, so it was hardly a sight anyone was going to be admiring.
The Charmander's body tensed the moment she had emerged, but after a glance to the left and right, and finding nothing remotely threatening, the fire lizard relaxed her stance, now looking a little miffed as she crossed her arms and turned towards Adrian.
"Sheesh, I should have just let you out at once and saved myself time explaining things," Adrian sighed, kneeling down to the Charmander's level. "I'm doing a work assignment and Aureia's mad about it. Keep her occupied for about twenty minutes, okay?"
"You get mad?" Avis asked, looking at the Vaporeon with incredulous interest. Aureia ignored her.
Adrian spoke quietly to Ember for a few moments, too quietly for Aureia to catch the details, but soon straightened up and walked towards the back of the chamber, peering through an archway and then passing through to examine the rest of the chamber.
"What was that about?" Aureia wondered, raising an eyebrow at Ember. "The little private chat?"
"Don't worry about it," Ember replied rudely. She looked around, then leaned her back against the wall of the chamber, arms still crossed. "Why are we even here?"
"That's the big question for the day, isn't it?" Aureia answered blandly. "He didn't even explain what the assignment was about."
Avis considered for a moment, her expression alone enough to make the Vaporeon's heart sink. "Maybe...there's been something stolen from here," she suggested in a dramatic whisper.
"Adrian isn't a police officer, it wouldn't be his job," Aureia said.
"Maybe he's reporting on the incident," Avis argued, frowning at the water Pokemon. "Why else would he be at a...museum or...where are we?"
"Ruins of Alph," Aureia answered dully. "It's a research site. All I gathered was he's writing something about something here, but it doesn't require the input of the nerds."
"Drop it, Avis," Ember grumbled when the Snivy began to reply.
"Is everyone going to be cranky today?" the Snivy asked, sniffing haughtily. "Well, then, if my presence is so intrusive, I'll go somewhere else."
With that, the Snivy turned on her heel and began walking in the opposite direction, towards the end of the chamber furthest from where Adrian had gone. Ember and Aureia exchanged uncertain looks. It was probably not the best idea to get separated from one another. Sure, Adrian wasn't far away, but in an unfamiliar area, there was no telling what Avis might stumble upon or fall into that would make it much more difficult or problematic for them to regroup.
"I hate her," Aureia muttered, getting to her feet and giving Ember a look. The Charmander frowned slightly.
"She's never done anything to you," Ember said testily. "You just try to-"
"I'm so not in the mood for this. Lecture me later, okay? I'll even remind you to lecture me, 'kay?" Aureia said impatiently. The Charmander rolled her eyes, but nodded. "Call her back, then."
"Why me?" Ember asked, confused.
"Because she won't answer out of spite. Just like I wouldn't answer her out of spite if- forget it. Let's just walk over there. It's a dead-end corridor."
Ember shrugged, but straightened up, brushing a little bit of dirt from her shoulders absently, then led the way in the direction Avis had gone in. Her tail flame cast a pale glow over the symbols on the wall, the light flickering in time with the movements of her tail as she walked. Aureia followed in silence, restlessly gazing over the symbols and writing. Every so often, she thought she caught a glimpse of light, but a double-take found nothing, so she eventually concluded it was just her eyes playing tricks on her due to Ember's tail flame.
"Avis, where the hell did you go?" Ember wondered to the air, her gaze flicking towards the stairway leading out of the main chamber. "Not there, right?"
"Ugh, I'd hope not," Aureia muttered. "That's how Adrian and I got in here."
Ember paused. "Do you hear something? Like someone talking?"
The Vaporeon blinked, but fell silent, cocking her head to the side. It was still a little faint, so the speakers weren't raising their voices too much, but she could definitely make out the sounds of chatter. She gave a brief nod.
"That way," she said, jerking her head towards the stairs. Ember frowned, but shifted her route towards the rays of sun shining down from the exit. As they got nearer, Aureia could definitely make out Avis' voice, as well as an unfamiliar voice or two. The noise was too garbled by the enclosed walls and distance to readily identify.
As they turned the bend, they found the Snivy standing in front of a trio of other Pokemon.
"You may call me Avis," the Snivy was saying, adopting an extremely formal tone and giving the Pokemon a deep bow. As Aureia and Ember drew closer, the Snivy looked their way and eagerly gestured for them to approach. "And I have my friends over here!"
Aureia frowned slightly. Of the three Pokemon, two of them she vaguely recognized, although she couldn't place from where. One of them was humanoid and the only ground-bound one of the three, with green hair adorned with pink clip-like structures, and seemed to be wearing a white dress. The second had an egg-shaped body with small arms and legs, an oddly long neck and a pair of wings. The third, and unfamiliar of the three was blue and bird-like with enormously fluffy wings that resembled clouds.
"Aureia, this is Kaito," Avis said, pointing to the fairy-like Pokemon. "That one's Iris," she continued, gesturing to the humanoid biped. "And the one that looks softer than the Pillow of Arceus is Sorin."
"Okay," Aureia responded blandly.
"The rude Vaporeon is Aureia," Avis continued, without missing a beat. "And this bright girl is Ember. Ember, these are-"
"You've got to be kidding me," Sorin deadpanned. Avis gave him an annoyed look, possibly mistaking the reaction as commentary on Avis introducing them again, but Sorin continued after a pause. "Adrian chose to go to the main area. I should have guessed."
"You know Adrian?" Avis asked, surprised. There was a momentary awkward pause.
"I know...of...Adrian..." Sorin answered slowly.
"Wait, you're Ember?" Iris asked curiously, peering at the Charmander. Ember nodded slowly. "I'm Iris, nice to meet you!" she said, extending a paw politely. Ember hesitated just long enough for the offer to be awkward, but then finally extended her own arm to shake the Kirlia's paw. She let go extremely quickly. Iris smiled at the Charmander, then focused on Aureia. "Hi! I saw you on the way here. You were walking with uh...Adrian, right?"
"As fun as this conversation is, I'd like to get through to examine the area," the fairy-like Pokemon, Kaito, said. His voice was pleasant, but brimming with impatience.
"Kaito, you're hovering higher than their heads. Nothing's stopping you from getting past," Sorin pointed out.
"Touche," Kaito noted, and moved forward, continuing without pause further into the Ruins. Aureia frowned again.
"I think we should head back towards Adrian," she told Avis and Ember firmly. "Before he notices we wandered off."
"You mind if I tag along?" Iris asked cheerfully. "I'm curious about you and your trainer, and Kaito's...interests...are nowhere near my tastes, so it'll give me something to do in the meantime."
"If we say no, will that stop you?" Aureia deadpanned. Iris blinked, her smile faltering slightly.
"Um...yeah, probably," she said awkwardly. Ember winced slightly and gave Aureia a look, to which the Vaporeon pretended she hadn't noticed. Why did everyone take her so seriously all the time?
"Told you she's rude," Avis chirped.
Avis wasn't helping.
